'At times when the pressure, glitz and glam felt horribly garish, there he was with no pretences or guile. A sweet reminder that life is about the real things not the fluff.'
Dinesh Raheja salutes Sandhya, the acclaimed dancer who passed into the ages on October 4.
Even after 50 years, Sholay remains a lasting reminder of unity, shared memories and the joy of cinema, notes Mohammad Asim Siddiqui.
'The LTTE were the pioneers of that.'
If the only superpower, which calls India an ally, sees the region through an India-Pakistan prism, it is unacceptable. Rather than endorse India's sphere of influence, this undermines it, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Subhash K Jha remembers his conversations with movie legend Manoj Kumar, who passed into the ages on April 4, 2025.
'On the governmental level, we are saying all the right things, like beti bachao, beti padhao. Yet, a High Court judge in Prayagraj, who is highly educated, has studied the Constitution and its laws, says breaking the naada of a pyjama or touching the breasts of a minor girl is not part of the reform process. Just giving lip service is not enough, the general mindset has to change.'
'Thanks to Chhaava's success, I now have the creative freedom to pick and choose.'
'I never want to play a character that sends out the wrong message.'
'I told him I would send the food to his hotel, he said, "No, I want to experience the hospitality".' 'He came and sat and I just kept staring.' 'He said, "Tu baith mere saath".' 'When I sat down with him we both looked up at the glass ceiling. And do you know what we saw?'
'Fauji jo hain, woh desh sambhalta hain, border sambhalta hain, hum shehar sambhalte hain (Soldiers protect the country, the border, we protect the city).'
'I may not have accrued a large bank balance, but I think I've earned something far valuable. Respect.' 'That's what Andaz Apna Apna brought me, and I wouldn't exchange that respect for any amount of money in the world.'
'It was the heat that did it. Shah Rukh had very high fever and they had to rush him to the hospital.'
'My trajectory right now is five steps forward, two steps backwards.'
'Arrey Viru, pehle wala thigh pad diya tha kya? Itna bada bat laga hain. Ek toh idhar do zero ho gaya hain.'
'That comparison, "Oh look at Vicky, do you also see yourself being that successful in life?"' 'Vicky has seen a lot and done a lot and he is where he is. I feel really happy about it.' 'But I have my own journey.'
Forty four years after Mohammed Rafi's untimely demise on July 31, 1980, at the young age of 55, the singer's work continues to enjoy a musical afterlife on radio, television and modern streaming channels.
'My respect for Irrfan has grown 100 times now when he is no longer with us.'
The Janata Dal-United leader maintained that having taken the initiative to bring parties opposed to the Bharatiya Janata Party, he desired nothing for himself but admitted having stressed at the meeting the need to expedite seat-sharing arrangements.
'It has never happened that all Top 5 songs on Spotify are from one film. On the Ormax list, the Top 9 are from Animal.' 'The music is good, sure. But everything has taken off with Animal the film.'
'OTT is the future.' 'We are here to create new markets in the world, cater to international audiences.'
'He not only immerses himself into the character, but he wears it.' 'He does not let even a fragment of himself show while he's playing the part.'
'See, nobody asked "Michael Jackson arrey, aap aaj kal toh filmon mein nahi gaate ho".' 'The problem is in India, a lot of undue importance is given to film singing.'
'There are times when I've gone back to my hotel room and cried about what they were doing to my character.' 'They want you to lower your performing ability in accordance with your co-actor.' 'They alter the script, change your character... that's when the real anger sets in.'
I spent almost all my life trying to figure out how anyone could express so many shades of human feeling in her voice, wonders Subhash K Jha.
'This trope must have been taken in 30 films.' 'The rogue agent is a common trope and not something unique.'
'So let's have fun with it. Let's do something that nobody is expecting.'
'Since both Ram Charan and NTR Jr are dancing in this song, I don't want one of them to feel one up.'
'ABCL was almost bankrupt, Amit's house was mortgaged...'
'If I had a chance to live it all again, I wouldn't change a thing.'
'At the end of the day, we are all humans.'
'Is this man crazy?' the postmaster asked. 'Yes, who? Ali, na? Yes, saheb. Five years have passed and, no matter the weather, he comes to collect a letter. It's very rare for him to receive a letter,' the clerk replied.
'The self-censoring process came from my heart, not my head.'
'There is always so much to learn from Aamir sir.'
'A friend of mine said she grew up not liking cricket. She hated cricket.' 'But she said when I was watching your film, I suddenly had a life-altering moment when I thought that if this is what cricket does to you, then have I missed out on a large part of my life?' 'I got tears in my eyes when I read that.'
The European debt crisis is possibly even bigger than the American one. But just what is the crisis all about? Here's a dummies guide to it. Read on . . .
'I used to go to Sanjay Dutt, give him the scene, and then act it out.' 'He would say, 'Arrey, Girishbhai kar lunga'.' 'But I would insist: 'Nahin, main karke dikhane chahta hoon'.' He said this was the first time in his career that someone was acting out the scene for him!'
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