The Cricket Pitch as Battleground in Indian Cinema
If cricket in India is no less important than religion, then films like ‘83’ and ‘M.S. Dhoni’ have deified the sport and its players beyond reproach.
Meher Manda
The Doyen of Kathak, Pandit Birju Maharaj
The choreographer and teacher left a mark on everything from Bollywood to classical dancing, but his legacy also faces controversy after his death.
Kavya Srikanth
Bhutan’s Long-Awaited Oscar Entry is Simple, But Sweet
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” — about “the most remote school in the world” — asks us what it means to be happy.
Siddhant Adlakha
How Falu Created Two Grammy-Nominated Children’s Albums
Answers to her son’s questions about immigrant life led to ‘Falu’s Bazaar’ and ‘A Colorful World,’ which pay homage to the singer’s Indian and American roots.
Surbhi Gupta
Opinion: R.K. Narayan’s Idyllic Malgudi Might Not Be Enough
The famed short story writer created a utopia that rarely mentions caste or politics. It is the place where we may want to escape, but not where we can live.
Priya-Alika Elias
Aasif Mandvi Wants You to See Him as an Actor, Not a Comedian
The actor, writer, and future director chats about playing Ben Shakir in “Evil,” becoming a father, and why you can’t put him in a box.
Snigdha Sur
South Asian Candidates Aim to Grow Congress’s “Samosa Caucus”
North Carolina’s Nida Allam and California’s Shrina Kurani are among a new generation of politicos aiming to make history in this year’s midterm elections.
Nirvi Shah
Artist, Feminist, Detective: How Shahzia Sikander Disrupts Art History
The Pakistani American artist and manuscript painting historian asks us: who gets to determine what is “tradition”?
M.Z. Adnan
The Urban Resurgence of Offal
Once a staple of Parsi home kitchens, animal organ dishes are showing up on urban restaurant menus — from those of Dhamaka to Bombay Canteen.
Meher Mirza
How Ghee Took Over U.S. Grocery Shelves
The recent global rise of the clarified butter is striking for an ingredient steeped in centuries of culinary history.
Nikhita Venugopal
It’s Time to Bid Bollywood Masala Films a Definitive Goodbye
The genre that once crackled with all the dramatic possibilities of mainstream Hindi cinema and united a country has devolved into divisive, repugnant storylines.
How Sri Lanka Became a Hollywood Filming Destination
When India says no or is too much of a hassle, the island nation has filled the void. But this trend has yet to lead to a boom in local film or film tourism.
Zinara Rathnayake
In ‘Writing with Fire,’ Dalit Women Redefine What it Means to Be Powerful
The documentary is not just the story of the remarkable women-run media company Khabar Lahariya, but that of India's underserved Dalit communities, of news going digital, of press freedom.
Aseem Chhabra
The Mystique of Jai Paul
Ten years after the release of “BTSTU,” the enigmatic genre-bending British Indian artist from north London finds himself a pop star without the desire for it.
Dhruva Balram
Who is Sunny Balwani?
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has accused her number-two of psychological and sexual abuse, yet little is known about him and his motives.
Heading into 2022, Indians Seeking Visa Renewals are Still in Limbo
Though the State Department has reduced its backlog this year from a peak of 531,976 in July to 461,125 in November, for many, the progress hasn’t been fast enough.
Helen Li
The Business of Brown Beauty
Indian-inspired and South Asian-targeted beauty and skincare brands could be the next big trend. But to go the Korean beauty route, these products still have a long road ahead.
Parizaad Khan Sethi
Amrit Kaur of ‘Sex Lives’ Is Not Playing Around
“I don’t take it for granted that I’m lucky. But I’ve also worked a s*** ton.”
Ishani Nath
For The Great British Baking Show's Crystelle Pereira, Passion Means More Than Perfection
We sat down with the finalist to chat about focaccia, the one spice she can’t live without, why she didn’t kiss Mr. Spatula, and what’s next.
The Juggernaut
For NYC Council Member-Elect Shekar Krishnan, Solving Systemic Inequality Starts from Within
The first Indian American to represent Jackson Heights and Elmhurst has long advocated for change. Now, he has a plan to fight for change from the inside.