'Much later when I came to Afghanistan, I realised that there were songs in Bollywood films.'
'Ashaji was unlike any other, a voice that defined not only one generation but across a span of cinematic universe! I was and have been the massive fan of her voice, her art, her personality...'
'The world feels quieter today.... Asha Bhosle wasn't just a legend -- she gave the world melodies that will outlive us all.'
'Storytelling will never change.' 'As long as storytelling can be unpredictable... AI cannot tell you an unpredictable story.'
'Rejection teaches you a lot of endurance, self-trust, and the ability to show up again.'
As Simon navigates auditions, rejection, and sudden attention, Wonder Man explores how power and celebrity intersect, often blurring the line between authenticity and performance.
Though it revisits a terrifying period of Brazilian history, The Secret Agent just skims over the surface of the darkness, not losing its pace, colour, music and a sense of optimism, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Boong was the only Indian nominee at the ceremony and the first Indian film to win the Best Children and Family Film award.
'We have come to the point in civilisation where emotion seems to be something you hide or you have to be discreet about, or to be ashamed of.'
The fact that a major studio put out a silent film starring some of the biggest names in the industry in these concerning times for the film business is the one big takeaway from Gandhi Talks, notes Arjun Menon.
'People are watching Gujarati films along with these huge films. I still can't process it.'
'Vishal Bhardwaj gave me Hamlet in Haider, which is one of the most intimidating roles for any actor in the world.' 'I'm grateful that he called me again after seven or eight years of us not working together.'
'Shah Rukh is such a generous person, such a giver, that I can only wish for life to give him all the love and happiness he deserves.'
The 68th Grammy Awards began at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Prashant Tamang's wife Martha Aley shut down all speculation about his sudden death on January 11 by confirming that his death was 'natural' and occurred while he was asleep.
This year's Golden Globes was a test to see if Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is still riding on an unstoppable train, similar to one that Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer rode on in 2023, observes Aseem Chhabra.
'I feel as proud as a father when I see Aditya Dhar being celebrated for his work.'
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 may be a comedy filled with chaos, but in its indirect way, it speaks about a time when the Constitution mattered more than one's religion and when the idea of India was larger than personal hate, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
In 2025, the top actresses remained absent, the ones who could have commanded strong roles. In any case, great roles for women are not even written in mainstream cinema, but when they get a role worth working for, they did their best.
'It's far-fetched to say that human thinking will become subservient.'
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
Those who have not watched earlier seasons of Stranger Things would be baffled by it, but then the finale is meant for fans who understand the themes and remember its mythology, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'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.'
'We are not AI. We are allowed to break, and rebuild.'
Kaantha is a peculiar love letter to cinema that tries to integrate various genres and craft a riveting central dilemma with great eloquence and clarity, observes Arjun Menon.
Dharmendra's demise means the loss of one of the biggest icons ever in the Hindi film firmament.
As someone who could not predict a single beat in advance, who was exhilarated by its audacity to throw random elements together and take chances all over the place, Sreehari Nair thinks Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira is one of the best films of the year.
120 Bahadur is not just a war movie. It is a tribute, a history lesson, and an emotional journey into the heart of military courage, states Lt Gen Devendra Pratap Pandey, Retd.
Eko, a smartly written film, loses steam midway but somehow stays afloat and deliver the goods, notes Arjun Menon.
'I wanted to go for the heart, and at the same time, open the audience's mind.'
'If you look around the world at people of colour, religion, caste, sexuality or any of the marginalised communities, we are always talking in numbers.' 'We are always assigning them a statistic.' 'That is an easy way to assuage your urban guilt. Because you hide your apathy with hollow sympathy.' 'We are, in a way, making them invisible.'
Zubeen Garg was not just Assam's voice, he was its heartbeat, its rebellion, and its song of unity in a land often torn apart.
Mari Selvaraj delivers his most rage-filled film in years, with a superbly cast Dhruv Vikram giving it his all, notices Arjun Menon.
'Am I not happy he was born? Am I not happy he crossed my path when I was walking through a wasteland? Am I not happy that, like a haunting song, he still lingers in my heart?'
Diane Keaton's wit and honesty taught us that ageing and uncertainty aren't weaknesses, they are part of what makes us human and graceful, observes Sreehari Nair.
'It is daunting, for sure, because you're rowing upstream.'
Empuraan, with its gimmicky violence and vigilante posturing, is not out to widen your perspective or open up history. All it wants to do is pick your pockets, observes Sreehari Nair.
'He was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations.'
Seventy years after Pather Panchali released on August 26, 1955, we finally get it. Shuttling between the village of Boral and a studio in Calcutta, caught between worrying about the next purse of funds and wondering which item to mortgage next, Satyajit Ray was explaining Indians to themselves, discovers Sreehari Nair.
What we see in him today is not just stardom, but the reflection of his sincerity, humility, and an artist who carries the fragrance of his roots, asserts K R Nayar, who has known the Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner from their school and college days.
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