This Week In Culture: From Kanu Behl’s ‘Agra’ To Art Mumbai 2025 And More

I cannot physically fathom that November is already half-way over, and soon December will be upon us — and before we know it, it’ll be January again. And yes, I know that such is the unalterable and undefiable nature of time, but this year has felt like two years. I was a college student in January 2025, in what I can only describe as a toxic relationship with ambition, and now, eleven months down the line, I am, well, not a student anymore. It’s both a bane and a boon, and ambition and I are just starting to become friends.

Another random and completely unplanned aspect of the year was that most of the books I read were somehow about love. And as someone who has gone through a range of heartbreaks this year — romantic, platonic, and professional — my relationship with love has ebbed and flowed. There were a couple of months where I completely denied myself the feeling, and then I read this book called 'The Forty Rules of Love' by Elif Shafak. The one thing I took away from it was that love, in any and all its forms, is the closest we get to experiencing divinity, and denying ourselves that is sheer stupidity.

So anyway, this year felt like a giant stretch — the kind that feels bad in the moment but you know you'll thank yourself for later, because that stretch keeps you from being sore. Yeah, something like that. This year was the stretch I needed after the three years of intense cardio that some call college.

Maybe that’s why the things we have in our bulletin this week, like Jatin Kampani's photoseries 'Stars Of A Quiet Struggle’, all seem to echo the same sentiment: the idea of slowing down, and looking closer to find small pockets of meaning in our everyday.

Here’s what we have for you this week:

Art Mumbai

Taking place at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse from 13 to 16 November, Art Mumbai, 2025 is hosting works of legends like Tyeb Mehta and Krishan Khanna. This year focuses on India’s contemporary art roots and the effects of Progressives like M.F. Hussein, S.H.Raza on modern art, against the backdrop of the city of continuous transformation and renewal: — Mumbai. 

Read Homegrown’s Guide to Art Mumbai 2025 here.

23rd Street Pizza Is Bringing A Slice of New York City To Bengaluru

The journey of 23rd Street Pizza, from a random idea that emerged out of reheating day-old delivery pizza to becoming one of Bengaluru’s most popular pizzerias, has been nothing short of fascinating. As you step into the restaurant, you feel like you’re walking into a slice of New York City, with its neon red LED lights and a subway-station-like vibe that make it perfect for your Saturday night plans. 

Read more about them here.

A Homegrown Guide To The Best 'After Hours' Culinary Experiences Across The Country

Explore the ‘After Hours’ experiences across the country. From Blondie, Mumbai to Nutcase, Kolkata, these culinary escapades are seeing the artists behind the bar and the kitchen come together to create something that transcends the usual boundaries of food and drinks. This is a nightlife experience where food certainly won't play second fiddle to the drinks.

Read the whole guide here.

‘Agra’ By Kanu Behl

‘'Agra', which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2023 and received international festival acclaim, is an unsparing drama about a cramped household and the corrosive forces that live in it. Set in a small Agra house, the story follows Guru, a twenty-five-year-old who shares a room with his mother while his father keeps a mistress on the floor above.’ Read Disha’s full review here.

Kauaʻi ʻōʻō by Parvaaz

Parvaaz’s latest single, ‘Kauaʻi ʻōʻō’ samples the last known and recorded bird call of the Hawaiian species, drawing parallels between the extinction of a species with the grief of losing someone you love. The song, accompanied with a music video directed by Afshan Hussein Sheikh which personifies grief with dance. What results is a melody that captures the emotional trepidation that comes with coping with death. 

Read more about the song here.

In Bloom: Shipra Bhattacharya's Art Of Quiet Resistance & Perpetual Becoming

Marking her return to New Delhi after ten years, Shipra Bhattacharya’s 'In Bloom' at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Bikaner House, spans five decades of her artistic journey. The exhibition is on view from November, 15-23, 2025, and positions her figurative work within the broader landscape of Indian art, where introspection itself becomes an act of resistance.

Read more about the exhibition here.

'Stars Of A Quiet Struggle’ Highlights The Resilience & Poetry Of Mumbai’s Contradictions

In his newest photoseries, Jatin Kampani captures the parts of Mumbai that define the city beyond its glitz and glamour, focusing instead on the perseverance of everyday mundanity. Shot on a Fujifilm RF 100, the series serves as a tribute to Mumbai, lifting the veil on urban India to reveal the humanity embedded in endurance and the continuous act of trying to 'make it'.

Read more about the series here.

If you enjoyed reading this here's more from Homegrown:

Dhammada Collective Shows Us How Indigenous Knowledge Leads To Better Architecture

Noor Ul Ain’s Art Reimagines Leisure As A Language Of Feminine Freedom

A City Of Bats: 'Batman and the Baavali' Spotlights Bengaluru’s Nocturnal Residents