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Bob Biswas To Lajja: 8 Iconic Villains Etched Into Bollywood’s Cinematic History
While his boss is screaming at him, an LIC agent checks the picture of an old lady that flashes across his mobile screen. Later, the agent rings a bell and the same old lady opens the door. “Nomoshkar,...
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Bans & Jail: When Kishore Kumar, Dev Anand & Manoj Kumar Battled The Emergency
Whenever there is massive public unrest against the government of the day, celebrities in India are often put in a tight spot, because both fans and the government elicit their support. It’s a...
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Flawed, Gritty & Liberated: 7 Women-Centric Bollywood Roles from The Last Decade
A hero falls in love with the heroine. Since he crosses hurdles and challenges to ‘get’ her, her world revolves around him. In the end, he ‘rescues’ her from all worldly atrocities and they live...
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Love Is Love: 6 Bollywood Films That Showcased Homosexuality With Dignity
“Main Khullam khulla aaj yeh izhar karta hoon…. aadmi hoon aadmi se pyaar karta hoon..” It is a sign of evolution in Indian cinema when a popular actor and a household name like Ayushmann Khurrana...
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‘Elephant Boy’ Mysore Sabu: Meet India’s First Star on Hollywood’s ‘Walk of...
Thirty-odd years ago, an English film on the staid old Doordarshan channel (remember, it was the only one), was an event. When the papers announced that the offering on a certain Friday evening was...
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Not Just Iconic Paintings, Raja Ravi Varma Helped India Get Our First Film!
For his 2020 calendar collection, G Venket Ram, a Chennai-based photographer, roped in twelve famous personalities from the southern film and dance industries and adapted masterpieces by Raja Ravi...
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How This Self-Made Action Star’s Grit Took Him From Rural Assam to ‘Tanhaji’!
Last month, a friend of mine from Assam who is a cinephile, shared an interesting video clip of a young man exhibiting an array of martial arts skills on the sets of the period drama ‘Tanhaji: The...
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Toronto to Oscars: Meet the One-Woman Army Taking Assamese Cinema to New Heights
A few weeks ago, I watched ‘Bulbul Can Sing’, a coming-of-age film directed by Rima Das, about three teenage friends—Bulbul, Bonnie and Suman—and how they navigate love, life, friendship, questions of...
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Once A House Painter, This Artist’s Stunning Bollywood Murals Are A Must-See...
With The Positive Collective, The Better India’s COVID-19 coverage is available to regional language publications for free. Write to editorial@thebetterindia.com for more details. If you are a...
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10 Years of ‘Udaan’: How ‘Azaadiyan’ Continues to Propel Its Lead Actor’s Life
Vikramaditya Motwane’s stunning directorial debut, Udaan (2010) played a significant role in rejuvenating the spirit of realism of Hindi cinema. Produced by Anurag Kashyap, this landmark coming-of-age...
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What Happened to Baahubali’s 10,000 Weapons? Hint: You Won’t Like The Answer
From the days of silent, black-and-white films, there has been tremendous progress in every aspect of filmmaking. Even the numbers have grown exponentially. Tens of thousands of feature films,...
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No To Racism But Yes to Fairness Creams? 10 Celebs Who Stood up For Dark Skin
‘Black Lives Matter’ protests broke out across the USA last week after a Caucasian police officer’s action resulted in the death of a black man, George Floyd. Floyd’s death is widely-attributed to...
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Chakda Xpress: Jhulan Lived In A Tin Roof Home, Fought Off Judgmental Relatives
“Kitne logo ne daanta mujhe. ‘Ladkiyan bhi cricket khelti hain? Beta, padhayi-likhayi bhi karte ho kya?’(I was scolded by a lot of people. ‘Girls also play cricket? Do you even study?).” Before Jhulan...
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Ardeshir Irani: The School Teacher Who Brought Sound to Indian Cinema
After Prithviraj Kapoor made his pact with god at the Gateway of India, he asked the Victoriawalla to take him to a hotel. He did not know a soul in this city, nor did he have a single address. The...
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Lata Mangeshkar: 30,000 Songs, Bharat Ratna, & a Fight to Elevate Playback...
Lata Mangeshkar, the ‘Nightingale of Bollywood’ has passed away on the morning of 6 February 2022. The veteran singer was admitted to a Mumbai hospital in early January this year after she tested...
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‘The Courage To Go Far’: Jai Bhim’s Rajakannu Began His Career As A Mimicry...
“Oru kadha sollata sir? (Shall I tell you a story, sir?)” asks Vedha, essayed by actor Vijay Sethupathi, every time he shares a snippet of his life in the 2017 neo-noir thriller Vikram Vedha. The man...
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When Madhubala & Nargis Inspired Greek Songs That Brought Solace to Refugees
During the closing ceremony at the 2004 Athens Olympics, recording artists Antonis Remos and Anna Vissi sang a rendition of a popular Greek song called ‘Mandoubala’. Originally sung in 1959 by the...
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200 Old Indian Films Owe Their Preservation to This Retired Fisherman in Hawaii
Grateful viewers often take to YouTube’s comment section to thank Thomas (Tom) Daniel for bringing their favourite movies back to life. Some recall old memories of what struck them about these films....
View ArticleWatch: Why Did 5 Lakh Gujarati Farmers Crowdfund a Movie in 1976?
Remember the iconic song from the Amul ad that went, “Mero gaam kaatha parey…” The song that brings instant nostalgia was originally part of a film named ‘Manthan’ (1976). It was one of the largest...
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Made by Dev Anand’s Brother, This is The First Indian Film to Win Cannes’...
As we approach the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival later this month between 17 and 28 May, which will take place in France, cinema aficionados across India will be looking forward to their...
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