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Reel Take

‘Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki’ was a cringy film on adultery. All-forgiving wife was 80s ideal

Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki emphasises the qualities that make an ideal wife, sacrifice at the top of the list, and the ability to forgive her husband for anything and everything.

‘In Retreat’ film shows a different side of Ladakh. It’s not like Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots

The movie serves as a reminder of director Maisam Ali’s roots, and reflects his vision of home.

Gulzar’s Mausam had a plot as old as the hills, still held its own against Sholay & Deewar

Unlike Yash Chopra's Lamhe, which didn’t do well at the box office, Gulzar’s movie was received well.

Rekha’s Ghar asks an important question—How does a couple survive sexual assault?

The 1978 classic Ghar attempts to start a conversation around rape and trama, which is absent from most Hindi films to date.

English is a very funny language—Bachchan gave the OG Bollywood monologue in ‘Namak Halaal’

While Bachchan has been rightly applauded for his dialogue delivery in ‘Namak Halaal’, the writer is not widely known—it was actor Kader Khan.

Rekha’s Khoon Bhari Maang showed revenge doesn’t have to be violent—it can also be fashionable

Eccentric headgear, leather outfits, lace gloves, pearls—Rekha’s sartorial choices dominated Rakesh Roshan’s thriller.

Bollywood’s playful resistance to Emergency was Rekha’s Khubsoorat

Khubsoorat won the Filmfare Best Film award in the 1980s. It established Rekha as a star who could carry a film on her own, even in the absence of famous male hero.

‘Insaf Ka Tarazu’ was well-intentioned but couldn’t resist rape fetishisation of ’80s Bollywood

BR Chopra's 1980 remake of 'Lipstick' revived Raj Babbar's career, stalled for three years after his banned debut 'Kissa Kursi Ka'. Despite hesitation, Babbar accepted the role of a serial rapist.

‘Dosti’ was 1964’s breakout hit. A Bollywood film with no romance, hero-villain drama

Its actors, Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar, were not superstars. The music was directed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, when they were still not the powerhouse they eventually became.

‘Aasha’ explored a different view of one-sided love—that of the woman

Aasha, played by Reena Roy, is complex and empathetic—something female characters in Om Prakash movies have in common.

On Camera

Why Modi, BJP should worry about bad blood between CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Rahul Gandhi

If there is bad blood between the CEC and the Opposition leaders, it will shake the people’s faith in election results. It’s the worst thing that could happen to Indian democracy.

Navigating Trump’s tariffs is no child’s play. Indian toymakers are losing out on orders, enquiries

Indian toymakers are now exploring new markets, but they want govt to negotiate a trade deal with US soon, introduce incentives and subsidies to make the industry more competitive.

Pakistan signs $1.5 billion deal to sell lethal combat weapons to Sudan’s junta

The deal, believed to be paid for by a third nation, will give the Sudanese Armed Forces access to light attack aircraft, engines, armoured fighting vehicles & unmanned aerial vehicles.

War of IAF, PAF doctrines: As Pakistan obsesses over numbers, India embraces risk, wins

Now that both IAF and PAF have made formal claims of having shot down the other’s aircraft in the 87-hour war in May, we can ask a larger question: do such numbers really matter?