For those who whine that we don't make cinema like Hollywood does, this week should be heartening. Thanks to the power of Karan Johar who has backed it with his name, The Ghazi Attack - on how the Indian navy blew up a Pak submarine in the Bay of Bengal in 1971 - attracts a fair amount of attention. Despite a few flaws (like clumsy dubbing), it's a dramatised (and fictionalised) piece of war history that needed to be showcased on celluloid. It also makes an impact because of first-rate actors like Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni and hunk Rana Daggubati wearing our naval uniforms. Surprisingly, there's a first-time director called Sankalp who has captained this underwater war between two submarines like a champ.

Another important slice of Indian cinema quietly entered the theatres, once again with a first-timer as director. But it has veterans actors such as Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Divya Dutta. More than anything else, pretty Aparnaa Singh, who was better known as a behind-the-scenes writer for filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, has written and directed Irada with the force the theme required.

Did you know that a cancer train actually runs in Punjab? I didn't and Irada , which weaves thriller-fiction with hard facts about eco-terrorism that's rampant and causing an alarming rise in cancer cases in Punjab, throws up more such vital information.

The bigwigs of Delhi are seeing it as it should be seen - a social issue that needs to be addressed. A motley mix - Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, health minister J.P. Nadda's wife Mallika, MP Vivek Tankha, senior RSS member Govindacharya and Parihar, chairman of the National Pollution Control Board - watched it together. There's a whisper that many more politicians have asked for special screenings of Irada . Hopefully they won't turn it into a brownie point a la Udta Punjab.

Both The Ghazi Attack and Irada deserve tax-exemption for their historical and social relevance, respectively.

There's a disturbing wave sweeping through the film industry. The country watched and criticised Karan Johar when he struck a deal with Raj Thackeray to facilitate a crease-free Diwali release for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil . The same "How could he" exclamations were heard when Shah Rukh Khan got a thumbs up from Thackeray before the release of Raees. While one agrees that only a censor certificate should ensure the smooth running of any film and extra-constitutional powers should not be permitted to disturb it, why do only politicians come under this scanner?

What has escaped notice is that Akshay Kumar's Jolly LL.B 2 could also reach the theatres only after a group of lawyers watched, recommended cuts and then "allowed" its release. The cuts were listed by the lawyers as if they constituted a censor board of their own. Isn't it time we decried extra-constitutional "authorities" of all types - political, legal, religious and social? Why should only the Khan and Thackeray moves be lampooned?

KJo figures again in a passing thought on World Radio Day last week, when one had to pay tribute to 84-year-old friend Ameen Sayani. The recent remix of Tamma tamma for Dharma Productions' Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya has revived memories of Ameen's golden voice. Considering he recorded his lines for the number just two weeks ago, it shows just how ageless he is. When Karan called him and said, "Ameen Uncle, you have to do this number for me," he asked with alarm, "You want me to sing?" Karan quickly said, "Nahin , bolna padega," a request that was right up Ameen's street.

With Tamma tamma getting over 25 lakh hits, Ameen remarked, "It has somehow become a hit. God has been kind to me."

And to us for all the talent we've seen all week.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and author