movies obsessed, writer and journalist at heart

A journalist on a break and to be back soon. Dreams to be back and work in Mumbai. Love life. Check my script of [email protected]

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A story about unwavering inclusive faith and devotion, depicting Lord Jagannath with human emotions

Book Review: agannath- Stories of Faith and Devotion Stories of spirituality, faith, and devotion make for great storytelling, for they will always have an audience when written in a very humane voice laden with simplicity. Jagannath- Stories of Faith and Devotion tells the countless stories of faith by not making them preachy and rather put in an endearing tone and lending a uniquely effortless…

A story about unwavering inclusive faith and devotion, depicting Lord Jagannath with human emotions

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Time for stand up to step up, call off 'male sense of entitlement

It all started when an audience member during the Pranit More stand-up show confessed that a date for him is a transaction where biryani worth Rs 370 is whittled down to something more- read sex. The sad part is the stand-up comedian didn’t stop and ground him, the first thing he should have done. The backlash was expected in today’s times of social media. What happened happened! What I can’t…

Time for stand up to step up, call off 'male sense of entitlement

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Who Can or Can’t Do It at Cannes? Troll Machines come alive…so what if they are mere trolls or celebrity columnists

There is something deeply disturbing about the so-called gatekeepers of righteousness, fashion or style police in the form of celebrities and journalists who would stop at nothing to make fun of a culture or everything Indian. India has a rich culture, as we flit from East to the West, North or South, and living in a global world, showcasing the various states or cities’ culture is no shame,…

Who Can or Can’t Do It at Cannes? Troll Machines come alive…so what if they are mere trolls or celebrity columnists

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The Times & Life of Social Media Trolls

If you think a badly made serial on OTT is a cringe fest, better think again?! In a world of Insta-fluencers, making reels and boasting of Veg omelette, chocolate masala dosa, and God knows what…sugary shampoo. Wait! I got a better idea, trolling every hardworking person who is doing some decent work on social media, slut shaming a woman, or mocking actors of the ilk of Rahul Roy, Govinda, and…

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Shall I tell you a tiny ‘book secret’?

The hazy childhood days amidst a juggling of a lonely voice of creating stories in the head, imaginary friends and crumpled cream-colored school uniform, dragged to the local municipal library to be thrust among books. Opening the eyes into the universe of books, thick copies, images, and short books flapped happily, flitting from one book to the other. One sunny afternoon, happily bored as the…

Shall I tell you a tiny ‘book secret’?

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Film Review: Tighee, a movie with a soul

There is something about our changing equations with parents and the grief of seeing them ageing, as we assume vulnerability is not something that will afflict them, wearing their strength on their sleeves or being infallible, for that matter. As humans, we tend not to see our parents growing old, frailties, and also the quiet strength that protects us over the years. As a movie, Tighee explores…

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Writing in times of AI, Chat GPT and Me

The long form of Writing wears a distant look between the glasses, and the new age editing tools repeatedly clash with the once-upon-a-time, good old editing, making it a mammoth challenge for people hailing from the old school of journalism and learning from the rule books. Remember, the school rule of always reading the comprehension question three times or, for that matter, this eternal trick…

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Theatre, and Films: How Dubai-based Sabiha Majgaonkar churning stroke play across borders

There is something effortlessly charming about Sabiha Majgaonkar, an artist who has reinvented herself to make the cut from the corporate world to theatre. Creativity and the arts, she says, were always in her veins since childhood, where winning the first prize in school had set the tone and shaped the artist in her.  Originally from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and hailing from Dubai, Sabiha was…

Theatre, and Films: How Dubai-based Sabiha Majgaonkar churning stroke play across borders

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Love lorn souls

Image credit: Chat GPT A tale of love, stories we tell to each other, unplanned coffee and lunch tales, what could have been in a past life, hello boundary in the present, excitement, longing, silence passing through gaze, eye contact, too shy for expressing, love transpiring, beyond dates, celebrating the soul’s longing, February 14, just a day, deleting from the dictionary of…

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FC Road, a 'besotted' charm that once was

Fergusson College Road, Pune, There is something ubiquitously charming about Pune, once upon a time called Oxford of the East, the old-world charm in the oddly familiar city, sashaying from the Peth area towards Camp and Deccan, hiding stories in the narrow alleys and facade of the past. Memory is an oxymoron. Beauty lies in the essence of the past days, wading right in front of us, the crowd…

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Longing for oxymoron of 'amour'

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com Once upon a time, felt like love, then I loved a little more, sprang the world of intimacy, deafening silence, restlessness, pathos, again more intensity, flaring the tempo till it took a part of me, crying, imagination, this thing called emotion, stitched again with a broken heart, tiny bit of healing, hearts imagined together, this…

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What 10 days of Navratri fasting taught me about mindfulness, clarity and grounding

Navratri festival and fasting are all about celebrating oneself within the ecosystem. As I look back over the past year, the ten days of fasting stand out for their manifold health and spiritual benefits. In short, Navratri fasting brings mindfulness, balance, clarity, and awareness. For practising Hindus, fasting during Navratri is not limited to devotion or worshipping the many feminine forms…

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Bye 2025: Random musing, don't judge!

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English long-act play, Phoenix gives impetus to Pune theatre with gusto

The review of the Long Act Play Phoenix in English, enacted by Marathi artists in Pune, was my first assignment as a freelancer. The published version is quite different, and slightly altered by the publication editors, suiting their guidelines, which you can read here. This original version below is the one I wrote and decided to retain on the blog. Happy reading: Maharashtra, and particularly…

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Minu Puri set to launch global platform SONGKREAT to harness music talent

Gurgaon: A musical platform designed to celebrate talented artists is what the globally recognized musician, pianist, and Singer Minu Puri strives to build, posing as a meaningful brand to groom artists who lack the funding, support, visibility, and networking to get their work recognized. The platform SONGKREAT aims to provide a platform for upcoming artists, presenting itself as a global…

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International Meditation Day: A Gift to Humanity, says Yoga teacher Sayli Mulay  

Today, December 21, the second World Meditation Day is celebrated across the globe and in India.  Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as World Meditation Day in 2024, it recalls the right of everyone to attain the highest standard of physical and mental health. The UN General Assembly informs that the Permanent Mission of India, along with members of the core group of Member…

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Marathi cinema: Star power, culture and story telling to define path breaking future

The year 2025 has turned to be a game changer for Marathi cinema, witnessing a revival in its fortune not only in India and shone bright globally where it scooped several awards with movies like Sthal and Follower gaining global prominence at the Sundance Festival and recognition with movies such as Aatma pamphlet and ‘Shyamchi Aai crowned as the best Marathi feature film at the National Film…

Marathi cinema: Star power, culture and story telling to define path breaking future