News

Here’s revisiting the box office performance of Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar!(Photo Credit – YouTube)

The Ranbir Kapoor starrer musical drama Rockstar clocks in 13 years today (November 11). All the movie enthusiasts and music lovers out there abide by the film for establishing a cultural reset with its gut-wrenching plot, a brutally honest performance by Ranbir, and some iconic soundtracks. Many fans also feel that the film did not get its due credit at the box office upon its release 13 years ago and instead was celebrated upon its re-release this year. Let us take a trip down the memory lane and revisit the box office performance of the movie.

Rockstar Box Office Revisit

The Ranbir Kapoor starrer was mounted at a budget of 66 crore. It opened at 11 crores, which was considered a decent opening. The movie managed to rake in numbers due to a positive word of mouth and an immense critical acclaim.

Shashi Kapoor In 1965 Ruled The Box Office With Two Highest Grossing Films Of The Year! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

It was 59 years ago that Shashi Kapoor made a historic record at the box office, which is very rare for actors to achieve these days. In fact, a record that still stands unbeatable at the box office. It was on November 5 that Raj Kapoor’s brother arrived on-screen with Jab Jab Phool Khile.

It was a beautiful romantic drama based on Kashmir. A love story of a rich tourist girl and a pahaadi boatman. The actor delivered the most profitable film that was based on the backdrop of Kashmir. In fact, it still is the most profitable film in Kashmir!

Shashi Kapoor’s film is even more profitable than The Kashmir Files, the most profitable film on Kashmir, which was released in this decade. However, Jab Jab Phool Khile registered a profit higher than The Kashmir Files,...

Raj Kapoor & Dilip Kumar Shared A Frienship Beyond Cinema. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

It was on the unfateful day of June 2, 1988, when the Showman of Indian Cinema, Raj Kapoor, breathed his last. The superstar passed away after struggling for his life. But in the last few days, his health deteriorated, and he slipped into Coma. While his family was by his side in these last days, his best friend Dilip Kumar was also informed about his condition.

Dilip Kumar, who was in Pakistan for an event, rushed back to Delhi to be by his best friend’s side. The superstar, however, did not know that this was the last time he was meeting his ‘Laale Di Jaan’, a title he gave him endearingly.

Dilip Kumar could not believe that Raj Kapoor had slipped into Coma, and he tried every bit to revive him. To bring him back to consciousness, the Naya...

Imtiaz Ali On Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar Song ( Photo Credit – Instagram; Facebook )

Rockstar is considered one of Imtiaz Ali’s best directorials. The musical romantic drama stars Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kumud Mishra, Piyush Mishra, Shammi Kapoor, Sanjana Sanghi and others. Ali’s film was released in 2011 and is loved for its music, performances, emotionally driven story and amazing direction.

Even after a decade, movie buffs can’t get enough of Rockstar. From decoding Ranbir Kapoor’s character Janardan, aka Jordan, to the songs, fans have something intriguing to say about the Imtiaz Ali film. A R Rahman composed one of his best albums for this Hindi film. From Jo Bhi Main to Nadaan Parindey, every song hits deeply, and the love for them keeps growing every year. But did you know Imtiaz had requested Rahman to make a kharab (bad) song for the film?

In an interview with Fever FM,...

It is one of Hindi films’ most cherished and eternal romantic songs, featuring the urbane Guru Dutt and the ethereal Waheeda Rehman, but the dream-like music for “Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” was scored by its composer within 10 minutes and its opening lyrics took even lesser time. Music director Ravi, to whom we owe this melody, revealed the tune came to him as he was returning home from work and it took him “just 5 to 7 minutes” to refine it.

Stopping there, he called up lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and recited “Chaudvin ka chand ho…”. In a minute, Shakeel responded with “Ya aftaab ho…” and after another couple of minutes, added “Jo bhi ho tum khuda ki kasam, laajawab ho”.

“Chaudvin ka Chand” (1960) proved to be a pace-setter for Ravi, who was born in Delhi on this day (March 3) in 1926, for it established his reputation, and he went on to score for many...

Suniel Shetty, who is a judge on the reality show, ‘Dance Deewane’, took lessons in making reels from contestants Varsha Kawale and Srirang Sakharam. He said, “Main khud reel banaunga.” In a nostalgic nod to retro Bollywood, Varsha and Srirang hit the floor with a performance to the iconic Mohammed Rafi-Asha Bhosle track ‘O Haseena Zulfon Wali’ from the 1966 film ‘Teesri Manzil’. The song was originally picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Helen.

Dressed as the yesteryear stars, Varsha and Srirang stunned judges Madhuri Dixit Nene and Suniel Shetty, along with star guest Bhagyashree.

Apart from dancing, Varsha brought the art of making viral reels onstage, giving tips to her dance companion Srirang.

The social media sensation and influencer imparted knowledge about content creation, taking her dance partner through the nuances of acting, the use of a ring light, and the importance of timing.

Impressed by her acting class, Suniel jokingly...

Her incandescent beauty, innocent sensuality, and effervescent persona still send hearts aflutter and earned her the sobriquet of “Venus of Indian films”, but Madhubala’s enigmatic and beguiling smile and charm masked a lifetime of pain and suffering.

Madhubala, who passed away on this day (February 23) in 1969, earned tributes that have rarely been matched, leave alone surpassed.

She acted in a film named after her when she was not even midway through her career, was being copied or parodied when she was still acting, and is possibly the only Indian, film or otherwise, with a song dedicated to her being played at the Olympics.

She was also compared to the near-contemporary Marilyn Monroe – the two would pass away within a few years of each other, both aged 36, but did not welcome this as she did not consider herself a sex symbol.

Performances as the captivating but star-crossed Anarkali of “Mughal-e-Azam...

Notorious for terrorising at least two generations of top heroes – in reel life – with just his trademark glare, steely voice, and facial expressions ranging from ferocious to sneering, he especially stood out for his film relations with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whom he once bested onscreen with two words.

In one standard of the lost-and-found potboiler genre, Amitabh, with his role’s habitual insouciance, asks a stern-looking, impeccably-dressed character: “Aap kaun hai mai-baap?”. Pat came the terse reply: “Tumhara baap”.

This was “Amar Akbar Anthony” (1977) – one of the 11 that Pran, born on this day (February 12) in 1920 – did with the Big B, playing with his father two times more or a reluctant ally. Of these, at least 9 are intrinsic to the Bachchan legend, including “Zanjeer” (1973), “Don” (1978), “Naseeb” (1981), “Kaalia” (1981), “Sharaabi” (1984), and “Shahenshah” (1988)

Pran also had a major part in launching the Big B’s path to stardom as it was he – and...

I noticed something curious. Director Siddharth Anand of the film ‘Fighter’ says that his film flopped because 90% of Indian moviegoers have never sat in an airplane! I was amazed, amused, but, most of all, I was worried. Worried, because this is how the maker of a Rs 400-crore film thinks!

My mind instantly went back to Shakti Samanta’s ‘An Evening In Paris’ (1967), where a bikini-clad Sharmila Tagore is sea skiing as Shammi Kapoor courts her hanging from a helicopter. After learning what Malhotra had said to explain why his film had failed, I wondered how many people hang from a helicopter to court a woman! I don’t know anybody who has done such a thing and still, ‘An Evening In Paris’ was a major hit! I can cite hundreds of such examples.

Of course, the audience must first identify with the subject of a film. The other factor...

Amitabh Bachchan’s Film With Subhash Ghai Was Shelved After A Showdown & Then Boney Kapoor Pitched Ram Lakhan (Picture Credit: IMDb)

Old-age Bollywood is an era where a lot happened and was never revealed. Most of the stories were slid under covers, and many of them were shared and remembered in memories but weren’t published ever. One such story happened on one of the elaborate sets of Subhash Ghai’s film that starred Amitabh Bachchan in the lead.

The angry young man was the muse for the showman of the industry, and they were working on a film titled Devaa. The shoot began in 1987. The film also starred Raaj Kumar, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Shammi Kapoor, and Ila Arun, and the music was given by Laxmikant Pyarelal. However, the film was eventually shelved. Guess why? Because of Big B, cheating Ghai and their regular ego-clashes.

A report in IMDb trivia quoted...

It was still some years before he attained iconic status as a Bollywood villain while revealing his real identity to the bemused hero in his trademark soft yet menacing drawl, but before Ajit, whose birth anniversary falls on January 27, became the “Loin”, he had to receive a salutary lesson in dealing with big cats onscreen – from Balraj Sahni.

Ajit recalled they were shooting for costume swashbuckler “Dharti” (1970) – a remake of Tamil film “Sivandha Mann” with Rajendra Kumar stepping into the shoes of Sivaji Ganesan, and a scene had him, as the evil Diwan, coming down on a lift with a tiger on a leash to where Sahni was waiting.

However, Sahni refused to go along, noting that he had agreed to “work with humans, not beasts”, and the scene had to be shot without him.

After this, Ajit, in an article for Urdu film magazine ‘Shama’ in 1975, said that he...

Born and raised in Byculla, Bombay, daughter of a cop who used to be responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s security bandobast, and adopted for life by Calcutta, Usha Uthup is the voice and spirit of the Swinging Sixties that the eastern metropolis was synonymous with till the Bangladesh War and the red shadow of Naxalism changed it forever.

Now, honoured with the Padma Bhushan, along with her ‘Disco Dancer’ star Mithun Chakraborty, 12 years after she was conferred the Padma Shri, Usha Uthup (formerly Iyer), the Queen of Indian Pop famous for her husky voice, boundless energy, distinctive red bindi and tastefully selected Kanjivarams, sang herself into popular imagination with two anthemic numbers of Hindi cinema’s disco era — Hari Om Hari and Aha Nache Nache.

Not formally trained in music, Uthup got her first singing break in a nightclub in Madras before she moved to Trincas, the Mecca of Park...

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan shared a photograph featuring him alongside Rekha, Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor among many other friends and said that there is a “huge story” behind it. Amitabh took to his blog, where he shared the picture.

In the image, he is seen standing on a stage while holding a mic. Alongside him, there is Rekha, Vinod Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mehmood, and Shammi Kapoor.

Amitabh simply wrote, “And.. aaahhh .. there is a huge story behind this photograph .. someday it shall be narrated.”

The cine icon is currently in Ayodhya to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

On Sunday night he greeted his fans outside Jalsa in Mumbai.

He wrote: “wishes to them that spend hours in waiting .. my admiration of course but more my respect for them .. through the years and years of their love and affection ..”...

Mumtaz Reveals No Actor ‘Wanted Work With Her,’ Dilip Kumar Too Had Raised Concerns Before Doing ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

We often come across interviews of yesteryear stars who have often spoken about the struggles they have faced in the past. Just recently, we saw two veteran actresses, Neetu Kapoor and Zeenat Aman, come on Koffee With Karan and spill the beans on the working patterns of the Bollywood industry in that era and how drastically it has changed now. Recently, another veteran actress, Mumtaz, opened up about the same and revealed how she was labeled a ‘B-Grade’ actress for doing small roles.

The diva, who entered the industry as a child artist in 1958 at the age of 11, starred in a number of films. But it was only during ‘Do Raaste’ that she gained massive recognition and became one of the most sought-after actresses in the Hindi Film Industry.

New Delhi, Dec 30 (Ians) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has appreciated the beauty of the legendary actress Sharmila Tagore, and recalled how during the shoot of the romantic thriller ‘An Evening in Paris’, the latter stopped the traffic in France.

Sharmila is regarded as one of the Indian cinema’s most accomplished actresses. She is the recipient of the National Film Award, and Padma Bhushan. Her famous works include ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘Waqt’, ‘Anupama’, ‘An Evening in Paris’, ‘Aamne Saamne’, ‘Satyakam’, ‘Aradhana’, ‘Amar Prem’, ‘Daag’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Mausam’, among numerous others.

She married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the titular Nawab of Pataudi and Bhopal and former captain of the Indian cricket team in 1968. They had three children: actor Saif Ali Khan; Saba and Soha Ali Khan.

The 79-year-old actress appeared on the finale episode of the quiz based reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’ along with her granddaughter and actress Sara Ali Khan.

New Delhi, Dec 29 (Ians) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan shared an anecdote about the veteran actress Helen, and talked about how she had escaped from the Japanese occupation of Burma in 1943, during the World War 2, and came to India.

Helen is a well known dancer and is known for her character roles. Born in Rangoon, Burma (now known as Myanmar),

Helen’s family trekked to Dibrugarh, Assam in 1943 in order to escape from the Japanese occupation of Burma.

Later on, Helen got her major break at the age of 19 in 1958, when she performed on the song ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu’ in the movie ‘Howrah Bridge’.

With legendary actor Shammi Kapoor, she did many hit dance numbers like ‘Suku Suku’ in ‘Junglee’, ‘Yamma Yamma’ in ‘China Town’, and ‘O Haseena Zulfonwali’ in ‘Teesri Manzil’.

Amitabh, who is currently hosting the quiz based reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’ welcomed the roll over contestant...

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan revealed that how the word ‘Yahoo’ in the iconic track ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’ was not sung by Mohammed Rafi but was recorded by writer Prayag Raj.

The megastar is currently hosting the gameplay ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’.

Big B welcomed Dilip Mohan Shimpi from Maharashtra’s Nandurbar to the hot seat.

For Rs 10,000, the contestant was asked an audio question: “What is the first word of this song by Mohammed Rafi?”

The song played was “Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe”.

The options given were: Hurray, Yahoo, Shaava, and Chak de. The correct answer was ‘Yahoo’.

The ‘Sarkar’ actor shared: “This song is from the film ‘Junglee’. The film stars Shammi Kapoor and Saira Banu in lead roles. The music composers were Shankar-Jaikishan and Shailendra was the lyricist.”

The actor then revealed: “The ‘yahoo’ you hear in the song was not sung by Rafi. I mean,...

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan revealed that how the word ‘Yahoo’ in the iconic track ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’ was not sung by Mohammed Rafi but was recorded by writer Prayag Raj.

The megastar is currently hosting the gameplay ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’.

Big B welcomed Dilip Mohan Shimpi from Maharashtra’s Nandurbar to the hot seat.

For Rs 10,000, the contestant was asked an audio question: “What is the first word of this song by Mohammed Rafi?”

The song played was “Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe”.

The options given were: Hurray, Yahoo, Shaava, and Chak de. The correct answer was ‘Yahoo’.

The ‘Sarkar’ actor shared: “This song is from the film ‘Junglee’. The film stars Shammi Kapoor and Saira Banu in lead roles. The music composers were Shankar-Jaikishan and Shailendra was the lyricist.”

The actor then revealed: “The ‘yahoo’ you hear in the song was not sung by Rafi. I mean,...

Yash Chopra & Family’s Staggering 7,500 Crore Net Worth: From Aditya Chorpa To Rani Mukerji, Here’s How Much Each Member Contributes!(Photo Credit –YouTube/koimoi/wikimedia)

Film families in India hold their rich legacy close to their hearts. From Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor following in the footsteps of their father, Prithviraj Kapoor, to Nagarjuna paving the way for sons, Naga Chaitanya and Akhil Akkineni, the cinema business in India is predominantly run by such well-established families. While most of these clans have been leading from the front, enchanting the audience with their screen presence, there’s also one joint film family whose leading man gets all the work done from behind the camera. Yes, we are talking about the Yash Chopra family and Aditya Chopra.

Aditya Chopra, filling his father Yash Chopra’s shoes, has created an empire of his own. The man known for creating magic...

Junior Mehmood’s Last Wish Was To Meet Jeetendra, His First Co-Star ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

Actor Junior Mehmood has passed away at the age of 67. Known for his comic skills on screen, he was an integral part of Hindi and Marathi films from the 60s. He was a part of Hindi Television for a long time. He was last seen as Mulla Nasiruddin in 2019 in Tenali Rama, a TV Serial on Sab TV.

Recently, a picture of the veteran supporting actor surfaced on the internet where Johnny Lever was seen taking care of the deceased star, who was struggling with stage 4 stomach cancer. His friend Salim Qazi confirmed the news of his death.

The Aakhiri Ichcha

His last wish was to meet two superstars he has worked with in his career – Jeetendra and Sachin Pilgaonkar. Both the actors fulfilled the ailing actor’s last wish since his condition was deteriorating every day.

Animal Box Office Day 1 Rampage: Ranbir Kapoor Beats Footfalls Of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan, 63.80 Crore Vs 75 Crore… (Picture Credit: IMDb)

“Animal is a different beast, and it won’t accommodate in your tiny cage,” remember when Shammi Kapoor said, “Yeh bada jaanwar hai, yeh aapke chote pinjre mein nahi samayega, yeh apni duniya banayega,” about Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar, he meant it. Animal box office collection is on a rampage mode, and Rk has done the unimaginable.

When Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan collected historical figures on day 1, many people commented how it would take years for other actors from Bollywood to match this. Cut to a few months later, a star who has never played in the commercial zone (apart from a very forgettable Besharam) comes in and shatters everything.

Yes, with the opening day of 63.80 crores, Ranbir Kapoor has not only surpassed Pathaan’s day...

Actress Karisma Kapoor, who will grace the stage of ‘Indian Idol 14’ was reminded of her uncle Shammi Kapoor, after contestant Vaibav Gupta’s performance of ‘Kitna Pyaara Tujhe Rabne Banaya’, from the film ‘Raja Hindustani’.

This Sunday, on the singing reality show will be the queen of 90’s, Karisma Kapoor, aka Lolo.

Making the ‘Shaandaar Parivaar’ Special a memorable episode for Karisma, the contestants will impress her by singing some of her chartbuster songs, compelling Karisma to join some of them on stage and recreate her favourite dance steps, much to the delight of the viewers.

But it’s ‘Chotte sahab’ Vaibhav Gupta, from Kanpur, who will raise the bar with his spectacular performance on ‘Kitna Pyaara Tujhe Rabne Banaya’ from the film ‘Raja Hindustani’, and ‘Up Wala Thumka’ from the film ‘Here No 1.’

“Vaibhav, amazing job. You reminded me of my uncle, Shammi Kapoor and the way you performed with so much grace,...

Actress Karisma Kapoor, who will grace the stage of ‘Indian Idol 14’ was reminded of her uncle Shammi Kapoor, after contestant Vaibav Gupta’s performance of ‘Kitna Pyaara Tujhe Rabne Banaya’, from the film ‘Raja Hindustani’.

This Sunday, on the singing reality show will be the queen of 90’s, Karisma Kapoor, aka Lolo.

Making the ‘Shaandaar Parivaar’ Special a memorable episode for Karisma, the contestants will impress her by singing some of her chartbuster songs, compelling Karisma to join some of them on stage and recreate her favourite dance steps, much to the delight of the viewers.

But it’s ‘Chotte sahab’ Vaibhav Gupta, from Kanpur, who will raise the bar with his spectacular performance on ‘Kitna Pyaara Tujhe Rabne Banaya’ from the film ‘Raja Hindustani’, and ‘Up Wala Thumka’ from the film ‘Here No 1.’

“Vaibhav, amazing job. You reminded me of my uncle, Shammi Kapoor and the way you performed with so much grace,...

Choreographer Vijay Ganguly has opened up on the shooting of the track “Main Parwaana” from Ishaan Khatter-starrer war film ‘Pippa’, and shared how the entire song is shot in just 8 to 10 shots without any close-ups.

‘Main Parwaana’ has Ishaan grooving to Arijit Singh’s magical vocals and A R Rahman’s melody that takes us back to the 70’s Shammi Kapoor’s era.

Ishaan dances away to glory and is taking the audience’s breath away. His presence in the song is nothing short of mesmerising.

Talking about the song, Vijay expressed: “When I heard the song for the first time, I loved it instantly. First, it was an A R Rahman song, and second, I was getting Ishaan to dance to it. We started with a lot of hardcore dance routines, as we knew Ishaan could easily do them. Then Raja Sir, the director, pointed out that let...

Choreographer Vijay Ganguly has opened up on the shooting of the track “Main Parwaana” from Ishaan Khatter-starrer war film ‘Pippa’, and shared how the entire song is shot in just 8 to 10 shots without any close-ups.

‘Main Parwaana’ has Ishaan grooving to Arijit Singh’s magical vocals and A R Rahman’s melody that takes us back to the 70’s Shammi Kapoor’s era.

Ishaan dances away to glory and is taking the audience’s breath away. His presence in the song is nothing short of mesmerising.

Talking about the song, Vijay expressed: “When I heard the song for the first time, I loved it instantly. First, it was an A R Rahman song, and second, I was getting Ishaan to dance to it. We started with a lot of hardcore dance routines, as we knew Ishaan could easily do them. Then Raja Sir, the director, pointed out that let...

Mumbai, Nov 11 (Ians) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shared a throwback picture from the sets of his 1991 film ‘Ajooba’ in Russia.

The actor shared about how despite doing extensive work, he still prepares for a scene.

Big B posted a black and white picture on Instagram

In the picture, Amitabh can be seen sitting on a chair with the script kept on his lap.

The actor captioned: “Personal designer leather jacket, leather trousers, turtle neck, tinted Aviators… Russia 1990… !!! But still prepping for the scene, script in hand. At shoot for Ajooba… 1990’s Russia!!!”

‘Ajooba’ is directed by Shashi Kapoor and Gennady Vasilyev. Amitabh played the titular superhero in the film.

The film also starred Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Shammi Kapoor, Dara Singh, Saeed Jaffery and Amrish Puri.

An Indian-Soviet co-production, it is loosely based on Arabic folklore such as One Thousand and One Nights.

The film had a Russian language version released in the Soviet Union,...

Mumbai, Nov 11 (Ians) Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has shared a throwback picture from the sets of his 1991 film ‘Ajooba’ in Russia.

The actor shared about how despite doing extensive work, he still prepares for a scene.

Big B posted a black and white picture on Instagram

In the picture, Amitabh can be seen sitting on a chair with the script kept on his lap.

The actor captioned: “Personal designer leather jacket, leather trousers, turtle neck, tinted Aviators… Russia 1990… !!! But still prepping for the scene, script in hand. At shoot for Ajooba… 1990’s Russia!!!”

‘Ajooba’ is directed by Shashi Kapoor and Gennady Vasilyev. Amitabh played the titular superhero in the film.

The film also starred Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Shammi Kapoor, Dara Singh, Saeed Jaffery and Amrish Puri.

An Indian-Soviet co-production, it is loosely based on Arabic folklore such as One Thousand and One Nights.

The film had a Russian language version released in the Soviet Union,...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met veteran actress Saira Banu and said that her pioneering work in the world of cinema is admired across generations. The Pm took to X where he shared pictures from their meeting. The first image has the two sitting and talking. The second picture shows the two icons posing for the cameras.

For the caption, he wrote: “It was wonderful to meet Saira Banu Ji. Her pioneering work in the world of cinema is admired across generations. We had a great conversation on a wide range of subjects.”

Saira Banu is the wife of late legendary actor Dilip Kumar. She made acting debut in 1961 with the Shammi Kapoor-starrer ‘Junglee’. She took the spotlight with films such as ‘Shagird’, ‘Sagina’, ‘Bluff Master’, ‘Ayee Milan Ki Bela’,‘Padosan’ and Bairaag among many other cinematic gems. Her last film was ‘Faisla’ in 1988.

It was wonderful to meet Saira Banu Ji.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met veteran actress Saira Banu and said that her pioneering work in the world of cinema is admired across generations. The Pm took to X where he shared pictures from their meeting. The first image has the two sitting and talking. The second picture shows the two icons posing for the cameras.

For the caption, he wrote: “It was wonderful to meet Saira Banu Ji. Her pioneering work in the world of cinema is admired across generations. We had a great conversation on a wide range of subjects.”

Saira Banu is the wife of late legendary actor Dilip Kumar. She made acting debut in 1961 with the Shammi Kapoor-starrer ‘Junglee’. She took the spotlight with films such as ‘Shagird’, ‘Sagina’, ‘Bluff Master’, ‘Ayee Milan Ki Bela’,‘Padosan’ and Bairaag among many other cinematic gems. Her last film was ‘Faisla’ in 1988.

It was wonderful to meet Saira Banu Ji.

Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar said on Thursday evening that Indian films have been faithfully reflecting the sentiments of the society. “Indian films have always depicted and reflected what is happening in our society. The cinema comes from the society. It is the same with dreams. What is there in the conscious and subconscious mind will get reflected in dreams as well,” Akhtar said at the launch of his book, ‘Talking Life: Javed Akhtar in Conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir’.

Akhtar said that in the 1930-1940s, when K.L Saigal essayed Devdas’s role, the ‘khansi’ (cough) had become a virtue and fashion. “Self-destruction had become a virtue because of Saigal. However, as the society grew, this self-destructive virtue also vanished,” he said.

“When the Nehruvian era came, everyone thought that soon things would be fine,” Akhtar continued. “But as people felt that not much was changing, cinema gave...

Veteran writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar said on Thursday evening that Indian films have been faithfully reflecting the sentiments of the society. “Indian films have always depicted and reflected what is happening in our society. The cinema comes from the society. It is the same with dreams. What is there in the conscious and subconscious mind will get reflected in dreams as well,” Akhtar said at the launch of his book, ‘Talking Life: Javed Akhtar in Conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir’.

Akhtar said that in the 1930-1940s, when K.L Saigal essayed Devdas’s role, the ‘khansi’ (cough) had become a virtue and fashion. “Self-destruction had become a virtue because of Saigal. However, as the society grew, this self-destructive virtue also vanished,” he said.

“When the Nehruvian era came, everyone thought that soon things would be fine,” Akhtar continued. “But as people felt that not much was changing, cinema gave...

Mumbai, Sep 14 (Ians) On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, one of Indian cinema’s finest actresses, Saira Banu talked about her first experience with the language, revealing about her motivation and drive to learn one of the official languages.

September 14 is observed as ‘Hindi Diwas’. The day stands out as an occasion that underlines the significance of the Hindi language.

Ever since her debut on Instagram, Saira has been seen sharing beautiful memories of the late actor and her husband Dilip Kumar.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Thursday, Saira penned a long note on how proud she was to learn Hindi.

The ‘Padosan’ fame actress wrote in Devanagari: “Saalon pehle jab main ek mashoor abhinetri banne ka sapna lekar Bharat aayi thi, toh yahan ki bhashaon mein itni nipun nahin thi.”

The actress said: “Hindi Cinema mein abhinay karne ke liye yeh bahut zaroori tha ki, main Hindi bhasha ko...

Mumbai, Sep 14 (Ians) On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, one of Indian cinema’s finest actresses, Saira Banu talked about her first experience with the language, revealing about her motivation and drive to learn one of the official languages.

September 14 is observed as ‘Hindi Diwas’. The day stands out as an occasion that underlines the significance of the Hindi language.

Ever since her debut on Instagram, Saira has been seen sharing beautiful memories of the late actor and her husband Dilip Kumar.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Thursday, Saira penned a long note on how proud she was to learn Hindi.

The ‘Padosan’ fame actress wrote in Devanagari: “Saalon pehle jab main ek mashoor abhinetri banne ka sapna lekar Bharat aayi thi, toh yahan ki bhashaon mein itni nipun nahin thi.”

The actress said: “Hindi Cinema mein abhinay karne ke liye yeh bahut zaroori tha ki, main Hindi bhasha ko...

Intrinsically talented, both, separately and jointly, gave a new direction to Hindi film music. But to achieve this, Asha Bhosle and Rahul Dev Burman had to surmount a major “hurdle” – creating a new identity distinct from their illustrious and established kin: elder sibling Lata Mangeshkar and father Sachin Dev Burman.

And both succeeded – with a combination of luck, support, their own undeniable virtuosity, and above all, their first joint effort.

AshaBhosle – who is still going strong at 90, having worked with four generations of music composers from O P Nayyar to A R Rehman – added a sensuous allure and element of forthrightness for the Hindi film heroine, without becoming risque or boisterous, even as Burman adroitly used pop and jazz to good effect in electrifying film music – bringing the age of Elvis Presley and the Beatles to India.

Rejected at a trial for a film in 1947 as the sound recording engineer...

Mumbai, Aug 30 (Ians) Writer K.A. Abbas did not take much notice of the nondescript-looking man accompanying Raj Kapoor to his house to hear the story for a film.

After listening quietly to the over two-hour-long rendition, this man only said that it was a good story. Is that all, asked Kapoor noticing the bemused Abbas.

“Gardish mein hoon, aasman ka taara hoon,” he then responded.

Abbas, taken aback, told Kapoor that he had spent two-and-a-half hours telling his story and his unknown visitor had perfectly summarised it in one phrase.

The “nondescript man” was Shailendra, whose 100th birth anniversary falls today (August 30). Just one film old at this meeting, he would go on to become Hindi cinema’s most exemplary, innately-gifted yet self-effacing lyricist, whose songs like “Awaara hoon”, “Mera joota hai Japani”, and “Hothon pe sachai rehti hai” that made Indian film music popular across the world.

While his...

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has opened up and shared his thoughts upon how members of a family engage in the same business, giving the example of Prithviraj Kapoor and his ‘Kapoor’ family in Bollywood. In episode eight of the quiz reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ season 15, host Big B welcomed Abhishek Garg from Charkhi Dadri, Haryana to the hot seat.

Talking to the contestant about his profession, the 80-year-old actor asked: “Are you a medical doctor?” Abhishek replied: “Yes, Sir. I’ve completed Mbbs. At present, I’m practising at my uncle’s hospital. And also preparing for civil services.”

Big B then questioned him: “Why are you preparing for Upsc?”

The contestant said: “There are many doctors in our family. My uncle is MD in medicine. My elder sister is a radiologist. My brother-in-law is an ophthalmologist. I’ve completed Mbbs. My younger sister is in final year of Mbbs.

A modern example of India’s shared heritage with Iran, her career was itself nothing short of a film story. Enamoured of the silver screen when young, she began with child roles. but on coming of age, found no major actor ready to share screen space with her apart from a reel – and real life – strongman, until the foremost thespian of the time gave her a rare chance.

After Dilip Kumar agreed to Mumtaz (Askari) as one of the romantic partners for one of the twins in “Ram Aur Shyam” (1967), there was no looking back for her. Male actors, who had once spurned her as a ‘B-grade’ actress were now more than ready to accept her. She was so much sought after that a superstar of the time, with whom she had a string of successes, reportedly went into a sulk if she acted with other heroes.

But Mumtaz, who,...

New Delhi, July 28 (Ians) Basking in the success of their film ‘The Kashmir Files’, the director-producer duo Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and his wife Pallavi Joshi are now soaking in the beauty of Kashmir, as they went on a shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar after promoting their new series ‘The Kashmir Files Unreported’.

The duo had earlier announced the series which will unveil the dark truths of the Kashmir Genocide and proceeded to unveil the trailer at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (Skicc) in Srinagar, amid a series promotions in Kashmir.

Later, while sipping the traditional Kashmiri Kahwa chai, the couple also revealed that they had long been craving for some relaxing moments in between their strenuous work schedules and nothing could have been better than choosing Kashmir.

Talking about the beauty of Kashmir and Dal Lake, Vivek Agnihotri said: “Yeh Vishwa ki sabse khubsoorat jagah hai aur yeh sabse...

This weekend, Sony Entertainment Television’s dance reality show, ‘Indias Best Dancer 3’, celebrates ‘Cinema Ke 110 Saal, Bemisaal’. Paying tribute to the incredible journey of Indian cinema, the contestants, along with their choreographers will dance in the footsteps of trailblazers like Raj Kapoor, Kishore Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, and Amitabh Bachchan, as well as Bollywood’s iconic pairs such as Dharmendra and Hema Malini, Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, among others.

Adding an extra dose of entertainment to this extravaganza will be the acclaimed filmmaker and choreographer, Farah Khan.

Honouring the people behind the scenes, who have contributed as much as the stars to the success of Indian Cinema, the show will see Manoj Desai, executive director of Mumbai’s G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema, Ranjit Dahiya, founder of the Bollywood Art Project, and Reshma Pathan, the first stuntwoman in the Indian film industry.

Bollywood Art Project’s Ranjit Dahiya has...

Mumbai, June 7 (Ians) As Indian cinema completes 110 years, the upcoming episode of the dance reality show ‘India’s Best Dancer 3’ will celebrate the glorious run with ‘Cinema ke 110 Saal, Bemisaal’ special episode.

Director-choreographer Farah Khan will be gracing the episode as a guest on the show and will reflect upon the Guru-Shishya Parampara of the show, as she will reunite with her student, Geeta Kapur.

Talking about the unique proposition of this format, wherein the mentor dances with the mentee, Farah shared: “The good thing about ‘India’s Best Dancer 3’ is that they follow a guru-shishya tradition, which I believe has been lost in modern times. We do not appreciate this tradition enough. Michael Jackson was my guru, even though he did not actually train me.”

She further mentioned: “A guru is someone you look up to and learn from. As the show advances, I can see so many shishyas (mentees) turning into gurus,...

Mumbai, March 12 (Ians) Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore shared her love story with the ace cricketer Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and recalled how he proposed to her for marriage in Paris.

She shared: “We were in Paris and it was Bastille Day when the entire city was on the streets celebrating their independence. He went down on one knee and put forth the most heartwarming question, ‘will you marry me?’. There was so much noise over there that I could not hear him, so he loudly asked again, ‘will you marry me’, and I said, ‘Yes’.”

Sharmila, who started her acting career with the legendary director Satyajit Ray’s classic work ‘The World of Apu’ in 1959, made her place in Bollywood with the romantic movie ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ opposite Shammi Kapoor and afterward there was no looking back for her. She gave several hits like ‘Anupama’, ‘An Evening in Paris...

Singer Shahid Mallya, who is known for songs like ‘Rabba main toh Mar gaya oye’, ‘Daryaa’, ‘Chitta Ve’, ‘Saaiyaan’, and ‘Ikk Kudi’, has sung four songs in the film ‘Qala’. The singer said that while singing for the film he felt he had been transported to the era of Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi.

Directed by Anvitaa Dutt, music by Amit Trivedi, ‘Qala’ also stars Babil Khan, Tripti Dimri, Swastika Mukherjee, Amit Sial, and Samir Kochhar.

While talking about the album, Shahid said: “Singing for ‘Qala’ took me to the golden era because at that time one singer used to get cast as the voice of an actor, and the audience used to think that the actor himself is singing the song. As Kishore Kumar matches with Amitabh Bachchan, Mohammad Rafi matches with Shammi Kapoor.”

“Singing a song to match with the personality and voice of an actor also becomes...

For a self-taught musician, it is rather impressive how his melodies underscored popular culture for a range of occasions in late 20th century India – be it children’s lullabies “Chandamama door ke” or “Chal mere ghode”, “Ham bhi agar bachche hote” for their birthdays, “Mera yaar bana hai dulha” and “Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai” for marriages, as well introducing Afghan and Arab strains into Hindi film music.

That was the talent of music composer Ravi, whose contributions went beyond providing enthralling music in films such as “Chaudhvin ka Chand” (1960), “Gharana” (1961), “Waqt” (1965), “Do Badan” (1966), and “Hamraaz” (1967).

To Ravi also goes credit for giving Asha Bhosle a prominent place in playback with songs ranging from playful “C A T cat, cat maane billii” to wistfully romantic “Jab chali thandi hawa” (“Do Badan”) to the entrancingly philosophical “Aage bhi na jaane tu” (“Waqt”), as well helping Mahendra Kapoor evolve from yet another Mohd Rafi clone,...

Tagore also talked about her professional journey and called her co-stars trained actors, while she considers herself an accidental actress, who was put in front of the camera by Satyajit Ray.

The 78-year-old celebrated actress, who is at the moment busy with the promotion of her upcoming film ‘Gulmohar’, an emotional family drama that plays out in upscale Delhi, said: "Oh my God! Holi used to be celebrated madly in Kolkata. I never tried bhang because that was beyond my capacity, but I’ve seen people doing that."

"But we used to play it in our Tripura house. We used to go to the lake and swim there after playing Holi. After coming back, I would find snails in my clothes or stuck in my hair. It was such fun."

She told Ians: "I don’t know when it stopped. I remember that in Mumbai we had moved from our...

She had a film named after her even before she hit her career’s peak, was being parodied when she was still active, and is the only Indian film actress who has a song to her played at the Olympics. That was the spell of Madhubala, whose angelic features, beguiling yet enigmatic smile, and incandescent beauty, coupled with her restrained but undeniable talent, made her part of some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic films.

While she is imprinted in the hearts and minds of film-watchers as the winsome, entrancing but star-crossed Anarkali of “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960), as the entrancing nightclub singer in “Howrah Bridge”, and for her exuberant, effusive, and elfin charm in romantic comedies “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” (1958), “Jhumroo” (1961) and “Half Ticket” (1962), she left her mark across film genres from ghost/gothic stories to comic crime capers to film noir, beyond the usual romantic dramas in a relatively short career.

Bollywood A-lister Kareena Kapoor Khan is marking a new phase in her glittering career with a brace of films that she terms as “shockingly different.”

Kapoor Khan has wrapped a project that shot in the U.K. under the working title “The Buckingham Murders,” directed by Hansal Mehta (“Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story”). The actor plays a detective and mother who investigates a murder in a sleepy little town in Buckinghamshire. Kapoor Khan said that her character is inspired in part by Kate Winslet’s role in “Mare of Easttown.”

“I love ‘Mare of Easttown’ and when Hansal came to me, I said this is something that I’ve really been dying to do. So we’ve molded a little bit on those lines, she plays a detective cop in that,” Kapoor Khan told Variety. “It’s the first time that I’ve dabbled in that.”

Some 80 of the...

Veteran actress Asha Parekh recalled getting infected with typhoid during the shoot of her films ‘Teesri Manzil’ and ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’. Despite her illness, she continued to shoot until one day she fainted on the sets.

Asha said: “I was shooting for two different movies at the same time, during those days, I used to shoot for ‘Teesri Manzil’ in the day-time, and at night, for ‘Baharon Ke Sapne’. Since I was working round the clock, I got infected with typhoid, however, I still insisted on doing the shoot because a grand set was created for the song.”

Asha started working at a very early age and legendary director Bimal Roy cast her in his film, ‘Maa’ at the age of 10. Though she got some recgnition as a child actor, establishing herself as an actress was not easy and she faced rejections before the 1959 film ‘Dil Deke Dekho’ with Shammi Kapoor.

Playing a boisterous Bohemian, a debonair prince, or a cheerfully irresponsible student, who intentionally provokes his father and fiancee in a court hearing, a rustic, or a rollicking romantic lead with a swagger that Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, and Rajesh Khanna could envy, came natural to him. Yet, in popular memory, Dilip Kumar is only synonymous with the dejected, despondent and (usually) doomed hero.

In his 57 films over his half-century-plus stint in the Hindi film industry, Dilip Kumar is chiefly remembered as the ‘Tragedy King’, battered down by unrequited love, social or political pressure, or other inexorable circumstances.

Whether it was as lush Devdas in the eponymous 1955 film, the unfortunate Prince Marcus of “Yahudi” (1958), the eventually subdued rebellious Prince Salim in “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960), the star-crossed Dilip of “Andaz” (1949), and so on, there was usually no happy ending for him.

In his second phase, where he switched to playing more mature roles,...

From a prominent family of actors, he initially considered a career in science before following his father and elder brother into the film industry, but faced a tough time with his first 18 films tanking. It was then he reinvented himself to portray a new brand of hero, inspired by both James Dean and Elvis Presley.

In the process, Shammi Kapoor not only laid the way for a host of dancing male leads, from Joy Mukherjee and Jeetendra in his own heyday, and then, down the decades, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Govinda, Shah Rukh Khan, and his own great nephew Ranbir Kapoor, but also transformed the very paradigm of the Hindi film hero, and in a way, Hindi films.

Gone was the silent, soft-spoken, upright hero – the meek one like his own elder brother Raj Kapoor, or the brooding one like Dilip Kumar – to be supplanted by a flamboyant,...

A tabla player with a prominent theatrical troupe, he went on to partner with a harmonium player to create – and guide – the duo that seamlessly melded the strains of Indian classical and popular music with Western melodies to create an array of immortal tunes for films starring titans, from Raj Kapoor to Shammi Kapoor to Rajesh Khanna.

Shankar-Jaiskishan was not the first duo to give music for Hindi films – that signal honour went to their own ustads Husnlal-Bhagatram – but they were the most successful, right from their first venture in 1949, down till the dawn of the 1970s.

Going just by the metric of Filmfare Awards, their record of the most Best Music Awards (nine) stood for nearly four decades till A R Rahman picked up his 10th in 2012. And though they were runners-up in most nominations (20), behind Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s 25, 10 of their nominations were in consecutive years since 1959.

More tellingly, their...