Marking its tenth anniversary on January 7, 2020, is filmmaker Raj Kumar Gupta’s No One Killed Jessica. The screen adaptation of the controversial Jessica Lall Murder Case, the film stirred the nation’s collective conscience – just the way the brutal incident did. Unlike several other Hindi films based on real […]
Read Time : 13 Minutes
‘Paheli’: A Picturesque Folk Tale With A Message On Women Empowerment
Amol Palekar directed Paheli. The actor who came to the 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 messy relationships, and in […]
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’ review – Rani Mukerji’s 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’: Kunal Kohli’s Magical Romance Ages Like Exquisite Wine
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 […]
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10 Performances by Rani Mukerji That Are Grossly Overlooked…
Rani Mukerji has seen it all. Magnificent box office successes, unanimous critical acclaim, a massive number of awards, and undisputed ‘relevance’ as a force to reckon with. Her competent performances have could render a tint of sheen to the bleakest of screenplays. In this article, let us have a relook […]
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 […]
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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 […]