Evelyn Beatrice Hall once said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” In spite of stepping into the twenty-first century with aplomb, we as a human race have not progressed to a point where all written word is cherished and published. Censorship is very…
“Aren’t artistry of language and worthiness of theme both necessary for good poetry?”, asks one of the characters in Half the Night is Gone. Blending grandeur of theme with poetic language, Amitabh Bagchi’s multi-layered narrative leaves the reader spell-bound and ruminative. Unfolding at both the personal and the political level, the book not just explores…
Named as one of the Guardian’s best books of the year, Djinn City evokes the supernatural world of djinns who are permeated in the popular imagination either through the cartoons like Aladdin or television series like I Dream of Jeannie where genies are subservient to their human masters or through movies where they are characterized…
What will you do if you can see your future? When you know the one thing that will give you immense happiness, will also cause you immense pain? Do you embrace the happiness or do you strive to change it knowing that it is futile? This is one of the many thought-provoking themes that run…
Leaving behind a trail of destruction and bloodshed, Koh-i-Noor, the Mountain of Light, ‘retains a fame and celebrity unmatched by any of its larger or more perfect rivals’ even though there are eighty – nine diamonds larger than it. What makes the Koh-i-Noor so infamous and alluring that all the other gems that once rivaled…
A visceral war drama, where the war just doesn’t take place on the battle-scarred wastelands of Okinawa but also in the life of its main protagonist. Based on the life story of the Medal of Honour recipient, Desmond Thomas Doss, the movie explores the conflict between a man’s beliefs and his desire to serve his…
With the final installment of the Camille Verhoeven trilogy, Pierre Lemaitre has permanently registered his name in the annals of the crime writers. Begun with the personal tragedy for Camille Verhoeven, the trilogy finishes the circle and concludes with the professional and personal calamity for Camille. Though the first two installments in the trilogy are…
While the world has officially entered into the twenty-first century seventeen years ago, some Bollywood directors are still stuck in the bygone era of the 70s. Hrithik Roshan’s starred Kaabil offers nothing new to the audience except maybe the love story of two visually impaired leads. Divided into two parts – the first part is a…
Fusing Hindu mythology and management, Devdutt Pattanaik continues his unique insights into the role of power in the corporate set-up in his new book, The Leadership Sutra. Bringing out the refreshing perspective on power and its role in organizations, the book challenges the interpretation of power as something negative and leads the reader to the…
Sports biopics are a successful formula in Hollywood. Bollywood, on the other hand, is a different ball game altogether. What sells is the family drama, cheap entertainment, run-of-the-mill romance and, of course, Salman Khan. Sports biopics have never been very popular either amongst directors or audiences, barring a few notable exceptions. Mary Kom, MS Dhoni are some of…
Let the Game Begin, a thriller penned by Sandeep Sharma has been classified as a historical thriller by the author. Thriller as a genre often comprises the elements of suspense, mystery, uncertainty, anticipation to keep the reader hooked till the very last page. Historical fiction usually depicts historical figures in fictional scenarios, fictional figures in…
In her new book, The Marriage of Opposites; Alice Hoffman gives voice to one of the most obscure characters in the history. The book narrates the fictional childhood and life of Rachel Pissarro – the mother of Camille Pissarro, the founding member of the Impressionists. Fiercely independent and headstrong, Rachel Pissarro is the girl who…
A ‘pirate’ generally means the one who robs ships and therefore, considered an outlaw or a criminal. However, the limited knowledge of pirates and Jack Sparrow’s infamous movie series, Pirates of the Caribbean has turned pirates into legends and romantic heroes, who though acting outside law are not villains. Kulpreet Yadav’s latest thriller, The Girl…
With a sudden spurt of travel blogs, websites and travel groups in the last decade or so; travelling has become one of the latest fads where one must travel ‘solo’ to gain wisdom or to come out of a shell. In a tug of war between bloggers/ websites to gain more traffic on their pages…
Political controversies, mudslinging, rampant misuse of law, propaganda pushed forward by media and activists, personal motivations – all these and much more defines the current state of Indian politics today. Motivated and intrigued by these aspects and many more controversies that have dominated the news lately, Hariharan Iyer pens down a political thriller that delves…
