Eye Culture

Leaking truth to power: Iranian filmmakers navigate and defy restrictions

Censorship remains a favourite tool of totalitarian leaders, and circumvention is the reflex it keeps on producing in filmmakers

Ask for the Moon: Artemis II may revive humanity's path beyond Earth orbit

For all its benign demeanour, which has inspired many a song, the Moon isn't exactly welcoming. Approaching it demands precision. Landing on it even more so

Beyond the boundary: How Associate nations are reshaping T20 cricket

In a three-hour format, opportunity can be engineered. For Associate cricket, that opportunity is no longer symbolic. It is there in scorecards, in contracts signed, and in sustained belief

The alpha illusion: Is Bollywood's hypermasculinity biology or spectacle?

Even physiology resists the fantasy: Alpha males carry stress levels comparable to those at the bottom of the hierarchy. Power is labour

Billboards make a comeback as a shared cultural and experiential moment

As streaming platforms multiplied, billboards slid into oblivion. Now they are making a comeback, serving once again as a shared cultural and experiential moment

Ironies of history: Vandemataram debate may throw up uncomfortable truths

What has come with the territory are the celebrations of 150 years of the composition of Vandemataram, which Parliament is expected to "debate" next week

A new documentary about aliens hangs between revelation and speculation

Even after Dan Farah's documentary, we remain where we have always been - cataloguing mysteries and arguing over possibilities about extraterrestrial life

Screens are the new mirror: How AI is steadily rewriting our self-image

Google's "Nano Banana" trend feels playful, but its soft edits and nostalgic glow reveal how deeply screens now shape our self-image and the way we measure our own faces

Ritwik Ghatak, rebel auteur who drew upon his life and times for his art

November 4 marked the centenary of Ghatak, Indian cinema's rebel auteur. Along with Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, he is often hailed as one of Bengali cinema's three maestros

Night stolen by light: How our love of brightness became overexposure

As cities battle filthy rivers and toxic air, with cloud seeding now the latest half-measure, few mention another pollutant - the constant glow that is erasing the stars

Homebound: The film pushes many buttons, and that keeps it from greatness

We don't remember Henry Fonda from the cinematic The Grapes of Wrath, nor Om Puri from Bhisham Sahni's Tamas (both excellent performances) but are awed by the films themselves

Lights, camera, Diwali: How global TV shows spotlight the festival

Numerous Indian films and television series have featured Diwali over the years, many of which have also gained popularity outside India

Master of artistic coups: Panahi's Palme d'Or divides Cannes, Iran

Oppressive rules are a universally occurring absurdity, as Panahi's travel experiences establish

Plan B for the planet depends on oversight, not technology alone

For now, SRM remains what it's always been - an audacious, deeply uncertain proposition

Reborn, but ethically torn: The real debate behind de-extinction

The debate over de-extinction isn't really about wolves or mammoths or cheetahs. Or even science. It's about us, about who we are, and who we wish to become

Battling the cricket bat's bulge and the decline of the touch game

This Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the administrators have decided to check bat sizes on match days using a standard gauge

A fighting comeback: How Indian martial arts are reclaiming their spotlight

Indian martial arts are not mere relics of a bygone era; they are a vibrant component of the nation's cultural identity

The children's Constitution: A fresh take for young and old alike

A bunch of illustrated books are introducing children to the Constitution and its cherished values in a uniquely engaging way- and adults might discover something new too

India-Pakistan: Cricket's greatest rivalry and its defining moments

At least until the Indian cricket team's fractious tour of Pakistan in 1978, after a gap of 17 years, it was field hockey - not cricket- that stirred the emotions of people

The curry conquest: A global journey of cultural significance, creativity

Whether used as a racist slur or celebrated as a global staple, curry's journey exemplifies its cultural significance -shared history and culinary creativity