As a companion to our piece on the history and evolution of mujras in Bollywood, our new mixtape “Midnight Mehfil” includes our favorite and most iconic mujra tracks. https://medium.com/media/ba829b21c9598f99bd52dc53429a5e06/hrefhttps://medium.com/media/ba829b21c9598f99bd52dc53429a5e06/href
Following my piece on the inter-connectedness of Arabic-sung and Bollywood music, we have put together a playlist of all the songs mentioned plus a few more. Listen to it on Spotify. https://medium.com/media/7e66291c5c124ac70aae7038fc35c3be/hrefhttps://medium.com/media/7e66291c5c124ac70aae7038fc35c3be/href
The similarities of South Asian and SWANA (South West Asian and North African*) culture manifest themselves in a number of ways, including art, architecture, language and cultural rituals. There are a number of reasons for this, including geographical proximity, political relationship, migration and religion. The one fascinating cultural phenomenon is the tendency of contemporary Hindi … Read More
“If there is paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.” — Amir Khusrau Hindi filmmakers can always milk a successful formula for just a modicum more. Even if they make us believe it’s eternal, love onscreen doesn’t have to look original. Last week saw the release of “Gerua,” a sweeping ballad from the … Read More
Last month, Parul Sehgal penned a provocation for readers of The New York Times Magazine that asked whether cultural appropriation could ever be a productive space. Could it ever encourage alterative forms of exchange and dialogue? Sehgal treads carefully here, however, aware that the line between borrowing and stealing is stained by a power asymmetry. … Read More
1947: Earth, the second movie in Deepa Mehta’s trilogy, is a coming-of-age tale set in the middle of the India-Pakistan partition set in what was about to become Pakistan. It is based on the book Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa. “Independence” is a word packed with the feeling of liberation and newness — but is perhaps a … Read More
Director Muzaffar Ali places his latest film Jaanisaar, the romantic saga of a tawaaif (courtesan) and a nawab (aristocrat), in 1877 Lucknow, the seat of high Islamicate urban culture and artistic refinery under the British Raj. The film is in theatres August 21. Done in a semi-classical style, the album is comprised of a mixture … Read More
When my parents were growing up, “dating” was unheard of. Sure, we’ve all heard what the dating ritual involved for generations before us. Instead of a red Pontiac Trans Am, dreamy driver, and bottle of Thums Up with two straws, the girl’s parents would indicate interest in the eligible bachelor around the corner by letting … Read More
