KOCHI: Whenever singer Usha Uthup would perform, during the functions of the Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charity, singing classic hymns like ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Abide with me’ she would also sing the 1970s hit pop song, ‘Beautiful Sunday’. “Mother Teresa liked it a lot,” says Usha. Thoughts of Mother Teresa areContinue Reading
There’s nationalist fervour and jingoism running right through this cinematic interpretation of the scandalous Nanavati murder case that rocked the nation in the 1950s. You smell a rat right away. It’s at the entry of the naval officer hero Rustom Pavri (Akshay Kumar) framed against the tricolour fluttering awayContinue Reading
A few days ago, the first song ‘Kala Chashma’ starring Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra from Baar Baar Dekho was released and instantly became a huge hit. Not just that, there have been several parodies made of the song as well. Now, the ‘Kala Chashma’ fever has made its wayContinue Reading
Ignatius Press has recently released a softcover photobook tribute to the life of soon-to-be saint Mother Teresa. Works of Love Are Works of Peace: Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity is a project that was four years in the making and containing some 180 photographs taken over a ten-yearContinue Reading
A cut above the formulaic sports-movie themes, BUDHIA SINGH – BORN TO RUN hits all the right buttons. The inspirational, soul-stirring story of the Odisha’s 5 year old wonder-boy Budhia Singh – the running sensation who took the world by storm is a brilliantly crafted, richly performed rare piece of Bollywood’sContinue Reading
Mother Teresa will be canonized on Sept. 4 — the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Already a saint in the eyes of most people, regardless of religion, she is clearly deserving of this honor. I’m even more certain of her sanctity now that I’ve written a book about her critics.Continue Reading
The Hidden Business of Democracy in India Josy Joseph, Harper Collins, Non-fiction, Rs 599.00 Josy Joseph draws upon two decades as an investigative journalist to expose a problem so pervasive that we do not have the words to speak of it. The story is big: that of treacherous business rivalries,Continue Reading
It is a familiar tale of the chick aka common man’s fight against the hawk of a corrupt system. Madaari begins with Irrfan Khan’s voiceover sonorously telling us a story about the struggle between a baaz (a hawk) and a chooza (chick). It sounds real, he says, but not asContinue Reading
Italy/Vatican, 2016, 95 minutes, Colour.Directed by Luca Viotto. For those who have never visited them, an opportunity to see close-ups of Rome’s basilicas. For those who have visited, an opportunity to experience delight again, to reminisce and appreciate. With the advances in the technology of filming, digital mobility, processes ofContinue Reading
The music is composed by AR Rahman, while the lyrics are written by Javed Akhtar Ashutosh Gowariker and AR Rahman has given some really great chartbusters whenever they have worked together, be it Lagaan, Swades or Jodhaa Akbar. When Ashutosh moved away from Rahman and worked with Sohail Sen forContinue Reading
