Thwacking communal hardliners earlier this week, the Supreme Court of India condemned the practice of labelling Hindi as the language of Hindus and Urdu as that of Muslims. Criticising it as “a pitiable digression from reality, India’s unity in diversity and…
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For all his shortcomings as an actor or director, he was averse to bigotry and this was apparent from the large number of friends, of all faiths and communities, who regularly visited his abode. To him, nationalism was an anthem for “being good and doing good” at all times.…
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“Verbosity is the enemy of a good script.” If only Randeep Hooda had made sense of this adage, he could have saved his film – Swatantrya Veer Savarkar from sinking into an ocean of rhetoric. That is not to take away from the fact that Hooda did a commendable acting job…
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His voice was a validation of his smile. We were young but even then, whenever the voice of Ameen Sayani resounded through the airwaves, we could discern that its owner was a man full of warmth and charm…
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Love and music are for all seasons. That is why it is amusing to see romance ‘sold’ as an item around Valentine’s Day, even though our need to overcome loneliness is an everyday affair…
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Rashid Khan carved a niche for himself with his mastery over the three octaves. This proficiency allowed him to cruise through the exquisite yet difficult metres of khayaals, thumris, and taranas with ease, earning kudos from ordinary listeners to maestros alike
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Answers to Mohammed Rafi’s popularity are difficult to fathom as the hysteria isn’t a media or a corporate creation…
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Episode Description
Join Deepak and Julian for a deep dive into the life and work of the great master Guru Dutt.
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Episode Description
Join Deepak and Julian for a deep dive into the life and work of the great master Guru Dutt.
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So accurate was Bedi that in cricketing nets, I saw him drop balls in a row on a fixed leaf with unerring accuracy. My eyes are moist to see “Sardar of Spin” depart for heavenly abode.
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Encouraged by his response, I disclosed that I had two scripts of mine for which I was looking for a producer. In a flash, he replied, “Great, work with me in my next film.
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Episode Description
Join your hosts Deepak and Julian as we look at Dev Anand’s appeal, his career and who he was as a person.
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Rafi Sahab rendered his divine vocals for Watan Ki Abroo Khatrey Mein Hai and Awaaz Do Hum Ek Hain during the Indo-China war in 1962 without charging a penny…
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Madan Mohan rose like a phoenix and proved his musical prowess but was only recognised prominently post-death.
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The podcast is a tribute to the legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt on his 98th Birth Anniversary. Though his genius is hard to expound in a limited time capsule, Documentary Filmmaker-Writer Deepak Mahaan defines Guru Dutt
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Jawaharlal Nehru was not just India’s first prime minister but also its conscience keeper. Healing the wounds of the nation with his egalitarian spirit, the giant visionary built an inclusive India that embraced…
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Although common citizens pay hard-earned money at the ticket window, it is a sad reflection of our times that most film stories nowadays do not depict their travails and triumphs at all. It seems like modern-day producers…
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Simplicity was the hallmark of the genius cricketer Salim Durrani. In life as in cricket, he played straight from the heart, and being the one who enjoyed his company, cricket, and conversations…
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Films are emotions unravelled in images. The greater the bond between the images and the emotions of a story, the greater the chance of a film impacting the audiences’ collective consciousness for a lifetime.
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Every era brings forth great poets who lay bare the imponderables with their muse. In post-partition India, Sahir Ludhianvi has been one such poet as his profound verses not just overwhelmed…
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In December 1961, six months after the car accident in which he lost most of the eyesight of one eye, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi smashed a brilliant century against England at Madras (now Chennai)…
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With Rafi as a common denominator, the duo delivered some of the greatest hits that defined Film Music’s Golden Era. The recently concluded FIFA World Cup confirmed the adage that mutual trust…
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As a devoted follower of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of truth and non-violence, I often wonder what the Mahatma would have opined about our Hindi film songs if he had been alive today. While he would have surely been critical of the ‘abusive muse’.
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In death, as in life, Jean Luc-Godard remained an unconventional and unbending man. Like the films that he made out of his own convictions, the iconic French filmmaker chose to die on his own terms…
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Bhanwata–Kolyala is not easy to find on the map, not even for a resident of Rajasthan. So deep is it embedded within Sariska forest, that not many locals are even aware of its existence. But it was in this inhospitable, rocky terrain that I met King Charles III…
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What is it that makes the Mohammed Rafi magic endure amongst listeners cutting across barriers of age, caste, creed, colour, gender and national boundaries even after forty-two years? Ascribing any one reason would be folly as his versatility and singing prowess defies analytical parameters.
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