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Showing posts from January, 2018

Padmaavat review

Padmaavat Review: Grandeur Without Soul | Sachit Murthy Such were the quality of movies in 2017 that Pink was the only one I saw in a theatre. Padmaavat was the first Hindi film of 2018 that I watched with family, and expectations were naturally high — given the controversy, the scale, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s reputation for visual opulence. Observations Overstretched runtime: At 2 hours and 45 minutes, Padmaavat tests patience. Several sequences — especially the indulgent visual montages — linger far longer than they should. With tighter editing, this film could comfortably have been a crisp two-hour experience without losing any emotional or narrative impact. Bhansali and the period-drama fatigue: There is a sense that even Bhansali himself might be weary of the genre he once mastered. The trademark slow-motion walks, symmetrical frames, and operatic background score feel more like a checklist than inspiration. The spark that onc...
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Dubai airport is expensive

After a long time, I got the opportunity of transiting through the famous DXB airport. The last few years, I've been using Europe to transit to the US, but my crazy travel itinerary forced me to route via Dubai. It's an incredibly busy airport and probably has the most global connections compared to any other airport. But sweet heavens, it is quite expensive. Sample this, a cup of ordinary coffee is $5.50 and everyone carries only Evian water, which sets you back by another $7. That's quite something to pay for coffee and water. I wonder why it's so expensive. Perhaps the rental is high at the airport? Or the restaurants pay a hefty transaction fee to the airport? Who knows, but the airport feels like a pocket pincher. Wonder if other transiters feel the same?
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Sachit Murthy — Writing on Cinema, Cricket, Travel, and Life in India

This blog brings together essays, reviews, and observations on cinema, sport, travel, and everyday life in India. It moves between detailed writing on Indian and world cinema, reflections on cricket as culture and memory, travel notes from cities and small towns, and personal pieces shaped by living and working in contemporary India. Film writing on the blog ranges from close readings of classic and modern films to broader reflections on performance, narrative, and form. Cricket appears not as statistics or news, but as lived experience — a shared language of time, obsession, and belonging. Travel pieces pay attention to place, atmosphere, and the small details that define movement and return. Underlying these varied subjects is a consistent interest in observation: how people speak, perform, remember, and negotiate their inner and public lives. The author’s background as a stage and screen actor, writer, and voice artist informs the attention to rhythm, silence, and point of view across the writing. The blog is intended for readers who enjoy reflective, unhurried writing — pieces that sit somewhere between criticism, travelogue, and personal essay.