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Bhakshak (Netflix)

Starring Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar

Directed by Pulkit

From its prologue where a young girl is brutalized and then left to die, to its closing monologue where investigative journalist Vaishali Singh looks straight into the camera and asks us if we have lost all compassion… Bhakshak resonates with the corruption and brutality of our times.

Bhakshak is set in a hell-house camouflaged as a shelter home in Munnawarnagar, a thinly veiled reference to the shocking gruesome crime in Muzaffarpur that had shaken the nation’s collective conscience in 2018. But what did we do? Did we go beyond out tsk-tsks in our living rooms?

Pulkit’s film does much more than make polite noises. It is a film of smothered shrieks and chilling recriminations. It is partly a true-crime thriller that Costa-Gavras would approve of, and partly a severe docu-dramatized condemnation of our socio-political reality...

Veteran actress and folk pop singer Ila Arun, who has a career span of 44 years in the industry, has shared her success mantra, and it is Lord Krishna’s shloka “Karm karo, fal ki chinta mat karo”.

Ila was recently seen as Nalini in the crime thriller drama ‘Aarya’ season three.

The series features actress Sushmita Sen in the titular character of Aarya Sareen.

Speaking to Ians, Ila talked about her career, and her bond with Sushmita.

Ila is known for her work in projects like ‘Ardh Satya’, ‘China Gate’, ‘Ghatak’, ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, among many others.

Talking about her work mantra, Ila told Ians: “I follow Krishna’s mantra ‘Karm karo, fal ki chinta mat karo’. That’s what gives you energy. Don’t be desperate and don’t take bad projects.”

“In my entire journey till date I have got one-two wrong movies also, which had messed up producers and directors.

Veteran actress and folk pop singer Ila Arun, who has a career span of 44 years in the industry, has shared her success mantra, and it is Lord Krishna’s shloka “Karm karo, fal ki chinta mat karo”.

Ila was recently seen as Nalini in the crime thriller drama ‘Aarya’ season three.

The series features actress Sushmita Sen in the titular character of Aarya Sareen.

Speaking to Ians, Ila talked about her career, and her bond with Sushmita.

Ila is known for her work in projects like ‘Ardh Satya’, ‘China Gate’, ‘Ghatak’, ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, among many others.

Talking about her work mantra, Ila told Ians: “I follow Krishna’s mantra ‘Karm karo, fal ki chinta mat karo’. That’s what gives you energy. Don’t be desperate and don’t take bad projects.”

“In my entire journey till date I have got one-two wrong movies also, which had messed up producers and directors.

Though YouTube opted not to renew its longest-running original series, Joey Graceffa’s Escape The Night, for a fourth season, the property will live on in board game form.

Graceffa has partnered with his McN, Studio71, to launch a Kickstarter campaign for the tabletop venture -- following a model that the network has piloted with several other digital creators, including YouTube comedian and animator Alex Clark and TV writer Zach Craley, and Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings and Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield for their strategy board game, Half Truth.

For its part, the official Escape The Night board game fundraiser blew past its $30,000 goal in under three hours, and at press time had raised a $120,000 -- with 29 days to go. The game is inspired by the improvisational mystery series, where top YouTubers appear in character and must compete in mental and physical challenges to survive mystical villains. Across its...

Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings and Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield have teamed up to create a new trivia card game, Half Truth. In a conversation with Rolling Stone, the two explained that Garfield was inspired to design the game after reading Jennings’ best-selling book Brainiac.

“I love trivia games — nobody played more Trivial Pursuit than me in 1984,” Jennings says. “It’s very formative for 10-year-old me. But a lot of people don’t have the same love of trivia party games that I do because those games often emphasize...

?Jab tak baithne ke liye nahi kaha jaye, sharafat se khade raho.. yeh police station hai tumhare baapka ghar nahi? think of a honest no nonsense cop, it?s the tall lanky Amitabh Bachchan in his magical deep baritone as Insp.

Vijay Khanna flashes instantly and will continue to haunt till Bollywood mainstream continues making Singham?s and keeps the angst burning. The phenomena ?angry young man? aka Inspector Vijay aka the rebirth of Amitabh Bachchan has some extremely interesting facts that makes this Zanjeer stronger and unbreakably unforgettable.

Was already sold to Dharmendra!!

Yes, before Jai.. it was his dear Veeru who was supposed to do the movie with Mumtaz as the female lead but due to unavailability of dates and after a prolonged wait, producer director Prakash Mehra ? one of Mr. Bachchan?s prime mentor called off the deal amicably. The stories of Zanjeer being rejected by Raj Kumar,...

Actor Anil Kapoor is one of Bollywood's favourite cops, thanks to his roles in movies such as "Ram Lakhan" and "Race". He has donned the khaki uniform once again for his upcoming film "Malang".

Bollywood has had many actors essaying the role of police officers. Asked what makes him a different cop in "Malang", Anil told Ians here: "My early memories of cop is 'Ardh Satya'. Om Puri gave one of his finest performances in it. I was really shaken up when I saw the film. I really loved the film. Om was terrific as a police officer.

Also Read:?Anil Kapoor makes his TikTok debut

"Then of course, there was 'Zanjeer' which was a mainstream commercial film. After that I think it was 'Ram Lakhan' - a mainstream commercial film where I played a cop who just wanted to be rich, even if he had to go against the system.

Flix FlashbackThe film is about how a powerful man's son runs over pavement dwellers and their driver is expected to take the rap for the accident.Basav BiradarPicture this: As soon as the initial titles are over, we cut to the view from the dashboard of a vehicle. A watchman opens the gate, and the car turns into a lane as music – a track seemingly inspired by Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive - starts playing. The car drives through the residential areas and main roads of ‘80s Bengaluru until it reaches a busy market. The man at the wheel switches off the music and gestures his friend on the passenger seat to get on with it. The car is a white Buick convertible. The friend gets down, walks up to a shop where he meets a man in all whites standing and smoking. He hands the man money in exchange for...

Monsoon Shootout

Starring Vijay Verma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Gitanjali Thapa,Farhan Mohammed Hanif Sheikh

Directed by Amit Kumar

Rain-splashed bloodied puddles of questioning, probing, searching, emotional and physical violence… Monsoon Shootout is a curious case of a potentially routine cops-and-killer sanguinary saga given a certain fresh twist of ambivalence by writing skills that know their Dirty Harry as closely as they know Ardh Satya.

There is tadka of circumstantial ambiguity, a twist of fate, if you will, whereby a rookie cop’s rookie-rookie si zindagi gets more unscheduled excitement on his first assignment than he had bargained for.

A serial killer is on the prowl. And really,in how many ways can Nawaz be cast as the psychotic outcast? It was a hammer in hand in Raman Raghav, It’s an axe here. The slayings are staged stylishly in the slippery monsoon of Mumbai when it’s easy for...

The parallel cinema movement in the country has over the years been nurtured by a number of stalwarts like Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Aparajitho) Mrinal Sen (Bhuvan Shome Ek Din Prati Din), Shayam Benegal (Ankur, Manthan), Mani Kaul (Uski Roti, Duvidha), Govind Nihalani (Ardh Satya, Aakrosh), Kumar Shahani (Maya Darpan, Tarang) and Gautam Ghose (Paar Antarjali Yatra).

Om Puri, the veteran of Indian cinema who died on Friday morning at age 66 of an unexpected heart attack, received two National Film Awards, the highest honor an actor can receive in India. The awards are not without their controversies, as one may suspect from awards that are doled out by the national government of India. They have sometimes been accused of favoring Hindi-language films at the expense of regional cinema. As far as Indian awards bodies go, though, the National Film Awards exhibit remarkably prudent taste more often than not. The first of Puri’s National Awards was for Arohan (The Ascending Scale, 1982), by director Shyam Benegal, while the second came for Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya (Half Truth, 1983). In the days since Puri’s death, there has been justified focus on his work in Ardh Satya. It gave Puri one of his most definitive roles, and the film...

The prolific, veteran Bollywood actor Om Puri, best known as the star of British films “My Son the Fanatic” and “East is East,” died yesterday at the age of 66, reported the Indian Express.

Born in in 1950, Puri attended the Film and Television Institute of India as well as National School of Drama, and later made his film debut in the 1976 film “Ghashiram Kotwal.” He quickly followed it up with award-winning performances in films like “Aakrosh” in 1980, for which he won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, “Arohan” in 1982 and “Ardh Satya” in 1983, for which he won the National Film Award for Best Actor two years in a row.

Besides his many character roles in Bollywood film, Puri also appeared or starred in numerous English and Hollywood films and TV shows as well. He co-starred in 90s American films like “City of Joy,” “Wolf” and “The Ghost and the Darkness.” He...

Om Puri in West Is West, who has died at age 66 Photo: BBC Films East Is East star Om Puri has died at age 66.

The veteran Indian star reportedly died of a heart attack in Mumbai early today.

Puri, who became known as a character actor in the 1980s, finding fame both in his homeland, with films such as Ardh Satya and Sadgati, and in Britain, where he starred in films including culture clash comedy East Is East and its sequel West Is West. He also found fame in Hollywood, with films including The Hundred-Foot Journey and The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

He was awarded an OBE for his contribution to British film in 2004 and the Padma Shri for his services to the film industry in India in 1990.

On December 21, Puri wrote on Twitter: "I have no regrets at all. I have done quite well for myself. I didn't have a conventional face,...

Om Puri, one of India’s most critically acclaimed actors, died in Mumbai on Friday, reportedly after suffering a heart attack. He was 66. Puri, whose versatile career saw him feature in Indian films such as Ardh Satya and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro as well as Hollywood fare like Gandhi, City Of Joy, The Hundred Foot Journey and Charlie Wilson's War, was known for his gritty character roles in several landmark Bollywood titles from the 1980s. Born in the northern state of Haryana…...

Om Puri, a veteran Indian actor known for his work in both Bollywood and Hollywood films, died Thursday. He was 66. He suffered a heart attack, Ndtv in India reported. Puri’s notable roles included in “Ghandi,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Ghost and the Darkness” and “The Jungle Book.” Also Read: 'Survivor' Alum Dan Kay Dies at 40 Born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Punjabi family, Puri began his career in the 1976 Marathi film “Ghashiram Kotwal.” He went on to star in some of India’s biggest movies, including “Ardh Satya,” “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron” and “Paar.” Also Read: Carrie Fisher,...

Priyanka Chopra will be seen playing a no-nonsense cop named Abha Mathur in Prakash Jha’s upcoming film Jai Gangaajal and a new promo of the film has been unveiled, which has left us in awe of the former beauty queen.

The new promo of the film focuses on Chopra as Ips officer Sp Abha Mathur, who takes charge of Bankipur district and announces on her first day of duty that she is not here to just throw her weight around, but to crack down on law-breakers. The promo then goes on to show how Mathur takes on the anti-social elements in her jurisdiction, despite opposition from local politicians, who don’t want her to upset the nexus of politics and crime.

Priyanka has nailed the tough cop look and her dialogue delivery and body language will bring back memories of cop films like Ardh Satya and Zanjeer, which had featured righteous and incorruptible cops.

Bollywood woke up today to a sad news. The talented actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar is no more. Sadashiv Amrapurkar, who was being treated for lung infection at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital since the last few days, passed away early morning today. Born and brought up in a Marathi Brahmin family, he was fondly called as 'Tatya' by his loved ones. While he was best known for his path breaking roles in films like Sadak and Ardh Satya, he was equally known for his light heated and villainous roles in films like Aankhen, Ishq, Coolie No 1, Gupt: The Hidden Truth to name a few. Bollywood residents took to twitter to express their condolence for this great actor. While Anupam Kher tweeted, "I am so saddened to know about the demise of a fine human being & a wonderful actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar. He was a kind & a learned man. Rip", Ashoke Pandit tweeted, "Sad...

Not many know that Ganesh Kumar Narwode is actually the real name of the veteran actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar, the very man who almost redefined the way we looked at Hindi film villains. He played iconic roles in thefilms in the 90s. No wonder then, he was and is a darling of the masses. It's a real sad thing to know that the man who entertained everyone all his life in films (Hindi and Marathi) like Ardh Satya, Kaal Chakra, Sadak, Ishq ... to name a few, is a critical condition now, even as you read this article. Speaking exclusively to Bollywood Hungama, his daughter Reema Amrapurkar said, "My father had been admitted him 2 weeks ago for the treatment of a lung infection. But, since the last five days, he has been in the ICU and is really critical now. The doctors have now put him on a ventilator." We at Bollywood...

Om Puri (b. 1950), the prolific and internationally renowned Indian actor will appear at Museum of the Moving Image on Sunday, August 3, for a conversation about his career moderated by actress and writer Madhur Jaffrey. The tribute program, presented with clips of Puri’s finest performances, will be followed by a preview screening of The Hundred-Hoot Journey, in which he co-stars with Helen Mirren.

Om Puri is one of India’s most celebrated actors. He won his first Indian National Film Award for his performance in Ardh Satya. Since then, he has starred in both mainstream and arthouse Indian films including Ardh Satya (1982), Mirch Masala (1987), Dharavi (1992), Maachis (1996), and A.K. 47 (2004), as well as international projects such as the critically acclaimed Gandhi (1982), City of Joy (1992), Wolf (1994), Brothers in Trouble (1995), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), East is East (1999), Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), and West is West (2010). He recently starred in Don 2 (2011), Farhan Akhtar’s record-breaking Bollywood epic.

A Holy Fire is one of the twenty-three films selected for the co- production market of Film Bazaar 2013. We spoke to the director Govind Nihalani:

Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?

Govind Nihalani

Phoolvati, a young widow, 35, immolates herself on the funeral pyre with her dead husband, 72. Instantly, she is elevated to the Goddess- like status of a Sati, the epitome of virtue for being a selfless devoted wife. A grand temple is planned by the town to worship her. Phoolvati is survived by young Vidya, her only child, who idolised her for upholding the traditional values of society. Mother’s death shatters daughter’s world, Vidya herself having been widowed recently.

Soon Vidya’s relatives, particularly the male members, encircle the vulnerable young widow like vultures. Vidya stands up to them and they don’t find her resistance amusing. The confrontation escalates and...

Om Puri, who is known for his role as the righteous man in Ardh Satya, seems to be alleged of breaking law. His wife Nandita Puri has lodged a complaint at Versova Police station, Mumbai, accusing her husband-actor Om Puri of domestic violence.

Apparently, the marriage of the Puris had hit rock bottom since the book titled 'Unlikely Hero: The story of Om Puri' was released. Om Puri was left fuming after his wife wrote about his sexual life and past affairs in the biography. Nandita however had cleared the air by stating that she just wanted to be honest while writing the book as a journalist. But looks like, these revelations didn't go down well with Om Puri and reports suggest that this may be the reason for this violence.

The actor is currently charged under sections 324, 504, 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

Mumbai, Aug 11: Acclaimed filmmaker Govind Nihalani, who is planning a sequel to "Ardh Satya", says he would like to team up with Om Puri for the second part.

Om Puri played the protagonist in the 1983 release, which also had Amrish Puri and Smita Patil -- but both the actors are not alive.

"...the two major people are not there anymore with us. Right now, I am keeping my options open and I am waiting to see what happens. I would love to have Om Puri again," he told Ians.

Based on noted Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar's short story, the critically acclaimed cop-drama revolved around a police officer, played by.

Prominent Indian actor Om Puri has joined the cast of "The Hundred-Foot Journey," DreamWorks announced on Friday. Puri will star alongside Helen Mirren and Manish Dayal in the next film from "Chocolat" director Lasse Halstrom. The movie revolves Hassan Haji, a 22-year-old Indian man who becomes a famous French chef with the help of Madame Mallory (Mirren). Steve Knight wrote the screenplay from Richard Morais' best-selling book. Puri has appeared in dozens of movies across a career that dates back to the early 1970s, starring mostly in Indian films like "Ardh Satya"...

Ardh Satya which revolved around a police officer struggling in the world of corrupt politicians and other officials had Om Puri, Smita Patil, Sadashiv Amrapurkar and Naseeruddin Shah in main roles. Director Govind Nihalani and producer Manmohan Shetty have now decided to make a sequel to this popular social drama. Nihalani, who also directed the original film, is already completing the scripting of the sequel. While Nihalani says that he will finish the script by August, he wanted to strike a balance between modifying the script and at the same time, take the original story forward. Though Nihalani has expressed his desire to cast Om Puri in the sequel, the casting is yet to be finalized.

Starring Sachiin Joshi, Gihani Khan, Vimla Raman, Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar

Directed by Ankush Bhatt

If Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg were to be merged wuth Anant Velankar in Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya we would probably get Abhijeet Patil in Mumbai Mirror.

Patil, played by entrepreneur-actor Sachiin Joshi, is the product of Mumbai’s underbelly. He is a cop. But he could well be on the other side of the law without skipping a beat.

Like Om Puri in Ardh Satya Joshi’s character in its childhood watched his sadistic father beat up his mother. Joshi grows up churlish and somewhat amoral, hating the world for what it allowed his father to do to his mother. He can’t bear to see a woman being hit. Neither can we. But we still have to.

There are seeds of a gripping cops thriller in Mumbai Mirror. Brutal and brisk, the pace is fairly frenetic.

Film: "Mumbai Mirror"; Cast: Sachiin Joshi, Gihani Khan, Vimla Raman, Prakash Raj, and Mahesh Manjrekar: Director: Ankush Bhatt; Rating: ***

If Chulbul Pandey in "Dabangg" was to be merged with Anant Velankar in Govind Nihalani's "Ardh Satya", we would probably get Abhijeet Patil in "Mumbai Mirror".

Abhijeet, played by entrepreneur-actor Sachiin Joshi, is the product of Mumbai's underbelly. He is a cop. But he could well be on the other side of the law without skipping a beat.

Like Om Puri in "Ardh Satya", Joshi's character in its childhood watched his sadistic father beat up his mother. Joshi grows up churlish and somewhat.

Starring: Naseerudin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Bhakti Bharve, Pankaj Kapoor, Satish Shah

Directed by Kundan Shah

It was the year before Mrs India Gandhi was assassinated. The nation was not in the best of moods. There were raised voices and frayed tempers prevalent across the nation as corruption and intolerance reached an all-time high. Given the milieu Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron(Jbdy) chose to laugh away the bruise…There is a sharp zaniness about Jbdy which serves as a scathing antidote to the growing sense of collective dismay that the nation faced as extremism and inflation hit the nation hurling it towards damnation.

Many regard Jbdy as the funniest Hindi film ever made. I am not too sure. I sense of deep somberness behind the giggles and guffaws. The plot about two out-of-work photographers named, hold your legal notices, Vinod Chopra(Naseruddin Shah) and Sudhir Mishra(Ravi Baswani) has episodes of...

Pran Kishan Sikand

Pran Kishan Sikand dreamt of becoming a professional photographer. Little did he know that a measly, humble ‘paan’ (betel leaf) would change his life and set him on his destined path. It was 1939 or thereabouts. Pran was at a ‘paan’ shop at Lahore, enjoying a munch with his friends when a stranger approached him and asked whether he wanted to act in films. Pran was amused and asked his name. Stranger introduced himself as Muhammad Walli, a renowned film maker in the flourishing film district of Lahore. He said he was making a Punjabi film and Pran looked a perfect fit for the role of a villain in the film. Pran just brushed him off. Walli kept insisting that he pay a visit to the studio, and pushed a piece of paper with his address into Pran’s hands. The film was Yamla Jat (1940), a runaway hit that year.

He started his career with Shyam Benegal and went on to match commercial film superstars like Ajay Devgn and Neil Nitin frame by frame in films like ‘Halla Bol’ and ‘Aa Dekhen Zaara’ but yet carved his own distinct identity in niche films! Meet Bobby Vats, who is the profiling lead in ‘Kya Yehi Sach Hai’, a hard hitting film on corruption in the police by ex Ips office Yp Singh and inspired by the best selling novel ‘Carnage of Angels’. In fact, this film is being touted as the Ardh Satya of the new millennium.

Bobby Vats, who will celebrate his birthday in December, says, “ ...

Katrina Kaif in a still from Raajneeti

Actress Katrina Kaif ignores her first grim film Sarkar and picks a scene from Raajneeti (2010) as her toughest acting assignment so far

Shabana Azmi said it was a scene from Arth (1982) and Om Puri mentioned a scene from Ardh Satya ( 1983) that challenged them the most as actors. Now Katrina Kaif discloses her toughest acting job till date. The 26 year old actor said in a leading newspaper, ?I don’t think any other scene would come close to being as tough as my speech in Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti. Gosh, it still gives me goose bumps!?

The glamorous actress insists that it was not her sari that raised the difficulty quotient of the scene. While Katrina gave the shot in not more than two takes she explains, ?I had to narrate a speech in front of nearly 5,000 people. Think about giving a speech in...

Playing a cop for the first time in his career in the Hindi remake of Kaakha Kaakha, John Abraham isn't taking any chances. He wants to get the spoken language, body language, personality and tone just right. For this, John has not only been re-structuring his metabolism and changing his food and exercise habits and watching as many cop films from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry to Om Puri in Ardh Satya to Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer repeatedly, he has also been socializing with cops trying to understand how their minds and bodies move. Most importantly, John has been chatting with the Tamil superstar Suriya who played the lead in Kaakha Kaakha. By sheer coincidence John and Suriya are neighbours in Mumbai. Suriya's wife actress Jyothika owns a flat next to John's residence. And whenever Suriya is in Mumbai, he stays a stone's throw away from John. The two...

Playing a cop for the first time in his career in the Hindi remake of Kaakha Kaakha, John Abraham isn't taking any chances. He wants to get the spoken language, body language, personality and tone just right. For this, John has not only been re-structuring his metabolism and changing his food and exercise habits and watching as many cop films from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry to Om Puri in Ardh Satya to Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer repeatedly, he has also been socializing with cops trying to understand how their minds and bodies move. Most importantly, John has been chatting with the Tamil superstar Suriya who played the lead in Kaakha Kaakha. By sheer coincidence John and Suriya are neighbours in Mumbai. Suriya's wife actress Jyothika owns a flat next to John's residence. And whenever Suriya is in Mumbai, he stays a stone's throw away from John. The two...

June 01, 2010: Playing a cop for the first time in his career in the Hindi remake of Kaakha Kakha, John Abraham isn’t taking any chances.

He wants to get the spoken language, body language, personality and tone just right. For this, John has not only been re-structuring his metabolism and changing his food and exercise habits and watching as many cops’ films from Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry to Om Puri in Ardh Satya to Amitabh Bachchan In Zanjeer repeatedly, he has also been socializing with the cops trying to understand how their minds and bodies move.

Most importantly, John has been chatting.