‘A visionary and ahead of his time’
As ‘Ashad Ka Ek Din’ turns 50, it’s time to revisit Mani Kaul’s transcendental cinema and painterly minimalism
Read MoreTribute: Farooque Shaikh as the unsung Angry Young Man
The actor was celebrated for his love stories, but his ability to portray intensity and angst deserve a second look
Read MoreBawarchi: Rajesh Khanna’s uncomplicated simplicity
Anand (1971) may be Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Rajesh Khanna’s most iconic collaboration, but it is their second movie Bawarchi that remains truly special
Read MorePhalke’s Alter Ego
Maker of cult indie film Om-Dar-Ba-Dar, Kamal Swaroop has spent the last 23 years zealously researching Dadasaheb Phalke’s life
Read MoreAn Ode to Vijay Anand’s Guide
A grey-shaded hero and adulterous heroine, why the 1965 classic was ahead of its time
Read MoreMaking Celluloid from Cellulose
The difficult and often distortive experiment of making movies of books
Read MoreTragic Heroes
The anonymous lives of Bollywood lookalikes: In Hindi cinema, the job of a lookalike is not just to look like the original, but to do
Read MoreThe Cult of C-Grade Movies
This is cinema that can make a masochist wince. So how come it is acquiring fans who know—or ought to know—good cinema from bad?
Read MoreSahir’s Revolutionary Poetry
Amidst anti-CAA protests, the politically-charged ‘Jinhe naaz hai’ Pyaasa is a reminder that poets and writers have always held a mirror to the ruling order.
Read MoreHis Unstoppable Rise
What makes Ranveer Singh the most exciting leading man Bollywood has seen in a long time?
Read MoreGirls Want to Have Fun
Female agency, in recent years, has emerged as an interesting cinematic tool—and a highly profitable one
Read MoreThe Superstar Son
‘At the back of our minds is always this looming fear for his future, ‘What’s in store for Salman?’, says his father Salim Khan.
Read MoreChums in Life and Creativity
When RD Burman passed away in 1994, Gulzar lamented that a part of his soul, too, went away with his departed friend
Read MoreThe Ultimate Heartthrob
Born to movies, gone to movies: Rishi Kapoor had made a comeback recently, with newfound energy and hunger for more
Read MoreFar Too Many Gods
Around the world in 80 minutes: India’s avant-garde filmmakers recommend world cinema classics that shaped them
Read MoreRevisiting Katha (1983)
Did Farooq Sheikh play his real flirty self in 1983’s Katha? At least co-star Deepti Naval and director Sai Paranjpye think so
Read MoreA Quiet Revolution
The Writer’s World: Salim-Javed’s Zanjeer case and the good turn it may do Hindi film scriptwriters
Read MoreMr India’s Life Anthem
Mr India’s Music: If there’s one number that comes closest to being the film’s essential theme it is “Zindagi ki yehi reet hai.”
Read MoreDeols: Father and Sons
The story of Deols begins with Dharmendra. Especially, his early years, made riveting each time it is narrated by the man himself.
Read MoreA Poet of Poop
The mystery of why Joginder, father of the fabled lota dance, has fans just about everywhere. Even abroad. Ranga khush!
Read MoreThe Legacy of ‘Art Films’
Parallel cinema of the 1970s and 80s remains influential in Bollywood though chances are you will not notice it
Read MorePoor Man’s Pop Star
For years, Mithun Chakraborty has been a victim of elite prejudice — what multiplex goers call a ‘downmarket’ star
Read MoreSide Effects of Stardom
Hubris is just one aspect of fame. It triggers something within a person, affecting the outer as much as inner personality
Read MoreLooking Back: Agneepath
Once trashed as Scarface spinoff, Amitabh Bachchan’s Agneepath holds a special place in the hearts of fans today
Read MoreMost Ideal CM (EVER)
Anil Kapoor’s campy Nayak follows the rollercoaster ride of a journalist who becomes Chief Minister for a day
Read MoreNihalani’s Party
Party’s fundamental question, ‘What is the role of art (and artists) in society?’ remains just as intriguing today
Read MoreThe Miracle Maker
A new book revisits the film Amar Akbar Anthony and shines light on director Manmohan Desai’s enduring masala legacy
Read MorePuzzling Joys of Life
Gulzar-RD Burman’s ‘Tujhse naaraz nahin’ (Masoom, 1983) suggests the helplessness of human relationships
Read MoreBig B in Zanjeer
According to lore, Amitabh Bachchan had made up his mind that if Zanjeer flunked he would bundle back to hometown Allahabad
Read MoreA Student of Life
Mira Nair on being a child of the street, her need for a talisman film when shooting, and of the perversity of item numbers.
Read MoreAbout Fame and Death
Mughal-E-Azam’s ‘Teri mehfil mein’ (so multilayered and interesting) holds clues to the film, predicting Anarkali’s doomed fate
Read MoreA Poetic Injustice
Kiran Nagarkar praised Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi as “one of the finest political films.” It debunks the Leftist romanticism
Read MoreHusbands and Wives
Partners in Work and Life: A look at the complexities and comforts of Bollywood’s working couple equations
Read MoreYash Chopra’s Jukebox
Chandni (1989) came at a time when Yash Chopra was disenchanted with all the “violence” and action stuff
Read MoreOur Very Own Tarantino
Underrated most of his working life, Vijay Anand is being referenced by admirers like Sriram Raghavan and Anurag Kashyap
Read MoreInside Irrfan’s Mind
The actor (he died in 2020) discusses the effort behind his effortless performances and being an Asian hero in Hollywood
Read MoreA Serious Man
“A comedian can’t be funny all the time. From Chaplin to Mehmood, they were all serious people,” says Jaaved Jaaferi
Read More‘It’s like making daal’
“Creativity is an endless journey,” believes Pankaj Kapur. “In Noh (Japanese dance-drama), they call it ‘flowering of an actor.’”
Read MoreThrowback Deewaar
Salim-Javed have given us Zanjeer, Sholay and Don among more. But critics call Deewaar their finest hour at the movies
Read MoreCannes to Canned
“For any director, the pain of an unreleased film is similar to that of the mother of a stillborn baby,” says Shoojit Sircar.
Read MoreThe Woman with a Whip
The remarkable story of Fearless Nadia, one of Bollywood’s earliest female stunt stars, who has become a feminist icon
Read MoreA Teen Sensation
‘Papa kehte hain,’ a breakout song with which Aamir Khan found his groove, underlines youthful anxiety
Read MoreChildhood Tune
Some of AR Rahman’s best works belong to Mani Ratnam’s sensitive relationship-based films like Roja and Bombay
Read MoreWar and Poetry
Haqeeqat’s Ho ke majboor’ (written by Kaifi Azmi) finds the sweet spot between romance and pining in the time of war
Read MoreA Remembrance
The bashful actor never wanted to be a typical Bollywood hero, because a hero is a pro at self-love and vanity
Read MoreThe Rise of OTT
As 2020 ends, the story of OTT has only just begun. Here’s how it’s shaping the future of entertainment
Read MoreReal Jewel
Noir maven and Vijay Anand fanboy, Sriram Raghavan pays homage to Jewel Thief which released 50 years ago
Read MoreIndia’s Godfather
Vasan Bala who saw Nayakan before The Godfather writes about the sprawling Mani Ratnam classic
Read MoreIndian TV’s Sholay
DD’s multi-generational Buniyaad (1987) was about a family torn asunder in the aftermath of Partition
Read MorePower Play
In Bollywood, biopics are in vogue. Are audiences in search of real-life heroes in these uncertain times?
Read More1970s Numero Uno
Despite his good looks and the only voice that could match Bachchan’s, fame did not come instantly to Vinod Khanna
Read More100 Years of Ray
Satyajit Ray changed cinema with poetic realism and humanist concerns, turning the medium into an art form
Read MoreMan from Another Sky
Exploring Saadat Hasan Manto’s Bollywood years in the 1940s and his portraits (and friendships) of the matinee idols
Read MoreSoulful Voice
Just imagine the world of Bollywood playback singing if Geeta Dutt hadn’t died at a relatively young age of 41
Read MoreAn Old Coot in Love
10 years of Ishqiya’s ‘Dil toh baccha hai ji’: The Naseer-Vidya Balan number plays out like a fantasy of an old man loopy in love
Read MoreYoung Beats
Mani Ratnam at 65: Even though ‘Made in Madras’ his youthful and spry songs speak to all of urban India
Read MoreBig B: Banner Year
1981 saw seven Amitabh Bachchan releases, including his only Punjabi appearance in Walayati Babu
Read MoreThe Trojan Horse of Karnan
Dhanush’s recent films have addressed issues like land and caste politics, feudalism, injustice and police violence
Read MoreCelebrating 60 Years of James Bond
Is James Bond a suave charmer or a misogynist dinosaur, as Judi Dench’s M put it?
Read MoreMove over ‘Hallyu,’ the ‘Malyu’ is here
With their cutting-edge stories and technical virtuosity, the impact of Malayaman New Wave cinema is now being felt outside Kerala
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