Retrospective

Johnny Walker: Comedy’s Humane Face

Johnny Walker’s greatness...

Guide, The Film: Perspectives – A Very Well-Crafted Treasure of a Book

A...

Bollywood Cinema Kaleidoscope 16 Frames Book Launch Prosenjit Shoma Chatterji Amitava Nag

From the Second Row

There...

A Century of Shyam

February 20, 2020 is renowned vintage actor...

Ritwik Ghatak's ancestral house ate Rajshahi, Bangladesh

FFSI Initiates Campaign to Save the Ancestral Houses of Ray, Ghatak and Sen

Buoyed...

Cinemaazi: Chronicling Indian Film Heritage and Its Unscripted Stories

Cinemaazi,...

The World of Javed Akhtar: 124 Rare Exhibits to Celebrate the Legend’s 75th Year

To celebrate Javed Akhtar’s platinum...

A Memory for the Present

Standfirst: Most directors...

The exhibition entrance at Metcalfe Hall (Pic: Joy Sengupta)

The Golden Thread of Bengali Cinema: A Journey Through 100 Years

Coinciding with the Kolkata...

Amitabh Bachchan – He Still Towers Over the Others

Amitabh Bachchan,...

Shabana Azmi: Playing the Formidable Rukmini Bai in Mandi

From smiling chutzpah to...

Shammi Kapoor: The Charisma of the Original Dancing Hero

Revelling in the song, its emotion, the fine...

Girish Kasaravalli at work for one of his films

Twenty Four ‘Portraits’ of Girish Kasaravalli

"The magic of Kasaravalli’s...

Raj Kapoor and Shailendra at the Bina Police Station (Pic: Dinesh Shailendra)

Shailendra’s Teesri Kasam: Sapne Jagaa Ke Tune Kaahe Ko De Di Judaai

Teesri Kasam was made in another...

Kishore Kumar The Actor: A Legend’s Journey Down the Years Part 4

Peeyush Sharma concludes his tribute...

Kishore Kumar The Actor: A Legend’s Journey Down the Years Part 3

The early 1960s saw some highs...

Kishore Kumar The Actor: A Legend’s Journey Down the Years Part 2

The 1950s were a bumper decade...

Kishore Kumar The Actor: A Legend’s Journey Down the Years Part 1

The mention of Kishore Kumar typically...

Uttam Kumar: Leaving a Mark in his Few Hindi Films

Bengal's matinee idol and most popular...

Romancing the Reel: Vijay Bhatt

Legendary director-producer...

Lasting Music Pieces in Films

Some of the finest music in films...

Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman and Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories Launched in Mumbai and Delhi: A Report

Two...

The Evergreen Songs of Jeetendra

Think of Jeetendra and the tight...

Amitava Nag’s Satyajit Ray’s Heroes & Heroines Launched

Veteran actor Barun...

Mrinal Sen: The Man Who Fought Through Cinema

With Mrinal Sen behind the camera Indian cinema...

For the Connoisseur and the Dilettante: Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman

Renowned...

The Filmic Journey of Mrinal Sen

Mrinal Sen is one of the...

Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman – the Life and Works of SD Burman

'Sachin...

Munshi Premchand on Celluloid

Filmmakers over the decades have been...

In Defense of Literature: An Open Letter to Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman had written an essay ‘Film...

Chetan Anand: Exploring the Unconventional to Make Landmark Films

Twenty one years ago, on July 7, 1997, Chetan...

75 Rare Memorabilia, Unique Artworks to Celebrate Amitabh Bachchan’s Platinum Year

75 rare...

Shyam: The Big Heart behind the Swashbuckling Hero

Shyam – the screen idol of...

Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi: Bharat Bhushan’s Unforgettable Singer-Poet Musicals

Bharat Bhushan's educated, decent, quiet and...

“Is duniya mein aadmi insaan ban jaye ... toh bahut badi baat hai” - Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan in Kabhi Kabhie (Pic: News18)

Traversing the Two Worlds of Mainstream and Art: Shashi Kapoor’s Unexampled Journey

Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor (18 March 1938...

On the Buddha’s Trail… Nabendu Ghosh’s Trishagni

Gautam Buddha had fascinated Nabendu...

And They Made Classics – Director-Writer Duo of Bimal Roy and Nabendu Ghosh

Directed by Ratnottama Sengupta, And They Made...

NFAI Acquires 162 Films Including 15 Rare Unreleased Films

NFAI has acquired 162 films, with more...

The Spontaneity of Nutan That Rose Above ‘Acting’

Nutan amazed us with every role she did – she...

Yesterday's Films for Tomorrow - PK Nair's own writings on cinema

‘Yesterday’s Films for Tomorrow’ – PK Nair’s Writings on Cinema to be Launched

Legendary archivist PK Nair’s...

Father Gaston Roberge delivering a lecture – a familiar image to the film students of Kolkata for the last five decades

Father Gaston Roberge – A Master Teacher of Film Theories

Father Gaston Roberge is a legend. A...

Waheeda Rehman – The Woman of Substance On-Screen

"In Pyaasa, Mujhe Jeene Do, The Guide,...

Om Puri – The Luminance of a Natural Actor

Om Puri passed away on 6 January 2017 after four decades...

A still from Gurvinder Singh’s Ghuspaithiya

DIFF 2016 – A Peek at the Indian Short Films

Curated by film-maker Umesh Kulkarni,...

Andrzej Wajda (6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016)

‘To live, is to forget’ – the Cinema of Andrzej Wajda: Recollections, Personal

Andrzej Wajda is one of the leading film directors...

Hrishikesh Mukherjee: In a Humane Genre of His Own

Be it the tragedies like Anand,...

5th Dharamshala IFF 2016 to Throw Spotlight on Docu-features and Shorts

5th Dharamshala...

The Gorgeous Style Icon Sadhana

Some of the most enchanting, lilting, melodious, memorable...

Margaret Lockwood: Queen of the Silver Screen

Margaret Lockwood...

Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen in Aandhi

Sanjeev Kumar – The Actor Who Rose Above The ‘Hero’

The sheer versatility of Sanjeev Kumar outpaces...

Viewers to Decide Winners with Viewer’s Choice Award at HBFF 2016

HBFF 2016 is showcasing...

Raj Khosla and music composer Madan Mohan - a partnership that created classic such as Woh Kaun Thi, Mera Saya and Chirag.

Suspense, Romance, Crime Thrillers, Offbeat, Social Drama: The Trend-setting Films of Raj Khosla

From crime thrillers (CID, Kala...

The cover of The Pather Panchali Sketchbook, Harper Collins India, 2016

The Pather Panchali Sketchbook – An Intricately Delicate Entry into a Master’s Creative Mind

This was no traditional screenplay....

The Calcutta Film Society in early 2016 (Pic Courtesy: Internet)

For the Love of Cinema – the Story Behind the Calcutta Film Society

The Calcutta Film Society was registered...

Soumitra Chattopadhyay in Benarasi, produced by Ruma Guha Thakurta, directed by Arup Guha Thakurta.

Book Review: Beyond Apu Brings Out the Versatility of Soumitra Chatterjee

The...

Lalita Pawar: The Dominating Matriarch And Scheming Manthara

A tribute...

Charlie Chaplin at Keystone Studios

Charlie Chaplin was only...

The films of Shakti Samanta (R) are known for their everlasting music.(Pic: A beautiful graphic crafted as a gift to Silhouette by Pakanati Lakshmi Priya)

‘In Aradhana, Sachin Karta Gave Me My Life’s Biggest Hit’: In Conversation with Shakti Samanta

Aradhana, the film that catapulted...

Nabendu Ghosh: The Master of Screen Writing

March 27, 2016 marks the birth centenary of Nabendu...

A still from Celluloid Man featuring PK Nair (Pic courtesy: Celluloid Man by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur)

Remembering PK Nair – ‘He Changed the Way We Viewed Cinema’

As the news of India’s ‘Celluloid...

Jaya Bachchan: A Slot-less Act

Jaya Bachchan is a name synonymous with endearing,...

Amitava Nag and Soumitra Chatterjee at the book launch.

Beyond Apu: 20 Favourite Film Roles of Soumitra Chatterjee Launched

Veteran...

Waheeda Rehman: Quintessential Beauty with Intense Acting Prowess

Waheeda Rehman, a rare combination of quintessential...

Suraiya: The Last Singing Star of Indian Cinema

Suraiya, possibly...

In his own room (Pic Courtesy: Shreya Goswami)

Beyond Apu – the Genius of Soumitra Chatterjee

This is not a...

Bimal Roy’s Madhumati – Untold Stories from Behind the Scenes

Bimal...

Suchitra Sen – the most glamorous star of Bengali cinema

Forever Suchitra Sen

Suchitra Sen mirrored the independent...

Bimal Roy directing Suchitra Sen and Dilip Kumar for Devdas (Pic: From the collections of SMM Ausaja)

Bimal Roy: The Eastern Mystic Who Made Films

Bimal Roy's films refrained from preaching even as...

Why Sergei Parajanov and His Films Matter

Sergei Parajanov...

The Incandescence of Smita Patil

Smita Patil, the book, is a detailed...

Ashok Kumar: A Colossus of Indian Cinema

With his classic Bengali good...

Guru Dutt and Abrar Alvi
Pic courtesy: From the collections of Pakanati Lakshmi Priya

Myths about Guru Dutt

The only myth that remains close to reality,...

The Lasting Appeal of James Dean

James Dean acted in only 3 films before he died...

Hrishikesh Mukherjee: Giving Cinema a New Definition

Honesty has been the hallmark...

Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya – Evergreen Dev Anand

Style and fashion icon Dev Anand with his city-slick...

Sparks fly when the sophisticated millionaire Rajnath Samanta (Uttam Kumar) grandly woos the self-respecting, independent artist Shakuntala (Suchitra Sen).

Asit Sen’s Bengali Films: A New Paradigm in Pathbreaking Narratives

Asit Sen's forte lay in his ability...

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Retrospective at Osianama

Osianama’s cinematic retrospective of...

A family pic of Uttam with his wife and son

Making of Uttam Kumar: The Star, The ‘True’ Bhadralok

3rd September is the birth anniversary...

60 Years of Pather Panchali and Some Questions on Indian Cinema

The Society for the Preservation...

Bhanu Bandyopadhyay – The “Common Man’s” Comedian

Bhanu Bandopadhyay created a genre in humour...

Asit Sen: Sensitive, Women-Centric Films in a Class of their Own

In a brief repertoire, Asit Sen left...

Gulzar: Redefining Poetry and Purpose In Cinema

Gulzar's films are known for...

Gulzar: Creating a New Genre of Lyrical Romance

Gulzar - poet, lyricist, dialogue-writer and...

Alfred Hitchcock’s Early Career

Alfred Hitchcock made his directorial...

No One Quite Like Her – The Inimitable Meena Kumari

"Good looks, great talent and unhappiness....

The juxtaposition of identities in Persona.

The Cinema of Bergman and Antonioni

Michelangelo Antonioni...

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen steal the hearts of the audience with their simple yet charming eloquence in Saare Chuattor

Mahanayak Uttam Kumar – the Most Enduring Matinee Idol

Uttam Kumar remains the biggest hero...

‘Fans Kya Hain, Mujh Sey Puchhon’ – Looking Back at Rajesh Khanna

Rajesh Khanna, the first ‘superstar’ of Hindi...

To Biswas’s credit to generations of film-goers Chhabi Biswas as Rahmat remained an epitome of the Kabuliwalas in the streets of Calcutta.

Chhabi Biswas – Inimitable and Indomitable

Chhabi Biswas was truly the first international...

Into the mind of the child - Boy Upside Down

A Microcosm of Different Cultures: 20th European Union Film Festival of India

The...

Satyajit Ray and Suchitra Sen at BFJA Awards in 1962

Salaam Cinema – An Extraordinary Tribute

Salaam Cinema is more...

Nargis and Raj Kapoor – Redefining Dreams, Aspirations and Romance

Nargis...

Rituparno Ghosh – The ‘Enfant Terrible’ of Contemporary Indian Cinema

In...

No star in the span of more than six decades has been able to match Prithviraj’s charm, grace and screen presence that he gave to Sohrab Modi’s epic Sikandar. (A rare hand-painted poster of Sikandar)

Prithviraj Kapoor – The Icon of Hindi Cinema

The life and times of Prithviraj Kapoor,...

Where Morality Counts

"I have always believed...

The Master and His Actor

Soumitra...

Nayak and A Hard Day’s Night

Escape is a theme in both films,...

Agantuk is a meditation on the present world and Manikda’s view on civilization.

My Journey to India – in the Cave of My Heart

As the years passed, I began to...

whether it is Indranath in Kanchanjanga or Shyamlendu in Seemabaddha or Natabar Mitter in Jana-Aranya, their very freedom to expound their beliefs makes them reveal their moral worthlessness to the viewer.

‘Illuminating Ray’ A Critique on Gaston Roberge’s Satyajit Ray: Essays (1970-2005)

Ray’s extraordinary Calcutta...

Rahe Na Rahe Hum: ‘Mahanayika’ Suchitra Sen’s Aura Lingers On…

Suchitra...

Anhonee Ko Honee Karde: A Tribute To Manmohan Desai

Filmmaker...

History, Rare Heritage Stars Of Osian’s Film Memorabilia Auction

An unprecedented Collection...

Ritwik Ghatak: A Crusader Of The Rootless

Ghatak’s films,...

In Search of Magic in Reality

This essay briefly...

Sabu appeared back to back in Arabian Nights, White Savage ,Cobra Woman and Tangier

Sabu – India’s First International Star

That disarming smile of...

Coveted Merchandise From Cult Films Go Under The Hammer At Online Auction Today

StoryLTD's first...

Remembering Rituparno Ghosh

To Rituparno Ghosh’s credit he brought a...

A Walk Down Memory Lane With Basu Chatterji

The posters, booklet covers, lobby cards, LP...

Director Basu Chatterji and Hema Malini on the sets of Ratnadeep

A Manzil of Memories: Rare Memorabilia Of Basu Chatterji’s Films

An archival...

Unknown Stories Behind Rare Film Posters

Film historian and archivist SMM...

The Legend That Was Meena Kumari

Widely acclaimed...

Jeevan Ka Matlab To Aana Aur Jaana Hai: Remembering Nanda

In a career spanning over 71 films, Nanda worked...

An Indian Film Theory?

We need to look back and deep into the cinema...

Farooq Sheikh: The Humble, Spontaneous Boy-Next-Door Hero

Farooq Shiekh was an...

Common Threads Between Bollywood’s Queens of Hearts

Bollywood's reigning queens over...

Valentine’s Day’s Gift To Cinema: Effervescent Madhubala

On Valentine's Day, we present some of the most romantic...

Alam Ara – The First Ever Indian Talkie

The impact and epoch-making role of Alam Ara, the...

Cinema Made in Spain: A Historical Outline 1896-1980

Oscar Awards'...

Two Legends and Their Lives: Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen

Uttam...

Saluting Indomitable Human Spirit: Tribute to Tapan Sinha

Tapan Sinha chose stories that reflected society...

Abbas Kiarostami won Golden Palm award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for Taste of Cherry.

Kiarostami, A Man Whom Iranian Cinema Is Proud Of

Abbas Kiarostami proved...

An Attempt At Understanding Woody Allen

Allen however imbibes some...

The National Award winning film Harano Sur is considered one of the landmark films of the Uttam-Suchitra pair

Romance In Cinema – Uttam Kumar And Suchitra Sen – A Case Study

Many a literary...

Chinese Cinema: Then and After

The phenomenal burgeoning of Chinese Cinema...

Theo Angelopoulos And Greece

Theo Angelopoulos ushers in his films...

Films in Transition, Generations in Flux: China on the Move

Chinese films have a long history. The...

The most successful adaptation of a Tagore story outside Bengal was of course, Hemen Gupta’s Kabuliwala, produced by Bimal Roy, starring the veteran actor Balraj Sahni.

From Kolkata to Dublin via Kabul: Tagore’s Internationalism And Cinema

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...

Sare Chuattar
Cast: Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen
Director: Nirmal Dey

Co-Existence Of Parallel Cinema With Popular Cinema In Bengal In The 50s And 60s

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....

Images And Imagery: A Poet’s Engagement With Moving Images

Sometimes...

Hayao Miyazaki: A Master of the East

Miyazaki alone drew 80,000...

Munna being the child of the streets has no family

Trajectory of the Indian Nation State through the Figure of the ‘Tapori’

Ye kaisi zindagi...

The City of Joy (1982) showcasing dispossessed people of Calcutta

The Importance of City in Cinema

Juxtaposing a person with an environment...

Bharati Devi in Tapan Sinha's Nirjan Saikate(1963)

Bharati Devi — Documenting Memories

Bharati Devi had been, and...

In Search of New Genres and Directions for Asian Cinema

One...

Family Values and Tradition: Perspectives of Three Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers

The...

From the Director to the Protagonist: Displacement in the Cinema of Peter Weir

It...

An Overview of American Movies of 1958

Most movies that were...

Tribute to Bette Davis and James Stewart

Davis, now Warner...

Vijay kumar on Johnny Walker: Comedy’s Humane Face
Thanks Chadha ji
A Bharat on Johnny Walker: Comedy’s Humane Face
Johnny Walker was the ultimate gentleman comedian whose personality rose much beyond his roles. He never imitated any comedian East or West nor could ...
Bimal Chadha on Johnny Walker: Comedy’s Humane Face
Excellent piece ! I recall his roles were a threat to well established Heroes. And if there was a song he overpowered others. Personally as I knew h...
Monica Kar on Mukesh: A Different Romance in the Voice
Jaiveer ji, I am so glad this article found a reader in you. Yes - he brought some very deep emotions to us very simply. Mukesh has his own place in o...
Koshy AV on Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)
Love it, am a Dylan buff myself, just a small doubt, isn't No Direction Home called No Direction Home and not No Directions Home? Apart from that, rep...

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