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Tuesday, October 21, 2025
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Reel Take

Bachchan’s revenge drama Adalat heralded the ‘woman in refrigerator’ trope of 1980s

‘Adalat’ was one of the biggest blockbusters in 1976. However, it is often not counted among Bachchan’s iconic portrayals in the '70s.

A Kannada short film uses Udupi’s Janmashtami to ask who belongs, and who doesn’t

'Rakkasa' was shot in four days, with all Janmashtami visuals captured in real time during the actual celebrations. Director G Vishnu highlights the everyday rhythms of life and the spirit of Udupi.

Mammootty, Mohanlal reunite after 17 years in espionage thriller Patriot

Mohanlal had a cameo appearance in Mammootty’s film Kadal Kadannu Oru Maathukutty (2013). However, their last film together was Twenty:20, which released in 2008.

Barsaat ki Raat was a rain-soaked romance. It had a qawwali that Shah Rukh Khan loves

If a luminous Madhubala is the heart, Sahir Ludhianvi’s Urdu poetry is the soul of Barsaat Ki Raat, 1960’s second-biggest hit after Mughal-e-Azam.

RD Burman was the last resort for Rajesh Khanna’s ‘The Train’. It gave him 12 more films

A robbery, a hotel, and criminal masterminds—suspense thriller ‘The Train’ took Rajesh Khanna beyond romance.

A pocket watch, a broken toy, and a lifetime of regret —Anmol Ghadi was blockbuster

In Anmol Ghadi, Noor Jehan, Suraiya & composer Naushad made longing a box office hit.

Aamne Samne is one of Bollywood’s best thrillers. Somebody’s out to kill Sharmila Tagore

Director Suraj Prakash manages to hoodwink his audience till the very end, with a new red herring at every turn. Sharmila Tagore and Shashi Kapoor hold the film together.

Gharana wasn’t just any family drama. It exposed a hypocrisy at the heart of Indian homes

In SS Vasan’s 1961 film Gharana, Lalita Pawar plays Shanta, a stern matriarch who rules her house and its members. But she also has a softer side.

Anamika married melody and mystery. It gave two evergreen songs — for romance and heartbreak

Raghunath Jhalani’s 1973 film Anamika starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan shows how inherent biases can blind someone to reality.

When a Doberman stole the show over Rajesh Khanna’s double role in ‘Sachaa Jhutha’

Manmohan Desai knew well that no Bollywood masala was complete without a loyal animal companion tugging at heartstrings, a trope that would later become central in many films.

On Camera

JDU has a new caste calculation for Bihar 2025 election

The JDU is contesting 101 seats in Bihar this time, lower than its 2020 quota. Here's what our analysis of the caste background of candidates fielded by it reveals.

What’s keeping homegrown consulting firms from taking on Big 4? Here’s what ICAI chief has to say

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India president Charanjot Singh Nanda, a stakeholder in govt's plans to promote home-grown consulting firms, speaks on what is holding back domestic firms.

Precise & proven: The Tomahawk, America’s prized missile wanted by Kyiv & feared by Kremlin

After initially showing interest in supplying the long-range missile to Ukraine, Trump appeared hesitant following his meeting with Zelenskyy, a day after his phone call with Putin.

CJI, IPS, IAS & Homebound: A wake-up call 75 years in the making

Education, reservations, govt jobs are meant to bring equality and dignity. That we are a long way from that is evident in the shoe thrown at the CJI and the suicide of Haryana IPS officer. The film Homebound has a lesson too.