National-award winning actor, producer, hotelier, ex-politician, cricket team owner, philanthropist, highest tax payer, reality show judge, animal lover and, above all, people's hero -- Mithun Chakraborty -- who has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award -- is truly a force of nature, notes Sukanya Verma.
'Panchamda created an exclusive theme music for Gabbar Singh, which is used throughout the film every time the dacoit makes an appearance, and in both concept and sound, is so eerie and evil.'
'The way Helen ma'am grooves, she's so seductive.'
'Personalities are temporary, policies provide for stability.' 'With the former, when personalities change so does the nature of the relationship.' 'Policies and structures, on the other hand, are idiot-proof, as well as maverick-resistant,' explains Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'The way the anticipation is built up for Gabbar Singh's introduction scene with sound, image and details of his personality, like the combat boots he wears.' 'The camera comes so close -- not a tele lens shot, but a wide-angle close-up -- that you can almost smell Gabbar's breath.'
Arjun Menon celebrates his 70th birthday on August 22 by looking at his most memorable films.
'I wouldn't change a single shot even if I could, the film is just perfect even with a supposedly flawed script!' Celebrating Sholay's 50th anniversary on August 15 with a special series, where contemporary film folk analyse the cult classic.
'Sholay had a sargam of human emotions.'
There's an obvious attempt to startle with its gruesome imagery of severed heads skewered on chopped limbs and peeled-off faces but it's too tacky to elicit any real dread, observes Sukanya Verma.
'When India opened its doors to the world, moving away from an agrarian to a market economy, everything, whether life or love, was commodified.'
'Editor M S Shinde deserves full credit because, I'm told, Ramesh Sippy had shot 300,000 feet of footage, which was brought down to 18,000. 'He died in 2012, in a 126 square foot flat in Dharavi, penniless, a forgotten hero.'
Smriti Irani is the oxygen of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. When the camera zooms in on her, you'd momentarily forget she is a feisty politician in real life, notes Divya Nair.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey emphasised the crucial role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the party's electoral success, stating that the several sections which did not vote for BJP earlier now support the party and it has broken new ground in many states.
'While shooting the Don song, Chandra Barot ordered 30-40 paans and insisted Amitabh Bachchan eat them all.'
'Don was declared a flop because not many people turned up.' 'Luckily, Khaike Paan Banaraswala became a big hit.' 'Word of mouth publicity led to the film becoming a big hit from the second week on.'
Despite the rally in equities over the last few years, India, according to Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at Jefferies, is still in early stages of an equity cult. Any changes to the capital gains tax for equities - both long-term and short-term - in Budget 2024 scheduled to be announced on July 23, he believes, can trigger a bigger correction that what the markets witnessed post the Lok Sabha election outcome on June 4 that saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lose majority, though it was able to form the government with the help of coalition partners.
'Often, the actors and technicians would be rolling in laughter during the shooting. I remember our brilliant cinematographer laughed so hard, he fell off his trolley.'
Sanju Samson, then a skinny 14-year-old, curled on the bed in his hotel room, watched Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum hammering a 73-ball 158 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first-ever IPL match.
While acknowledging that they needed strong allies for a chance in the assembly polls, AIADMK cadres seemingly prefer actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to the BJP, owing to the latter's 'communal agenda' and consequent hardline Hindutva image, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
As Hrithik Roshan announces his plans to turn direct films, one looks forward to an altogether different grammar coming into action.
'Prior to release, we heard only exemplary things about the film, so the failure came as a complete shock to my father.'
'My father's friends told him that your son has done a film in which he has copied your voice. That's how he saw a couple of scenes of mine in Andaz Apna Apna. He told me I shouldn't have done it.'
'It is important India to stay focussed on its primary national objectives: Combating terrorism; not losing sight of other security and strategic concerns (on the Sino-Indian front for instance); ensuring a strong economy and registering growth which includes improving the lot of common people; and finally making certain that the social fabric remains intact and harmony among people is not jeopardised, at least any further,' asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Despite the evolution of cinema toward more refined expressions and aesthetics today, the exaggerated comedic style of Andaz Apna Apna remains endearing and entertaining, reminding us that sometimes, we just need a dose of mindless comedy to unwind, feels Shristi Sahoo.
The biggest hit of 2025 arrives on OTT this week, along with many other highs and horrors.
Buoyed by the retro-success of Sanam Teri Kasam, Rajkumar Santoshi's laugh riot is now returning to movie theatres in April.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday took a critical view of some of the key decisions made by the Jawaharlal Nehru government, and said one needs to get out of this "cult worship" that the period from 1946 onwards was "great years" and the country did "splendidly".
'Two of the songs haven't been shot by me. When I saw the film, they came as a shock.'
The Supreme Court of India has granted interim police protection to Discovery Communications India officials who have been receiving threats from followers of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. The threats were triggered by the release of a documentary series titled "Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu". The court has directed the Centre and several state governments to ensure the safety of the petitioners, including their offices.
While re-releases are in vogue, PVR-INOX is coming up with an Aamir Khan Film Festival where 22 of his movies are being screened over the next few days.
'It was more than ego.' 'It carried with it a sincere belief that he was the quintessence of the country, that the country's destiny was irrevocably intertwined with his destiny.' An excerpt from T J S George's The Dismantling of India: In 35 Portraits.
'Aamir Khan and Salman Khan were already very busy. Then, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor started signing more films, Paresh Rawalji also got busy... 'Rajkumar Santoshiji got offered Damini he was very excited about it. He told dad that since her dates were available, let me do this film quickly. But aisa hota toh nahin. That film also took time. 'So sabke dates ka problem ho gaya, including the director's.'
'Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and Disney+ Hotstar are continuously expanding their Anime libraries.'
The prolonged delay over electing J P Nadda's successor possibly stems from the RSS leadership wanting a person who is at least equidistant from the Sangh as well as the Modi/BJP edifice, observes BJP-RSS watcher Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Twenty seven years after it first released in theatres and became a cult classic, Ram Gopal Varma's Satya returns to the big screen.
January has quite a few interesting movies lined up for release. But with the new, there's also a sprinkling of the old.
Dinesh Karthik may have spent his career in M S Dhoni's shadow, but his contributions to Indian cricket, especially in the IPL, deserve a legacy all his own, asserts Sudhir Bisht.
'I chose to give priority to my personal life.' 'It's not like I didn't want to act but I guess with certain times in your life, you have to handle certain things.' 'I've had a couple of ups and downs, so I kept taking breaks.'
Kunal Kohli's attempt to bottle the essence of Gen Z in Bobby Aur Rishi Ki Love Story remains superficial, observes Deepa Gahlot.
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