The screen legend’s enviable oeuvre is as much about his intense, wistful portrayals as it is about fiery, impactful performances like in Paigham, Naya Daur, and Gunga Jumna.
TB, chakkars & dil mein suraakh: How Bollywood depicted women’s health issues
Speaking of Hindi cinema’s treatment of women’s health, the first image that invariably comes to mind is of a sick, frail, coughing, often elderly woman whose sole contribution to the film’s narrative is to remain in a perpetual state of ill-health so that her devoted son – the hero – could go unimaginable lengths to procure her prized dawaai.
Remembering Irrfan
Looking back at Irrfan’s rich career path that bears a testimony of his struggles, triumphs and consistent brilliance over three decades.
The Mr India kids and where else you may have seen them
The timeless classic that Mr India (1987) ended up becoming wouldn’t be without its motely gang of boisterous kids and their never-ending antics.
While some of the child actors in this pack like Aftab Shivdasani, Ahmed Khan went on to have careers in showbiz as adults, not much is known about the others. What is interesting is that most of these child artists have appeared (often in brief roles) in a bunch of other films — some well-known and otherwise.
VAT 69, blank cheque, and other hallowed Bollywood clichés
Hindi cinema, for the longest time, has employed themes, props, and symbols that appear so frequently that they can be termed clichés. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For the larger part, Bollywood clichés are fun, farcical, and have a sense of familiar comfort to them. Listing out some of my favourites.
Revisiting Tarpan: K Bikram Singh’s 1994 Film On Caste & Gender Oppression
An ominous well in a village with a disgraceful history and the reverberations it bears on its present.
Bollywood Villains, Vamps & Henchmen Directory
This directory is dedicated to the gloriously infamous folks of Hindi cinema — the villains, vamps, molls, and henchmen — whose colourful presence has been a constant in mainstream Hindi films across decades.
50 Years of Big B: 50 Definitive Amitabh Bachchan Performances
In 1969, a lanky, unassuming young man made his debut in Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ Saat Hindustani based on the Goa liberation movement. In the 50 years since then, Amitabh Bachchan has gone from being a talented actor to a revered screen idol to being an inviolable part of the Indian consciousness.
Random animal posters/ paintings in Hindi films
This is a list of curious looking posters of furries and fowls as seen in the frames of various Hindi films.
Remember these houses from ’90s Bollywood films?
It is impossible for anyone following ’90s Bollywood to not recognize these familiar-looking houses that pop up in several movies from that era.