TRIBUTE: MANNA DEY Haunting melodiesPARTHA CHATTERJEEManna Dey, the 2007 Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, has enthralled discerning listeners since the 1950s. (Published in the issue dated November 6, 200
Documentary Remembering Begum AkhtarPARTHA CHATTERJEENirmal Chander’s documentary focusses on the essentials of Begum Akhtar’s music and her rise to greatness in the feudal ambience of pre-Independence
Books A life in theatrePARTHA CHATTERJEEA useful work on Badal Sircar, the theatre stalwart whose plays initially took up the concerns of the middle-class youth of Kolkata but later articula
"Court" Quietly eloquentPARTHA CHATTERJEE"Court" creates a believable, real world through a measured narrative that convincingly captures the protagonists’ often-heroic, sometimes-c
Bombay ragaPARTHA CHATTERJEEThe book traces the history of Hindustani music and its evolution in the port city of Bombay when it was under British rule.
Memorable inningsPARTHA CHATTERJEEA book on the history of cricket in Pakistan, well researched with attention to detail but often given to hyperbole and gushing admiration.
Khashi Katha Of loss & desperationPartha ChatterjeeA new small-budget film on the underdog’s struggle for survival in Kolkata, employing a narrative technique borrowed from Thousand And One Arabian Nig
A life of musicPartha ChatterjeeA captivating and perceptive account of the life and music of Gangubai Hangal.
Inhabiting two worldsPartha ChatterjeeThe book on Sahir Ludhianvi, the Urdu poet and Bollywood lyricist, is a case of hero-worship albeit a sincere one.
Cinema pulsePartha ChatterjeeAn interesting and thought-provoking book on seeing India through its cinema.
Cinema Distorted visionPartha ChatterjeeThe farcical Hindi comedy Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a terrible attempt to Indianise Bertolt Brecht.
Master of rhythmPARTHA CHATTERJEEPandit Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) will be remembered as Indias first and most successful cultural ambassador to the West, who opened the door of opportu
Bihar, Nitish Kumar, and the prohibition debate Curtailing basic liberties on a presumption that individuals tend to abuse them is self-defeating.