Sex workers in Kamathipura, central Mumbai, tie a rakhi on the postman who brings them mail -- and this week, a gift of the Tiranga.
After years of living with his family in a poky 110 sq. ft. 'house', textile worker Sambhaji Surve dreams of moving into a home four times the size once the Maharashtra government starts its ambitious redevelopment of the 39-acre Kamathipura shanty town in south-central Mumbai. Sharing his dream are about 8,000 other families hoping for a better life when the redevelopment project, part of the government's effort to redevelop old settlements and make life more livable for some residents, gets underway. The Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party aims to redevelop BDD Chawl and Dharavi but for Surve all the matters is Kamathipura where he arrived in the 1970s from Nasik to work in a textile mill. Kamathipura was originally built 150 years ago following construction of a causeway to connect the seven islands of Mumbai. From the British Raj to post-independence, it became infamous for slums and brothels.
If Sanjay Leela Bhansali could make Mumbai's Kamathipura sparkle in Gangubai Kathiawadi, Heera Mandi is bound to be drowned in glitter, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'I've spoken to Gangubai's soul.' 'I've had long conversations with her in my mind.' 'I understood her suffering, anger, joys and sorrow.' 'I had to connect to the soul of this amazing woman.' 'I think I did.'
Some exciting news shows, some gripping sequels coming up.
'The primary set took over three months to build with 14,000-15,000 workers employed at a time.'
'We ensured that Mallikajaan's Shahi Mahal lived up to its name.' 'One zardosi panel cost around Rs 4 lakh; the one with the kalpavriksh was around Rs 5 lakh.'
The book The Silver Screen & Beyond, Up Close and Personal with the Bombay Film Industry is an interesting collection of pictures of the goings-on of the Hindi film industry.
The Pakistani starlet is busy promoting her upcoming film Zindagi 50-50, where she plays a sex worker.
'Everyone was talking about migrants, frontline workers and cops...' 'Nobody was talking about sex workers during the pandemic.'
Alia Bhatt has given a whistle-worthy performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi.
Five people, including a woman, were killed and three others were injured after a three-storey building in Kamathipura area in south Mumbai collapsed on Saturday.
Twenty-year-old Sheetal Jain is the daughter of a bar dancer and grew up in Mumbai's red light district. She is now in the US pursuing a course in drumming
'I could not adjust to the way they treat you.' 'They expect certain things from you, which I was not comfortable with.' 'Like, they expect you to wear a certain kind of clothes, even if you don't want to wear that.' 'They'll be like, just wear it, because it's such a male-dominated industry.'
'I told the lady I was two months pregnant, but that did not seem to bother her.' A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com visits the infamous cages of Mumbai's oldest red light district, Kamathipura, to find out how human trafficking has given India the awful reputation of the nation with the highest slavery rates in the world.
Even as parties continue to battle it out, here's a list of some interesting candidates who have thrown their hat into the ring. Even as parties continue to battle it out, here's a list of some interesting candidates who have thrown their hat into the ring.
'There's no point making grand plans all our lives when life itself is so fragile.'
'My film will not only be a reminder for all of us who have gone through these hellish two years, but also a reference point for future generations and for the four-five year olds who would have forgotten everything by the time they grow up.'
Joginder Tuteja looks at the Bollywood debutantes on streaming platforms.
Something in Alia has surely changed after Gangubai. Her entire performance is about proving to herself and not to the world what she can do, feels Sukanya Verma.
Social worker Rouble Nagi through her initiative 'Misaal Mumbai', has given a coat of lively colours to around 24,000 hutments across these slums.
There's a lot of action on the OTT platform this March, thanks to some interesting film and Web series coming up.
The best films are not necessarily the most successful -- that would be another list altogether -- although sometimes quality and commerce do converge.
'I knew that since I would be designing for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film, the aesthetics would have to be correct.' 'He doesn't show poverty in his films.' 'He won't show someone standing on the streets in phate hue kapde.'
'It will be very tough to create an audience for such films after the lockdown ends.'
Gentle, fiery, magnanimous or disadvantaged, there are many faces of the Bhansali heroine. Sukanya Verma looks at every single one.
'Police officers should be selected on merit and not on the basis of who is close to the political party in power.'
Olga Tellis, a legend in Indian journalism, completes 50 years as a reporter this year. A no-nonsense journalist whom politicians and officialdom took on at their peril, Ms Tellis has always been known as a hard-as-nails scribe who would ferret out the truth at any cost.
Directors Rajesh Touchriver and Sunitha Krishnan reveal the challenges and difficulties they faced in the writing, production and distribution of Naa Bangaru Talli.
'When we talk about social distancing, it almost impossible to maintain this in slums.' 'So we had to talk to the people about cleanliness.' 'It was a task because everybody uses public toilets. So our volunteers targeted those spots to spread awareness.'
Moothon's script won the Sundance Institute's Global Filmmaking Award. Geethu Mohandas's movie is now coming to a theatre near you.
A simple look at the prices of 10 media stocks during the tenure of the current government tells an interesting tale, says N Sundaresha Subramanian.
All through Moothon, you can sense Mohandas trying hard to empathise with her characters; I just wish she was interested in them, declares Sreehari Nair.
A former US military lieutenant travels to India to fight a battle of another kind. Archana Masih/Rediff.com met Robin Chaurasiya and the girls whose lives she is changing -- one day at a time.
'My journey as an actor started to evolve when Web series started blowing out in a big way.' 'I lucked out because Inside Edge was one of the first big shows so that gave me a good platform, and led to more opportunities.' 'Web series have an ensemble star cast, and the characters are well written.' 'It's not only about a hero or a villain.'
Primary school teacher Hanan Al Hroub from a refugee camp in conflict-torn Palestine has won the Global Teacher Prize for educating her students about non-violence.
Anup Patel tells Chaya Babu that he is bound by a sense of duty to help the country of his birth fight the menace of human trafficking
'When workers in other industries enjoy protection, why should sex workers not receive similar protection?' 'Sex work should be treated as work and brought under the work schedule of the labour department.' 'We will only end up giving immunity to the pimps and brothels to buy or sell human beings. This will in turn increase trafficking of young women and children.' Rashme Sehgal reports on the debate over legalising prostitution, a bugle in whose favour has been sounded by the new chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Lalitha Kumaramangalam.
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