カテゴリー: Culture
Some releases promote the PM and his policies while others are accused of being divisive and IslamophobicThey are films that claim to tell the “real story” of India’s history, taking aim at the evils of “leftists” and “intellectuals” and even the freed…
Eight-episode series based on Liu Cixin novels triggers accusations of ‘Americanisation’ of a Chinese storyNetflix’s big-budget adaptation of Three-Body Problem, a series of novels by the Chinese author Liu Cixin, has divided opinion on Chinese social …
Sidharth Malhotra fights like a machine in an Indian action film cut from similar cloth as the jingoistic Rambo seriesDepending on your age and perspective, you may or may not have fond memories of the three Rambo films. Where the first one was rather …
As an Indian judge says change must start at home, a new movie uses humour to examine family prejudice against children with darker complexionsThree months ago, a high court judge in Chhattisgarh, India, hearing a divorce petition by a husband whose wi…
Shibuya district is offering tours of its architect-designed public facilities that feature in Perfect DaysJapan’s hi-tech toilets have long fascinated visitors who rave about their heated seats, bidet function, automatic flushing, and even background …
From K-pop to K-beauty, via film and fashion, South Korea is punching way above its weight. The boyband BTS alone rakes in billions every year. Are there lessons for other countries?How does this sound for a leisurely day of cultural immersion? Ablutio…
Saalumarada Thimmakka’s story of planting banyan trees led to a determined quest to find her, and a show about her lifeWhen she was a teenage girl, Saalumarada Thimmakka planted her first banyan tree just outside the remote Indian village of Hulikal, i…
High-budget series with largely Japanese cast avoids well-worn western orientalist fantasies and wins plaudits in JapanJapanese audiences could have been forgiven for bracing themselves when Disney announced Shōgun, a 10-part adaptation of James Clavel…
Early editions of the book of quotations will be sold at an auction of Cultural Revolution artefactsThe Little Red Book, a talisman of 20th-century Maoism, may have fallen out of favour in China after the Cultural Revolution, but its popularity with co…
West should address ‘colonisation of the present’ and not focus on past, argues David Van ReybrouckCities in the global north that curb their carbon emissions are doing more to address colonial injustices than those who focus their efforts on taking do…
Bi-2 detained for working without permit after Phuket concert, in latest incident involving anti-war artists in countryMembers of a prominent dissident Russian rock band critical of the war in Ukraine are facing possible deportation home from Thailand …
First two episodes inaccessible to viewers in city, with some attributing censorship to umbrella protest scenesAmazon’s big-ticket series Expats, set and filmed in Hong Kong, is not available for viewing in the city despite being billed as a worldwide …
Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone can’t inject feeling into an air force love story with lifeless CGI and obtrusive product placementFresh off the megahit Pathaan, director Siddharth Anand is back with yet another star vehicle, this time pairing Indi…
Thousands of ancient artefacts have been taken out of the country. These Nepalese citizens are determined to get them back.Flicking through a newspaper in 2020, Sanjay Adhikari read a story that changed the direction of his life – a Nepalese statue of …
A new exhibition of intricate paintings opens up a wider debate about who gets to see them and howTowards the end of last year, Rishi Sunak went to a small amount of trouble to get a large degree of attention. The prime minister blew off a meeting with…