Review
Freak Shows: Looking at Human Bodies on Exhibit
No two human bodies are alike, and our different bodies arouse curiosity. But our fascination for the aesthetics of the perfect human body has historically created a space within art, science and religion for the examination of the ‘abnormal’ and the ‘imperfect’. As a result, some bodies are normalised while others become oddities. Freak Shows, and to a large extent, circuses and even exhibits in medical or anthropological museums particularly stand out for dehumanising and objectifying these different anatomies, and oftentimes subjecting these bodies to violence and discrimination.
By Shweta Krishnan
June 15, 2021
Films of Desire/Bodies of Desire
The Church says: the body is a sin Science says: the body is a machine Advertising says: the body is…
By Geetanjali Misra
June 1, 2015
FILMS OF DESIRE/BODIES OF DESIRE
The Church says: the body is a sin Science says: the body is a machine Advertising says: the body is…
By Geetanjali Misra
November 15, 2017
Exploring Consent Through The Film SUNO
There may be situations in which a person’s responses might not be unquestionably equated with consent. Is consent merely a ‘yes’ or does one need to look for other cues to make sure their partner wants the same thing as them when it comes to intimacy?
By Aratrika Datta
March 17, 2025
Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish: A platonic togetherness
The movie was criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of Debu as a gay man. But, the beauty is that it also highlights the reversal of gender roles. The smiles, and the laughter sounding throughout the house, create a cheery note in the movie.
By Dr Swarupa N Kshirsagar
November 2, 2020
Dismantling a sex-trafficking pyramid
Every Friday my organisation Red Dot Foundation hosts a SafeCircle, an online space for listening and for sharing experiences of…
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
July 1, 2020
Despite all odds
In the spirit of the Games, I watched the Netflix film Rising Phoenix which documents the history of the Paralympics and its impact on the world in making visible the topic of disability. It also tracks the personal and professional journey of some of the top Paralympic athletes who share their challenges, frustrations and motivations.
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
August 2, 2021
Desire, Appetite and Sexuality: Indian Cinema’s Evolving Taste Buds
Indian films have for long fed into as well as mirrored social and cultural practices. Many of them depict a woman as being restricted to the kitchen and serving delicacies during festivities.
By Sourav
Descent into Darkness
No Limits explores several themes – the struggles that athletes go through to reach their goals, the personal and professional risks they take to break records, the compromises they make and the single-minded focus required of them.
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
April 21, 2023
Circle of Trust
None of these characters is perfect but in their imperfections we can learn more about body positivity, gender sensitivity, privilege, consent, unconscious and implicit bias, sexuality, masculinity, their intersections with class, religion, race, age, and more.
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
April 5, 2021
Cinema’s Unintentional Counter-Narrative on Marriage
Reviewing three films (or the subplots of three films) to see how subplots show that marriage isn’t a destination or a single story that begins and ends in the ‘happily ever after’.
By Shweta Krishnan
January 3, 2023
Churails: The Revolution Within Us All
Their inimitable personalities showcase their varied conceptions of insaaf (justice), enriching and intensifying the plot and, at the same time, reaffirming their solidarity and strengthening their unity.
By Nupur Paliwal and Saloni Mishra
December 1, 2020
Bridgerton: Pairing-up Pressures
By and large, society expects a woman to marry. Often people in one’s circle judge a woman if she doesn’t marry, inquiring about what could be wrong but most never assuming that it could be out of choice
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
February 1, 2021
Breaking new ground: Maja Ma’s portrayal of queerness in a traditional Indian family
This reconciliation between Pallavi’s public (seemingly) heterosexual and closeted lesbian identities points to a distinctly Indian way of avoiding polarities through a new social arrangement where both identities are allowed the space to flourish.
By Juhi Sidharth and Chaitanya Ravi
Book Review: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
The story is so well told and is written with such a light, deft hand that it is almost easy to miss what makes it so quietly radical. To review it within the scope of exploring the coming together of literature and sexuality we must begin with its central cast of characters – the widows.
By Sheena D'Lima
January 3, 2022