Bollywood Rewind

Bollywood Rewind is a weekly special that looks back at some of the best Hindi films made over the years. Its attempt is to show how these movies are still relevant to us and perhaps, as a by-product, introduce to the readers a whole series of new films to (re)discover.

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BOLLYWOOD REWIND NEWS

Rajesh Khanna and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Bawarchi caters to the biggest fantasy of the Indian audience - a family that gets along

August 07, 2022 8:42 am

In 2022, Bawarchi is 50 years old and it still caters to the same fantasy - of living with a family that's perfectly cohesive, that has risen above its domestic disputes, and where love conquers all.

Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker celebrates toxic work culture to the point that it's painful to watch

July 31, 2022 8:51 am

Mera Naam Joker's core thought of being sacrificial might have come from a place of magnanimity, but watching it now makes you think that not prioritising self-care is probably the most unhealthy trait that we have inherited.

Vidya Sinha-Amol Palekar's Rajnigandha explains why the fear of being lonely doesn't let you to get out of a bad relationship

July 16, 2022 8:12 am

The fear of being lonely has always been a relatable concept, and this core thought of Basu Chatterjee's Rajnigandha gets your attention from the start.

Gulzar's Aandhi is not just 'that film on Indira Gandhi', Sanjeev Kumar-Suchitra Sen explore how lack of ambition can ruin relationships

July 10, 2022 8:55 am

Aandhi is remembered for being 'that film based on Indira Gandhi's life' but there is more to this Sanjeev Kumar-Suchitra Sen film. The Gulzar-helmed movie released in 1975.

Raj Kapoor did Teesri Kasam for one rupee, Waheeda Rehman did it for free but the film still ruined lyricist-producer Shailendra

July 02, 2022 8:07 am

Much like its lead characters, Teesri Kasam was a victim of its fate. Because watching it today, it is hard to decipher why a film with such emotional depth, popular music and stellar actors did not get accepted 56 years ago.

Sanjeev Kumar-Rehana Sultan's National Award-winning film Dastak examines loneliness in Bombay through the prism of morality

June 25, 2022 8:06 am

Rajinder Singh Bedi's Dastak examines the idea of urban isolation for a woman who is not allowed to work, and is jailed inside her apartment.

Why Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore's Avishkaar is the antithesis of Bollywood romcoms

June 20, 2022 8:26 am

Hindi cinema has made rom-coms by the dozen, but inspecting the ugly reality of a close relationship has always made us extremely uncomfortable. Basu Bhattacharya's 1974 film Avishkaar does this in a delicate way.

When Amitabh Bachchan played a horrible husband to Nutan in 1973's Saudagar

June 05, 2022 8:38 am

Nutan and Amitabh Bachchan starrer Saudagar examines gender imbalance in marriage, where women are treated like free labour and men hold all the cards.

Sharmila Tagore's Safar has a woman suffering because the men in her life can't stop being attention seekers

May 29, 2022 10:31 am

Safar does not defend its entitled, manipulative men, but it also does not defend its faultless woman. It punishes Sharmila Tagore's Neela, for loving her work, and accepts that the only way she could prosper was by letting go of the men in her life.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Chupke Chupke was the subtle antidote to the 'angry young man' era; a balance we have forgotten today

May 15, 2022 9:42 am

The 1970s were the era of the 'angry young man' but it was also the era where every 'larger than life' hero film was balanced with a subtle, almost relatable film. For every Deewar, there was a Chupke Chupke.