Sharmila Tagore On Scripts: “Roles Written For Elderly Male Actors, But None For Women”

Veteran Bollywood actress and former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) head Sharmila Tagore feels there are very few scripts written keeping in mind “elderly” heroines, while the same is not true for their male counterparts.There are certain films that cannot be passed (by the censor board) and they take precautions, but we should create an environment where people can create films without getting worried; we should work towards freedom of speech and less on curbing it,” said Sharmila.

Pikchar With Rita: A Lot Can Happen Over Tea, Shows Basu Bhattacharya’s ‘Griha Pravesh’

The film begins with the first morning of this newly-wed couple and the first question Amar asks Mansi is, “Coffee piyogi?Amar’s wife Mansi (Sharmila Tagore) does not have even an inkling of how her prosaic and habit-driven husband has actually opened himself to a stormy love affair, and now drinks tea, instead of coffee at work.

Pikchar With Rita: Life and Fiction Defining Each Other in ‘Anupama’

This strange dialectic, where both lend life and fiction lend material to each other and get locked in mutual definition and modification, is the central theme of the film, in my opinion.In Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s directed film Anupama (1966), Uma (played by Sharmila Tagore), a quiet, shrinking violet kind of person, finds herself the subject of a novel called Anupama.

Pikchar With Rita: ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai…’ And The Meaning Of Leisure In These Times

A friend in Pakistan picked up the subtext and interwove ruminations of phursat giving his talk the title, “Dil doondtha hai… ” There seemed many reasons to hear the song, to see what had produced it.  Mausam is a well-known film, but its memory had survived for me as a crude story of Sharmila Tagore and Sanjeev Kumar’s romance in the hills, and some daughter who was a sex worker.

Remembering Mohammed Rafi On His Death Anniversary

This melodious number captures the subtle romance between the film’s leads – Dev Anand and Sadhana.  Sahir Ludhianvi penned the lyrics for the song, while Rafi and Asha Bhosle added life to it with their voices.Filmed in the picturesque backdrop of Kashmir’s Dal Lake, the song sees Shammi Kapoor praising the beauty of his lover Sharmila Tagore.

Throwback Special: Twenty Years Ago, Celebrities Didn’t Mince Their Words

The sauciest article in this issue of Cine Blitz from 20 years ago is the one that features Bengali actress Moushumi Chatterjee, who takes digs at other Bengali actresses in Bollywood.From terming Suchitra Sen a “bad actress” to calling Sharmila Tagore a woman with “the human touch missing”, the interview is nothing short of controversial and would have been at par with the nepotism debate in this age. “I have no respect for him (lyricist Gulzar) as a person.

Amitabh Bachchan Hosts Exclusive First Screening Of Pink For Women Veterans Of Indian Cinema

Ahead of Pink’s release, actor Amitabh Bachchan hosted an exclusive first screening to a selected few women veterans of the Indian cinema. A source close to the actor told Deccan Chronicle, “His yesteryear co-stars,
such as Waheeda Rehman and Sharmila Tagore, as well as other female luminaries from other fields have been invited for the special preview. This will be a screening unlike any seen before in the industry.”

Curtain Raiser – July 1, 2016

As June gives way to July, we’ve got quite the list of films for you to keep track of.  Appa, Jackson Durai hit the screens today and it’s going to be hard to make a decision between the two. Daddies or zombies?Freida Pinto, Sharmila Tagore and Deepa Mehta  have reportedly been invited as members by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

From ‘Utsab’ to ‘Uma’- Durga Puja in 10 Bengali Films

Written and directed by Ayananshu Banerjee, Bodhon is a drama film starring Arpita Pal, Joy Sengupta and Gouri Ghosh in the lead, along with Mamata Shankar, Prabir Das, Konineeca Banerjee, Shayoni Ghosh, Debshankar Haldar and late Soumitra Chatterjee in pivotal roles.Directed by Rituparna Ghosh, Utsab is a drama film featuring a star cast of actors Madhabi Mukherjee, Mamata Shankar, Rituparna Sengupta, Prasenjit Chatterjee, Pradip Mukherjee, Deepankar De, and Arpita Pal.

Pikchar With Rita: Finding New Meanings in RD Burman’s Classic Song ‘Chingari Koi Bhadke’

If songs can be taken out of context, and perhaps only songs can be, Chingari koi bhadke to saawan use bujhaye/ saawan jo agan lagaye use kaun bujaye would be the best bet to do so.  Anand Bakshi’s lyrics, Kishore Kumar’s voice and RD Burman’s music make this song from the film Amar Prem one of the most precious musical gifts.

Soumitra Chatterjee: Nation Reveres Legendary Actor, Wakes Up to a World Without Apu

Veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee died on Sunday at a private hospital in Kolkata, ending a brilliant six-decade-long career of stellar performances in notable films. The 85-year-old actor, who debuted in master filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar (1959), was considered to be Ray’s favourite actor and had acted in 14 of the auteur’s films. The thespian was often termed as the ‘thinking man’s actor’, who attained critical acclaim both in parallel and well as in commercial films.

Sonam Kapoor’s Wedding Details Might Not Interest You, But Here’s How The Current Crop Of Actresses Are Busting Bollywood Stereotypes

The recently released trailer of Sonam Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor’s Veere Di Wedding has opened up a lot of conversations, where the women in the film are seen drinking, having casual sex, using expletives and having second thoughts about marriage and motherhood.It is up to actresses like Sonam, Anushka and Vidya Balan to break the proverbial glass ceiling and refuse to answer insipid questions like working post marriage/motherhood, balancing professional and family life.

I’m Against Nepotism, It Leads To Mediocrity, Says Saif Ali Khan

Actor Saif Ali Khan, who was earlier forced to apologise to actress Kangana Ranaut for taking a dig at her through the “nepotism rocks” act at the IIFA Awards, says he himself is against the term and feels it leads to mediocrity.
“There are a lot of things that get overhyped, but I think a lot of people feel very strongly about things like this (nepotism). They are privileged people and life can be very unfair to them. So, it’s good to discuss this. For the record, whatever jokes were made (on the award show), I have already explained my side,” Saif told IANS here on Thursday while promoting his forthcoming film Chef.

Hoard Of Star Kids Set To Make Their On-Screen Debut: Did Anyone Say Nepotism?

Son of Bollywood strong-man Sunny Deol and Pooja Deol, and grandson of Bollywood’s ‘He-Man’ Dharmendra, will soon make his acting debut in a film titled Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, directed by Sunny himself.  The film’s title is inspired from the old Bollywood hit song “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas” from the Dharmendra film Blackmail.  A romantic drama produced by Vijyata Films, the entertainment company owned by the Deol family, Zee Studios will also pitch in for this star kid’s debut.