'I don't know how long cinema will survive.'
Though Zanjeer is credited as Amitabh's breakthrough film, it didn't immediately enthrone him. Rajesh Khanna countered with a huge hit in Daag that year. But Deewar upended audience's cinematic taste and filmland hierarchies at the very start of 1975. Bachchan emerged as a one man industry, the angry young man who could regulate the thermostat of the entire film industry, recalls Dinesh Raheja.
'If you watch songs like Acha Ji Main Haari Chalo Maan Jao Na, Lag Ja Gale or Jhumka Gira Re, you'll notice they're not just a distraction. There's a story unfolding within them.'
These six male megastars have formed popular pairs with two starkly different leading ladies. Dinesh Raheja compares and contrasts the chemistry between the onscreen couples, and asks you, dear reader, to vote for your favourite jodi.
Aseem Chhabra picks his top 10 Indian films of 2024, which includes films that have had theatrical releases or are streaming on OTT.
'The moment a movie was declared a hit, he would immediately start planning his next.'
The 'Indira Gandhi award for best debut film' and the 'Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration' have been retitled with the names of the late prime minister and legendary actor being dropped as part of a raft of changes for the National Film Awards, according to a notification.
The veteran actor passed into the ages in the early hours of Friday, April 4, 2025. Sukanya Verma looks back at his most memorable performances.
'His understanding of human nature and emotions can never be matched by me.'
Veteran filmmaker Chandra Barot, best known for directing the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer 'Don', passed away on Sunday due to cardiac arrest at a hospital in Mumbai. He was 86.
Melodies that stayed on in the mind and memory are too few and far between. Except the ones that do make an impression are definitely worth celebrating for their refreshing style and substance.
'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.
'When India opened its doors to the world, moving away from an agrarian to a market economy, everything, whether life or love, was commodified.'
'Star didn't think Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was good enough to come immediately after KBC.' 'Except for Ekta, no one imagined it would become such a hit.'
'Expect an emotional dramatic film with action. Expect a world within the crime world.'
Despite the mediocrity at large, these films had me in raptures for the emotions they evoked within as a cheering audience, critic and cinephile.
'Everyone at Guru Dutt Productions would get monthly salaries. Waheeda didi would get Rs 2,500 per month. And that was the reason why she left.'
The world is celebrating Raj Kapoor's birth centenary, but when was the last time you watched an RK film?
'While shooting the Don song, Chandra Barot ordered 30-40 paans and insisted Amitabh Bachchan eat them all.'
The fifth Filmfare OTT Awards 2024 was held on December 1 in Mumbai, and it saw a lot of glamour.
It was an emotional evening for many film folk, as they won the top awards at the 25th IIFA ceremony in Jaipur.
'The largest listenership for Vividh Bharati outside the country is in Spain.' 'The labourers who go there for the tomato-picking season feel cut off from their country and listen to Vividh Bharati to overcome their loneliness.'
R Madhavan's Rocketry: The Nambi Effect has won the National Award for Best Feature Film while Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the Best Actress award for their roles in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi, respectively.
Aseem Chhabra lists his favorite 2023 films -- a healthy blend of Bollywood, Hindi indies and some of the best work that is being done in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali cinema.
Kareena has been a leading lady now for 25 years, Deepika for almost two decades and Alia for over a decade. Dinesh Raheja chronicles the changing ways Bollywood has treated actor-moms.
This isn't just a home for the elderly. It's a place where life stories, generations, and cultures weave themselves into something quietly extraordinary, discovers Nitin Sathe.
Film folk have been very busy this year, attending trailer launches and promotional events. Hitesh Harisinghani/ Rediff.com vouches for that, as he recaps 2024 with his insightful clicks.
Metro... In Dino is about modern day relationships that feel 'relatable'.
'Casting the Bachchans NOT as father and son was the toughest and the easiest part.'
'Everyone wants me to do Naatu Naatu again.'
'Whenever people say to me that all my work looks unique, I say to them originality is the art of concealing your source.' 'You can't see the sources that I take from because usually, they are Indian.' 'But then Indians don't find my work Indian.'
'Everybody goes through tumultuous times. I've been lucky and my journey has been excellent.' 'I can't complain because I've had everything and God has been kind.'
Deepa Gahlot picks the top 10 Karan Johar films -- some that he directed and others that he produced or co-produced -- that you can watch on steaming platforms.
'After I am done with cricket, my first goal is to direct a movie.'
'Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don't wait 30 years to have another Indian film.'
Through Bob Dylan's music, lyrics, and Timothe Chalamet's superb acting, we feel we have rubbed shoulders with greatness, even when it is full of flaws, self-doubts, warts and all, observes Aseem Chhabra.
Shaheed was Manoj Kumar's first patriotic success. This small-budget black-and-white film had enormous impact, besides laying the foundation for Manoj's famous flag-waving Mr Bharat image that was strengthened by a string of subsequent films like Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim and Kranti.
Picking 10 excellent performances has been difficult but the attempt is to acknowledge the work of actors, who are often overlooked in favour of stars.
While Hollywood attended the Oscars on Sunday night, film folk back home were busy getting glam for the Zee Cine Awards in Mumbai.
As we celebrate the actor's much deserved award, Divya Nair presents 10 landmark films in Suriya's career, ranked in order of performance.
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