This wonderfully written story is not just about cricket, but also about caste and ego. And this is not just about the two men at the centre, but also the people around them. A few bits of over-emphasis apart, the film is a real charmer. The rest of this review may contain spoilers… In the […]

The film – starring Asif Ali, Vijayaraghavan, and Aparna Balamurali – works as both text and subtext. On the surface, we have the question of a missing gun. And beneath the surface, we get the sense that not all of life’s mysteries can be solved. There are two types of screenplay writing. Let’s take the […]

With the CIE exams looming here are some notes on foreign direct investment (FDI) which could be part of an essay question on development economics. As with most essays in CIE paper 4 you will need to evaluate an economic… Continue reading →

The film does more than just document a “genre” story of a serial killer being pursued by a determined cop. The rich-poor divide is what gives this story its sick soul. Wikipedia says that Sector 36 – written by Bodhayan Roychaudhury and directed by Aditya Nimbalkar – is “loosely based on [the] 2006 Noida serial […]

As the lockdown from Covid ended there was the predicted increase in prices. Although supply-side shocks tend to be temporary, the demand side is more permanent. Expansionary fiscal (increases in Government spending) and monetary (low interest rates) policy were responses… Continue reading →

Sujith Nambiar is the writer, and the overall plot sounds wonderful as a one-line or even a page. But the film has not been fleshed out. Tovino Thomas plays three roles across three different time periods in Ajayante Randam Moshanam, or A.R.M. The first character (described as someone godly) sets the plot in motion by […]

Some textbooks for the CAIE A2 Economics course don’t cover indifference curve analysis in detail and tend to just focus more on the income and substitution effect. For essays at A2 level it is important to show an understanding /… Continue reading →

As it is approaching exam time in the southern hemisphere, below are some notes on Development Economics – a popular question in the A2 essay paper – Section C / Paper 4. With nearly 130 countries classified as ‘developing economies’… Continue reading →

Sanjay Narayanan, the director of ‘Maalai Nera Mallipoo’ (reviewed here), spoke to me about how to do the festival rounds. Finally, he figured it out, and when I asked him how it was going, he sent this message. It was so filled with excitement and passion that I asked if I could share it, and […]

One way to view G.O.A.T. is as a celebration of the star. That part works. But those of us who want more are left wanting. The very first scene of G.O.A.T (The Greatest of All Time) has a train speeding across the Kenyan landscape, and Venkat Prabhu instantly lets us know that we are in […]