Sal Salam

On This Year's Oscars

The Academy Awards are the one sporting tournament I follow with any level of engagement. I pay attention to the cottage industry of prognosticators that starts speculating straight out of Sundance, more than a year before the ceremony; I despair about the unsuccessful campaigns mounted by my favorites, as they fall by the wayside; I predict potential nominees and winners; I exult and rant about the films that make it; and, every late winter or early spring, I watch the overlong spectacle alternating between feelings of suspense, delight, and stultifying boredom.

The Rousing, Troubling Spectacle of "Padmaavat"

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat", based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem of the same name, was originally titled Padmavati

Fashion in Film: A Love Story

My father didn't look like other people's fathers when I was a young child. He was tall and fit and square-chinned and took great care with how he dressed.

Wending My Way Toward Ray

My father taught us to wear our Bengaliness with pride. It was impressed upon us that we, by being born Bengali, had inherited a rich intellectual and artistic tradition.

March 2, 2018
March 2, 2018

On This Year's Oscars

The Academy Awards are the one sporting tournament I follow with any level of engagement. I pay attention to the cottage industry of prognosticators that starts speculating straight out of Sundance, more than a year before the ceremony; I despair about the unsuccessful campaigns mounted by my favorites, as they fall by the wayside; I predict potential nominees and winners; I exult and rant about the films that make it; and, every late winter or early spring, I watch the overlong spectacle alternating between feelings of suspense, delight, and stultifying boredom.

February 2, 2018
February 2, 2018

The Rousing, Troubling Spectacle of "Padmaavat"

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat", based on Malik Muhammad Jayasi's epic poem of the same name, was originally titled Padmavati

July 7, 2017
July 7, 2017

Fashion in Film: A Love Story

My father didn't look like other people's fathers when I was a young child. He was tall and fit and square-chinned and took great care with how he dressed.

April 28, 2017
April 28, 2017

Wending My Way Toward Ray

My father taught us to wear our Bengaliness with pride. It was impressed upon us that we, by being born Bengali, had inherited a rich intellectual and artistic tradition.

push notification
X