'The Iranians are very resilient people. So even when they are throttled, they try their best to survive.'
After winning awards at Sundance and Cannes, Director Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes has now been nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Feature Film category.
'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.'
'Rakesh's life is hard, but he knows how to find joy.' 'He doesn't think his life's value comes from money. He sees no shame in his poverty.'
Ismail Merchant was known for his persuasive powers and his ability to mold difficult situations in his favour.
There is a world that Satyajit Ray created in his films that I wanted to be a part of -- as Durga bathed in the rain to Ravi Shankar's music; when Charulata sat on the swing regretting she never had a child; and Aarti stood up in defence of her colleague. Aseem Chhabra shares interesting memoris of Satyajit Ray on the latter's birth centenary on May 2.
'I am a non-resident Indian. I didn't come to India to shine a light on its negative aspects.' 'I came to India to showcase what I think are remarkable aspects of India and Indians on a global scale.'
I have heard cynics say that Priyanka Chopra Jonas as we know her today is the creation of a PR machinery, but that is rather a poor reading of a determined woman and the work she has done to get to where she is. Aseem Chhabra salutes the movie star on her 40th birthday on July 18.
One could be anywhere -- huddled around a transistor radio at home in the evenings, walking past a neighbour's house, or waiting at a bus stop and Lata Mangeshkar's voice would reach us. Aseem Chhabra pays rich tribute to The Legend.
'When I least expect it, I start to find traces of India in foreign lands.'
MS Dhoni or Sachin A Billion Dreams? Dangal or Mary Kom?
Twists and turns, shocking revelations, explosions, chase sequences and a lot of moodiness make The Batman a riveting movie going experience, notes Aseem Chhabra.
Aseem Chhabra presents his list of 10 international films that mattered to him, stories that he connected with and characters that gave him a better understanding of the human condition.
But his nature, temperament, his skill to listen to others, and empathise with their pain and hardships will make him a far better president, a leader America has been longing for four years, notes Aseem Chhabra.
Two men smiling, eyeing each other as they briefly let their guard down, with no care of what the world around them is thinking, that has almost never been shown in a Bollywood film, notes Aseem Chhabra.
The Oscars is prestigious and all artists covet it but ultimately, the business of winning is ruthless and political. And India has seldom risen to the challenge, argues Sukanya Verma.
There was no drama, no applause, no tears, no laughter. The 79th Golden Globes had indeed lost its lustre, says Aseem Chhabra.
The hits and flops of the week.
'Karenge aur kaam, sir. Zindagi bahut choti hai, ideas bahut sare hain.'
'When Covid first struck, the lockdown resulted in clean air in major Indian cities.' 'You were able to see the Himalayan range from Ludhiana.' 'In Delhi, you were seeing deer and stags all over the city because there was no traffic.' 'It was incredible. Nature was waiting to come back.'
Vinod Mirani gives us his weekly verdict.
'I never thought the European audience will love this film, but we had over 2,000 people at the screening.'
'We didn't know where the story was going. But I knew I was telling the story of an extremely lonely journalist.'
Piku, on the other hand, is a big hit.
Aseem Chhabra remembers Master Chef Floyd Cardoz who died of coronavirus in New York on Wednesday.
Soumitra Chatterjee -- one of the finest Indian actors of our time -- meant so much to Aseem Chhabra.
The hits and misses of the week.
To be able to bid farewell to Daniel Craig is an emotion all fans of the Bond franchise must experience, feels Aseem Chhabra.
'How is it to live in a place that does not have electricity or a telephone connection, where people do not have any concept of what the world is beyond the mountains?'
A look at the hits and misses of the week.
Lovers Rock is sexy, romantic, charming and hugely entertaining -- a perfect gift for movie lovers in these tough times, feels Aseem Chhabra.
The fascinating story of this man was one of the most searched topics on Google after the trailer was launched with Irrfan's Tomar, his gaze fixed at a journalist interviewing him, mouthing that iconic dialogue "beehad mein baaghi hote hain, dacait milte hain Parliament mein".
'The idea was to show the simultaneity and coexistence of life in the city.'
A beautiful documentary from Delhi. A shocking satire that spares no one. A thriller about a serial killer in Iran. A Pakistan film about family secrets... Aseem Chhabra lists the best films he saw in Cannes.
If Netflix and the film's producers thought they would bring younger audiences to the master's works, many who might have aversion to decades-old black and white films, they have failed with the experiment, says Aseem Chhabra.
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