'So much goodness. Warmth. Friendly. Attracts and exudes positivity and peace. A distinct voice.' Bollywood salutes the veteran actor.
In the career spanning half a century, the actor featured in many critically-acclaimed and commercial blockbusters such as The Hunt for Red October, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Murder on the Orient Express and The Rock.
Padamsee will be best remembered for iconic campaigns such as 'Lalitaji' for Surf, 'Cherry Charlie' for Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish, MRF's 'Muscle Man', the Liril girl in the waterfall and 'Hamara Bajaj' for the auto major.
'That night -- when Gandhi won Best Picture at the 1983 Oscars -- belonged to India and it meant a lot to a young student like me, who was trying to establish his Indian identity among the Americans around him.' Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com, who worked as an extra on Richard Attenborough's acclaimed biopic, salutes the late legend.
'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is every bit a horror film split into predictable hostility and periodic close calls,' says Sukanya Verma.
'Everywhere Anil Dharker went, he assembled teams of talented people, gave them opportunities, then got out of the way and allowed them to flourish.' Meenakshi Shedde remembers a very special editor.
Hindi cinema lost some of its most celebrated faces in 2019, leaving a void in the fraternity as well as in the hearts of the audiences. We take a look at those who passed on.
Dr Lagoo, who was a trained ENT surgeon, played important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra in post-Independence era.
Kapil Dev's historic World Cup win wasn't the only highlight of 1983. Sukanya Verma looks back how the year treated Bollywood.
Nitin Singh, tourist guide, spent 75 minutes with Donald and Melania Trump at the Taj Mahal. 'They were very down to earth and listening to me intently as I told them the story of the Taj and the Mughals.'
We salute the late thespian in this compilation of his ten essentials movies that highlight his range and stature as an actor par excellence.
'What can I do for my India except make films that showcase it's greatness to the world, which touch on national issues and arouse the feeling of patriotism?'
'At the end of the interview, as he walked with us to the elevator, he looked at me and said, "Do you think it was my karma that I should have made this film?"' Arthur J Pais/Rediff.com recalls his encounter with Richard Attenborough.
We pay homage to Bhanu Athaiya by celebrating her best creations.
'He has given us a history, a heritage that we can share with generations to come,' says Aseem Chhabra.
'What fascinated me always was Alyque's ability to think in the vernacular despite his South Bombay and genteel upbringing,' notes Sandeep Goyal. 'Lalitaji or Hamara Bajaj were obviously not birthed in the hallowed environs of the Bombay Gymkhana.'
'Other designers take empty suitcases and go shopping for the actors's clothes in New York.' 'To me, this is bankruptcy of imagination.'
Shatranj Ke Khilari was Satyajit Ray's first Hindi film. The Master set the Premchand story against the backdrop of the First War of Independence in 1857. Bijoya Ray, his wife, reveals fascinating glimpses behind the making of the epic in this exclusive excerpt from her memoir.
A young Arnold Schwarzenegger in swimwear, Cary Grant setting airport chic standards, a socialite even the Kardashians can't keep with and other vintage moments from the film festival on La Croisette!
'Jaffrey played all his roles with a characteristic elan and amiability: He looked like a clever, all-knowing, winking Super Mario, gloriously grey around the edges. Irresistible, really.'
Saluting Tom Alter, who passed into the ages on September 29.
'He was the first creative person to recognise and fully realise the power of film in an era when press ads were the only competence of Indian creatives.'
There is so much goodness in Garm Hava, says Aseem Chhabra/ Rediff.com
Prepping for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmavati, remembering Rajesh Khanna and Raaj Kumar's exclusive tramp club and picking Ranbir Kapoor's best performance in my Super Filmi Week.
Although famously reclusive and fitful in his creative output, Daniel Day-Lewis's decision to hang up his boots feels both untimely and unexpected.
Goonj was eventually born in 1999, with 67 clothes his wife and he had collected.
After the Chauri Chaura incident, Gandhi decided to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement.
'Jurassic World is a perfectly passable blockbuster with a B-movie heart -- but why on earth would you want to watch something so unremarkable when Mad Max: Fury Road is still in theatres and gets better on each viewing?' asks Raja Sen.
Shatranj Ke Khilari was Satyajit Ray's first Hindi film. The Master set the Premchand story against the backdrop of the First War of Independence in 1857. Bijoya Ray, his wife, reveals fascinating glimpses behind the making of the epic in this exclusive excerpt from her memoir.
Saeed Jaffrey lives on through his versatile body of work.
Om Puri was that rare actor who could carry a film on sheer power and versatility of his performance
'When I started reading Tamas I instantly knew it had to be made into a film. I could relate to the tragedy in the lives of the characters.' Govind Nihalani remembers Bhisham Sahni on his centenary.
Interstellar is an incredible ride, a film that will scare and stupefy and drop jaws and make us weep, the kind of film that makes our hearts thump against our ribs for forty straight-minutes and makes us believe in the glory of the movies.
"Sir Ben," I called out on the red carpet as he arrived to applause from hundreds of admirers at the Elgin theatre in Toronto. "You have played so many ethnic characters starting from Gandhi to Lenin, and now you are a humble New York cabbie. What led you to take this role?"
'Laxman will be remembered for years to come as the person whom everybody turned to the first thing in the morning and drew a smile, however depressing the situation. It will be impossible to replace him...'
'Once Attenborough had locked the shot, Jaffrey turned to Amitabh and told him in a very controlled but stern voice that he should never talk to an actor in between takes.'
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'Both resisted cruel white rule through non-violence. But Mandela's is a singular story. He never lost faith in his ideals and goal even when he was in prison for many years,' Anant Singh, who produced the Mandela biopic, tells Rediff.com's Arthur J Pais.
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