Articles by Poonam Saxena
An original city of letters: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
Long before litfests went viral, lovers of Hindi literature made their way to Allahabad, where words were celebrated all year.
Updated on Dec 25, 2021 01:43 PM IST
We were lucky to have skinned knees and pakdan-pakdai, says Poonam Saxena
Between pollution, the pandemic and the lure of too many screens, children are no longer playing the kinds of unstructured outdoor games where the aim was just to get together and have fun. What a pity.
Updated on Nov 26, 2021 06:56 PM IST
All-you-can-stream buffets: The food in K-dramas is a cultural coup
Bowls of steaming soup, sizzling barbecued meats, crisp fish cakes — Korean shows are taking their cuisine to the world. Why haven’t we done the same with our dazzling array?
Updated on Oct 29, 2021 09:13 PM IST
The rather frightening fade of reality TV: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
It started out simple, with set-ups designed for drama. Then came the vitriol and online fan clubs lashing out at each other. Today, sadly, even this isn’t the worst of what hits our screens.
Updated on Oct 02, 2021 04:07 PM IST
Laying on the gilt: What’s next for Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
In an industry with less and less room for opulent productions, he seems determined to stay the path. His upcoming movies and a Netflix show about courtesans hold out the same promise of glitter. Could that very steadfastness stream him onward?
Updated on Sep 17, 2021 07:31 PM IST
Smoke, sip, swerve: Poonam Saxena on status symbols in Hindi films
What makes something the most coveted in its class is rarely clear, but for the stars of ’50s and ’60s Hindi cinema, there was no debate: the Chevy Impala, Vat 69 and 555 cigarettes were it.
Updated on Sep 04, 2021 03:19 PM IST
India in flashbacks: The early years of celluloid magic
From the ’40s to the ’60s, Hindi cinema championed hope, change and humanism, in original and entertaining films.
Updated on Aug 13, 2021 05:53 PM IST
Remembering Bhikhari Thakur, the bard of Bihar
The Bhojpuri barber turned playwright died 50 years ago. His lyrical, once-hugely-popular plays still resonate.
Updated on Aug 07, 2021 04:58 PM IST
When the unforgettable Dilip Kumar met Bronte
From his brother, the legendary actor acquired a love of the classics — Dickens, Shakespeare, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights made a particular impression.
Updated on Jul 10, 2021 02:28 PM IST
A storyteller true to her words: Poonam Saxena on rebel writer Mannu Bhandari
The Hindi author lived an unconventional life, and gave a voice to women of the 1950s and ’60s who were trying to do the same.
Updated on Jun 12, 2021 05:35 PM IST
A century on, the same current flows along the banks: Poonam Saxena
Stark echoes of today ring out in the writings of poet Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, who lost so many loved ones to the influenza pandemic.
Updated on May 21, 2021 08:12 PM IST
A brief history of popular names for children: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
Shankar and Ishaan are both names for Shiva. So why was one so preferred in the past and the other so popular now?
Updated on Apr 11, 2021 06:19 AM IST
Mahadevi Varma: The poet who broke free, and inspired others to
In Women’s History Month, Poonam Saxena looks back on the extraordinary life of a revolutionary feminist and writer.
Updated on Mar 14, 2021 06:25 AM IST
Shining through the Seventies. Then mysteriously: It’s a wrap!
An ode to the lungi-kurta, always in silk, always as resplendent loungewear, which vanished without a trace
Updated on Feb 28, 2021 07:15 AM IST
How trains have kept movies on track: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
From falling in love in a coupé to finding closure on a platform, the railways have steered cinema in memorable directions.
Updated on Feb 14, 2021 06:41 AM IST
If Bollywood films could, then sew could we: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
On screen and off, the sewing machine transformed lives for decades, and it’s still appearing in the role of agent of change.
Updated on Jan 31, 2021 06:28 AM IST
Remembering Gulshan Nanda, forgotten author of affairs to remember
The best-selling novelist was Bollywood’s go-to storyteller in the 1960s. He wrote family dramas shot through with suspense. The films live on, but what a pity so few even know his name.
Updated on Jan 16, 2021 10:13 AM IST
Poonam Saxena writes on the true heart of the Indian home, the aangan
It now lives on largely in books and film, but the courtyard was where we cooked, celebrated, slept under the stars on summer nights.
Updated on Jan 01, 2021 07:04 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
Lifting the veil on life as an Indian woman, unattached
Hindi novelist Usha Priyamvada turns 90 this year, and the quiet lives of unusual women remain at the core of her work.
Published on Dec 18, 2020 03:51 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
An ode to the beloved picnic: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
If we go on one now, it’s likely for want of other options in the pandemic. But these were once times of fun, family, courtship.
Updated on Dec 04, 2020 06:41 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: In wedding season, does anyone remember the shaadi ka ghar?
Music all day, sleeping on the floor, a tailor, dhobi and halwai on hand at all times — before the planners took over, everything was done in-house. It was chaotic, messy and so much fun.
Updated on Nov 20, 2020 07:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
Newsmaker: As YRF turns 50, Aditya Chopra looks to further a unique legacy
Yash Raj Films has acted as an informal school for filmmakers, set templates for the Hindi blockbuster, been among the first to take Bollywood corporate, and of course created DDLJ.
Updated on Nov 14, 2020 08:34 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: Cafes, art shows, a hug and movie dates from the ’70s
Asking her out in the age of bouffants and drainpipe trousers was no simple affair. But films from the period paint an innocent age in the backdrop of the big city.
Updated on Nov 06, 2020 08:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: The brief, bright, bygone era of the dressing gown
It was the at-home attire of most well-off Bollywood dads in the ’50s and ’60s. Dressing downs haven’t been the same since.
Updated on Oct 11, 2020 04:44 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
Essay: The triumph and tragedy of Bang Mahila
The story of Rajbala Ghosh, the first woman to write short stories in Hindi
Updated on Oct 02, 2020 05:47 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
When movie scenes struck a different kind of chord: The Way We Were by Poonam Saxena
A performance, a piano, a crowd standing still. Why was the party song such a fixture of Hindi cinema in decades past?
Updated on Sep 27, 2020 11:07 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: A long-gone author’s timely tips for life on the road
Mohan Rakesh didn’t book tickets in advance and make hotel reservations. He went where the road led, and kept going.
Updated on Sep 12, 2020 10:21 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: A tribute to desi film’s Gothic phase
Despite how heavily they borrowed from the West, the early spooky movies remain some of our best in the genre.
Updated on Aug 30, 2020 10:39 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: Lata and the dawn of the playback era
The first Hindi film playback song was recorded 85 years ago. Take a look at how it acquired the shape it has today.
Updated on Aug 16, 2020 05:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena
The Way We Were: Premchand’s lost months in Bombay
To mark his 140th birth anniversary, a look at the writer’s move to the city, and why he left it in less than a year.
Updated on Aug 02, 2020 03:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Poonam Saxena