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Reel Take

‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ gave India its most popular tragic hero—and a mega hit in Soviet Union

'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' cemented the partnership between Bachchan and Prakash Mehra who directed the movie. The two had worked together in Zanjeer, which was Bachchans’ breakout film.

This director was told Musahars were ‘evil’. New film tackles their marginalisation, his bias

In 'Swaha', filmmaker Abhilash Sharma tackles discrimination, desperation and exploitation. It is set to be screened at IFFK's 'Indian Cinema Now' section this year.

‘Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye’ is a classic that has aged well. It sits on Rekha’s able shoulders

Rekha’s entry catapults the movie into a league of its own. She unapologetically questions why society is quick to shame women for their choices while excusing men.

Chitchor is all about a woman’s right to love. ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’ couldn’t match up

Chitchor is all about a woman’s right to love. ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’ couldn't match up

Love, Bombay, middle-class — Basu Chatterjee’s ‘Rajnigandha’ is relevant even today

‘Rajnigandha’ articulated the conflicting thoughts of its woman protagonist, at a time when inner female turmoil wasn’t considered a crowd-puller or even an interesting film plot.

Rajinikanth-Amitabh Bachchan’s Andhaa Kaanoon started new trend — North-South union

What’s interesting is that Rajinikanth's character in the movie is called Vijay, a name closely associated with Amitabh Bachchan.

Blind man, cheating wife, bumbling cop—Sanjeev Kumar’s ‘Qatl’ was a perfect Bollywood thriller

‘Qatl’ was Sanjeev Kumar’s last film; he finished dubbing it a day before he died. The premise of the film: Who will believe a blind man can plan the perfect crime?

‘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.

On Camera

Meghnad Desai was a man of many passions. Marxian economics, politics to Bollywood

Meghnad’s interest went much beyond economics and politics. This is reflected in his writing, particularly after his retirement as a full-time LSE professor in 2003.

Govt’s earlier FDI limit of 74% in insurance sector has remained underutilised, Parliament told

In the latest budget, the FDI limit was increased to 100 percent, but most foreign companies are not buying such large stakes in the Indian insurance sector.

India to get last of Spain-built C-295 next month, focus now on 1st India-made aircraft

New Delhi: The last of the C-295 transport aircraft that is replacing the ageing Avro fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will be...

Modi’s Bharat vs Indira’s India: 11-yr report card of politics, diplomacy, economy, nationalism

As Narendra Modi becomes India’s second-longest consecutively serving Prime Minister, we look at how he compares with Indira Gandhi across four key dimensions.