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.
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.
In the year gone by, quite a few of the younger actors flexed their acting muscle. Whether the films were blockbusters or not is immaterial, what matters is the effort put in.
When Dhurandhar released a week ago, it was expected to become a hit, with a lifetime collections of Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) in reach. But no one knew the film to become such a phenomenon.
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede puts together a curated list of the 25 biggest hits in the first 25 years of the century.
Sona Bahadur's Goa currython yielded interesting results.
The industry is anticipating 2025 to deliver around Rs 13,500 crore in overall box-office collections, which would cement it as India's strongest box-office year after 2023
'A huge big round of applause for everyone especially the makeup and prosthetics dept!'
Farhan Akhtar held the doors open for *everyone* at the special screening of his new film, 120 Bahadur.
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.
India's first lifestyle and music festival -- Myntra GlamStream Fest 2025, where fashion, beauty, music, and pop culture come together -- was held on November 16 at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai.
A prayer meet was held for Dharmendra at the Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra, north west Mumbai.
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.
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.
Manish Malhotra held a grand premiere for his debut production, Gustaakh Ishk, and invited friends from the film industry.
The apex court had decided to hear the pleas related to the IOA and the AIFF together.
Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
Representatives Deborah Ross of North Carolina, Marc Veasey of Texas and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois introduced the resolution on Friday in the House of Representatives to terminate Trump's national emergency authorising tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports from India, helping to restore Congress' constitutional authority over trade.
Sonam Kapoor, who is expecting her second child with husband Anand Ahuja, has been redefining maternity fashion, one stunning look at a time.
Justice Surya Kant, on his first day as Chief Justice of India, established a new procedural norm requiring written requests for urgent case listings, with oral requests reserved for extraordinary circumstances. He also addressed various cases, including those related to extrajudicial killings and the removal of a lawyer from a government post.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has set in motion the process of appointment of his successor by recommending to the Centre the name of senior-most Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
Govinda and Chunky Panday are an absolute delight in the fourth episode of Too Much With Kajol and Twinkle.
It's been a super cute Diwali, as film folk have posted pictures of celebrations with their children.
Rajinikanth may have made his last Hindi film two decades ago but he can still set the screen alight, blazing away with a gun that has dozens of barrels. As Thalaiva turns 75 on December 12, Dinesh Raheja looks back at his 17 year journey in Hindi cinema.
Bollywood families celebrated Diwali and created memories on social media.
Raashii Khanna, who's gearing up for 120 Bahadur, has a style language that feels straight out of a love story, because she genuinely romances with her clothes.
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
Dharmendra got his He Man image with Phool Aur Patthar, which was so strong that he never managed to fully shrug it off.
Ranveer Singh and team unleashed the fierce and ferocious trailer of the action drama, which marks Director Aditya Dhar's return six years after his 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike.
Bollywood actresses amp up the glamour this festive season.
'I believe that whether it is Rajini sir or Shah Rukh Khan or Dilip Kumarsaab, these stars are blessed with a cosmic energy. It's a phenomenon that is hard to describe, but it makes you fall in love with them.'
Film folk lit up the Lifestyle Asia's Diwali Party in Mumbai.
The year will close on a blockbuster note, if December's theatre line-up is any indication. Be it Bollywood, Hollywood or south, there are many biggies ready for release.
In the movie, veteran star Sanjay Dutt portrays Chaudhary Aslam. The police officer was assassinated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban's Mohmand chapter who claimed responsibility for carrying out a bomb attack on his car on the Lyari Expressway on January 9, 2014, in which two other police officers, his driver, and guard were also killed.
'This so called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good 'hype' for a film is created or else 'they' will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay 'them' money feels nothing but kind of extortion.'
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
In 1973, several major leading ladies like Mumtaz, Raakhee, Jaya Bhaduri, Dimple Kapadia, Tanuja, had married and retired from films. Producers wanted a new heroine as a replacement. Many thought Sulakshana was a Mumtaz lookalike and was soon persuaded to sign on multiple films as a leading lady.
Dhurandhar's most dangerous idea is that Director Aditya Dhar envisions an Indian state run by a deep state -- an intelligence machinery not accountable to Parliament, courts, or voters. A future political system where unelected officials decide when Indian democracy is 'fit' to function, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Discover chic ways to style yourself in this vibrant colour.
Singer-actress Sulakshana Pandit, 71, passed into the ages on November 6 after a prolonged illness. Besides her acting roles, she leaves behind some beautiful songs to remember her by.
