Category: Uncategorized

Rahen na rahen hum mehka karenge – A tribute to Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022)

February 7, 2023

A few days back, the strains of a song, old and forgotten, wafted through the windows, filling my senses with not only its plaintive melody but also bringing with it many many memories. As the song and its sounds faded away, it hit me once again that the singer is no more. And it has … More Rahen na rahen hum mehka karenge – A tribute to Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022)

A tribute to SP Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020)

March 5, 2021

This has been a post that has been long overdue and has been extremely difficult for me to write. The demise of S.P. Balasubrahmanyam on 25 September, even though not unexpected, considering his condition the days before, still came as a major shock. It was painful, to put it bluntly. A.R. Rahman’s heartfelt tribute to … More A tribute to SP Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020)

My favourite songs picturised on Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) – In memoriam

July 28, 2020

Kumkum, the leading lady who lit up the screen with her expressive limpid eyes and her with her expressive limpid eyes in the 1950s and 1960s passed away this morning (28 July 2020). Born in Hussainabad, Bihar on 22 April 1934 as Zaibunnissa, her Hindi film career started when Guru Dutt cast her for a … More My favourite songs picturised on Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) – In memoriam

A Very Strange Man | Ajeeb Aadmi by Ismat Chughtai translated by Tahira Naqvi (Book Review)

March 25, 2019

I devour anything that I can lay my hands on, especially if it is about Hindi cinema covering the 50s or the 60s. When I came across a mention of this book in an article two years back, I was intrigued. A fictionalised retelling about Guru Dutt, Geeta Dutt and his rumoured relationship with Waheeda … More A Very Strange Man | Ajeeb Aadmi by Ismat Chughtai translated by Tahira Naqvi (Book Review)

The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die | Goynar Baksho – Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, translated by Arunava Sinha (Book Review)

January 21, 2019

A few months ago, a friend told me about an extremely entertaining Bengali movie she had watched – Goynar Baksho and urged me to watch, whenever it became available on Netflix/ Amazon. For whatever reason, the name stuck – mainly because it stars Moushumi Chatterjee and I did keep an eye for it in the … More The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die | Goynar Baksho – Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, translated by Arunava Sinha (Book Review)

Love in Simla (1960)

September 23, 2018

The first time I heard of Sadhana was when my mother and aunt had dragged me, aged 10, to a hairdresser in Bangalore. Something had to be done about my unruly hair, they had decided. My hair was assessed and so was my broad forehead and the hairdresser pronounced that I should get a “Sadhana … More Love in Simla (1960)

Happy Deepavali

October 18, 2017

As a South Indian who grew up in Delhi, Deepavali celebrations at home have always been an amalgam of both the traditions – South and North.. In South India, the festival is celebrated a day earlier and the legend behind it is a story from the Mahabharata (and not the Ramayana) – one in which … More Happy Deepavali

Basant (1960)

August 28, 2015

A couple of days back, while browsing through a DVD store, I saw the DVD of An Affair to Remember (1957) and immediately Basant (1960) came to my mind. Basant (1960) was a movie I desperately wanted to see at one point in time – because I loved Chori Chori Ik Ishaara ho gaya hai – (a song … More Basant (1960)