This Week In Culture: 'The Great Shamsuddin Family', Carnatic Crossover Music, & More

My dad’s been visiting me in Bengaluru for the past week, and while introducing me to the Airbnb owner, he said, “Oh, this one’s a Bangalorean.” It sounded a little jarring, because as someone who moved to this city a little over three years ago, I never thought I’d feel like I truly belonged here.

I spent the first year and a half of college wanting to just finish my degree and rush back home to Pune. And then something shifted. I don’t quite know what it was — maybe the weekly visits to Thom’s Bakery with my friends for sugar doughnuts, or trips to Basavanagudi to visit my aunt and shop at Gandhi Bazaar — but slowly, I started falling in love with the city.

What my dad said made me think about what it really means to belong to a city. Is it measured in years, or in experiences: like crying on the metro because nothing seems to be working out, or sitting quietly and watching the sun set at the UB City amphitheatre?

And once you begin to belong, do you lose your claim to somewhere else? Because I still love being Puneri too; my afternoon naps are non-negotiable. So where does that leave me?

I don’t quite know. But cities have a way of shaping you, quietly and irreversibly. I owe a lot of who I am to Namma Ooru, and even if it isn’t mine by birth, I am completely its own. Feeling rooted, however loosely, matters in a world that can feel wild, painful, and still deeply beautiful.

Which is why, for This Week in Culture, we’re looking at stories like The Great Shamshuddin Family, which ask us to see people beyond easy labels, and events like BLR Hubba, where a city reveals just how many multitudes it can hold.

Here’s what we have for you this week:

'The Great Shamsuddin Family' Is An Honest Portrayal Of Modern Muslim Indian Identity 

'The Great Shamsuddin Family' is a film about an upper middle class Muslim family in Delhi, capturing a tumultuous 24 hours in the Ahmed household. By placing a regular desi Muslim family in the centre of its narrative, with its own politics, drama and chaos, the film diverges from the everyday narratives of what a Muslim in contemporary India should look like. As Disha puts it, “By grounding its politics in domestic life, it attempts to strip away the distance that nationalist propaganda films often create between 'us' and 'them' and neutralise the fear that has been cultivated around Muslim existence in the public imagination.” Read more here.

‘Little Fishies’ Reflects On How Societal Norms Shape Grief In Indian Families

Little Fishies, a short film by Mallika Juneja portrays the grief and confusion one faces when they lose a loved one. We watch two sisters navigate losing their father at an extremely tender age, and how their mother tries to keep their family together even after such a profound loss. The film explores how difficult it can be to create familial and social structures that defy conventional norms of South Asian culture. Read more here.

Feel The Rising Tide Of Carnatic Crossover Through The Music Of 5 Homegrown Artists 

Carnatic Music has remained an integral part of the South Indian cultural framework and has been around since the 14th century. And now with a very unique texture and tone, Carnatic music is taking new and innovative forms through artists like Sid Sriram, Motherjane and Thaikuddam Bridge. These artists are mixing the rhythm and tonality of RnB, jazz, rock and metal with the Carnatic music framework to bring together two distinct worlds. Read more here.

‘Oochie Wally Freeverse’ By Paal Dabba And Vengayo Is The Perfect Track To Ease Into The Summer

With its dynamic moving camera and strikingly vivid visuals, “Oochie Wally Freeverse” by Paal Dabba and Vengayo makes the most of a small, intimate setting. Set largely within a modest house, the music video cleverly maximises its space, turning everyday corners of the small house into a site of movement and rhythm.The track draws deeply from the artists’ Tamil sensibilities, blending them seamlessly with hip-hop swagger to create a sound that feels both rooted and contemporary. Watch it here.

How BLR Hubba Is Turning Bengaluru Into A Living Cultural Map

The BLR Hubba is transforming every corner of this sprawling metropolis into a vibrant cultural site. With events spread across the city, the festival captures the many rhythms of Bengaluru, its music, dance, food, theatre, and much more. From intimate performances to large public showcases, there’s truly something for everyone, inviting residents and visitors alike to experience the city in all its diversity. The BLR Hubba runs from 16 to 25 January, turning Bengaluru into a celebration of art, culture, and community. Learn more here.

Dibrugarh University's Literature Festival Is Putting Assam On The World's Literary Map

Across borders, languages, and lived experiences, the Dibrugarh University International Literature Festival brings together stories that explore memory, belonging, and change. Returning for its third edition from 18 to 21 February 2026 at Dibrugarh University, the festival features writers whose work reflects literature’s power to make sense of personal and collective histories. British author Ann Morgan expands ideas of culture and empathy through her global reading project The World Between Two Covers. South Korean novelist Kyung-sook Shin examines family, regret, and unseen sacrifice in Please Look After Mom, while Djiboutian writer Abdourahman Waberi brings post-colonial and diasporic perspectives into global  conversation. Learn more here.

From The Team Behind Echoes Of Earth Comes An Immersive Art, Music, & Tech Festival

Running from 5 to 22 February 2026 at Alembic City, Whitefield, The Sixth Sense brings immersive art, sound, and technology into a shared public space. Featuring large-scale installations and international collaborations, the festival explores ecological fragility, resilience, and humanity’s impact on the planet. Highlights include Adrift by Sasha Kojjio and Alisa Davydova, a generative audiovisual work simulating melting glaciers, and The Banyan Tree by Stephen Bontly, which uses interactive light and sound to reflect on interdependence. Recognised as a UN Ocean Decade Activity, Sounds of the Ocean places audiences within underwater soundscapes, alongside India’s first TouchDesigner sessions in collaboration with The NODE Institute. Learn more here.

Inside BARE: A Mumbai Cocktail Bar That Doubles As An Art Gallery

Bringing together art and food, BARE Bombay has something for everyone. From a cocktail bar to a curated collection of contemporary art with collectible designs, BARE is redefining what third spaces should look like in our cities. Evaluating the evolving trend of art spaces in India, Drishya writes, “For years, India’s art and culinary ecosystems existed in parallel, tied to formal venues and specialised audiences. Today, the boundaries have softened. Art appears not only in galleries but in cafés in Kochi, cocktail bars in Bangalore, hotel lobbies in Jaipur.’ Read more here.

How Naked & Famous Is Rethinking Cocktails Through Craft, Not Pretence

Naked & Famous, Bengaluru is India’s first octagonal bar where drinks are made without any pretence. Divided into four stations, Built, Stirred, Shaken, and Neat, the space is built around the techniques of crafting a drink, instead of the spirit used. Accompanied with delicious bites from their global menu, Naked & Famous always ends the night by serving each customer with a takeaway cup of chicken or mushroom soup, ensuring that nobody leaves the bar too hungry or too drunk.

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