Women's Study Centre, JMC

  by Sarah Grace Yadav Axone, pronounced as ‘Akhuni’ is a 2020 Indian Comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Kharkonogar.   Food is the central plot of this movie, the film follows Northeastern Indian migrants in New Delhi, in their attempt to organise a wedding party for one of their friends. The traditional Axone wedding stew turns out to be extremely pungent with local herbs, the friends remain determined to prepare the dish. The movie focuses on the cultural differences, biases and the overarching pressure of being migrants in an unwelcoming city. The themes are mostly of discrimination, alienation and wanting acceptance within their culture. The issue is treated mostly in an organic, sensitive and comfortable way. The Axone in a sense becomes a metaphor for the characters’ identity. The movie, “A recipe for disaster”, comes across to be extremely satirical and sardonic, however, is able to deal with the issues of migrants with a humorous take. Various struggles of the m...

by Vanshika Chaudhary Shelly Chopra Dhar’s Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga , written by Gazal Dhaliwal, is a traditional Bollywood rom-com with conventional characters, stereotypical humour, predictable chaos, and an anticipated happy ending, for its first half. The “progressive” part of the film only comes to light after half the film is over- Sahil finally learns the truth about Sweety. The audience witnesses an unanticipated movement from “normalcy” to non-normativity. An unconventional “siyappa” ensues, only to be “resolved” by some dramatic dialogues that are to be taken by the heart and not the mind. With Cassandra comes the “happy ending”- literally, it is by the ending minutes of the movie that we see any significant display of affection by the two women. Even though the film moves away from Bollywood’s bizarre depiction of queer characters, it does not really go anywhere in its proclaimed progressiveness- it is so restricted in its assertion that it defeats its own purpose. ...

   Film Review SHAKUNTALA DEVI A Wrestle between Mathematics and Motherhood   “Jab amazing ho sakti hu, to normal kyu banu.” By Varsha Varghese   Anu Menon’s OTT released biopic ‘Shakuntala Devi’ is a lively,  buoyant  and tear-jerking portrayal of the math wizard who always went beyond the lines that society drew for her. Undoubtedly Vidya Balan perfectly portrayed Devi with her thunderous laugh, spontaneous wit and humour-filled killer looks. The  film seems to take an exaggerated tone leaving no room for boredom to sweep in. The movie is split among three facets of  Ms. Devi’s life. The first  one deals with her childhood, where we get glimpse view of her poor brahmin family and her mathematical skills are used for monetary gains by her father. Despite all this the family  could not  save Devi’s ailing sister with medical care and finally she succumbs to death.  This leads her to develop a strong resentment to her family and...

Film Review CHHAPAK By Salonii Khemani Released on 10th January 2020, Chapak had announced 2020 as a good year for Bollywood, to say the least. Starring Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey, and Madhurjeet Sarghi and directed by Meghna Gulzar, the movie focuses on a very fragile issue that is faced by women in a society that is deeply intertwined with patriarchy. It’s a movie that talks about the gory details of a heinous crime, and a story that needs to be heard by everyone. The fact that the movie is based on a real-life incident is not a surprise. The movie revolves around the real-life story of Laxmi Agarwal, an acid attack survivor, who was attacked when she was only 15 years old. The movie unwraps with a girl, casually singing and dancing to Sonu Nigam’s Kal Ho Na Ho inside a servant quarter of a posh Delhi house, unaware and uncertain of what the ‘Kal’ holds for her. Malti, played by Padukone, falls on the street out of nowhere, screaming and shouting. As she cries with unbearable p...

  Film Review THAPPAD By Divjot Kaur Thappad (2020) is a thought provoking, genuine reflection of our society. Its meticulous screenplay has been brilliantly portrayed, captured by the nuances and the underlying yet bold declarations in Anubhav Sinha’s direction and Tapassee Punnu’s commendable acting. The movie’s premise revolves around the seemingly ‘normal’ life of Amrita and Varun. An economically well off young couple with everything but mutual ‘respect’ as is evident from Amrita’s identity being taken for granted and disrespected by Varun without a moment’s thought. Amrita devotes herself to fulfill her husband’s life, being there as a homemaker, as a caretaker, as someone who ties together all aspects of the domestic realm with barely any validation in return. She does so with an infectious smile and jolly spirit- all because she chose so. “Housewife hoon, meri choice thi. Wo paise kamaega, mai ghar chalaungi. Fair deal thi meri. Unfair wo thappad tha, unfair hai mujhse expe...