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Saturday, November 8, 2025
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Reel Take

Dil Tera Deewana may have starred Shammi Kapoor, but the real hero was Mahmood

Mahmood's performance in a double role in this 1962 comedy is what holds the film together, even though Shammi Kapoor got all the songs.

Rajesh Khanna’s Safar is a melancholy meditation on life, death, love and duty

Even before the more famous Anand, the superstar had perfected the role of a dying man who wants to spread joy, but Safar is far darker and less feel-good.

Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Guru Dutt’s Muslim social that pioneered the bro code in Hindi films

A love triangle at heart, the movie provides a compelling look at Muslim life & male friendship, with exquisite music & cinematography.

Aar Paar, Guru Dutt’s 1954 film that featured authentic, realistic dialogue by Abrar Alvi

Guru Dutt, Shyama, Shakila and Johnny Walker star in this noirish comedy-thriller with great tunes by O.P. Nayyar.

Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom is as beautifully relatable as it was almost 40 years ago

Starring Naseeruddin Shah & Shabana Azmi, the movie features some of R.D. Burman and Gulzar's finest work, & three adorable kids.

Mirza Ghalib: The movie was the perfect marriage of the poet’s words with Suraiya’s voice

When Jawaharlal Nehru told her she had brought Ghalib's soul back to life with this movie, he was not exaggerating.

Salaam Bombay! is a haunting exploration of child labour in India

The proceeds from the movie were used to set up Salaam Baalak Trust, an NGO that works for the welfare of street children.

Raj Kapoor’s Awara is all the more relevant in the context of India’s migrant crisis

The movie, known for bringing Charlie Chaplin into Bollywood, is a gripping drama that shows the vicious circle of crime and poverty.

Sunil Dutt’s one-actor movie Yaadein is an oddly apt watch in these isolated times

Sunil Dutt's National Award-winning directorial debut shows his prowess as an actor & filmmaker, and his willingness to take risks.

Sadma is an achingly beautiful story about a love that defies labels

Balu Mahendra's Hindi remake of his Tamil classic, Moondram Pirai, was a milestone in his, Sridevi's and Kamal Haasan's careers.

On Camera

Trump’s unpredictability is not the absence of strategy—it works on everyone but China

The Italian term sprezzatura—a studied nonchalance that conceals intention—best captures the spirit of Trump’s foreign policy so far. The pattern is unpredictability, transactionalism, and disruption as diplomacy.

Asia’s ‘weakest’ link: Yunus on a tightrope as Bangladesh tries to fix banks without breaking economy

With 20.2 percent of its total loans in default by the end of last year, Bangladesh had the weakest banking system in Asia. Despite reforms, it will take time to recover.

‘Let them see’: Putin says new nuclear-powered missiles in the making, in message to Washington

At a ceremony felicitating Russian military engineers, Putin highlights Moscow’s 'parity' in defence technologies for the next century.

Bihar is where politics moves, and everything else stands still

Bihar is blessed with a land more fertile for revolutions than any in India. Why has it fallen so far behind then? Constant obsession with politics is at the root of its destruction.