2021

From Milkha Singh to Dilip Kumar to General Bipin Rawat and more: Icons who left us in 2021

India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a chopper crash near Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

2021 in charts: Bollywood scored high with Shershaah hits, rivalled by non-film music, Punjabi hip-hop, K-Pop

As the most played tracks of the year across streaming platforms in India (listed below) shows, the biggest hits are still coming from Bollywood films, even those that did not have a theatrical release.

Most memorable Tamil films of 2021, from Karnan, Sarpatta Parambarai to Mandela, Jai Bhim

In a year when we needed solace, reassurance, hope, and an escape the most, cinema did not fail us. So in no particular order, here are some of my most memorable Tamil cinematic experiences in 2021.

How patriotism on screen continued in 2021, with period films like Sardar Udham and sports movies like 83

There is a certain narrative arc a sports movie or a period drama can adhere to. And yet, their limitations of late have been compensated for with their capacity to generate a feeling of nationalism.

As 2021 comes to an end, here are the funniest moments caught on live TV this year

Anchors of live television programme often run the risk of encountering embarrassing moments which is not only immediately caught on camera but also immortalised for ever

Best Malayalam Films 2021: Ode to a woman rebel, a male superhero and unrelenting experimentation

Between The Great Indian Kitchen and Minnal Murali flowed a stream of quality Malayalam releases so unrelenting, that I have struggled to restrict my Best Malayalam Films 2021 compilation to just 10.

2021 Queer Roundup: Unassuming gayness of ACP Khan in Aarya over laboured representation in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

My hope for queer storytelling as we step into a new year is to be more irreverent, to see more easy queerness, more desire, and more queer authorship as opposed to only queer characters.

How dysfunctional marriage was a recurrent theme on screen in 2021, from Haseen Dillruba to Decoupled

The trend of evolving marriage stories has created a revision of the safest, most used, and most overdone formula of Hindi cinema — one that has sustained the myth of a perfect marriage.

How drug abuse emerged as common central theme of shows in 2021, from Aranyak to Mare of Easttown

As their impact grows across the spectrum, stories that highlight the growing menace of prescription drug abuse will inspire more interesting content in the years to come.

2021 is the year when women on screen came into their own, from Rashmi Rocket, Mimi to Pagglait

It is not every year that you get to watch a young window unable to grieve her husband’s death, a female athlete banned for failing the gender test, a trans-girl making people question what is normal, an abandoned surrogate mother, and a woman faking her husband’s death to prevent him getting convicted for murder.