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Wednesday, October 8, 2025
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Reel Take

Shyam Benegal’s ‘Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda’ asks—is love doomed by poverty or saved by rebellion?

Shyam Benegal’s adaptation of Dharamvir Bharati’s novel 'Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda' has a layered narrative structure. Its non-linear storytelling blurs the line between fiction and reality.

Jeevan Mrityu made Dharmendra-Rakhee hit pair. It was a corruption-revenge saga of the 70s

Jeevan Mrityu was a revenge thriller produced by Tarachand Barjatya, a break from the ‘clean’ family entertainers that the production house was then known for.

Manoj Kumar’s Purab Aur Paschim set the template for Bollywood’s East vs West showdown

Before Akshay Kumar’s famous Namastey London speech, there was Manoj Kumar’s ‘Zero diya mere Bharat ne.’

‘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?

On Camera

Once you know how UPA handled illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, you see Modi govt’s propaganda

The 'ghuspaithiya' narrative is being whipped up precisely when illegal immigration has actually diminished. Like most BJP-RSS ideas, it’s just an unimaginative Right-wing trope.

Vietnam & China cutting into India’s footwear exports, NITI Aayog calls for tariff cuts, R&D push

With non-leather products driving global footwear demand between 2020 and 2024, India’s global market share stood at 1.85% in 2024, says a NITI Aayog report.

ISKP & Lashkar converging under aegis of Pakistan’s ISI to take on Baloch fighters

ISKP, a sub-continental branch of the Islamic State, is said to have vowed to extend operations in Kashmir, on encouragement from Pakistan’s security establishment.

How Pakistan thinks: Army for hire, ideology of convenience

Pakistan’s army has been a rentier force available to a reasonable bidder. It has never come to the aid of any Muslims including Palestinians or the Gazans, except making noises here and there.