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Friday, November 7, 2025
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Reel Take

M.S. Sathyu’s Garm Hava still speaks to a country wrestling with questions over citizenship

The story of a Muslim family in post-Partition India and the troubles they faced is a powerful call to humanity.

Smita Patil’s portrayal of a flawed, messy actor in ‘Bhumika’ is fascinating and powerful

Based on memoir of Marathi actor Hansa Wadkar, Smita Patil's Bhumika, a film by Shyam Benegal, is a brutal & unflinching look at the life of a female movie star in Bombay.

C.I.D. — when Bollywood musical met noir in signature Dev Anand style

The 1956 classic also introduced one of Hindi cinema's most loved actors – Waheeda Rehman.

Disco Dancer and the era of disco featuring Bappi Lahiri

Bappi Lahiri’s iconic music electrified an entire generation and continues to inspire old-school disco diehards.

Bollywood’s definitive ‘masala’ film, Yaadon Ki Baarat tops the hall of fame

With an excellent soundtrack and a fast-paced and entertaining plot, Yaadon Ki Baraat established Zeenat Aman as a star.

Chhoti Si Baat is the kind of rom com we miss in today’s whirl of swiping and deleting – simple, sweet and funny

Starring Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha, the classic underdog tale leaves one with a bittersweet nostalgia for a gentler time.

‘Koshish’—the nuanced 1972 film portrayed disability as just another aspect of life

The Gulzar-directed film won Sanjeev Kumar his second National Award and remains a landmark in both their careers.

Teen Bahuraniyan: A quirky family comedy with a touch of female solidarity

Prithviraj Kapoor plays patriarch to his three sons and daughters-in-law in this madcap comedy that's all about loving your neighbour — literally.

‘Dhool Ka Phool’—Nehruvian secularism of Yash Chopra’s first movie is worth remembering today

The story of a Muslim man raising a Hindu child born out of wedlock is not only a plea for communal peace, but also questions the sexist mores of the times.

Om Puri and Smita Patil’s Ardh Satya is the only police drama you need to watch

Unlike modern police dramas, this film gives a realistic look at the difficulty of being good in a broken system.

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.