'At parties and premieres, Meena openly showered affection towards Dharam. Sometimes she would even take his hand and the next day it would be in print. On one occasion, mischievously almost, she recited a love couplet from Ghalib, which left no doubt in the audience's mind about Dharmendra's position in her heart.'
'My mom had told me a great deal about Meena Kumari and how she could make a tear drop at the right moment. A legend who was in total control. But when I finally met her, I saw a frail, shrivelled and petite woman -- just a bag of bones. Very tiny. She was dying.'
Meena Kumari would nudge a blushing Suraiya on the sets of Sanam and whisper 'Aa rahe hai... aapke' when Dev Anand sauntered onto the sets.
Shatrughan Sinha on Sushant Singh Rajput: 'I identify with his struggle to make a place in the Hindi film industry without any godfather.'
'One of the dignified aspects of their relationship is that Hema reportedly told Dharamji that she would never disturb his first family.'
'If I count how many films I refused and how many heroines got awards in those films...'
Subhash K Jha gives us some lesser known about the late actress on her birth anniversary, August 1.
Dharmendra got his He Man image with Phool Aur Patthar, which was so strong that he never managed to fully shrug it off.
Dharmendra's demise means the loss of one of the biggest icons ever in the Hindi film firmament.
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.
'At a time when there was little awareness of world music, playing western tunes on eastern instruments like the flute and the dholak, blending vocal polyphony with Indian folk and contemporary styles, Salilkaku created a new musical genre in Bengal called Gana Sangeet.'
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
'Asha Parekh once said he never really went beyond the villager he originally was.'
'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.'
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.
'You have become a big star. How can you play a secondary role to Meena Kumari?'
After Bawaal, Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan pair up once again for Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, which releases on Dassera, October 2.
Biographer Vinod Mehta discusses the intriguing star, her complex life, and reveals how she stored brandy in Dettol bottles.
Vinod Mehta's illuminating 1970s biography, Meena Kumari: The Classic Biography, which has been reissued recently, answer many myths and mysteries that surround the star's life and death. Exclusive excerpts from the book.
The film will be produced by Meena Kumari's step son Tajdar Amrohi.
The actress pays a tribute to the late legend on the upcoming new season of Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.
'When you are a pioneer and someone who's put on a pedestal, but then the pedestal gets dusty, people don't look at the statue anymore.' 'They would say, 'Yes, yes, of course I know Bimal Roy. He made Do Bigha Zamin.'.'
'I played five different versions of Woh Subah Kabhie Toh Aayegi for Raj Kapoor, only to be greeted with a totally blank reaction.' 'Thereafter, for 40 minutes, he disappeared, leaving us baffled.' 'But when he emerged, he couldn't stop appreciating our efforts!' 'He said Sahir Ludhianvi's writing was sheer poetry and since all my five tunes were equally wonderful, he would leave it to my discretion to chose the final tune.' 'What could be greater appreciation for an artiste?'
The 17-year-old actor, who made waves with her debut performance in 2024's Laapataa Ladies, makes yet another striking debut this year: At Cannes.
'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.'
'Those were not kind days for a woman with a break-up. The world has changed; today, nobody cares.'
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Guru Dutt took an overdose of pills twice, once even swallowing opium, calling out for Geeta Dutt even when he was not fully conscious. One suicide attempt, according to sister Lalita Lajmi, was definitely deliberate with Guru Dutt leaving a letter for brother Atma Ram asking him to take care of the production company, his wife and the kids. But she always wondered if the third attempt was actually suicide since there were no calls and no letters.
'Abrar uncle said he had started drinking from the afternoon on that fateful day. And he continued drinking till late at night.' 'Thereafter, he must have consumed some sleeping pills, as was his habit.' 'I think that combination went fatally wrong.'
'K Asifsaab was very definite that 'woh Hindustan ka honewala Badshah hai -- woh gana nahin gayega.'
The veteran actor passed into the ages in the early hours of Friday, April 4, 2025. Sukanya Verma looks back at his most memorable performances.
'Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and I were inseparable while we struggled together.' 'When a disillusioned Dharmendra was packing his bags to return home, I prevailed upon him to give himself two months.' 'Five days later, he was signed for Shola Aur Shabnam and I signed Picnic.'
'Madhubala told me that of all the addictions, the biggest addiction is make-up; once you put it on, you can never leave the limelight even if you want to,' Tabassum tells Patcy N.
Lataji had once picked her favourites, albeit reluctantly, and told Subhash K Jha just why they were so close to her heart.
Sukanya Verma quizzes you to find out just how much you know about the movies.
Bollywood doesn't need fire-breathing dragons when it has Bhai.
Meena Kumari's classic film released 50 years ago, on February 4, 1972.
'I have a really strong support system at home and they keep me going.'
In a special series, we will put YOU to the test everyday!
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