What are some unknown facts about Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchon's movie "Anand"?

 The movie Anand starring Amitabh Bacchan and Rajesh Khanna was a blockbuster hit. The movie was successful in bagging many awards. Great acting by both the superstars. Let us find out some interesting facts about the movie.

1: Kishore Kumar was the first choice of Rishikesh Mukherjee for the role of Anand.

2: Actor Raj Kapoor address Rishikesh Mukherjee as Babu Mushai and that how it became part of the script.

3: The film is dedicated to the city of Mumbai.

4: Rajesh Khanna was so excited to do the role of Anand that he immediately started shooting the movie.

5: Rajesh Khanna only charged Rs 7 lakhs as his fee for the movie Anand.

6: On the day Anand was released, Amitabh had gone to fill the petrol in his car in the morning. Nobody recognized him then.

When he reached the petrol pump again in the evening, people started recognizing him.

7: Amitabh Bachchan revealed in "Kaun Banega Crorepati", that in the scene when Anand dies and his character cries cuddling to him, he actually was laughing.

8: The climax of the film when Rajesh Khanna dies was frequently played on news channels when Rajesh Khanna died.

9: Ramesh Deo and Seema Deo, who played the role of a couple (Mr. & Mrs. Kulkarni) in the movie, are also married in real life.

10: The song Zindagi Hai Kaisi Paheli was sung by Khanna separately and Amitabh was added later.

What is the movie name of Ajay Jadeja?

 After proving his mettle in cricket, Jadeja tried his luck in movies but was yorked in his first film itself.

Ajay Jadeja acted in Khel (2003) with Suniel Shetty and Sunny Deol. The reason being the high profile match-fixing scandal and a subsequent five year ban from international cricket. Jadeja had himself remarked that films happened because there was no cricket at that time and dancing with heroines was definitely easier than facing Shoaib Akhtar.

Jadeja took up Khel as a temporary venture while away from cricket. He got the lead role of Rohan because of his friendship with Suniel Shetty. The film was produced by Popcorn Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd which is owned by Suniel Shetty.

Jadeja also acted in a movie titled, “Pal Pal Dil Ke Ssaat”. He also did a cameo in the film, “Kai Po Che” where he played himself in a cricket commentator role.

He was a contestant on the celebrity dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Ja and appeared as a guest on, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and Comedy Circus.

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What are some lesser known facts about the movie Sholay?

 What if I told you that this lady had something to do with Sholay?

Can you crack it? No?

Let me explain.

But before that let me share with you a trivia.

We are all familiar with Sholay’s ending → Thakur and Gabbar fight, and at the very end (like it always happens in Hindi movies), the police come and arrest Gabbar.

However, this was not the ending that Sippy had originally created.

As per the original script by Sippy, Thakur fights with Gabbar. Thakur beats the hell out of Gabbar. Thakur sees a knife like thing protruding out of the pillar where he was tied and his hands were cut off. Thakur does a flying kick on Gabbar that pushes Gabbar to the pillar with the protruding knife. Gabbar gets pierced by the knife and dies.

You are probably thinking, “Hmmm… all fine, good trivia, but what the hell does this have to do with Indira Gandhi?”

Well, here comes the real trivia.

Madam Indira had declared the emergency on 25th Jun 1975. Sholay was launched about six weeks later on 15th Aug 1975.

And emergency being emergency, the censor board did not like the idea of vigilante justice, about people taking law into their own hands. Perhaps there was a lurking fear that censor board felt that this kind of ending might inspire people to disregard the police in particular and the government bodies in general.

The censor board forced Sippy to change the ending, where the police arrest Gabbar. That was their way of reiterating, that the “Police / Government bodies are the supreme at all times, what to speak of now during emergency”

What is your review of Alia Bhatt's latest movie Alpha?

 After the War, Tiger, and Pathaan movies, Alpha is the latest addition to the YRF Spy Universe. The only two survivors of a company in the Kargil War come up with the plan of training the next generation of Indian soldiers who would redefine warfare. It's a secret operation, and the program is codenamed Alpha, and their strategy is to inject a serum into the soldiers that will make them super soldiers - kinda like the Captain America story!

Alpha is India's first female-led spy movie, and truly speaking, it was a good and entertaining watch. I know, there's a Dhurandhar-bhakt gang who is trying to belittle the movie, but it's not a bad one! In fact, it was pretty good. Sure, YRF films are more inclined towards entertainment, and you have female soldiers wearing bikinis swimming in the river to escape the enemy, but the storyline was superb, and the execution was brilliant.

Although Alia Bhatt is the leading lady, Sharvari’s performance was so good that she never let herself be the second fiddle to her role. Anil Kapoor was good too, but as I said, it's a YRF film, and so, the R&AW Chief is also on the field, shooting at enemies while taking a bullet to save his troops. Bobby Deol, who plays the role of the antagonist in the movie (not exactly a spoiler because that gets revealed quite early in the movie), also did a fabulous job!

By the way, Hrithik Roshan makes a cameo appearance, but his screentime barely lasts for two minutes. A little more of his screen presence was expected. Also, Dia Mirza’s role in the film was cut short, but the script required that. Overall, it's a good movie; not exactly a spy movie kind of thing, more like a conspiracy-based film which has a linear storyline with a predictive ending. Alia and Sharvari, playing the roles of Sita and Durga respectively, will return in future movies to pair with Kabir, Tiger and Pathaan, as indicated at the end.

What is something totally normal in movies that never happens in real life?

 I'm going to give you some of the best possible examples so you understand that the things that happen in movies don't happen in real life.

1. Survive any battle of any war unless they show a scene of a loved one at home:

2 A single match is enough to light up a room the size of a football stadium:

3 Instead of using bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their enemies with complicated devices with fuses, lethal gases, lasers, and man-eating sharks:

4 Anyone can land a Boeing 747 with just instructions from the control tower:

These are four clichés that are always repeated.

What is something movies always get wrong?

 Bunch of thieves rob a bank. One of the thieves fills a sports bag with 30+ gold bars and subsequently runs away.

The “subsequently” is the part the movies always get wrong.

A standard gold bar weights 12.4 kilograms (more than 25 pounds), meaning that the thief just ran away with a bag weighing more than 372 kilograms (820 pounds). In real life, the thieve only can run away with a couple of bars — apparently every single member of the gang skipped Physics or Chemistry class (or maybe even Mathematics) when things got interesting.

Gold has a density of 19.3 /, making it actually one of the heaviest materials on Earth, and one of the very worst materials to try to steal.

So know your Science when you write up a movie script (even if about robbing a bank) —

And don’t ever forget about Gravity.

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SOURCES: Szaaman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

What is your review of Diljit Dosanjh's controversial movie, Satluj (2026)?

 Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj underwent 127 cuts before it could get the clearance to be released on an OTT platform. It was released on Zee5 but had to be taken just within hours of its release! The film has now been banned in India. I will talk about the ban and the controversy surrounding the movie, a different answer; let's talk about the movie first.

Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj is about a human rights activist, Jaswant Singh Khalra from Punjab, whose role has been portrayed brilliantly by Diljit Dosanjh, who works as an ordinary banker, observes the horrifying and terrific things happening around him. Under the pretext of controlling militancy in Punjab, Punjab Police started to abduct people from the streets, even their homes and took them to police stations where they were beaten up and executed in fake encounters and later cremated. There are no FIRs reported, no records kept!

Khalra extensively researched close to 25,000 illegal extra judicial dths and cremations carried out by the Punjab Police during 1984 to 1994, and also the klng of approximately 2,000 police officers who refused to comply with the orders. In case you think that this movie is a piece of fiction or propaganda, you may ask anyone from Punjab who lived during that time. While trying to gather information about the mother of his friend who has gone missing, Khalra uncovers a deep conspiracy as he sees hundreds of unclaimed bodies being illegally burned at the government crematoriums.

The first half of the movie showed how Khalra conducted his investigation and tried to internationalise the issue after his own state government turned a blind eye towards it. The second half of the movie features Arjun Rampal, a Senior CBI Officer sent to investigate the disappearance of Khalra, which eventually exposes the deeper conspiracy within the Punjab Police. The movie also exposed the dirty work that super-cop KPS Gill did during this period. However, they had changed his name to Bitta in the movie.

Anyway, I would suggest you watch the movie if you can get a hold of it. This movie shows why the common people are afraid of approaching the police even today. The police aren't there to protect the victims and the helpless, it protects the government and those who are in power. Those who are trying to give it a Khalistani angle are only trying to badmouth the film without any facts. The movie has no mention of Khalistan or any anti-India statements. Instead, the movie is the perfect example of the saying, “When the protector becomes the predator.” It appeals to the world to recognise those who claim to be the Messiah of peace and prophets of democracy, but in reality, are nothing but suppressors of peace and silencers of democracy.

What's wrong or mistakes in the movie Liger?

 The Biggest And Costliest Mistake Of Liger

Vijay Deverakonda’s much anticipated Pan-Indian film Liger was released in theatres on August 25th. It opened to disastrous reviews and tanked at the box office. The film has been unanimously deemed a disaster and has also been subject to a lot of trolling.

There are a lot of mistakes that led up to the downfall of Liger. The first mistake was Vijay Deverakonda not looking at the script of the film. The second mistake was Puri Jagannadh not writing any script and the third mistake was converting it into a movie.

But perhaps, there is a greater mistake than all these mistakes. The biggest and also the costliest mistake of Liger is roping in Mike Tyson to play an extended cameo. It cost the team more than 25 crores to bring in Mike Tyson to play a role in the film. The producers had to break the bank to get him in the movie.

This would be understandable if Mike Tyson played a crucial role in the film but he adds no value to the proceedings. In fact, his sequence in the film looked unintentionally funny and made the audiences cringe in their seats.

This was a huge blunder from the team as Mike Tyson did not attract audiences to the theatres. Mike Tyson is undeniably a legend in the boxing world but in the world of Tollywood, no one cares about Mike Tyson’s presence in Liger.

Instead of spending huge bucks on Mike, they could have roped in some superstars from other industries which would have helped in filling more seats. Because of Mike, the budget for the film was increased and not a single penny has been recovered from those 25 crores.

How do movies use disturbing scenes to explore complex themes like morality and justice, and what are some notable examples?

 I just saw Obsession—and it does a bit of that.

A man gets a special stick he can break and be granted one wish. He wishes his love interest would love him more than anyone or anything in the world.

And he gets more than he bargained for:

She becomes psychotically obsessed with him as this dark psyche takes over. It shows what happens when you take someone’s autonomy away from them.

The movie is also a great commentary on codependency and toxic relationships. I caught myself laughing quite a bit, as I’d encountered a few women over the years who displayed some of these behaviors (albeit slightly less extreme).

What’s incredible is that the director was only 25 when they filmed it and they only had a ~750,000 budget. So far the film has grossed more than $300 million.

Definitely a great film.

What is the last movie of the actress Nirupa Roy?

 Nirupa Roy is best known as the “quintessential mother of Bollywood” and the “queen of misery” for her portrayals of long-suffering, self-sacrificing mothers in Hindi Cinema.

She played mother to Amitabh Bachchan for almost 25 years. Films like Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Mukadar Ka Sikandar, Mard, Suhaag, Khoon Pasina, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati are known for their mother-son portrayal.

It seems she had a soul-connection with Bachchan as she played mother to him in her last film too.

Nirupa Roy’s last film was Lal Baadshah where she played the foster mother to Amitabh Bachchan. Nirupa Roy was less active in the 90s decade and appeared in very few films. Lal Baadshah was designed as a massive, larger-than-life vehicle for Amitabh Bachchan.

Similar to Aaj Ka Arjun, Bokadia wanted to tap into his loyal audience in rural areas (specifically Eastern UP and Bihar - where the film did good business) by casting Bachchan as “the messiah of the poor”. Shilpa Shetty and Manisha Koirala were used as recognised pretty faces and glamour girls to maximise box-office appeal.

K.C. Bokadia had cast Nirupa Roy due to her mother-son dynamics with Bachchan. He wanted to capitalise on their deep emotional connection and historic on-screen chemistry. Lal Baadshah was the final film appearance of Roy’s legendary career but the film fell flat at the box-office.

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What are some examples of films in India that sparked major controversy and how were they handled?

 In India s*x is considered a very taboo subject and cultural organisations are always up against the visual depiction of S*xuality in cinema. So when an Indian American filmmaker decided to make a film on one of the most controversial topics of Indian cinema it received a lot of backlash which was handled in a very manipulative way by the makers.

Mira Nair was making a film titled K*masutra: A tale of Love. Obviously the Indian government were not very happy with this and didn't gave permission to shoot the film. So that Mira Nair did was she didn't give any title to the film and hid the actual content of the film.

To deceive the government officials they gave the working title of the film as “Maya and Tara” the names of the protagonists of the film. Many political and cultural groups complained that the makers are shooting inappropriate scenes and are demeaning Indian culture. When the officials came to visit, the makers improvised fake scenes to show to the officials just to deceive them into thinking that they are making a period drama based on the story Uttaran (which it was but with added erot**ism). When the officials discovered the actual content of the film, the makers did what most Indians do to get their work done- “bribe” or what they call protection money.

Eventually when the film was up for release the Indian censor board refused certification to the film and the film was promptly banned not just in India but also in Pakistan. It didn't modest business and is not considered a great film in the filmography of Mira Nair.

What final scene ruined a great movie for you?

 The final scene or you can say the ending of Bollywood movie "Shadi mein jaroor aana" ruined an otherwise great movie for me.

**Spoiler Ahead**

This is a very good movie showing the story of a boy whose to be wife run away on marriage day for her career goals. The boy had extreme love for the girl and this incident broke him. His family suffered due to this incident.

Fast Forward 5 years the boy is now an IAS and investigating a case of corruption against the same girl. During the investigation he kind of takes his revenge and in the end of the investigation proves that the girl is not guilty.

Girl is thankful to him however he left even without looking towards the girl.

The movie could have very well ended here however Bollywood have a deep feeling for happy endings. Now the girl again starts flirting with the hero and arranges a fake marriage with a different boy.

Now, overlooking all the embarrassment and shame they faced due to this girl the hero's family go to this fake wedding and finally hero heroine get married.

This completely ruined the experience of an amazing revenge movie for me. Why Bollywood do not experiment with their movies what are they affraid of?

Don't know why.

On a side note, after seeing this movie I thought a different ending for the movie where the hero calls heroine to his home and say:-

"How do you think I become an IAS? Just to take revenge. NO! I loved you and what did you do, you broke me. But, then comes my inspiration, who changed my life for good. Who was there when I needed. Who loved and supported me in my tough time. Meet my fiancee, Prerna (Meaning of Inspiration in Hindi).

We are getting married on Sunday. Shadi mein jaroor aana. (must come to wedding)”

What mistake in a movie is so dumb that you wonder how didn’t the directors notice it?

 Power inconsistency.

In a lot of movies which involve superhuman power, the characters sometimes forget that they have powers or their power keeps dropping as the movie goes on.

In the boys series on one season they have certain power and in the next that power completely disappear.

Homelander can tank pretty much anything, which vought themselves said but at the same time Queen Maeve stabs him and he starts bleeding.

Black Noir took a blast to his face and from machine guns and healed without any issue but in the end he dies from knife attack. He also forgot he can fly.

The Deep is insanely durable as he can effortlessly withstand the pressure at the bottom of Mariana Trench but in the end easily dies after a massive squid shove his tentacles in his Ahhh.

Thor, who is known as the god of thunder gets electrocuted by a tiny device on his neck.

In which Bollywood movie did the villain have a valid point?

 In almost all the rich guy poor girl or rich girl poor but type of love stories the father has always a valid point.

Case in point, Pyar Jhukta Nahi (1985) one of the biggest hits of Mithun Chakraborty. Rich girl poor boy love story. The problem is not rich and poor falling in love but rather poor man taking a moral high ground and constantly demeaning the rich father with lines like “Seth ji aapki daulat mere pyar ko nahi kharid sakti”!! (Your money cannot buy my love)

I mean in this film the girl's father asked the young man to meet him. He asks him how much he earns? Mithun replies 850 rs. Father gives him a reality check- How will you be able to feed my daughter properly with this meagre income. And what does the man does- he and the girl start singing song embarassing the fatjer in public. Eventually the gir and boy get married.

The father in law tries to upgrade the lifestyle of the boy by getting him a promotion. But when the husband gets to know this his ego is hurt because apparently he has bought his dignity. Father says I am doing this so that my daughter and son in law can live a comfortable life. So what does the son in law did- he resigned from the job because “unhone meri khuddari ko lalkara” (they hurt my dignity and self respect).

He comes home - where his wife is attending relatives from her mother side unwillingly. But he misunderstands it, accuse her of behaving like the daughter of a rich girl, she accused him that he is not ready to upgrade himself. Her father had told him that he would sponsor him. He can get a photo studio of his own. But he rejected. The girl asks why- won't it secure our future? We can take it as a loan and return it to them. But our “khuddar” hero doesn't agree. Eventually conflict escalated and he asks the girl to leave his house.

Long story short it took a long time and emotional route for them to reconcile and the parents apologise for their selfish behaviour. But I also felt that the conflict could have been easily resolved had the hero not been a j*RK throughout and accepted his father in law’s advice and not made it a question of his ego. The father in law was questionable at times but he did had a valid point a lot of times.

What is the psychological fact behind movie 'Kartik calling Kartik'?

 In the film Karthik calling Karthik, Farhan Akhtar suffers from schizophrenia and alter ego.

An introvert Karthik holds himself responsible for his brother’s untimely death due to a childhood incident. He fails to understand reality and exhibits abnormal social behaviour. A person with schizophrenia often mixes reality and fiction.

A delusioned Karthik finds it difficult to distinguish between external reality and internal thoughts. His chaotic work environment worsens his situation and he decides to end up his life.

The Alter Ego:

He starts receiving his own voice messages. He would wake up in the night, leave messages for himself and then receive them at a specific time in the morning.

He gives suggestions to himself and there is a good change in his personal life. His alter ego threatens him not to reveal his calls to anyone and if he does, his life will be ruined.

Here the mystery caller is the manifestation of his own alter ego who offer him advices. In one way a secondary alternative personality that exists within Karthik.

Finally with the help of a psychiatrist he stops engaging with his alter ego (the phone) and confronts the reality that he himself is responsible for his own life.

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