Kaifi Azmi did not let the vagaries of the world stifle the strong voice in his poems or song lyrics. The sense of righteousness and purpose fuelled everything he did as an artiste as well as activist.
By Vidhi Salla

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In October 2023, during the surge of AI trends on the internet, I came across a musical duo that had created a deepfake version of the song ‘Haule Haule’ from the 2008 film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, originally sung…

Since the 1950s, Bollywood cinema has seen a steadily growing fanbase in countries outside of the Indian subcontinent such as the former Soviet Union (mainly Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan)…

Continued from previous column…

Dance sequences are integral aspects of Indian cinema that allow filmmakers to expand their creative canvas while fulfilling the audience’s need for an escape from a dramatic plot. Three magic words: “dream sequence song” whisk viewers…

On June 7, during Gallery Walk in downtown Brattleboro, I was invited to DJ and lead a group of revelers to some Bollywood dance as part of the multicultural fest organized by the Ethiopian Community Development Center (ECDC). There was…

Heeramandi, the latest Netfilx series directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been the talk of the month since its release on May 1st. The series allegedly depicts the lives of the courtesans of Hira Mandi, a red-light area in…

When Amrish Puri, known for playing the menacing arch villain in Bollywood, was asked to audition for the role of a tantrik (occultist) in Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom (1984), he refused and was disinterested in the part. Upon…

The annual awards season is at its peak buzz around the time of the Academy Awards. The Oscar is a much-desired award for anyone associated with films. Indian cinema has been participating in this Olympics of cinema since 1957 without…

February is the month of romance because of Valentine’s Day. Nowhere is it more apparent than in a metropolis like Mumbai from where I am writing this piece. Growing up in the city, I’ve observed several telltale signs of Valentine’s…

Shakkar Ke Paanch Daane (five grains of sugar), a solo act written and directed by Manav Kaul, performed by Kumud Mishra is a poem turned into a play. I interviewed both Kaul and Mishra for an article in NCPA’s On…