Anupama Chopra

Finally in focus, an India we rarely get to see, says Anupama Chopra

Two niche films, Bittu and Pebbles, are making us proud abroad. They deserve to be seen widely here at home too.

Pebbles, about an alcoholic man and his little son, is set in a drought-struck village near Madurai . (Image courtesy Rowdy Pictures)

art culture

Updated on Feb 20, 2021 07:31 AM IST

Adarsh Gourav: A dark horse powers ahead in Bollywood

“His success is thrilling,” says Anupama Chopra in this week’s column. “His talent and hard work shine through in the role of the evil Balram in The White Tiger. I can’t wait to see what he does next.”

Gourav in The White Tiger. He’s currently learning Tamil and wants to learn Malayalam so he can branch out in different directions, with an eye on films made across India and beyond.

Published on Feb 05, 2021 06:21 PM IST

How to Master the masala movie recipe: Anupama Chopra

Visual drama, the money shot, a happy suspension of disbelief— it’s time to bring back some of cinema’s giddiest pleasures

Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi in Master. The last hour of this film delivers the kind of larger-than-life moment you rarely get in Hindi movies any more. A reminder that it takes art, effort and commitment to add masala to the mix (Image courtesy: Seven Screen Studios)

tamil cinema

Published on Jan 22, 2021 06:34 PM IST

Let the movies transform and transport you in 2021, says Anupama Chopra

Step outside your comfort zones, travel to new genres. Aim to confound the algorithms by being as unpredictable as possible.

Gary Oldman in and as Mank. “This is a visually sumptuous, penetrating portrait of showbiz,” says Chopra.

Updated on Jan 10, 2021 04:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

It’s been overcast but you can still count some stars, says Anupama Chopra

It’s been a year of losses, but not one devoid of cinematic joy. Here’s a list of things that made me happiest in dismal 2020.

Musician Diljit Dosanjh created, in lockdown, a best-selling music album called G.O.A.T. He also spoke up with courage in support of farmers.(Gokul VS / HT)

Updated on Dec 25, 2020 12:21 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

It’s an upstream battle finding the good content in the flood, says Anupama Chopra

Cinema halls, over 40 streaming platforms, more shows, new worlds — curation will be more crucial than ever in 2021.

“I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel’s Hotstar series, is one of the gems I discovered on streaming networks this year. Gullak, on Sony Liv, is one I would surely have missed if not for a fellow critic’s tipoff,” Chopra says.

Updated on Dec 11, 2020 11:02 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Cut! Films that get preachy defeat their very purpose, says Anupama Chopra

There’s so much the right story can achieve, in a cinema-crazy country like ours. But first, and above all, it must be entertaining.

Konkona Sen Sharma as Dolly in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare. The transgender angle built around her son’s character is one of many tangents in the film that take away from the storytelling.

Updated on Nov 29, 2020 03:02 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

No exit: It will always be bigger, better at the movies, says Anupama Chopra

It will likely take just one big-ticket release to get film fans in India to return to theatres, rooting for their favourite stars.

Theatres have reopened across India over the past month. “While numbers in the US and UK have remained subdued in the pandemic, I think it’s going to look very different here at home once new films hit the screens,” says Anupama Chopra.(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Updated on Nov 13, 2020 08:12 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

While we’re streaming, these actors are going against the flow: Anupama Chopra

In Bollywood they might have had to play to type. But web series let talented actors make unpredictable choices, and the results are sheer magic.

Rasika Dugal with Tanya Maniktala in Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy. Hindi cinema was unable to give Dugal enough roles with meat.(BBC STUDIOS / NETFLIX)

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 05:41 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

It’s Bollywood; religion is just not part of the plot, says Anupama Chopra

When you’re chasing the Holy Grail — the next big hit — you can’t afford to be communal. What works is collaboration.

In Mee Raqsam, released this August, a Muslim teen learns Bharatanatyam, a marker of cinema’s inclusivity.

Updated on Oct 18, 2020 10:41 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Taapsee Pannu is a strident voice in turbulent times, says Anupama Chopra

She is a rare example of an actor who has both a mainstream career and an anti-establishment public persona.

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:08 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Anupama Chopra muses on the wins and losses as the Toronto film festival goes virtual

Even with its digital screenings and shrunken line-up, TIFF felt like a minor miracle; a reminder that storytelling never stops.

With borders still closed, only local cinephiles could attend events such as the drive-in screenings held during the pandemic edition of the Toronto film festival.(tiff_NET/instagram)

Updated on Sep 20, 2020 10:49 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

From Kerala, a mystery in the middle of a pandemic: Anupama Chopra

C U Soon, set entirely on computer and smartphone screens, proves that even in a pandemic, cinema can persist. Is Bollywood paying attention?

C U Soon, starring Fahadh Faasil, was shot in lockdown but never feels flat or gimmicky.

Updated on Sep 04, 2020 11:25 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Will post-pandemic Bollywood put more women in the cockpit, asks Anupama Chopra

As films go direct to streaming platforms, female-led movies could finally get a fair shot at finding their audience. Reduced post-Covid budgets could help.

Janhvi Kapoor and Pankaj Tripathi in a still from Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.

Updated on Aug 23, 2020 11:24 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

While media attention was focused on the insider-outsider debate, Chaitanya Tamhane made history

Chaitanya Tamhane brings his craft and discipline to The Disciple, the story of a conflicted musician in Mumbai. His mentor Alfonso Cuaron calls it stunning.

A still from Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple.

Updated on Aug 09, 2020 09:00 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

From Parineeta to Shakuntala Devi, Vidya Balan is always convincing, always entertaining

Vidya Balan will soon be seen in the role of the math genius Shakuntala Devi. The actor has a superpower too - she is always convincing, always entertaining.

Vidya Balan as Shakuntala Devi. No matter who she’s playing, the actor always manages to humanise the woman, take you into her inner life, struggles and desires.

Updated on Jul 26, 2020 10:21 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAnupama Chopra

Will the nepotism debate post Sushant Singh Rajput’s death lead the way to a more level playing field?

Let’s emerge from the pandemic with a fairer, better, more innovative Bollywood

Updated on Jul 12, 2020 11:10 AM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAnupama Chopra

How the pandemic has temporarily overthrown the tyranny of box office

One silver lining to the theatres being closed during the pandemic is that we’re talking about the movies again, rather than just how many crores were made on the first day.

Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo released on Amazon Prime amid pandemic.

Updated on Jun 28, 2020 04:07 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAnupama Chopra

How will Covid-19 change the way India makes its cinema?

New norms and slimmer budgets are set to transform every aspect of movie-making.

Kangana Ranaut during a shoot for the historical epic film Manikarnika, in Jaipur in 2018.

Updated on Jun 18, 2020 04:20 PM IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByAnupama Chopra

Covid-19 can end the circus of celebrity, open doors for new talent, writes Anupama Chopra

The Covid-19 pandemic has sent Bollywood A-listers into hibernation, but perhaps it can open doors for new talent once things resume, writes Anupama Chopra.

Updated on Jun 05, 2020 08:06 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Hobbled festivals: How film festivals have been impacted by coronavirus

The virus has disrupted the soul of the ecosystem.

The deserted Croisette beach is pictured empty due to measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 12, 2020. The Cannes Film Festival has been postponed indefinitely.(AP)

Published on May 17, 2020 12:30 PM IST

ByAnupama Chopra, New Delhi

Her life and her portfolio mark Kareena Kapoor out as a risk-taker

Anupama Chopra on Kareena Kapoor’s act of disruption

This year, Kareena Kapoor Khan turns 40. But she continues to be a diva and an in-demand showstopper at various fashion shows.(HT Photo)

lifestyle

Updated on Mar 07, 2020 09:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Is modesty the secret to Telugu cinema’s bountiful success?: Anupama Chopra

Politeness, modesty, humility and reticence are recurring qualities among the this film fraternity from the south

Updated on Feb 23, 2020 07:57 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

In the new Bollywood love stories, the couples have no daunting opposition

Earlier obstacles: the angry dad, caste, class. Now: career, commitment phobia.

Sara Ali Khan and Kartik Aaryan in the 2020 version of Imtiaz Ali’s

opinion

Updated on Feb 07, 2020 05:00 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

I wish more people would let go creatively, as Saif is doing: Anupama Chopra

‘Amitabh Bachchan experienced a similar creative spring in the early years of the new millennium. But the women, even those not in the leading-lady rat race, aren’t cutting loose quite as much.’

A still from Kaalakaandi (2017). Like his character in the film, Saif Ali Khan is doing what he wants, regardless of the rules.

Published on Jan 24, 2020 05:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

A star is born: Anupama Chopra looks back at how Hrithik Roshan’s debut set the bar high for future newcomers

20 years ago, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai wasn’t just a blockbuster. It generated a hysteria comparable to Beatlemania

With Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, director Rakesh Roshan got the perfect material to showcase his talented son, Hrithik

Published on Jan 10, 2020 04:39 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Anupama Chopra’s Bollywood dreams for 2020

Empowered writers, original music, an exchange of ideas across languages... a wishlist for the year ahead.

Shah Rukh Khan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in 2018. ‘I hope Shah Rukh finds a script and a storyteller who can both reinvent the Shah Rukh Khan myth and honour it.’

Updated on Dec 28, 2019 07:26 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

Showbiz is ageist but there is no slowing down Isabelle Huppert

Huppert is the French Meryl Streep

Actress Isabelle Huppert at the screening of Elle in London. She was nominated for an Oscar for the film.(Getty image)

Published on Dec 13, 2019 05:47 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByAnupama Chopra

The cult of Karan Johar

He doesn’t get enough credit for pushing the envelope in his films

Karan Johar at a party in Mumbai.(Yogen Shah)