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Reel Take

Kaagaz Ke Phool is Guru Dutt’s masterclass in filmmaking and heartbreak

Guru Dutt's classic, tragic film is brought to life by subtle performances and dialogue, gorgeous camerawork and Kaifi Azmi's haunting lyrics.

Raat Aur Din, directed by Satyen Bose, was the perfect swansong for Nargis

Nargis Dutt's performance as a woman with an identity disorder in this 1967 film won her the first National Award for Best Actress.

With Bobby, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia set the bar for young love in Bollywood

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Mohabbatein, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Hum Tum, Saawariya - all owe a debt to this1973 movie.

Gumrah, BR Chopra’s tale of a woman’s desire that challenged conventions back in 1963

Gumrah, said to be inspired by the love story of Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal, was refreshingly bold and managed to stand apart from the many adaptations that followed.

Jawani Diwani was candyfloss Bollywood, but it turned many stereotypes on their head

Fun and frothy, this light-hearted rom com features songs that are on every party playlist even today

Anuradha, or the musical genius of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Lata Mangeshkar and Shailendra

Music is in every frame of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's film, and the soundtrack is the kind that stays in one's head for a long time.

Amar Prem tells the story of relationships that have no name but the power to break hearts

Not Shakti Samanta, Rajesh Khanna or Sharmila Tagore – it was Anand Bakshi’s lyrics that gave this movie its soul.

The isolation of Bhuvan Shome is all too real in a time of social distancing

Mrinal Sen’s classic New Wave film starring Utpal Dutt also launched the career of Amitabh Bachchan who went on to become a superstar.

Shashi Kapoor in Junoon is a masterclass in how to humanise an unlikeable man

Shyam Benegal’s historical drama based on a Ruskin Bond story brings together the very best of Hindi cinema.

Nasir Husain’s Hum Kisise Kum Naheen is all about the music

R.D. Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Mohd Rafi — this 1977 superhit was powered by its all-star music team.

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.

Trump’s trade wars have rewritten powerplay, but India didn’t get the memo

This world is being restructured and redrawn by one man, and what’s his power? It’s not his formidable military. It’s trade. With China, it turned on him.