True Review
Movies

APARAJITO: A PARODY MASQUERADING AS A ‘TRIBUTE’

Pandering to the Bengalis’ juvenile fondness for wallowing in nostalgia, Anik Dutta’s film is a monument to artifice. Nothing, not even Jeetu Kamal’s strikin...

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Salty and Spicy

Film historian Dhruv Somani marvels at Gulzar’s women-centric flavored Namkeen (1982). A lonely house looks so dilapidated that only some miracle seems to be ...

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Those Haunting Melodies

Film historian Dhruv Somani, laments the end of the melody-laden songs of the suspense-packed whodunits, which enthralled right from the days of Aayega Aanewala in Mahal (1949...

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Finding Ganga

Film historian Dhruv Somani, recounts the arduous process that was involved in the casting of Mandakini in Raj Kapoor’s biggest hit Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Mandakini, bes...

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The Forgotten History of Human Civilization

Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri: A film based on a Badal Sircar play is rare. Rare still is a debutant filmmaker adapting one. That too in a moribund film industry. Which is what makes...

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Scent of a Killer

Film historian Dhruv Somani, revisits Rajesh Khanna’s slasher film Red Rose, which was a flop on its release in 1980 but commands a cult following today. When producer ...

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HIT MACHINE

Film historian Dhruv Somani tracks the unique success story of Jeetendra who completed his 80th last week - in a welter of Hindi films made in Bombay and the south. The South...

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The Gone Girls

Film historian Dhruv Somani focuses on yesteryear’s gutsy Sheetal and Leena Das, who have vanished into a limbo today. They never quite made it to the A-list but they w...

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Back on the Burning Train

Film historian Dhruv Somani, takes you back on a ride to India’s first disaster movie directed by Ravi Chopra, which had its taut and terrifying moments but unfortunatel...

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Banned it

Film historian Dhruv Somani recalls 11 controversial films, which ran into trouble with the Indian film censors. Anyone who follows Bollywood is well versed with the issues o...

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FESTIVALS: ARE DADS LESS IMPORTANT THAN MOMS?

To address why Mother’s Day is celebrated with such grandiosity and emotion compar...

June 15 2024

HOLLYWOOD: BEING FAYE DUNAWAY

From the enigmatic Evelyn Mulwray in "Chinatown" to the ambitious Diana Christensen in "...

June 14 2024

FESTIVALS: ZAIKAK IN SEARCH OF THE BEST MAHARASHTRIAN THALI

“I think it would be impossible to search for the best Maharashtrian Thali in Pune...

June 13 2024