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Friday, August 15, 2025
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Reel Take

‘Khushboo’ — how Gulzar captured a strong woman who loves but won’t be a pushover

At a time when women did not have much say in a lot of matters, especially when it came to relationships & matrimony, 'Khushboo' is a story of a woman exercising her choice.

Just 2 fragrant Salil Chowdhury songs were enough to make 1974’s ‘Rajnigandha’ bloom

On Salil Chowdhury's 26th death anniversary, ThePrint revisits Basu Chatterjee's slice-of-life film on love and relationships, starring Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha.

5 songs and 5 moods to remember Khayyam, Bollywood’s versatile music composer

The musical maestro did merely 57 films but his output was stellar and versatile. The songs of Kabhie Kabhie and Umrao Jaan are some of his timeless musical compositions. 

Upkar — film born of churn in newly-Independent India gave Bollywood a hit formula

Upkar, released in 1967, represents the issues India faced at the time. It celebrates rural India, and depicts the temptations that may trigger greed.

5 songs to remember Shakeel Badayuni, Hindi cinema’s romantic poet

Ahead of Shakeel Badayuni's 105th birth anniversary on 3 August, we look back on his remarkable career and his unabashedly romantic soul.

Pyar Kiye Jaa, classic comedy that got Mehmood his first Filmfare as comedian

In this ensemble 1966 romantic comedy, a remake of Tamil film Kadhalikka Neramillai, Mehmood is hilarious as a wannabe filmmaker.

When Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari played Romans in Bimal Roy’s 1958 film Yahudi

Yahudi, based on Agha Hashar Kashmiri's play, Yahudi Ki Ladki, brought together Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi and Nasir Hussain.

Footpath — the 1953 Dilip Kumar movie that still holds a mirror up to society

Starring Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari, and directed by Zia Sarhadi, Footpath is known for its meaningful and piercing dialogues that are relevant even today almost 7 decades later.

8 songs that prove Anand Bakshi was Hindi cinema’s lyricist for the common man

While some of his contemporaries and seniors like Sahir, Majrooh and Gulzar are considered more ‘poetic’, Anand Bakshi kept it simple and read the pulse of the masses.

‘Kohinoor’, the 1960s gem that had Bollywood’s tragedy king & queen at their comical best

Starring Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari, the 1960 film directed by S.U. Sunny broke the shackles of tragedy and provided audiences wholesome entertainment.

On Camera

How Saba Azad became the accidental voice of Bengal’s language protests

Bengalis are hurt over a statement by the Delhi police calling Bangla a ‘Bangladeshi language’ and the lines Azad sang have unwittingly become protest music in Kolkata now.

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.

President awards 1st set of Sarvottam Yudh Seva medals since Kargil, 7 honoured for leading Op Sindoor

This year, the Indian Air Force received four of the seven awards, followed by the Indian Army with two medals, and the Indian Navy with one. 

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.