Over the past fortnight or so, I watched three new films that could not have been more different—Michael, The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Project Hail Mary—and yet each was entertaining and thought-provoking in its own way, with Michael and Project Hail Mary being visually stunning as well. They were the kind of films that stay with you long after you leave the theatre. The best films—including the lesser-known but equally good ones—always offer something to think about and talk

I can never guess the culprit in Agatha Christie novels until Hercule Poirot lays it all out at the end. Likewise, I didn’t see the twists coming in The Silent Patient (2019), even if at times they might have seemed obvious. Just not to me. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention; so absorbed was I in this cleverly crafted psychological thriller. Alex Michaelides’ debut novel, to use a cliché, pulls you in from the start with an unsettling theme: thirty-three-year-old Alicia Berenson

There are days when nothing feels right, when things seem a little too much or even overwhelming, and we need a gentle nudge to remind us that hope and joy still exist. At such times we either want to be left alone, waiting for the feeling to pass, perhaps taking long, brisk walks to shake off the gloom, or we reach out to close family and friends. And sometimes, we turn to books, movies and music. Books aside, movies can feel like friends too—stepping in with vivid character

Happiness means different things to different people. Some see it as contentment and inner peace, others as intense joy and exuberance. Whatever the name, everyone wants happiness or a sense of joy in their lives. Yet, the irony is that those who could be happy if they chose to, often don’t; whereas those who chase happiness desperately find it elusive. And then there are those who simply don’t know how to be happy. That’s where books, among other things, help lift our spir

Whenever I’m out and about in Mumbai, or travelling to another city, I instinctively look for a bookstore first. It doesn’t matter whether it’s new, secondhand or a thrift store as long as it’s a place that sells books, where I can spend a couple of hours browsing and buying. Books, and especially comic-books, bring me joy. Sometimes, these literary excursions make me want to own a bookstore. But that doesn’t stop me from exploring other people’s bookshops. Luckily, Mumbai

I’ve never been a big fan of horror movies or TV shows —I just don’t have the stomach for it. But every now and then, a morbid curiosity gets the better of me, and I enter the dark world of the supernatural: ghosts, spirits and otherworldly beings who aren’t exactly the friendliest of entities. Stubs keeping me company while I'm watching a horror movie. So, with my finger over the mute button, I recently watched—in broad daylight and with our pet, Stubs, by my side—two horr

When Dr Max Goodwin (Ryan Eggold) is appointed Medical Director of New Amsterdam public hospital in the namesake medical television drama...

Lonavala, a hill station near Mumbai in western India, is ideal for a weekend getaway with little or no preparation. It’s the kind of...

“Smell that? That’s the smell of new comic-books. Oh, yes!” — Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) in The Big Bang Theory I remember when I read...

We've all been granted the gift of a pocketful of happiness but the choice of how we utilise it is ours. We can either fritter it away on things which can, at best, bring us temporary satisfaction or optimise it to prolong our bliss. An infallible method to attain the latter, according to us at least, is by making others around us happy. This is not an idealistic or spiritual talk but a proven way…happiness multiplies when shared with others. Throw your mind back to childhood