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When Dilip Kumar Refused To Work With This Gorgeous Actress( Photo Credit – Facebook )

Dilip Kumar was a legendary actor who worked in the movies for over five decades. He had worked with several brilliant actresses, including Nargis, Saira Banu, Madhubala, Vyjayanthimala, and more. Kumar once refused to work with this yesteryear actress because he felt she did not fit the bill. Scroll below for the deets.

The actor is credited with pioneering method acting in films, reportedly dominating the Hindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1960s. He was referred to as Abhinay Samrat. He holds the record for most Filmfare Award wins for Best Actor, which Shah Rukh Khan later matched. He has also set multiple box office records.

According to The Indian Express report, Dilip Kumar, in his memoir The Substance And The Shadow, once refused to work with Saira Banu because he felt she was too innocent for the role.

In his over half-a-century-long Hindi film career, he sang more than a thousand songs, but just three serve to demonstrate his position in the industry’s scheme of things – the madcap “Ek Chatur Naar” where Kishore Kumar beats him; the enchanting qawwali “Na to karvaan ki talash hai” where Mohammed Rafi emerges triumphant eventually; and the classical contest “Ketaki gulab juhi”, where he beats Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

This was part of the misfortune of Prabodh Chandra ‘Manna’ Dey, born on this day (May 1) in 1919 in Calcutta. His classical training, innate talent, and “masculine” voice made him perfect for all shades of songs – romantic (including those for the vintage-aged), folk ballads, philosophical musings, and more, but he was never deemed a top-notch singer.

A nephew of gifted blind singer-composer Krishna Chandra Dey, who paved his way into music and films, Manna Dey’s forte was challenging, classical-based songs, especially those that his contemporaries considered difficult,...

Parveen Babi Once Dropped Truth Bombs About Amitabh Bachchan & His Stardom. (Photo Credit – IMDb)

Bollywood and its golden statements lay in the era of the 90s. Not because the stars were difficult to reach but only because whatever they said was less fabricated and filtered since there was no constant moral policing or calling out. Interviews were unabashedly real, and one such interview was when Parveen Babi opened up about Amitabh Bachchan and had some thoughts about his popularity.

An old video has cropped up on the internet where the Shaan actress was seen talking about her co-star in many films. The duo has worked together in many films, including Kaalia, Amar Akbar Anthony, Namak Halaal, Kaala Sona, Kranti, and Kala Patthar.

For the unversed, Parveen Babi died struggling with mental health after she was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. It was rumored that she used to believe that Amitabh Bachchan would kill her.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan shared a photograph featuring him alongside Rekha, Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor among many other friends and said that there is a “huge story” behind it. Amitabh took to his blog, where he shared the picture.

In the image, he is seen standing on a stage while holding a mic. Alongside him, there is Rekha, Vinod Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mehmood, and Shammi Kapoor.

Amitabh simply wrote, “And.. aaahhh .. there is a huge story behind this photograph .. someday it shall be narrated.”

The cine icon is currently in Ayodhya to attend the Pran Pratishtha ceremony.

On Sunday night he greeted his fans outside Jalsa in Mumbai.

He wrote: “wishes to them that spend hours in waiting .. my admiration of course but more my respect for them .. through the years and years of their love and affection ..”...

Mumtaz Reveals No Actor ‘Wanted Work With Her,’ Dilip Kumar Too Had Raised Concerns Before Doing ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

We often come across interviews of yesteryear stars who have often spoken about the struggles they have faced in the past. Just recently, we saw two veteran actresses, Neetu Kapoor and Zeenat Aman, come on Koffee With Karan and spill the beans on the working patterns of the Bollywood industry in that era and how drastically it has changed now. Recently, another veteran actress, Mumtaz, opened up about the same and revealed how she was labeled a ‘B-Grade’ actress for doing small roles.

The diva, who entered the industry as a child artist in 1958 at the age of 11, starred in a number of films. But it was only during ‘Do Raaste’ that she gained massive recognition and became one of the most sought-after actresses in the Hindi Film Industry.

Actor Rishabh Sawhney, who appeared in Nikkhil Advani’s ‘The Empire’ where he played Babur’s brother Mehmood, is all set to make his Bollywood debut in Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor-starrer ‘Fighter’.

The film is Indian cinema’s first aerial-actioner and Rishabh is a part of its ensemble cast which also includes Akshay Oberoi, Karan Singh Grover and Sanjeeda Shaikh.

Sharing his excitement, Rishabh said: “It is a dream for any actor to see themselves on the big screen one day. And it feels surreal that my dream is about to come true. What makes it more special is that I am getting to do it with names like Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor and under the leadership of Siddharth Anand. Fighter is surely going to be a path-breaking film for Indian film action, and I feel proud to be a part of it.

When Amitabh Bachchan Was Told “Laanat Hai Tumpe, Harivansh Rai Bachchan Ke Bete Ho Tum,” By A Filmmaker ( Photo Credit – Instagram; Facebook )

Amitabh Bachchan has witnessed such stardom and fan following that anyone else probably has. After ruling the industry for over 50 years, he has given his fans some cult classic films. He has also ruled Television by hosting the quiz-based show Kaun Banega Crorepati, which recently ended its 15th edition. Recently, Kaalia director Tinnu Anand shared an interesting anecdote of a time when his father, Inder Raj Anand, shamed Big B in front of 200 people.

The story goes back to the time when he was shooting for Kaalia and Inder Raj Anand had penned an Urdu dialogue for Big B. However, when he fumbled over and over again, he bashed him and shamed him in front of the whole unit. Scroll down for details.

During his latest interview with...

Rani Mukerji Reveals She Froze While Shooting For A Kank Song Wearing A Chiffon Saree in -14 Degrees ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Karan Johar has often admitted making his actresses do crazy things while shooting for his film. Recently, during Rani Mukerji and Kajol’s appearance on Koffee With Karan 8, the divas were seen spilling some beans about his working style, which KJo accepted, apologized, and said that at the time, he wasn’t as woke as he is now. Recalling their Kuch Kuch Hota Hai days, Rani revealed that while shooting for the film KJo once snatched her food plate as he wanted her to lose a few kilos in order to fit in a dress that Manish Malhotra had designed for her.

Now, in a latest round table conference, KJo revealed he made Rani shoot for a song in -14 degrees. Not only that, he wanted a rain sequence,...

Karan Johar Gets Brutally Trolled As He Praises Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

Karan Johar was recently part of a roundtable of directors where he totally obsessed over Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film Animal. While he established Ranbir Kapoor as the best actor in the country, he could not help but flatter Sandeep with his comments on the film.

Talking about Animal, KJo did not worry about what people would think of him for liking such a film. But he certainly is in love with the film as he could not stop praising Reddy’s conviction to make a film like this.

Talking on the Galatta Plus pan-India roundtable, the filmmaker said, “I felt something is wrong with me, something is wrong with him (Vanga), but something put together is very right about this film. You can debate about it, you can debate the politics, the scenes,...

When Rajesh Khanna Was Slapped By Mehmood For His Starry Tantrums ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Indian Cinema, enjoyed a massive fan following and stardom than any of his contemporaries at that time. After stepping into showbiz with his debut film Aakhri Khat’ in 1966, he rose to fame with his 1969 film ‘Aradhana’ where he appeared in a double role. Later, he appeared in some super hit films like Swarg, Ghar Parivaar, Avtaar, Namak Haraam, Haathi Mere Saathi, Sachaa Jhutha, and Do Raaste, among many others in the career span of 25 years. The late superstar was recently remembered by his fans and family on his 81st birth anniversary.

As we often remember the late actor, we will tell you about the time when his downfall started and actor-filmmaker Mehmood slapped him on the sets of his film ‘Janta Hawaldar.’ Yes, you heard that right! Despite enjoying a humongous fan following,...

Junior Mehmood’s Last Wish Was To Meet Jeetendra, His First Co-Star ( Photo Credit – Instagram; IMDb )

Actor Junior Mehmood has passed away at the age of 67. Known for his comic skills on screen, he was an integral part of Hindi and Marathi films from the 60s. He was a part of Hindi Television for a long time. He was last seen as Mulla Nasiruddin in 2019 in Tenali Rama, a TV Serial on Sab TV.

Recently, a picture of the veteran supporting actor surfaced on the internet where Johnny Lever was seen taking care of the deceased star, who was struggling with stage 4 stomach cancer. His friend Salim Qazi confirmed the news of his death.

The Aakhiri Ichcha

His last wish was to meet two superstars he has worked with in his career – Jeetendra and Sachin Pilgaonkar. Both the actors fulfilled the ailing actor’s last wish since his condition was deteriorating every day.

Intrinsically talented, both, separately and jointly, gave a new direction to Hindi film music. But to achieve this, Asha Bhosle and Rahul Dev Burman had to surmount a major “hurdle” – creating a new identity distinct from their illustrious and established kin: elder sibling Lata Mangeshkar and father Sachin Dev Burman.

And both succeeded – with a combination of luck, support, their own undeniable virtuosity, and above all, their first joint effort.

AshaBhosle – who is still going strong at 90, having worked with four generations of music composers from O P Nayyar to A R Rehman – added a sensuous allure and element of forthrightness for the Hindi film heroine, without becoming risque or boisterous, even as Burman adroitly used pop and jazz to good effect in electrifying film music – bringing the age of Elvis Presley and the Beatles to India.

Rejected at a trial for a film in 1947 as the sound recording engineer...

InterviewFilmmaker Prataya Saha says that he hopes to draw audiences to his film ‘I am Mehmood’ because he wants them to gain insights into the profound implications of language barriers.Prataya Saha at Idsffki am Mehmood (Mein Mehmood) is a short film about the lives of immigrants all over the world. The film, which follows the story of Mehmood, an immigrant in the UAE, focuses on language barriers and how they affect lives. Every element on screen, including the sounds and colours, have meaning. Nothing is more than it should be, and that is the highlight of the film. The film was screened under the category Focus Short Fiction at the 15th International Documentary and Short Film Film Festival of Kerala held in Thiruvananthapuram between August 4 and 9. The film’s director Prataya Saha is an independent filmmaker, theatre director, and photographer. Excerpts from an interview with the director: Why do...

A modern example of India’s shared heritage with Iran, her career was itself nothing short of a film story. Enamoured of the silver screen when young, she began with child roles. but on coming of age, found no major actor ready to share screen space with her apart from a reel – and real life – strongman, until the foremost thespian of the time gave her a rare chance.

After Dilip Kumar agreed to Mumtaz (Askari) as one of the romantic partners for one of the twins in “Ram Aur Shyam” (1967), there was no looking back for her. Male actors, who had once spurned her as a ‘B-grade’ actress were now more than ready to accept her. She was so much sought after that a superstar of the time, with whom she had a string of successes, reportedly went into a sulk if she acted with other heroes.

But Mumtaz, who,...

She was noted for her wide range of roles in a career that spanned six decades of her career but she is remembered the most for playing mother to many of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars, including Amitabh Bachchan.

Here’s our pick of seven films where Hindi cinema’s longest-serving mother was at her best.

1. ‘Faraar’: A 1975 crime drama directed by Shanker Mukherjee, ‘Faraar’ starred Sulochna as Amitabh Bachchan’s mother. The film follows the story of a middle-class man, Rajesh, essayed by the Big B, who avenges the rape and murder of his sister. The film also stars Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar, Sajjan, Agha and Bhagwan Dada. Priyadarshan remade the movie in Malayalam by Priyadarshan as ‘Parayanumvayya Parayathirikkanumvayya’.

2. ‘Prem Nagar’: The 1974 Hindi-language romantic drama directed by K.S. Prakash Rao has Sulochana playing mother to Hema Malini’s character. The film follows Karan Singh (Rajesh Khanna), who...

Hyderabad, Feb 23 (Ians) The Telangana High Court on Thursday pulled up Hyderabad’s municipal body over the gruesome death of a four-year-old boy who was mauled to death by stray dogs on Sunday.

Taking cognisance of the media report on the incident, the court initiated suo moto Public Interest Litigation (Pil).

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan blamed negligence by the Greater Hyderabad of Municipal Corporation (Ghmc) for the boy’s death and asked it what steps are being taken to curtail incidents of stray dog attacks.

The Ghmc has also been asked to explain what steps it would take to ensure that such an incident is not repeated.

Expressing condolences over the death of the boy, the court said it would look into the matter of compensation for his family.

The court included the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department,...

Singer Lucky Ali has complained to Dg and Igp of Karnataka Praveen Sood over alleged encroachment of his farmland by land mafia involving the husband of state Ias officer Rohini Sindhuri, police said on Monday. The police have taken up investigation following the complaint.

Lucky Ali has also alleged that Rohini Sindhuri, presently working as the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, is helping the land mafia and misusing state resources.

In his complaint, Lucky Ali stated, “I am Maqsood Mahmood Ali. Son of the Late actor and comedian Mehmood Ali. And also known as Lucky Ali. I am currently in Dubai for work, hence the urgency.”

“My farm which is a Trust Property located in Kenchenahalli Yelahanka is being encroached on illegally by Sudhir Reddy (and Madhu Reddy) from the Bangalore land mafia, with the help of his wife who is an Ias officer by the name of Rohini Sindhuri.

By Vinod Mirani

The only thing I find missing is the Indian Post & Telegraph issuing a special commemorative stamp to honour him with a special denomination coin to follow in due time. This week, weekend and some days to come, it will be Amitabh Bachchan all over. In media, in cinemas, on television.

Most moviegoers would have learnt of the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan when producer-director Praksha Mehra’s film Zanjeer hit the screens.

The story and dialogue were by the Salim-Javed duo, who were charting a path to success with “Andaz”, “Adhikar”, “Seeta Aur Geeta”, and “Haathi Mere Saathi” to their credit. Probably, not big names enough to lure the veterans who were offered the film, to accept it. The film fell into the lap of a struggling newcomer, Amitabh Bachchan. “Zanjeer”, when released, went on to become a box office blockbuster.

That established Amitabh Bachchan as star and,...

By Vinod Mirani

The only thing I find missing is the Indian Post & Telegraph issuing a special commemorative stamp to honour him with a special denomination coin to follow in due time. This week, weekend and some days to come, it will be Amitabh Bachchan all over. In media, in cinemas, on television.

Most moviegoers would have learnt of the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan when producer-director Praksha Mehra’s film Zanjeer hit the screens.

The story and dialogue were by the Salim-Javed duo, who were charting a path to success with “Andaz”, “Adhikar”, “Seeta Aur Geeta”, and “Haathi Mere Saathi” to their credit. Probably, not big names enough to lure the veterans who were offered the film, to accept it. The film fell into the lap of a struggling newcomer, Amitabh Bachchan. “Zanjeer”, when released, went on to become a box office blockbuster.

That established Amitabh Bachchan as star and,...

The only thing I find missing is the Indian Post & Telegraph issuing a special commemorative stamp to honour him with a special denomination coin to follow in due time. This week, weekend and some days to come, it will be Amitabh Bachchan all over. In media, in cinemas, on television.

Most moviegoers would have learnt of the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan when producer-director Praksha Mehra’s film Zanjeer hit the screens.

The story and dialogue were by the Salim-Javed duo, who were charting a path to success with “Andaz”, “Adhikar”, “Seeta Aur Geeta”, and “Haathi Mere Saathi” to their credit. Probably, not big names enough to lure the veterans who were offered the film, to accept it. The film fell into the lap of a struggling newcomer, Amitabh Bachchan. “Zanjeer”, when released, went on to become a box office blockbuster.

That established Amitabh Bachchan as star and, the media gave...

Rajkumar Rao, Jaanvi Kapoor and Varun Sharma team up to returned the magic of cinema to worldwide audiences in Roohi. Produced by Maddock Films and Jio Studio, this has the same team as the wonderful Stree and is a similar horror comedy. While there are still innocents, there are still demonic spirits and the men in the film are highly likely to get hurt the most, this still promises to be a decent bit of fun as the world comes out of lockdown. Sachin Jigar are also giving the music for this horror comedy, so the most interesting thing about this may be to see how they differentiate this album from Stree.

The album opens with Panghat but this could easily be a title song or end credits number, as it doesn’t seem to have any particular story significance. It’s certainly in a rush to get into the...

Two decades ago the police tried to silence Ken Fero’s fearless documentary Injustice. Twenty years later, his follow-up is filled with even more pain and outrage

It has taken 19 years for Ken Fero to complete the follow-up to Injustice, his unforgettable film about deaths in police custody. But perhaps the surprising thing is that he finished it at all. Injustice is the great documentary about brutality in the police – a shocking exposé of deaths resulting from beatings, shootings, teargassing, asphyxiation and neglect. The film, co-directed by Tariq Mehmood, won numerous awards, yet was never shown on television and as good as destroyed Fero’s career. As he says today, no broadcaster would touch him after Injustice.

Yet Fero is now back with Ultraviolence, another collaboration with Mehmood and their film-making collective Migrant Media. Like Injustice, it does far more than document deaths in custody. It follows the families who...

Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Raja Nawathe's Gumnaam (1965) is now showing in the series A Journey into Indian Cinema.In front of a quaint hotel in an undisclosed location, a man gets run over. The mastermind behind the murder hides in shadows and smokes a cigarette before paying off the assassin. Cryptic phone conversations about a will follow before this man, too, is killed. He is shot by a man in a trench coat and a hat. We only see his shadow while a hanging telephone handset gets soaked in blood.Raja Nawathe started out his career in the Hindi film industry by assisting superstar-filmmaker Raj Kapoor and in 1965, he decided to make an unauthorized adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with his usual romance melodrama tropes intact. The result was Gumnaam (meaning “anonymous”), produced by Kapoor’s Prithvi Pictures.

Ek Thi Begum Review : A training exercise not wrong but gone long

Mx Players Ek Thi Begum review is here. The web series is streaming on Mx Player. Directed by Sachin Darekar, the web series stars Anuja Sathe in lead.

Immediate reaction when the end credits roll

Sapna Ka Inteqam ? Once Upon A Time In Mumbai In Chandni Bar. You got the point. Yes its revenge, then why so long. Exactly, Ek Thi Begum streaming on Mx Player gives the same feeling. Sachin Darekar?s mobster revenge drama takes 14 episodes to take its badla? aila hum audience ne kausa guna kiya.. (What wrong has the audience done to them). It?s not wrong but why so long. ??

The Story of Ek Thi Begum

The first episode opens with Sapna (Anuja Sathe) seducing and then eliminating one of her enemy played by Santosh Juvekar . Cut to flashback, Sapna aka Ashraf...

?Jab tak baithne ke liye nahi kaha jaye, sharafat se khade raho.. yeh police station hai tumhare baapka ghar nahi? think of a honest no nonsense cop, it?s the tall lanky Amitabh Bachchan in his magical deep baritone as Insp.

Vijay Khanna flashes instantly and will continue to haunt till Bollywood mainstream continues making Singham?s and keeps the angst burning. The phenomena ?angry young man? aka Inspector Vijay aka the rebirth of Amitabh Bachchan has some extremely interesting facts that makes this Zanjeer stronger and unbreakably unforgettable.

Was already sold to Dharmendra!!

Yes, before Jai.. it was his dear Veeru who was supposed to do the movie with Mumtaz as the female lead but due to unavailability of dates and after a prolonged wait, producer director Prakash Mehra ? one of Mr. Bachchan?s prime mentor called off the deal amicably. The stories of Zanjeer being rejected by Raj Kumar,...

At a recent event, the multi-talented Farhan Akhtar revealed his next home production with Ritesh Sidhwani Jugnu. The shoot for the same is expected to begin in the month of October. Keeping the mystery intact, Farhan did not mention the theme of his next movie. It remains for the fans to wait to know of Farhan Akhtar?s role in the project. Would it be as a scriptwriter, as an actor, as a director-producer, or would a new talent be revealed, all to know in good time?

The title of the film takes us back more than four decades back to a Dharmendra starrer with the same title Jugnu. It also featured Hema Malini, Lalita Pawar, Mehmood, Prem Chopra, Nazir Hussain, Ajit, and Pran. Producer-Director Pramod Chakravorty?s Jugnu was about an extremely intelligent crook with a ?Golden? heart who had a remarkable ability to steal from the most protected setups.

The 1968 comedy had an ingenious soundtrack by composer Rd Burman and lyricist Rajendra Krishan, who created evergreen songs like Ek Chatur Naar, Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein and Meri Pyaari Bindu. Directed by Jyoti Swaroop, Padosan starred Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Mehmood and Kishore Kumar...

If it was not for the success of Mehmood's film Bombay To Goa, Amitabh Bachchan would not have got Zanjeer because it was writer duo Salim-Javed, who were impressed by Amitabh Bachchan's action scenes in the movie and requested filmmaker Prakash Mehra to give Bachchan an opportunity in Zanjeer. And rest is history. But how did Amitabh Bachchan got Bombay To Goa is itself an interesting story. Read on....

During the making of Saat Hindustani, Amitabh Bachchan came very close to Anwar Ali, brother of celebrated comedian and filmmaker Mehmood. In Bombay To Goa, Anwar Ali played the key role of bus driver.

Amitabh Bachchan and Anwar used to spend time together. Once Bachchan was at Anwar Ali's house spending quality time when Mehmood entered. Watching Mehmood, Bachchan immediately stood up obediently and touched his feet. Mehmood was impressed by the young man's ethics and went inside his room,...

The word 'Bombay' has created a furor among the censor board. While earlier there were not many hassles, off late censor board seems to be irked with the name. With Anushka Sharma- Ranbir Kapoor starrer Bombay Velvet coming to theatres soon, we bring you some more movies that used the word 'Bombay' in the past. Take a look...

Bombay

A film on 1993 riots, Bombay featured Manisha Koirala and Arvind Swamy.

Bombay Velvet

Bombay Velvet will see Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor in pivotal roles.

Bombay Talkies

A compilation of 4 short stories- Bombay Talkies saw some big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and others come together.

Bombay To Goa

Bombay To Goa was a movie of a road journey from Bombay to Goa. It featured Amitabh Bachchan, Aruna Irani, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar and Shatrugan Sinha in pivotal roles.

Bombay To Bangkok...

Abu Dhabi Film Festival announces winners of Emirates Film Competition and International Short Film CompetitionScroll down for full list of winners

Abu Dhabi Film Festival has unveiled the winners of the Emirates Film Competition and the International Short Film Competition

At a ceremony in Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace, where the festival is based, the top award in the short narrative competition went to Shahad Ameen’s Eye & Mermaid, which also won best cinematography.

The 14-minute film centres on 10-year-old Hanan, who lives in a fishing village on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and tries to discover the origin of the black pearls that her father brings back from his nighttime fishing trips.

The Best Emirati Film award went to Nayla Al Khaja’s The Neighbour, an 18-minute film about a woman who moves to Dubai to make a fresh start and befriends an elderly neighbour

The award for Best Script went to Cholo, while the first...

Women directors make up 70% of competition films.

Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) (Oct 23-Nov 1) has announced the selection for this year’s Emirates Film Competition (Efc).

The upcoming edition of the competition features a total of 53 films, of which 37 films are directed by women, across a variety of genres.

The line up also features films by Emirati filmmakers such as Nasser Al Tamimi’s Female Scream, Nasser Al-Yaqoubi’s Haneen, Hassan Kiyani’s Marwan The Boxer and Ali Mostafa’s musical Rise. In addition, Sarah Al Agroobi’s Super Lochal is among the selected films.

Desire by Hala Matar (Bahrain, starring Johnny Knoxville) has been selected for Adff’s Short Film Competition along with Koshk, from Emirati director Abdullah Al-Kaabi. These two films will participate in both Efc and the Short Film Competition.

Highly anticipated films from the Gcc region include Now Showing directed by Abdullah Al Daihani (Kuwait), Rainbow directed by Mahmood Al-Shaikh (Bahrain) and 623 directed...

He became one of the most popular film celebrities on the small screen with his debut as the quiz show host on Kaun Banega Crorepati. Now as the show enters it's eight season, we hear that the mega star Amitabh Bachchan began shooting the same on Sunday. Talking about the shoot Bachchan posted on his blog, "The early morning shoot for the promos of the fresh season of Kbc were accomplished, and rushed then to the PVR to attend the cleaned up version of Bombay to Goa by dear friend Anwar Ali, brother of Mehmood bhai one of the greatest we have had... to quickly battle the traffic after to greet another dear friend and now family, Prem Chopra who releases his biography..." If just the shoot and event attendance spree wasn't enough the septuagenarian actor with literally unlimited reserves of energy went ahead with some more. Talking about it Bachchan says,...

Mumbai, April 1: Bollywood's legendary comedian Mehmood's "Bombay to Goa" is set to re-release on his 10th death anniversary as a tribute to him. However, the release date is yet to be decided, his brother Anwar Ali said.

Mehmood died in 2004.

"It's a tribute to Mehmood bhai on his 10th death anniversary. 'Bombay To Goa' is an evergreen comedy and everyone can relate to the film so, we thought we must re-release it," Anwar told Ians.

Released in 1972, S. Ramanathan directed "Bombay to Goa" was an adventure-comedy, which saw Mehmood teaming up with Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha and Aruna Irani in the cast.

"As far as the re-release date is concerned, we are still figuring that out. We will either release.

Sandeep Ray won best director award for his short Shirno Bahu (Thin Arms)

Irrfan Khan won best actor award for his role in Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox”. The film also won the writer-director a special mention for screenplay in the Muhr Asia Africa category. The jury was headed by Shekhar Kapoor.

Sandeep Ray’s short film “Shirno Bahu” (Thin Arms) won him the best director award in the Muhr Asia Africa shorts category.

“Shirno Bahu” tells the story of an octogenarian woman who undergoes treatment for a debilitating medical condition. The 10 minute film is in Bengali language.

Actor-producer Sanjay Suri was a part of Arab competition jury.

“The Lunchbox” also won two Asia Pacific Screen Awards recently.

Full list of awards at Dubai International Film Festival:

Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature:

Special Mention: Souleymane Démé for his role in Grigris(France, Chad)

Special Mention: Ritesh Batra for the screenplay of The Lunchbox...

Whenever Indian Cinema shall talk about comedy in films one name that will unanimously pop up on everyone's lips is that of Mehmood, also crowned by the film fraternity as 'King of Comedies'. Glamsham.Com remembers him on his birthday that fell on September 29. Though it's true that Mehmood came into the spotlight as a comedian from the movies made by South filmmakers like Sasural, Pyar Kiye Jaa, Waris, etc, Mehmood first hit the headlines with Parvarish (1958) in which he was...

It's veteran actress Saira Banu and Bollywood item girl Malaika Arora Khan's birthday today on 23rd August. Saira Banu, who turned 68, made her debut in the film Junglee in 1961 where she was cast opposite Shammi Kapoor. Though after Junglee she established herself as a successful actress in 1960's and early 1970's, the turning point in her career was the Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Mehmood starrer romantic-comedy film Padosan. Saira Banu was trained in Kathak and Bharata Nat...

Pran Kishan Sikand

Pran Kishan Sikand dreamt of becoming a professional photographer. Little did he know that a measly, humble ‘paan’ (betel leaf) would change his life and set him on his destined path. It was 1939 or thereabouts. Pran was at a ‘paan’ shop at Lahore, enjoying a munch with his friends when a stranger approached him and asked whether he wanted to act in films. Pran was amused and asked his name. Stranger introduced himself as Muhammad Walli, a renowned film maker in the flourishing film district of Lahore. He said he was making a Punjabi film and Pran looked a perfect fit for the role of a villain in the film. Pran just brushed him off. Walli kept insisting that he pay a visit to the studio, and pushed a piece of paper with his address into Pran’s hands. The film was Yamla Jat (1940), a runaway hit that year.

It’s been another whirlwind of a week – and no, we are not talking about the Monsoon Weather that’s hit the UK shores, at times we felt we were running around filming a Bollywood Rain Song – Tip Tip Barsa Pani! Can’t you just see us?

We recorded our show for Qatar Airways and focused on Bollywood Hunks – an ode to all the high octane Mumbai Muscle that is ruling the roost – including Salman Khan, John Abraham, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan – they all made the grade but one thing we do want to ask all our Bollyspice Readers is do you think Ranbir Kapoor makes the grade and what about the Badshah of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan? – Remember his six-pack for ‘Dard E Disco’ for Om Shanti Om. Do let us know by commenting here or sending us a tweet!

Caught up with the magical Anil Kapoor...

It’s that time again… okay, it’s a little past that normal time, thanks to the Mix March Madness wrapup, but here are the preview materials for DC Comics releases for July 2012.

What’s on tap this month? More of the Before Watchmen books, with the debut of Ozymandias from Len Wein and Jae Lee, the conclusion of the Court of Owls storyline and crossover in all the Bat-books, and the debut of the done-in-one book, National Comics, featuring the New 52 Debut (coming right at you) of Eternity.

And in the white elephant of desire category, there’s the $300 statue showing the climactic scene from The Dark Knight Returns.

Once more, into the breach? Banzai!

As always, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #1

Written by Len Wein

Art and cover by Jae Lee

Backup story art by John Higgins

1:25 Variant cover by Phil Jimenez...

It’s that time again… here are the preview materials for DC Comics releases for May 2012.

As you can see, DC is clearly getting excited about the imminent arrival of The Dark Knight Rises with new movie statues showing Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale, and Tom Hardy, the return of Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s Batman Incorporated and the long awaited arrival of Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, and the Talon appearing in every single Batman book this month… and even All-Star Western?

Plus, with the return of Earth One, we also get the return of Earth Two– and the return of the World’s Finest.

Shall we get into it? Let’s!

As always, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

Earth Two #1

Written by James Robinson

Art by Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott

Cover by Greg Capullo

1:25 Variant cover by Ivan Reis and...

We hold in our hands the covers for DC Comics this March. As a child of four can plainly see, these comics have been hermetically sealed in a Cgc 9.8 slab, and they’ve been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar under a giant pile of Christmas tinsel since noon today.

What do we have worth noting? The first fill-in artist on Justice League, although Gene Ha is certainly no slouch in that department. We also have new writers on Firestorm and Green Arrow, new backups in Justice League and Action Comics, and the DC 52 hits lucky number 7.

Shall we see who is the fariest of them all? Oh indeedy, let’s do!

As usual, spoilers may lurk beyond this point.

Justice League #7

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Gene Ha and Gary Frank

Cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

1:25 Variant cover by Gary Frank

1:200 B&W Variant cover...

“Life isn’t all Haha Hee Hee” as Meera’s Syal’s book suggests, but in Bollywood, the comedy genre has its very own niche and following. For an all-rounded movie spectacle a la Dharma Productions style, any given movie should have portions of emotion, drama, dance, action and comedy. It can be said that in recent years, what is successful comically has altered because the audiences seem to have evolved in terms of what they find makes them laugh. However, it would be right to say that each Bollywood fan worldwide is able to list their favourite funny films in an instant. Here’s a special and unique selection of the films that continue to make us laugh until our stomachs hurt…

The first, and probably the most unconventional of the list, is Namastey London (2007). A story about a British girl, born and bred in London, who is taken...

From Turkish versions of Tarzan and Dracula to wintry weepies, via (whisper it) Midnight Express, Fiachra Gibbons picks out the best films shot in Istanbul

• As featured in our Istanbul city guide

From Russia with Love, Terence Young, 1963

"They dance for him, they yearn for him, they die for him …" From Russia with Love is not only arguably the best of the Bond films, it set the template for all that followed, right down to the corny one-liners. This is Tatiana, the Russian double-agent love interest succumbing to Sean Connery's charms: "The mechanism is… Oh James… Will you make love to me all the time in England?" "Day and night, darling… Go on about the mechanism…" The film was shot when the city's population was less than two million (it has mushroomed to more than 13 million today), and it's a magic carpet ride back to a time when Istanbul teemed with hamals,...

Is the IRS making you feel a poorer? As today is tax day, Disc Dish is celebrating with some great films in which characters use not-so-legal ways to fill their wallets (not that we’re advocating any, but they’re so much fun to watch.)

The question is, how well do you know your cinematic capers? Below are some of the best heist movies.

How many film titles can you match with the prize the characters are trying to steal? If you get tripped up, steal a peak at the answers.

The Movie The Loot 1. Larceny, Inc. (1942) – Ex-cons J. Chalmers Maxwell (Edward G. Robinson), Jug Martin (Broderick Crawford) and Weepy Davis (Edward Brophy) launch an elaborate scheme to get to this enticing jackpot. But there’s one problem – the fake luggage shop they set up to mask their criminal goings-on is doing a booming business and taking them away from the task at hand.

News on the march…! Held over the weekend, in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State (Nigeria) on Saturday, March 26, 2011, the celebration announcing the winners of the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards (Amaa) – in just its 7th year.

This year’s nominations list boasted an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.

Viva Riva, a film I’ve touted on this website in recent days, after seeing it for the first time last week, rightfully dominated, winning 6 trophies, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design.

The rest of the story follows in the table below, lifted from the Amaa’s website Here:

Category

Nominated Films

Winners

Best Short Film Bougfen – Petra Baninla Sunjo (Cameroun)

Weakness – Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)

No Jersey No Match – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria)

Duty – Mak Kusare (Nigeria)

Bomlambo – Zwelesizwe Ntuli (South Africa)

Zebu And...

Over the weekend, as most of us were reveling in Academy Awards thrills and chills, the nominations for another major movie award ceremony were announced, many miles, across the Atlantic Ocean; I’m referring to the 7-year old (this year) Africa Movie Academy Awards (Amaa), which will be held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State (Nigeria) on Saturday, March 26, 2011.

This year’s nominations list boasts an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.

I’ll have to thoroughly scrub this list to highlight as many titles as I can – especially in the feature film categories, and I’ll do that with individual posts over the next week, or so. In the meantime, however, I’ll quickly point out those few titles that we’ve previously given ink to on this website, that are nominated for Amaa awards, including the following: in the Best Diaspora Feature,...

Soul of Mehmood indeed would be in great torment after hearing the news that the humble lungi has been banned in Saudi Arabia as a dress to be worn in public place. Lungi as a dress came into the Filmi dress lexicon after Mehmood wore it with flourish in score of his films, most significant being in Kunwara Baap and in Sabse Bada Rupaiyah....