Shoojit Sircar picks two Oscar-winning, slice-of-life films which say a lot with the minimum of fuss.
Even with an ongoing pandemic, theatres in many states functioning at 50 per cent occupancy, a quieter social life and fewer movies, Bollywood still managed to pack in plenty of drama and trauma, fun and festivity, love and war into the year.
'For me personally, there was nothing till Aranyak made me say, 'This is it!''
'There are no heroes, saviour or destroyers in Bombay Begums. Every character is real and believable.'
In a new series, Bollywood's towering talents, who themselves made brilliant works this year, pick their favourite show of 2021, and tell us just why they loved it.
'My mother is a lady with a lot of emotional stability and strength. And wisdom.' 'When I was younger, she would tell me that if I ever refused water to anyone, I would have to drink gutter water.' 'When I grew up, she would say, "Be liberal when you know what you are talking about, and be conservative when you don't".'
'It feels good when you are able to share your experiences and learning with someone who is willing and happy to listen and accept.' 'More than moulding him, I gave with an open heart, and Ahan was very receptive.'
'I could see the silhouettes of three men on the sixth floor.' 'I pointed them out to the NSG personnel standing beside me and suggested they take them out.' 'They did not have the clearance to fire.'
'At the end of 2020, I was insecure, going through heartbreak, filled with negativity and self-doubt.' 'I had worked so hard over the past few years and suddenly, my career was stagnant.'
'I'm usually pretty chilled and cool, but there are random moments when the brain doesn't compute and I don't stop to think.'
'Today, 25 years later, Raja Hindustani is as much a Dharmesh Darshan film as it is Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor's 'different' love story.'
As Shah Rukh Khan turns 56 on November 2, the Men In White Abbas-Mustan talk to Rediff.com Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya about the time when Khan would keep them sleepless for several nights.
'While narrating a scene to Amitji, Akshay and Tusshar, they learnt that Aishwarya was not the heroine opposite Akshay as they had presumed.' 'She had a negative role.' 'They were shocked, more so when they learnt that she didn't know this.' '"Shooting will stop midway, she won't do the film", I was warned.'
'We're 26 and every time we write a song, we try to see how we can relate it to our life's experiences or that of our friends.'
'Films like Arth don't happen again and again. They come once in a lifetime. I was lucky to make it, and I couldn't have done it without Smita and Shabana.'
'Everywhere, people would ask me why I had left films. They wanted to see more of me.' 'Their words were music to my ears.'
Popping the question to Nandita Mahtani, Commando style at an army camp while rappelling down a wall. Surrounded by 300 army men...
'I just want to up my own timing. That's the only reason I'm running.' 'I'm not thinking of who is doing what films and if I am better or worse.' 'I just want to better what I have done before.'
'He wrote a letter to his parents every night, and read the Gita every morning before going about his work.'
The good old days... Dharmendra and Jaya Bachchan's is a bonding that is special and rare in an industry where friendships are ephemeral. Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani is their sixth film together, after Guddi, Samadhi, Phagun, Chupke Chupke and Sholay.
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