Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s pre-Bollywood Bachchan connection
Kulbhushan Kharbanda was Amitabh Bachchan’s junior in Delhi’s Kirorimal College and also acted as prompter in Othello which starred Bachchan.Continue Reading →
Why Kulbhushan Kharbanda was sacked
In 1974 Kulbhushan Kharbanda was sacked from his job for playing the lead role in Vijay Tendulkar’s play ‘Sakharam Binder’.…
India Public Domain Movie Project in the Sunday Mid Day
The recently launched India Public Domain Movie Project is getting some much needed publicity. Today’s Sunday Mid Day has a…
Ad from 1979: Look, that’s Rekha with a Lakme face
Apart from a few Lakme ads an the Lux ads, that is almost mandatory for any Bollywood actress of note to feature in, I haven’t seen the enigmatic Rekha in…Continue Reading →
Salman Khan in his 20s in a 1980s ad for Hero Honda CD100
The Salman Khan in this advertisement for Hero Honda CD100 is about 25 years younger than the superstar Salman of…
Mithun ‘Gunmaster G-9’ Chakraborty and Kitu ‘Svetlana’ Gidwani together in an ad
Very few actresses can the match the measure of elegance and sensuality that Kitu Gidwani has. I do not recall…
The India Public Domain Movie Project premieres with Kismet (1943)
Ever since I first understood the concept of public domain, this project of getting Indian films which out of copyright into a single place has been a recurring desire. But…Continue Reading →
Rajesh Khanna and the Red Rose in Fabina Suitings & Shirtings ad
I doubt whether the proprietors of Fabina Textiles Pvt. Ltd. watched Rajesh Khanna’s 1980 psycho-thriller Red Rose before agreeing the…
Bhupen Hazarika (1926-2011). North-East India loses a star
The legendary Bhupen Hazarika died of multiple organ failure in a Bombay hospital today. He was one of the few…
Watch: Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls (and a Lux ad)
A 1973 31-minute documentary from Merchant Ivory Productions, directed and narrated by Anthony Korner on Bollywood greatest ‘item girl’ ever. It’s Helen’s 72nd birthday today. But before you head on…Continue Reading →
There was something Rajinikanth about Steve Jobs
An early morning phone call shattered a lovely dream, what was more shattering was the news behind the phone call.…
A beardless Kabir Bedi’s long affair with Wills cigarettes
Got the first glimpse of a beardless Kabir Bedi in a Marlboro Man avatar, thanks to Memsaab. And now here’s…
