Alia Bhatt Refuses to Be Predictable
Critics dismissed her after her debut. Peers now call her the best actor in Bollywood. We chatted with the ‘Darlings’ star on how she pulls off powerful character-driven roles.
Snigdha Sur
Northeastern Actors are Finally Getting Their Shot at Bollywood Stardom
Streaming platforms have led to more regional cinema, diverse storytelling, and long-awaited opportunities for northeastern actors. Will mainstream Hindi cinema follow?
Makepeace Sitlhou
Where Has Bollywood’s Romance Gone?
In these divisive times, love remains a mere blip — not the central character it once was — in most Hindi films.
Meher Manda
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.
Opinion: Aryan Khan is Paying the Price for Being Muslim in India
Though they couldn’t find any drugs on him, officials arrested Shah Rukh Khan’s son during a drug raid and denied him bail — a reminder that being Muslim in India means living at the government’s mercy.
Poulomi Das
The Rise of Anti-Pakistan Bollywood
Patriotic movies used to evoke national unity. Today, films such as “BellBottom,” “Bhuj,” and “Shershaah” focus on settling scores with Pakistan.
How Mani Ratnam’s Terrorism Trilogy Stoked 1990s Nationalism
Though critically acclaimed, the director’s “Roja,” “Bombay,” and “Dil Se...” pushed jingoistic narratives that persist in Bollywood today.
The Enduring Love of Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu
The Bollywood superstars remained devoted to each other over five decades despite personal tragedy, jealousy, and a secret second marriage.
How Bollywood Failed Kashmir
Hindi cinema has long viewed Kashmir through a glossy lens, erasing its people, their agency, and their political histories.
Why “Delhi Belly” Remains Bollywood’s Best Slacker Comedy
Ten years ago, Bollywood made a runaway hit about that period in your 20s when life goes to shit. No film has since come close to replicating it.
‘Lagaan’: The Blockbuster That Almost Didn’t Happen
This year marks 20 years since Ashutosh Gowariker and Aamir Khan’s iconic film took the world by storm, and changed Bollywood forever.
Neena Gupta’s Time in the Sun
For decades, Bollywood relegated Neena Gupta’s talent to only supporting roles. Now, at 62, she’s finally getting her shot at stardom.
The Devolution of Journalism in Hindi Film
Bollywood’s ethical journalists are increasingly disappearing from the screen.
Good Ma, Bad Ma
Can Bollywood’s mothers exist between virtue or vice?
Imaan Sheikh
How Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan Weaves Nuance into Marginalized Identities
Whether it’s caste, gender, class, or sexual orientation, the director behind "Masaan" and "Geeli Pucchi" dissects every theme with refreshing sensitivity.
Why Bollywood Loved — and Lost — Fawad Khan
This year marks almost five years since fans have seen the iconic Pakistani actor in Hindi cinema.
Helen, the Glittering Mehbooba of Bollywood
Draped in lace, rhinestones, and fur, Helen claimed and rebranded the archetype of a vamp.
Why Bollywood Queens Start in the South
For decades, Hindi cinema has been sourcing its leading ladies from the Southern film industries of India.
Dilani Rabindran
Rekha, Amitabh, Jaya: A Silsila of Deprivation
Decades later, Bollywood’s most infamous love triangle seems even more tragic than we first thought.
Why Nigeria Loves Bollywood
With its emphasis on family values and forbidden love, Bollywood has long been popular in Nigeria, influencing the country’s prolific movie industry.
Diekoye Oyeyinka
The Horny Sophistication of “Choli Ke Peeche”
Let’s take a walk down mammary lane and dissect the scandal and power that surrounded one of Bollywood’s most tastefully titillating songs to date.
How “AK vs AK” Forged A New Bollywood Genre
Vikramaditya Motwane’s new Netflix thriller — also a black comedy, an indictment of Bollywood, and a 108-minute-long inside joke — was seven years in the making.
How the Death of a Bollywood Actor Became a Political Proxy War
Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide fueled a four-month-long media circus, with internet mobs and politicians destroying lives and livelihoods in the name of “Justice for Sushant.”
Michaela Stone Cross
25 Years of Rangeela, the Quintessential Ode to Bollywood
Armed with a brilliant cast and a glorious soundtrack by A. R. Rahman, the film is a tribute to Mumbai, moviemaking, and the filmiest of love stories.
Is Bollywood Ready to Have its Queer Reckoning?
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, which depicts the love between two men, is far from perfect. But its power lies in its attempt to reach a mass audience.
How Bollywood Went Underground
The Indian government conferred industry status on its film industry only in 2001. For years, the best way to fund movies was through the world of crime.
Mumbai’s Disappearing Underworld
Bollywood has always drawn inspiration from its home city’s underworld. But where did all the gangsters go?
Bollywood Warped the Brown Girl
Almost all Bollywood hits (and flops) from our collective millennial childhood have propagated anti-woman messages.
Bollywood’s Hot Boys and Girls
How six-packs became a religion in the world’s largest film industry.
Bollywood and the BJP
A biopic on a sitting prime minister, a film glorifying 2016’s surgical strikes, and movies championing Modi’s policies: Bollywood seems increasingly BJP-led.
Sharanya Deepak
The Spitting Lyrics of Gully Boy
What a refreshing change, to see Bollywood lean on hip hop — and vice versa — in a way that feels so authentically Indian.
Siddhant Adlakha
