Aranyak (A Trip into the Jungle), 1994. Director: Apurba Kishore Bir, Hindi
Release Date: 04/05/2025
Damul, 1985. Director: Prakash Jha, Hindi
The Desi Gaze
Ankita and Azhar take you to Bihar this time–the richest Indian region before colonialism–plundered by many invading forces, including the British Raj and East India Company. is a film about bonded labor and casteism. It is based on the story "Kaalsootra" by Shaiwal, a native writer of Gaya, Bihar. Ankita and Azhar dive deeper into the political economy of caste and gender while critically analysing the possibilities of resistance in a land notorious for violence. A native of Bihar herself, Ankita weaves experience and insight to discuss one of the most realistic portrayals of...
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Special Episode: The Socialist Shelf Podcast
The Desi Gaze
Our co-host Ankita was invited on the podcast, along with her husband, Jason, the co-host of the , a podcast about movies made during the first few decades of the Cold War (1947–1991). So, we thought we'd add the episode to our feed as a special episode for July. In this episode, Jason and Ankita dicuss a radical cinema educational project they run in Atlanta, US, called , as well as the role that radical cinema plays in social movemets historically. We hope you enjoy this episode. Don't forget to subscribe to The Socialist Shelf and Cold War Cinema. And leave us a review! Music...
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SPECIAL SERIES: Diasporic Gazes: with Kandarp, Parth, Sai, and Vignesh.
The Desi Gaze
They say, save the best for last! We end our special series with an episode on myriad meanings and observations on Bollywood with Ankita's former students: Kandarp Vadia, Parth Parikh, Sai Lalith Kanumuri, and Vignesh Burugupalli. Our guests begin the discussion with the importance of Hindi films for the desi diaspora along with presenting crucial insights into the problems of (mis) representation, the use of CGI, issues of adapting/borrowing/stealing stories etc. Though difference in opinions arise here and there, all the participants do agree on the postcolonial power of Hindi film and the...
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SPECIAL SERIES: Diasporic Gazes: Reviewing Global Bollywood Class
The Desi Gaze
May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema. In this short episode, Cierra Ferguson and Laksh Makhija reflect on their experience taking Global Bollywood with Dr. Ankita Rathour at Georgia Tech. Together, they discuss how the class shaped their understanding of Bollywood as both an art...
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SPECIAL SERIES: Diasporic Gazes: "Bollywood's Boyfriend Problems"
The Desi Gaze
May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema. In this episode, Lasya Malladi and Adi Krish unpack masculinity in Hindi and other Indian language films. They rate them over a "rizzometer." It turns out that SRK is a clear winner in portraying positive masculinity. But for more insight,...
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Aranyak (A Trip into the Jungle), 1994. Director: Apurba Kishore Bir, Hindi
The Desi Gaze
Bougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya cinematographer and screenwriter . This film is a testament to Hindi cinema's versatility and uniqueness. It asks you to question the thin line between control and cannibalism, appreciation and objectification, and so much more. It is one of the earliest Hindi films to examine the subject of cannibalism and the objectification of the of Odisha, India. Hailing from Odisha, there can be...
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Bhavni Bhavai (The Tale of the Life), 1980. Director: Ketan Mehta, Gujarati
The Desi Gaze
Ankita and Azhar continue their love for Ketan Mehta and Smita Patil by discussing Mehta's Gujarati language debut film Bhavni Bhavai (1980). The film depicts the caste atrocities of India through the lives of Dalits. It uses the popular theater form of Bhavai to bring forth a scathing critique of casteism. Bhavni Bhavai was Ketan Mehta's debut film and received critical acclaim. Mehta won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration. As always please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review! Note:...
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Mirch Masala (1987; Ketan Mehta)
The Desi Gaze
In this episode, Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin share their love for the trailblazing 1987 Hindi film directed by the Gujarati filmmaker . The film is about Sonabai/Sonbai, a spirited woman who works at a local pepper factory with other women. A subedar working for the British Raj wants her and is not shy to use force. Sonabai runs and hides in her factory while the ageing Muslim security guard, Abu Miyan vows to protect her at any cost when the other men of her village won't. One of the finest anticolonial feminist films from the 80s starring the iconic Smita Patil as the protagonist....
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Dharti Ke Laal (The Children of the Earth), 1946. Director: K.A. Abbas
The Desi Gaze
Join hosts Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin as they discuss iconic film (English: Children of the Earth, 1946). The film is a fictionalized depiction of the aftermath of British orchestrated Bengal famine of 1943 in which millions of Bengalis were starved to death to feed Winston Churchill's imperial interests. One of the early films of Indian social-realist film movement, Dharti Ke Laal was immensely popular in the Soviet Union, opening doors for the widespread distribution of Indian films. The famous Marxist Indian actor Balraj Sahni stars as one of the main characters. As always please...
info_outlineBougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya cinematographer and screenwriter Apurba Kishore Bir. This film is a testament to Hindi cinema's versatility and uniqueness. It asks you to question the thin line between control and cannibalism, appreciation and objectification, and so much more. It is one of the earliest Hindi films to examine the subject of cannibalism and the objectification of the Indigenous people of Odisha, India. Hailing from Odisha, there can be no better storyteller than Bir himself, who carefully braids patriarchy, native elitism, and the rise of postcolonial capitalist machinery through the theme of cannibalistic consumption.
As always, please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review!