Things may not always look bright, but the sun won't stay out forever is a running theme conveyed across its short films about people from various walks of life in all their varying moods and musings, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Four-time Odisha MP Pinaki Misra's wedding to firebrand TMC MP Mahua Moitra in a quiet, intimate ceremony that chose privacy and tradition over fanfare, was a reflection of his personal style.
There's room for all kinds on OTT this week, as Sukanya Verma tells us.
Here's what your favourite Bollywood celebrities are tweeting.
Be it as a source of fire, secret or endgame, everything is seen through the prism of sex and good looks in The Royals, observes Sukanya Verma.
Khushi fares better in emotional scenes but her chemistry with Junaid has the passion of a toothpaste campaign, observes Sukanya Verma.
'The point about arranged marriages is -- because I come from a progressive family -- the idea was completely alien. But I have realised over time that there are instances of assisted marriages working very well. If you look at it, really, in a microcosm, it is the same thing as Tinder, isn't it? I mean, if you are trying to meet -- yes, no, yes, no, no.'
Sukanya Verma lists everything that's there on OTT this week.
Modern Love: Mumbai has a mostly good selection of stories, and unlike so many other OTT shows that seem to think profanity and sex depict modernity, this one can be watched with the family without any discomfort, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'On the governmental level, we are saying all the right things, like beti bachao, beti padhao. Yet, a High Court judge in Prayagraj, who is highly educated, has studied the Constitution and its laws, says breaking the naada of a pyjama or touching the breasts of a minor girl is not part of the reform process. Just giving lip service is not enough, the general mindset has to change.'
Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday said his statement on modern women unwilling to marry and bear children at an event in NIMHANS was taken out of context and that he had no intention of singling out women and it was based on a survey, which cited statistics on what the younger generation felt about it.
'It's important to keep doing your work. Do what you understand and don't expect much.'
The veteran actor passed into the ages in the early hours of Friday, April 4, 2025. Sukanya Verma looks back at his most memorable performances.
'Reena stayed in the next building. We fell in love but had to meet secretly because her parents didn't approve of me.' 'I would always be afraid that her parents would get her married off to somebody else.'
Mrs succeeds in riling you up for all the right reasons. And without resorting to high-pitched drama, applauds Sukanya Verma.
Old ideas contained in the heads of old economists still dominate. That's not good, asserts T C A Srinivasa Raghavan.
Indian English is the only language that uses the expression 'non-veg' for meat, fish, and those who consume them. A fascinating extract from Shashi Tharoor's A Wonderland of Words: Around the Word in 101 Essays.
'In a marriage, you must wipe the self-helpy, holier-than-thou grime off your forgiveness to see what it truly is.'
As much Preity would like to be relieved of everyone's ebullient expectations of her, truth is few have fizzed up the silver screen like she has.
'Even actresses who are mothers play leading roles. There's also been a dramatic shift in the kinds of roles available to women. It's no longer limited to being the heroine, the heroine's mother, aunty or vamp.'
These six male megastars have formed popular pairs with two starkly different leading ladies. Dinesh Raheja compares and contrasts the chemistry between the onscreen couples, and asks you, dear reader, to vote for your favourite jodi.
'I've lost count of the number of times I've said no to sex, because I am tired, and how it has led to air punches, banging of doors, muffled expletives by the other half.' 'With time, we've learned to talk it out and have an arrangement that I'd like to believe works for both of us,' notes Radha Yadav, our newest columnist.
'Her story, her life, her aspirations and struggles...' 'Indian weddings are not just about fuschia, pink and dancing. They have many nuances.'
Munjya is the most wildly entertaining ghost I have encountered at the movies recently. But he has the added advantage of being a Maharashtrian ghost, of possessing rhythms of speech and behaviour that are distinctly Maharashtrian, of being blessed with that beautiful brand of Maharashtrian irritability
Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar on Sunday claimed that modern Indian women want to stay single, unwilling to give birth even after marriage and desire children by surrogacy.
Enchanted rings, talking teddy bears and arranged marriages of the phony kind, hijack horror and more on OTT this week.
The US is currently Earth's most powerful country and a certain latitude of understanding -- a world view -- is popularly expected from its leadership. From a country identified with freedom, constitution, debate, democracy and the likes of Abraham Lincoln even as it had the most powerful military around, the US, following Trump's actions, seemed repositioned as militarily powerful with other qualities secondary, observes Shyam G Menon.
His cinema of compassion inspired me, gave me tools to develop empathy for others. But it also made me understand that serious, socially committed cinema with deeply engaging narratives and great performances is an art form to admire, appreciate and explore. Aseem Chhabra remembers Shyam Benegal, who passed into the ages on Monday evening.
Much like in real life, Bollywood has always been big on onscreen weddings. Take a look at the most successful Hindi films on marriage we've seen over the years.
"We live lives which are relatively isolated from the political arm of the government -- but obviously judges have to be conversant with the impact of their decisions on the polity at large. That's not political pressure but an understanding by the court of the likely impact of a decision," CJI Chandrachud said in his address at the Oxford Union.
The map shows the prevalence of modern day slavery across the world. The larger the circle, the greater is the prevalence of modern day slavery in a country
'Everyone's looking for the next best thing. Everyone is ready to give up too easily.'
Indian Matchmaking has clearly been produced to pander to Western audiences's awful fascination with the institution of arranged marriage, notes Kanika Datta.
She's not social, he parties hard; she's disorganised, he's a neat freak. Marriage, the married would say, is a union of contradictions. We got four couples who've survived the five-year-itch to renew their vows, adding just one small clause for their spouses to follow.
Your parents, especially your mum, could be the one to reach out to for advice grounded in experience, understanding and unconditional support.
Excerpts from Nandini Krishnan's fascinating book Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage.
Crucial reforms in Muslim personal law, especially laws related to inheritance and adoption, need to be initiated forthwith; historically speaking, without the State's backing, hardly has any reform taken place or allowed to prevail, asserts Mohammad Sajjad.
Sukanya Verma recommends watching CTRL on a computer for an eerie, immersive, real-time experience.
The world is celebrating Raj Kapoor's birth centenary, but when was the last time you watched an RK film?
'Kamal has surfed and navigated a lot of tidal waves, manoeuvring the peaks and troughs, combining rare intelligence and commonly available intuitions to overcome unimaginable crises all his life.' 'There is no looking back at the past, for his only motto has been 'Tomorrow belongs to us'!'
