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Monday, February 23, 2026
TopicOld movie

Topic: old movie

Amitabh and Amjad’s real-life friendship played out in Yaarana. It’s usually different on-screen

Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan—a Kishore Kumar classic—not just echoed the friendship between the characters in the movie, but also how the duo stood by each other in real life.

Shatrughan Sinha was Bollywood’s villain. ‘Kalicharan’ made him a hero

Before Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Don’, Shatrughan Sinha played a cop-and-con double role in the 1976 film ‘Kalicharan’.

Amitabh Bachchan learned a trick from Meena Kumari. It became a style statement in ‘Sharaabi’

Bachchan’s characterisation of Vicky Kapoor, the spoiled child of a wealthy businessman who becomes a raging alcoholic—but without a mean streak—cemented his cult status.

A courtesan without shame or guilt—1966 film ‘Amrapali’ gave us a proud, powerful heroine

Every tawaif is said to be a corpse in ‘Pakeezah’. In ‘Amrapali’, however, the heroine fights for her status as a ‘nagarvadhu’ and takes pride in it.

Manoranjan—1974 film defied moral police. Zeenat Aman played an independent sex worker

Bright outfits, exaggerated comic scenes, and the lack of long-drawn emotional moments make Manoranjan entertaining. But it was a box office failure.

An Evening in Paris marked an iconic moment. Showed Indians the Parisian life in desi flavour

Sharmila Tagore’s winged liner, little black dress, sarees paired with knotted blouses to her bikini and puffed hairstyle, everything was on point. Even Shammi Kapoor’s tailored suits, or his colourful shirts were tasteful.

Yash Chopra tackled Partition and Hindu fundamentalism in Dharmputra, long before Garm Hava

Romantic heartthrob Shashi Kapoor and King of Romance Yash Chopra's first collaboration in 1961 sensitively handled Hindu-Muslim differences and religious bigotry.

Sahir Ludhianvi’s hard-hitting, haunting words make ‘Phir Subah Hogi’ relevant even today

This 1958 Raj Kapoor and Mala Sinha-starrer was all about criticising the government, talking about cruel realities and helping the disadvantaged.

‘Arth’ may have been based on Mahesh Bhatt’s life, but Jagjit Singh played a starring role

Jagjit Singh's haunting ghazals compel listeners to question the meaning of love, loss, life and identity.

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.

On Camera

Nick Jonas wearing a mangalsutra is validation for many Indians. He’s our favourite jiju

Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

Suspected brake failure leads to Tejas accident after landing, airframe likely to be written off

The IAF, so far, remains mum on this accident which has led to grounding of the fleet for safety checks.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.