Imtiaz

Noted sociologist Imtiaz Ahmad (1940 -2023) died on June 19 in New Delhi and was laid to rest at the Panch Peeran Qabristan at Hazrat Nizamuddin in the city. Among other things, he will be remembered for his pioneering work on caste among Indian Muslims. The relevance of his research has acquired new significance in the changing context of Indian politics, particularly owing to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)’s new enthusiasm to help address the backwardness of Pasmanda Muslims. No one knows how serious the ruling party…

“Female sexuality” is one of those phrases that makes puritanical aunties and uncles' heads turn and talk under their collective breath. Even in 2020, Indian society constantly pushes most women to suppress their sexuality, telling them to “behave”. In turn, that makes half of the population hide and not look at their own bodies, lowering their confidence in themselves and preventing them from discovering their carnal desires and pleasures. Netflix's newest series from India — She, created by Imtiaz Ali — seems to want to…

She season 2 — now streaming on Netflix — might be one of the worst things Imtiaz Ali has ever put on paper. From the start of season 1, Ali's tenet with She has been that sexuality can empower women. But he hasn't had the faintest idea how to go about it. (And though Ali wants sex to be at the root of the protagonist's growth, She continues to show a puerile face. I wasn't expecting a Blue Is the Warmest Colour, but there's nothing here approaching an honest sex scene.) And though the Jab We Met director may not have…

It must have been interesting to grow up in Jamshedpur in the 1970s. What was your childhood like and how did you begin writing? I think the first kind of writing I ever did was poetry in English. It was back at school in Jamshedpur when I was in the 9th standard. It was a sort of anti-establishment poetry. There was also a relationship-sweetness type of thing in it. I used to show it to my English teacher, Deepa Sengupta, who was kind enough to go through it and sometimes give me a review. I still remember some of her…