Retroscope
Retroscope

RETROSCOPE: MIRACLE AND ‘THE CURSE’ OF JAI SANTOSHI MAA

Khalid Mohamed looks back at 1975, the year of Sholay and the miraculous success of Jai Santoshi Maa and its aftermath — a cinematic contrast that defined devotion, dest...

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RETROSCOPE: MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUITAR

Khalid Mohamed replays the life and oeuvre of Van Shipley, who was a formidable name once, but has never been acknowledged in our Nation’s Hall of Music Fame. Play it ag...

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RETROSCOPE: VILLAIN WITH GOLDEN HEART

Pran Krishan Sikand, the unforgettable screen villain, was in real life a warm and generous neighbour. Monojit Lahiri recalls his childhood encounters with the actor who redef...

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RETROSCOPE: A BITTERSWEET STROKE OF INTERVENTION

A nostalgic journey from childhood Chitrahaar evenings to Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Jurmana, tracing Bachchan’s evolving image, parallel cinema’s rise, and the ...

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RETROSCOPE: FORGOTTEN WOMEN OF HINDI CINEMA

Those forgotten B-grade movie divas of yesteryear: Khalid Mohamed recalls Indira ‘Billi’, Chitra and Naqi Jehan, just three of  the cavalierly sIde-lined B-gr...

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RETROSCOPE: JAIDEV COMPOSED, SILENCE SANG ALONG

On Jaidev’s birth anniversary which was two days ago, on 3rd August, Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri remembers the unsung maestro whose timeless melodies, rooted in classical fin...

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RETROSCOPE: WAQT CHANGED HINDI FILMS FOREVER

Sixty years since its release, Waqt remains a landmark of Hindi cinema, introducing the ensemble cast format and modernising the ‘lost-and-found’ trope with emotio...

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RETROSCOPE: WHEN MELODY WAS KING

His lovingly built bungalow, Ashiana, on the Bandra seafront has survived the encroachments of real-estate sharks of sky-high towers. And despite malicious accusations and the...

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RETROSCOPE: CENTENARY OF A REBEL POET OF CELLULOID

Ranjan Das Gupta marks 100 years of Guru Dutt, the visionary director who blended poetry, pathos, and protest in cinema, transforming Hindi films with his uniquely melancholic...

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RETROSCOPE: THIRTY YEARS AFTER...TIME FLIES

  Khalid Mohamed revisits Bandit Queen (1994), Shekhar Kapur’s film on the dacoit leader Phoolan Devi, recalling the blitz of controversies which surrounded th...

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IT’S A CONSTANT BATTLE – RAHI ANIL BARVE

The creator of the belatedly lauded Tumbbad, Rahi Anil Barve, who continues to be a warr...

April 7 2026

WHY INDIAN TELEVISION IS FAILING

Vinta Nanda examines the sharp decline in Indian television viewership, exposing outdate...

April 5 2026

INDIA CENSUS 2027 INCLUSION CHALLENGES

Population Foundation of India calls for inclusive and secure approach to India’s ...

April 4 2026