I'm a father, friend, filmmaker.
Now directingResurrectionNow writingCitizen
I also write raw, unedited notes to try and make sense of the world, and post them before I come to my senses. You can subscribe if you like.
Latest notes
“It took me so much success to become humble”
…were words said to me years ago by a writer friend. I got it gradually. But it’s only now that I’ve begun…
“…So as I was saying” - The irresistible itch to finish deep, meaningful conversations
I’ve always loved them - Long outpourings of love, joy, grief and all that doesn’t make sense in this baffling adventure called…
So much of what people say is repetition
A commissioned screenplay that I finished, that got stuck at the producer’s end, each time we meet - their answer - ‘I’ll…
The loneliest victory
I finished writing the story document of a feature film last night. Perhaps the first I shall end up directing! What I’m…
Dear Imtiaz Ali, here’s why the new generation seems to be shying away from commitment
1. Heightened awareness of the mistakes parents made 2. Overcompensation for those which is normal for a while 3. An Internet led…
EPL Season opener 26 - Hull 2-0 Man United
Dear fellow United fans, Please remember that last season, the first game against Arsenal was (and still is) United’s best performance under…
For those looking to enter the Hindi Film Industry
You either die outside Bombay or live long enough to see yourself move to Bombay
We can die for them but they can also kill us
1. I’m a parent of two 2. This is hyperbole 🥲
Becoming a father makes you a better human…
…but becoming a father to a daughter makes you a better man.
My first release
We make a film to say something to the world. Somewhere through the long and painful journey, the apparatus of filmmaking humbles…
Jab main chhota tha, toh kabhi kabhi school se ghar paidal jaaya karta tha...
…Kabhi kabhi bus na leke, ghanto bus stand pe baitha rehta tha. Sadko ko bas dekhte rehna, ek jagah apni nigaah chipka…
The warm hug that is ‘Real Kashmir Football Club’
Thank you for making this one Simaab Hashmi, Mahesh Mathai, Rajesh Mapuskar and SonyLiv.
I don’t remember the last time I wept in a cinema the way I did watching ‘Homebound’.
Neeraj Ghaywan has a rare talent: in a world where the persecuted shut their eyes to their own pain as a way…
‘Was anyone in your film crew disabled / from an indigenous community / LGBTQIA+?’
I am male, I am Indian, I am Muslim, I am a filmmaker. My great grandparents’ home was burnt about five times,…
"Why are our films so bad?"
What does it take to make a film! In simple words, it’s a three part process: 1. Pre-production - where you write…
‘Raat Jawan Hai’ - The triumph of a lightness of touch
'Raat Jawan Hai' on Sony Liv is an extraordinary* show. 2 female friends and 1 guy friend have grown up together to…
‘15 seconds a lifetime’
Really enjoyed this documentary. From the beginning of time, man has craved social standing and will continue to. Man has also been…
‘I may destroy you’ most definitely destroyed me
‘I may destroy you’ made by and starring Michaela Coel, is devastating, bingeable and eye-opening. This show on Hotstar, has an all…
‘Brahmastra’ - When insecurity overtakes spectacle and spectacle overtakes emotion
At the outset, let me say that I enjoyed Brahmastra and I'd recommend it to everyone. I was rooting for it to…
‘Top Gun: Maverick' is a rare film on many fronts
1. It is an exhilarating ride. Very few films have come this close to making you feel you're piloting a fighter jet.…
‘I Love Thane’ - A love letter to thairaav
You know that one word - ‘Thairaav’! That’s the feeling I’ve generally gotten seeing stuff made by Dhruv Sehgal. And that’s the…
‘Mumbai Dragon’ enriches ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’
'Mumbai Dragon', which is episode 3 in the Modern Love: Mumbai anthology is so vividly rich and movingly warm! Written by Jyotsna…
‘Gehraiyaan’ - A baffling tale of two halves
Hardly has there been an Indian OTT film as eagerly awaited as ‘Gehraiyaan’. The trailers of the film, its unique cinematography, contemporary…
‘Sir’ - A triumph of restraint & nuance
‘Sir’ has been on my watchlist for quite some time now. I finally got around to watching it today and boy, was…