An action star. A dancer. A pop singer. A brand ambassador. He spends a not-insignificant amount of time shirtless. He is also one of the most heavily criticized stars of his generation. What is it that makes Tiger Shroff so appealing?

A Tale of Tiger Mania

Mar 4, 2022

Melanie

Issue

#23

11

min read

With polarising reactions to the film and to the character arc, it might be time to question if Gehraiyaan’s Zain belongs to the Dharma universe or has his origins in the works of Sidney Sheldon.

A Sidney Sheldon Man

Feb 19, 2022

Debasmita Bhowmik

Issue

#21

11

min read

Taking the leap to committing to watch a TV show, the writer recalls his impressions of slick advertising professionals on screen, his own disastrous attempts at being an adman, and the college culture in India through the lens of his own time at university.

Mad Men of Scholars' Avenue

Feb 7, 2022

Desh Lokesh

Issue

#19

10

min read

A filmmaker in his search of Turkish identity employs a great many metaphors on the landscape known to him. What is Turkishness according to Nuri Bilge Ceylan?
Part 1 of 2 by the writer.

Ceylan’s Landscape - Part 1

Jan 28, 2021

Shekhar Sarkar

Issue

#17

15

min read

We sit down with renowned author and Bollywood aficionado Balaji Vittal, where we talk about villains, heroes, and movies.

The Good, the Bad, and the Grey

Dec 24, 2021

Team Incurato

Issue

#15

14

min read

The tropes and themes that are sprinkled over his filmography seem to cement Karan Johar as an Auteur, by qualifying him for the inner circles of Andrew Sarris' model of the infamous Auteur Theory.
Part 2 of 3

In Defense of the Auteur - Part 2

Dec 14, 2021

Prasanna

Issue

#13

15

min read

What happens to a film when the women in it dare to dream and fulfil them? How are they seen - by others and by themselves?

Lipstick Dreams

Dec 3, 2021

Tulika

Issue

#11

12

min read

A young woman’s throwback to her first love, through the eyes of a disarming, unpretentious teen romcom. And there’s also some obsession over a sofa.

Becoming Paulie and Juno

Nov 19, 2021

Devona Burke

Issue

#9

9

min read

Money in movies has often been an indicator of the socio-economic struggles of the times. It has been used, abused, and even made the lead character. But does the reel business of money reflect the real?

Reel Money

Oct 29, 2021

Pranav Manie

Issue

#7

10

min read

What kind of national identity have post-liberalisation Hindi films conjured up for their audiences? Taking a look at Mohabbatein provides an insight into the way India’s economic liberalisation began to define what ‘Indianness’ meant according to Hindi cinema.

The New Bollywood Hero

Oct 15, 2021

Tulika

Issue

#5

10

min read

A recollection of four funerals - two in film, and two from life - and the morbid liveliness that surrounds them.
Trigger Warning: Description of death and post-death rituals

Life, After Death

Oct 1, 2021

Amlan

Issue

#3

10

min read

Abhishek Chaubey's cinematic language actively builds other-worldliness into the fabric of the story, be it Mary Jane swimming to the light in Udta Punjab or Lakhna watching himself on a camel in Sonchiriya. Can this be called Hindi cinema's surrealist moment?

A Surreal Matter

Sep 28, 2021

Nihira

Issue

#1

8

min read

The vicissitudes of 'Little Things': Four seasons of reflection on the modern ways of living and loving, and a narrative with multiple foci.

More Than Slice of Life

Feb 26, 2022

Raunaq Saraswat

Issue

#22

8

min read

Who would we be if our memories of material objects were taken away from us? How fleeting is memory? The writer reflects on our attempts at trying to forget and remember things that have shaped us, tangible or otherwise.
Part 1 of the Memory series

Memory Is a Thing With Feathers

Feb 13, 2022

Chaitanya Sethi

Issue

#20

10

min read

After three films based on autobiographical elements, Ceylan ventured into a zone which was more of a homecoming for him. The issues and themes which he deals with post his 2006 film “Climates”, are more contemporary, relevant, and Turkish in nature. Ceylan is ironic, juggling between implied pessimism and sanguine temperament.

Ceylan’s Landscape - Part 2

Feb 2, 2022

Shekhar Sarkar

Issue

#18

16

min read

As the year comes to a close, Team Incurato takes a look back at 2021 along with our writers, at what’s the one (or in some cases, many) great thing that they watched, and that really stood out.

Best Things I Watched in 2021

Dec 30, 2021

Team Incurato

Issue

#16

8

min read

An attempt to update the Auteur Theory to make it more inclusive and less judgemental, despite (and not because of) the fact that the oft-undermined Karan Johar fits squarely in its current form.
Part 3 of 3

Auteur Theory: Reloaded

Dec 17, 2021

Prasanna

Issue

#14

13

min read

If the generally misinterpreted Auteur Theory isn’t dead already, is it worth an exploration via an overlooked Indian director, Karan Johar? Or is Mr. Johar worth an exploration via the actual definition of the Theory?
Part 1 of 3

In Defense of the Auteur - Part 1

Dec 10, 2021

Prasanna

Issue

#12

14

min read

A man of style, a man of substance, and a man of mystery: is Rahul Khanna the best argument in India for digital curation of the celebrity self? Starring the actor as the thinking person's crumpet.

The Boutique Bollywood Actor

Nov 26, 2021

Beth & Amrita

Issue

#10

9

min read

A look into the peregrination of a second-hand movie camera of Jyoti Chitraban – the only government film studio in Assam – and chronicling the parallel history of Assamese cinema. Part 1 of 3 from the writer’s series, The Assam Dispatch.

Mitchell Camera of Jyoti Chitraban

Nov 12, 2021

Utpal Datta

Issue

#8

10

min read

Loud bright lights. Soft early mornings. Conversation, both muted and rowdy. How Lost in Translation perfectly encapsulates loneliness and the act of being alone in an early 2000s unassuming rom-com.

Living with Loneliness

Oct 22, 2021

Donna Eva

Issue

#6

11

min read

Ever since Dogtooth did a round of festivals, Yorgos Lanthimos has been creating dark dystopian films as his niche, but there have been many directors adept in this genre. So, what sets him apart?

Being Yorgos Lanthimos

Oct 8, 2021

Ankur Sinha

Issue

#4

13

min read

Spike Jonze’s Her imagines a different kind of romantic relationship-between a human and an AI. But how different is it, really? How does gender identity and female sexuality play a role in the envisioning of a cyborg? Is there such a thing as the ‘perfect woman’?

The Invisible Woman

Sep 28, 2021

Tulika

Issue

#2

13

min read