Author: Jameel Gulrays

There is a curious paradox unfolding across the Indian subcontinent. Even as Urdu struggles for institutional space in schools, universities and public life, the popularity of its greatest poet continues to soar. Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib is today quoted on social media, recited at literary festivals, translated into dozens of languages and celebrated by readers, many of whom cannot even read the Urdu script. Digital platforms, translations and cultural initiatives have ensured that while the language faces challenges, its most celebrated voice continues to find new audiences across generations. That enduring appeal says as much about Ghalib as it does…

Sometimes the biggest story in literature is hidden in the smallest mark on a page. The renewed interest surrounding Imtiaz Ali’s movie Main Vaapas Aaunga has drawn fresh attention to one of the earliest stories by Munshi Premchand. Yet, amid the discussion, a quiet linguistic casualty has slipped by almost unnoticed. The heroine of Premchand’s original Urdu story is “Malika-e-Dilfareb” (ملکۂ دلفریب). In the film, however, she appears simply as “Malika Dilfareb”, a form also carried as a tattoo by the character played by Naseeruddin Shah. At first glance, it seems an inconsequential omission. It is, in fact, the disappearance…

In an era when Indian entertainment is driven by blockbuster franchises, streaming platforms and rapidly changing audience tastes, one thing has remained remarkably constant: the enduring brilliance of Naseeruddin Shah. More than five decades after he emerged as one of the defining faces of parallel cinema, Shah continues to surprise audiences, not by repeating past successes but by constantly refining his craft. If his performances in the 1970s and 1980s established him among India’s finest actors, his work over the past decade suggests something even rarer: an artist who has continued to evolve long after attaining legendary status. From his…