Anindita Sengupta

Susan Sontag once said that “fear of sexuality is the new, disease-sponsored register of the universe of fear in which everyone now lives”. In India, this fear is buttressed by social conservatism and hypocrisy and our films, for the most part, are a reflection of this. Burdened by archaic censorship laws and the pressure of playing to the gallery, most Indian films approach sex and its attendant concerns gingerly, if at all. The recent ‘Films of Desire’ festival, organized by human rights organization CREA at Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan was an attempt to foster a more layered understanding of representation, sexuality, gender and rights. » Read the rest of this entry «

Sixty years of independence and the mood is dichotomous. India-shining-style optimism is colliding with the stark reality of 250 million still below the poverty line and two of our most important newspapers reflect this divide in the usual, predictable ways. The Times of India is replete with gung-ho proclamations. The front page screams “60 and getting sexier”and a hefty supplement serves up a list of 60 “makers and shakers”. The tone is relentlessly upbeat. There is no mention of the other side of the story, of the ‘other’ India as it is often called. » Read the rest of this entry «

CNN-IBN journalist Sanjeeb Mukherjea has “written about” (since anything passes for writing, these days) Sivaji on his IBN Live blog. I was taken aback as soon as I read this:

We Aryan Indians are terribly clannish in our collective ignorance of Dravidian cinema and stars. Hence we are “kanstantly” overhyped about a certain tall dapper man in his 60’s who has a voice of an angel.

» Read the rest of this entry «