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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

Ep965: Spotlight India: ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI (2023)

Ep965: Spotlight India: ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI (2023)

Ian Simmons

Spotlight India shines a little brighter this Valentine's Day by teaming up with IndieRise for this review of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani!

Filmmaker and friend of the show, Shashwat Mookherjee, returns to discuss Karan Johar's blockbuster 2023 romantic comedy, which centers on two people from opposite cultural, political, and economic backgrounds who must try and resolve a decades-old affair involving their grandparents. Rocky (Ranveer Singh) is the vapid heir to a sweets empire (think "trust fund Zoolander); Rani (Alia Bhatt) is a crusading news anchor who sees right through Rocky's ego and idiocy. So of course they'll end up together!

But this isn't your run-of-the-mill rom-com: Rocky Aur Rani is a lively, brilliant homage to Bollywood, a hilarious comedy, and at times a stirring, sentimental drama. It also has some heavy-handed messaging that Ian didn't quite connect with, and the guys get into all of that (and more) in this spoilerific review!

Plus: Shashwat talks about his involvement with IndieRise, the new social platform that helps connect filmmakers and film lovers to make (and appreciate) great new art!

Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel, and check out kickseat.com for multiple movie podcasts each week!

Show Links

  • Watch the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani trailer.

  • Join the awesome virtual community of filmmaking obsessives at IndieRise!

  • Watch Shashwat's documentary, Breaking Barriers, on the IIT Madras BS Film Society YouTube channel!

  • Watch Shashwat's short films on YouTube (and be sure to subscribe!).

  • Follow IIT Madras BS Film Society on Instagram.

  • And catch up with previous "Spotlight India" episodes.

Ep966: MADAME WEB (2024) - Round Table Review

Ep966: MADAME WEB (2024) - Round Table Review
Ep964: Accademia Giallo CREDITO EXTRA: Snips, Sips, and Instights from the SERGIO MARTINO Interview

Ep964: Accademia Giallo CREDITO EXTRA: Snips, Sips, and Instights from the SERGIO MARTINO Interview