Lubaba Mahjabin Prima

Be it his soul touching performance in “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” or the dramatic remake of Amitabh Bachchan's “Don”, Farhan Akhtar is undoubtedly Bollywood’s versatile genius. Today marks the birthday of the actor-director and musician extraordinaire and to commemorate; here are 5 of his movies that you cannot miss at all!

‘Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld’ started streaming on Netflix this week. Introducing '90s Mumbai, the organized crime capital of India, the documentary underpins how Mumbai's organized crime structure evolved into a reign of the mafias and what drove the state apparatus to desperation. The crazy world of destitute boys turned gangsters, insiders turned informants, police interrogations and all sorts of crimes is aptly captured in this documentary. Real policemen, criminals and journalists talk about the tumultuous times.

For a long time, Bollywood has lacked proper representation for people of all backgrounds, identities and body types. However, now a new wave of movies is changing this stifling absence. Satramm Ramani's "Double XL" is indeed one such breath of fresh air. Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi play the characters of two plus-sized women navigating professional and personal lives in this movie. All women know the stress of looking a certain way and the fear of body shaming. This infused shame is almost palpable in the characters, and as they shed that, the reinvigoration is transmitted to the audience.

The screen lights up to a burkha–clad woman claiming that she is now Fatima, her previous identity being Shalini Unnikrishnan, indicating a case of forced conversion.

Before dropping Part 2 of “Karagar”, Anirban Bhattacharya and Chanchal Chowdhury sat down for a discussion.

"Joyjatra" begins in a remote village. Even though the Liberation War is already underway, there is a sense of denial regarding the looming danger.

A complicated mother-daughter relationship, an artist's personal and professional lives, morality and mental health--deeply interesting issues come together to form the brilliant mix that is "Qala".

On November 4, Guns N’ Roses released a new version of their hit song, “November Rain”, resyncing it with the original music-video, paired with a 50-piece orchestra.

Only recently, viewers saw the release of the trailer for Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming movie, “Pathaan”. Since the trailers release, many Bollywood fans are excited at the prospect of what the film will have in store, particularly because it casts Deepika Padukone opposite SRK.

In early 2007, writer-director Imtiaz Ali began working on his second film, casting the then real-life couple Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their fourth film together. Viewed as an underdog during its making by many, even Kareena herself, the movie went on to not only surprise everyone, but also to set a precedence in terms of quality. Today, even after 15 years, the movie is immensely popular and loved. Sensitively crafted characters, picturesque cinematography, hilarious dialogues and amazing music have earned it a space in our hearts and minds, like no other Bollywood movie.

In October 2012, Bollywood witnessed the cinematic comeback of one its greatest stars ever, Sridevi, in the film "English Vinglish”. The immense commercial and critical success of the movie was remarkable in more ways than one, and was pivotal in the way woman-centric cinemas were viewed in South Asia’s film industry. After her film “Judaai”, released in 1997, Sridevi went to a hiatus for 15 long years. After her majestic comeback no one thought possible, “English Vinglish” was monumental in shaping the industry’s outlook regarding married actresses -- who were deemed ‘unfit’ for leading roles. In the male-dominated industry, actresses are mostly considered to have a short screen life, because movies didn’t have good enough roles to fit them after a certain age. But when Sridevi was hailed as the "female Rajinikanth in India", notions regarding who can and cannot be a superstar were built anew.

Now, be it TikTok reels or YouTube shorts, her song "Teka Pakhi" from the Chorki Original film "Dui Diner Duniya" is all the rage.

Can you imagine Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a movie? That is exactly what happened in 1973, on the set of the movie "Sangram". The man behind this unimaginable feat was one of the finest directors of Bangladesh, Chashi Nazrul Islam.

A dark comedy, with artistic value and a brilliant satirical take on the social fabric of formerly colonised countries, "Foreigners Only" is yet another masterpiece by Nuhash Humayun.

Ever since the teaser for Andrew Dominik's "Blonde" was released, it received a lot of publicity. The film is based on a novel of the same name, and is a fictionalised take on the life and career of the illusive American actress, Marilyn Monroe.

“Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga”, released in June, is indeed a breath of fresh air from the other recent projects of Srijit. It is based on the character Gangaram, a village chief, who offers to sacrifice his life for his villagers. When the harvests at the village are bad for consecutive years, and he fails to attain any government scheme to support his starving people, he hatches a plot.

Mahalya has arrived once again, bringing with it the spirituality and festivity that many of us love and cherish. And while the festivities alone are joyous enough for us to celebrate the holiday, it would be even more delightful to watch a few good movies that captivate the essence of the occasion.

A group of friends talking, laughing and creating music. A room filled with beautiful doodles in the background, and books scattered all around. This is the setting for Hatirpool Sessions.

Recently, all of Bangladesh is celebrating the success of our tigresses at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship this year. However, for South Asian women, choosing sports as a profession is rarely encouraged.

Fifty-one years ago, in this very month of September, Allen Ginsberg visited the Jessore Road. Upon his return to America, he would write the anti-war poem “September on Jessore Road”, which would be monumental in shifting the opinions of Americans to oppose the support of Pakistan in the Liberation War.