The Ends of Tragedy Published @ Critical Collective Screenshot, Critical Collective Journal Mapping the tragic form from its classical understanding to the present, the author remarks on how late capitalism has resulted in the idea of tragedy gradually becoming alien in mainstream Hindi cinema. … By Sayandeb Chowdhury | Jul 15, 2022 | Tags: cultural history, Popular Cinema, Tragedy | Read More
The Splendid Indeterminacy of Shoojit Sircar’s mellow dramas Published @ Critical Collective A still from Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham A look at how the director confronts and confounds genre expectations while working within the confines of mainstream Hindi cinema. By Sayandeb Chowdhury | Nov 15, 2021 | Tags: Cinema, Popular Cinema | Read More
Between a popular star and a keeper of everyday conscience: Uttam Kumar Profile – Part 2 Published @ Critical Collective Uttam Kumar re-engineered the cultural economy of popular cinema in Bengal and went on to helm the star-era all by himself, marking it with over 200 films. A significant share of them added little more than numbers to popular cinema’s infamous logic of accumulation. But about fifty films have remained re-collectible in Bengali cultural memory, repeatedly seen, cited and recommended. This is an impressive number by any measure, which is further emboldened by the commercial heft of his films which… By Sayandeb Chowdhury | Oct 2, 2020 | Tags: Popular Cinema, Stardom, Uttam Kumar | Read More