When Rajesh Khanna was a superstar in the early 1970s, female fans would write letters in blood to him. But the man himself had eyes only for one woman: His girlfriend Anju Mahendru.
'The first time Bharathi sir looked at me, I think he was shocked and disappointed. This is the girl, who's going to be playing his most important character. Sridevi had done it before me, and what an actor she was! She was definitely more experienced than me because she'd been working as a child star, and I was a gawky teenager.'
'...she has to graduate to mother's roles or quit.'
From the upcoming biopic Amri on Amrita Sher-Gil to classic roles like Akshaye Khanna's Sid in Dil Chahta Hai and Anil Kapoor's Majnu Bhai in Welcome, Bollywood has often explored the lives and artistry of painters.
'He is the reason for bringing me into the film industry.' 'He is the reason for making me a very secure actor.'
Bollywood celebrate Father's Day with memories, pictures and sweet messages on social media.
Legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja has passed away at 84, leaving an indelible mark on Tamil cinema with masterpieces like 16 Vayathinile, Oru Kaidhiyin Diary and Karuththamma, among others.
As David Dhawan hints at potential retirement after Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, we revisit his iconic Bollywood comedies that defined an era of entertainment.
Explore Bollywood's enduring fascination with infidelity as new films like Pati Patni Aur Woh Do and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai continue a cinematic tradition of depicting adultery through various classic tropes and evolving narratives.
Mammootty's greatness lies not in hiding his flaws, but in turning them into his most powerful acting tools, observes Sreehari Nair.
Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Neetu Singh and Rishi Kapoor's daughter, is making her acting debut at 46, joining a list of actors who took their sweet time to be bitten by the acting bug.
If Rajesh Khanna was the greatest star of Hindi cinema, the songs played a major part in his superstardom.
Asha Bhosle, the legendary playback singer, had a lifelong passion for cooking, which she considered a stress reliever and a way to connect with loved ones.
'She was the last of the diggaj kalakaars after Lataji, Kishoreda, Rafi saab and Mannada and with her demise, the golden era of Hindi film music has truly ended.'
John Abraham and Bipasha Basu emerged as a popular power duo who set new fitness goals for their audience.
One of the reasons for Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor's break-up was reported as family pressure.
Meena Kumari would nudge a blushing Suraiya on the sets of Sanam and whisper 'Aa rahe hai... aapke' when Dev Anand sauntered onto the sets.
Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz were at different stages in their lives -- he had already enjoyed stardom for a decade while she had just graduated to leading lady roles.
Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy's journey towards a happy ending hit a speed bump -- Shatru already had a long-standing girlfriend in actress Poonam Chandiramani.
Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor juggled their personal lives with the pressures of fame and stardom... till they couldn't anymore, and decided it was just not meant to be.
Vijayta Pandit has revealed that Gaurav's father, onetime jubilee star Rajendra Kumar, made sure that she never signed another film with his son Kumar Gaurav despite filmmakers clamouring to repeat their pair.
The relationship high point was reached on Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday party, when Jaya Bachchan called on stage 'my to-be daughter-in-law Karisma Kapoor'.
'One day, I was working in my office late in the evening when suddenly the peon comes and says Saif Ali Khan has come to meet you.' 'Saif told me, "I'm desperate. I've been thrown out by Sattee Shourie, I'm homeless and penniless. Can you do a film with me?"' 'I thought about it and saw him in the character which I was writing.' 'So I gave him a cheque of Rs 5,000 and said, "We'll work together".'
'I am happy showing my age. I don't want to look 20 years younger than my age. Neither have I done any cosmetic surgery nor do I want to.'
'I never behaved like a star. So why would anyone behave like a star with me?'
Dinesh Raheja charts the highs and lows of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's creative association with five megastars -- Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra.
'If I count how many films I refused and how many heroines got awards in those films...'
'Recently a girl who was suicidal was brought to me.' 'When I asked her what was bothering her, she said she and her friend took photos at the same place and posted them on Instagram.' 'While her friend got 23 likes, she didn't get a single like.' 'She said, "nobody likes me, nobody wants me in this world. I am rejected by everybody".' 'And she wanted to end her life.'
'He was always sweet and polite with me.'
Manish Malhotra held a grand premiere for his debut production, Gustaakh Ishk, and invited friends from the film industry.
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
Govinda and Chunky Panday are an absolute delight in the fourth episode of Too Much With Kajol and Twinkle.
After spinning into the spotlight with the hit song-and-dance number Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu in Howrah Bridge (1958), Helen signed scores of films as a dancer. But Helen was raring to step out of her dancing shoes, and play heroine instead.
Sukanya Verma makes a playlist of 15 profound Rajesh Khanna ditties.
'Kartik was keen to do a double role for some time now. And who better to script and direct it than Anees Bazmee?'
'I don't regret anything I've done in my life.'
Here's a tribute to the actor as we look at some of his finest performances.
Where Dhurandhar leaned into aggressive bloodlust through its acerbic storytelling, Ikkis moves in the opposite direction, asking us to see people beyond uniforms, slogans, or sides, observes Mayur Sanap.
Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf described him as a 'great actor'.
