09-08-2025
Saturday Feeling: Everyone's got a ‘Sholay' memory
When songs from Sholay appeared on TV in the 1990s, my parents always livened up. It wasn't just the music; they also had a story to tell about trekking to Leicester from London, a distance of about 100 miles, to find a theatre that screened Hindi films in the UK of the 1970s. It's a day that came alive with just a few bars of music. They'd loved the cast, the music, the drama, and described it all in vivid detail, saying we should watch it, but somehow, we never did. It was almost as if they didn't want to erase the memory of a time before they had the depressing responsibilities of raising children and making ends meet. Or as Virginia Woolfe wrote nearly a century ago in The Movies and Reality, 'As we gaze, we seem to be removed from the pettiness of actual existence.'
Sholay, perhaps the greatest popular Indian film, turns 50 next week. Most people have a Sholay reference of their own. Even people like me who grew up in places where Hindi wasn't terribly popular. To date, I haven't seen Sholay in full. I know the songs. I can spot scenes from it. I know when it's being quoted (well, somewhat) but I don't really understand it. Yet—just like people who have watched the film—I have memories of it. What makes a film seem timeless, even iconic, and a part of popular culture and memory? It's the question we attempt with essays to mark 50 years of Sholay. While Jai Arjun Singh recalls watching Sholay, which released on 15 August 1975, at different ages and finding layers of meanings with each rewatching, Nasreen Munni Kabir discusses subtitling the film in English. And could Sholay have been the hit it was without Gabbar Singh? Raja Sen pays tribute to Hindi cinema's most iconic villain. And then there are all your popular favourites—books to read, shows and exhibitions to see and ideas for quick weekend meals.
Match your meal to the music
You probably have noticed it—the music in a restaurant can elevate or ruin your meal. Chefs and restauranteurs know it too, and a small crop of them have taken this attention to music a step further. Listening rooms inspired by Japanese music cafes are popping up across Indian cities, with a focus on intimate bar experiences framed by analogue music. Shrabonti Bagchi visits these restaurants that pay as much attention to music as food, and match the menu to the mood and the sound. Read the story.
'Ghich Pich' review: A diverting coming-of-age film
A trio of best friends in high school in a small, charming city at the turn of the millennium. It's a formaula that's perfect for an uncomplicated yet resonant film. Ankur Singla's Ghich Pich is a simple but reasonably effective slice of nostalgia set in Chandigarh, writes Uday Bhatia. Read the review.
Michael Douglas and male insecurity
Popular films have always been used as loudspeakers for our worst impulses. This is the central premise of Jessa Crispin's new book, What is Wrong With Men: Patriarchy, the Crisis of Masculinity, and How (Of Course) Michael Douglas Films Explain Everything. The US ushered in a number of legislative and societal reforms in the 1960s and 1970s, the goal being equal rights for women. Crispin locates Michael Douglas as representative of a certain kind of liberal man who struggles to cope with the shifting role of men in such a landscape, writes Aditya Mani Jha. Read more.
Why surrogacy scams persist in India
A decade ago, the business of fertility treatment was at its peak in India. With guidelines firmly in place, there were well-established clinics with experienced doctors, state-of-the-art equipment and streamlined services that attracted couples from all over the world. The ban on commercial surrogacy in 2019—and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act in 2021—changed things. Today, the fertility business is in chaos. Until lawmakers understand that women have reproductive rights and that women's labour doesn't come free, we will continue seeing 'fertility' scams like the recent instance of a doctor in Hyderabad who offered fake fertility treatments and was involved in trafficking babies, writes Gita Aravamudan. Read more.
Samsung's foldable gets a makeover
For most of the world, Samsung is synonymous with the foldable phone category, having been the pioneer of the form for over half a decade. Of late though, iterative updates and heated competition had made it feel a little behind the times. With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, that changes, writes Tushar Kanwar. The foldable phone that costs close to ₹ 2 lakh looks like it's fresh off a successful diet, transforming into one of the slimmest book-style foldables around. Read the review.
