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.
After all, she was working with three legends -- Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman.
A section of the Mumbai media got a glimpse of how the devoted fandoms of South Indian superstars operate when Tamil sensation Suriya visited the city on Tuesday afternoon to promote his upcoming pan-India film Retro.
'I am not playing someone's mother or grandmother just because a big director is offering a role. Believe me, I have many got such offers but they don't persuade me.'
'It is important India to stay focussed on its primary national objectives: Combating terrorism; not losing sight of other security and strategic concerns (on the Sino-Indian front for instance); ensuring a strong economy and registering growth which includes improving the lot of common people; and finally making certain that the social fabric remains intact and harmony among people is not jeopardised, at least any further,' asserts Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
The blazing success of Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava has laid out a path for more eventful year at the movies, as an exciting line-up of historical biopics queue up for the big screen.
'Listen to the voice in your head and keep your inner sanctum safe.'
'Both Shahid and Ishaan are over-thinkers and I'm constantly telling them to lighten up, chill.'
'Some people tell me you're playing hard to get. But I'm not. It's the other way around.'
When Salman sang the evergreen song Lag Jaa Gale, did he have anyone in mind?
'On the governmental level, we are saying all the right things, like beti bachao, beti padhao. Yet, a High Court judge in Prayagraj, who is highly educated, has studied the Constitution and its laws, says breaking the naada of a pyjama or touching the breasts of a minor girl is not part of the reform process. Just giving lip service is not enough, the general mindset has to change.'
Freaky moms are unacceptable to Indian audiences. Subhash K Jha lists 5 unsuccessful mom films to prove it.
'We want to hide it (by saying) we are too busy in our lives, we have other things to attend to, we have families.' 'But they all had families, including Jyotiba or Mahatma Gandhi, or anybody who challenged the system.'
'I've not been doing much work because I was not getting the kind of roles I want to do.'
'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.'
Sukanya Verma lists 15 scenes that reveal facets of Salman outside the formula.
Sukanya Verma looks at how the 33 year old has fared in her decade-long career.
'It's always the men who are going crazy, barbaad. They never show a woman going crazy like that.' 'A woman has to be very proper, sitting on a swing, crying.'
As much Preity would like to be relieved of everyone's ebullient expectations of her, truth is few have fizzed up the silver screen like she has.
'There was a kind of disagreement with Subhashji after Meri Jung and unfortunately for me, I did not get to work with him again after that.'
'I eagerly await the day when we can experience a truly great Bollywood movie rooted in pure historical facts, one that authentically showcases the essence of our armed forces for Indian audiences,' notes Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
"Advait Chandan is someone I am really close to. Sometimes, I feel that he's like my son. But sometimes, I feel that he wants to destroy me. You can call him my step son. He keeps creating problems. Luckily, a very few films of mine have failed, one of which is Advait's contribution.'
It was a hit and miss for some but each one of them revelled in the opportunity to showcase their talent.
'I will be whatever I want to be without you putting any kind of label on me.'
Shailendra's songs were attuned to Raj Kapoor's explorations of the themes and dreams of the Everyman.
Devara's self-appointed guardian of the sea unleashing violence as a means to end violence is purely Junior NTR fan-tasy, observes Sukanya Verma.
Arshad Warsi vows never to kiss on screen again.
Aseem Chhabra introduces us to the best of Berlinale.
As Thalapathy Vijay embarks on a career in politics, Arjun Menon looks closer at his glorious filmography.
Her new film with Vijay Deverakonda may not have fared well but Family Star is still very close to Mrunal Thakur's heart.
2024 may have seen a few flops at the box office but there have been some hits as well.
The saving grace of Shankar's expanded universe is the masterful precision with which Kamal Haasan drops himself into a messy setup, only slightly to elevate the pulpy tendencies of Shankar's vision, observes Arjun Menon.
Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the next generation Wayfarer style Meta Smart Glasses at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, September 27, 2023.
'At the age of 25, there are still no work offers coming your way, so how do you move ahead in life?'
Film stars are beloved in our cinema-obsessed country. Stars are not only watched and worshipped on screen but also talked about with much fondness.
...And Jennifer Aniston off it, in Sukanya Verma's super filmi week!
Comedies are a difficult genre to pull off in today's day and age, thanks to the audiences' increasing exposure to diverse content and dwindling attention spans. Still, there are quite a few Tamil movies that can bring on the laughs. Arjun Menon lists the recent releases you can watch at home.
Aadujeevitham marks a new direction for Malayalam cinema, where ambition meets resources and the right people, all in favour of stories that deserve to be told on the biggest stage of them all, notes Arjun Menon.
On Alia's 31st birthday on March 15, Subhash K Jha looks at her best films.
'I admire Jayalalithaa. What drove her to do and achieve what she did?'
