Cinema: The Magic Lantern!!

Sharmila Tagore is one of the most glamorous divas of Indian cinema. With her trademark dimpled cheek, amazing bone structure, and wonderful figure, she created sensation in Bollywood. Her career spans the art films of Satyajit Ray, Bollywood extravaganzas, classic social dramas and parallel cinema. Sharmila’s supreme achievement lies in her triumphantly criss-crossing image boundaries. She is a versatile actress who consistently explored roles beyond the stereotypical to get out of the straitjacket of being just a pretty appendage to the hero. The characters she portrayed came alive on screen through her sparkling eyes and with modulation of her voice. So, for every ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ and ‘An Evening in Paris’; there is ‘Apur Sansar’,  ‘Devi’, ‘Anupama’, ‘Satyakam’, ‘Safar’, ‘Mausam, ‘Aavishkar’, ‘Dooriyan’ and many more. Her sizzling acts on-screen created ripples in the filmdom. With her heavily made-up eyes, dimples and thick plaited hair, she fits into the typical damsel-in-distre

  Special Feature on 551 st Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Cinema was introduced to India on 7 July 1896 , when the Lumiere brothers' show-cased six short silent films in Watson Hotel, Bombay. Dada Saheb Phalke got inspiration from an English movie ‘The Christ’ to produce a film on the life and work of Indian Gods. He made the first Indian movie “Raja Harish Chandra in 1913 and it was followed by a series of mythological silent movies like Kalia Mardan, Mohini Bhasmasur , Lanka Dahan , Shri Krishna Janma , Satyavan Savitri etc. Even after advent of talkie era, the trend of making religious/mythological films continued to attract most of the film makers. The notable films were: Ayodhaya Ka Raja, Radhey Shyam, Bhakt Surdas, Puran Bhakt, Vaman Avtar, Ram Rajya Sri Krishna Leela , Mahabharat, Sampooran Ramayan and Bharat Milap etc. The inaugural films in many regional languages were also religious offerings like Bhakta Prahlada, Ramayna etc. were produced in telugu and tami

Bollywood's classic Ice Queen Rekha, a timeless beauty has been the ultimate symbol of sensuality. She has a handsome face, perfect nose, pretty eyes and the husky smouldering voice to match her looks. A ‘divaesque’ fashionable Rekha mesmerized millions of fans with her unique seductive mysteriousness. For five decades, she has been setting the screen on fire, blazing a glorious trail in her wake. She has the distinction of holding an unbeatable record of portraying heroines in over 100 films. Her "transformation" from "a round ball of flesh" in the 70s into a toned and manicured ultimate fashion & beauty icon and screen 'star' in the 80s owing to her sheer talent and hard work. Every reinvention of gorgeous ‘Madam Re’ has been a voyage of discovery for this ultimate glam-goddess. She is reclusive like Garbo and will disappear like an apparition.   She blossomed overnight with “Do Anjaane” and the 'real' Rekha was born on screen in ‘Ghar’.

S. Mohinder was a versatile composer, who made good use of traditional folk music in his compositions. His original style was Punjabi centric, but Benares groomed him into the classical traditions of Uttar Pradesh and Bombay gave him an all Indian grooming in music. In mid 1950s, his soulful and haunting melody “Guzra Hua Zamana Aata Nahin Dobara…” (Shirin Farhad) virtually reigned the Radio airwaves of Indian Continent. Destiny took him from the depths of obscurity to the centre of Bollywood where his unique compositions cemented his storied legacy. He was abundantly talented and way ahead of his time. His music is full of spirituality and he brought Gurbani to the world forum through Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai (1969). The way Beatles is remembered in the western music, S. Mohinder enjoys the same stature in Punjabi Cinema. Bakshi Mohinder Singh Sarna (S. Mohinder) was born on February 24, 1925, in Sillanwala, Tehsil Pakpatan (District Montgomery) of undivided Punjab. The title ‘Bakshi’ wa

Mughal-e-Azam is the most proto-typical, expensive and passionate piece of work that Hindi cinema has ever produced. The immaculate recreation of Mughal magnificence “Mughal-e-Azam”, sixty years after its release on 5 th August, 1960, still continues to fascinate and enthral each succeeding generation of movie-goers and connoisseurs alike with its splendour and opulence. This movie is absolutely intoxicating expression of love with the most erotic and sensuous sequence of Indian cinema in which Salim fondling Anarkali’s face with an ostrich feather. Madhubala’s beautiful and iconic face is motionless in ecstasy as Dilip Kumar watches in adoration, forbidding the audience’s look but inviting their speculation. The theme of the conflict between passionate individual love and duty is an abiding preoccupation that spawns endless cinematic permutations. Yet for sheer baroque grandiosity, K. Asif's excessive elaboration of the theme remains in a class by itself and is worth preservin