Bharathi R

  Had the chance to catch LIK in theatres over the weekend. And I have thoughts. Spoilers ahead. The film showed real promise in Suriyan’s courtroom scene. It should’ve been built on the privacy vs trust, privacy vs safety argument. It had all the elements. A hero who represents the boy next door. A comical, larger than life villain who just makes sense. And can easily steal the show. A heroine, though easily replaceable with a lamp, who is your typical representation of the online generation. Yet, it goes on to preach another interpretation of what true love is.  The 3% match being the central turning point felt very ill thought of. I get it. It’s the same guy who made Naanum Rowdy Thaan, but he’s now over 40. But anybody using any app, would realise that app data builds up over time and usage. So, the fact that Vaas only had 3% match with Dheema had nothing to do with love. He’s been on the app for a week, solely to talk to her. There are no usage patterns, and his usage...

Benne dosa comes to me probably to say hi and see how easy is it for me to change my allegiance. It has been well over a month since I moved to Bengaluru, a city that has always been a part of my upbringing. Strangely, despite not starting over from scratch, this city has offered two lenses for me to play with. A brand new lens for the road ahead, a tinted lens reflecting all my previous selves that have stayed in Bengaluru over the years. From coming here for quick getaways to planning how quickly I can navigate through the city’s traffic, perhaps Bengaluru did witness my life as much as every other city I’ve known, if not more.   Surely it cannot match Chennai. At least, not yet. The city and I aren’t the best of friends yet, but we tend to be kind to each other. Chennai formed the foundation of who I am. Varanasi taught me to trust. I’ve been to Delhi twice and we have been as formal as strangers could be. Bombay taught me to be unapologetically myself and embrace my quirks. Ben...

It is human to crave order Inhuman to resist the antithesis. One steadies the room The other wakes your doom It is all around us, omnipresent. Dare I say, nay, I declare. In nature, in physics In perfect relationships In the blank space of art Or the black text in a white part Youth teaches you to embrace it Experience forces enjoyment Conservatives, resistance. Yet Immortal, its existence.

    2025 was a year of trials, tribulations and triumphs. A mixtape of emotions. A year where either conditional probability did not apply to my life or there were more variables in play. It was a year of shedding: both light and deadweight. The year quietly announced itself towards the end of 2024, when I had a wonderful exploration of the Ripon Building and its surroundings. It quietly set the tone for the new year – wandering, observing and letting curiosity take the lead. The first two months were mildly eventful. I was selected to be the head of Registration Committee for Vibrance. I enjoyed the hustle – the checklist, the controlled chaos and the celebrations. I was simultaneously handling my submission for the semi-finals of the Google Girls’ Hackathon, and I’m grateful to my committee and my parents for being supportive. I had an instrumental phase, and I remember blasting the Imperial March in the middle of the night while working. It turned out to be much better ...

TL;DR - A Rare mainstream surprise with its heart in the right place. To begin with, I didn't expect any movie to make it to my blog this year, especially Dude. I was skeptical even while booking the tickets, and the pessimism only grew when a couple of close friends said they didn’t like it. For context: I didn’t enjoy Love Today , and Dragon was just okay. But if skepticism can ever lead to a pleasant surprise, Dude definitely proves it. I usually look for one out of two things from a film - a compelling narrative or solid entertainment. I don’t comment much on Tamil films because Tamil cinema, at least from what I have sampled, often misses both and at its worst, treats the female lead as an interchangeable prop, contributing no real agency to the story. It has been a long while since a mainstream entertainer offered a female character with intention, dimension, and presence. Dude does, and that alone deserves acknowledgement. PR struck like a typical Gen-Z actor in his first...

Before we begin, I am in no way qualified to review this book. However, I might not be able to move on with life if I don't give this the closure it deserves. I thought my first encounter with Murakami would be through Norwegian Wood. Like everybody else. It could've been through Kafka on the shore too, I saw that book on my dad's desk for almost three months. But no. Maybe this book landed at the right time. Or there is no right time. Sometimes you find the book, and in most cases, it is the book that finds you. With the wind-up bird chronicle, it definitely has to be the second one for me.  The Wind-up bird chronicle - Haruki Murakami I love it when narratives are non-linear. Life, as I've lived it in the last 20 years, or for most of the part that I can remember has not been linear. I've seen people around me leading a linear life.  School->College->job/grad school/get married -> become an adult -> have kids -> realise at 40 you are your parent a...