Latest news with #Madhu
New Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Unable to afford ambulance, man carries daughter's body on trolley rickshaw for postmortem in Odisha
BALASORE: In a heart-wrenching incident, a man was forced to carry his 17-year-old daughter's body on a trolley rickshaw for around 7 km to a community health centre in Balasore's Baliapal for postmortem after reportedly failing to afford an ambulance. Asha Bindhani, a minor girl suffering from mental illness, reportedly died by suicide on Thursday afternoon in Deula village under Baliapal police limits. After spotting her, locals informed her father Madhu Bindhani and the police. Madhu, a daily wage labourer, rushed to the spot and found his daughter dead. Shortly after, police arrived and advised him to take the body to the Baliapal CHC for postmortem. Madhu contacted an ambulance service, but the driver allegedly demanded Rs 1,200 for transporting the 'dead body'. The desperate father also sought help from the government's 108 emergency ambulance service. However, he was reportedly told that the service does not cover transportation of deceased persons.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Hey Bollywood, What Is It With The 'Bong Babe' Fetish?
In the new Netflix film, Aap Jaisa Koi, love is a lesson. Shrirenu Tripathi (R. Madhavan), a middle-aged professor in Jamshedpur, is arranged to be married to Madhu Bose (Fatima Sana Shaikh), a French tutor in Kolkata. The attraction is immediate. Shrirenu, the 42-year-old virgin, had abandoned the idea of being with anyone, let alone someone like the radiant Madhu; he is naturally thrown off when she likes him back. Everything goes well till a roadblock surfaces. The man turns out to be conservative and the woman is not pleased. In Hindi cinema, difference has been the cornerstone of love. Contrast - behavioural (introvert-extrovert) and social (class and caste) - attracts. It brings people together and emboldens them to fight against others. Love is the bridge where they meet, and the journey to be together supplies the story. The higher the stakes, the greater the love story. The Veers And Salims Of Bollywood Classic love stories share similar friction, if not the arc. They also have something else in common: men, mostly, did the heavy lifting. If in Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Salim mobilised an army to protect Anarkali, the woman he loved, then in the post-liberalised India of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Raj crossed oceans to woo the unrelenting parents of Simran, the woman he loved. Prem in Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) surrendered a life of plenty to prove his love for Suman, and in Veer-Zaara (2004), a cross-border love story stacked against impossible odds, Veer, an Air Force officer from India, arrived in Pakistan to meet Zara. Salim and Anarkali in Mughal-E-Azam (1960) With time, female passivity changed faces without much change in fate. Audacious women were written, but the pluck felt superficial. Geet in Jab We Met (2007) ran away from home, but she still needed Aditya to bring her back; a decade later, Bitti Mishra in Bareilly Ki Barfi smoked with her father, and yet, her fate swung between two men. These are sweeping instances, punctuated, yes, by a few exceptions, but the reading holds water. The Bengali Woman As An Antithesis In comparison, someone like Madhu is portrayed as an antithesis. Her autonomy feels as attentive as complete. She has a well-defined job, her family rallies around her, she is vocal about her sexual needs and, more crucially, none of this changes when she falls in love. She takes efforts to meet Shrirenu as much as he does - a detail that speaks volumes about the shared duties they assume. Later, when he shames her, she calls him out. Rani Chatterjee in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) had the same attributes. She fell in love with Rocky, an indulgent man-child in Delhi with a closed world-view. Passion ran high, yet she refused to budge to tradition. In both cases, modernity is not a personality trait but a subtext of their persona. More similarities follow: they pair chiffon saris with sleeveless blouses. Madhu reads Sartre, and, if probed, Rani's favourite author might well be Simone de Beauvoir. Both are culturally inclined and philosophically profound. In private, they possibly worship Tagore and wept the day the Left government lost power in West Bengal. And, in case you did not notice, they are Bengali. The 'Prototype' The 'strong-willed Bengali woman' prototype has existed in Hindi films. Madhu and Rani stand on the shoulders of other self-reliant women like Piku (Shoojit Sircar's 2015 Piku) and Vidya Basu (Sujoy Ghosh's 2012 Kahaani). Sure, there are the many renditions of the uncompromising Parvati from Devdas, and Vikramaditya Motwane reimagined O. Henry's The Last Leaf as Lootera (2013) with an unyielding Bengali woman at the centre. But even other films have used this prototype. In Vijay Lalwani's Karthik Calling Karthik (2010), a twisted thriller on an introvert, the free-spirited female character is a Bengali;. Aziz Mirza's Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) features a ruthless journalist who, of course, is also a Bengali. Rani's stereotypical Bengali family in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) As real women started staking more claims in public spaces, women in love stories awaited a facelift. Naturally, it made sense for makers (Karan Johar and co) to harness this trope for a wider appeal, to reinvent the Hindi film heroine in romantic films as a Bengali woman in love. Culture comes with the territory, and so does defiance. But Rani and Madhu's representation has been a misrepresentation. If they are to be believed, then a Bengali woman reads Tagore for breakfast, recites Sukumar Ray for lunch, and finishes her day with a Satyajit Ray film. She lives in a giant house, her liberal outlook is without a blindspot, and even though she might have toured across the globe, College Street is her favourite street. The Allure Of The 'Bhodromahila' Granted that accusing Hindi filmmakers of exaggeration is akin to complaining about the monsoon in Mumbai. Some things go hand in hand. But the depictions have prompted a wider discourse, because by reiterating a certain kind, propped up by specific caste and class, these films seem to dictate that only the affluent, outspoken, plucky and Liberal Bengali woman (the Bhodromohila to the Bhadralok) is deserving of love. Or, that her story is worth telling. A couple of days back, an account on Instagram thoughtfully questioned the stereotype and asked: "Is every modern Bengali woman really a Rani Chatterjee or a Madhu Bose?" The answer, of course, is no. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Basundhara (@gangsofcinepur) But here's the thing: even a forthcoming Rani Chatterjee or a radical Madhu Bose, in the off chance that they exist, were not born as one. Unlike what might be suggested, liberalism is not stuffed in our potatoes, nor is it a virus Bengali women are born with (in a bizarre segue in Aap Jaisa Koi, a hitherto timid woman starts calling out patriarchy after falling in love with a Bengali man, like she has been "infected"). Even the most rebellious of Bengali women have had to earn their rebellion; even the most well-turned-out, sari-clad Bengali woman has had to fight for her sleeveless blouses. One is not born but becomes Rani Chatterjee or Madhu Bose. Still Raising Boys In a country like India, where women shrinking themselves to make space for others is the default, such characters are far-fetched on some days and aspirational on others. Perhaps that is the allure. Cinema, after all, is a site of wish fulfilment. But it is also the medium of representation, a space to see and be seen. By assuming that Bengali households are untouched by patriarchy - a belief that collapses when one considers the mounting cases of rape and abuse in West Bengal in this year alone - these films undercut and erase the struggle of Bengali women who stand up for themselves despite, and not because of, their surname. By not showcasing the labour built into it, they squander the chance of celebrating feminism. One can argue that such portrayals, however excessive, are designed to subvert the androcentric gaze of love. But women are somehow still getting shortchanged. If, in the past, they were offered ornamental parts in romantic films, then now, they are burdened with the task of teaching men. If, earlier, they waited for grown-up men to show up, then now, they are tasked with rehabilitating boys. Love is no longer the bridge where two people meet but an ideological minefield where one community is pitted against the other. And somehow, despite the cultural agency of female characters, the one gaining from it is - still - not them. (Ishita Sengupta is an independent film critic and culture writer from India. Her writing is informed by gender and pop culture and has appeared in The Indian Express, Hyperallergic, New Lines Magazine, etc.) Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
India.com
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actress who did only 1 film, created buzz with one bold photoshoot, an Ad changed her life forever, she is...
We must have heard of several actors and actresses who have gone all over and broken the stereotypes. And once India's runway queen and one of the most iconic faces of the '90s fashion scene, Madhu Sapre, did the same. She wasn't just known for her striking beauty and fierce confidence; she became a cultural flashpoint in the conversation around art, boldness, and morality. Who is Madhu Sapre? Madhu Sapre, who was born in Nagpur in 1971, she originally wanted to become an athlete, but destiny had other plans. In the year 1992, she was crowned Miss India, going on to represent the country at Miss Universe, where she finished as second runner-up. With an athletic frame, sharp features, and an unapologetic aura, she quickly carved her space in the fashion world. But fame brought more than just glitz. What exactly sparked the controversy? According to the reports, in the mid-90s, Madhu and her then-boyfriend, model Milind Soman, shot an ad for Phoenix Shoes. It featured the couple posing nude with only a python draped across them and shoes on their feet. But it felt, the nation wan't ready this boldness. The ad was labelled 'obscene' by many. It ignited outrage and sparked a major legal storm. Mumbai Police registered a case for promoting obscenity, and what began as a bold artistic statement turned into a 14-year-long legal battle. Take a look at the picture View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Swaddle (@theswaddle) How did controversy impact her life? The case dragged on for over a decade, affecting both Madhu's career and personal life. In interviews, she maintained her stand — 'It was a professional photoshoot. I don't see anything vulgar in it.' Finally, in 2009, the court acquitted both models, citing artistic freedom and lack of intent to offend. What happened after the controversy? Post-controversy, she gradually stepped away from the limelight, but her bold stance and unapologetic spirit continue to inspire. From being a Miss India to a cultural rebel, Madhu Sapre's journey shows that sometimes, a single frame can shake an entire nation and redefine what it means to be fearless in your skin.
Mint
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Aap Jaisa Koi' review: Polished but superficial romance
In Aap Jaisa Koi, director Vivek Soni takes on the delicate subjects of late-blooming romance, masculine vulnerability, modern love, and old-fashioned chauvinism. The film, now streaming on Netflix, stars R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh as two professionals navigating a hesitant, imperfect courtship. R. Madhavan plays Shrirenu 'Shri' Tripathi, a 42-year-old Sanskrit professor from Jamshedpur whose gentle, brooding nature hides years of emotional repression, social awkwardness, and societal taunts—including from his brother and best friend. He finds an outlet through an app aimed at lonely hearts called 'Aap Jaisa Koi'. Fatima Sana Shaikh portrays Madhu Bose, a French teacher from Kolkata. She's confident and open-minded, but carries her own emotional history. Madhu and Shri become an unlikely match, introduced by a kindly intermediary. She is everything Shri is not, and her interest in him makes him suspicious. In the company of Madhu, 42-year-old Shri, for the first time in his life, experiences female attention and intimacy. With this setup—opposites attract—the film could have been a poignant, character-driven drama about connection in the digital age—and in real life. It began confidently enough to suggest it might even be a fresh romcom. Unfortunately, the narrative is burdened by a script that lacks depth and a story that never quite takes off. Interactions are built around overly familiar themes of sexual conservatism, ego, and misunderstanding. The core problem lies in the writing (by Radhika Anand and Jehan Handa). The screenplay is thin and structurally uneven, which could explain why the director introduces elements of magical realism, fantasy, and a clutch of tuneless songs. These elements, while occasionally effective, feel more like aesthetic patches than storytelling tools. At times, the film seems more invested in how it looks than in what it's saying. The emotional beats are laid out but never earned. For instance, Madhu's reason for choosing Shri is rather instinctive and immediate. The central conflict is one-sided, and there's no doubt it will be resolved and neatly tied with a bow. Madhavan lends warmth and sincerity to his role, capturing 42-year-old Shri's hesitation with subtlety, but his performance often feels stranded by the limited material. The actor handles Shri's sudden shift to chauvinism and double standards smoothly, but the character jump doesn't seamlessly blend with the setup. Shaikh brings confidence and energy to Madhu, but her character often becomes a mouthpiece for the film's messaging rather than a fully fleshed-out individual. Madhavan and Shaikh's chemistry feels strained and overly polite—never quite evoking either attraction or tension. Despite the shortcomings at its centre, Aap Jaisa Koi does have a few notable performances by the supporting cast. Ayesha Raza is most affecting as Shrirenu's quietly observant sister-in-law, whose character has the most dramatic and interesting arc. But again, the screenplay bypasses the journey to directly present the outcome. Namit Das, playing Shrirenu's confidant Deepak, is in equal measures loyal and disruptive. Through Deepak and Shri's older brother (played by Manish Chaudhari), the film establishes ingrained and inherited patriarchy and gender biases. The cinematography captures the distinct atmospheres of Jamshedpur and Kolkata, and the background score complements the tone without overwhelming it. But for all its polish and promise, Aap Jaisa Koi remains a story that feels superficially realised to leave a lasting impression.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Aap Jaisa Koi ending explained: Do Sri and Madhu reunite, and did Kusum cheat on her husband?
Aap Jaisa Koi ending explained: Aap Jaisa Koi, starring R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh, has swiftly captured the attention of Netflix audiences. Praised for its tender storytelling and emotional depth, the film has struck a quiet chord with many viewers. Yet it's the conclusion, and the pivotal decisions made by the main characters, that have stirred the most debate. If you're curious about how it all unfolds, here's what happens at the end. What is Aap Jaisa Koi about? Set against the contrasting worlds of Jamshedpur and Kolkata, Aap Jaisa Koi follows the journey of Shrirenu, a man deeply attached to his routines and traditional values as he begins to question what masculinity, love, and openness truly mean. His life changes when he meets Madhu, a spirited woman determined to break free from society's rigid expectations. Through her, Shrirenu is forced to confront his own long-held beliefs. Together, they navigate family tensions, past wounds, and cultural norms, turning the film into a story not just of romance, but also of self-realization and female empowerment. (Aap Jaisa Koi spoilers ahead, you know what to do) Aap Jaisa Koi ending explained Did Madhu and Sri get back together? In the end, we see that after everything seemed to be going well, on the day of the engagement, Sri finds out that Madhu was on the Aap Jaisa Koi app. This angers him, and he breaks off the engagement. He is bothered by the fact that his fiancée was on such an app, even though he himself was also on it. Later, he realizes that what he did was wrong and that he shouldn't have insulted Madhu the way he did. Madhu's family and Sri perform an early Saraswati Pooja for Madhu's elderly Nani, and after the visarjan, he apologizes to Madhu and they get engaged again What happened to Kusum? We all know that Kusum was not happy living with her husband. Although she was initially impressed by his views and choices, when she wanted to start her own cloud kitchen, he didn't support her at all. Amid all this, she grew close to Joy and ended up cheating on her husband with him. Later, the family found out, and her husband asked her to apologise and come back to him, but she refused because she was happier with Joy and had fallen in love with him. You can stream Aap Jaisa Koi on Netflix.
