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Among the rare collectibles in the The Greatest Indian Show on Earth 2 auction by Osians are a bunch of original artworks by renowned filmmakers Satyajit Ray and Mani Kaul apart from art works by Shah Rukh Khan, Deepti Naval, Pankaj Parashar, MF Hussain and others. Besides there are original publicity-material art for Andaz (1949), Anari (1959), Guide (1965), Deewaar (1975) and others.
Film and music enthusiast Sundeep Pahwa belongs to a family which was closely connected with the film industry and had produced a couple of films in the '50s and '60s. In this personal essay, he recounts his visit to the National Film Archives of India (NFAI), Pune, and an exciting journey of discovering memorabilia of Bahu (1955) and Bombay Race Course (1965), produced by the Pahwa brothers. His father, the youngest of the three Pahwa brothers was introduced as Basant Kumar in Bahu, a film that marked the directorial debut of legendary film director Shakti Samanta.
"A dark girl sits by the river – she misses the tunes of the boatmen. The birds don’t give her accompaniment. Yet she sits. Hums – tunes of an era she wishes to visit – tunes that stir her soul, the rhythm that arouses her nerves."
Geeta Dutt's matchless melodies in her native Bangla have never ceased to move listeners. Sounak Gupta lyrically traces the rise of the skylark from the banks of the Meghna, who continues to enthrall music lovers with her dulcet voice, long after dusk has settled and the river has broken its banks.
Suchitra Sen, the enigma, the star, the ethereal beauty, the style icon, an actress par excellence. A tribute on her birthday.
S D Burman used his solid grounding in classical music and his wide exposure to folk music most effectively to create compositions that broke traditions and became hugely popular with the mass audience. His style of singing and quality of voice was his own, unique and unmatched. “Such is the youthfulness of his tunes that he seems a live presence even today. Age-wise, he may have belonged to the first generation composers but his tunes have a contemporariness that puts him ahead of the fourth generation."
Anand Bakshi, the most prolific lyricist of Hindi cinema lived a life which in itself is an inspiring journey of faith, dreams, success and humanity.
Filmmaker Manmohan Desai etched his place in history of Bollywood for delivering some of the biggest hits that whizzed audiences away into a world of make-believe, where simple people did wondrous things and made you laugh and cry with them. A tribute to this genius filmmaker on his birth anniversary.
A tribute to Lalita Pawar, the prolific Indian actress on her death anniversary with some interesting anecdotes on her life and times.
Tapan Sinha had been an epitome of cinematic excellence – artistic and entertaining and that is why he could reach to his audience with élan which at times even the towering Satyajit Ray could not. Sinha’s films have almost always made brisk business as compared to the trinity of Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen.
Learning and Creativity pays a humble tribute to the legendary filmmaker Tapan Sinha with the reproduction of an exclusive interview, one of the lengthiest interviews of the maestro, which was first published in Desh Magazine in 1991.
In continuation of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd part of the interview, we reproduce the concluding 4th part.
My poetic rambling and humble tribute to my favorite singer, Geeta Dutt on the auspicious occasion of her birthday, November 23
Learning and Creativity pays a humble tribute to the legendary filmmaker Tapan Sinha with the reproduction of an exclusive interview, one of the lengthiest interviews of the maestro, which was first published in Desh Magazine in 1991.
In continuation of the 1st and 2nd part of the interview, we reproduce the 3rd part, and will be followed by reproduction of the concluding part.
Learning and Creativity pays a humble tribute to the legendary filmmaker Tapan Sinha with the reproduction of an exclusive interview, one of the lengthiest interviews of the maestro, which was first published in Desh Magazine in 1991.
In continuation of the 1st part of the interview, we reproduce the 2nd part, and will be followed by reproduction of the subsequent parts.
On the occasion of legendary filmmaker Tapan Sinha's 90th Birth Anniversary, Learning and Creativity pays a humble tribute to the maestro with the reproduction of an exclusive interview, which was first published in Desh Magazine in 1991. The interview was done by Robi Basu and translated into English by Suchandra Roy Chowdhury.
This is the 1st part of the interview, one of the lengthiest interviews of Tapan Sinha and will be followed by reproduction of the subsequent parts.
New records were created across all types of publicity material and memorabilia with a positive response from the film fraternity led by Shah Rukh Khan, Foundations concerned with India’s cinematic heritage and memorabilia and the die-hard Indian film fan / collector, especially from New Delhi and Nagpur.
An unprecedented Collection of 200+ Lots are set to go under the hammer at 'The Greatest Indian Show on Earth' Osian’s auction of vintage & rare Indian film memorabilia, starting with the Opening Preview Exhibition today, 22 August, Friday, at the Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai.
Was there ever a playback singer who conveyed feelings better? On her death anniversary today 20th July, we pay a humble tribute to this ethereal singer who had a short lived career but left an indelible mark in the world of music.
The sheer versatility of Sanjeev Kumar outpaces his contemporaries. His repertoire of roles include everything from young to the old, sensitive to comic.
Ghatak’s films, remarkable for their lacerating quality and heightened form of realism are almost at loggerheads with Satyajit Ray’s lyricism.
StoryLTD's first ever online Film Memorabilia Auction, featuring a covetable range of merchandise from cult films, is all set to open today at 8 pm.
Waheeda Rehman, a rare combination of quintessential beauty with amazing acting talent and dancing skills is one of the most celebrated actors of Hindi film industry. She has to her credit some of the most remarkable films of the golden era, evergreen classic songs, hugely appreciated dance sequences and a slew of awards. Learning and Creativity brings you a short life sketch of this extraordinary actor with some of her most memorable songs.
Gulzar's films are not only known for their tight screenplay, witty dialogues and themes that explore intense humanism or burning political issues. They are also famous for their awe-inspiring music.
101 Years ago on this day, 3 May 1913, Raja Harishchandra, 1st full-length Indian feature film was released, flagging off a remarkable journey for Indian cinema. Harishchandrachi Factory looks at how Dadasaheb Phalke kept his dream alive.
The posters, booklet covers, lobby cards, LP vinyl covers and postcards, are eclectic art work that not only define a filmmaker’s vision when designing a film’s publicity material, but also reflect an era where art figured prominently in a variety of promotional handouts during a film’s release – a practice that has now almost faded into oblivion.
An archival exhibition of film stills and memorabilia of the legendary director Basu Chatterji, organised by Sensorium and Weavers Studio Centre for the Arts will open in Kolkata on 26th April. For the first time in India, rare posters and stills from Basu Chatterji's films transferred on ("limited edition") ceramic tiles will be launched at the exhibition.
Film historian and archivist SMM Ausaja unveils the unknown stories behind posters - the hand-painted posters, the rare posters that have been restored, the difference between original and re-release posters and more...!
Sahir Ludhianvi was one of those rare talents who not just maintained the vulnerability of Urdu in his lyrics but also perfectly captured the essence of the situation.
Sahir Ludhianvi is probably the only songwriter in Hindi films whose poetry was accepted in its purest form. So great was his stature as an Urdu poet that he never had to mould his poetry to suit the demands of film songwriting; instead producers and composers adapted their requirements to his poetry.
Widely acclaimed for her heart-touching performances in tragic and grief-stricken roles, Meena Kumari earned herself the epithet of “Tragedy Queen”. Pain and anguish was part of her life and she brought them to the fore in her performances that became iconic.
In a career spanning over 71 films, Nanda worked with a range of co-stars from rank newcomers to the biggest stars, and boldly chose roles that exploited her histrionic talents, no matter whether the role was small or the lead. Learning and Creativity pays tribute to actress Nanda on her passing away.
Farooq Shiekh was an actor par excellence. He played complex characters with such conviction that touched a cord with the audience. Today on his birth anniversary (25th March), we recall the significant role he played in Indian cinema and how his movies and songs have touched millions of hearts.
We need to look back and deep into the cinema of ours - with pride and reverence. The medium is developed and sharpened by the West but we use it to tell our story. The Indian film theory should emerge hence.
To Rituparno Ghosh’s credit he brought a section of the Bengali audience back to the cinema halls – to me this is his greatest contribution to Bengali cinema and any history of it will remain largely incomplete unless this due tribute is paid to him.
Majrooh could write any kind of lyrics tailor-made for the situation in the film.
With his classic Bengali good looks, a mischievous smile and exceptional histrionic abilities, Ashok Kumar was the first to bring to Indian cinema the spontaneous “natural” acting style, in an era when theatrical gestures and melodramatic expressions were considered mandatory for “acting”.
Film historian and archivist SMM Ausaja, the author of Bollywood in Posters speaks to Learning and Creativity at length, discussing his long and arduous journey through the painstaking collection and meticulous archiving and restoration of vintage film memorabilia, which is now a priceless repository of India's cinema heritage.
Amitava Nag picks 4 female characters from Indian cinema who shined in the darkness and held on to their individuality. These are common-place women with not-so-common demeanor.
Bollywood's reigning queens over the decades have always had some thread of distinct commonality between themselves.
On Valentine's Day, we present some of the most romantic songs Madhubala brought to life as her birthday falls on the day the world celebrates love.
Who can forget the Tom & Jerry chase with everybody fighting for a dead body like a bunch of monkeys and that side-splitter Draupadi 'Cheerharan' Mahabharata scene
Counted among all time classics, Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Golmaal takes you through a joyride of wit, humor and fun.
Enjoy the hilarious encounter between a shudh Hindi speaking driver and his annoyed maalik whose search for an Hindi-speaking driver backfires.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1980), India’s best known black comedy has emerged as the winner of India’s Greatest Film Ever in the poll conducted by L&C.
The impact and epoch-making role of Alam Ara, the first Indian talkie that catapulted Indian films from the silent era into the world of sound and music.
Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen ushered in a new age of star-power and charisma. The why’s and how’s of their togetherness mystified an entire generation.
L&C interviews Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury on her recent book “Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen- Bengali Cinema’s First Couple”.
Literature and cinema have had a close relationship for decades, perhaps since the very inception of the cinematic medium. Several films that have been path-breakers in cinema have drawn their story ideas from literature. While some have kept true to the original literary work, some others have adapted the storyline to a different context while keeping the essence of the story intact.
Hindi films have built up a reservoir of stock dialogues, much like canned music. We collected a bunch of lines that crop up in every other Hindi film. We know them by heart and yet never get tired of them. Even if you are walking down the road and you hear a dialogue floating out of the window nearby and you would know exactly which scene is rolling. That's the magic of our movies!
Come, add your favourites...!
