Love them, hate them but the Oscars have a way of sneaking up on you.
Tokyo -- the songs Japan, Love In Tokyo and Sayonara from the 1966 Hindi film automatically pop up in the mind -- is buzzing and crowded like any other metropolis, discovers Deepa Gahlot. The modern apartment blocks are built cheek by jowl, so close together that one can open the window and borrow sugar from the neighbour in the next building. One of the fears of the Indian traveller is the unavailability of vegetarian food. Every city and town in Japan has an array of Indian restaurants that serve every variety of cuisine, right from Gujarati to Punjabi to Andhra and Kerala meals.
'The primary set took over three months to build with 14,000-15,000 workers employed at a time.'
'We ensured that Mallikajaan's Shahi Mahal lived up to its name.' 'One zardosi panel cost around Rs 4 lakh; the one with the kalpavriksh was around Rs 5 lakh.'
Bhakshak should create some awareness and maybe raise some compassion towards victims of abuse, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Rohit Shetty's strengths have been action and humour; the former he delivers in spades, but the latter is totally lacking in Indian Police Force, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'If OTT platforms had not come in, we would not get this second lease of life.'
'After pack-up, Sridevi took a shower in the studio itself, changed, and returned to the set with a wad of notes.' 'She distributed it amongst every technician who had worked on the song Na Jaane Kahan Se Aaye Hai.'
Diwali is here and Salman Khan is bringing his Tiger 3 in theatres. Though he has been an Eid superstar for more than a decade now
Joginder Tuteja takes a look at 10 small-scale films which made big bucks.
Salman Khan is so neck deep in his formulaic rut that the only way he knows out is to dole out some more of the bunk. Except now, the swagger has traded places with desperation, notes Sukanya Verma.
rediffGURU Archana Deshpande, founder, of TransformMe Life Skills Coaching, offers advice on how to improve your soft skills, build confidence and enhance self-esteem.
Rediff reader Kamaljit Medhi tells us how a chance meeting with Arpana rekindled their love in the sleepy town of Digboi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visited an elementary school in Tokyo and mingled with the students, narrating them the story of Lord Krishna.
Even the worst movies have a song, a scene, or a performance that makes all the effort of making a film worthwhile. This one should have been scrapped at script stage, declares Deepa Gahlot.
'Eddie Murphy was approached for Sanjay Dutt's role, Omar Sharif for Jackie's Shroff's. The title of Khalnayak was Be Negative then. I had started working on the screenplay with Hollywood writers. And then after three-four months...
'The formula now is even if there is no profit there should be break-even.' 'We green-light a film only if we can see break-even in it.'
'When a common man's house is on fire, he is infused with extraordinary strength.' 'He will go to any length to save his home and family even if he is not as big and strong as Sunnyji.'
On Weekend Ka Vaar, Ankit made one thing clear: Their love story isn't one-sided.
'Such a historic, proud & happy moment for Indian Cinema at #Oscars95!'
'This is an event where Indian forces are trying to liberate other countries from a genocide and liberate from a power to give them their freedom.'
'For him to suddenly leave the way that he did, it shattered me.' 'It took me a long, long, time to come to terms with it.' 'Because the loss of such a friend can destroy you.' 'The loss was and continues to be immense.'
Namrata Thakker takes us behind the scenes, and gives us a preview of what's coming up.
The pilot of Vishal Bhardwaj's much-anticipated adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Sittaford Mystery is here. Aditya Roy Kapur's hotel manager takes on Anil Kapoor's all-powerful arms dealer. Idris Elba is back in action. Sukanya Verma shares her OTT recommendations this week.
One of the great criers of her generation, Kiara's pain pierces through the screen and makes a heartfelt picture of how she feels even when the script cannot see her, observes Sukanya Verma.
Kiara Advani and Vicky Kaushal got candid about their personal and professional lives on Karan Johar's Koffee With Karan.
'You suddenly realise that in this entire big scheme of things, you're just one speck.'
Hema Malini and Dharmendra, who celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on May 2, made a beautiful couple on screen.
Deepa Gahlot lists the most popular Yash Chopra films -- the ones he directed, not produced (yes, so that means no DDLJ) -- that can be watched on OTT.
RRR threw a lifeline, or so it seemed -- to a world that was down in the dumps. Keeravani and his Naatu Naatu just happened to be in the right place at the right time, notes Saibal Chatterjee.
'The Second World War is the biggest event that happened in the recent history. Not many know that 25 lakh Indian soldiers fought in it. So there are 25 lakh stories.' Telugu director Krish Jagarlamudi talks about his film, Kanche.
Had he not taken his final curtain call on April 23, 1992, Satyajit Ray would still, undoubtedly, have been making movies.
'For me, love is being happy.' 'It's being free and carefree.'
The haunting loneliness of Lag Ja Gale... the declaration of both love and war in the rebellious Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya... the song of freedom and aspiration in Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai... the naughtiness in love with Baahon Me Chale Aao...
The love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant is so familiar, from textbooks, comics, stage and screen versions, that it has become part of our cultural DNA. If a film-maker thinks he can make it his own by producing a 3D version with excessive CGI, he achieves nothing but overkill, notes Deepa Gahlot.
Sukanya Verma goes down memory lane to recap the desi sightings at the Oscars.
'Earlier, it was four songs and four fights, and some story. That was enough.' 'Maybe we are in a box then and the audiences were not prepared for anything new.' 'Now we have got bigger scope.'
'I would rather focus on the good rather than what didn't happen.'
