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Harman Baweja Turns A Year Older: Tracing His Remarkable Journey From MRS To Perusu As A Visionary Producer
Bollywood

Harman Baweja Birthday Special: Tracing His Remarkable Journey From MRS To Perusu As A Visionary Producer

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Harman Baweja turns a year older today, and this year truly shows the kind of producer he’s becoming someone who backs stories with heart, honesty, and real intent. Each film he supported brought something fresh to the table, whether it was a social message, an emotional journey, or a bold creative choice. Here’s a look at the projects that shaped his year:

HAQ

A hard-hitting drama that follows a woman’s fight for justice in a system stacked against her. The film traces how she navigates pressure, bias, and power, showing how truth gets pushed aside when patriarchy takes over. Haq captures her emotional battle with a raw, grounded approach that stayed with audiences long after they left the theatre.

MRS

A quiet but powerful story that looks at the invisible emotional and domestic labour women carry within marriage. Through the everyday life of a newly married woman, the film shows how suffocating routine, expectations, and silence can be. Mrs. became a relatable and honest reflection of what many women go through behind closed doors.

Bhagwat – Chapter 1: Raakshas

A bold creative leap that blends mythology with psychology. The film dives into the old conflict of good versus evil but flips it by exploring the darkness within the human mind. With strong performances and a layered approach, it questions who the real “raakshas” is — the outer villain or the one hidden inside us.

Perusu

A quirky Tamil dark comedy that brought an unexpected flavour to Harman’s slate. The story revolves around a family trying to hide a bizarre truth about their father’s sudden death, leading to chaotic cover-ups and hilarious twists. Perusu stands out for its offbeat humour and bold storytelling style.

Chidiya Udd

A gritty, emotional story that follows 20-year-old Seher from Rajasthan, caught between the Mumbai underworld and the harsh realities of the red-light district. The film shows her struggle to survive in a world built to break her, but also her fierce determination to live life on her own terms. It shines a light on the dark corners of society while keeping Seher’s spirit and fight at the centre.

For more news and updates from the entertainment world, stay tuned to Bollywood Bubble.

Also Read: Pashmina Roshan Birthday Special: Chic Ensembles To Classy Gowns, 5 Times This Fashionista Blew Us Over With Her Signature Charm

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Doja Cat 2025
Music

Doja Cat’s 1980s Extravagance Is Remarkable on ‘Vie’ » PopMatters

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Doja Cat is an all-or-nothing pop star. In 2023, the rapper tweeted to fans, “I don’t love y’all cos I don’t know y’all.” Extremes are her medium. When Doja Cat, whose real name is Amala Dlamini, attended Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show, she wore a red body paint look covered in head-to-toe crystals. With her song “Paint the Town Red”, the absurd look captured Doja’s refined brand of camp. At that show, when the singer crossed paths with beauty mogul Kylie Jenner, who wore a lion’s head on her chest, the pair exchanged a cursory ‘Good to see you’ with each other. Their outlandish costumes were not acknowledged. 

Doja’s fifth album, Vie, French for “live”, is an about-face from its predecessor, 2023’s Scarlet. On that record, Doja sought to prove herself as a rapper, perhaps in response to a 2022 comment from Remy Ma on the podcast Drink Champs: “I don’t think [Doja Cat] is a rapper,” Remy said. While Doja did not respond directly, she tweeted, “The truth is I do tell stories, use punchlines regularly, and prioritize world play frequently. This is what rapping is by definition.”

In response, Scarlet crusaded for rap dominance, but critics said it lost the charm of Doja’s pop-infused early hits. This criticism became the jumping-off point for Vie, which rejects the notion that a need for rap credentials is the singer’s primary motive and establishes Doja as the type of star whose credibility as an artist does not rely on album-by-album critiques. Mixing 1980s pop and R&B on Vie, Doja remains an elusive, genre-bending savant. 

The record’s standout tracks fully embrace 1980s synthpop. The lead single “Jealous Type” bears no trace of another genre, giving Doja room to experiment on the other tracks, while proving the album’s thesis about versatility. The familiarity of 1980s pop brings Doja dangerously close to validating the criticism that she’s not a real rapper. However, by repackaging a maximalist genre in her seductive image, Doja turns herself into an enigma, immune to accusations of pastiche. 

A modern pop star paying homage to the 1980s is not a new idea. Taylor Swift received a synthpop makeover with 1989, and Dua Lipa tried disco on Future Nostalgia. Why does pop keep going back to that decade? During that time, the genre became glamorous. The rock stars of the 1960s were larger than life, and the singer-songwriters of the 1970s were open-hearted and intriguing, but the 1980s made music opulent. As a result, modern celebrities are cartoonish fashion muses. At the 2023 Met Gala, in honor of Karl Lagerfeld, Doja dressed as a cat and “Meow” -ed during interviews. 

While Vie’s main throughline is the 1980s, other elements surface. In “Acts of Service”, Doja Cat’s sultry vocals glide over a laconic R&B soundscape, while dreamy synths allude to the album’s central motif. A psychedelic guitar riff opens “Make It Up”, a trap-inspired plea for forgiveness where indifference becomes a means of seduction. In the irreverent “AAAH MEN!”, Doja recounts a litany of lovers’ shortcomings, but does not wallow. The ease of her delivery over a rapid bassline suggests that any former pain is no longer worth considering. 

The rap verses and catchy chorus of “Gorgeous” tie the album together, reconciling Doja’s nature as a hip-hop provocateur and pop hitmaker. The song’s music video is a parody of a cosmetics commercial, starring Doja alongside models Alex Consani and Anok Yai. The video is sumptuous and luxurious, featuring panoramic shots of glistening bottles of product and close-ups of the stars’ faces.  

The video accomplishes several purposes. Firstly, it continues the album’s 1980s references by depicting the over-the-top beauty trends of that decade. Secondly, it examines Doja’s place in pop. A frequent front-row presence at fashion shows, Doja Cat embodies the marriage of fashion and pop culture. Similarly, her celebrity stemmed from the union of music and the internet. By satirizing commercialized beauty, Doja Cat portrays herself as glamorous while upholding the cultural change that produced her: beauty must be contextualized to have meaning. 

Unlike other celebrities, Doja does not set boundaries with the public to create a mystique. Instead, she critiques the absurdity of her platform. “I got surgery ’cause of the scrutiny,” she admits in “Gorgeous”. “Vegas”, a song Doja recorded for the 2022 biopic Elvis, embodies the main accomplishment of Vie by interpolating the melody of Elvis’ “Hound Dog” over a trap beat. By referencing pop so overtly, Doja finds her own place within the genre. 

At the 2024 Met Gala, Doja Cat and Kylie Jenner crossed paths again, this time in a not-so-polite manner. Instead of a courtesy greeting, red-carpet footage showed Jenner cast a judgmental up-and-down glance in Doja’s direction. Pop culture is like an arena where celebrities utilize various creative media to further their self-expression. As a title, Vie does not have a clear thematic connection to the album’s contents. Is it meant to imply that Doja Cat is living her best life? Given the star’s inscrutable persona, pulling off an extravagant album is a remarkable accomplishment. No matter what criticism she is responding to, Doja Cat lands on all fours. 

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