“Take this cup of tea”, Mina keeps the cup of tea over a piece of log lying in the open field. Her husband, Mohan has been working in the paddy field since early morning. It is not the season for paddy. He is engaged in planting seasonal vegetable saplings in the field. He has enclosed the one bigha land with bamboo fences to stop the intrusion of the grazing cattle. Mohan is a changed man now. He works very hard in his vegetable orchard. While working in the field his mind flies back to the pas…

“Chintoo has always been mischievous, and he is still the same! Look, now he even has the audacity to hide from me forever...” – This thought oscillates in my mind as a nightmare, over and over again. Why? Because we go back a long, long way! Our roots can be traced to our fathers’ time; our families have a bonding that extends from the early school premises to the film sets and beyond. Our fathers have been a legendary actor (Raj Kapoor) and a singer (Mukesh) – musical pair of their own golden …

He must have been sent to life with the purpose of selfless giving. That’s Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubramaniam, for us – a legendary singer and actor. S. P. Balasubramaniam, who I am proud to have as my senior and have been fortunate to learn so much from. Forty years in the industry and an unbelievable list of recordings across all genres – my respect for SP weighs the same as his admiration for S. P. Kodandapani, his mentor. SP was a stalwart, very lively and energetic, with a metallic vo…

“Masterji, learning from your adaa, is the heaven above dancing to the steps of ek, do, teen?” Saroj Khan, yes, Saroj Khan! However much implausible it is, but she is not with us anymore. She left for her heavenly abode at a very early age of 71. Early because she was all the same; a dancing maestro, who had not yet retired, nothing was yet exhausting for her. Still, it took just a cardiac arrest and her feet stopped, never to dance again. Early dawn, first rays of the sun, a new day. 3rd July 2…

Quite aptly said, regret is easier than gratitude. I am perhaps not yet quite ready for all that is going on right now or is going to happen in the near future, all that is being talked about, and so much more to come my way! I am not left with any choice but to accept that Soumitra Chattopadhyay is not with us anymore. I cannot really recall the first moment I shared with him, precisely, since it has been quite a long time. Way back in 1956-57, when Soumitra babu visited our home for the first …

RISHI KAPOOR Raj Nath or Rauf Lala – Rishi Kapoor’s Resilient Journey Through Indian Cinema’s Transnationalism. Author: Dr. Rajeev Kamineni Author Intro: Rajeev Kamineni started his career in a bookstore almost three decades ago and then moved onto as area sales manager, director, executive director, chief officer, lecturer and head of program positions. He is a multiple award-winning lecturer with lecturing stints in Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Japan, India and Dubai. Apart from owning …

I still can’t believe that I am dealing with this moment every day now, I still can’t believe that some beautiful times of my life have become memories now, can’t believe that the hand that often encouraged me with a pat on the back is gone, the voice that got millions rolling is no more! From waking up in the middle of the night to punching the wall – I have done it all. But this nightmare has come to stay. Whenever someone asks me about him, I just want to run away. I choke while talking about…

Abstract: In a year that overwhelmed us with the many lives lost, the promising young actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on 14th June, 2020. We delve deep into the Instagram posts of Mr. Rajput in an attempt to understand his cerebral and stirring posts. He contemplated the universe, life and the human condition in several posts, characterized by an economy of words but a striking beauty of expression. We try to unearth his philosophy of life aided by his interviews and other secondary sourc…

Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon Pal do pal meri kahani hai Pal do pal meri hasti hai Pal do pal meri jawani hai (In the infinite time, a poet claims his moments with a tiny story which captures his identity and creative energy.) Written by Sahir Ludhianvi, composed by Khayyam and sung by Mukesh, the philosophy of the song questions the reality of fame and permanence of talent. Was this song truly the need of a frame where Amitabh Bachchan must lend his charming melancholy to sweep the lady …

It was a sad evening. April started and the weather was humid and hot. We were strolling through the lanes. We spent some time sitting in the Janpath coffee lounge. Slowly, very slowly, we sipped three cups of tea to pass time. Between the sips of these three cups, was passing the time, slipping, creeping and moving. Only a feeling of bitterness and a vacuum were left. Oma, Om Parkash, poured second cup of coffee from the kettle. He filled three quarter of the cup and was about to add the milk. …