Syed Kamal (1937 to 2009): Aisa Bhi Hota Tha

Syed Kamal’s recent death marks the near-closing of an era during which four male actors ruled Pakistan’s Urdu film industry.

Review: The Conscience of Nhem En

This was a powerful film with a thought-provoking subject. The director sets up the scale and the ugliness of the genocide carried out under the reign of Khmer Rouge and then introduces us to Nhem En’s foil.

Kambakkht Ishq

Sylvester Stallone must be cringing at his blink and miss role in a foreign movie. It’s an injustice to Rambo. But the entire movie is an injustice to the VIEWERS.

Kabir Khan's "New York"

The film taps into what it imagines they (NRIs) want. What they want, apparently, is to be white in a white America.

Movie Review: New York

A thoughtful comment on terrorism that took place in America on 9/11 and its aftermath.

Angels and Demons

Even before this movie was released, the controversies had began. A priest has said that the church does not want to be associated with murders. Others allege there are anti-Catholic sentiments in the movie.

Expecting to Hate Delhi but Loving it Instead

Delhi 6, as a mainstream film needs to be appreciated for the broader context that it provides for communal tension. It also needs to be appreciated for why people were so virulent in its dismissal.

Faran Tahir as Captain Robau in the New Star Trek Movie

South-Asians will be especially pleased to find that the film’s first image is one of their own as the striking expression of Faran Tahir.

Kashf - Lifting of the Veil

Described by critics as ‘a captivating homage to a Pakistan of tolerance, grace, aspiration and good humor’, Kashf is Pakistan’s first English language film in thirty years.

Little Zizou

Mira Nair has always presented thoughtful movies. This one has an added dimension of entertainment. Watch 'Little Zizou' to know what you have been missing in life - a good laugh.

Movie Reviews: 13b, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge, Karma Aur Holi

Must say, it is a 3-in-1 treat, which you should enjoy at your own leisure. All provide entertainment and enjoyment in their own way.

Demystifying Slumdog

Any film about the ‘East’ that gains recognition at the global level (read: Western), must fit the frames constructed by the West, frames that deny the ‘East’ a place in ‘modernity.’

Fitna : The Proverbial Dutch Foot

Response to Geet Wilders Speech 2008 on Dutch Movie, Fitna

Slumdog Success Brings Focus on Child Poverty

After the well-deserved success of the well-made Slumdog movie, will the lives of poor children in Mumbai improve?

Delhi 6 (Dilli CHHE) - Aage Nahin PEECHHE

The spirit of Purani Dilli is missing. Its spirit lies in the hearts of its people. Sadly, filmi actors cannot even come close to it.

The Muslim Protagonist and the Past Three Years

What better a movie to begin with than Rang De Basanti? RDB will stand out for long as ‘The Generation X Movie’ in the annals of Bollywood.

Ridiculing Religion or Religion of Ridicule

One leaves the theater with a strong sense that Bill Maher is rallying the atheists in a battle cry.

Oliver Stone movie “W.�

Stone and company at times veer dangerously close to parody in their depiction of the Magnificent 7 (Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rice, Rove, Powell and Tenent)

Movie Review: Streets of Karachi

Writer Shoieb Yunus successfully grasps growing up in a multi-religious Karachi of yesteryear where one lived in harmony.

Celebrating 61 Years of Broken Dreams

"Missing in Pakistan", a 29-minute documentary capturing Pakistan's gross human rights violations tacitly supported by the US Government, followed by a talk by Safdar Sarki.

Brick Lane is About Immigrants Making Difficult Choices

Brick Lane exposes the core of a complex immigrant dilemma. Asians who move to the western world often live with this dilemma and just choose to ignore it.

Dhokha and Being a Muslim in India

Mukesh Bhatt’s Muzammil Ibrahim starred ‘Dhokha’ or ‘Betrayal’ is the Bollywood’s latest offering that raises several questions about Muslims and their identity in India.

Aamir - A Film Review

Most of the film is shot in the rough, mean streets of Mumbai and captures the cold, indifferent character of the city and its people.

Forgotten President & Shape of Things to Come?

A new kind of voting belt is being created where people are more aware of the larger issues, of national causes and increasingly form opinions under the spell of Urdu media?

Local Liberal Dribble

I think it's time we start addressing irrationally-charged matters like religious fanaticism as a psychological issue rather than an intellectual or an ideological one.

A Stage For - V for Vendetta

"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

Creating Magic For The Audience - An Interview with Afia Serena Nathaniel

Any change begins with a simple idea, Afia believes. ‘Those who can present ideas are in a unique position to effect change in their societies, ‘she says.

Harold and Kumar Escape From Gitmo

This time the duo attempts to explain the difference between a Bong and a Bomb aboard an airplane to Amsterdam in a post 9/11 environment.

Akbar and Alexander

Jodha Akbar has stirred considerable interest in the historic Akbar but it mostly shows his softer romantic side and rather little of his tougher character.

Charlie Wilson's War Stretches the Imagination

How does a US Congressman learn about helping the Afghan resistance to the Soviet Empire in 1980? By listening to Dan Rather on TV while soaking in a Jacuzzi full of young women.

Movie Review: The Kite Runner

Khalid Hosseini, like many Afghan’s is a poet at heart. Here with the assistance of screenwriter David Benioff, the essence of The Kite Runner remains intact

Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema

His skin color is not fair; his acting skills are too loud; he is less muscled than neighborhood gym boys; and he is rumored to be gay! How did this Khan become a Sultan?

Saawariya Targets Eternal Love

Sony Picture’s “Saawariya�, a new Bollywood-Hollywood movie is set to release in the United States and worldwide on November 9th. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story, White Nights.

Vanaja: A Movie That Moves Your Heart

Either Writer-Director Rajnesh Domalpalli is one of the luckiest first filmmakers around or true contender for future international movie fame.

Dev Anand - Romancing Life at 83

The launch of Dev Anand's autobiography Romancing with Life is being done by no less than PM Manmohan Singh.

Chunari vs. Topi

When will we learn that the 'Daag' isn't imported and not on the 'Chunari' at all.

Khuda Ke Liye

"In the Name of God", it is about us - the people of Pakistan warts and all.

“A Mighty Heart” is a Mighty Sad Movie

It is the story of Mariane Pearl, one vulnerable, pregnant and devoted wife who is caught up in the search for her loving husband Daniel

Icarus and The Filmmaker

I’ll be doing what I have a calling for, what I am most passionate about, and what makes me fly across the country just for a one hour interview, in the hopes of 'landing' the story.

Jaane kahan gaye voh din!

But a new generation of the young and restless cine fans had replaced the old generation and they had neither the time nor the taste to savour the slow intoxication of the old style of music.

Blood Diamonds

Like selfishness holds hands with carelessness And recklessness goes together with dominance Then how can I explain to your fiancé That in her wedding ring is a blood diamond Representing the sacrifice of native virgins

Indian Filmmaker Plucks Musical Strings in Pakistan

Khayal Darpan, a documentary film explores Pakistan's Classical Music traditions

Losing one’s culture

Now Showing on a DVD Near You

If Bollywood were to take a leaf out of a Hollywood director’s simultaneous release idea, it is hard to see how it will adversely affect its fortunes at the box office. India is already no stranger to the piracy market

Movie: Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara

An off beat venture

Devrai: Story of a Schizophrenic

You’re married living in a small Indian town, have a school-going child, and besides are burdened with an elder brother who is a patient of schizophrenia.

Movie: Sins

A Catholic priest has an affair with a young woman and blackmails her into continuing it to further his own Church career.

Movie: Batman Begins

Batman movies have always been hit or miss affairs; Batman Begins turns out to be not only the best Batman movie ever made, but also arguably the best movie of the summer.

Movie: Iqbal

Quite a cricket cocktail and definitely shaken, not stirred.....

Movie: Eik Haseena Thee

A woman ends up in prison thanks to her beloved family and friends

Movie: Paheli

Puppets on strings MC this movie but who ends up being the puppets, perhaps the audience?

Godhra Tak: A note from the Filmmaker

This film has actually inspired Lalu Prasad Yadav, Railway Minister, Government of India, to institute an inquiry on the Godhar incident.

Communal Stereotyping in Bollywood Movies

The latest offering by Rahul Rawail uses cheap punch lines like ‘No if, no but, only Jutt’.

Movie: `Bose - The Forgotten Hero`

Where can history end when the work of art begins. Jai Hind!

O’ Karachi Part III

Shopping malls killing Karachi’s cinemas.

Movie: xXx: State of the Union

Brain-Dead Bravado

Movie: Blue and A Japanese Story

Two movies about relationships, death and love, the most inscrutable of emotions

Monsters Unlocked

Only human beings can kill like this: the ultimate predator, cunning, hunting in groups, with weapons and without remorse. And we all have this machete killer lurking within us. It only awaits some fuel to burst forth and destroy others and us along with

Movie: Page Three

We all love stories about who is doing what to whom, then why has watching Page Three left such a taste of bile in my mouth?

Movie: Garden State

A fable about the power of love to heal old wounds...

Parveen Babi Passed Away

Parveen was a glamorous actress who brought charm and unique attraction to the Bollywood film screen. The first time I saw her was in Kranti.

Movie: Bride and Prejudice

Bride and Prejudice is an experiment that should have stayed on the drawing board.

Movie: House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu)

Scenes of such perfect beauty that that they almost brings one to tears!

Movie: The Fog of War

The ultimate insider`s view as McNamara talks about his role in WW2, The Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam et al.!

Movie: Swades

The patriotism of a film like ‘Swades’ is worse than the jingoism we see around us. For, it posits one kind of Indian against another.

The Magic of Kara - Director’s Cut

With the diversity of Pakistani talent emerging on the scene in all spheres of the entertainment industry, the next few years promise to be exciting with respects to exploration and discovery of identities and cultural contexts.

Khamosh Pani Crosses the Border Noisily

Sentimentality sells but does not bridge our gaps.

Movie: The Twilight Samurai

This is quite possibly the greatest samurai film I`ve ever seen.

Whorrible!

The film, part fiction, part documentary, was on the lives of prostitutes and was appropriately called Whore (Yo Puta in Spanish). Yo Puta should have correctly translated into I, Whore. It is based on Isabel Pisano’s eponymous book.

Dystopia: After the cliché

Dystopia. The opposite of Utopia. Or a Utopia gone bad. An idea and vision of a perfect world getting lost when translated into concrete reality.

Movie: Collateral

Memorable scenes and dialogues that will undoubtedly turn into favourite movie moments, this eerie film with an alternative soundtrack will prove to be an experience you won’t easily forget.

Hindi films in Iraq and Palestine

In a war torn country where the Mahdi army stomps and fights and where Jordanian born militant Abu Musa Zarqarwi stalks the land with his band of militants you can see Shah Rukh Khan hoardings endorsing Kenstar products at busy Baghdad intersections.

Movie: Raising Helen

When her sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, a young modeling agency assistant takes on the guardianship of their three children

Movie: The Terminal

Life is Waiting... Meet Viktor Navorski, stranded to spend his life at the JFK Airport.

The Village: Philosophical Derivatives of the Movie

Our true demons are perhaps within us. They are fed by our continual unwillingness and resulting inability to acknowledge the natural existence of our fears, let alone face them.

Films, Television and Women

Sex and violence are the two usual targets for anyone to take on the film industry. With every controversial film, whether it is ‘Girlfriend’ or ‘Fire’, the debate once again comes to the fore as to where to draw a line between &

The Bollywood Effect – is Reema the next Rani?

Singing of Pakistani songs is now passé and instead we must have 8 elaborately choreographed dances, to the upbeat tempo of Indian tracks, including sets and props!

Movie: Rudali

Rudali revisted................music on celluloid.

A Tale of Two Stars

Amitabh and Nadeem have never been rivals but they share striking resemblance.

Movie: Pinjar

Pinjar not only presents a purely human account of partition but also makes a very apt political critique on our history with a moving women’s narrative.

Dev - The Anatomy of A Communal Carnage

... if Gujarat is not to be repeated, it must never be forgotten!

Movie: Fahrenheit 9/11

“It`s so great,” said my dinner companion firmly, “that someone is finally speaking up for OUR side!”

Movie: Lakshya

It took him 24 years and 18,000 feet, to find himself!

Khamosh Pani Breaks a Long Silence

“Khamosh Pani” (Silent Waters) is a unique Punjabi movie that is slowly making ripples in the cinematic world.

Movie: Kill Bill: Volume 2

More eye-popping action as Uma Thurman continues to seek out her would-be killer and former lover/boss Bill for revenge in QT`s brilliant conclusion to his epic.

Movie: In Custody (Muhaafiz)

This beautiful little gem is a plea from the heart to save the dying Urdu language in its land of birth told through the story of a fictional poet Nur Shahjahanabadi (Shasi Kapoor).

Movie: Maqbool

Good enough to say, please try to watch it with somebody who knows the real Bombay

Movie: Khakee

After a decade of Pak-bashing and ISI-bashing movies, here is a thriller that looks at the other side. Slightly disappointing though.

Movie: Mona Lisa Smile

`So the choice is yours ladies. You can conform to what other people expect or, you can..`

Movie: Dayeraeh- The Circle

This film applies to women worldwide and speaks very well for a rapidly evolving Irani cinema.

Tomorrow never came

Maybe Johar was finally discovering that cinematic quality he has banished from his pastel-coloured universe: subversion. Maybe this was the real love story: a love triangle between two men and a woman!

Movie: Doctor

A short film directed by Shandana Minhas and Maheen Zia

Movie: Kill Bill: Volume 1

Uma kicks some serious ass in this brilliant, violent, uber-cool, `Roaring Rampage of Revenge!` from Tarantino as he pays homage to the martial arts genre.

Movie: Matrix Revolutions

"Every thing that has a beginning has an end"

Ahmed Rushdi

The journey which Rushdi had started from Mehdi Zaheer’s ’Bunder Road’ in 1954 had ended at Azar Hafiz’s ’Aanay walo suno’ in 1983.

Movie: Identity

When I was going up the stairs, I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn`t there again today, I wish, I wish he would go away.

Movie: Khwahish

Its about `loving, living and losing".

Bollywood: The Show Must Grow On

Indian films have enabled us to see our dreams with eyes wide open. The film industry has responded to our ethos with much experimentation and innovation.

Movie: Kadosh

A Jewish Film Seen Through Muslim Eyes

Days of Yore

These cyber cafes and personal computers are rarely used for any education (unless you count sex and appreciation of opposite sex as education)

Movie: Welcome to Sarajevo

A film shot through with such clarifying rage it leaves you speechless

Movie: Mughal e Azam

The greatest Indian commercial film ever made in my opinion--and the opinion of many critics too: great script, great direction,poetic dialogue, amazing acting by all, great music, classic songs: a bona fide masterpiece.

Movie: The Matrix Reloaded

William Gibson, Grant Morrison, Manga, PK Dick and more for the lazy American movie goer.

Movie: Spartacus

A masterful epic

Movie: Maula Jatt

Quite simply the Greatest--and Craziest!- Punjabi Film Ever Made which changed the course of Pakistani cinema for ever!

Movie: Bhowani Junction

An old-style Hollywood movie about Partition

Movie: The Isle

A shocking and sometimes extremely violent portrayal of a mute operator of a retreat (hideaway) for men who takes brutal revenge on her contumelious guests, is shown to develop a sado-masochistic relationship with a man hiding on one of the float homes on

Movie: Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua

The only decent Pakistani flick in recent times, with its due share of the flak.

Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The first part of J R R Tolkien`s classic masterpiece of the fantasy genre brought stunningly to life on the big screen this is the `greatest epic in motion picture history`.

Movie: Mr and Mrs Iyer

A powerful new film on the experience of being caught up in a communal riot. Made by one of India`s more famous actress-directors. It premiered at the Pune International Film Festival early December 2002.

Movie: Three Colours: Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu)

Kieslowski`s masterful opening chapter of his `Trois couleurs (Three Colours)` trilogy based on the colours of the French flag and the related ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality. This opening film addresses the subject of liberty in a controlled a

Movie: Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar

A typical Bollywood film made in North America

Movie: Leela

I call it the first art film on the Indian expatriate community in the USA

Movie: Devdas [Cohabiting with Technique]

Is it going to be another Pakeezah in the hall of fame or not?

Movie: Conversations and Company

The answer, really, lies in the closing lines of the movie

Movie: Star Wars Episode II

ten years older and much more horny than in the first episode

Movie: Monsoon Wedding

The film has a bevy of outstanding performances

Movie: Ali` Bumaye

Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Marcillus Clay goes beyond being a mere sporting figure.

Movie: ABCD

you might not go home with a happy ending, [but] you will be left with an honest one

Movie: Veer Savarkar

many aspects and personalities of the freedom movement, whose memory had been swept under the carpet, are now being gradually resurrected on the national scene

Movie: Lumumba

it will not be the history that is taught in Brussels, Paris, Washington, or the United Nations

Movie: Asoka

The bare midriff is what the contemporary Indian filmmaker seems to cinematize best these days

Movie: Chandni Bar

starkly worded statement on the fears and horrors of daily life on the seamier side of the urban divide

Movie: Lagaan

starved for some light and air in their dull cubicle lives

Movie: American Desi

Of course the guy gets the girl in the end

Movie: Astitva

movies like this end in family feuds

Movie: East is East

The movie strings its dramatic tension on the fact that George wants to arrange marriages for his grown-up sons

Movie: Hey Ram

So why did people go to see the movie?

Movie: Earth

The question now is as Kashmir bleeds between us, who is ready to listen?

Movie: Split Wide Open

.....Rules will be bent and uncomfortable silences will follow film screenings Or, Oh Darling, Yeh Hai India (Oh, Darling, This is India)

Movie: My Son the Fanatic

A look at Hanif Kureishi`s latest screenplay

Movie: Jinnah

In watching Jinnah, you are forced to really exercise your mind to understand this movie, which is the richest experience any film can offer

Movie: Earth

The second film in Deepa Mehta`s trilogy Fire, Earth, Water