Nyrraa Banerji's reason for staying away from Bollywood for a while: 'In Bollywood, there was a phase where all the movies were getting very bold. Physical intimacy was the criteria at that time for films. I didn't want to be part of that.'
'It's heartening to see that the festive energy is being driven not only by star-led blockbusters but also by fresh, content-rich films.'
Ahida Sarmai, a special child with Down's Syndrome, makes her own space among Dhurandhar's biggest stars.
The first 25 years in this century has seen some amazing films and blockbusters in Hollywood. Girish Wankhede lists the top-grossing Hollywood movies from 2001 to 2025, focusing on the key qualities that resonated with Indian audiences and contributed to its appeal.
Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster's trailer features up front on this list.
While Amitabh Bachchan's chemistry with his heroines -- from Jaya Bhaduri to Rekha to Hema Malini -- brought sizzle to his films, many of his biggest blockbusters have been powered by his combustible combination with male co-stars.
Sequels have traditionally been successful at the box office, especially when they take the story forward. Let's take a look at some such films.
Bappi Lahiri realised disco was a winning ticket and escalated his game with several more dancefloor perennials. Soon, every film producer and music director in town was down with disco fever. On what would have been Bappi Lahiri's 73rd birthday this November 27, Dinesh Raheja rewinds to the late music composer's halcyon days.
Drama, dazzle, detectives, dhamaal, it's there on OTT this week. Take your pick from Sukanya Verma's eclectic menu.
'The Dhamaal director wanted an innocent guy who's still like a child. He hinted that my voice was very strong.' 'I worked it out: I got this dungarees look, made him slouch, got rid of the bass in my voice, and added a lisp to make him cuter.' 'These are things an actor does because you want to bring something to the table.'
Piku is a film with tremendous heart, raves Raja Sen.
Arundhati Roy's 1989 film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, which won two National Awards for Best Screenplay for Roy and Best Feature Film in English, is among the line-up of 10 films for the Berlinale Classics segment.
Action, attraction, animation, it's all there on OTT this week. Take your pick from Sukanya Verma's eclectic menu.
'The challenge now is competition. There are so many actors competing for the same roles.'
R Madhavan's Rocketry: The Nambi Effect has won the National Award for Best Feature Film while Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the Best Actress award for their roles in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi, respectively.
Here's a look at his next batch of movies to cherish.
'Once when he was on a flight, the plane hit an air-pocket.' 'The turbulence outside caused it to see-saw violently which caused a lot of panic inside. While his co-passengers were crying and praying for their lives, Salil kaku was writing a song in his head.'
Though Zanjeer is credited as Amitabh's breakthrough film, it didn't immediately enthrone him. Rajesh Khanna countered with a huge hit in Daag that year. But Deewar upended audience's cinematic taste and filmland hierarchies at the very start of 1975. Bachchan emerged as a one man industry, the angry young man who could regulate the thermostat of the entire film industry, recalls Dinesh Raheja.
More than six years after Dangal, there is finally a worthy follow-up Hindi film, which has not just gone past the lifetime score of the Aamir Khan starrer but also emerged as the biggest Hindi film of all time (including dubbed blockbusters too).
Bhumi Pednekkar learns to love herself again, and here's why.
Asha Bhosle's only daughter Varsha Bhosle, who died in 2012, had penned this beautiful ode to her mother.
'Kashmir has so many stories, cultures, and folklore. It should be promoted. We should definitely have more stories out of Kashmir.'
It is by no means a perfect list and I might have missed out some important films but these are films that have entertained me, taught me how to be compassionate, to view the world, and understand people, their histories, behaviors and customs.
Dharmendra's demise means the loss of one of the biggest icons ever in the Hindi film firmament.
'One of the dignified aspects of their relationship is that Hema reportedly told Dharamji that she would never disturb his first family.'
Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies has been picked as India's official entry for Oscars 2025.
'I'm so grateful Kathal is getting the recognition it deserves.'
'...and say that if I don't wear a sari, they will unfollow me.' 'Today, if I have 2.9 million followers on Instagram, out of that, the majority is from the South.' 'Telugu has given me the most fame and money.'
'Somewhere our society's collective morality is lost. There's a kind of moral confusion in our society which reflects in our films.' 'Filmmakers are hiding behind romance, ghost stories, murder mysteries and sex. No film is looking at social issues.'
It's been an emotional night for many film folk across India, as they were honoured at the National Awards.
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.
Asrani may have never been a marquee name up in sparkling lights or on outsized posters but the sheer proficiency with which he realised his characters has unleashed gales of laughter over five decades and made a significant contribution to several landmark films. Dinesh Raheja salutes the iconic actor.
AVM Studios launched the careers of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.
The lead pair looks good on screen. But each time they look lovingly into each other's eyes, the viewer's eye wanders over to the gorgeous landscape, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Gustaakh Ishq feels like a cinematic revival of everything we once loved about Urdu story-telling, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'I have always broken my image every time I went on screen. I don't know what it means to be a Greek God but people used to call me one.'
