Next to her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle has been the most iconic female playback singer in Hindi films. Born on September 8, 1933, the 92-year-old songstress has recorded …
Rajiv Vijayakar
Rajiv Vijayakar
Rajiv Vijayakar is the Entertainment Editor at South Asian Herald. He has been a journalist and critic for over 25 years and was part of the National Film Awards Jury in India in 2011 and 2015. He has authored four books, the latest of which, “Music by Laxmikant Pyarelal,” won the National Award for Best Book on Cinema in 2021. He also was on the 2025 jury for choosing the Indian entry for the Oscars.
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Film Review: Ufff Yeh Siyapaa Sees Silences Speak
by Rajiv Vijayakar 4 minutes readA (not really!) errant husband, Kesari (Sohum Shah), whose only wrongdoing is ogling at his seductive neighbor. A wife, Pushpa (Nushrratt Bharuccha) who because of his perverted activity goes into …
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Film Review: The Bengal Files is a Must-Watch Despite the Graphic Violence
by Rajiv Vijayakar 7 minutes readIndia is a nation whose history has always been manipulated big-time, by invaders from the Moghuls to the British and later by various elements in power. The Bengal Files is a massive …
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The September 5, 1952-born Rishi Kapoor, easily one of the most underrated actors in Hindi cinema and also one of the most accomplished, always had a valid complaint about his …
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Web Review: Court Kacheri is a Welcome Mix of the Light and Serious
by Rajiv Vijayakar 4 minutes readDoes a lawyer’s son have to become a lawyer even if he is not interested in the profession and hates everything that comes with it? Is there anything like an …
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Two Iconic Filmmaker-Actor Teams Reunite: Priyadarshan-Akshay and RGV-Manoj
by Rajiv Vijayakar 5 minutes readAkshay Kumar was Priyadarshan’s favorite actor, and ‘two-gether’ they changed the commercial viability (and raised the bar) for full-on, clean comedies together with Hera Pheri (2000). Subsequently, they gave three hits in …
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Jio Studios to Showcase Three Diverse Films at 16th Chicago South Asian Film Festival
by Rajiv Vijayakar 2 minutes readOne of India’s premier content powerhouses, Jio Studios now continues to make its mark on the global stage with the official selection of three of its upcoming films—Ghamasaan, Saali Mohabbat and Bun Tikki—for …
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2025 has been a mixed year so far. It was replete with box-office highs like Chhaava (the biopic on Emperor Shambhaji, the much-misinterpreted Maratha son of Chhatrapati Shivaji) and Saiyaara. Raid 2, Sitaare Zameen …
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Dhadak 2 is a Searing Drama on Caste Discrimination
by Rajiv Vijayakar 5 minutes readCasteism and caste discrimination have been depicted in Indian cinema for decades. Fictional or (sometimes) based on real stories (the latest being the recent biopic, Phule), these movies have spoken about …
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When we see his voice sit ‘pat’ on Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand who started out in the ‘40s through Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Rishi Kapoor (1950s to 1980s) and …