10 DEC 2022 · The Southern state of Travancore was one of the first among the princely states to refuse accession to the Indian union. It wanted to remain independent, but things changed after an assassination attempt on the dewan of the state, Sir CP Ramaswamy Aiyer. In this episode, historian Manu Pillai and renowned painter and descendant of the Travancore royal family, Rukmini Varma join us to tell us more about the story of the state’s integration. Hosted by Adrija Roychowdhury and Damini Jaiman Edited by Damini Jaiman Mixed by Suresh Pawar Editorial Support: Shashank Bhargava Listen to all five episodes on the Indian Express://indianexpress.com/audio/pages-from-the-past/ Or download The Indian Express app: iOS link: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/indian-express-news-epaper/id506351833 Android link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indianexpress.android&hl=en_IN&gl=US&pli=1

19 OCT 2022 · In this last episode of Movie Police, our hosts Rohan Naahar and Sampada Sharma bring us the 1950s "Do Aankhen Barah Haath" in which a jailer conducts an experiment on six prisoners. Our hosts talk about how the movie tried to address the prison system but failed to make the audience root for it due to its problematic storylines.

12 OCT 2022 · In this episode hosts Rohan Naahar and Sampada Sharma bring us the black comedy horror "Cheap Thrills" by E. L. Katz. The film is about a rich couple pitting two down-in-luck friends against each other and giving them challenges. Whoever wins the challenge, gets handsomely rewarded by the couple. But where will the challenge take them? What happens when the rich couple's "cheap thrills" starts getting costlier and costlier and what does that say about morality, class question, and society as a whole?

5 OCT 2022 · In this episode, our hosts Sampada Sharma and Rohan Naahar bring us the 2006 "Fight Club: Members Only". They talk about how the movie, starring Sohail Khan, Zayed Khan, Ashish Chaudhary, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sunil Shetty and others, is about a group of college-going men whose egos are as fragile as their punches.

29 SEP 2022 · In this episode hosts Rohan Naahar and Sampada Sharma bring us Mahesh Bhatt’s 2020 film “Sadak 2” starring Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, and Aditya Roy Kapoor. Our hosts discuss how the film tried to continue Sanjay Dutt's journey from the first "Sadak" but failed miserably. They also point out how the director, Mahesh Bhatt, forgot his own daughter to make space for Dutt who wasn't even part of the main storyline.

21 SEP 2022 · In this episode, hosts Sampada Sharma and Rohan Naahar, talk about the 2002 film "Mujhse Dosti Karoge", directed by Kunal Kohli and produced by Yash Raj Films and enlisted actors like Rani Mukherjee, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Hrithik Roshan, and Uday Chopra. Our hosts discuss how the movie is situated in an aesthetically pleasing world where beauty is as skin-deep as the film's storyline.

14 SEP 2022 · In this episode hosts Rohan Naahar and Sampada Sharma dissect Kevin Smith's 2014 horror comedy "Tusk" in which Wallace, the protagonist, is a content-hungry podcaster. In search of content, Wallace goes to a stranger's house only to be kidnapped and transformed into a walrus by the man.

7 SEP 2022 · In this episode, hosts Sampada Sharma and Rohan Naahar talk about the 1964 film "Dosti" directed by Satyen Bose and distributed by Rajshri Productions. Our hosts discuss that on the face of it, "Dosti" may seem like a movie of two teenagers who found each other on the streets of Mumbai. However, if one digs deeper, the movie has all the makings and signs of a queer film.

31 AUG 2022 · In this episode, our hosts Rohan Naahar and Sampada Sharma talk about Alex Garland’s 2022 horror movie “Men” and how it bizarrely depicts the everyday reality of women dealing with gaslighting, abuse, and humiliation, and still navigating life despite the omnipresent threats of "men".

24 AUG 2022 · In this episode of the Movie Police, our hosts Sampada Sharma and Rohan Naahar discuss the 2002 supernatural action thriller film “Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani” which was directed by Rajkumar Kohli and features stars like Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol, Arman Kohli, Manisha Koirala etc. Our hosts talk about how, despite recruiting the biggest names in the industry, the film failed to make any sense and is now viewed as a “cringe-watch” and how issues like rape, violence, and suicide are being normalized in the name of “cringe”.