Irrfan Khan, born in 1967, was by no means a kid in the late ‘80s, when he was cast as a street child – one of the main actors – in Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay. Though doubtlessly capable as an actor, Irrfan was too tall for the role. Read more

Edgar Rice Burrough’s iconic character enters its 100th year. I go around looking for one Hemant Birje! Read more

For about a couple of years, the Jatavs, an extremely open, gregarious family lived opposite our three-bedroom flat in Delhi. On the first floor, there were just we, and they. Read more

I just stubbed a cigarette before I wrote this line. Before I write more, I will have smoked a few. It’s an acquired taste I share with an estimated billion people of the world, a 7000-year-old habit of the human race, and a decade-old personal quirk, for me. Read more

Digging into anti-social networks to figure why I dig them so much in the first place Read more

How the fart of a few keeps millions away from some great films forever. Read more

Disco Dancer (1983)

Dance Dance (1987)

Director: B Subhash

Actor: Mithun Chakroborty

Dancing, for the Indian man, is not a dating device. Most girls will cringe at their prospect’s aggressively tribal moves – shoulders violently thrown in the air to every beat that equals Bhangra — or sympathise with his feminine shakes around the waist (jhatkas, as they call it). Read more