Nonika Singh

The Tribune and Hollywood Reporter India

Nonika Singh is a journalist, art, and film critic of considerable repute. She has been at the forefront of covering art, culture, and entertainment extensively, with a deep passion and profound knowledge of her domain. In particular, she excels in reviewing movies and profiling well-known personalities connected to the entertainment, visual, and performing arts. She writes for leading dailies in the country, including The Tribune and The Hollywood Reporter India.

She has been honored for her contributions to building awareness of art and culture by renowned institutions. In 2001, she was conferred with the 17th Balraj Sahani Memorial Award by Punjab Kala Kendra for her earnest efforts in promoting Punjabi art and culture. She has also been felicitated by the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academy and Pracheen Kala Kendra for her coverage of art and exemplary writing.

A member of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Academy, and formerly of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademy and Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Academy, she is not only an avid follower of art in all forms but has also set many new precedents in art writing. She co-authored Contemporary Art North India, in which she created sharp pen portraits of celebrated artists and their works. More recently, she authored a unique biography of S. S. Bhatti, the former principal of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, who is a multifaceted personality.

All reviews by Nonika Singh

Sucha Soorma

History, Thriller (Punjabi)

A Sloppy Film Unworthy of the Punjabi Folk Legend

Mon, September 23 2024

Instead of hammering the audience with a convoluted sense of honour and heroism, the creators of Sucha Soorma need to look within, reflect and ponder.

Watching a Punjabi film, let alone reviewing it, even for a diehard Punjabi, comes with its own set of misgivings. Sadly enough, as we sit through Sucha Soorma — touted as famous singer-actor Babbu Maan’s comeback film after a gap of four years — doubts turn into a deep, gnawing realisation about said misgivings and a discomfiting feeling. It’s near impossible to rationalise why we are making such films in this day and age, which do not reflect upon the changing matrix of our society; or if they do, god help us. Undoubtedly, this Amitoj Maan directorial is a period film set sometime during the British rule in India, in the early 20th century, even though the only date definitively stated in the film is the year in which the hero, Sucha Soorma (Babbu Maan), was hanged. The very first scene deludes you to believe that here, perhaps, was a warrior who stood up for the downtrodden.

All FCG reviews of Sucha Soorma