What locations seem cut right out of a horror film?

 There is a well in England—if you put anything inside of it—it will be turned to stone.

Sounds like fiction right?

Mostly—it’s not.

Above you are seeing a series of everyday items hanging over this well, they have been converted into stone over the course of several months.

Mother Shipton’s Cave and Petrifying Well in England was long thought to be cursed by a witch, who hated society and resented it for her mistreatment.

But science has since revealed that petrification happens simply because the water has a very high concentration of minerals which runs over the objects. (Source: Mother Shipton's Cave and the Petrifying Well. Atlas Obscura)

More specifically, the waters continually running over this material quickly adds a layer of stone to everything that is left within it, effectively petrifying it.

It is a strange and beautiful planet we live on.

Why Tamil film industry is referenced as Kollywood? I know that these synonyms comes from "Hollywood" word but What is role of "K" in it?

 Kodambakkam

In 1937, the Government of Madras auctioned lots of land , huge parcels of land in the area today covering Kodambakkam, Saligramam and Vadapalani which were left out of the Industrial auctions of 1918 and 1924

Inspired by BOMBAY TALKIES in Bombay, AVM decided to build his own studio in Madras and purchased a huge parcel of land that became AVM Studios in the 1940s

Soon other studios came around - Vijaya Vauhani, Gemini , Bharani and a number of others mushrooming all round the region

Kodambakkam = Tamil Film Industry

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The Name KOLLYWOOD appeared for the first time in 1997

Journalist Belinda Covaco of Filmfare in 1972 first used the term BOLLYWOOD and made the term popular (It was earlier called TINSEL TOWN)

In 1997, during Chachi 420 premiere , journalists mentioned the word “Kollywood” with the famous phrase when comparing Chachi 420 with Avvai Shanmughi it's original

Ithu Bollywood illana Yenna, nammalum Kollywood acche

(We may not be Bollywood but we are Kollywood)

Kollywood became commonplace by the early 2000s as did Tollywood (Telugu)

Sandalwood (Kannada) was popularised in the mid 2000s and Mollywood, frankly I think just came up because M = Malayalam

Who is the best among film directors turned actors?

 Upendra Rao

The Kannada star has three phases of his career- his films purely as a director where he doesn't play a role, films where he was both actor as well as director and films he did purely as an actor.

Upendra started his career as an assistant to another director turned actor Kashinath (director and actor of films like Anubhavam which he directed in Hindi as Anubhav). As a director Upendra got acclaim with the monstrous hit Om which is considered one of the biggest blockbuster of the Kannada cinema. The film was remade in many languages including in Hindi as Arjun Pandit.

Soon he also acted in his own directional films like Super or A which were very successful. Some of these films were also controversial for the depiction of women in these films but these films are considered cult classic.

Lastly he started getting offers as an actor from outside productions and he has since worked in more than 50 films with films like Preethse which was the remake of Darr, and Aishwarya (debut film of Deepika Padukone much before Om Shanti Om). More recently he was seen in a supporting role in Rajanikanth’s Jailer. However as a lead actor his last few films have not fared well including his ambitious film as actor and director UI. His film Kabzaa was one of the biggest disasters of Kannada cinema and he has not delivered a proper hit since many years.

But still he is recognised as one of the most formidable figures in the Kannada industry who has occasionally worked in Tamil and Telugu films as well.

What's the first film of Rajesh Khanna?

(Rajesh Khanna in Aakhri Khat)

Debut : Rajesh Khanna debuted in Hindi movies with Aakhri Khat (1966)

It was directed by Chetan Anand, a legendary film maker.

He starred opposite Indrani Mukherjee ,a known character actress.

It earned praise by film critics for its subject.

However, it turned out to be a super flop movie.

It is better known for its chartbuster songs composed by Khayyam , a legendary Indian musician.

Fact : Rajesh Khanna became a super star with Aradhana (1969) , a super hit movie.

Pic Credits : Google Images / Web

Who offered Amitabh Bachchan his first role in a film? What was the name of his first film?

 Tinnu Anand

Amitabh Bachchan made his acting debut with the film Saat Hindustani (1969) directed by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas.

The film talks about the struggles of 7 young revolutionaries, with Utpal Dutt playing the lead role. Tinnu Anand was an industry insider courtesy his father Inder Raj Anand and therefore he often met Khwaja Ahmed Abbas in his office who used to give him a passing shot in his movies. Eventually he signed Tinu for a proper role in Saat Hindustani. At that time Khwaja Ahmed Abbas was looking for an actress for the film. He saw a photo of actress Neena Singh from Kolkata who agreed to do the film. It was Neena who suggested the name of Amitabh who was her acquaintance at Bird and Co. company. Khwaja Ahmed Abbas was reluctant and asked Amitabh to come for audition at his own expense in Mumbai (Amitabh was working in Kolkata) and wait for the audition. Tinnu Anand was supposed to play the role played by Amitabh Bachchan but he wanted to become a director and had applied to assist the great filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Before the shooting of Saat Hindustani started, Tinnu Anand received a letter from Satyajit Ray asking him to work with him as assistant. For that Tinnu Anand had to leave for Kolkata. Therefore he had to leave the film Saat Hindustani.

After Neena Singh suggested the name of Amitabh Bachchan who was struggling and desperate to work in movies and was an acquaintance of Rajiv Gandhi who gave him a recommendation letter (Indira Gandhi had become the PM of the country by this time). It was Tinnu Anand who was given the task of offering Rs 5000 to Amitabh for the film. Even though the amount was too low he still accepted it to work in the film. He eventually won a National Special award for this film and the film itself won 3 National awards even though it was not commercially succesful. Interestingly Neena Singh who suggested Amitabh’s movie didn't report for the shooting and was replaced by Shernaaz who was Jalal Agha’s sister who also played one of the roles in the film. Interestingly Shernaaz married Tinnu Anand soon.

It all started a friendship between Amitabh and Tinnu Anand which culminated into a lifetime collaboration with Amitabh and Tinnu working in films like Kaalia, Shahenshah, Major Saab etc with Amitabh as actor and Tinnu Anand as the director. They also worked in films like Agneepath as co actors.

Who are some females among popular Hindi film directors?

 Zoya Akhtar

Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt has been one of the most successful films of Zoya Akhtar after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The flick based on real life rappers Divine and Naezy was indeed an original attempt which received positive reviews from the audience. Zoya has also worked as a writer and assistant director for hits like Talaash and Dil Chahta Hai respectively.

Meghna Gulzar

If you haven’t seen the Alia Bhatt starrer, Raazi, you may fail to appreciate the filmmaking skills of renowned lyricist and poet Gulzar’s daughter Meghna. She has revamped the standards of filmmaking with real topics in the said film and others such as Talvar. Her upcoming film Chhapaak starring Deepika Padukone is based on real life acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Ashwiny has donned the filmmaker’s hat for films like Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki Barfi and now the upcoming Kangana Ranaut starrer Panga. She is the wife of Dangal director Nitish Tiwari. Her films revolve around small town narratives and often tries to put reality unfiltered onscreen.

Alankrita Shrivastava

Alankrita is an independent Indian filmmaker who made her debut with Turning 30!!!, however, it was the critically acclaimed Lipstick Under My Burkha that gave her the recognition she deserved. A film that revolves around the lives of four women featuring Aahana Kumra, Konkona Sen Sharma, Plabita Borthakur and Ratna Pathak Shah was a favourite among movie buffs. Her upcoming film Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare also revolves around women in lead featuring Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar.

Nandita Das

Nandita Das is an all-rounder. She has starred in all kinds of films across the globe. Be it regional cinema or mainstream flicks, she is one powerful woman who has been true to her profession. Her recent achievement was as the filmmaker for Manto, which is the biographical drama film about the famous Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto.

Reema Kagti

Reema has worked as an assistant director for films like Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai. As a director she made her debut with the multi-starrer Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. She further received recognition for her film Talaash: The Answer Lies Within featuring Aamir Khan which was also a hit. Her last seen flick was the Akshay Kumar starrer Gold.

Gauri Shinde

With only two films (English Vinglish, Dear Zindagi) in her career as a director, Gauri Shinde is an extraordinary woman. She made her debut with English Vinglish which was the late actress Sridevi’s comeback onscreen. The film is still considered as one of the top celluloids with a woman in the lead.

Shonali Bose

National Film Award winner Shonali Bose has done few films which include Margarita with a Straw that is a mandatory name in Indian films that executed same sex relationship on the big screen. Her upcoming film is called The Sky Is Pink starring Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim.

Aparna Sen

Aparna Sen is a National Awarding winning actor, filmmaker and screenwriter who is popularly known for her work in Bengali cinema. She made her directorial debut with 36 Chowringhee Lane, produced by Shashi Kapoor. She achieved consistent success with path-breaking films like Sati, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, 15 Park Avenue and The Japanese Wife to name a few.

Deepa Mehta

Best known for her film on elements trilogy – Fire, Earth, and Water, Deepa has used worked with narratives that touch upon topics ranging from homosexuality to patriarchy, to communal strife, to misogyny, to ill-treatment of widows. She has received numerous awards and accolades over the years including an Oscar nomination.

If a film actor passes away during the production of a film, how are those films completed so that they can be released on time?

 There are multiple ways makers navigate such process depending upon the role of the actor, the progress of shooting and the financial aspect of the making.

In case of a minor character, makers generally used a body double or long shots to shoot without anyone letting know that the actor has been changed. The great Satyajit Ray did in his iconic film Pather Panchali (1955) where one of the minor characters playing a shopkeeper passed away so the makers used a man with same height and measurements and shot the remaining sequence using over the shoulder shots of the new actor. Interestingly in the same film the dog used for a sequence passed away before the sequence could be finished so they had to find an identical dog for the sequence.

Body double was also used to shoot some minor song sequences in the film Rang (1993) after Divya Bharti passed Away.

In case a major character of the film pass away they have to be replaced by a new actor and a lot of reshooting is done. For example Divya Bharti had signed more than a dozen films including Laadla (1994), Mohra (1994), Kartavya (1995) etc. In such cases she was replaced by Sridevi, Raveena Tandon, Juhi Chawla etc in these movies.

In rare cases, the makers tweak the story of the film to justify the absence of the actor. In the film Professor ki padosan (1994), which got shelved due to the untimely demise of Sanjeev Kumar and was revived years later, the makers added a track where Sanjeev Kumar is shown drinking a magic potion which made him invisible for the rest of the film and used dubbing artists to dub his voice for the rest of the film. This obviously changed the whole narrative of the film and the film failed badly. In another film of Sanjeev Kumar Hirasat (1987), Sanjeev Kumar was replaced by Shatrughan Sinha but his song was not removed from the film. Instead they show Shatrughan Sinha watching a movie in the theatre and they show the same clips and songs which was originally picturised on Sanjeev Kumar!!

In rare cases the actors are changed in between the film and the same role is played by more than one actor. A few years ago, Sharmaji Namkeen (2021) had Rishi Kapoor in the lead role who shot for significant portions of the film but agter his demise the rest of the film was shot with Paresh Rawal. The makers promoted the film as a tribute to Rishi Kapoor and didn't reshoot the whole film.

Who are the most recognized Indian film directors globally?

 There are so many Indian Directors, whose work has gained name and fame Globally

Like

Shekhar Kapur: The acclaimed director has directed iconic films like Masoom, Mr India in Bollywood while he has directed films like Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age in Hollywood.

Ritesh Batra: He directed The Lunchbox starring Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur which won highly positive reviews form the audiences as well as the critics. He also directed Our Souls At Night starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in Hollywood.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra: He has directed films like Parinda and Eklavya: The Royal Guard in Bollywood while he directed Broken Horses in Hollywood.

Mira Nair- She directed Amelia in Hollywood and also directed the acclaimed film Salaam Bombay in Bollywood

Etc.

But Here i wanna talk about 1 Directors who changed Indian Cinema forever.

This Man proved that Indian Cinema can be more than just singing and dancing .

He introduced Realistic Cinema which gained western audience attention.

SATYAJIT RAY

Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, graphic artist, music composer and author, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century. Ray was born in Calcutta into a Bengali Pandit family which was prominent in the field of arts and literature.

This Man not only played a major role in placing India on the global cinematic map but his works continue to inspire a number of acclaimed filmmakers even today.

10 reasons why Ray was Praised Globally —

1— Akira Kurosawa, one of the most inspirational and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, once said this about Satyajit Ray's films:

2— Oscar Winning Director Martin Scorsese said-

I‘m also a big fan of Satyajit Ray’s body of work. The few interactions I had with Ray are memories I treasure.

3— Ray also gave India its first detective series in the form of Feluda.

4— In the form of Apu, Satyajit Ray made the entire community root for an ordinary boy through the different stages of his life.

5— He also composed the music for all his films.

Some of his original music was even used by Wes Anderson in his film The Darjeeling Limited.

6— During a time when India was used to watching running-around-trees kind of romances, Ray had the courage to sensitively portray adultery and the problems in married life in the acclaimed Charulata.

7— In 1967, Ray wrote a script for a movie entitled "The Alien". Columbia Pictures was in talks to produce it. Peter Sellers and Marlon Brando were supposed to be up for the leading roles. However, Ray was surprised to find that the script he had cowritten had already been copyrighted and the fee appropriated. Brando dropped out of the project and, though an attempt was made to bring James Coburn in to replace him, Ray was disillusioned, had enough of Hollywood machinations and returned to Calcutta. Columbia was interested in reviving the project in the 1970s and 1980s but nothing came of it. When E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was released in 1982, many saw striking similarities in the film to Ray's earlier script. Ray himself believed that Steven Spielberg's movie "would not have been possible without my script of 'The Alien' being available throughout America in mimeographed copies." Spielberg denied this by saying, "I was a kid in high school when this script was circulating in Hollywood".

9— These 5 Hollywood Directors who have been Inspired by Satyajit Ray-

• Martin Scorsese

The legendary filmmaker who has directed classics like Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Casino, The Departed etc is a huge fan of Satyajit Ray's work and often talks about how his films have inspired him. He also cherishes his interactions with him.

• Christopher Nolan

The Dark Knight filmmaker is one of those rare directors who with every film manages to impress both the critics as well as set the box-office on fire. During his recent visit to India, he said that Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali is extraordinary and one of the best films ever made. It made him want to work with Indian directors.

• Wes Anderson

His works bear a heavy influence from Satyajit Ray who he has often cited as his inspiration. The ending of his film The Darjeeling Limited pays homage to Ray's Apu Trilogy.

• Francis Ford Coppola

The legendary filmmaker who has directed The Godfather saga, often cited as the film of all time is a huge fan of Satyajit Ray's work and cites him as a major influence in his life.

• George Lucas

The creator of the Star Wars saga called Satyajit Ray an extraordinary filmmaker whose work had a profound influence on filmmakers across the world. He called for bringing his work to the attention of young filmmakers.

Few others-

10— The first Indian to win Oscar

Some of his quotes

Sad Fact- Still Many people are unaware of him and his work.