review

Movies / Snow White and the many missed opportunities

If you’re a big Disney fan or simply curious, you might still want to give it a watch. It is, however, advisable to go in with low expectations.

Daredevil: Born Again shows the MCU can deal with real-world issues

Despite a few weaknesses, like the pacing issues and inconsistent episode quality, Daredevil: Born Again is a fantastic show with compelling characters, a narrative that strays away from the standard superhero fare in favour of realistic world building.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a timeless masterpiece about the passage of time

The passage of time can be cruel, but there is so much beauty in the little moments shared with each other as you live. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End encapsulates and explores this very idea – and it does so masterfully.

Video Games / Silent Hill 2 remake: A love letter to an already perfect game

Silent Hill 2 is a fruitful amalgamation of powerful, atmospheric storytelling and entertaining puzzles and riddles.

Uzumaki: A faithful but flawed adaptation of Junji Ito’s classic manga

After years of anticipation, the long-awaited anime adaptation of Junji Ito's Uzumaki has finally arrived. While it largely adheres to the unsettling source material, it unfortunately carries some notable flaws.

Pachinko Season 2: Mostly lacklustre, sometimes effective

The story resonated with audiences, from this part of Asia in particular, because the resilience and struggle of first-generation settlers portrayed in the series are things most of us can relate to as they are reflected in most of our parents or grandparents.

ESSAY / Manufacturing praise

Sometime ago, a writer reached out to me with a request. His debut novel was being published later in the year and he was wondering if I would be open to reviewing it. I was aware of the book, having read it when it was still only a draft. The author was not someone I only knew, either, but a mentor who had supported my writing in many ways, even through monetary means. Refusing him, then, felt tantamount to betrayal. But I had to in the end, and though he understood, I still came out of the exchange feeling guilty of being unhelpful or, worse, ungrateful.

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department is still a confusing mess

Revisiting this album months after its release, I take away even less than when I initially listened to it front to back.

November 9, 2023
November 9, 2023

‘Shohoj Kothai Orthoniti’ A localised flavour of economics

Flipping the pages of a textbook often makes me feel like I’m trapped in the US. We studied economics from an American lens, using American textbooks,

November 9, 2023
November 9, 2023

ON THE WINGS OF POETRY: Flight of the Angsana Oriole

Last week it flew in, landing on my doorstep, and flapped open its wings released from its bubble wrapped cage. As the delivery man from Amazon Italy drove away, I regarded the poetry book in my hand.

October 19, 2023
October 19, 2023

Memoirs of our unsung heroes

Massacre, murder, torture, violence, bayonet, bloodshed, grenade, displacement, death—these words bring to mind a war scenario.

October 19, 2023
October 19, 2023

The Runaway Boy: A promise not delivered

The Runway Boy (Eka, 2020), written by Manoranjan Byapari and translated from Bangla by V Ramaswamy, delivers an accurate portrayal of postcolonial Bengal,

October 16, 2023
October 16, 2023

Reinventing the pujo feast

Everyone talks about food during pujo. More often than not, khichuri, polao, ilish, chingri and mangsho tends to land leading roles in these discussions with luchi, and cholar dal playing solid supporting roles. And of course, beyond all this there are sweets. Artful, creative, delicate, yet honest to god mishti. Sandesh, kamolabhog, chandrapuli, narkel naru… the list can go on.

October 12, 2023
October 12, 2023

Making a killing out of a killing

A visit to any bookshop today will attest to the reading public’s fascination with crime (and criminals).

October 12, 2023
October 12, 2023

Blood, rage and love on the verge of 1971

Reading Rahad Abir’s Bengal Hound, despite the novel being written in English, felt a lot like reading in Bangla. While no two languages can ever truly be compared, there is much to be said about seeing Bangla and Bangladesh through an English language lens.

September 14, 2023
September 14, 2023

A paean to storytelling

Following the trails of Imaginary Homelands (Penguin Books, 1992) and Step Across The Line (Modern Library, 2003), comprising essays written and lectures given by Salman Rushdie between 2003-2020, Languages of Truth is Rushdie’s third collection of nonfiction works and is as a delectable read as its predecessors if not more.

September 2, 2023
September 2, 2023

The new speculative literary magazine on the block

Veering off from stories for a bit, Fahim Anzoom Rumman’s “The Secret” was a breath of fresh air. The piece seemed to be a cross between a poem and the kind of fable your grandparents would tell you as a kid to get you to fall asleep.

July 6, 2023
July 6, 2023

Shamim Reza creates new frontiers with his new poetry collection

Over the last 30 years, he has received multiple national and international literary awards for his work. He is, currently, the vice-president of PEN International, Bangladesh chapter.