Nutan amazed us with every role she did – she lived the character, spontaneous, natural, unaffected. So you watch Kalyani and Sujata and Aarti Sohanlal (Anari) not Nutan....
Legendary archivist PK Nair’s unique obsession with cinema built a monument to the memory of Indian cinema – the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) in Pune. For the...
Father Gaston Roberge is a legend. A Canadian Jesuit, he travelled to India and settled in Kolkata in the early ‘60s and have been a resident ever since. In 1970 he setup...
"In Pyaasa, Mujhe Jeene Do, The Guide, Teesri Kasam and Kaagaz Ke Phool – Waheeda’s best four movies to my mind, Waheeda played the women who...
Om Puri passed away on 6 January 2017 after four decades of acting. One of the pioneer faces of the Indian ‘parallel’ cinema movement of the 70s and 80s, Om Puri later...
Curated by film-maker Umesh Kulkarni, the Dharamshala International Film Festival 2016 (DIFF 2016) presents to the audience an eclectic mix of short films. Silhouette editor...
Andrzej Wajda is one of the leading film directors of the world and probably the most prominent Polish one along with the likes of Krzysztof Zanussi, Roman Polanski...
Be it the tragedies like Anand, Mili and Satyakam or the hilarious comedies, Hrishida handled both genres with ease. He was the master of the masquerade....
5th Dharamshala International Film Festival 2016 will take place from 3 to 6 November 2016 in the beautiful mountain town of McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.
Margaret Lockwood was one of Britain's topmost box-office stars during the 1940s. In a career spanning quite a few decades, she was remarkable in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece...
The sheer versatility of Sanjeev Kumar outpaces his contemporaries. His repertoire of roles include everything from young to the old, sensitive to comic.
HBFF 2016 is showcasing two films that have not yet opened to the paying public in Bengal. More importantly, as in the previous years, Content is the Star for HBFF – not...
From crime thrillers (CID, Kala Pani) to suspense dramas (Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saya); from romantic films (Solva Saal, Do Chor) to the unconventional...
This was no traditional screenplay. Satyajit Ray 'drew' the script of his first film Pather Panchali in a sketch book, using the sketches as a visual guide when he...
The Calcutta Film Society was registered in October 1947, with Satyajit Ray, Chidananda Dasgupta, Manojendu Majumdar and Purnendu Narayan as the founding members. The society...
The twenty selected films and their socio-historical analysis, coupled with anecdotes from the actor himself, help to trace the progression of Soumitra Chatterjee. A Book...
A tribute to Lalita Pawar, the prolific Indian actress with some interesting anecdotes on her life and times.
Charlie Chaplin was only with Keystone Studios for about a year, but it proved to be a very important year for him. It was at Keystone that he created his best known character,...
March 27, 2016 marks the birth centenary of Nabendu Ghosh, the legendary script and screenplay writer who quietly worked behind the scenes with some of the best known filmmakers...
As the news of India’s ‘Celluloid Man’ bidding adieu to the world came in, those memories of twenty years ago came back as fresh as yesterday. A tribute to PK Nair....
Jaya Bachchan is a name synonymous with endearing, real and honest characters in Hrishikesh Mukherjee films. However, the acting powerhouse has much more to her than her image....
Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee himself released the book Beyond Apu: 20 Favourite film roles of Soumitra Chatterjee today in the presence of the author of the...
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...
Suraiya, possibly the last singing star of the golden era of Hindi films is one of the most beloved artists. Her beauty coupled with melodious voice captivated the hearts...
This is not a biography since Soumitra himself doesn’t believe in one as he mentions in his note on the book. It is also not a comprehensive analysis of Soumitra’s work;...
Bimal Roy's Madhumati (1958) is an Indian masterpiece starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjantimala. Rinki Roy Bhattachaya, his daughter has written this book as almost an offering...
Suchitra Sen mirrored the independent woman – much earlier than the true feminist waves lapped on the Indian shores. A beautiful woman whose inner strength emanated into...
Bimal Roy's films refrained from preaching even as they handled problems of such serious dimension as the abuse and exploitation of farmers (Do Bigha Zameen) or the...
Some of the most enchanting, lilting, melodious, memorable songs are associated intrinsically with the gorgeous style icon Sadhana. A tribute to the renowned star.
Sergei Parajanov is an auteur in the realm of cinema. Poetic, painterly and yet rooted deeply within the peripheries of the other high art forms, Parajanov presents us with...
Smita Patil, the book, is a detailed chronicle of the actresses' work. It is the sum total of the amazing roles essayed in an eventful career by an actress with star quality,...
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”...
The only myth that remains close to reality, is the one about Guru Dutt being a complex personality. In remembrance of the iconic filmmaker on his death anniversary today...
James Dean acted in only 3 films before he died in a car crash in September 30, 1955. Sixty years after his death he still remains one of the best known Hollywood actors of...
Honesty has been the hallmark of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's films which neither pretended to be of the arty-intellectual kind nor compromised to the demands of the box-office....
Style and fashion icon Dev Anand with his city-slick and charismatic persona left behind a rich legacy of films that are still loved for their superior camera work, exceptional...
Asit Sen's forte lay in his ability to balance the script and handle complex characters with ease and sophistication. An exploration of his Bengali films as a tribute on his...
Osianama’s cinematic retrospective of Adoor Gopalakrishnan from Friday 18th till Thursday 24th, 2015 is one of the most important things that could have happened in Mumbai...
3rd September 2015 is the birth anniversary of Uttam Kumar. This article looks at the probable reasons behind the ‘star’ appeal of the legendary actor and the cementing...
The Society for the Preservation of Satyajit Ray Archives commemorated 60 years of Pather Panchali with a seminar. A report on the star-studded event,
Bhanu Bandopadhyay created a genre in humour at a time when he had tough competition from the best among comedians in Bengali cinema beginning with his predecessors and continuing...
In a brief repertoire, Asit Sen left an indelible mark in Hindi cinema with a handful of masterpieces that are brilliant examples of bold, women-centric themes, outstanding...
Gulzar's films are known for their tight screenplay, witty dialogues and themes that explore intense humanism and his poetry appeals across generations. For this multi-faceted...
Gulzar - poet, lyricist, dialogue-writer and director has written stories for more than fifty films and songs for many more. His directorial roster has films on the pathos...
Alfred Hitchcock made his directorial debut in Great Britain with The Pleasure Garden in 1925. In 1939 Hitchcock moved to Hollywood after a series of successful hits with...
"Good looks, great talent and unhappiness. Perhaps no other star combined all three in such a heady brew as Meena Kumari did." Sathya Saran, Consulting Editor with HarperCollins...
Michelangelo Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman both passed away on July 30, 2007 in the span of a few hours. Silhouette pays a tribute on their death anniversary.
Uttam Kumar remains the biggest hero of Bengali cinema till date – a ‘Maha nayak’. 35 years after his death, his shadow still looms large on an industry which had a...
Rajesh Khanna, the first ‘superstar’ of Hindi cinema had passed away on July 18, 2012. Is the maverick star who lived lonely for many years still important? A Silhouette...
Chhabi Biswas was truly the first international actor of Indian cinema – an actor for whom probably no laurel is worth enough. Silhouette Magazine pays tribute to this legendary...
The 20th European Union Film Festival of India was recently held in Kolkata at Nandan from 2nd to 9th June 2015. A reportage on some of the highlighting films.
Salaam Cinema is more of a “personal” tribute to a few legendary figures of Indian Cinema. The exhibition will display some rare photographs though these are not presented...
Nargis and Raj Kapoor together gave a new dimension to mainstream cinema, capturing the imagination of audiences not just in India but across the globe. What made their magic...
In a strange way Rituparno’s positioning in the Bengali cultural space has similarities and parallel with two most revered Bengali film-makers of all times – Satyajit...
The life and times of Prithviraj Kapoor, theatre legend and the founder of Hindi cinema’s first family. A special tribute to this legendary actor on his death anniversary,...
"I have always believed that the political aspect of Mrinal Sen’s films – certainly his better ones – is eclipsed by their over-riding human concern." John W Hood explores...
Soumitra narrowed his focus on Ray’s handling of actors – how awe-inspiring it was to find that he would probably never cast someone who doesn’t seem fit for the role...
Escape is a theme in both films, with the Beatles given more opportunity for and being much better at it than Arindam. His escape comes mostly in dreams, and even they turn...
As the years passed, I began to feel that the main character in several of the following movies of Satyajit Ray could be seen as a figure of Apu proceeding on his journey...
Ray’s extraordinary Calcutta films have not attracted a fraction of the analysis devoted to his early work. Western critics have tended, with the exception of Andrew Robinson...
Suchitra Sen, the enigma, the star, the ethereal beauty, the style icon, an actress par excellence. A tribute on her birthday.
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...
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,...
Ghatak’s films, remarkable for their lacerating quality and heightened form of realism are almost at loggerheads with Satyajit Ray’s lyricism.
Sarat Chandra and Bimal Mitra were the only ones who made me empathize with their characters.
This essay briefly examines sporadic efforts of non fiction film making in India in the years before India attained independence in 1947.
That disarming smile of Sabu’s, it stays with you even when the adventure he was taking you along with him gets over and credits start rolling. The unlettered boy from erstwhile...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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),...
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.
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.
Oscar Awards' winners, such as Pedro Almodóvar, have drawn the audience's attention towards movies made in Spain. But most of the Spanish production, past and present, is...
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.
Tapan Sinha chose stories that reflected society in all its varied colours. His speciality lay in making his images speak with masterful use of symbolism.
Abbas Kiarostami proved that cinema does not need heavy cameras, negative and costs for scene or super stars with million dollars contracts.
Allen however imbibes some of the traits of the masters, while trying to put the message through. His film, Stardust Memories in the opening sequences reminds one of a Fellini...
Many a literary pieces has been penned on Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen, yet the urge to know more about Bengal’s most legendary onscreen romantic pair seems unquenchable....
The phenomenal burgeoning of Chinese Cinema particularly in the last two decades has been a cause of intrigue amongst the cinephiles.
Theo Angelopoulos ushers in his films a different Greece, a different humanity: one that suffers from melancholia at the breakdown of democratic state policies;
Chinese films have a long history. The trajectory of Chinese films can be best understood with its intimacy with the political happenings of that region.
At a symposium organised to mark the 150th birth year of Rabindranath Tagore in Dublin last month, the organising team – a small group of five academics with an interest...
Ever since the emergence of regional cinema in India, Bengal and it’s films and film makers have played a dominant role in the shaping of cinematic history of the country....
Sometimes Tagore made improvements on the scenario and the dialogues. But he did not suggest radically alternative treatments to the films
Miyazaki alone drew 80,000 individual drawings out of 140,000 created for Princess Mononoke, when he was 54/55-year-old. The sheer number – 80,000 – can take one’s breath...
Ye kaisi zindagi hai Lala?, Nafrat ki? Tod-fod ki? Kachare ke dibbe se aayya tha, kachare ke dibbe mein chala jaunga. Aapun marega to log khush honge. Lala marne se pehle...
Juxtaposing a person with an environment that is boundless, collating him with a countless number of people passing by close to him and far away, relating a person to the
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Bharati Devi had been, and still is the sole torchbearer of the most important historical era of Indian Cinema.
One cannot but admire Hou Hsiao-hsien generosity to put himself on the firing line both as a fighter and a symbolic presence to lead the Taiwanese film industry out of its...
The works of the Fifth Generation filmmakers in China are perhaps the most important in post-revolutionary film culture.
It can be argued that the professional and personal displacement experienced by Peter Weir during his Australian career and after his migration to Hollywood is reflected in...
Most movies that were the biggest hits in 1958 in America were social dramas.
Davis, now Warner Brothers’ most profitable star, was given the most important of their female leading roles. All This and Heaven Too (1940) was the most financially successful...
