Amol Palekar directed Paheli. The actor who came to limelight in the ’70s and ’80s as the young middle-class man in bustling Indian metropolises, one would identify him as the poster boy of everydayness. He was seen in stories devoid of extra colours, those with dishevelled relationships and in lyrical […]
Read Time : 11 Minutes
“Bunty Aur Babli”… High on energy, chemistry and delicious Bollywood spice!
Released in Summer 2005, it is a mystery how a Hindi feature like Shaad Ali Sahgal’s Bunty Aur Babli would become a major commercial success. Small town stories might be the toast of the town on this date but the early 2000s were known for NRI themes and urban coming-of-age […]
Read Time : 9 Minutes
“Mardaani 2″… Rani Mukerji’s gripping thriller plays royally to the gallery!
2014’s Mardaani was one rare film for Hindi cinema. Possibly for the first time, Bollywood saw a woman cop nail a criminal from his den, throw punchlines that resembled, “Saare Mumbai ke policewalon ko ch**ya banake bhaga hai, saala” and then go home to have dinner with her sweet little […]
Read Time : 17 Minutes
“Hum Tum”… A magical romance that remains dew-fresh, 15 years down the line!
Indian cinema sees no dearth of love stories. Yet it is rare for a film to accurately mirror the mindscape of a large, under-addressed spectrum of viewers. Kunal Kohli did that to the urban yuppie, who, in no way lacked privilege in life but their stories were in the nascent […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
The 10 Best Female Actors of 2018 Who Sparkled in Lead Roles!
A stereotypical phrase surfaces at the end of every year! That the year belonged to no one else but women in the cinema industry. As for 2018, I would beg to differ. One of the least exciting years for female actors in terms of variety and substance, the year saw […]
Read Time : 12 Minutes
When “Saathiya” sparked chemistry and realism in the cliché-driven Hindi romance territory…
Saathiya. A film that marked the debut of director Shaad Ali is a remake, as we all know. A prototype of the much-admired subgenre called ‘The Mani Ratnam Romance’, the film is unlike umpteen misled Tamil features by somewhat clueless filmmakers who repeatedly failed in emulating this winning formula. This formula […]
Read Time : 13 Minutes
Sachin Kundalkar’s “Aiyyaa” and myriad faces of Rani Mukerji
Meenakshi is eloquent as she describes the world of her dreams: “Akeli rehti hoon main apne sapnon mein… Meri jo sapnon ki duniya haina… Bikul saaf hai Waha pe khushboo hai Jahan pe sunehri dhoop aati hai…” A nonchalant Maina interrupts,“Matlab foreign location rehta hai ya Indian?” Meenakshi is quick to […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
Bhansali’s women – A heady mix of dignity, bravado and all things elegant…
Known for his ornate, elaborate magnum opuses, Sanjay Leela Bhansali doesn’t stand by norms. For what the trade considers event films, Bhansali often weaves nuggets from history and intricate emotions onto a saleable fictional mould that, more often than not, sells. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is one who knows his women. They […]
Read Time : 7 Minutes
A pictorial tour to your childhood… oops… Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (K3G)
Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (popularly abbreviated to K3G) is an incredibly special film for 90s’ and 2000s’ kids. If you happen to be a Bollywood cinephile, you are bound to know its dialogues by heart – ones that have become a part of modern pop culture. Today, although, we don’t find […]
Read Time : 10 Minutes
“Talaash”… An intense noir-mystery that addresses grief with great compassion!
There was a refreshing dialogue in recently watched French psychological thriller Personal Shopper. Between all paranormal chaos surrounding her, the protagonist exclaims, “…or is it just me?” A suspense drama by genre, Talaash, unfortunately, misses out on refreshing trajectories as such. The film (reportedly) based on the writers’ (Zoya Akhtar, Reema […]
