OPEN Magazine

Friday, 24 May 2013

Print Edition
Essays
Voices
Features
Gallery
Lounge
Regulars
shorts
blogs
Open Spaces

The hilarious case of Avatar Tulsi

The Ramayana essay that Delhi University banned

The man who survived 42 hours trapped in a lift

The hypocrisy of Indian fashion designers

The fraud of Vedic maths

The making of Baba Ramdev

The mystery of the leopard that was not

IN Cinema

Birth of the Indian Undead

What makes zombies interesting and why Go Goa Gone gets it right

1 June 13 | BY Devika Bakshi

Star Trek Into Darkness

A super villain whose name is Khan, a confusing plot and some superb action

25 May 13 | BY Ajit Duara

The Poor Man’s Pop Star

For years, Mithun Chakraborty has been a victim of elite prejudice—what multiplex goers call a ‘downmarket’ star.

25 May 13 | BY Shaikh Ayaz

Bombay Talkies

These four shorts films are a beautiful tribute to Hindi cinema

18 May 13 | BY Ajit Duara

The Invisible Legacy of ‘Art Films’

Parallel cinema of the 1970s and 80s remains influential in Bollywood though chances are you will not notice it

18 May 13 | BY Shaikh Ayaz

Karan Johar’s Gay Revolution

The filmmaker may have taken a realistic turn with homosexuality in Bombay Talkies, but he deserves credit even for silly gay portrayals in commercial films like Dostana

18 May 13 | BY Madhavankutty Pillai

In the Beginning There is an Opening Scene

After Aamir and No One Killed Jessica, Raj Kumar Gupta’s third film, Ghanchakkar, is going to hit the screens in June. He speaks to Open about his evolution as a filmmaker

11 May 13 | BY Ruchi Sawardekar

Aashiqui 2

A heart-wrenching romance that may even make you believe

11 May 13 | BY Ajit Duara

Ek Thi Daayan

An entertaining and entirely irreverent ghost story

4 May 13 | BY Ajit Duara

Nautanki Saala!

A delightful film falls apart in the second half

27 April 13 | BY Ajit Duara

most commented this month

Rape at Home

The trial of a French Consulate employee, accused of raping his minor daughter, has begun in Bangalore. His wife Suja Jones speaks to Open

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Aimee Ginsburg

The Man Who is Afraid of a Skullcap

Two books on Narendra Modi establish why it is silly to hope that the bigot will ever be any less bigoted

Hartosh Singh Bal

The Unreliable Source

The second rung of the Congress party, where there is much jostling for power, is the origin of some of the most ridiculous political spin in recent times

Hartosh Singh Bal

IN Features > International

ONE-MAN SHOW: Feudalism and the US ‘War on Terror’ were Imran Khan’s two big campaign issues (Photo: GETTY)

The Khan Who Couldn’t

Nawaz Sharif’s party won a near majority in Pakistan’s National Assembly. But it was Imran Khan’s campaign that animated the polls

BY Zubair A Dar

IN Features > Business

HAND ON THE WHEEL Just who gets to control India’s use of this vital energy resource?

Indian Gas Pricing: Still as Hazy as Ever

Private producers want to price it high, users want it kept cheap, and policymakers appear all confused

BY Shailendra Tyagi

IN Features > Sports

IN THE DOCK: Sreesanth leaves Saket Court in Delhi after a hearing on 21 May (Photo: ASHISH SHARMA)

Turn the Spotlight

Cricket is dirty yet again and it’s time to go after those who might get away

IN Features > Art & Culture

The company misses Uncle Pai alright, but Biyani is on the lookout for the next ‘modern storyteller’ who can endear young Indians to their heritage through multiple avenues of engagement. (Illustration: VIVEK THAKKAR)

Eternal Tales in The Electronic Age

The first act of Amar Chitra Katha’s rescue is over. The brand has survived. But Act Two will be tricky

BY Anusha Subramanian

IN Features > Living

That Fizzling Sound

As cola drinks are shunned by health junkies

BY Akshay Sawai

Rogues
Turn the Spotlight

Cricket is dirty yet again and it’s time to go after those who might get away

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True Life
Just Another Massacre

Sinam Ongbi Chandrajini lost children in a massacre in Malom in 2000. It was the horror of this incident that led Irom Sharmila to begin her fast against AFSPA

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Public Opinion
The Unreliable Source

The second rung of the Congress party, where there is much jostling for power, is the origin of some of the most ridiculous political spin in recent times

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CARROT AND STICK
Citizens and Soldiers

The CRPF’s missteps threaten its efforts to woo tribal youth in Chhattisgarh

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THROWAWAY
The Bungle Jumble Party

God’s gift to the Congress

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LEGACY
A Classic and its Afterlife

CLR James’ Beyond a Boundary on its 50th anniversary

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MODERN TIMES
Infernal Lessons

Deciphering Dan Brown’s bestseller Inferno

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RELOAD
Eternal Tales in The Electronic Age

The first act of Amar Chitra Katha’s rescue is over. The brand has survived. But Act Two will be tricky

+
ARM’S LENGTH
That Fizzling Sound

As cola drinks are shunned by health junkies

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On the Contrary
Soft Brains, Hard On

What makes Mumbai’s municipal corporators demand a ban on scantily clad mannequins

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Media
Facebook to Bhaktbook

A Hindu devotional song calls out to Facebookers seen as sinners in need of redemption

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B-horror
Birth of the Indian Undead

What makes zombies interesting and why Go Goa Gone gets it right

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