Kishore Kumar threatened to quit playback singing in the early 1980s, being disillusioned by the quality of songs he was getting. Lata Mangeshkar decided to curb her assignments from the …
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: Border 2 Makes Up in Emotions When its Second Half Gets Too ‘Filmi’
by Rajiv Vijayakar 6 minutes readA sequel to a cult classic and 1997’s biggest hit, Border, its sequel Border 2’s inspiration, according to its co-producer Bhushan Kumar, came after Gadar 2’s enormous success. Sunny Deol from the first …
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Rani Mukerji Looks Back at Her Splendiferous Journey
by Rajiv Vijayakar 8 minutes readShe’s 30. In films. Rani Mukerji, as per filmmaker and friend Karan Johar, has put in “30 years of groundbreaking work”. As he interviewed her at the Yash Raj Studios on …
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Ajay Devgn’s & Danish Devgn’s Lens Vault Studios Unveil Bal Tanhaji, Their First Generative AI Original from the Unsung Warriors Chapters
by Rajiv Vijayakar 3 minutes readAjay Devgn, along with nephew Danish Devgn, has stepped forward to take storytelling into a new era of technology through Lens Vault Studios (LVS), the next-generation entertainment studio founded by …
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Shatrughan Sinha-Rajinikanth film Takrao Becomes Rajinikanth-Shatrughan’s Hum Mein Shahenshah Koun As it Marches to Screen
by Rajiv Vijayakar 4 minutes readAfter remaining locked in time for decades, the multi-star Hum Mein Shahenshah Koun is finally set for a nationwide theatrical release. Produced by Raja Roy (actress Reena Roy’s brother, who earlier produced …
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Taskaree: The Smugglers Web Takes Off Worldwide, Becomes First Indian Series to Claim #1 Spot on Netflix’s Global Non-English TV Charts
by Rajiv Vijayakar 4 minutes readTaskaree: The Smuggler’s Web joins Netflix’s growing slate of Indian hits resonating far beyond home territory. The latest original series has truly taken flight on the global stage, making history as …
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Web Review: “Bhay: The Gaurav Tiwari Mystery” is Horror Drama with a Difference
by Rajiv Vijayakar 3 minutes readPerhaps it was high time such a story was told. A ghost-hunter has been murdered. Who did this ghoulish act? Was it murder by a human being? Or….?! A tale …
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Film Review: “Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos” is Unhappy and Dangerous Attack on Mental Health
by Rajiv Vijayakar 4 minutes readThere are awesome films that can be remembered as “experiences” or “emotions” rather than movies. Dhurandhar in the formal category and Tanvi—The Great are such respective cinema. There is a third category: movies so …
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On January 16, 2026, his centenary was celebrated by his fans. Omkar Prasad Nayyar, known to us all as O.P. Nayyar, was the ultimate musical maverick, who broke all convention …
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Never mind the miserable overall business in 2025, trade analysts and the industry, and of course, we the audience, do look forward to a great 2026. The first half of …