It was a forgettable weekend for Bollywood as the two new releases -- 120 Bahadur and Mastiii 4 -- failed to get audiences.
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.
'I kept urging Salman to see Pokiri, and one day, past midnight, he finally turned up at a Mumbai preview theatre to see it. Nervously, I waited for Salman's reaction to Pokiri. After watching it, he walked past me without a word. I followed anxiously, and before sitting in his car, he just signalled thumbs up.'
'When you miss India, you'll hear it before you see it. That's really where the idea started.' 'If you ever go to your terrace at night in India, you'll hear sounds from everywhere.' 'That feeling of hearing home in your head when you're far away... that's the soul of the show.'
A look at the interesting movie releases lined up for November.
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
'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.'
'A majority of filmmakers cannot truly understand the city because they don't live here,' says Anusha Rizvi, Director, The Great Shamsuddin Family.
Thamma is mostly entertaining and not grotesquely horror-inducing, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Today, says Twinkle Khanna, motherhood is very different. "You're like a psychologist, you're their trainer, you're the nutritionist, you're seeing how many carbs they're eating, how many vitamins they're having, you're their chef, you're an educator and you are also their screen monitor. And you still have to make the hair along with that."
'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.'
'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.'
'Earlier, the comedy track used to run parallel to the main story with songs et al.' 'Nowadays, it's just once one scene here and there.'
'Nawaz's character was created around Vikram Betaal.' 'Betaal was a little more gimmicky, funny; he would laugh at you, tease you.' 'That's why I made Nawaz very quirky.'
'It is something that he always wanted to do and he has achieved phenomenal success in doing it.'
It looks like Diljit is having a field day with this one, one hopes his joy rubs off on viewers as well, notes Mayur Sanap.
'I would rather make movies in this universe and build up a loyal fan base over a period.'
'The doctors were really pissed, and today, when I look at my foot, the shape has changed.'
The Supreme Court of India has strongly criticized the police for suppressing freedom of speech by filing FIRs against artists for their performances, stating that mere recitation of a poem, stand-up comedy, or any form of art cannot be alleged to incite hatred or animosity between communities. The court quashed an FIR against Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi, who was booked for a song performed at a mass marriage function, emphasizing that such actions stifle legitimate expressions of view in a free society.
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.
Pankaj Kapur, who visibly enjoys playing the ringmaster to this family circus, is the glue that holds Thode Door Thode Paas together, observes Deepa Gahlot.
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.
Chakravarthy's caption summed it up perfectly, ' Akkha duniya ek taraf, aur mere India ek taraf. Jai Hind.
The song that best encapsulates Geeta Dutt's unfairly abbreviated life would probably be: Yaad Karoge, Yaad Karoge, Ek Din Humko Yaad Karoge. On her 95th birth anniversary on November 23, Dinesh Raheja pieces together the life of this talented singer.
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
'The industry has lost a legend... and we've lost someone who shaped the very soul of our cinema.'
Sahil Shah and Rohan Joshi get candid about comedy.
September has packed in quite a bit on OTT, with many series and movies seeing their digital premiere. Joginder Tuteja lists the OTT menu for the month.
'Aamir Khan and Salman Khan were already very busy. Then, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor started signing more films, Paresh Rawalji also got busy... 'Rajkumar Santoshiji got offered Damini he was very excited about it. He told dad that since her dates were available, let me do this film quickly. But aisa hota toh nahin. That film also took time. 'So sabke dates ka problem ho gaya, including the director's.'
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.
Stephen Graham won two awards at the Emmys, including Best Actor for his role in Netflix's hit drama Adolescence as well as Best Writing alongside co-creator Jack Thorne.
The trailer of Jolly LLB 3 shows the two Jollys pitted against each other, which is a very clever idea, because both stars are terrific with comedy, notes Deepa Gahlot.
June's OTT line-up looks entertaining. There's a lot coming up in theatres this month too.
'He's been doing something we don't talk about much, working with acid attack survivors.' 'He supports them not just emotionally, but also financially.' 'His Mir Foundation helps them with the surgeries they have to go through to step out again and get back their lives.' 'He doesn't talk about it and I only learnt about this when we were in Kolkata once and some of the girls had come to meet him at the hotel.'
Mehmood and R D Burman shiver, wail and flail when they encounter a stuffed tiger that wags its tail, furniture that moves on its own volition and dancing skeletons and mummies. Dinesh Raheja revisits a must-watch.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is one of those mindless fluff kind of date movies, where there is no real conflict, lots of singing and dancing in fancy outfits (as brief as possible for the ladies), observes Deepa Gahlot.
'I'm totally focussed on finding the right energies around me. A lot of the treatment is psychosomatic, as my mother keeps reiterating, if you think positive, positive things will happen to you.'
It's 'not looking like a Diwali lineup, which is usually grand and has superstar movies.'
'The heavens will be a merrier and a happier place now.' Colleagues pay homage to Satish Shah who passed into the ages on Saturday.
The comedy is unfunny, the emotional bits are dubious and the music forgettable in Heer Express, observes Deepa Gahlot.
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