IIF
Welcome to the India Independent Films (iiF) podcast – where film critics discuss the movies of the hour.
Episodes
Jigra
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss the new Alia Bhatt starrer, JIGRA.
Rebel Ridge
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the hit Netflix actioner, REBEL RIDGE.
Films & Writing #31: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Film writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva return after a 4-month break to discuss recent Hindi cinema and the shutdown of Film Companion.
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, the new Netflix miniseries directed by Anubhav Sinha.
Stree 2
After a long break, film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia are back to discuss Amar Kaushik's horror comedy, STREE 2.
Srikanth, Challengers
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss the new Hindi biopic Srikanth and the film everyone is talking about: Challengers.
Maidaan, Amar Singh Chamkila
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss two contrasting Hindi biopics: Amit Sharma's MAIDAAN and Imtiaz Ali's AMAR SINGH CHAMKILA.
Films & Writing #30: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva do their 30th podcast together – discussing 1990s Bollywood, including Karishma Kapoor, Govinda, Anil Kapoor and David Dhawan.
Crew
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss CREW, the heist comedy starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu and Kriti Sanon.
Lootere, Madgaon Express
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss the fascinating new action series LOOTERE, and Kunal Kemmu's hilarious buddy comedy, MADGAON EXPRESS.
Yodha, Murder Mubarak, Ae Watan Mere Watan
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia take on a Triple Threat discussion: Two Dharma productions and two Sara Ali Khan movies at once.
Films & Writing #29: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss this year's Oscars, and the acting legacy of Aishwarya Rai.
Laapataa Ladies, Fairy Folk
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies and Karan Gour's indie, Fairy Folk.
All India Rank, Poacher
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Varun Grover's debut film ALL INDIA RANK and Richie Mehta's new series, POACHER.
The Iron Claw, The Holdovers
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Sean Durkin's bleak wrestling biopic The Iron Claw, and Alexander Payne's warm Christmas movie, The Holdovers.
Bhakshak
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss the interesting new Netflix drama, BHAKSHAK, starring Bhumi Pednekar.
Films & Writing #28: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In the latest IIF podcast, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss their favourite Hindi cinema from the 2000s.
Fighter
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Siddharth Anand's latest actioner, FIGHTER.
Merry Christmas
Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss their differences about Sriram Raghavan's latest film, Merry Christmas. (No critics were harmed in the making of this podcast). This is a *spoiler-filled discussion*.
Films & Writing #27: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva do the first IIF podcast of 2024. The topics: Hindi black comedies, Bhumi Pednekar and Vikrant Massey.
2023 Wrap: Best of Hindi cinema
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss their standout Hindi films of the year – along with a few of their favourite moments and performances.
Dunki, Priscilla
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Rajkumar Hirani's DUNKI, followed by Sofia Coppola's PRISCILLA.
Films & Writing #26: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss the year that was.
The Archies, Joram
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss two Hindi films: Zoya Akhtar's The Archies and Devashish Makhija's Joram.
Sam Bahadur, Animal
Film critics Rahul Desai, Ishita Sengupta and Uday Bhatia discuss the two big Bollywood releases: a dull biopic (Sam Bahadur) and an expensive Sandeep Reddy Vanga rant (Animal)
Films & Writing #25: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva return to chat about the following topics: Fantasy films, Emraan Hashmi, Juhi Chawla.
Apurva, The Railway Men
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss the survival thriller Apurva (Disney+ Hotstar) and the YRF limited series, The Railway Men (Netflix).
Tiger 3, The Killer
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss the new Salman Khan starrer Tiger 3, and David Fincher's The Killer (Netflix).
Films & Writing #24: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
They're back! Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss topics like the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival, directors Ashutosh Gowarikar, Meghna Gulzar, R. Balki, Rajkumar Santoshi and actress Sania Malhotra.
Wrap: The best of MAMI 2023
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss their experience of the 2023 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival – their favourite films, moments, anecdotes and rants about unruly moviegoers.
MAMI 2023
The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival returns for a physical edition for the first time since 2019. Critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia go down memory lane and discuss their favourite fest experiences over the years – and also drop a few MAMI 2023 tips and reccos.
Khufiya, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Khufiya (Netflix), Vishal Bhardwaj's latest film. It starts with a brief chat about his long-form debut, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley (SonyLiv).
Films & Writing #23: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva continue their nostalgic 1990s Bollywood dash – featuring Sunny Deol, Karishma Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Sanjay Kapoor and more.
Jaane Jaan, The Great Indian Family
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss Sujoy Ghosh's Jaane Jaan and Vijay Krishna Acharya's The Great Indian Family.
Films & Writing #22: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In this episode, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss Priyanka Chopra and 1990s Bollywood.
Jawan
Film critics Rahul Desai, Uday Bhatia and Ishita Sengupta discuss the new Shah Rukh Khan starrer, JAWAN.
Friday Night Plan, Scam 2003: The Telgi Story
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss the Netflix film "Friday Night Plan" and the Sony Liv series "Scam 2003: The Telgi Story".
Films & Writing #21: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah, Mani Ratnam's Hindi cinema and Abhishek Bachchan.
Gadar 2, Dream Girl 2
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta gather the courage to discuss two terrible Bollywood sequels.
Kohrra: Writers Gunjit Chopra & Diggi Sisodia
Film critic Rahul Desai discusses the hit Netflix series "Kohrra" with its two writers, Gunjit Chopra and Diggi Sisodia.
Made In Heaven 2
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss their feelings about Season 2 of Made In Heaven.
Films & Writing #20: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva do their 20th podcast together – discussing topics like Karan Johar, Ram Gopal Varma, Abhay Deol, and Mumbai on celluloid.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani
Film critics Rahul Desai, Ishita Sengupta and Uday Bhatia discuss Karan Johar's latest, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani.
Oppenheimer, Barbie
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the summer phenomenon that is Barbenheimer.
Films & Writing #19: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva return to discuss varied topics: Christopher Nolan, Hansal Mehta and a little bit of the classic Satya.
Kohrra
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss and rave about Netflix's KOHRRA, one of the best Indian shows in recent memory.
2023 Mid-year review
At the midway point of 2023, film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the year in Hindi cinema so far.
Adipurush, Extraction 2
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the Indian mythological drama ADIPURUSH and the Netflix actioner EXTRACTION 2.
Bloody Daddy, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Film critics Rahul Desai, Ishita Sengupta and Uday Bhatia discuss the almost-there Hindi film "Bloody Daddy" and the pathbreaking "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse". (Bloody Daddy: until 43:20)
Films & Writing #18: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In this episode, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss the legacies of Vicky Kaushal, Jab We Met, Kareena Kapoor (Khan) and more.
Scoop
Film critics Rahul Desai and Ishita Sengupta discuss SCOOP, the new Netflix series directed by Hansal Mehta.
Films & Writing #17: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In their latest episode, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva overcome some technical issues to discuss Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy and actor Rajkummar Rao.
Dahaad
Film critics Rahul Desai, Ishita Sengupta and Uday Bhatia discuss DAHAAD, the solid new social procedural created by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar.
Air
Film critics (and sports-movie dorks) Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss AIR, Ben Affleck's new film starring Matt Damon as the architect of the pathbreaking Nike 'Air Jordan' deal.
Afwaah, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Sudhir Mishra's Afwaah and James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
In memory of Irrfan
Three years after his passing, film critics Ishita Sengupta and Poulomi Das discuss their favourite Irrfan Khan performances.
Salman Khan
Film critics Rahul Desai, Ishita Sengupta and Uday Bhatia discuss Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan – and the legacy of Salman Khan.
Ted Lasso
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss their different impressions of everyone's favourite comedy, TED LASSO.
Films & Writing #16: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In their latest podcast together, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss actors Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Sheeba Chaddha – and their favourite opening montage sequences in films.
Jubilee
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the highs and lows of the new Amazon Prime series, JUBILEE.
Films & Writing #15: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva return to discuss the 2023 Oscars, Manoj Bajpayee, Vidya Balan and more.
Gulmohar
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the new Disney+ Hotstar film, GULMOHAR, starring Manoj Bajpayee and Sharmila Tagore.
Films & Writing #14: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss The Romantics, the Yash Raj Films legacy and their favourite YRF movies/moments.
The Fabelmans, Farzi
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss Steven Spielberg's THE FABELMANS, and Raj & DK's new series, FARZI.
Films & Writing #13: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In their latest podcast together, writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss action cinema, Deepika Padukone and animated films.
Pathaan
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the new Bollywood blockbuster, Shah Rukh Khan, the YRF spy universe and much more.
Kuttey, Aftersun
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss two recent debuts: the Hindi misfire KUTTEY (theatrical) and the wondrous AFTERSUN (Mubi).
The Banshees of Inisherin, Decision to Leave
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss two great films of 2022 – Martin McDonagh's anti-bromance and Park Chan-wook's timeless love story – in their first podcast of 2023.
2022 Wrap: Rahul Desai & Pankaj Sachdeva
Film writers Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva discuss the year that was: favourite moments, films, songs, reviews and more.
Govinda Naam Mera
Film critics Ishita Sengupta, Poulomi Das and Sucharita Tyagi discuss the failings of Shashank Khaitan's Govinda Naam Mera.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss James Cameron's expansive and expensive Avatar: The Way of Water.
Qala, An Action Hero
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia kick off the final month of 2022 by discussing two very different Hindi films they both liked: Qala (Netflix) and An Action Hero.
Bhediya
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the new Amar Kaushik horror comedy, BHEDIYA.
Drishyam 2, She Said
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the Hindi thriller Drishyam 2 and the MeToo newsroom drama, She Said.
Monica O My Darling, Uunchai, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss three vastly different titles: Vasan Bala's Netflix thriller "Monica O My Darling," the new Sooraj Barjatya melodrama "Uunchai, "and the Black Panther sequel.
Films & Writing# 12: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva return for their 11th podcast together. The topics feature movie villains, the art of comic timing, romantic comedies, the career of Shahid Kapoor and more.
Doctor G, Ram Setu
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the Hindi films DOCTOR G and Akshay Kumar's latest, RAM SETU.
Films & Writing #11: Rahul Desai and Pankaj Sachdeva
In their 11th podcast together, Rahul Desai chats with Pankaj Sachdeva about the relationship between traveling and writing, about horror cinema, and Amitabh Bachchan.
Athena, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss two of the best films of 2022 so far, Athena (Netflix) and Everything Everywhere All At Once (Theatres).
Brahmastra
Film critics Rahul Desai and Uday Bhatia discuss the biggest Hindi film of the year, Brahmastra: Part One–Shiva.
