In ‘Satirical Tibet’, Timothy Thurston shows how comedians and rappers are using satire as a tool of resistance under Chinese authoritarianism and surveillance
A conversation with the renowned Indologist on how myths endure across cultures and traditions, why they resist fixed meanings, and what is at stake in attempts to control them
As vehicles for Hindu Right ideology and pro-Modi propaganda, ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ first blur the lines of reality before overtly glorifying anti-Muslim violence
From manufacturing mythic pasts to promoting muscular nationalism, militarism and Islamophobia, Hindi cinema is increasingly aligning with Hindutva politics, and ripping up Indian secularism and democracy in the process
In ‘Native ball’, the artist presents life in Kerala through a deliberate mix of fact and fabrication, combining photography and text to evoke a kind of magical realism
From Panchayat-era moralism to donor-driven publishing, and today a rising crop of local initiatives, the shifts in Nepal’s children’s literature reflect the difficult history of the country itself
The sexual assault case that shook Malayalam cinema, in which the actor Dileep was the suspected mastermind but was acquitted, shows how Kerala’s systems continue to shield the powerful and well-connected – especially men
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s charms lent a deceptive lustre to its ultra-conservatism, which helped pave the way for the brazen misogyny and Hindu nationalism in Hindi cinema three decades later
