Tuesday, Oct 04, 2022
Journalism of Courage
Shaikh Ayaz
Shaikh Ayaz is a contributor based in Mumbai. He writes about Bollywood.
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Shah Rukh Khan rings in 30 years in the Hindi film industry: What does he mean to Indian audiences?
For the first time in years, Shah Rukh Khan might be feeling the weight of the throne that goes by the name of King Khan. Much now depends on his upcoming films (Dunki, Pathaan and Jawan).
Sat, Jun 25, 2022
Sunil Dutt, the Bollywood godfather to Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Sanjay Dutt: His career as a serial talent-spotter
A closer peek into Sunil Dutt's extraordinary life and times reveals an unheralded role — that of a beloved godfather to Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and his own son Sanjay Dutt.
Sat, May 28, 2022
How Girish Karnad’s iconic plays have redefined Indian theatre
Remembering the thespian Girish Karnad's passion for playwriting and his significant contribution to the world of theatre on his 84th birth anniversary today.
Thu, May 19, 2022
Naved Jafri remembers dad Jagdeep: An iconic comedian who found it hard to smile after life’s tough knocks
Naved Jafri, of the TV dance show Boogie Woogie fame, shines a flashlight on the life and times of his late father, veteran comedian Jagdeep, on his 83rd birth anniversary today.
Tue, Mar 29, 2022
Aamir Khan is the perfect fit for OTT, so why is he missing on streaming platforms?
The Laal Singh Chaddha star is known for possessing a good nose for storytelling, smart marketing chops and always springing a surprise on his audiences — all the things that might make him useful on video-streaming
Tue, Mar 15, 2022
40 years of Satte Pe Satta: This Amitabh Bachchan film is one of RD Burman’s last great soundtracks
All the songs of this 1982 hit suit their setting and are choreographed with aplomb. It helps that in many of them the comic instincts of actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Paintal and Shakti Kapoor shines through, taking Rahul Dev Burman's composition to a madcap level.
Sun, Jan 23, 2022
Rajesh Khanna’s obsession with death and his songs that celebrated mystery of life
The Rajesh Khanna phenomena wouldn't have been possible without the chartbuster music that his films carried. On his 79th birth anniversary today, capturing his stupendous stardom, swift downfall and the mellifluous and melancholic music.
Wed, Dec 29, 2021
83, Lagaan, MS Dhoni: Why cricket and Hindi movies are a match made in commercial heaven
In a nation where Bollywood stars are demigods and cricketers are gods, two of India's most lucrative industries have shared a great artistic relationship that has endured. Ahead of Kabir Khan's 83, here's revisiting this match made in heaven.
Fri, Dec 24, 2021
Geeta Dutt and her relationship with Guru Dutt, love of her life and reason for her downfall
Before she became known as Guru Dutt's wife, the great songster of Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Anubhav was a more famous name. Would the world of Bollywood playback have been different if she hadn't died relatively young at 41 in 1972?
Thu, Nov 25, 2021
Kamal Haasan turns 67: Meet the actor as a dancer, one of his dasavatharam
Focusing on a lesser-known aspect of his legacy today, we look at Kamal Haasan's dancing genius and how it has illuminated many of his great roles, most spectacularly Sagara Sangamam.
Mon, Nov 08, 2021
Simi Garewal’s rendezvous with primetime: India’s Oprah who asked Rekha about Amitabh Bachchan, Jayalalithaa about MGR
Often more glamorous than the celebs she interviewed on Simi Garewal with Rendezvous, few would believe that the star of movies like Mera Naam Joker and Karz, in fact, had her roots in the Bengali avant-garde classics like Padatik and Aranyer Din Ratri.
Mon, Oct 18, 2021
Hindi cinema mirrors India’s reality: Tracing how real translated onto reel, from Independence to now
Bollywood and its changing mores: The 1950s was a time for nation-building, the '60s was swinging but by the '70s a disillusionment had crept in as captured by the angry young man aka Amitabh Bachchan. And then the economic liberalisation brought in the NRI gloss and today, it's all about how patriotic is our valley.
Wed, Oct 13, 2021
Naseeruddin Shah as Bollywood’s most blistering polemicist: Hate him, love him, you can’t ignore him
The acting guru doesn't mince words and is known to harbour strong opinions. Though despite the occasional foot in the mouth, there's a case to be made of Naseeruddin Shah as a voice of reason in the age of empty noise, political correctness or in some cases, golden silences.
Sat, Sep 25, 2021
Satyajit Ray’s ‘cruellest’ film to date, Sadgati, turns 40: The searing Om Puri starrer holds up the mirror to Dalit atrocities
Satyajit Ray asked Om Puri to walk gingerly into the priest’s house in Sadgati’s first scene. Puri didn’t know what gingerly meant, so Ray said, "When a dog or a goat enters an unknown house, he enters gingerly." That anthropomorphic instruction acquires an unsettling resonance in the film's climax.
Wed, Sep 15, 2021
When Amitabh Bachchan, the lover, lost to Amitabh, the action star: Revisiting Big B’s banner year
The year 1981 saw six Amitabh Bachchan releases (Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Naseeb, Silsila, Kaalia, Yaarana and Laawaris). Four out of these were among the year's top grossers.
Wed, Sep 01, 2021
Independence Day 2021: Bollywood’s flag-bearers of patriotic cinema, from Manoj Kumar to Akshay Kumar
India at 75: Patriotism or jingoism? A look at why the Indian flag is flying high in today's Bollywood movies, from Uri to Shershaah to Bhuj and looking back at the original Bharat Kumar.
Tue, Aug 17, 2021
Dhanush: The Trojan horse of Karnan is among the most exciting actors at work today
All of 38, Dhanush has notched up a stellar body of work so far. Even more impressively, his recent films have unambiguously addressed issues like land and caste politics, feudalism, exploitation, inequality, injustice and police violence.
Thu, Jul 29, 2021
On Guru Dutt’s 96th birth anniversary: Why the Master of Gloom fascinates us even today
The maker of iconic Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ke Phool died when he was only 39. Though he made few films and according to many accounts, led a depressed life he continues to intrigue decades after his death.
Sat, Jul 10, 2021
The enduring greatness of Dilip Kumar and what he means to Hindi cinema
Jaaved Jaaferi shares his memories of spending time with Dilip Kumar in the 1990s and what makes the Devdas star a benchmark in Hindi cinema. Dilip Kumar passed away on Wednesday at the age of 98.
Wed, Jul 07, 2021
Who will finish Sushant Singh Rajput’s sweet song of life now?
A year after Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, the flame of his death remains very much alive. We revisit a number of his films to see what his most popular characters tell us about him.
Mon, Jun 14, 2021
Mani Ratnam at 65: Made in Madras, his superb songs enthral all of urban India
The Mani Ratnam-Ilaiyaraaja-AR Rahman combo has created a gold-standard repertoire of Tamil-Hindi film soundtracks. As realistic as Ratnam's films are, his songs are the absolute opposite — illogical, grand and dream-like. Presenting a quick guide to his music.
Wed, Jun 02, 2021
India’s DeMille: Remembering Mehboob Khan on his 57th death anniversary
We know him as the ambitious maker behind Bollywood's greatest ode to Indian womanhood (1957's Mother India) and perhaps as the founder of Mumbai's iconic Mehboob Studio. But Mehboob Khan was more than that.
Fri, May 28, 2021
Before Radhe The Most Wanted Bhai, tracing Salman Khan’s evolution from loverboy to punchy showman
The mounting court cases, string of flops, the ultimate bad boy image — despite the many downs, Salman Khan has rolled on over the decades. If the Salman Khan of early years was a shy charmer, today he's a box-office juggernaut and a demigod of Hindi movie masses. Here's decoding the 'Bhai' myth.
Wed, May 12, 2021
100 years of Satyajit Ray: Manikda and the little songs of his cherished road
The centenary celebrations of India's greatest filmmaker have begun in earnest. Born on this day in 1921, Satyajit Ray changed cinema with poetic realism and humanist concerns, turning the medium into an art form.
Sun, May 02, 2021
Jallianwala Bagh’s 102nd anniversary: Looking for traces of the massacre in Bollywood
More than a century ago, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre shook the nation and the world. Here's how the firing on unarmed innocents has been shown in films.
Wed, Apr 14, 2021