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Did you know…Dilip Kumar was not nominated for a Filmfare Award… Subhash K Jha brings to light this and other unknown facts about Mughal-e-Azam, which was directed by K. Asif and starred Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Durga Khote, as the iconic film turns 65!

There has never been a film quite like K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam. There were stampedes outside theatres; people clamoured to catch a glimpse of the poster of Dilip Kumar stroking Madhubala’s face with a feather. K Asif’s pseudo-historical epic, which was nine years in the making, was indeed something people were looking forward to. The sheer opulence and magnitude of the epic, Naushad’s magical score, the enduring charm of the Salim-Anarkali story, and the star power represented by Dilip Kumar and Madhubala’s real-life romance, took Mughal-e-Azam to the peak even before its release. Kamal Haasan, a diehard Mughal-e-Azam fan, says,...

When The Making Of Pakeezah Was Surrounded By Dark Tragedies (Photo Credit – Youtube)

Meena Kumari is a name synonymous with tragedy. It is not unnatural that she was bestowed with the title of ‘tragedy queen’. Not only were her roles full of pathos and intensity but even her personal life was marred by a sad darkness. One such story includes the making of her cult classic 1972 movie, Pakeezah. The movie is considered to be one of the most timeless classics of Hindi cinema but the story behind it is marred with tragedy.

Pakeezah Was Kamal Amrohi’s Passion Project

According to a report in Mensxp, Meena Kumari tied the knot with Kamal Amrohi on February 14, 1952, who was 19 years elder to her. Not only this but Amrohi was already married at that time to his first wife with whom he also had children. However, the Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam actress found solace in the director,...

The iconic Rekha spoke to Subhash K Jha about the making one of her classic films, Umrao Jaan in this fascinating feature.

Muzaffar Ali’s classic study of the Kotha culture in the Lucknow of the 1850s Umrao Jaan is all set to release on June 27. Rekha, who received the National Award for her mellow, muted meditative performance, doesn’t think much of herself in this, her most celebrated work.

There is a supreme stillness that shrouds Rekha’s character, Umrao Jaan Adaa; an inexplicable tranquillity which Rekha famously called “doing nothing”. Not too many of our actors know much about the art of doing nothing. In Indian cinema, the more you do on screen, the more your chances of being noticed. Rekha took the risk and sailed through a character which is dreamy, distant, sensuous, and impregnable. I don’t think any of the men who cross her path...

Maa Box Office: Will Kajol Surpass The Profit Of The 1st Horror Film Of Bollywood? (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Kajol’s Maa is creating a lot of buzz, and the horror film is arriving in theaters on June 27. While it will have a direct clash with Sonakshi Sinha’s Nikita Roy, it will also have to fight with Kannappa, releasing on the same day, and Sitaare Zameen Par, which arrived last week.

Kajol is expected to break some records at the box office with her horror film directed by Vishal Furia. The trailer has been well received, and a decent opening is expected from the film, which is being presented as a story from the world of Ajay Devgn’s Shaitaan!

Which Was The 1st Horror Film From Bollywood?

Kajol is leading Maa and interestingly, the first horror film of Bollywood also had a female lead! In fact, the first legit...

Pakeezah director Kamal Amrohi’s son Tajdar says the authorized bio-pic on his mother the mythic Meena Kumari, is likely to star Kiara Advani.

“She hasn’t been signed as yet. But she is likely to play my mother,” says Tajdar.

Siddharth P Malhotra who will direct the bio-pic entitled Kamal Aur Meena also confirms the casting likelihood. “Kiara is in consideration. But I will lock in the casting in August. For now, I am off to the USA for a month. Casting for Meena Kumariji part is relatively easy. The harder part is casting for Kamal Amrohi Saab. I need to lock in the hero first. I will lock in Meenaji only after I find the perfect Kamal Amrohi.”

Malhotra says he is making a bio-pic on Kamal Amrohi’s love for Meena Kumari. “Kamal Aur Meena is my Romeo & Juliet on the love between the greatest director-actress pair of Indian cinema.

When Meena Kumari’s Family Struggled To Release Her Mortal Remains From The Hospital (Photo Credit – YouTube)

Not only was legendary actress Meena Kumari called “The Tragedy Queen” because of her pensive and intense roles, but her personal life was also a harrowing reflection of her tag. From her troubled marriage with filmmaker Kamal Amrohi to her becoming an alcoholic while battling depression, and finally succumbing to liver cirrhosis in March 1972 at the age of 38. However, even after her sad demise, her family had to undergo a struggle to even get hold of her mortal remains.

The Actress’s Family Struggled To Pay Rs 3,500 To Release Her Mortal Remains From The Hospital

Meena Kumari passed away just a month after the release of her cult classic film, Pakeezah after a prolonged battle with liver cirrhosis on March 31, 1972. According to Bollywood Shaadi, in a throwback 2014 interview with Reddit, director Bimal Roy...

Director Mehran Amrohi, talks with Subhash K Jha about his brilliant film on lost childhood Chidiya.

What are your feelings as Chidiya has finally been released after a ten-year wait?

Honestly, Sir, I’m very emotional. I may be a writer, but I don’t think I have the words to express it. This is my first film, and I shot it nearly 10 years ago. The fact that it’s finally releasing means a lot to me. At the same time, I’m also nervous — just like a student before an exam. Your steps feel unsure, your words feel jumbled… but somewhere inside, there’s hope.

Child labour is a sensitive subject. How did you handle it in your film?

Chidiya isn’t about just one issue. It’s a story about ordinary lives, the kind many people live every day, especially in financially weaker sections. Yes, child labour exists...

Subhash K Jha takes a look back at Honey Irani’s 2003 Armaan which starred Preity Zinta, Anil Kapoor, Gracy Singh, Randhir Kapoor, and the Amitabh Bachchan. The feature not only revisits the terrific medical drama, but it also shares highlights from an interview he conducted with Amitabh Bachchan.

The aged but agile doctor swoops up the dying child in his arms and runs through the jungle to the hospital. In the process, he loses his own life. The most memorable moment in Honey Irani’s noble but finally unsuccessful large-screen soap opera reminds you of Dilip Kumar trying to stop vehicles on the road to take his dying wife to the hospital in Yash Chopra’s Mashaal.

Coincidentally, Mashaal too starred Anil Kapoor. As Dr Aakash Sinha, Kapoor puts in an earnest performance. His sequences with his father, played with sophisticated wisdom by the inimitable Amitabh Bachchan, are the muted highlights of the film.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s dazzling achievement in Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar cannot be undermined. At a time when Netflix has touched the rock bottom of creativity with Jewel Thief, this brilliant series is a reminder of the epic dimensions that the Ott space can achieve in the right hands.

Heeramandi is everything that Bhansali has come to be associated with, then some more. It is a feast for the eyes and soul, with a gallery of female actors giving their best to every shot. At times, the best of these actresses is not good enough. One of the lead actresses pretending to be drunken dancing is ludicrously caricatural. But then there is Aditi Rao Hydari looking every inch the ethereal kothewali, a distant cousin to Rekha in Umrao Jaan. And Shruti Sharma, as ill-fated-in-love Saima, makes her space. I must also mention Jayati Bhatia as Manisha Koirala’s faithful woman Friday.

When Meena Kumari’s Stepson Tajdar Amrohi Wanted To Marry Her ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Meena Kumari made a glorious contribution to Indian cinema. But the actress was not only the ‘Queen Of Tragedies’ onscreen but in her personal life too. Her failed marriage with filmmaker Kamal Amrohi grabbed several eyeballs. But did you know that she rather shared a beautiful relationship with her former stepson, Tajdar Amrohi? Yes, you heard it right! He had also playfully expressed his wish to marry her.

Before your imaginations run wild, according to a report in Bollywood Shaadi, Tajdar Amrohi had said this to Meena Kumari innocently when he was a kid. In a throwback interview with Pinkvilla, he said, “Choti Ammi (Meena Kumari) enjoyed having paan with kimam. She looked pyaari when she laughed, her lips red with color. Once as a kid I innocently remarked, ‘Choti Ammi, kaash mein itna chota nahin hota.

Nargis Celebrated The Death Of Superstar Meena Kumari For A Heartbreaking Reason! (Photo Credit – Instagram/YouTube)

Meena Kumari and her tragic end is one of the most heartbreaking stories from the dark chapters of Bollywood. A superstar, who died young, at the age of 38, after she completely immersed herself in alcohol and addiction. Reports say that when she died, her family could not afford even Rs 3500 to pay the hospital. The doctor who treated her settled the bills so that the family could take the dead body!

When the Pakeezah actress died, her contemporary and close friend Nargis congratulated her in an open letter, which was the most heartbreaking tribute by a contemporary to her friend and competitor! In the letter, Sanjay Dutt’s mother also recalled what pushed her friend towards death!

Maut Mubarak Ho Meena!

On Meena Kumari’s death, Nargis wrote an open letter, which was published...

‘Chalte chalte yuhi koi mil gaya ttha’, ‘Thare rahiyo ho baqe yaar re’, ‘Inhi logon ne le lee na dupatta mera’, ‘Aaj hum apni duawon ka assar dekhenge’, ‘Chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo…’and then there were the sublime solos by Lataji that were not in the film: ‘Tanhai sunaya karti hai, Pyare babul tumhari duhai’ and ’Pee ke chale’….Every song by Lataji in Pakeezah is an exquisite jewel in the croon.

To imagine this ageless ode to romance and music without that voice is as inconceivable as Agra without the Taj Mahal. Director Kamal Amrohi’s son Tajdar Amrohi said, “It was always my Choti Ammi (Meena Kumari) and Lataji in Pakeezah. If either one of them said no, Pakeezah wouldn’t have happened.”

Lataji who sang the immortal songs of Pakeezah reveals that there is a whole album of her songs in Pakeezah that never made it into the film.

Bollywood cinema has always been known for its spirit of celebration. Singing, dancing, and having a good time has been an important part of the Bollywood experience. Here are the five festive films that must be seen this Eid.

1. Hum Saath Saath Hain:

While most would opt for Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum…Apke Hain Koun as the ultimate festive fare, this feel-good followup after the historic Hum…Aapke Hain Koun from Barjatya’s school of familial merrymaking has a string of terrific stars from Salman Khan to Saif Ali Khan eating, singing, and dancing through a stream of nursery-rhyme styled songs composed in juvenile style by Ram Laxman-. The entire 4-hour film is a pleasure binge for Alok Nath’s Chaturvedi family as they picnic, party, a wedding, and celebrate from Eid to Diwali to marriage anniversaries. Life is one long celebration in this thinly-plotted excuse to celebrate the joys of family togetherness.

Padma Khanna, a trained Kathak exponent who turns a year older on March 10, was a better dancer than all the other dancing stars of her era. She could sizzle in cabarets and mujras without ever looking vulgar. Many iconic songs of the dance genre in the Hindi films of the 1960s-1980s were filmed on her.

To begin with, she had a minor role in the Biswajit starrer Biwi Aur Makaan in 1966, where she was billed as ‘Kumari Padma’. The really big break was the bold striptease in Vijay Anand’s Johnny Mera Naam. The song ‘Husn ke lakhon rang aag hai yeh badan kaun sa ang dekhoge’, and her provocative but never obscene dance moves as she stripped down to a bikini in front of a drooling Premnath, placed Padma on the perch of the prancing pyramid.

The offers poured in. And Padma made sway while the song shined.

In this very special birthday feature noted director Sanjay Leela Bhansali reminiscences and shares fascinating thoughts and insight on the films he grew up watching. You do not want to miss this!

1. Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960): “The way Ritwick Ghatak used Rabindra Sangeet and the level of performance he got out of the leading lady Supriya Chowdhary act remain etched in my mind. Ritwick was so ahead of his times. He himself never knew why he was taking a shot in a particular way. Years later, someone like me, watching the film, discovered the emotional content, which was so potent that it survived all the ravages of time. Ritwick Ghatak understood the power of sound and image.”

2. Mirch Masala (1985): “For the sheer power of the folk tale. The folk tale is told in such vibrant colours. The use of colour red and the tribute to woman power. And at...

Subhash K Jha celebrates the magic of composer and music director, Khayyam, in this fascinate feature.

We all know about the magic of Khayyam’s music. The sheer elegance and melodic predominance in his songs are stuff legends are made of.

There are so many stories behind the great songs that we don’t know. For instance, the tune that finally went into Sahir Ludhianvi’s song ‘Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayaal aata hai’ was first offered to Chetan Anand for a film that Chetan Anand was to make in 1950.

The film got shelved. When Yash Chopra offered Kabhi Kabhie to Khayyam—which was the belated turning point in the composer’s career—Khayyam asked Chetan Anand back for the tune. Chetan obliged. That’s how the biggest hit of Kabhi Kabhie was made.

In Kabhi Kabhie, Khayyam, who had been in hibernation for the longest time carving out...

When Sheeba Akashdeep Was Left Mortified From Aditya Pancholi’s Behavior (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)

Veteran actress Sheeba Akashdeep, who was a part of many commercially successful films during the mid and late-90s recently opened up about her horrifying experience with Aditya Pancholi on the sets of the 1995 action-comedy film Surakshaa. Not only this but Sheeba revealed that she permanently left the film because of Aditya’s behavior towards her. The actress also highlighted that the movie’s director Raju Mavani also refused to help her during the tumultuous situation.

Sheeba Akashdeep Recalls Aditya Pancholi Lashing Out At Her

Recalling the incident, Sheeba Akashdeep stated how Aditya Pancholi got triggered by her simple statement and started abusing and shouting at her. In an interaction with Pinkvilla, the Naachnewale Gaanewale actress said, “I was tired, it was middle of the night. I came to sets after doing two shifts. I was sleeping in my car,...

The magic of Madhubala is the magic of Hindi cinema. She epitomizes all the grace and feminine beauty that make those flickering images on the screen come alive as a collective emblem of the life force. And to think that she died so young. 36 is no age to die. Not for one of the most beautiful women God ever created….or maybe He needed to have her up there to beautify heaven.

Madhubala is synonymous with beauty, just as Lata Mangeshkar is the epitome of melody.

The Nightingale Lataji recalled meeting Venus socially. “She was always warm and friendly. Though everyone stressed her breathtaking beauty, Madhubala never took her looks seriously.”

God knows, Madhubala turned Hindi cinema into an ambrosial paradise for as long as she remained alive. Short-lived as her stardom was, the reign at the top was swift and splendid.

Born in a conservative Muslim family, Madhubala started...

Juhi Chawla Once Almost Cried On The Sets Of Ishq Because Of Aamir Khan(Photo Credit – YouTube)

Juhi Chawla and Aamir Khan are one of the most loved on-screen duos of the 90s who have done some of the iconic movies, including Ishq, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. The actors shared a close friendship off the screen; however, during the filming of Ishq, Aamir, and Ajay Devgn went a little too far with their pranks, making Juhi upset. Scroll below for the deets.

Juhi and Aamir became overnight stars with their film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, released in 1988, a musical film directed by Mansoor Khan in his directorial debut. The romance drama featured Aamir and Juhi as two individuals recounting their journey of falling in love, eloping, and the aftermath. It won multiple awards at the 34th Filmfare Awards, including Best Male Debut and Best Female Debut.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Subhash K Jha asked Filmistan what their favorite prem kahaani films are and the answers were amazing!

Amitabh Bachchan:

“Guru Dutt’s Kagaz Ke Phool: poignant and incredible theme, most lingering visuals, music, performances, and the ethereal Waheedaji, she’s my favourite; Anupama … “I just love the softness and simplicity of the film, its unexaggerated performances. It had a lyrical quality about it. This was a film by one of my favourite directors, Hrishikesh Mukherjee.” Bimal Roy’s Devdas: “I have always idolized Dilip Saab; his portrayal of doomed love in Devdas remains unparalleled.”

Sanjay Leela Bhansali:

“Bimal Roy’s Devdas, Vijay Anand’s Guide, Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah, K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam, Satyajit Ray’s Charulata.”

Raakhee Gulzar:

“Satyajit Ray’s Charulata, Vijay Anand’s Guide, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam, Raj Kapoor’s Bobby, Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie.”

Asha Parekh:

“Bimal Roy’s Devdas,...

Aayush Kumar Andaaz 2 Debut (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Bollywood welcomes a fresh face as Aayush Kumar gears up for his grand debut in Andaaz 2, directed by the renowned filmmaker Suneel Darshan. While sequels often grapple with comparisons to their predecessors, for Aayush, the real challenge isn’t just stepping into a well-loved franchise—it’s living up to the legacy of a filmmaker who has defined Bollywood’s golden era of romance and drama.

Hailing from a middle-class family in Gurgaon, Haryana, Aayush Kumar’s journey into films is nothing short of cinematic itself. An academic achiever, he secured a 97 percentile in the Cat exam and earned admission to the prestigious University Business School, Chandigarh. Yet, destiny had other plans. A moment of epiphany during a finance exam led him to walk away from a conventional career and embrace his passion for acting. He honed his craft through theatre in...

Chhaava Review On X ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The Vicky Kaushal starrer historical film Chhaava was released into the theatres today (February 14). The movie is a tribute to the bravery, courage and sacrifice of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaja. Now, netizens have been pouring in with their reviews on X after catching the early shows. Here’s what they have been telling about the movie.

Chhaava Review On X

One of the netizens stated, “Intense. Tells the story of a braveheart like a lion. Like every historical screenplay suffers and lags a bit but the emotional core and the cast led by Vicky Kaushal is fire. Overall a great outing and a story worth watching on the big screen.”

A user went on to add, “Chhaava is awesome. The film turned out to be higher then expected. This film awakens your history. Every person should watch this movie.”

Trending Rashmika Mandanna Opens Up...

Meena Kumar & Kamal Amrohi Parted Ways As Husband & Wife Because Of Gulzar & A Slap! (Photo Credit – Instagram/Wikimedia)

Meena Kumari has been named as the tragedy queen of the Hindi Cinema. Tragic, so much so that despite finding love it was one of the most heartbreaking love stories ever! Kamal Amrohi was a married man at 34, when he fell in love with an 18-year-old Meena Kumari!

The actress’s father was strictly against this union, however, Kamal Amrohi married her while she paid visit to a physiotherapist. Nikaah was performed and Meena did not let the secret out!

Differences crept in once Meena Kumari turned into a superstar, but filmmaker Kamal Amrohi started witnessing a decline in his stardom. There were rumors of reported violence in the marriage and Meena’s slipping into depression stood as a silent testimony!

Trending 5 Historic Kisses Of Hindi Cinema: From 1st Ban [Of 15-Year-Old-Rekha] To...

To celebrate the day of pyaar, Valentine’s Day, Subhash K Jha shares his picks for the 10 films he believes are the most romantic Hindi films of all time!

1.Amar Prem (1971): The underrated director Shakti Samanta created two timeless odes to love Aradhana and Amar Prem both featuring the charismatic couple Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. My Valentinian pick is Amar Prem. There is not even an embrace between the lead pair. He is a married man seeking comfort in his loneliness. She, a prostitute mothering him, nurturing his heart as though he were her child. Never seen love so sublime in any film. Never felt more happy to know love lives.

2.Bobby (1973): Every generation has its favourite love story. I pity those who think Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaynege are the acme of amour. Excuse me, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in Raj Kapoor’s rugged,...

For centuries, poets and philosophers have written about how phantasmagoria and spectral evocation lie at the heart of photography -- and the same is very much true of motion pictures. The earliest experiences in movement-imitating sequential photography have an eerie, liminal quality to them, like dispatches from another world altogether; just have a look at the 1889 Monkeyshines shorts, believed to be the first American films ever, and tell us if they don't feel like seeing a ghost.

From 1889 to now, movies have largely retained that ghostly aptitude. Film, the realm par excellence of images and impressions that detach themselves from -- and eventually outlive -- their subjects, is still arguably the best-suited medium for evoking a world beyond and dramatizing its interactions with ours. Therefore, you can count the 12 best ghost films ranked below, ranging from horror to comedy to romance and back, as 12 of the best ghost stories ever,...

There was much more to filmmaker Kamal Amrohi than Pakeezah. Daaera, which Amrohi directed a decade before Pakeezah, was the story of a very young woman married to a man old enough to be her father. And before Daaera, there was Mahal, Indian cinema’s first ghost story to attain blockbuster status.

Kamal Amrohi’s proud son, Tajdar Amrohi, feels injustice has been done to his father’s memory. “It pains me to say this. Both the film industry and the government of India never gave him his due recognition. My father learnt to write from his mother’s womb.Iss aadmi ne likhna apni maa ki doodh peekar sikha. He never assisted anyone. At age 17, he wrote Pukar and became a big-name writer in Hindi cinema.”

Adding, “My father was a pioneer and a trendsetter. In Mahal, he brought the suspense genre to Indian cinema. And if in Mahal...

In this special feature, Subhash K Jha takes a look at the Iifa nominations and shares his thoughts on who was snubbed and who should take home the prize.

Was Ravi Kishan really a supporting actor in Laapata Ladies? And were Sparsh Shrivastav and Nitanshi Goel the lead actor and actresses in Kiran Rao’s gem on ditzy spousal swaps?

Laapata Ladies would have worked just as well with any two new eager beavers.

Not nominating Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi for Sirsha Guha Thakurta’s wonderful Do Aur Do Pyar, or for that matter not nominating Applause Entertainment’s Do Aur Do Pyar for any of the major categories reminds me of the time when the music and songs of Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah composed by Ghulam Mohammed, lost the Filmfare award to Shankar-Jaikishan’s Beimaan in 1972. Errrr, does anyone remember a single song from Beimaaan today?

Ignore tomorrow...

When Meena Kumari’s Estranged Husband Kamal Amrohi Took An Alleged Revenge From Dharmendra ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Tragedy queen Meena Kumari’s life was marred by several tragedies, especially in her personal life. Despite tasting stardom with around 90 films in her glorious film career, it was her troubled marriage with director Kamal Amrohi that grabbed several eyeballs. However, did you know that the actress was also rumored to have been in a relationship with Dharmendra? This speculation had also not gone down well with Amrohi who had allegedly taken revenge from the actor on the sets of the film Razia Sultan.

According to Bollywood Shaadi, the actress was rumored to have an affair with Dharmendra after her marriage with Kamal Amrohi had hit a rough patch. This left the latter enraged, who was speculated to have taken revenge on the Sholay actor on the sets of Razia Sultan. The movie...

Grand Praemium

Taiwan-born film director Ang Lee has been named as one of the five recipients of the Praemium Imperiale award of the Japan Art Association. The awards ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Nov. 19.

Each recipient will receive JPY15 million alongside a testimonial letter and a medal. This year’s other recipients are: Sophie Calle (painting, France); Doris Salcedo (sculpture, Colombia); Shigeru Ban (architecture, Japan); and Maria João Pires (music, Portugal/Switzerland).

The Praemium Imperiale is the world’s largest and most prestigious art award in the five disciplines of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theatre/film. Now in its 35th year, it gives international recognition to the arts, much as the Nobel Prizes do to the sciences.

Previous film sector winners include Ingmar Berman, Jean-Luc Godard and Kurosawa Akira.

Kiwi Figures

The 2024 New Zealand International Film Festival (Nziff) has completed its marathon tour around the country. Its...

As with any time I try to explain a massive figure in Indian film to the uninitiated, the temptation rises quickly to compare director Sanjay Leela Bhansali to someone in Hollywood.

And, as with any time I actually make these comparisons, everything falls short. Bhansali depicts spectacle evocative of the work of Baz Luhrmann, but even that is a pale imitation (no disrespect to either). There is no one literally anywhere in the world creating cinema with the scale and grandeur that Bhansali has cultivated as his signature, a style so distinct that his own peers pay homage to it while he’s still alive and working.

But at the top of IndieWire’s conversation about Bhansali’s career, he’s quick to shake the larger-than-life visual splendor of his creations, emphasizing — as writer, director and producer, among his many hats — that the stories themselves evoke that scope.

“It’s...

Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi, now on Netflix in eight episodes is everything that Bhansali has come to be associated with, then some more. It is a feast for the eyes and soul with a gallery of female actors giving their best to every shot. At times the best of these actresses is not good enough. One of the lead actresses pretending to be drunken dancing is ludicrously caricatural. But then there is Aditi Rao Hydari looking every inch the ethereal kothewali, a distant cousin to Rekha in Umrao Jaan. And Shruti Sharma as ill-fated-in-love Saima makes her space. I must also mention Jayati Bhatia as Manisha Koirala’s faithful woman-Friday. Even when in the background she makes her presence felt.

Bhansali’s vision and execution are impeccable so much so that you wonder what this kotha classic would look like on the big screen.

On...

Madhubala Started Her Career As A Child Actor But Jumped To An Unimaginable Paycheck Later ( Photo Credit – Shemaroo Filmi Gaane / YouTube )

Plans for Madhubala’s biopic have been taking rounds in the industry, with names of Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan being dropped as the main leads of the film. Now it has been announced that the film is indeed rolling; however, no names have been finalized yet for the lead actress of the film who will play the legendary beauty.

Better known as Mughal-e-Azam‘s Anarkali, the actress was originally named Mumtaaz. In fact, she was credited by the same name when she made her film debut as a child actress in the film Basant in 1942. She was a revelation on screen and was hired on a salary of Rs 300 per month.

So, at a very young age, she was earning more than his father, who earned only Rs 150 per month.

Among the titans of the Indian film industry, his forte was the grand epic that brought various phases of the subcontinent’s history – ancient, medieval, and early modern – to vivid life and enabled him to use his booming baritone, which even drew blind people to cinema theatres just to hear his grandiloquence.

Be it as the Rajput nobleman Sangram Singh in “Pukar” (1931) set in the times of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Raja Porus in “Sikandar” (1941), in the title role of the Parmar king in “Prithvi Vallabh” (1943), as the Rajguru of Rani Lakkshmibai in “Jhansi ki Rani” (1952), or the bitter persecuted Jew Ezra in “Yahudi” (1958), Sohrab Modi strode the silver screen with his imposing presence, boundless histrionic abilities, and thunderous voice.

He delivered a trailblasing performance as a kind and rational man turned domestic tyrant – and twice over- in “Jailor”, made first in 1938 and remade in 1958, with totally different casts save him in the title role.

Among the titans of the Indian film industry, his forte was the grand epic that brought various phases of the subcontinent’s history – ancient, medieval, and early modern – to vivid life and enabled him to use his booming baritone, which even drew blind people to cinema theatres just to hear his grandiloquence.

Be it as the Rajput nobleman Sangram Singh in “Pukar” (1931) set in the times of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Raja Porus in “Sikandar” (1941), in the title role of the Parmar king in “Prithvi Vallabh” (1943), as the Rajguru of Rani Lakkshmibai in “Jhansi ki Rani” (1952), or the bitter persecuted Jew Ezra in “Yahudi” (1958), Sohrab Modi strode the silver screen with his imposing presence, boundless histrionic abilities, and thunderous voice.

He delivered a trailblasing performance as a kind and rational man turned domestic tyrant – and twice over- in “Jailor”, made first in 1938 and remade in 1958, with totally different casts save him in the title role.

The eternal combination of music with films and stars, many a times their fate intertwined, with each giving a boost to the other, is considered a hallmark of Indian movies. This has been the tradition of almost all films produced in India – since the humble beginning made with “Raja Harishchandra” (1913) by the venerable Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind ‘Dadasaheb’ Phalke.

Among the sackful of musical blockbusters churned out by Bollywood, one of the front-rankers is K Asif’s National Award winner “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) with a dozen unforgettable scores by the Master of the Baton, Naushad Ali. Surprisingly, this all-time megabuster did not see Dilip Kumar, the winsome Prince Salim, singing a single song on the silver screen.

All the 12 songs in “Mughal-e-Azam” were left to other characters such as the besotted Madhubala (Anarkali) and the jealous Bahar Begum (Nigar Sultana), a wandering soothsayer, or royal court musician Tansen, in the...

This news is from the South. It is a no-brainer. Since the Telugu film industry has set certain norms for members as well as the stars and the cinemas through the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (Tfcc), the Tamil Film Producer Council (Tfpc) has decided to prove that it is the dormant body.

How else does the Tfpc plan to ask the film critics to refrain from writing / publishing reviews of new films till Sunday?! The major media, as in daily broadsheets, always reviewed films in the Sunday editions. The Sunday editions of the papers were meant for leisurely reading with opinions, features on various subjects as well as film reviews. Did that save a film from failing?

The business of movie reviews was all about passing of envelopes. Gradually, someone thought that giving stars to a film made better business sense. Four and five stars carried a decent price tag.

Bilal Amrohi, the grandson of the renowned filmmaker Kamal Amrohi, will be working on a fictional series that will portray the love story between Kamal Amrohi and his muse – Meena Kumari that came alive during the sixteen-year journey of the making of ‘Pakeezah’. Talking about the series, Bilal Amrohi said: “It will be a […]...

The concept of “the prostitute” has been fascinating directors all over the world for quite some time, with the psychosynthesis of the sex professionals drawing as much interest as the opportunity to use the concept as a metaphor for various sociopolitical comments. Despite the fact that such themes always had issues with censorship, an abundance of movies about the subject can be also found in Asian cinema, and particularly in countries like Japan, S. Korea and India.

In this list, we will present 20 of the greatest Asian films about prostitutes in chronological order, with a focus on diversity regarding countries, directors and style of presentation.

1. Gate of Flesh

Mini-militias of prostitutes create their own code to survive in “Gates Of Flesh”, by selling themselves in an organised gang fashion, protecting their turf, of bombed out Tokyo, viciously. This was no time for romanticism, frivolity or even love; this is a brutal game of survival.

Singer Lata Mangeshkar, dubbed Nightingale of India, turns 90 on Sept. 28 and in honor of the woman who made the Guinness Book of World Records for 25,000 songs recorded we at Variety chose 25 of our favorite tunes from Bollywood. There were many more we could choose, including duets with Hemant Kumar or Mohammed Rafi but we didn’t want the list to become too unwieldy. Mangeshkar started singing professionally at age 14 and Bollywood actresses from the 1940s to 2000s have lip synced to her on screen. Acting legend Dilip Kumar once said of her: “The way the fragrance of a flower has no color, a flowing spring or cool breezes belong to no country, the smile of an innocent child has no religion, similarly Lata Mangekshar’s voice is a miracle of nature’s creativity.”

Laru Lappa Lara Lappa

“Ek Thi Ladki (1949)

The Punjabi duet is the most famous part of “Ek...

Sadak 2 (Disney-Hotstar)

Starring Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur

Directed by Mahesh Bhatt

Believe it or not, Gulshan Grover in a walk-on part which he must have accepted for old times’ sake, plays a villain named Haathkatta. Because, get this, one of his hands has been severed.

Subtlety is certainly not one of the strong points of this belated sequel to a 1991 film that was ripped off from Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver. This Sadak swerves off the highway in no time at all. It is shocking that a script so shoddy and inane would be allowed to serve as a comeback to direction for Mahesh Bhatt, and that too to direct his star-daughter Alia Bhatt.

Both deserve better. So does Sanjay Dutt. So do we.

Sadak 2 is the kind of debilitating disappointment that Indian cinema suffers when the biggest of talents get together to deliver a certifiable dud.

Panipat movie review is here. Based on the third battle of Panipat, the movie is titled Panipat: The Great Betrayal and stars Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, and Kriti Sanon in main leads. Helmed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, the war epic releases on 6 December 2019. Does it fulfills the expectations?, Let?s find out in the movie review of Panipat aka Panipat: The Great Betrayal.

Immediate reaction when the end credits roll

The prolific Ashutosh Gowarikar finds back his roots as he salutes the great Maratha pride in this magnificently mounted, incredible tale of valor

The Story of Panipat: The Great Betrayal

It?s circa 18th century India; The Maratha Empire is ruling almost the whole of India. A dangerous threat from the Afghan King Ahmad Shah Abdali ( Sanjay Dutt) tests the courage of Maratha?s and the unity and integrity of India. Nana Saheb Peshwa (Mohnish Bahl) orders Sadashiv Rao Bhau ( Arjun...

The name Meena Kumari is synonymous with sorrow, melancholy and desperation and why not???A verse from her poem ?Zindagi Yeh Hai? captures the core of her life. A tattered childhood, wrecked in marriage, letdown in love and betrayed by close relatives made Meena Kumari?s life so gloomy that she sought respite in alcohol and poetry.

Dard ke saye, udasi ka dhuan, dukh ki ghata

Shadows of grief, the smoke of misery, clouds of sorrow

Zindagi yeh hai to phir maut kise kahte hain ??

If this is life, what is it that they call death?

What is paradoxical is that Meena Kumari, not only became a victim of depression in ?Real life? but incidentally even on ?Reel life? Bollywood exploited her tragic avatar. With movies like Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Aarti, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi, Dil Ek Mandir, Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan, Bhabhi Ki Chudiyaan, Kaajal etc. Meena...

One of India’s most iconic films that took 14 years to hit the silver screen, Kamal Amrohi’s classic Pakeezah starring his former wife Meena Kumari is currently facing legal issues. After Amrohi’s children sold their production house Mahal Pictures along with the famous Kamalistan studio, located in suburban Mumbai, to Pune based builder Avinash Bhosale,Read More

The post Pakeezah faces legal trouble, case against Amrohi family over ownership issues appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

The 1949 film had music by Khemchand Prakash and lyrics by Nakhshab Jarchvi, who created the hit song Aayega Aanewala sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Mahal was directed by Kamal Amrohi and starred Ashok Kumar and Madhubala in lead roles...

The 1972 film had music by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad while lyrics were penned by Kaifi Azmi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kamal Amrohi and Kaif Bhopali. Pakeezah had some iconic songs like Inhi Logon Ne, Chalo Dildar Chalo and Chalte Chalte Yun Hi...

The shocking case of the abandoned mother who was left in the hospital for almost a month by her son has shaken the nation. When investigated further, the woman turned out to be one of the veteran actresses from the film industry. Geeta Kapoor had worked in Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah and Razia Sultan. Kamal Amrohi’sRead More

The post Pakeezah actress Geeta Kapoor granted an Noc; to be now shifted to an old age home appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.

Can we please stop obsessing over Baahubali and move on? Right off, Rudhramadevi would be compared with Rajamouli’s landmark achievement. Baahubali would never be made again. Thank God for that!

Rudhramadevi is another creature altogether. Vast, panoramic, spectacular and deeply resonating with relevances that go way beyond the 13th century the film is a marvel of construction and execution.

The plot is a spiraling architecture of infinite intrigue and intricacy weaving in its flamboyant fabric aeons of courtly intrigue. The narrative survives an onslaught of grotesque caricatures of evil entities from the royal durbar all plotting and conspiring to bring down the 13th century warrior-queen from the Kakatia dynasty.

There are some clumsy special effects and of course a hand-to-hand combat between the protagonist and a wild animal: No period film can be complete until the hero grapples with a four-legged creature. Also in this case the special effects...

Remember the super hit song Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Yeh..... from Meena Kumari's timeless classic Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai. Incidentally, the Daastaan (story) of Meena Kumari's life has suddenly become a hot piece of news since biopics are ruling the roost in Bollywood hence everybody is keen to exploit the life of the tragedy queen and mint money.

On one hand filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia has reportedly signed Queen actress Kangana Ranaut to play Meena Kumari in his film which is an adaption of the biography on Meena Kumari, penned by eminent late journalist Vinod Mehta.

On the other hand, interestingly, Meena Kumari's step-son Tajdar Amrohi, son of Kamal Amrohi from his first wife, is also making a movie titled Meena Baa Kamaal (Meena - the extraordinary). Initially Manisha Koirala was announced to play the lead but she declined the offer and now a new actress would play the part.

She lived a tumultuous life, filled with passion, romance and a tragic grandeur. And now Meena Kumari's life would be chronicled in cinema by none other than Tigmanshu Dhulia whose Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster was inspired by Meena Kumari's best-known work Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. For the first time Tigmanshu Dhulia talks about why he has chosen National Award winner Kangna Ranaut to play Meena Kumari.

Dhulia, who is currently wrapping up a film called Yaara, says he chose Kangna because she was the only actress who could convey the tragic pathos of Meena Kumari's personality. "There is a profound sadness in Kangna's eyes, the same quality that we saw in Meena Kumari's eyes. And that voice! When I heard Kangna Ranaut in her debut film Gangster I was reminded of Meena Kumari. The same haunted and haunting quality, a voice that suggests pain grief, wisdom and seduction!

We have a very special treat for all you Bollywood fanatics. BollySpice presents to you an exclusive excerpt from the newly released book Bollywood’s India: Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India. Written by Indian Cinema scholar Professor Rachel Dwyer and published by Reaktion Books, Bollywood’s India examines the importance of Hindi Cinema over the last two decades and how it can help us to interpret the social aspects of India as we know it today. Be it religion, human behaviour as well as social, political and economic issues which have affected the country in recent years; Dwyer looks at how all these have been depicted in Hindi films and the important link between films and reality. The book is available to buy now and has also been released in India as Picture Abhi Baaki Hai by Hachette India. This is a must for any movie buff...