Topic: Hindi cinema
8 songs that prove Anand Bakshi was Hindi cinema’s lyricist for the common man
While some of his contemporaries and seniors like Sahir, Majrooh and Gulzar are considered more ‘poetic’, Anand Bakshi kept it simple and read the pulse of the masses.
In Hum Dono, lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi turns melodrama into a meditation on love, war & life
Starring Dev Anand in a double role, along with Sadhana and Nanda, Hum Don is film takes on the classic lookalike trope, set against the backdrop of World War 2.
Aakrosh, Om Puri’s masterclass in the art of silence, is especially powerful after Hathras
Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri and Smita Patil star in Govind Nihalani's 1980 directorial debut that explores caste politics and the oppression of Adivasis.
Smita Patil in Aakhir Kyon? is an example of how art and mainstream films aren’t so far apart
Directed by J. Om Prakash, the film, also starring Rajesh Khanna, Rakesh Roshan and Tina Munim, was one of Smita Patil's early forays into mainstream Hindi cinema.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, dies at 91
In a career spanning five decades and over 100 films, Bhanu Athaiya won 2 National Awards — for Gulzar's mystery drama 'Lekin' (1990) & 'Lagaan' directed by Ashutosh Gowariker (2001).
Vinod Khanna’s Achanak is a philosophical look at the duty of medical and legal professionals
Written and directed by Gulzar, Achanak takes off from the sensational Nanavati case that was India's first brush with a media trial and a high-profile crime of passion.
Daag, Yash Chopra’s debut as producer, broke the mould with its shades of bigamy
Starring Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore and Rakhee, the film was a daring choice for Yash Raj Films to debut with, but its massive success made it a risk worth taking.
Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Majhli Didi is a family drama driven by strong women
Based on legendary Bengali author Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Mejdidi, the movie stars Meena Kumari and Lalita Pawar in a progressive take on adoption.
Picturpost, once the commuter’s favourite film magazine, is now a prized collector’s item
The pocket-sized film magazine featured actual movie posters as covers, which make it a prized possession for film enthusiasts these days.
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi — the hit musical comedy that Kishore Kumar had hoped would flop
Even after more than 60 years, the movie is immensely watchable, thanks to easy-breezy comedy, great chemistry, Kishore Kumar's energy and S.D. Burman's tunes.
Why Prashant Kishor’s lunch meet is giving Modi rivals a taste of 2024
An anti-BJP Mahagathbandhan minus Congress for 2024 isn’t a bad idea. But a pre-poll umbrella of parties with influence over 300 seats can be a formidable entity, theoretically.
India’s retail inflation spikes to 6.3% in May from 4.23% in April
Centre has asked the RBI to keep the retail inflation at 4% with a margin of 2% on either side. The central bank had left the key interest rate unchanged earlier this month.
Defence
India sets eyes on Russian Sprut light tanks to counter China, gets rare access to trials
The 18-tonne amphibious Sprut-SDM1 is capable of being airlifted, parachuted with crew inside and can even disembark from a ship.
China’s Wuhan story unravels as world’s finest, including from India, nail Covid lab-leak proof
The global hunt for where the virus behind pandemic came from shows science, democracy and a sense of inquiry can overcome politics, ideology and omerta codes.