Almost every film today is part of some universe or the other. You can no longer watch a film and just be done with it: the viewer must now prepare to watch a film like the homework they were assigned in school, gobbling up the back-catalogue to better inform themselves about a film. Even stories that appear to have ended have sequels and prequels and what not.

As Paddington in Peru commences its international rollout, I thought the time was apt to release this episode, which has been in the cans since last June. A combination of bad luck, a wedding, transcontinental relocation, and a return to university meant this was delayed beyond reasonable time. One of my guests was rather gracious and gave me the benefit of the doubt; the other will likely complain about this just before we record an episode to discuss the millionth Disney live-action remake.

This episode is an all-Young Critics' Lab panel, with the senior alum position being assumed by Dhruv Krishna Goyal of the Class of 2020 while Prakhar Patidar and I of the Class of 2023 bring newer, less grouchy views.

[VOB]

The Guests:

1. Prakhar Patidar holds a Master's degree in English Literature and has donned numerous hats whilst walking the line between criticism and academia: she has been a festival programmer, a director's assistant, and a researcher, among other things. Her work has featured in Poems India and the Cut, and Print! newsletter on Substack. You can follow her on ⁠Instagram⁠.

2. Dhruv Krishna Goyal holds a Master’s in Cinema Studies from the fabled New York University (aka NYU), spends his time writing about cinema at ⁠⁠In Review Online⁠⁠ and on his blog “⁠⁠Terminal Cinema⁠⁠”, and co-edits the podcast “⁠⁠Queen is Dead⁠⁠”. Follow him on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

The Host:

Varun Oak-Bhakay has a Master’s in English Literature and the written word – consumption and production of it – is still rather close to him, but he’s had a fascination with cinema since the mid-2010s, which has led to a blog (“⁠⁠Cinephile Stock⁠⁠”), a newsletter that he hopes to revive (“⁠⁠Dispatches from a Dark Room⁠⁠”), and now this podcast. You can follow his interactions with cinema on ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠ and on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ as well.

Works Cited:

1. “Queen is Dead” Livestream: ⁠Hit Man
2. Audio excerpts from The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Paddington, The Jungle Book, Barbie, and The Archies are used under the “Fair Use Provisions” of the Indian Copyright Act.