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Thursday, August 14, 2025
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Reel Take

With Aavishkar, Basu Bhattacharya turned his troubled marriage into a masterpiece

Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore played a couple falling apart in Aavishkar. Basu Bhattacharya based it on his own marriage and even filmed it in his house.

Hariyali Aur Rasta was a romantic drama that questioned arranged marriages

While Manoj Kumar’s Shankar is easy on the eyes in the first half and turns into a Devdas-like figure in the second, it’s the two female leads who drive the storyline.

Feroze Khan’s Dharmatma released the same year as Sholay and Deewar. It still stood out

Feroze Khan paid close attention to the sartorial choices of each character. His eclectic wardrobe featured colourful scarves paired with shirts left unbuttoned till his navel.

‘Love Story’ launched Kumar Gaurav as teen heartthrob of 1980s India. He was a nepo baby

Music carries the film’s romance. Songs such as ‘Dekho Maine Dekha Hai Yeh Ek Sapna’ and ‘Kya Ghazab Karte Ho Ji’ express the hope and the giddiness of young love.

Ek Dil Sau Afsane exposes a society obsessed with male child. It remains relevant even today

The grandmother's insistence on consulting a girl’s astrological birth chart to determine her capacity to bear a son underlines how superstition and patriarchy are deeply intertwined.

Amitabh Bachchan learned a trick from Meena Kumari. It became a style statement in ‘Sharaabi’

Bachchan’s characterisation of Vicky Kapoor, the spoiled child of a wealthy businessman who becomes a raging alcoholic—but without a mean streak—cemented his cult status.

Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia & a kid with cancer—Mahesh Bhatt’s 1987 Kaash has aged well

Mahesh Bhatt's Kaash is not just about death. It is a story of life—with all the tragedies and little joys, mistakes and reparations.

‘Abhinetri’ starts conversation on married women and work. Happy, neat ending takes priority

The tragedy of the 1970 movie lies in its squandered potential. As young actors, both Hema Malini and Shashi Kapoor's performances lacked emotional depth.

When Rajesh Khanna was upstaged by a toddler. Aakhri Khat is a forgotten gem

Director Chetan Anand didn’t let Rajesh Khanna sleep for three nights before shooting a pivotal scene. He would call him in the middle of the night.

‘You’ve put on a bit of weight though’—how this film on mother-daughter bond begins

Anvita Brahmbhatt draws from her personal experiences to build the relationship between a mother and her adult daughter in her film 'Over A Cup of Chai'.

On Camera

Asim Munir wants to be guardian of the Middle East. He’s fated to fail at home

Countering insurgency needs the Pakistan Army to demonstrate a political will that ties leaders at the centre with those in the borderlands. But it may not have the imagination.

Slashing GST on waste can unlock Rs 1.8 lakh crore, high tax hurting circular economy goals—CSE

Centre for Science and Environment in new report makes case for rationalising GST on waste material, saying most informal operators can’t afford high tax & it also hinders recycling.

India, US troops to undertake joint military exercise next month, first after Op Sindoor

21st edition of annual joint military exercise will be held from 1 to 16 September, aimed at sharing military tech, operational best practices & disaster relief coordination methods.

Modi’s ready to risk it all for farmers. Farm reform can answer Trump with new Green Revolution

Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.