Interview| We Want to Work Towards Safe and Equal Spaces for Women in the Malayalam Film Industry: Revathi:
In light of the Hema Committee report on the Malayalam film industry, actor and director Revathi discusses industry changes in an interview with Frontline. She speaks about the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an organisation she co-founded in 2017. The WCC aims to address longstanding issues within the film sector.
Ancient Carvings Challenge Simplistic Views of Hindu-Muslim Relations in Medieval Kashmir
Strolling inside the quadrangle of Kashmir’s 600-year-old Jamia Masjid, worshippers stop to take pictures of the mosque’s large steeple, its outlines sharpened against the backdrop of Hari Parbat, the famous fort-hill of Srinagar. What they usually overlook is a limestone plaque with Persian inscriptions embedded in the wall just above
COUNTER CULTURE | Vijay’s GOAT Expands Cinematic Joy While Shrinking Cinema Itself
The afternoon screening of GOAT was delayed by a bit; I expected this. The staff had to sweep the shards of confetti from between the cracks of seats and the carpeted floor from the previous show. They had been doing this after every screening, from 4:15 am onwards. It was the first
How the Women in Cinema Collective Introduced a New Wave of Feminism in Kerala
One of the most remarkable things about Kerala in the 21st century is the recurrence of feminist revolts that are sometimes without a feminist. No, I do not mean state feminism. State feminism in Kerala, at least from the 1990s, has by now had three major effects. First, it
Editor’s Note | Vaishna Roy Writes: Hema Committee Report a Defining Moment in India’s Mass Feminist Awakening
Writing in this issue of Frontline, the feminist scholar J. Devika says: “Malayalam cinema has been historically structured by feudal funding and practices, and women artistes were inevitably taken to be sexually available to the big male names.” This is true not just of Malayalam cinema but of every film industry across
Malayalam Film Industry’s Woes Reflect Kerala’s Own Hierarchical, Feudal, and Patriarchal Structure
In recent weeks, patriarchal norms and male dominance in Malayalam cinema have come under scrutiny following the release of the redacted version of the Justice Hema Committee report. This report, commissioned by the Kerala government, has highlighted the various challenges faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. The committee
Kashmiri Shawl Weavers: Unsung Heroes of Art, Rebellion, and Cultural Heritage
In the annals of Kashmir’s tumultuous history, the Zaldagar agitation of 1865 is a watershed moment. On April 29, 1865, the community of Shawlbafs (traditional weavers of the famed Kashmiri shawl) hit the streets of Zaldagar in Srinagar in a peaceful protest against the high taxes levied upon them by
Book Excerpt | Kuvempu’s ‘Bride in the Hills’ Recounts Love Stories in a Caste-Afflicted Social Order
Set in the stately, forest-clad hills of Malnad in the Western Ghats during the late 19th century, Bride in the Hills tells the love stories of young men and women aspiring for a life of freedom, dignity, and fulfilment in marriage within a caste-ridden social order. Kuvempu’s multi-centred text, with its
Book Review | Tejinder S. Randhawa’s Book Listens To the Whispers of Vernacular Indian Architecture
“If only haveli walls could talk, what fascinating stories they would tell, having witnessed many generations of children growing up and daughters getting married and leaving their familiar surroundings forever.” This is how Randhawa, using a portrait taken from his family archives, explains the extraordinary gathering of Sikh men, most
Kali Is A Goddess, A Symbol, and A Felt Presence In A DAG Exhibition In Mumbai
The spectral presence of goddess Kali pervades DAG’s flagship gallery in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel. The exhibition, “Kali: Reverence & Rebellion” (August 25-October 19), organised by DAG there, is all about the fiery goddess as imagined by artists from the 5th to the 20th centuries. Curated by Gayatri Sinha, the