Bollywood

Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet dazzles with jazz, art deco and grandeur, but the storytelling falls flat. Our 2015 review of the Ranbir Kapoor starrer.

Arup Raha reviews Shoojit Sircar's Piku — a father-daughter road trip built on great performances by Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Irrfan.

In February 2015, the BMC demolished a 75-metre ramp Shah Rukh Khan had built on a public road outside Mannat — and considered billing him for it.

Shah Rukh Khan's Fan (2016) cast him in a double role — a superstar and his obsessive lookalike fan — in one of his most challenging performances.

In January 2015, Deepika Padukone spoke openly about her depression and anxiety — one of Bollywood's first major stars to do so.

Arup Raha's Bolly Volley column reviews PK and picks the Top 10 Bollywood films of 2014 — from Queen and Haider to Dedh Ishqiya and Filmistaan.

A 2014 report claimed SRK would return for Don 3 — but history took a different turn: in August 2023 Farhan Akhtar announced Ranveer Singh as the new Don.

Guest critic Lopamudra Banerjee Dhar on Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider — Hamlet in Kashmir, the Army portrayal, and why revenge can't buy freedom.

Comedian Sahil Shah's reaction video to Hindi film songs captures something universal: the involuntary surrender to Bollywood's joy. From the TI archives.

A 2014 TI op-ed on the Deepika Padukone vs. TOI cleavage-photo row — and the uncomfortable question of Bollywood's own objectification of women.

Part 2 of the 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' story — Sudhir Mishra's 1996 single-night thriller, and the true family incident behind it.

A six-page letter found after Jiah Khan's death accused an unnamed person of abuse and a forced abortion. Sooraj Pancholi was arrested — and acquitted in 2023.

In 2013, Bollywood planned a Rambo remake with John Abraham — and Stallone reportedly said John was 'built better than I ever was.'

Jiah Khan, 25, was found dead at her Juhu residence on June 3, 2013. The Bollywood fraternity mourned the Nishabd and Ghajini actor's death.

Bolly Volley Vol 13 (May 2013): 22 Bollywood picks — Khosla Ka Ghosla, Dev D, Lagaan and more — plus how digital transformed Indian cinema.

Retro Reel Vol 19: a true 1996 Hyderabad story — a gun at a cinema ticket window, then 'based on a true story' flashes on screen. Guess the film!

Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi opened Chicago's Eye on India Festival 2013 at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace — on cinema's lost depth, Urdu, and art as

In May 2013 came word that Rajkumar Santoshi would direct an Andaz Apna Apna sequel. Within months he denied it — and the sequel never got made.

Chetan Bhagat's first draft for Salman's Kick reportedly didn't make the cut — 'not commercial enough.' A small window into Bollywood script politics.

In this playful 2013 item, Priyanka Chopra's aunt picks the perfect match for her niece: Mohit Raina, TV's beloved Mahadev — Priyanka finds her 'Shiv.'

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan faced the prospect of a decade in prison as a court took up the long-running criminal cases against him — a legal saga that had…

A 2013 ThoughtfulIndia column argues that Shah Rukh Khan's 'Being a Khan' essay struck a false note — from a star this country had already made its own.

Dilip Kumar's brothers accused the 90-year-old legend of breaking promises over their Pali Hill bungalow's redevelopment and unpaid maintenance.

Hrithik Roshan turned 39 on January 10, 2013, and his wife's 'surprise' yacht party was no surprise at all: the newspapers told him first.

Vidya Balan rushed to finish Ghanchakkar before her December 2012 wedding to Disney UTV chief Siddharth Roy Kapur, the industry wedding of the year.

Bolly Volley's year-ender: 2012 was the year Bollywood's middle cinema broke through, from Barfi! and Kahaani to Gangs of Wasseypur.

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor married in a quiet registered ceremony at his Bandra home on October 16, 2012, ending five years of speculation.

Varsha Bhosle, 56, singer and columnist and daughter of Asha Bhosle, was found dead at her Pedder Road home on October 8, 2012, police said.

Ten years after Salman Khan's Land Cruiser ran over pavement dwellers in Bandra, killing one and injuring others, the victims were still waiting for

On his 80th birthday, Yash Chopra announced that the Shah Rukh Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan would be his last film as director.

Excel Entertainment, the production house of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, became the first Indian film company studied in a Harvard Business School case.

The 3rd annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival opens with the North American premiere of Heroine and a world-premiere lineup, Sept 20–23, 2012.

Mira Nair's adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist opened the 2012 Venice Film Festival, starring Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson.

For Dhoom 3's long Chicago shoot, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan moved into rented apartments for three months — making the Windy City a second home.

Dhoom 3: Back in Action started filming in downtown Chicago on August 8 — Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra in a YRF buddy-cop blockbuster.

Deepika Padukone was named for the biennial Smita Patil Memorial Award by the Priyadarshni Academy, to be presented on September 18, 2012.

Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood's first superstar, died on July 18, 2012. Fifteen consecutive solo hits, mass hysteria, and a stardom India had never seen before.

Oprah's 2012 India episode of Oprah's Next Chapter drew fierce backlash from Indian viewers over its 'still eat with their hands' moment and stereotyped gaze.

In July 2012, reports said Jab We Met director Imtiaz Ali had separated from his wife Preety — ending one of Bollywood's quietest marriages.

Dara Singh — champion wrestler, beloved Hanuman of television's Ramayan, and nominated Rajya Sabha member — died at his Mumbai home on July 12, 2012, aged 83.

In July 2012, Saif Ali Khan was juggling Cocktail's release, a just-finished Race 2 shoot in Istanbul, and wedding plans with Kareena Kapoor for October 16.

In July 2012, newly surfaced photos showed Aamir Khan strikingly lean — a physical transformation for his against-type turn as the villain in Dhoom 3.

Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapoor's joint Wimbledon appearance in July 2012 ended months of speculation, confirming one of Bollywood's most-watched couples.

Esha Deol, daughter of Hema Malini and Dharmendra, married businessman Bharat Takhtani in June 2012. Notes from the pre-wedding mehendi in Mumbai.

Reports of a Gauri Khan–Priyanka Chopra reconciliation are trivial in detail but revealing in structure — Bollywood's gossip economy, gendered, decoded.

In June 2012, buzz grew that Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan would marry on October 16, though Kareena stayed silent at a Sony Vaio event.

Choreographer-director Farah Khan debuted as a lead actor opposite Boman Irani in 2012's Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi — with Madhuri Dixit unveiling the

Six months after giving birth, Aishwarya Rai walked Cannes 2012 in Roberto Cavalli — and the media's body-shaming fixation said more about them than about her.

On May 21, 2012, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra welcomed their first child, a baby boy later named Viaan Raj Kundra, announcing the birth on social media.

After fifteen years away, Sridevi returned with Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish in 2012 — a film about dignity, invisibility, and the cost of being unseen

When 'Satyamev Jayate' debuted in May 2012, critics attacked Aamir Khan's emotions instead of the issues. Film critic Subhash K.

Vidya Balan's 2012 relationship with studio executive Siddharth Roy Kapur quietly challenged a stubborn assumption: that the man must be the more prominent

Reports in April 2012 said Salman Khan planned to gift Kareena Kapoor a BMW for her Dabangg 2 item song — she was doing two cameos as favors that year.

Released June 2012, Rowdy Rathore crossed the 100-crore mark in its opening week — Akshay Kumar's double role in the Dabangg mold.

Reports of trouble in Karisma Kapoor's marriage surfaced in 2012. The divorce from Sanjay Kapur was finalized in 2016, with custody of their two children to

A soft-drink campaign promised 'Katrina ka number label ke andar.' The label carried a Gurgaon techie's real phone number — and the calls haven't stopped.

With Paan Singh Tomar and Kahaani released, Arup Raha names the one upcoming film he's most looking forward to: Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.

What celebrity fitness really involves: hours in the gym, personal trainers, yoga, and strict diets. The honest truth behind the perfect bodies on screen.

Irrfan Khan, Sonali Bendre, and Rishi Kapoor spoke openly about cancer — and changed how India talks about illness. The cultural shift their honesty created.

Aamir Khan stepped away from everything to make Satyamev Jayate, TV about India's hardest social issues. Why the 'offline' part was the story.

Saif Ali Khan was arrested on February 21, 2012, for allegedly assaulting businessman Iqbal Mir Sharma at Mumbai's Taj hotel — and released on bail in an hour.

The Dhoom casting rumor was wrong: only one Khan signed up. Aamir Khan joined Dhoom 3 as the franchise's first Khan villain, after John Abraham and Hrithik.

Arup Raha monthly Bollywood column: previews, reviews and unsolicited views on upcoming releases — February 2012 edition.

On the Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu sets, Imran Khan turned photographer and exhibited candid portraits of co-star Kareena Kapoor, shot on iPhone and SLR, in Mumbai.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made his first trip to India in February 2012, attending TERI's 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in New Delhi as guest of honour.

Asha Bhosle, the Guinness-record most-recorded artist in music history, was to be felicitated with a lifetime achievement award at the 2012 Screen Awards.

How Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao's 2011 announcement of son Azad's birth via IVF surrogate opened India's mainstream conversation on surrogacy's ethics, law,

Bolly Volley returns: the two big releases since the last edition were Ra.One and Rockstar. A look back at both — Bollywood's costliest spectacle and Imtiaz

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan welcomed daughter Aaradhya on November 16, 2011 — announced, fittingly, on Twitter by the Bachchans themselves.

A casual family dinner in the US with Ehsaan Noorani of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy — jingles vs film songs, the Dus days, and advice for young musicians. Video inside.

Aamir Khan's 2011 television debut announcement became Satyamev Jayate — a Star Plus talk show on social issues that premiered May 6, 2012.

A tribute to ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, who died on October 10, 2011 — the voice that brought the ghazal out of the drawing room and into everyone's home.

Farhan Akhtar called the 3D trailer of Shah Rukh Khan's RA.One 'outstanding' on Twitter, as he wrapped shooting Don 2 ahead of its December 2011 release.

Bolly Volley returns: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan hits theatres this weekend, with Mausam and Force lined up. A monthly shower of Bollywood previews and views.

Bodyguard's record ₹21.6 crore opening made Kareena Kapoor Bollywood's undisputed No. 1 heroine in September 2011 — with four Khan films lined up next.

Bodyguard crossed Rs 200 crore, making Salman Khan's third straight blockbuster. The commercial logic of Bollywood now bends around one man — who is

Bolly Volley Volume 3 (July 2011): Arup Raha's monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews, and unsolicited views from the Hindi film beat.

Farhan Akhtar sent a legal notice to the Times of India group over an April 2011 Bombay Times story linking him to an assistant director.

Aishwarya Rai's 2011 pregnancy raised a real Bollywood question: can a top actress keep a major career after becoming a mother?

John Abraham confirmed his nine-year relationship with Bipasha Basu had ended — quietly, directly, and without the usual Bollywood drama.

Hrithik Roshan's TV debut as a dance-show judge came with advice from Cat Deeley: be honest, be constructive, and remember personality wins votes.

A TOI story on Akshay Kumar's mango-loving humility has all the hallmarks of planted PR — until the humble farmer friend owns hundreds of acres.

Arup Raha's monthly Bollywood column: the new wave of debutant directors, plus Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Delhi Belly, Ready — and a music quiz.

Shah Rukh Khan threw himself into Ra.One's dance numbers in 2011 — rehearsing for months and filming Chammak Challo with Akon on playback.

Tanuja and Kajol, Dimple and Twinkle, Hema and Esha — five Bollywood mother-daughter pairs where the resemblance, on screen and off, is uncanny.

Ram Gopal Varma called Raveena Tandon stunning — reviving a conversation about the 1990s star who refused Bollywood's script for fading leading ladies.

By 2011, Sussanne Roshan’s Charcoal Project was establishing itself as a serious player in Mumbai’s luxury design market — not a celebrity hobby business.

In March 2011 Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan faced a camera together for the first time in a decade — for a Tanishq diamond campaign.

Saif Ali Khan argued Bollywood is creatively self-sufficient. The commercial case is strong; the creative one is more contested.

In 2011, Madhuri Dixit's public comeback came via a basmati rice ad, not a film. On stardom, fallow years, and the road back to Dedh Ishqiya.

In 2011, Abhishek Bachchan spoke candidly about building muscle -- and confidence -- for Dhoom 3. Inside Bollywood's physical-transformation era.

Anil Kapoor wants the long-discussed Mr. India sequel to finally get moving -- with the 3D follow-up rumored to cast Salman Khan in a negative role.

Income tax officials raided the Mumbai homes and offices of Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif on January 24, 2011 over suspected tax evasion.

Priyanka Chopra will reprise her reporter role opposite Hrithik Roshan in Krrish 3, after rumors she was out of the superhero sequel.

Kareena Kapoor mocked Priyanka Chopra's accent on Koffee With Karan, and Priyanka fired back, dragging Saif Ali Khan into it. Inside the 2010 spat.

Salman Khan quipped that not even a mosquito went to watch Guzaarish — and captured Bollywood’s eternal split between critical acclaim and ticket sales.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the isolation after Saawariya's failure, a year studying euthanasia, and the making of Guzaarish. From his IANS interview.

Celebrity morning routines flatter the subject and sell a myth: that 5 a.m. discipline causes success, rather than success enabling it. A skeptical look.

Phas Gaye Re Obama, Subhash Kapoor's satirical comedy about an NRI who loses everything in America and returns to India — a film that surprised critics in 2010.

Bollywood's 'Showman' Subhash Ghai announced a one-year sabbatical at IFFI 2010, promising to return to direction with a newcomer.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish brought euthanasia, disability, and dignity to mainstream Bollywood — with Hrithik Roshan's finest performance.

In 2010, Shah Rukh Khan was betting big on Ra.One — Bollywood's most ambitious superhero film, slated for Diwali 2011 at a record budget.

Katrina Kaif reportedly slimmed to size zero for Tees Maar Khan — on Bollywood's body-image debate and the health warnings behind the trend.

A disputed 2010 tabloid episode about a Mumbai nightclub clash, never verified, and what the uproar revealed about women in public space in India.