'The Way We Were' connects the dots between the past and the present to reveal that cinema, popular culture, all forms of artistic expression, politics, and music are purveyors of ideas and impulses that reveal to us what we most need to learn about ourselves. The podcast revisits films, songs, watershed moments in art, culture, society and politics to show how a thread of continuity runs through them all and connects them inextricably to each other. Rich with nostalgia, trivia, lived anecdo ...
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11: Ep 011 - The Writers Who Gave Hindi Cinema its Soul
15:36
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The three-part documentary, 'Angry Young Men- The Salim Javed Story' (Amazon Prime Video) affords us an intimate glimpse into the homes and family dynamics, of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, positioning them as the only definitive voices of Hindi cinema. But let's not forget the other writers who came before them. Writers like Rajinder Singh Bedi, Ab…
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10: Ep 010 - Women deserve better. In life and in fiction.
13:28
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The message is clear - women are disposable; even in fiction. Most crime shows open with the dead body of a woman. Extending that list are hugely popular shows on serial killers who target women. There are multiple documentaries and shows, for example, on Ted Bundy. Everyone remembers him. Nobody remembers his victims. Rarely though, some films and…
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9: Ep 009 - Where We Are Today : Lessons from 'Judgement at Nuremberg'
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8:42
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Relentless wars, famine, extreme weather events, falling bridges and surprising election results in major democracies. Are we seeing the emergence of a new world order? Is there any difference in the way we were and the way we are? Do we truly learn from the past? The 1961 Academy Award-winning film, 'Judgment at Nuremberg' is not just about the af…
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8: Ep 008 - From Benegal to Payal Kapadia: India's Big Cannes Moment
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This year history was made when filmmaker Payal Kapadia became the first person from India to clinch the prestigious Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. In 1946, Neecha Nagar by Chetan Anand, had also shared top honours at the first Cannes Film Festival and pioneered social realism in Indian cinema. From what we know, Payal's film also fur…
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7: Ep 007 - How Kiran Rao rewrote women in Hindi cinema
11:17
11:17
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Laapataa Ladies' title is perhaps indicative of the absence of women in male-centric mainstream entertainment. Of women who are not just decorative, pliant, seductive or suffering endlessly to justify their prominence in a narrative. If you want to see how differently men and women portray female characters , watch Imtiaz Ali's 'She' and Maria Schr…
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6: Ep 006 - The Child Stars Who Forgot to Twinkle
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Deepa Bhatia's insightful Amazon Prime series 'First Act' is not an easy watch, especially if you are a parent. But it lays bare before you just how twisted the pursuit of fame can be and how cruel it is to children who are denied the simple luxury of childhood and the joy of playing with blocks without being interrupted.…
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5: Ep 005 - How SRK Conquered More Than the Box Office in 2023
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2023 was the year of SRK. He started it with 'Pathaan', and followed it up in September with 'Jawaan', both members of the 1000 crore club. With his third film 'Dunki', set for release on December 21st, he may just put a massive bow on what promises to be his most successful year in show business. At the age of 58, he has reinvented himself as an a…
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Is Bollywood dead? Those asking this question should also ask if India as we knew it, is alive? As a film-loving audience, are we willing to sit in the same space, together, and laugh at and cry for the same things? Are our villains and heroes the same? Is our idea of good and evil composite or fragmented? Cinema is primarily about reflecting who w…
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As Sajid Khan's participation in Bigg Boss kicks up some dust , writer Reema Moudgil argues that the rehabilitation of men who were called out during the short-lived #MeToo movement began a long time ago. Because really, when has male privilege not been protected in the industry? We can't really pretend to be shocked that what Sajid Khan allegedly …
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As Amitabh Bachchan turns 80, writer Reema Moudgil looks back at the reasons that made him more than just an actor. He was our rage and conflict and angst and sublimation, our pride and joy. On the shoulders of characters primarily created by Salim-Javed and Kadar Khan, Amitabh Bachchan stood tall to become the “lambu,” the country came to look up …
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1: Ep 001 - “Blonde, and what it tells us about women”
17:23
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Writer and journalist Reema Moudgil watched Blonde recently. As she saw Norma Jean Baker turn into Marilyn Monroe, she couldn’t help but notice that Hollywood has always preyed on (and profited from) women’s vulnerabilities. But then again, art imitates life. Listen as Reema takes you through her thoughts on show business, power, violence and the p…
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