It took Bollywood a few years to remake The Godfather, but when it did, HOO BOY. Sicily becomes Afghanistan, the family becomes the nation, there are two sets of costume-coordinated family members, and there’s at least one more musical number featuring scarf-based choreography. At the center […]
If you’re thinking “Hey, didn’t Cultural Gutter already do a piece on a wackadoodle Indian film about eyes starring the handsome and heroic Dharmendra?” you’re perfectly correct. But thanks to a career of over 300 films, producers apparently ran out of different words to use in the title […]
Nothing says epic romance like a timeless wonder of the ancient world! via GIPHY The popular cinemas of India face a unique problem when it comes to the escapism that makes a significant component of their recipes. If your characters need to get away, to dream, where should […]
Elaan may be the most fantastic and under-appreciated movie of 1971. It’s exactly the kind of film I live in fear of running out of someday: loony, exuberant, stylish, exciting, and fun. It might not exactly count as an example of standard Hindi cinema mix of action, comedy, […]
It’s hard to write about this movie. Attempts are usually defeated by a combination of dissolving into squees, dance breaks, and the weird contradiction of knowing absolutely nothing about it while simultaneously notating an ever-growing list of why it’s so good. In brief, James Bond 777 (1971, directed […]
Bombay Talkies, released in 2013 to mark the centennial of Indian feature filmmaking, is not just another film about the film industry. This anthology project keeps its focus on the power of cinema for audiences. The four contributing directors represent different vibes, maybe even genres, within the current […]