Pran lived a full life, entertaining and scaring the hell out of many people, writes Aseem Chhabra, in his tribute to the legendary actor who passed away on July 12.
Farhan Akhtar's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag does not offer anything new
It reminds us why we like to watch films, writes Aseem Chhabra.
'I come from a country of colours. India is one of the most colourful countries in the world and that was true long before the Incredible India campaigns designed to entice Western tourists to India,' says Aseem Chhabra.
Here was this filmmaker, who has won so many awards, including a couple of Oscars, and there was not an ounce of arrogance in him, says Aseem Chhabra.
Aseem Chhabra remembers writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who together with filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, brought many a quiet, gentle tale to life.
Filmmaker Sourav Sarangi about his film, Char: The No Man's Island.
Indian-British filmmaker Amit Gupta speaks to Aseem Chhabra about combing his love for food and cinema
Aseem Chhabra is sure that Argo will win the Best Picture at Oscars but he still doesn't like the film. Here's why.
Kai Po Che works because of its earnest and very talented cast.
New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) showcased The Clock, a meticulous effort showing clocks and watches from thousands of films from the last 100 years of cinema.
It is all too easy to blame Bollywood, notes Aseem Chhabra, just as many politicians are now saying that young women should not step out late at night or wear Western clothes, suggesting that leads some men to become rapists.
'He spent his lifetime writing about Africa, supporting the continent's desires to stand up against injustice. Watching him work, I learned to be tolerant, secular and liberal, values that now define who I have become.' Aseem Chhabra pays tribute to his father Hari Sharan Chhabra, one of India's foremost experts on Africa.
'I had naively believed that for the rape-related crisis to be resolved, the young protestors would have walked along with the police, with the hope of eventually working out issues with the elected officials and the law enforcement personnel. The protest I participated in the morning was hijacked later in the afternoon by self-serving politicians and people who perhaps had other agendas to pursue,' Aseem Chhabra notes in this first person account of what happened.
'My heart skipped a beat as I saw myself on the giant screen. I have watched the film a few times since then. And I can still see my face in that brief shot, immortalised like the rest of the film.'
Aseem Chhabra feels Talaash is an intelligent film but falters towards the end.
Three very different kinds of Diwali songs from Bollywood films
Despite certain flaws the film is watchable.
For Aseem Chhabra Yash Chopra's last film, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, signals the end of an era in Bollywood.
Aseem Chhabra salutes legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra.
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