The Quirk Master

He’s the first and only menswear designer from India to win the International Woolmark Prize, but Suket Dhir is far from compartmentalising his work into the gender spectrum, or shying away from the fact that he loves being called a ‘fashion designer’ more than anything else

St+Arting A Movement

St+Art India aims to inject a bit of art into the streets of India by treating cities as their canvases

THE DISRUPTOR

Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai is Anurag Kashyap’s 19th feature film as a director. That number alone, or the fact that he did it in less than 20 years, should ensure him a place in the pantheon of great Hindi film-makers who were also very prolific, an exclusive list that includes the likes of Bimal Roy, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, and Shyam Benegal. But the numbers do not tell the full story of what Kashyap has managed to achieve

Q & A WITH NEERAJ KABI

Neeraj Kabi’s aim on a set is simple — less socialising, more characterising. Kabi talks about the various spectrums of a role, his Paatal Lok prep, and what defines the parts he chooses to play

Is the Indian Internet finally democratic?

Cheap data packs and TikTok might just have finally made the Internet truly democratic in India — and to enjoy the benefits, we have to live with the warts

The A-List

Your monthly ‘how to spend it’ guide for all the cool new gadgets

The Scientific Binge

Right from the depths of the ocean to outer space, here’s a list of science documentaries, for when you want to turn your binge time into something more educative than just another round of reruns

ANURAG KASHYAP STORYTELLER, SHOWRUNNER, GAME CHANGER

We watched Anurag Kashyap evolve into a different human being in the last four years. A shift from shock-and-awe to exploring human tenderness, finally finding creative freedom in web streaming, and settling into a comfortable I'll-make-whatever-I-want-to-make zone, Kashyap seems like a happier, freer, and a more satisfied man today. With his latest release, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai on Netf lix, Kashyap comes back with a human interest story, filled with frustrations and aspirations, sans reactionary guns and gundas

The Sisterhood Of The Messmans

Meet Kainaz Messman Harchandrai and Tina Messman Wykes, the founders of Theobroma, and the people behind making the brownie a reality in the Indian dessert scene

What Is Vir Das' Viagra?

A lot goes into creating Vir Das, or the anatomy of a Vir Das joke. Yes, there’s a process to it. No, it does not involve caring about what offends you

TOUGH WATCHES FOR TOUGH TIMES

Tough times never last, tough watches do. The current global situation doesn’t really warrant going out to shop for a watch, but we can always dream about what we’re going to splurge on once things go back to normal. Here’s a quick peek at some of the new watches that were launched while we were in lockdown, and some a few weeks earlier

THE RELENTLESS - TAAPSEE PANNU

With a filmography that has only set the wonder woman standards of narratives and stories, actor Taapsee Pannu goes into details of her journey, one that’s made of a ladder with every step taking her a notch higher, and about quarantine with a routine

THE MATURING OF TAAPSEE PANNU

The actress is now a bankable powerhouse, delivering nuanced performances that resonate with the modern Indian woman

THE ALCHEMY OF ALT BALAJI

How a homegrown OTT platform from one of the biggest production houses of the country has managed to become an important player in the web space, rubbing shoulders with global giants

THE LAMENT - The Pain Beyond The Loss

Cancer feels even more challenging when even the most privileged like Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan don’t recover

The A-List: Where Work Meets Play

Tablet sales might have stagnated almost ever since our smartphone displays have expanded. But lead players like Apple and Samsung have added serious productivity tools to their tabs, making them a viable work + play device

Summer Slippers

Here’s a list of stylish slippers, flips and slides to check out, once we are allowed to shop again, even if it is online

Millennials Run - The World

Meet Aishwarya Bhende, the young entrepreneur behind the concept of the three-floor luxury dining yacht, AB Celestial

Dreading The Dating Clamour

Being on a dating app can sometimes feel more mechanical than magical. Fellow dating app users describe their experience with the exhaustion of incessant scrolling, and mental health experts give a lowdown on how to navigate dating fatigue

Life After Covid-19

Questions. Questions. Questions. What's going to happen? How are we going to survive this? When will everything go back to normal? Questions that nobody has answers to right now. The fashion industry is grappling with the same bunch of questions. As we try to keep the spirit of moving forward alive at a time when everything is at a standstill, six of India's top designers tell us what they think life will be like after the pandemic – will Indian fashion production and consumption change forever?

Why pole dancing is my latest obsession

This is a first-hand account of why pole dancing is a fantastic workout for men — and how men react when I say that to them

Leaves That Heal

The city of Bengaluru welcomed the country’s first medical cannabis store, possibly opening the door for many more such centres

The many myths of female bisexuality

While bisexual men battle biphobia, women deal with being sexually fetishised, constant talk about ‘threesomes’ and the usual ‘it’s just a phase’

TISSOT INDIA SHOWCASES 2020 COLLECTION

The brand launched its new collection at a three-day summit and show in Chandigarh in February this year

THE SUBTLE BRILLIANCE OF IRRFAN KHAN

Textbook definitions of acting cannot describe his talent. When we see him on screen, we don’t realise where acting begins and living-the-character ends

The A-List

Your monthly ‘how to spend it’ guide for all the cool new gadgets

THE CHECKLIST

New products to check out this month

WHY I CHOSE KERALA

The author, a cancer survivor, moved to the coastal state in 2016 for its clean air. But as Covid-19 rages across the country, he explains why he feels safest in Kerala

RISING ABOVE ALL ODDS

Singer Harrdy Sandhu ’s break into music was a rather unpredictable one, but with his songs and now his Bollywood debut in ‘83, he shows how, with perseverence, nothing is impossibe to achieve

SUMMER READING LIST 2020

As we look at a summer that’s more home bound, 12 authors recommend books that you could curl up in bed with, and blissfully enjoy the holidays