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The 'Incredible Jessica James' - A Must Watch!

  Although this film was released ON Netflix in 2017, I just got a chance to stumble across this witty yet charming coming-of-age drama, The Incredible Jessica James. Directed by American screenwriter and film director – James Strouse who is well known for his films such as Love Again, Lonesome Jim and Grace is Gone, Strouse has also written this film as well.   Starring Jessica Williams in the lead as Jessica James who is well known for her roles in Crying in Public, Delivery Man and People Places and Things, Jessica has surely outdone herself in her highly charismatic and daunting role as she not only balances a breakup but also navigates her way through her grief by developing a romantic relationship simultaneously.    Known to be a fiercely independent woman, Jessica is also a teacher at a children’s theatre workshop in Hell’s Kitchen. With LaKeith Stanfeild playing the role of her ex-boyfriend Damon, LaKeith is seen as a heartbroken man who hasn’t been able to fathom the depths of
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Karina Pandya in Conversation with Co-Founder of the Banyan, Dr. Vandana Gopikumar

An incident of coming across a homeless and mentally ill woman in distress on the road in front of her college in Chennai paved the route for Vandana Gopikumar to establish one of the leading NGOs in the field of mental health – The Banyan. While she was yet a Master’s student of Social Work, Vandana along with a close friend Vaishnavi Jayakumar encountered several other incidents of not being able to find the right shelter and mental institution for a woman in need of medical and psychiatric attention.     The Banyan, which was established in 1993 has been a one-stop destination to not only rescue, and rehabilitate but also treat mentally ill women from low-income groups. Vandana Gopikumar has pioneered a movement, helping thousands of individuals not only reintegrate into society but also secure long-term medical treatment.    Not only is she the co-founder of the NGO – The Banyan, but is also the co-founder of The Banyan Academy of Leadership (BALM). She is also a member of the advi

Interview with Mumbai-based Indian English poet, editor and writer, Menka Shivdasani

  Beginning her career as a journalist when she was merely a student, Menka Shivdasani has certainly made a mark on the literary world with her poetry books such as   Nirvana At Ten Rupees  (1990),   Stet   (2001),   Safe House   (2015) and finally   Frazil  (2018). She has also been a powerful voice in the development of a woman and poet in the ever-evolving Indian society.        At the mere age of 16, she went to Nissim Ezekiel’s office to seek advice from the founding father of post-independence Indian anglophone poetry. She has grown to be one of the finest poets and artists alongside Ranjit Hoskote, Anju Makhija, Jerry Pinto, Vijay Nambisan, Jeet Thayil and many others.  She is also the co-translator of  Freedom and Fissures - an anthology of Sindhi Partition Poetry, and editor of a SPARROW anthology of women's writing. She has also  collaborated with the senior Sindhi writer Mohan Gehani on bilingual books of his poetry.   She has edited two anthologies of contemporary India

A Conversation with Film-Director, Amole Gupte: Let's Get Candid.

Having written and directed many acclaimed films such as Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba, Haw Hawai, Saina and  Sniff, Amole Gupte is also an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, painter, child-rights activist and singer. Some of the acting roles he is well known for are in Holi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Kaminey, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Urmi, Stanley Ka Dabba, Bheja Fry 2, Singham Returns, Ek Tara, Sniff and Mumbai Saga. He has won numerous awards for his writing and filmmaking skills and acting skills. He is also a social media activist and has been working with children for over 15 years. He was the chairperson of the Children's Film Society,, India from 2012 to 2015.   Let’s get candid with Amole Gupte!   1) What has motivated you most to pursue not only acting but also writing and directing Indian cinema? Amole: I squatted on the Holy soil of FTII Pune for 12 years, from 1981 to 1993… surely, the happiest years of my life… watching and re-watching world cinema masterpieces. The

The Teacher's Lounge- An Interview with Film Professor, Jeroo Mulla

Having spearheaded as the Head of the Social Communications Media Department, at Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai from 1986 – 2013 Jeroo Mulla has carved a niche for herself in the world of film and photography.     At Sophia Polytechnic, she has taught film appreciation, photography, the Fundamental Concepts of Communication and supervised the creation of student documentaries.    She was also the first recipient of the Professor Satish Bahadur Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film Studies in South Asia at the Alpaviram Film Festival at the National Institute of Design, (N.I.D.)Ahmedabad.   Currently, she continues to teach film and photography as a visiting faculty at Sophia Polytechnic and Symbiosis, Pune.   1)      Why did you want to teach film and photography?   "I just wanted to. My father Farrok Mulla was an artist and he influenced me."   2)  How would you describe your style of teaching? "Not much I teach in a way that sends out signals of p