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To write about the best Indian movies of the year—another year that echoes the same patterns which seemed to kickstart this decade for us as a nation—is less about what’s merely ‘available to watch’ and more about what truly belongs to this year, and needs to be marked. The state of both theatres and streaming is not just dispiriting but actively disheartening. Single-screen cinemas across the subcontinent are all but extinct.

The State keeps pushing its threadbare narratives in film form faster than China exports its goods. Meanwhile, soulless mediocrity churned out by ‘seasoned’ stars floods the Fridays without pause. The star-kid machinery has turned into a trans-ideological crisis—if the production house doesn’t get its faces, the film won’t get made. Re-releases, once nostalgic novelties, have become the norm, as if there’s simply nothing left to show. The surge of blandness is now bleeding into a deeper,...

IFFR’s vast selection of films this year, particularly in the Harbour section, presents a blend of various genres that evoke the magic of contemporary cinema at its finest. “The Youth Trilogy” by Wang Bing has set a significant benchmark for Asian cinema while “An Unfinished Film” by Lou Ye captivated audiences at Festival de Cannes. Moreover, “Grand Tour” by Miguel Gomes, which won the Best Director award at Cannes 2024, has also joined the Harbour section of IFFR. Also featured is Bhargav Saikia’s feature directorial debut, “Bokshi,” a modern interpretation of supernatural horror with a cult element that warrants a following.

Teen girl Anahita has numerous questions swirling in her mind. She’s constantly troubled by everything that surrounds her on the outside— extreme teasing and bullying, blame and rejection, family pressure, and suppression. However, her troubles extend beyond external factors. She is continuously troubled by what occurs on the inside,...

It’s refreshing when an Indian film dares to challenge conventional folklore in cinema and breathe new life into familiar narrative tropes. First-time director Bhargav Saikia has created an atmospheric, chilling, and sensual folk horror film in Bokshi. Using few special effects and subtly presenting the supernatural, the film maintains an elegantly restrained tone. Sound and visuals create a captivating experience, immersing us in an idyllic and nightmarish world. Skillfully navigating the lines between horror, bullying, psychodrama, and trauma, it is a satisfying work, marked by an impressively fluid visual style and anchored pivotal performances.

Anahita (Prasanna Bisht), a teenager who lost her mother at a young age, struggles to overcome the lingering trauma of her death. In a private act of remembrance, she gets a religious tattoo her mother wore, but this triggers disturbing dreams and a physical ailment of bedwetting. At home, her grandmother is a dominating figure,...

In Amp, and particularly in the case of this writer, genre mashups is a favorite movie style, even more so when they are accompanied by a sense of deliriousness. Bhargav Saikia, in his feature debut, comes up with a film that checks both boxes, and is currently premiering in Rotterdam. “Bokshi” was shot over 80 days across remote Himalayan terrains, was developed over five years and produced independently by Saikia’s Mumbai-based company, Lorien Motion Pictures. The title of the movie is primarily used in Nepali to denote a “witch” or a woman believed to practice black magic. In Nepali culture, this term carries significant negative connotations, often leading to social ostracization and persecution of women labeled as such.

Bokshi is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

Anahita is a young girl who is definitely in trouble. Struggling with the trauma of her mother’s brutal disappearance, the girl has frequent nightmares,...

French-u.K. outfit Alief has acquired international sales rights to Indian filmmaker Bhargav Saikia’s supernatural folk horror “Bokshi,” ahead of its world premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Harbour section.

The film follows Anahita, a troubled teen who finds solace in Shalini, a mysterious history teacher leading a trek to an ancient site called ‘The Navel.’ The school excursion takes an eerie turn as connections emerge between the site and a cult worshipping Bokshi, a feared folkloric demoness.

“Bokshi,” which means “witch” in Nepali, represents a departure from India’s recent horror-comedy trend, instead offering a darker, more atmospheric take on the genre. “At its core, it is a cautionary tale that sheds light on universal and socially relevant themes of women empowerment and humanity’s relation with Mother Earth,” Saikia tells Variety. “The film attempts to subvert the negative idea of the witch prevalent in society and...

Right from his first play ‘Where There’s a Will’ in 1986, playwright and director Mahesh Dattani brought contemporary Indian realities to theatre and approached modern issues and relationships with a fresh perspective. Zee Theatre’s ‘Big Fat City’ is no exception and here Mahesh dwells upon the harried life in Mumbai and on people who are stuck in the cycle of unmet needs and desires.

Actor Shilpa Shukla is thrilled that she got an opportunity to work with Dattani and says, “When he called me for ‘Big Fat City’, I couldn’t believe it and it has been such a learning curve in my life. I’m now able to love the craft a lot more. There is no monotony around it. Words can’t describe how much I learned from him, his observations on life, and his whole being. As a teacher he is fabulous. He has mentored so many...

With less than a week left for the opening in Doha, Qatar, of the Mira Nair-helmed musical, ‘Monsoon Wedding’, based on her iconic 2001 film, members of the cast and crew are taking to their Instagram handles to share pictures of themselves shot by Ishaan Nair (who also had a role in the film) and sharing their excitement to be a part of the FIFA World Cup fever.

The musical, its score written by acclaimed composer-director Vishal Bharadwaj, will open at the Abdul Aziz Nasser Theatre in Doha on November 15.

Namit Das, who was most recently seeing playing the shoe company executive Haresh Khanna in BBC television drama mini-series ‘The Suitable Boy’ (also directed by Mira Nair), shared the cast’s sense of anticipation when he wrote: “The countdown has begun for this ‘Monsoon Wedding’ to shower Doha, Qatar, with a dose of entertainment.”

Das plays the eccentric, marigold (‘genda’)-chewing wedding planner,...

KollywoodThe actor is currently busy with a number of films including 'Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy' and 'Kolamaavu Kokila'.Digital NativeDigital NativeThe Hindi film Pari, a supernatural horror flick, is all set to be remade in Tamil. The film, starring Anushka Sharma in the lead role, made it to the silver screens on March 2 this year to positive reviews. The film also turned out to be a commercial success. According to reports doing rounds, Pari will soon be remade in Tamil and the strong contender to reprise Anushka Sharma’s role in it is Nayanthara. Interestingly, Nayan herself has a good share of horror flicks to her credit including Dora and Maya. However, sources close to the actor claim that she is not interested in starring in horror films right now and is busy concentrating in other genres. The talented actor is busy with a number of films including the Telugu biopic Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy in which she shares the screen space with Tollywood megastar Chiranjeevi and the heroine-oriented Kolamaavu Kokila, a Tamil film which is being directed Nelson Dhilip Kumar. Pari is all set to hit the screens in the Russian market on April 19. Pari, directed by debutant Prosit Roy, has been bankrolled by Anushka Sharma and Kamesh Sharma under the banners Clean Slate Films, KriArj Entertainment and Kyta Productions. It has been penned by Prosit Roy and Abhishek Bannerjee. While the film revolves around Anushka Sharma, the star cast also had Parambrata Chatterjee, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor and Mansi Multani in pivotal roles. The background score for Pari was composed by Ketan Sodha while the songs have been scored by Anupam Roy. The cinematography was handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee and the editing was done by Manas Mittal. Pari was made on a budget of Rs 18 crores and its box office collections stood at Rs 40 crores making it a commercial success. With reports that Nayan may not be a part of the remake, film buffs wonder who would bag the role. (Content provided by Digital Native)...