'My life has been quite difficult. I felt I could see it in words. I thought if everyone else can write, then I can too.'
It is sporadically chilling but the disparate elements take forever to come together, notes Deepa Gahlot.
'I am getting a chance to witness two OG action heroes together after a very long time.'
'And then the people who call themselves great nationalists, I can bet you that 99 per cent of them are dodging taxes, have sent their kids to America, or are doing everything to make sure that what goes on in this country doesn't affect their personal wealth or their whatever bull*&$%.'
Even if you are not a Hindu or religious, the underlying message of loving animals and fellow human beings, and to choose love and peace over war is winning hearts, notes Divya Nair.
'Even if I had the backing of a big corporate house, which I don't, in today's market, I wouldn't want the responsibility of making a Rs 300 crore-Rs 400 crore film.'
'I wouldn't change a single shot even if I could, the film is just perfect even with a supposedly flawed script!' Celebrating Sholay's 50th anniversary on August 15 with a special series, where contemporary film folk analyse the cult classic.
'It is daunting, for sure, because you're rowing upstream.'
Twenty four years after it first released in 1981, Rekha's Umrao Jaan re-releases in theatres on June 27.
'When you are someone's kid, you get easier access to the industry.' 'People will meet you, maybe even give you a first opportunity out of goodwill.' 'But at the end of the day, it's business.'
'I don't know how long cinema will survive.'
'I had not even realised I had done almost 100 films.'
'The way the anticipation is built up for Gabbar Singh's introduction scene with sound, image and details of his personality, like the combat boots he wears.' 'The camera comes so close -- not a tele lens shot, but a wide-angle close-up -- that you can almost smell Gabbar's breath.'
After a long time, here's a film that does justice to the people whose stories are never heard or written about, notes Divya Nair.
'These characters have huge spirits and they are fighting something that is much bigger than them.' 'The attempt was to portray how they navigate their lives, to retain that spirit and not let it die.'
'As you gain experience, you realise that none of this is personal.' 'The failures actually teach you bigger and better lessons.'
Kannappa is a bloated mess of a film that underutilises interesting story ideas, observes Arjun Menon.
'Everyone at Guru Dutt Productions would get monthly salaries. Waheeda didi would get Rs 2,500 per month. And that was the reason why she left.'
Both Caravaggio and Djokovic entered worlds ruled by giants, shattered conventions with defiance, and redefined greatness within the rigid lines of their craft. One with a brush, the other with a racquet but both turned their tools into instruments of disruption. And ultimate greatness.
The gangster saga Nayakan not only earned Mani Ratnam's reputation as a great director, the dubbed version of the film also did well in Mumbai, so much so that Feroz Khan's Hindi remake, Dayavan, starring Vinod Khanna, could not compare, recalls Deepa Gahlot.
Panchayat Season 4 is watchable, mainly because of the wonderful actors, who, over the seasons have developed a warm rapport, notes Deepa Gahlot.
'You need the drishti, the experience. I am beginning to see things differently.'
With Piravi, Shaji N Karun joined the select group of great masters of film. Malayalam once upon a time used to produce such films. Today, it is only mindless violence, politics and grotesque humour. The films have no soul, although they are technically quite good. With Shaji's passing, and earlier with his mentor G Aravindan's untimely death, an era is coming to an end. Rajeev Srinivasan salutes the master, who passed into the ages on April 28.
'I've been a villain, I've been a champ, I've been a superhero, I've been a zero, I've been a rejected fan, and I've been a very, very resilient lover.'
'It's a tremendous accomplishment to have a father like Amitabh Bachchan and still be so sorted, to not taste the kind of success that he should have and yet be so balanced.'
'You need patience. You need to focus and keep going.' 'That is true not only for the entertainment industry, but in every field.' 'Only then, the magic happens.'
The three lead actors are excellent, giving their parts the various shades of joy, anger, despair and the emotional heft required to make their characters believable and likeable, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'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.'
With a better script, Test could have been a compelling relationship drama. Instead, it only tests your patience, complains Mayur Sanap.
'Bappi Lahiri was looking for a break so he and his father would meet me.' 'I told Director Bhisham Kohli about this promising young boy from Kolkata, and Bappi came over with his harmonium.' 'Bappi played this composition and Bhisham liked it immediately.' 'As we were discussing, I said I would give the words, and that's how I wrote this song.'
'Star didn't think Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was good enough to come immediately after KBC.' 'Except for Ekta, no one imagined it would become such a hit.'
'We are Indians irrespective whether we are Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Malayali or Tamilian.' 'I am the best example of this integration.'
'Those were not kind days for a woman with a break-up. The world has changed; today, nobody cares.'
Divya Nair celebrates the actor's birthday by presenting the path-breaking films and performances that define his career.
'Casting the Bachchans NOT as father and son was the toughest and the easiest part.'
'Mera plan hain aap logon ko itna daraungi, itna daraungi ki matlab bas band bajne wali hain.'
Performances by Nimrat Kaur and Amol Parashar make the rather unimaginative show watchable, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Despite the evolution of cinema toward more refined expressions and aesthetics today, the exaggerated comedic style of Andaz Apna Apna remains endearing and entertaining, reminding us that sometimes, we just need a dose of mindless comedy to unwind, feels Shristi Sahoo.
'A Lufthansa crew member reached a hotel in the middle of night and slept.' 'The next morning, something fell and she bent to pick it up.' 'She saw a dead body under the bed!'
'I always considered him as a director, never an actor. Do you know he always considered other actors for his films first?' 'For Pyaasa, he wanted to cast Dilip saab; only when Dilip saab refused did Guru Duttji decide to do the role himself.'
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