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New Delhi, Aug 30 (Ians) Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi, is the time of joyous celebrations where sisters cherish their bond by tying rakhi around the wrist of their brothers, a symbol of mutual trust, friendship and love.

Our siblings may be the people who annoy us the most, but they are also the people who are sometimes the biggest figures of influence in our lives, their role in our lives actively shapes us and without them, life may just become a bit too empty.

To commemorate this joyous occasion, Ians has put together Top 10 Hindi songs celebrating the spirit of Raksha Bandhan.

1. ‘Phoolon ka taaron ka’: An icon of Indian cinema and music, this track from the 1971 film ‘Hare Ram, Hare Krishna’, is indeed a timeless Raksha Bandhan classic that has defined the Raksha Bandhan and touched the hearts of generations. The song is picturised on Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman.

Shyam Benegal's Bhumika (1977) is now showing in the series A Journey into Indian Cinema.When Shyam Benegal was making Bhumika, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act was in effect in India, which made it practically impossible to import film stock from Kodak. Films in production were rationed color film stock and if Benegal was to continue making Bhumika, he would have to use whatever old stock that was available: the East German Orwo, which the director called a “dreadful stock,” that was sold at a rupee; and some tinted black-and-white stock. He promptly changed the whole structure of his film and decided to narrate the life of actor Hansa Wadkar (whose career spanned three decades: from 1936 to 1968) and mark the passage of time with film stocks: black-and-white for the 1930s, Orwo for the 1950s, and Kodak color for the sixties. His cinematographer, Govind Nihalani, was not pleased. Wadkar’s autobiography,...

The New York Indian Film Festival (Nyiff) announced the full lineup last night for their 16th year of celebrating independent, art house, alternate, and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent (May 7 – May 14). Dedicated to bringing these films to a New York audience, the festival will feature 40 screenings (35 narrative, 5 documentary) –all seen for the first time in New York City. In addition, the festival will also feature five programs of short films.

The festival highlights various cinemas of India’s different regions. All the films are subtitled in English and some of the languages this year include Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telegu, Assamese, Haryanavi and Urdu. This year’s festival will feature a couple of sidebars –Nfdc restored first films of filmmakers and a three-generations sidebar, films of Bimal Roy, Basu Bhattacharya and Aditya Bhattacharya.

The festival’s film lineup includes 2016 National Award winners A Far Afternoon,...

Eros International Media Ltd.(Eros International), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry has announced a promising opening weekend of Rs. 27 crore gross worldwide for English Vinglish, the directorial debut of Gauri Shinde.

Produced by Eros International in association with R. Balki, the film released across more than 1,000 screens worldwide on 5th October 2012.

Hailed as Sridevi’s comeback movie, English Vinglish is the story of a middle-class woman who is skilled at many things but not the English language and is often the butt of jokes not only within her family but also in the outside world. It is a feel-good slice of life film that takes us on a journey with Shashi Godbole played by Sridevi, who not only wins the heart of New York where the film is set but millions of people around the world. Receiving a standing ovation at the Toronto film festival recently,...

Movie Preview: The Well (Vihir)

 

Directed by Umesh Kulkarni

India, 2009, 120 min. Us Premiere.

Marathi (with English subtitles)

Cast: Madan Deodhar, Alok Rajwade, Renuka Daftardar, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Jyoti Subhash, Sulbha Deshpande, Girish Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash, Ashwini Giri.

September 24, 2010: A story of two adolescent boys Sameer and Nachiket (cousins who are best friends) standing on the crossroads of life. They must choose between a petty, worldly, small existence and taking to the sky in a life.

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) has announced the 2010 line-up of films for its 8th annual festival, which runs April 20-April 25 at ArcLight Hollywood. The six-day festival will showcase 33 films from 5 countries, including 4 world premieres and 7 Us premieres.

“This is a true celebration of the art and business of Indian film and culture as well as an opportunity to connect with the game changers and emerging filmmakers of Indian themed content,’ said Christina Marouda, Iffla’s Executive Director. “As filmmakers of Indian descent forge new relationships in Hollywood, we invite moviegoers and industry professionals to experience our unique and wide ranging program which includes thought-provoking dramas, engaging documentaries, along with a touch of light hearted fare and a taste of Bollywood.”

Kicking off the festival is the Los Angeles premiere and directorial debut of Dilip Mehta‘s Cooking With Stella, starring Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, and Don McKellar.