The Desi Gaze

Ankita and Azhar unpack one of the finest war films in Bollywood history. Though set in 1962 during the Indo-China war, Haqeeqat (Reality) deals with the trauma of losing Jawahar Lal Nehru and perhaps his vision for a non-aligned India. Dharmendra, Balraj Sahni, Sudhir, Vijay Anand, Jayant, and Priya Rajvansh star. While the film can be seen as a cinematic revenge against China's aggression in 196...

Our latest episode dicusses one of the finest and heavily overlooked Hindi film   Yahudi   (English: The Jew) from 1958. Starring Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, and Nazir Hussain, the film is a testament of postcolonial ethnic solidarity that shaped Bollywood. It is based on the play   Yahudi Ki Ladki   by the Urdu poet, playwright, and dramatist  Agha Hashar Kashmiri,   a classic in Pars...

Happy Karl Marx Day! In this episode Ankita is joined by Zane Merritt as they unpack the 1973 Hindi film Abhimaan . Dr. Merritt is a freelance musician and academic currently residing in Buffalo New York. He holds a PhD in western classical music composition from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Masters' degree in classical guitar performance from Butler University. He has perform...

In this episode, we discuss the 1974 blockbuster Hindi film  Roti. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Pinchoo Kapoor, Sujit, Nirupa Roy, and Om Prakash along with the who's who of 70's Bollywood. We love Roti for its stellar soundtrack but even more for the subtle pro-China subtext during the cold war era. Manmohan Desai was an expert of Masala films (a mix of genres) and here, he brilliantly u...

We bring you the first ever Hindi film jointly produced by India and the Soviet Union–the 1957 film Pardesi ( Khozhdenie Za Tri Moray or The Foreigner) , starring Oleg Strizhenov, Nargis, Padmini, and Balraj Sahani along with a special appearance by Prithviraj Kapoor. Made in Russian and Hindi, this film is a testament of Indo-Soviet solidarity. It is based on travelogues of a 15th century Russian...

Two besties analyze Mrinal Sen's powerful 1982 Bengali film Kharij (English translation: The Case is Dismissed). Based on the 1974 novel of the same name, the film follows a family after thier child servant dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. Dr. Udita Mukherjee , a geoscientist and a Bengali film enthusiast joins Dr. Ankita Rathour in unpacking the film through a Marxist-feminist lens, providing c...

Ankita and Azhar analyze India's Cold War anxities through the 1968 Hindi spy thriller Ankhen (Eyes), directed by Ramanand Sagar. India is facing a crisis as its "enemies" are fueling riots within the nation. Concerned citizens and businessmen take it on themselves to protect national sovereignty and defeat the enemies who remain nameless and are signified through a concoction of Mao, Hitler, Napo...

Ankita continues to expand her thoughts/feelings on   Dhurandhar , but this time with two of her favorite people–Vignesh Burugupalli and Mihika Gottimukkala. The three forged a cinephilic friendship after Ankita's Global Bollywood class last year. Continuing the discourse, the three chat about their reactions, complex feelings, and criticisms of Dhurandhar. Ankita ends the episode by arguing that...

Happy New Year! Ankita introduces season two "Before the Collapse" as she recovers from acute bronchitis (welp!) But there's more...she shares her thoughts on Dhurandhar , arguably, India's biggest blockbuster film. This film has genearted a lot of interest, debate, and chaos. As Ankita tries to make sense of her messy experience of watching the film, she invites Jason Christian , who is the co-ho...

For October, Ankita and Azhar delve deep into the phenomenon, the legend, and the alleged last star of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan , also known as SRK. Why not a film? Because both have discussed their fascination and critique of the megastar on and off. This is a labor of love and a gaze back from SRK's two ardent fans.  What makes SRK great? Why does SRK still rule? How has the far-right attack o...

Ankita and Azhar take you to Bihar this time–the richest Indian region before colonialism–plundered by many invading forces, including the British Raj and East India Company.  Damul is a film about bonded labor and casteism. It is based on the story "Kaalsootra" by Shaiwal, a native writer of Gaya, Bihar. Ankita and Azhar dive deeper into the political economy of caste and gender while critically...

They say, save the best for last! We end our special series with an episode on myriad meanings and observations on Bollywood with Ankita's former students: Kandarp Vadia, Parth Parikh, Sai Lalith Kanumuri, and Vignesh Burugupalli. Our guests begin the discussion with the importance of Hindi films for the desi diaspora along with presenting crucial insights into the problems of (mis) representation...

May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema. In this short episode, Cierra Ferguson and La...

May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema. In this episode, Lasya Malladi and Adi Krish...

Bougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya cinematographer and screenwriter Apurba Kishore Bir . This film is a testament to Hindi cinema's versatility and uniqueness. It asks you to question the thin line between control and canniba...

Ankita and Azhar continue their love for Ketan Mehta and Smita Patil by discussing Mehta's Gujarati language debut film  Bhavni Bhavai (1980). The film depicts the caste atrocities of India through the lives of Dalits. It uses the popular theater form of Bhavai to bring forth a scathing critique of casteism. Bhavni Bhavai was Ketan Mehta's debut film and received critical acclaim. Mehta won the pr...

In this episode, Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin share their love for the trailblazing 1987 Hindi film Mirch Masala directed by the Gujarati filmmaker Ketan Mehta . The film is about Sonabai/Sonbai, a spirited woman who works at a local pepper factory with other women. A subedar working for the British Raj wants her and is not shy to use force. Sonabai runs and hides in her factory while the ageing...

Join hosts Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin as they discuss Khwaja Ahmed Abbas's iconic film  Dharti Ke Laal   (English: Children of the Earth , 1946). The film is a fictionalized depiction of the aftermath of British orchestrated Bengal famine of 1943 in which millions of Bengalis were starved to death to feed Winston Churchill's imperial interests. One of the early films of Indian social-realist fi...