Nanda says of Manmohan Desai: 'I wanted a husband who doesn't bow down before anyone else.' 'He has worked with Amitabh Bachchan in so many films but it's always on a one-to-one basis. I admire that.'
'He was a man of immense conviction.' 'Whenever I'd question him, he would say, "Leave aside your logic-wogic. Just do what I tell you".' '"Just trust me. It will work".'
Among Manmohan Desai's blockbusters is the one that is most loved by audiences: Amar Akbar Anthony.
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is titled after the principal characters of the film, like two of Desai's popular films.
Sitharaman took charge of the Finance Ministry on May 31, 2019, and has steered the economy through the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical turmoil, making India the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
Music director duos are a unique Bollywood feature, and many have become iconic. In this special series, Dinesh Raheja explores prominent music duos, and their dynamics.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday makes history as she presents a record ninth consecutive Budget that is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including US tariffs.
On the basis of his rogueish Veeru in Sholay and Parimal in Chupke Chupke, Dharmendra softened his He-Man image and went on to do a series of charming comedies.
'Now when I'm a mother and have two sons, I do look back and say, "Oh my God! What was I thinking?"'
Dharmendra's oeuvre was so phenomenal that there was never a phase in his professional life when he was in danger of falling into a rut, in terms of either the kind of films he starred in or the sort of co-actors he worked with.
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
'I don't have many friends. The ones that I have, I'm very proud of and happy with.'
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.
'I wanted to do something different, so I turned Dharamji into Hardy, making him waddle with Naseer's stick-like Laurel.' 'People enjoyed seeing him in these avatars. When you work with an evergreen superstar like Dharamji, you can make such 'items'.'
'Look after your own mother before looking after your neighbour's mother.' 'I don't believe in starving my own mother and feeding sweets to the neighbours.'
The Supreme Court's opinion on the presidential reference can impact on any number of cases if and when governors, if not the President, take a literary view of the Supreme Court's 'ppinion' on their 'discretionary powers' without reference to the rider on 'reasonable time', points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Why don't I organise an auction of cinematic memorabilia?' recalls Dinesh Raheja. 'There are sure to be legions of film buffs who will cherish the chance to own souvenirs intimately associated with their favourite stars onscreen.'
'Kaala's sin is not that it is presented as a mouthpiece for its director Pa Ranjith's political viewpoints, but that it makes a travesty of them.' 'Ranjith turns Marx into merchandise, all the while functioning as a hired hand for Brand Rajinikanth,' points out Sreehari Nair.
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.
In seniority in the BJP leadership team, V K Malhotra, who passed into the ages this week, was next only to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Nanaji Deshmukh, notes Sudhir Bisht.
Nehru, India's longest-serving prime minister (1947-63), addressed the nation 17 times from the Red Fort. India's second prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri delivered speeches from the Red Fort ramparts for two Independence Days in 1964 and 1965.
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor's little daughter Raha greeted the media with a cheerful 'Merry Christmas' that won everyone's heart!
Sukanya Verma looks at instances of aristocrats falling for commoners on the silver screen.
'Dharmendra was paying a little extra attention to me and she didn't like it.'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined former Russian Premier Yegor Gaidar and Nobel laureates on Thursday to compliment Padma Desai, described as 'An economist's economist' by Nobel laureate Paul Samuelson.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will set a record by presenting the sixth Budget in a row -- 5 annual Budgets and one interim -- a feat achieved so far only by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. With the presentation of interim Budget on February 1, Sitharaman will surpass the records of her predecessors like Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, who had presented five budgets in a row. Desai, as Finance Minister, had presented five annual Budgets and one interim Budget between 1959-1964. The interim Budget 2024-25 to be presented by Sitharaman on February 1, will be a vote-on-account that will give the government authority to spend certain sums of money till a new government comes to office after the April-May general elections.
Zeenat Aman and Neetu Kapoor recorded their episode of Karan's show last week, and they were a riot together.
Here are some facts related to the Budget presentation in independent India.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 will present a record eighth consecutive budget that is expected to contain measures to shore up weakening economic growth and ease the burden on the middle class struggling with high prices and stagnant wage growth while being fiscally prudent.
'The critical event signalling a new era for India was Dr Singh's 1991 Budget in which he quoted Victor Hugo to say that no power on earth could stop an idea whose time has come,' recalls T N Ninan.
'Rekha and my wife were close friends, and my so-called cold war with Rekha was causing difficulties in my wife's friendship with her.' 'She patched us up for her own selfish reason.'
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was the third American leader to visit India during which a village in Haryana was named Carterpuri in his honour.
'Paap Aur Punya was not a success but I recall it with fondness because we had so much fun.' 'In one sequence, Shashi gets beaten by goons.' 'Saif toddled into the frame to rescue his Shashi Uncle from these bad people since no one else was doing the needful!'
'...but the incredible person you were.' 'I am deeply thankful for having known you, for the love and the challenges we shared.' On Parveen Babi's 70th birth anniversary on April 4, Mahesh Bhatt pays tribute to the woman who held a special place in his life.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is going full throttle with its creeps and cackle, which marks the addition of Madhuri Dixit and re-entry of the OG Manjulika, Vidya Balan.
Prayag Raj, who was so successful at his peak, ought not to have slid into oblivion, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Nitin Desai, who has known Dr Singh from 1971, extends his 'deepest condolences to his wife Gurcharan Kaur and to his three talented daughters Upinder, the historian; Daman, the writer; and Amrit, the human rights activist.'
The record lies with first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who did the honours 17 times from 1947 to 1964.
What stood out in his 15-year journey as a member of the political executive at the Centre was his glowing record as India's most successful and effective finance minister. Both as prime minister and finance minister, he understood the importance of gradualism, except when the economy or the polity was in a crisis.
Perhaps because the Modi government had some differences of opinion with two of the economist governors (one of whom was appointed by the Manmohan Singh government), there is a view that its political leadership prefers a civil servant to head the RBI, notes A K Bhattacharya.
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