Sweet surprises are made of actors best known for their dramatics taking us by surprise by shaking a leg on screen.
Bhool Chuk Maaf released last Friday, we decided to look at 10 instances of tinsel town's famous folks burying the hatchet.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Sukanya Verma looks at Bollywood's best-known diamond robberies in film.
'The moment a movie was declared a hit, he would immediately start planning his next.'
'Every film had its challenges, but Mr India, Sadak and Gandhi were the toughest.' 'Mr India needed imagination, Sadak needed sensitivity and Gandhi demanded historical authenticity.'
Lionel Messi's much-hyped visit to the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday lasted 22 minutes, just enough to underline everything that is wrong in Indian football and the state administration's mismanagement.
'I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it. Nervously, I waited for Salman's reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word. I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.'
Sukanya Verma quizzes you to find out just how much you know about the movies.
Sex, violence, song or dance -- the monsoon serves multiple purposes in Hindi movies. With the onset of the rains, it's the perfect occasion to highlight all the cool, crazy reasons Bollywood uses it as an excuse for.
His victory means that his party will have to learn from him, because after the rise of Donald Trump, the Democrats have been in disarray. They have had no real answer to the Trump phenomenon and Zohran, with his emphatic and clear policies aimed at working class Americans offers them a national path for a return, asserts Aakar Patel.
Former league chairman Lalit Modi has reignited debate by leaking the unseen video of Harbhajan Singh slapping S Sreesanth during the 2008 season.
Heated arguments were also witnessed when BJP leaders and others accompanying Kangana tried to pacify the residents, and police had to intervene to restore peace.
Bad Cop is not unwatchable. For older viewers, there may even be some comfort in the familiar, notes Deepa Gahlot.
'I don't hold grudges against them; they are all my friends.' 'Guess who suggested Rani Mukerji's name?'
On November 18, 1962, 114 soldiers of the 13th Kumaon fought till the last man, and last bullet, in sub-zero temperatures, to beat back the huge Chinese army. We salute the Heroes of Rezang La.
'Before Gadar 2, I was a nobody.' 'Once Gadar 2 happened, my director was like, you're meant for the movies, girl.'
The film has emerged as an instant success.
'Without our support Nitish Kumar wouldn't have become chief minister.' 'After the government was formed we became ministers, but our agenda remained the same: Amit Shah had promised reservation for Nishads.' 'He wouldn't listen, so we went to UP and contested 52 seats in the 2022 elections. He didn't like the idea of rebellion.' 'He saw that this man, coming from Bombay, is very sharp. He's made four MLAs now, tomorrow he'll make 40. A time will come when they will make it 125.' 'They bought our MLAs and ousted us from the government.'
'The second Sunday after Sholay's release, Amjad and Shehla had taken Shadaab to Juhu beach. They were strolling leisurely when, to Shehla's shock, he suddenly picked up their son, grabbed her hand and pulled her along, urging her to run. They raced towards their car and had just managed to get in and lock the doors when all hell broke loose. Hundreds started banging on the car, shouting, 'Gabbar Singh bahar niklo!''
Sukanya Verma quizzes you to find out just how much you know about the movies.
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.
Munjya is the most wildly entertaining ghost I have encountered at the movies recently. But he has the added advantage of being a Maharashtrian ghost, of possessing rhythms of speech and behaviour that are distinctly Maharashtrian, of being blessed with that beautiful brand of Maharashtrian irritability
His latest film Saiyaara is a blockbuster and has propelled him way into the big league.
'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.'
'People ask me about my biggest action sequence; this is it, because it involved two giants of Indian cinema.'
Ammy and Triptii have the chemistry of a door-to-door salesman and disinterested customer.' On the other hand, she and Vicky burn down the house with their scorching sensuality, observes Sukanya Verma.
Today, turning bad seems to have trendy, as A-listers are taking the villain route.
'Thankfully, as Indians, we have a long history of trans people in our culture, in our religions, in our mythology.' 'It's not a fad which has suddenly come into existence, the way that a lot of Americans treat it.'
'While shooting the Don song, Chandra Barot ordered 30-40 paans and insisted Amitabh Bachchan eat them all.'
'I have been in love where I had no identity of my own. I had also broken up because I was strong-headed in the relationship.'
'Social media managers, bouncers, their catering department people... they tell the actor whether he should do a film or not.'
Dazzling, dancing and decked to the hilt, courtesans in Hindi films are a breathtaking mix of shiny fantasy and flirtatious poetry to behold.
'I have passed this to my son Aryan and told him 'Jaa beta, baap ka naam roshan kar.'
Sukanya Verma looks at the wide-eyed dolly's presence in our movies.
'Salman's bad phase is going on for the last five-six years.'
Before he plays a lawyer in Kesari 2 next, Sukanya Verma looks at the professions Akshay has acted on screen before.
'The fact that I got noticed in a film that stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone is a big high for me.'
'People have got into the habit of sitting at home (and watching films).' 'They don't want to watch movies in theatres because they do not want to waste as much as Rs 1,000 on tickets.' 'They feel there is no point in watching a film on the big screen because it will anyway come on OTT in a month's time.'
'The audience wants content.' 'If your trailer lands, if your teaser runs, if people like the songs, they will definitely come.'
