It's no longer Halloween Month because we're one day late in uploading this, but regardless, here's our penultimate ep on Kubrick (one more for Noirvember!) and the final episode for Spooky Season! Hemant and Amartya have ditched Dhruv on his much-anticipated trip to the Overlook Hotel, but he's joined by two returning guests -- the perpetually dis…

In our third Halloween-themed episode this month, Varun (playing podcast host) and Dhruv discuss a sub-genre of British horror films best characterized as a cross between classy and exploitation horror. (Think, as Varun says, "somewhere between the B-movie camp classics made by the Ramsay Brothers and Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho"). Treating …

In our second Halloween-themed episode this month, Dhruv and Amartya are joined by returning guest Arijit (last heard in our “Elevated” Horror film discussion!) to talk about a LOT of 2024 horror films that have already been released and are available to watch online. We first go through a lot of titles we have already discussed in other episodes, …

In the first (of four!) episodes planned for Halloweenmonth, we're entering not the King-sized American genre worlds populated by slasher killers, raging alcoholics, and traumatized ghosts but a distinctly Greek one. This, as our guest, Panos Liakos (NYU graduate; freelance writer forThe New Herald), tells us, is the "Yorgos Cosmos" -- built onexpl…

It's no longer Kubrick Month because we're late recording and uploading this and P4, but regardless, we're here to complete our Kubrickian Odysseys! Dhruv, Amartya, and Hemant have spent the entirety of July (and will now spend the last week of August and the first week of September) revisiting and discussing 10 (of 13) Kubrick-directed films (the …

It's no longer Kubrick Month because we're late recordingand uploading this and P4, but regardless, we're here to complete our Kubrickian Odysseys! Dhruv, Amartya, and Hemant have spent the entirety of July(and will now spend the last week of August and the first week of September) revisiting and discussing 10 (of 13) Kubrick-directed films (the Ho…

In this episode, Dhruv and Amartya invite Devi (@film.trance) and Adithiyan (@curioseradithiyan) to discuss their favorite films of the year (up to and including July) in a new format! Each of them selects not only their favorite film but also their favorite direction, cinematography, score, screenplay, editing, and performance of the year (so far)…

Tis' Kubrick Month! Dhruv, Amartya, and Hemant will spend the entirety of July revisiting and discussing 10 (of 13) Kubrick-directed films (the Horror and Noir films will be discussed in October and November, respectively!) plus 1 conceptualized and obsessed over by him but eventually directed by his dear friend, Steven Spielberg. In Part 2 (of 4),…

Tis' Kubrick Month! Dhruv, Amartya, and Hemant will spend the entirety of July revisiting and discussing 10 (of 13) Kubrick-directed films (the Horror and Noir films will be discussed in October and November, respectively!) plus 1 conceptualized and obsessed over by him but eventually directed by his dear friend, Steven Spielberg. In Part 1 (of 4),…

Hello, Hello, Hello! In our third (of three!) episodes on Queerness in Film this month, Dhruv invites Queer Academic & SRK and KJo Fanboy Cris Patrick (@limjaeseven) to discuss the one thing he wanted to talk about most, the thing that in many ways defines his Twitter Page - QUEER CODING, READING & CAMP SENSIBILITY IN BOLLYWOOD. We emphasize the wo…

In the second of three (or maybe even four!) episodes on Queer Cinema this month, Dhruv and Cris rhapsodize about Claire Denis' formally groundbreaking masterwork of queer and post-colonial cinema, "Beau Travail" (1999). Initially, we planned to make this a 25-30 minute "extra" episode because Cris' recent obsession with the film matched Dhruv's un…

Hello, Hello, Hello! In our first (of three!) episodes on Queerness in Film this month, Dhruv invites Queer Academic & SRK and KJo Fanboy Cris Patrick (@limjaeseven) to discuss the one thing he "avoided like the plague for the longest time as he himself came to terms with his identity" -- Queer REPRESENTATION in Bollywood. We emphasize the word "re…

Hello, Hello, Hello! In our latest episode, Sanjeet, Dhruv, and Hemant discuss Alex Garland's Civil War, which is now available to buy/rent on all OTT platforms. Using the film's increasingly divisive reception as a jumping point, we try to reason out its potential explanations; then, we center our main discussion on what we thought about the film …

In another long-overdue episode, Dhruv welcomes Sanket back to discuss two underseen films (both premiered at Cannes but got lost in the mix) that provide a depressing diagnosis of Europe and England's rapidly multiplying racism and xenophobia. Ken Loach's "The Old Oak" (2023) provides potential solutions to it; Cristian Mungiu's "R.M.N." (2022) le…

In this episode, Sanjeet and Amartya welcome Devi (@film.trance) back to talk about two new Malayalam movies recently released on OTT: Jithu Madhavan's high-voltage action-comedy "Aavesham" (on Amazon Prime Video) and Girish AD's tender rom-com-drama "Premalu" (on Hotstar). Both films serve up narratives that are largely popular in the Indian cinem…

Looking for your jidaigeki fix after the finale of FX's "Shōgun" (2024)? Travel back to the 1960s and watch the jidaigeki phase of one of the most celebrated (and yet still somehow not as widely known) Japanese filmmakers, Masaki Kobayashi. All these films -- "Harakiri" (1962), "Kwaidan" (1964), and "Samurai Rebellion" (1967) -- take place in the E…

In what is undoubtedly our most publicized episode, we -- Dhruv, Sanjeet (!), Varun, Aryan, and Prithwish -- discuss the three Imtiaz Ali - A.R. Rahman collaborations that make up the most “sufiyana” phase of the director’s filmography. We first discuss the exhilaration and exasperation of glorifying Ruminess in “Rockstar” (2011); then the exhilara…

In what is undoubtedly our most publicized episode, we -- Dhruv, Sanjeet (!), Varun, Aryan, and Prithwish -- discuss half of the peculiar filmography of Imtiaz Ali. The first half of this first part episode on the director is dedicated to "Jab We Met" (2007) and "Jab Harry Met Sejal" (2017) -- two films that share titles and character traits but ta…

In this very special episode, Dhruv and Srilekha celebrate the thoroughly depressing and despairing films of Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke, who turned 82 a week ago on March 23rd. We first discuss his exacting style that has inspired several high-profile European filmmakers (Ruben Östlund and Yorgos Lanthimos, the most famously known amongst th…

In this episode, Dhruv and Amartya welcome Devi (@film.trance) back to talk about two Malayalam movies recently released on OTT: Anand Ekarshi's morally complex drama/thriller "Aattam" (on Amazon Prime Video) and Rahul Sadasivan's folk horror film "Bramayugam" (on Sony Liv). Both films serve up narratives and, especially, aesthetic styles largely u…

In our buildup to discussing Homi Adajania's "Murder Mubarak" on Monday (March 18, 2024), we -- Dhruv, Amartya & Varun -- discuss two similarly high-profile Hollywood whodunnits that have influenced Rian Johnson's "Knives Out" movies, which have subsequently become the template for any modern-day whodunnit mysteries. The rules of these game narrati…

In our latest episode, Dhruv, Amartya, Hemant, and Prithwish talk about Denis Villeneuve's latest science-fiction blockbuster, "Dune: Part Two" -- a film that Dhruv and Amartya were skeptical about because they disliked "Part One," and Hemant and Prithwish were excited for because they loved "Part One." Is there going to be a similar disagreement o…

In this very special episode, Amartya, Aryan, and Dhruv discuss the different styles of the Hollywood Western from its "birth" in 1939 to its "death" in 1968.We begin by discussing John Ford's 1939 film, "Stagecoach," singlehandedly responsible for resuscitating the A-Movie Western for the talkies in Hollywood's Pre-War Era. It provides us with a b…

Hello, Hello Hello, In this new episode of QID, Dhruv, Sanjeet, Amartya and Srilekha, discuss the new Netflix show Killer Soup starring the very fantastic Konkana Sensharma & Manoj Bajpayee, directed by common favourite Abhishek Chaubey. Uncommonly, though, we came out with polarized views, with two of us loving the show’s darkly delicious tone and…

In this annual year-end episode, Dhruv and Sanjeet welcome three returning guests -- Devi (@film.trance), Adithiyan (@curioseradithiyan), and Yadhu (@immersive_cinema) -- to discuss each of thier top 5 favorite Indian films (best is only for the title, it's always subjective!) from the past year. These include films from all Woods - Bolly, Tolly, K…

In this very special episode specifically designed to counteract the negativity spread by two QID members on our YouTube Livestream, Dhruv and Aryan — two self-proclaimed Hiranites — talk about the director’s pre-“Dunki” and “Sanju” output to celebrate his contribution to contemporary Indian cinema. Aryan does bring up “Dunki” sadly to begin our di…

Taking a cue from recent Bollywood releases, we have decided to leave our latest episode unedited. So get ready for the most extensive discussion on Sandeep Reddy Vanga's hollow provocations in "Animal," the most accurate Sanjeet impression (courtesy Aryan) as we collectively gush about Vidhu Vinod Chopra's uplifting "12th Fail," and the most detai…

Away from MAMI contamination, Dhruv and Sanjeet invite Varun and Hemanth to discuss "Killers of the Flower Moon" in full. Everything from specific problems with perspectives to why those problems are not actually major problems are discussed and debated here. Do listen to the full episode to get a detailed breakdown of what we thought of the film's…

In this somewhat unplanned continuation of our David Fincher "The Killer" obsession, Amartya, Dhruv, and Srilekha discuss two of the director's widely acclaimed serial killer films -- "Se7en" (1995) and "Zodiac" (2007) -- that shine more light on the psyche of those pursuing the killer than the killer himself. Thanks to another podcast regular -- S…

In QID’s last part from the MAMI series, Sanjeet, Aryan, and Dhruv talk about what they watched on Days 6, 7 & 8 of MAMI. Short, non-spoilery discussions on Vikramaditya Motwane's new documentary “Indi(r)a's Emergency”, Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla", "Ghaath", "La Chimera" and many more. Also features, Dhruv discussing his sickness and how MAMI is re…

In this unexpectedly topical (it's Noirvemeber!) episode, the QID gang talks about the recently released David Fincher film on Netflix -- "The Killer," starring Michael Fassbender. Rather than just talk about what we liked and disliked about the film, we use its release to look back at the neo-noir film that continues to inspire auteur-driven assas…

In QID’s third in-person recorded episode, Sanjeet, Aryan, and Dhruv talk about what all they watched on Day 3, 4 & 5 of MAMI.Short, non-spoilery discussions on “Joram”, "Everybody Loves Sohrab Handa", "Fallen Leaves", Gujarati critical darling "Kayo Kayo Colour" and many more. Also features, Dhruv discussing his sickness and how MAMI is responsibl…

In QID’s second in-person recorded episode, Sanjeet, Aryan and Dhruv talk about what all they watched (and stupidly missed) on Day 2 & 3 of MAMI.Short, non-spoilery discussions on “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Green Border,” “Stolen,” and “Maestro.” Long, non-spoilery discussion on Anurag Kashyap’s “Kennedy.” Also, featuring a one-sided argument about why …

In QID’s first in-person recorded episode, Sanjeet, Aryan, and Dhruv talk about their film festival experiences, why MAMI provides ammunition for the “Cinema is Dead” argument, and their non-spoilery thoughts on the first films they watched at MAMI. (Sanjeet and Aryan decided to include “Killers of the Flower Moon” as part of the discussion. That’s…

In this special Halloween episode, Dhruv, Amartya & Simon discuss the explosion of Japanese horror in the late 90s and early 2000's. We discuss their diverse styles that all talk about the alienation caused by the internet boom thematic elements. Do listen for an in-depth & spoiler-filled discussion of all three films! **Apologies for some of the b…

In this new episode, Amartya and Sanjeet discuss the new Lokesh Kanagaraj film "Leo", starring Thalapathy Vijay, among other stars. We discuss what we liked/disliked in the film, championing the film for its decision to move away from the generic star vehicles that have been popular recently in Tamil and Telugu cinema. Kanagaraj's 5 film career so …

In this very special episode, Dhruv, Aryan, and Ashwani welcome Amith -- handler of the now inactive Mactacritic page on Instagram -- to celebrate the works of arguably THE essential filmmaker of our times, Jafar Panahi. The Iranian filmmaker, already known internationally for his docu-fiction work before his arrest, molded that aesthetic in defian…

In this episode, Dhruv and Sanjeet welcome back QID OG Hemant to talk about Vishal Bharadwaj’s latest espionage thriller recently released on Netflix — “Khufiya.” Starring Tabu, Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabbi, Bharadwaj’s latest project promises to be both moving and thrilling. But is it?Listen to the full episode to know our thoughts on the film! Afte…

In this episode, Dhruv, Amartya, Shashwat, and a special new guest -- Srilekha Mitra (writer for High on Films, Youth Ki Awaaz, The Red Sparrow, and other publications) -- talk all about the delightfully artifice-laden worlds of Wes Anderson. First, we discuss Anderson's auteurism, discussing its value (or lack thereof) in today's filmmaking world …

In this impromptu episode, Dhruv listens to Amartya vent about the recently released Netflix thriller starring Kareena Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Vijay Varma -- "Jaane Jaan." An official adaptation of Keigo Higashino's "The Devotion of Suspect X," Ghosh's film deviates significantly from its source material, squandering the novel's tragic emotion…

In this (much longer than planned) discussion of SRK's latest blockbuster, "Jawan" (2023), we spend half the episode setting up multiple contexts that help us each inform our disparate reactions to the film. Amartya, Aryan, and Dhruv talk about the Bollywood context -- the Angry Young Man films of the 70s, SRK, and the industry today. And our speci…

In this episode, Sanjeet, Dhruv, Aryan, and returning guest, Shashwat discuss their three favorite films of the year (up till and including July). Not limited to any particular language or industry, this discussion gives you a wide variety of films from all over the world that fascinated us in ways that we had not anticipated. Check out this episod…

In this special episode, Amartya and Dhruv remember William Friedkin -- the great American director who recently passed away at the age of 87. First, we discuss our introductions to his filmography, simultaneously elaborating upon his status as a critical 70s New Hollywood filmmaker. Then, we take a deep dive into 5 of his films, some seminal from …

In this long overdue episode, Dhruv, Sanjeet, and Amartya invite back Sanket Mistry (@Cinephile Sanket on YouTube) to discuss two different types of films from one of his favorite genres -- The Historical Epic. We begin by situating the origin of this type of film to the 50s and 60s. Then, we delve into things that enthrall and frustrate us now whe…

In our second (!) episode that's on all things Karan Johar, Dhruv is joined by returning KJo-Stan Jasmin A. Singh (@jasssipinkman) and a brand new card-holding member of the party, Aryan (@aryantalksfilm), to discuss Karan Johar's latest film that's (to our surprise/shock) being liked by everyone. We reiterate what everyone loved -- Ranveer Singh, …

Tis' Nolan Month! Dhruv and Amartya conduct a full retrospective of the director's work, with Varun Bhakay (@cinephilestock) and Prithwish Roy (@little.lord_fauntleroy) joining in for all the discussions. Ashwani Kumar Tiwari (@safaed_syaahi) returns. And Sanjeet replaces Dhruv for this ep to take control of the exponentially increasing episode run…

Tis' Nolan Month! Dhruv and Amartya conduct a full retrospective of the director's work, with Varun Bhakay (@cinephilestock) and Prithwish Roy (@little.lord_fauntleroy) joining in for all the discussions. New Team Member: Self-Ascribed “Nolan Megafan” Ashwani Kumar Tiwari (@safaed_syaahi) In Part 3, we look at the films that gave birth to Dhoom 3 a…

Tis' Nolan Month! Dhruv and Amartya conduct a full retrospective of the director's work, with Varun Bhakay (@cinephilestock) and Prithwish Roy (@little.lord_fauntleroy) joining in for all the discussions. In Part 2, we follow Amartya's lead into Nolan's Batcave -- the series that propelled him to fame. Discussing each film from the Trilogy, we note…

Tis' Nolan Month! Dhruv and Amartya conduct a full retrospective of the director's work, with returning guest Varun Bhakay (@cinephilestock), and new guest, Prithwish Roy (@little.lord_fauntleroy) joining in for all the discussions. In Part 1, we discuss the director's humble beginnings before he took on the "Batman" franchise. Focusing on "Followi…

In this special episode, Dhruv and Sanjeet invite guests Devi (@FilmTrance) and Yadhu (@Immersive Cinema) to discuss Director/Cinematographer Rajeev Ravi's directorial filmography. We touch upon his style & characters that conform to generic templates but still feel consistently expansive because of his unique ability to project them through his va…