'To this day, not a year passes when Bollywood does not head to Kolkata to train its cameras on the magnificence of the bridge and the flow of life that pulses along the river across which it spans,' says Saibal Chatterjee.
'A friend said there was a new phenomenon occurring during every screening. Audience members were mouthing the dialogues with the characters on screen.' 'It was a truly amazing experience. It was impossible to hear what was being said on the screen. There was so much noise, laughter and celebration in the theatre. And the film was not even a month old.' Aseem Chhabra remembers seeing Sholay twice in the couple of weeks after it opened.
'There is no discipline here -- only autocracy. The state is not governed by any democratic ideology. Democracy has ceased to exist here.'
'We'll certainly have Hollywood productions, so why wouldn't we have Bollywood?'
'What guides Monsoon Wedding through and through is Mira Nair's openness as a film-maker,' observes Sreehari Nair.
If you think the film is gutsy, you are simply being blind to the truth that the whole men-are-worthless slant is saleable right now, argues Sreehari Nair.
'We must not compromise with the standard, the quality. We don't need to be the first to launch a drug but what we need is a Made in India vaccine that the entire world can rely on'
Aseem Chhabra imagines a time, 20 years from now, when movie-watching in theatres will be long gone, thanks to the coronavirus, and pens a letter to his grandchild, explaining the magic of the cinema hall.
Saluting Amjad Khan on his death anniversary on July 27.
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Rituparno Ghosh's swansong Satyanweshi is a bit of a letdown, according to Indrani Roy.
'I asked all the actresses to stop waxing, shaping eyebrows, pedicures and manicures because I wanted a rustic look.' 'They are very glamorous women, so there was a bit of insecurity.' 'They would put on a little make-up on the sly, but I would sit like a school teacher and check make-up and nails!' 'I would make sure that every bit of unnecessary make-up was taken off.'
It reminds us why we like to watch films, writes Aseem Chhabra.
Prepping for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, remembering Rajesh Khanna and Raaj Kumar's exclusive tramp club and picking Ranbir Kapoor's best performance in my Super Filmi Week.
'Satyajit Ray was somewhat tolerable; you didn't have to hang your head in shame.' 'Sholay is a series of stereotypes and borrowed ideas... And we are still singing praises of that film.' 'What would I make of two grown men behaving in this manner? It's deeply embarrassing.' If you thought Naseeruddin Shah was too frank with his opinions, he'd have to take a back seat to wife Ratna Pathak Shah, who doesn't waste a second, giving you her strong views on matters movies and personal.
Shashi Kapoor, the star who made us laugh, romance and cry, passed into the ages on December 4. We look back at the often underrated actor, who reinvested all his earnings as an actor into making films and keeping the theatre he established, Prithvi Theatre, alive.
'The scope of social networking as a form of journalism is limited. Yes, you can tweet a photo or write about, say, a policemen beating a protestor somewhere. But a real news story is complicated and analytical and it needs to be worked on... Journalism is not that simple,' Jonathan Franzen, arguably the greatest American novelist of his generation, tells Rediff.com's Sanchari Bhattacharya in a fascinating interview.
Despite its many problems, A Death in the Gunj is an important work says Sreehari Nair.
Indian Railways has to up investment to strengthen network just like China and Russia.
Raja Sen hated Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and debates his reasons with Satyajit Chetri, who totally loved it.
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
'2015 gave us a set of Hindi films that brought to light, the true uncorrupted joys of filmmaking even in their roughness.' 'Films which told us why we loved films in the first place. Films that were less ashamed of revealing their weakness and ones that took chances with audience expectations.'
Veteran actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar, who breathed his last this morning at Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai, will be remembered for his remarkable ability to make us both adore and abhor him with his on screen antics. Here's a look at his best performances.
Saeed Jaffrey lives on through his versatile body of work.
'There are many stories that could be made in the North East.' And here's one of them.
'At the end of the interview, as he walked with us to the elevator, he looked at me and said, "Do you think it was my karma that I should have made this film?"' Arthur J Pais/Rediff.com recalls his encounter with Richard Attenborough.
The magical land of Changthang in Ladakh is the stuff of dreams, though it might be losing its pristine beauty to the onslaught of tourists and campers.
'Those involved in the government had invested in cineplexes in Tamil Nadu, so they wanted Vishwaroopam stopped to further their gains.' 'When there was a difference of opinion, they started punishing the film by banning it.' 'It is ugly, tyrannical politics which the nation did not understand.' 'They broke me for Rs 60 crores.' 'Because I am a star, I am living to tell the story.'
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! stumbles considerably because of its simplistic plotting, says Raja Sen.
Before the Supreme Court struck down Sec 66A of the IT Act, it was used with devastating effect against anyone posting critical comments online.
'The biggest disappointment at the Berlinale is the very small representation of Indian films.'
'The producer will wear these gold ornaments, but they will not part with Rs 30,000 or Rs 50,000 to pay the writer.'
'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is a step backward for the portrayal of female camaraderie in our movies,' argues Sreehari Nair.
The BJP could win only 16 out of 57 seats where Shah campaigned.
Sukanya Verma shares her exciting filmi week with us!
Photographer S Paul, who died this month, was furiously protective about his independence and intensely sure about his work. So much so that he once walked away from a shoot with a prime minister.
'That night -- when Gandhi won Best Picture at the 1983 Oscars -- belonged to India and it meant a lot to a young student like me, who was trying to establish his Indian identity among the Americans around him.' Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com, who worked as an extra on Richard Attenborough's acclaimed biopic, salutes the late legend.
Then chief minister Jyoti Basu once told an industrialist that capitalists were class enemies and he should expect no sympathy.
Kamal Haasan's unrivalled make up skills, Jack Nicholson's haunting imagery, Asha Parekh's life as a Hit Girl and the surprise package of Beauty and the Beast, it's all there in Sukanya Verma's super filmi week.
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