'Pahlaj Nihalani came to my rescue. There was no Instagram in those days so I didn't recognise him.' 'I almost fainted when he told me he was Pahlaj Nihalani, the producer of Ilzaam, the hit film that had just made Govinda a star.' 'I told him I was a model and an aspiring actor, and he responded, "You have an interesting face. Come and meet me in the office tomorrow".'
'While shooting the Don song, Chandra Barot ordered 30-40 paans and insisted Amitabh Bachchan eat them all.'
Because of Mukesh's much-hailed association with Raj Kapoor, it is often overlooked that the singer has also scored hits with almost all major heroes. On Mukesh's 102nd birth anniversary on July 22, Dinesh Raheja recalls some of his classic songs.
Director Ayan Mukerji's father actor Deb Mukherjee passed away on Friday, March 14.
'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.'
'Panchamda created an exclusive theme music for Gabbar Singh, which is used throughout the film every time the dacoit makes an appearance, and in both concept and sound, is so eerie and evil.'
'Some time back, music was just noise.' 'Producers wrongly think item songs sell better.' 'Audiences are intelligent, they accept whatever you give, but that doesn't mean you can fool them.'
A great admirer of Raj Kapoor's film songs, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai says his all-time Raj Kapoor favourite song is the magical duet Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua.
On Kishore Kumar's 86th birthday, we revisit a Rediff.com exclusive special by Pritish Nandy on the late legend.
Sejal Shah's flatly-narrated timeline would probably serve better as a documentary, observes Sukanya Verma.
He was colourful. He was dramatic. He was The Master of His Craft. There never will be an editor as versatile as Pritish Nandy, notes Nikhil Lakshman.
'Khaike Paan Banarasiwala doesn't sound like a Hindi song,' Kishore Kumar said. 'I don't think I can sing this song.' We pleaded with him. Finally, he relented on one condition...
'He used to do his homework before singing a song.' 'He used to find out who the hero of the movie would be or the situation in which the song would play in the film.' 'Accordingly, he moulded his voice.' 'For example, he sang Tel Maalish and Main Bambai Ka Babu for Johnny Walker in Johnny Walker style.' 'He would sing in different tones for Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Guru Dutt.'
'A month before he died, he rang me up to say he wanted to meet me. I was alarmed by the tone of his voice.'
Sukanya Verma remembers the Boss in 30 of his underrated, overlooked gems in Hindi film music.
Varun Tej's committed performance somehow rescues Matka from being a pointless venture with stylish flourishes and interesting ideas, observes Arjun Menon.
Kishore finished third in Heat 2 of the semi-final with a score of 8.26, behind China's Chengzheng Wang, who scored 10.00 to take the second place, while Taro Takai of Japan claimed the first sport with a score of 14.50.
Neeraj emerged victorious with a season's best throw of 88.88 meters.
Mohammad Rafi had a powerful range that could accommodate anything from the sublime O duniya ke rakhwale for Bharat Bhushan in Baiju Bawra to the eccentric Badan pe sitare lapete huye for Shammi Kapoor in Prince.
'If you just listen to the lyrics, they're so simple. It's definitely a great philosophy to live life by.'
'Delhi's streets were not alleys but an artist's canvas,' the eminent poet Mir Taqi Mir noted more than 150 years ago. Syed Firdaus Ashraf savours the sights and cuisine of the national capital.
Did you know Dev Anand worked as a clerk at a salary of Rs 85 before he became an actor?
'Pancham told me once, "It's very difficult to be taken seriously when there are stalwarts like Shankar-Jaikishan, S D Burman, Madan Mohan and Naushad... How do I make my mark?"' Amit Kumar salutes R D Burman on his 30th death anniversary on January 4.
Seers from various 'akharas' took the first 'Amrit Snan' at the Maha Kumbh on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday as an unbroken stream of people converged at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion with around 3.5 crore devotees taking a dip.
The squad comprises 17 men and 11 women athletes with some of the other prominent names being Asian Games champions Avinash Sable, Tejinderpal Singh Toor along with sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, to name a few.
Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete at home for the first time in three years after confirming participation in the National Federation Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15.
My grandfather Ashok Kumar made me sack my secretary as he thought she was a bad influence in my life.'
Indian javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena's participation in the World Championships in Budapest was on Wednesday rendered doubtful after his one-month visa was cancelled by the Hungarian embassy in New Delhi.
Forty four years after Mohammed Rafi's untimely demise on July 31, 1980, at the young age of 55, the singer's work continues to enjoy a musical afterlife on radio, television and modern streaming channels.
Subhash K Jha doffs his hat to the musical genius R D Burman on his 30th death anniversary on January 4.
'Kajol has always been very particular about Nysa and Yug coming for the puja every year.'
'She is the gorgeous Lata, the love of my life.'
Sooraj R Barjatya was judged Best Director for the Hindi movie Uunchai at the National Film Awards.
Subhash K Jha celebrates the Ram Mandir pran pratishtha ceremony by picking some memorable Ram bhajans from movies you may not have heard of.
When mainstream Hindi cinema is preoccupied with romance, comedy, horror and action, stories about sisters and brothers are very rare. Vasan Bala has made a first-of-its-kind film where the leads play sister and brother, notes Aseem Chhabra.
Zeenat Aman had scored more hit songs than any of her contemporaries. This can be attributed partly to happenstance and partly to the fact that her forte for high glamour could be showcased most winningly in a crowd-pleasing number, observes Dinesh Raheja.
If Jena maintains his performance or improves upon it, he can be a medal contender in the Paris Olympics.
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.
