Writer-director Abhishek Chaubey joins us for a chat on his films (Ishqiya, Dedh Ishqiya, Udta Punjab, Sonchiriya) as well as Omkara and Maqbool, films which he co-wrote/assisted on.   Abhishek and I chatted about adapting classics, writing good story endings, and prioritizing storytelling voice ahead of cinematic chops. He shared some cool stories around casting Naseeruddin Shah in Ishqiya, shooting the shootout at the train station in Dedh Ishqiya, the decision to nod to Ismat Chughtai's...

Writer Sudip Sharma (NH10, Udta Punjab, Paatal Lok, Laal Kaptaan) joins us for a Sonchiriya deep dive. Sonchiriya is one of my favorite films of last 10 years.  It's also my favorite Sushant Singh Rajput film. I believe his performance, much like the film, remains underrated and under-discovered. This episode is, in part, an attempt to help people discover and appreciate Sonchiriya. Sudip and I talked about key scenes and moments, conducting script research in Bundelkhand, casting Sushant...

Gupt: The Hidden Truth evokes a wide range of memories for many. The timeless soundtrack by Viju Shah, the smashing reveal, wild dialogue, Rajiv Rai's direction, Ashok Mehta's cinematography, the amusing ensemble of supporting cast and of course, Manisha Koirala, Kajol and Bobby Deol. As the film turns 25, cricket historian, statistician and author Abhishek Mukherjee joins us, in the capacity of a Bobby Deol fan and Gupt superfan, to look back on Rajiv Rai's bonkers 1997 murder mystery that...

A senior film journalist once mentioned that Gauri Khan (SRK's wife) once told her that reel-life Sunil of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa was very similar to real-life SRK. Hardik Mehta (Trapped, Kaamyaab, Decoupled) joins me to talk about Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994), a film that holds a special place in the hearts of many 90s kids and fans of SRK. Join us as we fanboy over SRK and Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa!   Feedback/comments/questions: [email protected] Credits: Produced and...

Rajamouli's newest movie is more than 3 hours long.  Can't recall the last time I watched a film that long and walked out of the cinemas wishing it was longer.  Loved it. Film critic Josh Hurtado joins us for a deep dive of RRR as we try to unpack the film's goodness, Rajamouli's arc, and the film's traction outside India. We chatted about our favorite moments from the film, the magnetic charisma of Ram Charan and Tarak, the ridiculous action set pieces, the stunning sound design and how...

Sagar Haveli, who co-wrote Paatal Lok, joins us for a deep dive of Sriram Raghavan's Johnny Gaddaar (2007).  Sagar and I  tried to unpack how Raghavan excels at building tension and doing it beautifully, while paying homage to classic films and masters of cinema like Hitchcock, Vijay Anand, De Palma and Brij. We chatted about — the creative transitions, the strong characterization, the on-note casting, Dharmendra, the MacGuffin, the tremendous music by Daniel B George &...

Rakhee Sandilya co-wrote and directed the engaging 2017 drama Ribbon, starring Kalki Koechlin and Sumeet Vyas. She joins us for the next installment in our series of deep dives with screenwriters/filmmakers on their favorite films. Rakhee chose Mira Nair's celebrated 2001 drama Monsoon Wedding. We tried to unpack why Monsoon Wedding was such a bold and important film, and how it was a triumph of weaving together multiple strands of narrative. Rakhee elaborated on her favorite scenes, Mira...

A look back at A R Rahman of 90s with popular music blogger and Rahman super-fan, Karthik Srinivasan. We revisit 16 songs from 90s, curated with the singular goal of showcasing what made Rahman of 90s so unique and special.  The collection includes songs in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. We've tried to stay clear of Rahman anthems in the interest of maintaining a HIGH 'discovery factor' for most listeners.  We also chatted about everything from our first impressions of Roja to...

This season, a small series of deep dives with directors/screenwriters on personal favorites, where I asked a small group of directors and screenwriters to talk about a favorite film that they have admired over the years.  First up, writer-director Atul Sabharwal (Powder, Aurangzeb, Class of '83) on J. P. Dutta's Ghulami (1985). Feedback/comments/questions: [email protected] Credits: Produced and hosted by: Himanshu Joglekar (@loveofcinemasf8) Editor: Devika Joglekar Music: Nakul...

Writer-director Gautham Vasudev Menon joins us on the season's last episode to talk about his writing, straddling the genres of action and romance, his process behind picturizing songs, and RHTDM at 20! He shared cool stories behind Thalli Pogathey and Aaromale, the prominent use of closeups in his storytelling, what he makes of RHTDM's criticism, why Mani Ratnam thought Minnale was not the right movie for Madhavan at the time, and much more. Feedback/comments/questions:...

Film historian and writer Gautam Chintamani joins us for a deep dive into Ramesh Sippy's Shakti (1982).  A film that Sippy is most proud of, by some accounts. A film that's Salim Khan's personal favorite among the films he co-wrote with Javed Akhtar.  A film that pits together two giants of Hindi cinema, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan.  Gautam and I tried to unpack why Shakti is one of Dilip Kumar's greatest films and how the legendary actor was able to elevate the performances of his...

An hour with screenwriter Ritesh Shah on D-Day (2013),  Pink (2016) and Raid (2018). We dissected scenes from those films and chatted about writing dialogue, screenwriting tips, Salim-Javed and what makes them special, some of Ritesh's fave screenplays: L. A. Confidential (1997) and October (2018), and much more.   Feedback/comments/questions: [email protected] Credits: Produced and hosted by: Himanshu Joglekar (@loveofcinemasf8) Editor: Devika Joglekar Music: Nakul...

Gulzar's poetically cinematic Ijaazat (1987) is perhaps Hindi cinema's most mature exploration of divorce and live-in relationships. It's also a film whose dialogue is almost as lyrical as its songs. Featuring a memorable feature-length waltz between two fine actors, Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah, and a terrific soundtrack by Pancham, Ijaazat is a film that truly showcases Gulzar's poetic sensibilities. A film worth celebrating, time and again.  We are joined by Pavan Jha, a technology...

One of our absolute greats and arguably the most versatile Hindi filmmaker of all-time, Vijay Anand, left behind a legacy worthy of frequent celebration. Filmmaker, film instructor and co-founder of the popular film blog, Upperstall — Karan Bali joins us to celebrate Vijay Anand and revisit one of his favorites, Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963). We chatted about the legendary director's craft, his gift for filming songs, his innovative approach to storytelling and his tremendous range as a...

Chances are, if you love Hindi cinema, you love Amitabh Bachchan and his films. Having grown up in the 90s, well past peak Bachchan mania, I've always wondered what it would've been like to have lived through that peak mania.  What must the thrill have been like to have witnessed his stardom at its peak? To get a better idea, I spoke with a small group of cinephiles and Bachchan fans who were fortunate enough to have watched the actor's 70s and 80s filmography on the big screen. I was...

In conversation with Vinay Shukla on Ram Jaane (1995)

Satyajit Ray's documentaries

In conversation with writer-director Sanjay Khanduri on Ek Chalis Ki Last Local (2007)

In conversation with Sukanya Verma on the late, great Kader Khan's legacy

In conversation with screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey

In conversation with Kaveree Bamzai on Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)

In conversation with Pankuj Parashar

In conversation with Amitava Nag on Satyajit Ray's Aranyer Din Ratri

In conversation with Sameer Vidwans

In conversation with Baradwaj Rangan on Mani Ratnam's Nayakan