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The 1957 film had music by Sd Burman and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, who created evergreen songs like Wo Kaise Log and Hum Aapki Aankhon Me. Directed by Guru Dutt starred Guru Dutt and Mala Sinha...

The 1954 film had music by Op Nayyar and lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, who created iconic songs like Babuji Dheere Chalna and Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar. Directed by Guru Dutt, Aar Paar featured Dutt and Shyama in lead roles...

After helping his bit in the Swach Bharat Abhiyaan, Akshay Kumar is likely to step in to yet another political move and this time, he is going to aim for an innings as Prime Minister Narendra Modi! Yep. You heard right! Akshay Kumar, who is a very popular face amongst the masses and also a staunch supporter of the government’s efforts, is being scouted to play the role of Narendra Modi in the biopic which is being planned on him. Earlier, faces like Paresh Rawal and Anupam Kher were making the rounds. Incidentally, Anupam Kher will be playing the role of former Pm Dr. Manmohan Singh in the film, The Accidental Prime Minister. Shatrughan Sinha, actor and a vocal government loyalist, totally sees Akshay in the role. Speaking to a media source he said: “Akshay is the Mr Clean of India. His image goes well with the image of the New Shining India.” Akshay Kumar, who will be seen in the movie, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha recently met with the Prime Minister to discuss the film and their efforts to promote Pm’s pet project, Clean India Mission. Cbfc Chief Pahlaj Nihalani also added: “I can’t think of anyone better to play our Prime Minster than Akshay. He has a spotless image of an idealist and visionary. And look at the kind of work he’s doing. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Padman are the cinema of social reform that Guru Dutt and V Shantaram were associated with. Also, Akshay has risen from humble working class beginnings to become a national star, just like Modiji. We are certainly looking at a strong possibility of Akshay playing Modiji.”...

Legendary Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai is renowned for his vivid use of color, which the kind folks over at Glass Distortion have made abundantly clear in a sweeping new compilation titled simply, “Wong Kar Wai: Color Obsession.” As the filmmaker’s varied spectrum of bright hues and darker tones splash across the screen, one can see how crucial this colorful aesthetic is to creating the distinct mood and atmosphere for which his films are known.

The Chinese auteur’s obsession with color is well documented, as in this 1998 interview with Bomb Magazine, when he compared “Chungking Express” (1994) to “Fallen Angels” (1995) by discussing both films’ palettes: “Whereas ‘Chungking’ was sunshiny and suffused with bright, lovely daytime colors, ‘Fallen Angels’ is more about neon, and night time, and grunge.”

Read More: Supercut Guru Kogonada: How He Leapt from Small Screens to Sundance Next with the Mysterious ‘Columbus’

Glass Distortion also...

Udta Punjab

Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh

Directed by Abhishek Choubey

Who thinks of such a story to tell?! Only a mind that is either supremely screwed-up or stunningly sorted. In director Abhishek Choubey’s case, I’d go with the latter.

Udta Punjab is a work of contemporary art so audaciously unprecedented in its vision and execution of a subject that is topical and timeless, you wonder if Bollywood, as we love and hate it, is finally growing up.

On the other hand lest we forget, filmmakers in the past like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and Gulzar constantly prodded and pushed mainstream Hindi cinema into areas of darkness, not fearful of the unlit interiors of the human heart.

Abhishek Choubey takes this forward to an altogether new high, the politically empowered human drama of Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen (the migrant’s plight in the city,...

We first experienced the magic of Siddharth and Garima’s writing in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The duo, along with Mr. Bhansali, brilliantly transformed the story of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into an Indian context and the result was rave reviews for the writing and the stars.

For their next project they entered the world of a love story of a warrior – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic Bajirao Mastani starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. For what is being called his magnus opus, Mr Bhansali went to Siddharth and Garima to paint beautiful pictures with their lyrics for three of the biggest songs, ‘Deewani Mastani’, ‘Pinga’ and ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’.

I was granted the amazing privilege to interview Siddharth and Garima about RamLeela and it was a joy to write the piece. This week, I once again was honored with the...

Bollywood is famously known as being escapist.

True, there are heroes who can lift cars, women who can change into 7 different sari’s during a 4 minute song and indeed dance in these saris amidst snowy mountains.

However, Bollywood can be non-escapist too as it deals with real life issues that are deep and sometimes that are at the core of us all.

As we live our lives we find that sometimes we tumble through, sometimes we swim and sometimes we sink. Or rather, we feel that we sink. It is certainly in those challenging moments of feeling utterly lost and betrayed by life that transformation occurs – if we choose.

Life is full of ups and downs and we cannot control the seasons that come.

Nevertheless, choosing to see bewildering times as transformation is in our power.

And films can serve as an inspiration to do that.

For some, films help to understand the world.

When it comes to naming the great directors of Indian cinema, Mani Ratnam is someone who is always included. Working not only in Hindi films, but also in the major industries in the South, the filmmaker has created some of the best movies in the Indian film canon. He began his career with Pallavi Anu Pallavi and went on to bring audiences such outstanding cinema as Bombay, Roja, Dil Se, Nayakan, Saathiya, Guru, Ravaan and this year’s O Kadhal Kanmani to name just a few. Awarded the Padma Shree in 2002, his films have also won several prestigious National Film Awards. His work has been included on Best Film lists both in Time Magazine and The British Film Institute as well as winning awards at major film festivals around the world.

Naman Ramachandran, the film programmer for The Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, was allowed by Mr. Ratnam, to...

Many films tried to capitalise on the popularity of the late, great Bruce Lee. Here are our ten favourites...

1973 was the year that kung fu broke in America. The release of the popular Five Fingers Of Death (aka King Boxer) in March set the fuse and when Enter The Dragon (the first Hong Kong martial arts film co-produced by a major Us studio) followed in August, it exploded.

Although Bruce Lee was billed as a co-star in Enter The Dragon alongside John Saxon because casting an Asian actor in the lead role of an American film was unheard of at the time (and would remain so until 1982 when Sho Kosugi topped the bill for Revenge Of The Ninja), it was Bruce who captured the public's imagination. His amazing look and style, his astonishing talent for acting, writing and directing, and his unparalleled martial arts ability made him an icon for...

Last week, Deepika Padukone threw a happening party for the success of her latest film Piku. Ironically, it coincided with the thundering failure of Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet. But that didn't deter Kashyap from braving the party mood at a time when his producers are looking at heavy losses. Says a filmmaker friend, "There was absolutely no sign of any regret in Anurag. In fact he was hardly speaking about it. He did mention his plans of moving to Paris to some friends. But we feel he's just saying that because of what has happened to Bombay Velvet. Interestingly Kashyap's colleagues at Phantom, the company of which he helms along with Vikas Bahl, Vikramditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena stand by Kashyap even after the Bombay Velvet debacle. One of them spoke in Kashyap's defense, "Every great filmmaker makes one such box office disaster during his lifetime which...

Since October, Fox’s Gotham has told a tale of unrequited love (or something) between Edward Nygma (played by Cory Michael Smith) and Gcpd colleague Kristen Kringle (Chelsea Spack). But to what end?

Will this repeatedly crushed crush serve as merely a first catalyst toward the riddle-loving forensics whiz evolving into his fated alter ego, or is it the catalyst?

“She is the catalyst,” Gotham showrunner Bruno Heller assures TVLine. “And she’s an innocent one at that> That’s the tragedy of it — she doesn’t mean to break his heart.”

RelatedMay Sweeps Scorecard 2015: Weddings, Deaths, Breakups, Sex,...

Movie Mogul K. Asif, who became immortal with his magnum opus Mughal E Azam (1960), shared an exceptional bond of father and son with late actor Sanjeev Kumar.

The bond between them started when K. Asif was making Love And God with actor Guru Dutt in the lead, while Sanjeev Kumar was a struggling actor who was working in as an extra. However, Asif was bowled over by Sanjeev Kumar's utter dedication and passion towards his profession. Hence, after Guru Dutt expired Asif promoted Sanjeev Kumar as the film's hero much against the discontent of distributors and surprise of the unit. However, Asif was confident of Sanjeev Kumar's success.

True to Asif's prediction Sanjeev Kumar soon became a star but Asif's movie Love And God got delayed due to Asif's eye for perfection. As a result Asif was under heavy debt and his health started deteriorating. During Asif's downfall...

As a film journalist, it is common practice for us to regularly speak to actors and actresses about their upcoming film or project. Yet as someone who is passionate about Hindi Cinema, I consider it an incredibly rare treat to be able to speak to either a director or a producer who has played a fundamental role in orchestrating the making of a film. BollySpice had the absolute pleasure to speak with one of India’s most acclaimed filmmakers Mr Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He is the man who has directed several hit films such as Parinda (1989), 1942: A Love Story (1993) and Mission Kashmir (2000). Mr Chopra has also worked with director Rajkumar Hirani as a producer in films such as Munnabhai Mbbs (2004), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2007) and of course the global blockbuster 3 Idiots (2009).

We spoke to Mr Chopra about the upcoming film Pk, starring Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Sushant Singh Rajput and Boman Irani.

To make Chaar Sahibzaade a film on the four sons of the Sikh Guru Govind Singh in the 3D Animation format and to see it finally being released last week was a dream that producer-director Harry Baweja nurtured for decades. To see that dream come to fruition after years of struggle is a life-changing experience for Harry who last directed Love Story 2050 in 2008. 7 years is a long time for a filmmaker to be absent from Bollywood where it's easily true to say if you are out of sight, you're out of mind. But it was a risk worth taking for Baweja. Sighing deeply after what he says was his first night of sleep after release, Harry Baweja who in the past has directed super hits like Dilwale and Qayamat, says, "It was definitely a risk worth taking. For five years I've worked only on my dream project. Now when...

There are two notable films releasing this Friday – The Shaukeens and Rang Rasiya. Between the two, no prizes for guessing that it would be the comic affair The Shaukeens that would lead the show. The film has been promoted well, the songs have made their presence felt too, the recall value is good due to remake factor and Akshay Kumar’s presence in a special appearance has got it further noticed. Moreover, Lisa Haydon is ensuring that her perky act pulls in masses to theaters. A seemingly safe affair due to controlled costs, The Shaukeens should take a decent start at the box office and find audience in single screens as well as multiplexes.

On the other hand Rang Rasiya is primarily a multiplex release and its promotion has picked up mainly in last 10-15 days. The film’s delay won’t make much of a difference though since it...

In a first of its kind producer Sheetal Talwar has tied up with the BBC to co-produce a film on the notorious Eichmann trials. Entitled The Eichmann Show the film is to be directed by BAFTA nominee Peter Andrew Williams, acclaimed writer-director on film and television. The Eichmaan trials chronicled on live television the Nazi war crimes of Otto Adolf Eichmann. This was the first ever trial as a reality-show on television. Talwar says the film version of the trials would be a never-before cinematic experience. "Eichmann Show is a film based on the Eichmann trials. It a film on the court trials that were telecast on TV, making it the world's first reality show. The film is being produced by two Bafta nominee producers, a Bafta nominee director, BBC and me." The film shall be shot in UK, Lithuania and Malta. Says Talwar, "After I produced Mausam which was Pankaj Kapoor's directorial debut,...

Winner of three National Awards and multiple International acclaim, Madhur Bhandarkar, is one of the few film makers of contemporary cinema who has been able to carry forward the legacy of legendary filmmakers like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor etc. who beautifully blended art and commercial cinema. August 26 marks the birthday of the genius filmmaker; Glamsham.Com wishes him birthday greeting and success for his forthcoming movie Calendar Girls Renowned as 'Film Maker of Th...

Mumbai, April 9: The passing away of cinematographer V.K. Murthy signals almost the end of the golden phase of cinema represented by actor-filmmaker Guru Dutt. Cinematographers like Santosh Sivan, Anil Mehta and Ajay Bahl say Murthy inspired many people.

Murthy, Dada Saheb Phalke award recipient, died at the age of 90 in Bangalore.

Murthy was not a mere cinematographer. His black-and-white images in Guru Dutt's monumental masterpieces created a play of light and shade which cinematographers to this day are trying to analyse. It was Murthy who made actress Waheeda Rehman look so beautiful in "Chaudvin Ka Chand" that Shakeel Badayuni's.

Veteran cinematographer, a regular collaborator of Guru Dutt, passed away on April 7, 2014. Image courtesy: The Hindu

V. K. Murthy taught me so much. It was a dream come true, when as a 23 year old, I landed in Mumbai to work on Shyam Benegal’s television series Discovery of India and found “Gurudutt’s cinematographer” working on the same project.

Each morning, the production car first picked me up from Antop Hill, and then I picked him up from his home in Sion. The 45 minute drive to Film City was my classroom – So, how did you shoot that song, sir? You had put a light on the camera trolley in 1957? How? Can you please sketch the lighting scheme for that shaft of light – how many mirrors, where? Sir, if I have to get black as true black, what kind of lighting, contrast ratio do I use? Why are we shooting 8:...

Bangalore, Apr.8: Veteran Bollywood cinematographer V.K. Murthy, whom many regarded as the light of late film director Guru Dutt's cinema, has passed away here. He was 90.

Murthy used light and shade in an almost painterly fashion in Guru Dutt's films, whether it was in his crime thrillers and light-hearted capers like Cid, Aar Paar and Mr and Mrs 55 or, in his later, more sombre, films.

While he was indebted to ace cameraman Fali Mistry, whom he assisted on two films and learnt the rudiments of his craft from, it was while assisting V Ratra on Baazi at Famous Studio that he met Dutt.

Impressed with his work, Dutt signed him for his next film. The director-cinematographer team went on to become legends.

Murthy.

Mumbai, April 5: Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman, who has shared her life journey in the book "Conversations with Waheeda", was tight-lipped about her alleged relationship with filmmaker Guru Dutt.

Asked about it at the book launch event, she said: "I don't want to get into it... my private life is nobody's business."

Coming to her rescue, the book's author Nasreen Munni Kabir said: "We have to respect actors' personal lives and we should not cross the line. She has been loved by all of us (for her work) and that's not (her relationship) what she is known for."

Further asked why directors fall in love with their.

Mumbai, April 5: Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman, who dominated Bollywood in the 1950s, says she never wore a sleeveless blouse, and so a bikini would be entirely out of the question.

The actress, who was signed by renowned filmmaker Guru Dutt for three years in the beginning of her career, recalled she incorporated a clause in the contract that she would have the final say on the costumes.

"I was not 18 when I signed the contract. I said I want a clause in the contract if I don't like the costumes I will not wear them," she told reporters during the unveiling of the book "Conversations with Waheeda Rehman", authored.

Since many years, there have been speculations about Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra making (or not making) a film on Guru Dutt. And now, the filmmaker has again shown interest to make a movie on the life of Guru Dutt.During a session at Ficci Frames 2014, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra revealed, I hope I get to connect with Guru Dutt through a film. Any filmmaker or a director wants to connect with him. Looking back at India's history, we had just lost a war to China. That's the...

Prem Raj, earlier known as Prem Soni who last year directed Preity Zinta's home production Ishkq In Paris, is now on to another phase of his career. After a quiet six months Prem has emerged as an actor, the leading man-no less. According to a source close to Prem he is all set to play the lead in a film called Phone Affair. Giving out details the friend said, "It's directed by Tamil director K.S. Vishal who has made close to 450 ad films. Vishal turns producer with Phone Affair. His banner is called Raging Bulls. He was a creative director at the J Walter Thompson (Jwt) for seven years." Prem who we hear is also starring in a remake of the Rishi Kapoor comedy Raffoo Chakkar, heard Vishal's script and fell in love with it. Interestingly, the film in which Prem Raj makes his acting debut is a bi-lingual.

Only two Urdu television shows old, but Armeena Rana Khan is already a household name across the border. The Britian based Pakistani actress dabbles in international independent cinema, Pakistani television shows and now Hindi films. She’s a fresh face with an equally fresh outlook on how she wants to progress in her career. I caught up with the Huff! Its Too Much actress to find out about her plans for the future, the workings of the Pakistani television industry and much more!

Was acting always on your agenda or was it something you realised after you completed your business degree?

Acting has always been my passion but when you are young you try to do the right thing, the safe option of a career. Although my education has been indispensable in making the choices and deals with the industry professionals to get me where I am now, I am...

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival is to host sidebar programmes for restored classics and Indian cinema.

‘Celebrating Indian Cinema’ will include Guru Dutt’s Eternal Thirst, Ritwak Ghatak’s 1965 neorealist film The Golden Thread, Mani Kaul 1973 feature In Two Minds and Garm Hawa’s Scorching Winds.

Sidebar ‘Pieces of Time: Classic Odysseys. The Art of Preserving and Restoring Cinema’ will include Dial M for Murder, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Red Shoes and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The festival runs from Oct 24 to Nov 2.

The 24th edition of the biennial Europalia International Arts Festival in Europe will be dedicated to India to celebrate the centenary year of Indian cinema.

The festival will be held in several cities of Belgium and The Netherlands including Brussels, Antwerpen and Den Haag from October 4, 2013 – January 26, 2014.

Five of Kashyap’s films will be screened under the Anurag Kashyap Focus – Cinematek section: Ugly (2013), Black Friday (2004), Dev D (2009), Gulal (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur I and II (2012). Besides, three films recommended by Kashyap will also be screened at the festival: Gurvinder Singh’s Anhey Ghorey Da Daan, Hansal Mehta’s Shahid and Satish Manwar’s Gabhricha Paus.

Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Apur Sansar and Jalsaghar will be presented as part of the Satyajit Ray Retrospective. Guru Dutt Retrospective will screen his films Baazi, Jaal, Baaz, Aar Paar, Mr. And Mrs. 55, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam and Kagaz Ke Phool.

Filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl...

Mahesh Bhatt, the ace filmmaker of contemporary cinema and acknowledged as a director at par with the legendary directors like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor, turns 65 years today. Glamsham.Com wishes him a very happy birthday and reveals an episode from his life when an actor accused him to be a 'cheat'. Well, which was that actor and why did he call Mahesh Bhatt a 'cheat'? Read on.... After a series of failures likes Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain, Vishwasghaat, Naya Daur, Lahu Ke...

With the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan comes Eid-Ul-Fitr, where millions of Muslims across the globe use this special occasion to celebrate their achievements and unite with family and close friends. For the majority of people, Eid brings colour and happiness into their lives and Bollywood plays some role in that when it comes to the entertainment factor. Hence, BollySpice has put together a top 15 list of the greatest Bollywood songs to listen to during Eid. The list has been compiled without any numerical preference being given. So take a moment to check out the cool tunes which we think are best for Eid and which you will ultimately grow to love!

1. Baad Muddat Ke Yeh Ghadi Ayee: Jahan Ara (1964) – This soulful romantic number from the historical epic Jahan Ara is truly breath-taking to listen to. The golden lyrics, the superb picturization, as well as great vocals...

The novelist discovered the classics when popular Hindi film was in the doldrums. But two gangland takes on Shakespeare started a new wave of indie cinema whose irreverence endures today

It wasn't until I was a graduate student, in Oxford, in the late 1980s, that I began to discover Hindi cinema. (The word "Bollywood" existed then, but it wasn't a catch-all term to describe a cinematic tradition of great, contradictory variety, and one that was only a strand – albeit the most publicised one – in Indian cinema as a whole.)

What drew me were the black-and-white movies of the 50s and 60s; movies I hadn't seen either because they'd been made before I was born or when I was too small, or because my middle-class upbringing prohibited me from taking them seriously. I grew up on Hollywood movies. When I was a teenager, I became aware of the astonishing work of Satyajit Ray,...

To celebrate the Indian film industry's centenary year, here are 10 essential movies – from a silent film about the life of the Buddha to a violent gangster epic

Prem Sanyas/The Light of Asia (Franz Osten, 1925)

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Among the few silent films that remain are three Indo-German co-productions that predate the arrival of the German technicians and directors who worked in the Bombay Talkies studio in the 1930s. The Light of Asia was shot in India but edited and processed in Germany and intertitled in English. The script was adapted from Sir Edwin Arnold's epic poem The Light of Asia (1861) while the opening credits proclaim it was "Shown by Royal Command at Windsor Castle, April 27 1926" and that it benefited greatly from help offered by the Maharaja of Jaipur. The film shows westerners touring India (Mumbai, Delhi, Varanasi) who come to Bodh Gaya, the site of Gautam Buddha's Enlightenment.

It’s not unusual for great artists to ponder over the purpose of art and life and come up with artistic creations that deal with these questions. Be it Andrei Tarkovsky, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Mrinal Sen or Guru Dutt, they have all felt the need to address these questions in their work at some point in their distinguished careers. Anand Gandhi is different; he begins his feature career with these questions.

Ship of Theseus stands out among the recent crop of Indian indie films for both its concerns and rich cinematic expressions. This is a highly accomplished film that bedazzles both at the level of idea and execution.

Gandhi makes his intentions clear right in the beginning. Ship of Theseus opens with a shot of an eye blinking to light. Gandhi wants to open our eyes to the brave new world that he portrays. A world that demands a different sensibility to appreciate it.

New Delhi, May 30: Acclaimed filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, whose sudden death Thursday has the left everyone in a state of shock, had finished filming "Satyanewshi", based on popular Bengali sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi.

"Wrapped up the shoot of 'Satyanweshi', a crime thriller in the molten glow of the pensive falling afternoon," Ghosh, who described himself as "A Bad student of Cinema" on micro-blogging site Twitter, had posted in one of his last tweets May 28.

In his last public tweet, the National Award winning filmmaker posted: "Surprising that the brooding prince of Indian cinema - Guru Dutt, stayed in the same palatial mansion.

There was a time when I was a teenager that I would watch Guru Dutt’s masterpiece Pyaasa every afternoon. Each time, something new was found in the narrative that was rich with detail and poetry that is right up there with my favourite film ever made, Citizen Kane. The similarities between Orson Welles and Guru Dutt are tantamount. They were both fiercely original and daring filmmakers who had changed cinematic storytelling and mise-en-scene forever. They had their demons of wine and women, but they were tortured artists afflicted by demons that bleed into some of their cinematic gems.

From the opening song ‘Yeh Hanste Hue Phool’ that is beautifully picturized against a bee pollinating the flowers as the poet Vijay (Guru Dutt) looks on at the serenity of this image, before a man stamps down on the bee. It tells us all we need to know about Dutt’s core themes in his films,...

Mumbai, April 5: Sudhir Mishra says that if he would ever remake an old classic, it would be Guru Dutt's masterpiece "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam".

Set in 19th century Bengal, the film tells decaying feudalism of landlords through the characters played by Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari, Rahman and Waheeda Rahman. Directed by Abrar Alvi, the 1962 film is still appreciated for marvellous performances by the entire cast, superb cinematography and extraordinary song picturisations.

"If I will ever make a remake of a film then it will be 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam'," Mishra, known for directing films like "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi" and "Yeh Saali Zindagi", said here in an interview.

The film won four Filmfare Awards, including the best.

During a year when Indian Cinema is celebrating 100 years since the first moving picture was made, it is unfortunate that we have to report recent news regarding DVDs of old Hindi films. According to a leading Indian newspaper, a number of distributors have decided not to renew licences which permit them to sell films which released during the golden era of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Keta Maru, who is producer of Shemaroo Movies, explained to the Indian press why DVDs of old Hindi films are not being renewed. “Stores are not ready to stock, or display old DVDs as their sales have gone down dramatically. Producers expect the same amount we paid them earlier, and are not willing to consider the fact that online availability of films has led to DVD sales heading south. Hence, we haven’t renewed a majority of the contracts. Regrettably, most movies will not...

Those who are devoted Bollywood fans will probably be aware of the fact that 2013 is an important year for the film industry, since it will be celebrating 100 years since the first moving picture was made. Well for anyone who is keen on acquiring a piece of memorabilia which marks this historic occasion, then look no further. A unique 2013 diary titled A Sideways Glance at Hindi Cinema has recently been published by Penguin Books and has been devised by the eminent UK based documentary filmmaker and writer Nasreen Munni Kabir. She has spent decades in ensuring that the history of Hindi cinema has been well documented by interviewing and writing about numerous actors, filmmakers, singers and musicians. These include figures such as the pioneering filmmaker Guru Dutt, superstar Shah Rukh Khan and India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar.

This carefully produced diary contains spellbinding images of film props, film posters, costume designs...

“Why should P.K.Nair not be a recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award? After all, whatever we have of Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, meaning just the first and last reels of the film, are there due to Nair’s unwavering vision and his endless efforts. Again, the only complete Phalke film available to us, namely, Kaliya Mardan (1919), is there because of Nair. If someone like him is not deserving of the Phalke Award, one wonders, who is?”

In mid-November, when the Calcutta air is cooler than in the preceding several months, I had the delightful experience of watching a 150-minute documentary film in a small auditorium in the company of no more than a dozen other people. What added to the delight was the fact that those who were there for the film’s first shot were in his or her seat till the last. This is not a small thing,...

In our series to celebrate the 100 years of cinema, it has been fortuitously revealed that it has also been the fiftieth year for the cult film Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, a classic perhaps that still is one of the landmarks of Hindi Cinema. It was officially the film which was directed by Abrar Alvi, though he was associated with Guru Dutt production for quite a long time.Abrar Alvi in his book, Ten Years With Guru Dutt has compiled nuggets associated with Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam Read More...

In our series to celebrate the 100 years of cinema, it has been fortuitously revealed that it has also been the fiftieth year for the cult film Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, a classic perhaps that still is one of the landmarks of Hindi Cinema. It was officially the film which was directed by Abrar Alvi, though he was associated with Guru Dutt production for quite a long time.Abrar Alvi in his book, Ten Years With Guru Dutt has compiled nuggets associated with Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, w...

Films that gained a ‘cult following’ over the years, despite being unnoticed on release

Back in the 80s, all we had was Doordarshan. Anything you wanted to know about cinema, mythology, world literature, astronomy, science fiction, history; it was all there – right in your living room. So, in that glorious age of kitsch, I remember noticing this bubbly-looking but rather demure young woman in two films – one was Raghuveer Yadav-starrer Massey Sahib (1985) and this obscure film with an interesting name – In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989). By the third time I caught her on TV, she had won a Booker Prize for fiction, for her book The God of Small Things. She was Arundhati Roy – the above-mentioned films were made by her then husband, Pradip Krishen. But we’re more interested in the second film – In Which Annie… was about a group of students in an Architecture College in Delhi,...

While we’ve already done a massive piece on Nintendo’s earlier E3 Nintendo Direct video which you can see right here, it seems one wasn’t enough for house of Mario. Today they’ve gone all hardcore showcasing more of the hardware and the software for their upcoming system, as well as 3Ds announcements and some big surprises. Shall we get started?

Firstly, let’s clue you up. Here’s the video Nintendo broadcasted on Sunday evening, detailing the updates to the Wii U they presented.

First glance of the stage then, and Wii U’s are dotted all over the place. Some are white, some are black. Gotta admit the black console looks stunning, I’ll definitely be picking that one up come release. It’ll look lovely next to my black 360, PS3, Wii and N64. Anyway, moving on. Nintendo hit the stage and we are about to begin.

Guru Dutt, the legend of Indian cinema would indeed be proud about the fact that with Love Wrinkle Free projection of Goa on the silver screen has become more attuned to the ground realities. It is probably owing to the fact that the director of Love Wrinkle Free, Sandeep Mohan himself is a boy from Goa, so he understands Goa much better than the directors who have shot Goa hitherto on the silver screen.It was Guru Dutt in the first instance who had projected Goa as the city Read More...

Guru Dutt, the legend of Indian cinema would indeed be proud about the fact that with Love Wrinkle Free projection of Goa on the silver screen has become more attuned to the ground realities. It is probably owing to the fact that the director of Love Wrinkle Free, Sandeep Mohan himself is a boy from Goa, so he understands Goa much better than the directors who have shot Goa hitherto on the silver screen.It was Guru Dutt in the first instance who had projected Goa as the city...

New Delhi, May 30: Book readings could soon become passe if author Sathya Saran has her way. Hoping to make an instant connect with audiences, the veteran journalist is taking her biography of Bollywood legend Guru Dutt to the masses by enacting the book with a cast of six characters across India.

The biography, '10 Years With Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey', is a first person narrative of screen.

Kalpana by Uday Shankar at Cannes Classics

Kalpana, made in 1948, literally means imagination; however, in its tone it is closer to a dream or even a nightmare. At times, these dreams are clearly marked while mostly they seamlessly merge into the narrative of a dancer who wants to set up his academy.

The plot is autobiographical. Uday Shankar ran his famous dance academy in the Himalayas. He closed the academy in late forties and started work on this film that took four years to complete. His assistants included Guru Dutt and sitar maestro Ravi Shankar while famous writer Amritlal Nagar wrote the Hindi dialogues.

Uday Shankar plays the lead named Udayan while his wife Amala plays the leading lady Uma in the film.

The film has a very complex narrative structure held together by many stories within it – Udayan and Uma’s love story, Udayan’s dream to set up his dance academy.

Amala Shankar at Cannes

Dance maestro Uday Shankar’s Kalpana and its leading lady Amala Shankar received a standing ovation at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. A digitally restored version of the film was screened here as part of Cannes Classics.

Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation has digitally restored the film using a combined dupe negative and a positive print preserved at the National Film Archive of India (Nfai).

Amala Shankar, the wife of late director Uday Shankar was present at the screening. ‘This is my only film,’ she recalled, ‘I was born in a small thatched roof house in Bengal and now I feel I am a citizen of the world. France holds special importance for me as this is where I met my husband for the first time when I was eleven years old.’

A recorded introduction from Martin Scorsese preceded the screening. Uday Shankar, better known internationally than at home,...

For all of you who have loved and enjoyed films from Vidhu Vinod Chopra's banner such as 3 Idiots, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Munnabhai Mbbs, 1942 A Love Story, Parinda etc., there is good news.

PVR Cinemas, in association with Vidhu Vinod Chopra, is organizing a first of its kind retrospective of his films as a tribute to mark his completion of 30 years in the film industry. All the films made under Vinod Chopra Films including classics like Khamosh will be screened for the audience at this festival. Vidhu also plans to release the screenplay of Guru Dutt's classic Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam on the same day as the festival kicks-off.

The festival is scheduled to take place from March 29 to April 4 at various PVR cinemas across the nation.

Bhopal, Feb 25: Legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt's grand-daughter Gouri is set to foray into the world of acting. One of her aims is to portray her grandfather the way family members have known him.

"I had not met my grandfather and as a kid I did not understand what people used to talk about him. But later I realised what kind of personality he was. Now, one of the aims of my life is to portray him in a different way....how our family members have known him," Gouri told Ians.

People remember Guru Dutt as a remarkable filmmaker who died at a young age of 39, but left behind a legacy of cinematic excellence that boasts of films like.

Bhopal, Feb 24: Legendry filmmaker Guru Dutt deserves a posthumous Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, for his contribution to Indian cinema, his son Arun Dutt said Friday.

"His films are among the all-time great movies made in the world. He is recognised internationally. A nine-day festival of his films was organised in New York. The government has also issued stamp on him, so I personally feel government should think of giving him the Bharat Ratna," Arun Dutt, who is in Bhopal to promote the Guru Dutt Film Academy, told Ians.

"It is up to the government to decide on the issue," he added.

Guru Dutt,.