The news of Dev Anand’s death caught me unawares. Sure, he was 88 (or as someone said he turned 22 for the fourth time) but I could never imagine Dev Anand to be dead. He was "full of life" as everyone said during the last few days while paying him tributes. Somehow, I feel even... Continue Reading →

Those among us who have seen the cinema of 1980s would be familiar with the sensation called Silk Smitha. She broke conventions and arrived like a storm in the Tamil film industry and spawned many imitations like Rayon Revathi and Polyester Padmini (yes such names did exist). Though Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture is not... Continue Reading →

In 1935, Himanshu Rai was shooting Jeevan Naiyya. In a quick turn of events, his wife and the movie’s heroine Devika Rani eloped with the lead actor. Devika was traced and the actor fired. Search for a new actor began, the trail of which stopped at the lab assistant of the studio Kumudlal Ganguly. Kumudlal’s... Continue Reading →

“Babumoshai! Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahi” he snapped playfully in his intro scene and set the tempo for the story. People laughed through the movie and didn’t even realise when their eyes got moistened uncontrollably as they left the theatres. In the late 1960s, Raj Kapoor fell seriously ill and his friend Hrishikesh Mukherjee... Continue Reading →