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‘I'm as hip-hop as anyone in the country': Delhi rapper Shauharty

‘I'm as hip-hop as anyone in the country': Delhi rapper Shauharty

"For me, Saddam Hussein has always represented the pure-unchecked male ego and narcissism," says shauharty. ''Saddam Hussainé' is just a creative lens, not a political statement,' he says, adding that satire runs deep in the production. 'The whole Saddam hiding spot meme is big in pop culture—we wanted to weave that in.'
Shot in the scorching deserts of Jaisalmer, the short film draws from classic Westerns like Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Tarantino's Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction. 'Zaid (the director) and I wanted to make a gritty, satirical Western film,' says shauharty. 'We tried to blend Indian cultural elements into a visual language shaped by Hollywood.'
Saddam Hussein, carries a mysterious briefcase—an homage to Pulp Fiction's iconic glowing briefcase. Says shauharty: 'I couldn't think of anyone else but Saddam Hussein to carry it—it's as if he had a brief to be egoistic.' For the rapper, ego is an obstacle. 'If you're too egoistic to show who you are, you're limiting your potential and creating a false image,' he says. 'Letting go of ego was necessary to talk about subjects like identity, sexuality, and acceptance—topics that I'm covering throughout the forthcoming mixtape. I avoided them for a long time. Now, I'm finally ready to let that go.'
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Chinese comedian's viral set on domestic abuse sparks authority intervention on gender based humor in China
Chinese comedian's viral set on domestic abuse sparks authority intervention on gender based humor in China

Economic Times

time2 minutes ago

  • Economic Times

Chinese comedian's viral set on domestic abuse sparks authority intervention on gender based humor in China

TIL Creatives Fan Chunli, a sensation is a 50-year-old comedian from rural China Fan Chunli, a 50-year-old comedian from rural China, became a national sensation after her raw and candid stand-up performance detailing years of spousal abuse and her eventual escape resonated widely with audiences on the streaming platform iQiyi's show The King of Stand-up Comedy . Before comedy, Fan worked as a sanitation worker and had limited formal education, only attending school until junior high. Growing up in a traditional environment where women had few rights to inherit family property and were expected to marry early, Fan initially accepted these roles but later found family and marriage constricted her financial independence. During her set, Fan, performing under the stage name 'Fangzhuren,' shared her painful personal story that highlighted the pervasive issue of domestic violence in China. The performance moved many viewers to tears and earned a standing ovation, culminating in one of the most-liked comments wishing anger upon her abusive the viral popularity of Fan Chunli's set and other similar comedic performances that discuss gender-related issues have elicited a stern response from Chinese authorities, particularly in Zhejiang province. Provincial publicity officials issued a public warning on WeChat admonishing comedians to avoid provoking gender opposition for the sake of being funny. They condemned comedy that reduces complex gender dynamics into simplistic battles between men and women.'Criticism is obviously fine, but it should be… constructive rather than revolve around gender opposition for the sake of being funny,' read the WeChat article by authorities according to Hong Kong Free Press. It urged comedians to analyze phenomena like consumerism's impact on gender roles and to avoid outright antagonism between sexes. This crack down is part of a broader pattern of Chinese authorities suppressing independent feminist activism and rigorously policing content across comedy, music, and public discourse. Over the past decade, China has significantly curtailed feminist movements viewed by the state as influenced by 'malicious Western' ideas. Fan Chunli's story brought to light the taboo and sensitivity around topics like domestic violence and women's rights—issues largely brushed under the carpet in Chinese society and public reaction to Fan's set was overwhelmingly empathetic, reflecting a deeper awakening among Chinese women who question traditional patriarchal norms. However, the state's response signals a desire to control the narrative and limit the scope of gender debates to avoid social discord, emphasizing 'palatable' and state-sanctioned content rather than authentic lived comedians and cultural creators, the authorities' directive means navigating careful boundaries between raising awareness and provoking censorship. As one analysis pointed out, Fen Chunli's candidness struck a chord but also reminded marketers and artists that authenticity in China's content environment carries significant risks of backlash.

‘A Life in the Theatre': A new play offers a slice-of-life story on stage
‘A Life in the Theatre': A new play offers a slice-of-life story on stage

Mint

time16 hours ago

  • Mint

‘A Life in the Theatre': A new play offers a slice-of-life story on stage

Afsana Theatre's rehearsal room ahead of the premiere of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre in August feels confusing. Everything that should be off-stage has suspiciously found its way on to the stage. The wings are inside out, the actor is facing away from the audience, and the backstage crew is going about their chaotic work like no one's watching. It's what happens when theatre makers decide to turn the spotlight on to their own lives. Written by legendary American playwright David Mamet in 1977, the play tells the story of two actors—the senior Robert, and junior John. Robert is like the theatre stalwart we are all too familiar with, and John is the talented young kid on the block. Through a series of on-stage and off-stage scenes, Mamet traces the relationship between the actors and betrays in some detail, their predicament on stage and beyond. For co-directors Gagan Dev Riar and Jitender Singh, reading A Life in the Theatre was a bit like looking into the mirror. 'Many of the conversations sounded like they had been mined from personal spaces as theatre makers," says Singh. Riar could relate to both Robert and John, and was also reminded of stalwarts in the theatre fraternity he'd crossed paths with. 'We have a lot of senior actors in our midst who are well read, articulate and intelligent. But, it doesn't always translate to the stage. I found that very relatable," says Riar. Riar was sold on the balance of the poetic and the humorous in the language of the play. For Singh, it was the accuracy of the relationships. 'I could also relate to the senior-junior relationship between actors. It made me realise despite the hierarchy there are no systems to bind or separate you," says Singh. 'The pawns and the king go back into the same box at the end of the day," Riar adds. As theatre makers, it brought them a catharsis that came from their own worlds. Riar and Singh had many concerns, but surprisingly, relatability wasn't one of them. 'Of the 200 people who are watching it, 50 may be watching a play for the first time but they are doing so with the 150 who aren't. We did not want to break everything down for com prehension," says Riar, adding that it can be compared to a visit to the grocery store or an adventure activity. 'They may not understand theatre but they understand life. It's how Mamet puts it—you cannot separate the time spent at a grocery story or pursuing an activity from life itself," he says. But, besides the two-curtained setup and virtually turning the stage inside out, there was a lot that Riar and Singh needed to do to bring a nearly 50-year-old play about theatre to a Mumbai audience. There are a bunch of Indianisms to replace the more archaic expressions and references. Robert (played by Riar) becomes 'Robert da" in the hands of John, played by Avik Goswami. Some of the on-stage scenes written in the styles of Western playwrights were replaced through additional ones by Ira wati Karnik and Saurabh Nayyar. 'For example, a scene about the French Revolution is replaced by a scene from the Mahabharat," explains Riar. 'Those written in the Chekhovian style are traded for those that sound like popular Indian plays Andha Yug, Ashad ka ek Din, or Ek aur Dronacharya," he adds. Singh also wanted to keep the reality of Mumbai theatre actors in mind when telling a story so close to their lives. 'Actors here do plays in both English and Hindi. It is why we've kept some of the on-stage scenes in Hindi," he says. There have been other plays and performances—both in the past and recently—about theatre life. Michael Frayn's Noises Off, written in 1982 —which takes its name from a common stage direction—is set in a rehearsal room. A version of it was produced by Atul Kumar's The Company Theatre in 2013. More recently, Gopal Dutt's musical show titled Aur Karo Theatre has received all kinds of viral fame for its stories and songs about the lives of theatre actors. However, staging a story that they con nected with instantly and is seemingly about their own lives wasn't as easy as they had imagined, Singh and Riar admit. Costume changes never end and the stage theatre actors in mind when tell ing a story so close to their lives. looks like the prop-lined battlefield that their real lives can sometimes look like. Their learnings in the rehearsal room have been interspersed by nostalgia and anecdotes from theatre lives. But, for the audience, Riar tells us, A Life in the Theatre, can be an entertaining ride. 'For the past few years, I've seen a lot of issue-based work in Indian theatre. There hasn't been a simple, slice-of-life story on stage. This play asks questions but also generates laughter and empathy," he says. On 2-3 August, 8pm, Rangshila Theatre, Mumbai. Tickets on Prachi Sibal is a Mumbai-based culture writer.

This horror thriller, which was released 45 years ago, will send chills down your spine, director was advised not to make this film, has IMDb rating of 6.9, movie is…, lead actors were…
This horror thriller, which was released 45 years ago, will send chills down your spine, director was advised not to make this film, has IMDb rating of 6.9, movie is…, lead actors were…

India.com

time18 hours ago

  • India.com

This horror thriller, which was released 45 years ago, will send chills down your spine, director was advised not to make this film, has IMDb rating of 6.9, movie is…, lead actors were…

In the world of Indian cinema, some films seem to carry an eerie aura, not just on screen but even behind the scenes. One such horror movie, made over four decades ago, was surrounded by strange warnings and inexplicable events. However, the makers decided to move forward, ignoring the superstitions, only to experience several bizarre incidents during production. Which film is this? The film we are talking about is 'Gehraayi,' a horror thriller that was released in 1980 and is considered one of the earliest Bollywood movies to delve into the theme of black magic. Directed by renowned horror masters, Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay, the film was heavily inspired by Western horror cinema, especially The Exorcist, and adapted those terrifying elements to an Indian setting. It revolved around a young girl who becomes possessed after dabbling with supernatural forces, and her family's desperate attempts to save her. What was the storyline? The cast of Gehraayi included Anant Nag, Deepak Parashar, Padmini Kolhapure, Kapila, Indrani Mukherjee, Shyam Ramsay and Late Amrish Puri in a cameo role. What set the film apart was its explicit depiction of tantric rituals, demonic possession, and spiritual conflict—rare in mainstream Indian films of that era. Interestingly, after the film's release, stories surfaced about how cast and crew members encountered mysterious accidents and unexplained problems during the shoot, further fueling the fear around the project. When makers were warned by Tantriks During a chat with Bollywood Crypt, director Aruna Raje said, 'While writing the story, she met tantriks and sorcerers. She said, one important thing is that we should not do these things ourselves, that is because we do not know the result. Everyone warned us not to make this film. Incidents will happen to you. We were not superstitious, so we thought we were only making a film; we made the film, but things went wrong.' Aruna further told, 'A few years after making Gehraayi, she got divorced from her husband and her daughter died of cancer at the age of 9. Not only this, but soon after the release, the audience started complaining to her that strange and scary things were happening to them. For this, they used to ask for phone numbers from her and each one of them who was involved in this project. How did Gehraayi open the doors for other notable films? Despite all this, Gehraayi made its mark. Though not a commercial blockbuster, it went on to become a cult classic among horror fans and received rating of 6.9 on IMDb. It opened the doors for more Bollywood films to explore the darker realms of mysticism and superstition. Later movies like Raat, Tumbbad, 13B: Fear Has A New Address, and most recently Shaitaan also tackled themes involving the supernatural and black magic, but Gehraayi remains one of the first to venture into that realm, and with a chilling legacy attached.

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