Retroscope
Retroscope

Yesterday’s Agent Vinod: Why he quit Bollywood

Film historian, Dhruv Somani, tracks down Mahendra Sandhu, to his farmhouse in Chandigarh for a freewheeling interview.  He’s Sandhu, Mahendra Sandhu. Now 73, this...

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Lost Melodies: Bollywood’s vast film music heritage

Anil Dixit, walks down melody lane, to select five vastly underrated music scores My go-to metaphor for Hindi film music is that it’s a rich tapestry woven by generatio...

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Wonder Animals: The Untold Story

Khalid Mohamed rewinds to the coached dogs, chimpanzees and elephants that would often steal the show in Bollywood blockbusters.  They’ve been missing from the sce...

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The Unknown Story

Indian cinema’s first superstar, Master Nissar, had passed away in abject poverty How many even know about India cinema’s first superstar, Master Nissar, and how ...

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Sunil Dutt – 6th June 1929 to 25th May 2005

I had  met  Sunil Dutt  more than  once, writes Humra Quraishi in her piece this week, where she recalls one such time when she interviewed him in Delhi. ...

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The Revolutionary

Khalid Mohamed looks back at the film legacy of the Bengal auteur, on the day of Mrinal Sen’s 97th birth anniversary today. There’s a rare film, which arouses you...

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Across the Border: Mammo

Khalid Mohamed recalls how he wrote the real-life story and screenplay of the National Award-winning film, Mammo, now accessible on YouTube and streaming on Amazon Prime Video...

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We were the Cathedral School boys, the Cats

What it meant to be a ‘Cat’ during the swinging 1960s at the premier school of Mumbai, India? Take that, Campionites! Now, I wouldn’t be making news if I we...

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CAMPION TALES OF OLD BOMBAY

Producer, Director and Actor Rajiv Kapoor, shared this precious piece written by his school mate John Mani, with me on Whatsapp last night and I publish it here in The Daily E...

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Genius replayed on a Mega-Monsoon Day in Mumbai

No reason, no occasion for a replay today except maybe the fact that it’s just another mega-monsoon day. And I’m anxiously searching for music to go with the rhyth...

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LOVE, LABELS & THE VALENTINE’S HANGOVER

Red Lab’s Valentine’s Research Uncovers 20 BF & 20 GF Types, led by Caro...

February 21 2026

FROM COPY LINES TO CROP LINES: ARTI DWARKADAS

Vinta Nanda speaks to Arti Dwarkadas about her journey from advertising to organic farmi...

February 20 2026

SHAKESPEARE MEETS BOLLYWOOD DRAMATIC FUSION

Shakespeare & Bollywood – Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi explores how Bollywood borrows f...

February 19 2026