'What if a ring had gotten stolen, or a gem had fallen? There were uncut diamonds, rubies and emeralds. And the security from the jewellery shop came to watch the shoot.'
Jazz City could have been enjoyable had it not been so densely over-plotted and unevenly executed, notes Deepa Gahlot.
'Despite acting in some 100 films and television plays, people still remember the daadi of Hum Log.'
Shyam Benegal passed into the ages on December 23, leaving behind a rich legacy. We look back at some interesting moments from his life.
His cinema of compassion inspired me, gave me tools to develop empathy for others. But it also made me understand that serious, socially committed cinema with deeply engaging narratives and great performances is an art form to admire, appreciate and explore. Aseem Chhabra remembers Shyam Benegal, who passed into the ages on Monday evening.
'If there is one thing Shyam Benegal expressed best: It was the Poetry of the ordinary face and ordinary lives.'
'With his passing, Indian cinema has lost its most undaunted voice, a voice of unsettling truths, a window to history, a school of filmmaking.'
Deepika Padukone's sister Anisha is all set to wed Rohan Acharya, filmmaker Bimal Roy's great-grandson.
Om Puri would have been 75 in October. We look back at his early years through these 16 pictures from his life.
As Shyam Benegal turns 89 on December 14, Subhash K Jha takes a look at 10 of his best films and tells you where you can watch them.
This weekend, we lost Diane Keaton, that piece of American heart, Hollywood's darling hummingbird. Thank God she is still alive in her films. Aseem Chhabra on the Hollywood star he was in love with.
'On the set, he was this big personality, the great Om Puri. But at home, he was like a fluffy teddy bear.'
'They are clueless about the man on the currency notes.' 'They have been fed with WhatsApp forwards, so either Gandhi is vilified or deified. There's nothing in between.'
The festival's People's Choice Award, voted by the audience, is a strong indication of films that can eventually be nominated and even win Oscars. Twelve of the last 15 People's Choice winners have received Best Picture Oscar nominations.
'So my question was, 'What is it that you are proud of? What have you achieved? What is your contribution?' 'He had no answer.'
Shyam Benegal, the shining beacon of the Indian cinema, was laid to rest on Tuesday around 3 pm with full state honours and a three-gun salute at Shivaji Park, central Mumbai.
'The way the anticipation is built up for Gabbar Singh's introduction scene with sound, image and details of his personality, like the combat boots he wears.' 'The camera comes so close -- not a tele lens shot, but a wide-angle close-up -- that you can almost smell Gabbar's breath.'
'He was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations.'
'I find his sense of history astounding, not just history of film, but of life in general.' Another fascinating excerpt from Sangeeta Datta's book Shyam Benegal.
'I don't know how long cinema will survive.'
'Shyam babu, you will always be with us through your films, your laughter and your wise and kind words.'
'He treated stars and assistants with the same unfailing courtesy.'
'...Shyam had not given me the roles he did.'
'Being in his company was learning at every moment.'
Actors, directors and admirers mourned legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal on Saturday evening.
Sukanya Verma looks at instances of aristocrats falling for commoners on the silver screen.
'The pain of not having a home is bearable, but the pain of having one -- and not finding peace in it -- is far worse.'
'I am not a mother and never had an abortion either, so I had to understand motherhood and child loss from anecdotal experiences of others.'
'Naseer does not have the sense of humour that Om Puri has. 'Also Om has a great deal of compassion as a human being. Naseer was too focused on his own self.' A fascinating excerpt from Sangeeta Datta's book, Shyam Benegal.
'Each of us will have a beautiful story to tell about him because he went beyond work and touched our lives. That's a rarity in this industry.'
'After Om's untimely demise, he would call us every Sunday for the next two years to ask, "How are you doing my dear? How's the young fella?"'
'He had a continuing interest in life, people, and the society in which he lived,' remembers Shyam Benegal, who collaborated with the polyglot playwright and actor through the 1970s and remained his friend for more than five decades.
'I have never met anyone so knowledgeable and with so much conviction, so much humility about everything he knew.'
The director has made 22 films and won 46 awards in India and abroad.
P K Mishra, a retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is currently serving as the principal secretary to the prime minister.
'I have done a one-hour film on soya bean with him!'
Reader Anil Kumar found the director very soft-spoken.
'It is a film entitled Chamki Chameli that Shyambabu wanted to make for the longest time,' says a source.
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