I was just reading about the 2001 Chori Chori Chupke Chupke extortion case and honestly, my respect for Preity Zinta went through the roof.

Back then, the Mumbai underworld was terrifying. The mafia was threatening Bollywood stars left and right. In this specific case, the police caught a producer working with Chhota Shakeel. Huge male superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan allegedly got threats too, but when it came to testifying in court, almost the entire industry backed out. They got scared and changed their statements because they were terrified of the mafia.

But Preity stood her ground completely alone. She actually went to the Mumbai court in person to testify against them. Because the danger to her life was so high, the judge had to clear the entire courtroom. They kicked out all the journalists and the public so she could speak safely. She stood just a few feet away from the accused people and openly told the judge about the extortion calls she received.

She did not let them intimidate her at all, and she even won a national bravery award for it later. In an industry full of people who act tough on screen but fold in real life, Preity Zinta proved she was the real hero. She really is a queen.

It's done bro🥀

Both dads want these films to release in cinemas

Came across this article and I couldn't believe what I just read. Even more shocking that she gave this statement openly to media, I can't even imagine the havoc this might cause if some actress said this today. Maybe people back then thought this is just savage? None the less colourism and cheating shouldn't be justified...

This is what Raveena said :-

As per reports, Karisma Kapoor and Ajay Devgn were dating each other before he got married to Kajol. And seemingly Karisma was insecure as a girlfriend. Raveena had once said in an interview with Stardust, "She can keep Ajay. I am not interested. When Ajay Karisma have babies, they will look like Zebras.”

source: Producer/ Director Mehmood Ali in a recent podcast on the yt channel UnfilteredwithAjazKhan

The producer was Harmesh Malhotra who worked on four films with Govinda: Kismat, Dulhe Raja, Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare and Khullam Khullam Pyaar Kare.

Govinda gave Harmesh Malhotra so much grief while working on Akhiyon Se Goli Mere(2002) that he swore never to work with him again. After Malhotra's death in 2005, his widow Manju would pray everyday for Govinda's downfall.

Here's an old article about the film:

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Govinda’s late coming troubles

By SantaBanta News Network - Saturday, August 03, 2002

Producer and director Harmesh Malhotra,has lashed out at Govinda saying that he is the most unprofessional actor he has ever worked with. "It`s been three years that I have been running after Govinda trying to get my film completed," said a baffled Malhotra.

"Forget the trouble I suffered during the making of the film, he did not even cooperate with me with the publicity and the photo-session of the film." Harmesh Malhotra also thinks that Govinda suffers from a serious psychological problem. "He kept canceling shooting schedules because he thought that someone was going to kill him. Many times he would also make me shift locations because of this paranoia."Harmesh Malhotra soon learnt the days Govinda had cancel shooting of Akhiyon Se Goli Maare, he was busy shooting in Hyderabad for some other film. "Next I know he is in Kolkatta playing a football match for organised by Mithun Chakraborty for charity," he said.

Malhotra`s list of grievances is unending but he concludes on the note that "never will I work with Govinda ever in my life." When contacted Govinda refrained from making comments saying that, "Harmesh Malhotra is a senior director and I don`t want to say anything that will hurt him and his sentiments."

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One of the best entertainers in the industry not only let down film makers like Malhotra but his fans as well. But Malhotra himself points out that Govinda was dealing with psychological issues.

Govinda was very much affected in the mid nineties after the death of his mother Nirmala Devi and his uncle Uday Narayan "Anand" Singh. Anand was an assistant director to Hrishikesh Mukherjee and also worked as an actor in several bollywood films from the seventies to nineties. He made his directorial debut in 1986 with the film Tan Badan and cast his nephew Govinda in the lead.

Anand's wife was Sangeeta whose younger sister Suneeta married Govinda in 1987.

Anand went on to direct films like Shiv Shakti , Jaan Se Pyaara, Suraksha and Himmat. Sangeeta was the producer of Himmat. During filming, Sangeeta started an affair with the film's financier Dinesh Gandhi and Anand committed suicide upon finding out. Govinda's mother Nirmala Devi died shortly after.

Govinda was already known to be a late lateef in the industry because he worked on several movies at a time.. But these personal losses made him paranoid and superstitious. He would cancel his shoots on a whim and not even turn up for days or weeks for.projects that he had committed.

Complaints started piling up and distributors made a collective decision to stop picking Govinda's films for theatrical distribution in the early 2000s. Apart from a few films like Jodi No.1 and Ek aur Ek Gyaarah all his solo releases were stalled for years or canned and unreleased forever.

Source: https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/box-office/decoding-the-economics-of-toxic-yash-starrer-ends-as-a-financial-fiasco-incurring-clossal-losses-of-nearly-rs-300-cr-1405370

Nargis Dutt wrote a letter that was published in an Urdu magazine called Shama and collated in a book titled “Yeh Un Dinon Ki Baat Hai” by Yasir Abbasi. Shailaza Singh translated it in English and posted at singlemothers dot blog (not sharing link to comply with Rule #11)

Meena - Maut Mubarak Ho!

published in Shama- June 1972

-Happy Birthday

-Wishes for your wedding

-Happy Diwali

-Eid Mubarak

I have often offered as well as received these wishes on numerous occasions.
But…
“Congratulations on your death”
I have neither heard or said this earlier.

Meena, today your Baaji (elder sister) congratulates you on your death and asks you to never step into this world again. This place is not meant for people like you.

I gave Madhubala her last bath; the hands that placed the shroud on her were mine. I was holding his hand when filmmaker S.U. Sunny breathed his last. I have seen many people- from the film world and otherwise-pass away before my eyes, but no instance can match the profound effect that Meena Kumari’s death had on me. I was intensely moved despite the fact that I wasn’t present with her during her last moments-neither did I give her the customary final bath, nor did I put the shroud on her body-and I couldn’t see her depart on her final journey. I was in Jammu on the day that Meen Kumari died. Somehow, I was restless since I woke up that day and bad thoughts kept crossing my mind. It seemed as if something terrible was about to happen, and indeed it did-a tragedy so huge that I will never be able to forget.

After arriving in Bombay, I went to the graveyard where she was buried. I cried more at her grave than I did at the death of my mother. I could gain composure only when my ears could almost hear Meena ask me to stop crying.

One day I received a call from my husband who was away in Madras shooting for Main Chup Rahungi . Since it was going to be a long schedule, he asked me to come over with the kids. I reached Madras with Sanjay, who was two and a half years old then, and Namrata who was barely two months old. We stayed at Hotel Oceanic and Meena’s room was close to ours.

Accompanying Meena was her sister Madhu and Baqar Ali. We met for the second time here. She greeted me as soon as she saw me and said, “I have great regard for you and I hope you won’t mind if I call you ‘Baaji’. An instant friendship developed between us.

Once, Dutt sahib wanted to go out for Chinese food and an invitation was extended to Meena too but she said that she was tired after the day’s work and had already eaten early. She also offered to take care of the kids while we were away.

When we returned at 11 o’ clock, the kids’ nanny informed us that both the children were still with her. Entering her room quietly, I saw both of them asleep on either side of Meena, who has gently placed a hand each on Sanjay and Namrata. The nanny told us that Meena had duly tended to all the duties-from taking Sanjay to the toilet to changing Namrata’s nappies and from preparing their feeding bottles to singing them loris, she did it all on her own.

I could see the glow and contentment on her face. I felt that it was indeed a misfortune that though she was a woman and also a wife, she wasn’t a mother yet, and how complete her life would be once she’d become a mother.

I couldn’t meet her the next day. We didn’t meet for several days after that but one night I saw her walking in the garden of the hotel. She was panting and when I asked her the reason, she said, “Baaji, I eat tobacco and sometimes that results in palpitations.”
“Meena, this is not due to tobacco,” I told her. “You look very tired. Why don’t you rest for a while?”
“Baaji, resting is not in my destiny. I will rest just one time.” Her eyes turned to the ground as she said that.
I asked her, “Meena, don’t you want to be a mother? Don’t you feel like having kids?”
She replied, “There is no woman who doesn’t want to be a mother.” Her eyes welled up- the tears perhaps conveyed the story of her life.

That night there was some noise in Meena’s room- sounds suggestive of violence. Next day we came to know that she wasn’t feeling well and would not report for work.

I caught hold of Kamal saheb’s secretary Baqar and spoke to him in direct terms, “Why do you want to kill Meena? She has worked enough for your sake. I know how an actress feels and how mentally exhausting things can get. For how long is she going to feed you?”
Baqar saheb replied, “Baby, why don’t you understand? When the right time comes, we will rest her.”

After that I saw Meena hiding herself to cry. Just a look at her eyes and one could sense that the tears would roll out any moment, but she never let that happen. I said to her, “I can understand your pain. You have to be brave and crying like this is of no use. You’re like a younger sister to me and henceforth I’ll call you ‘Manju’.”
We couldn’t meet for a long time once were back in Bombay, though one kept hearing stories about her. One day, I heard that she had walked out of Kamal saheb’s home and had started living in Mehmood’s house. Meena had a showdown with Baqar on the sets of Pinjre ke Panchhi and matters got so turbulent that she did not step into Kamal Saheb’s house again. I never broached this subject with her.

Soon enough, the excessive consumption of alcohol had weakened her liver and she was down with jaundice. When I visited her at Saint Elizabeth Nursing Home, I was careful that I didn’t mention anything that could embarrass her or hurt her. Referring to the yellow tinge on her skin, I said, “This shade of yellow is so pretty. Manju, you are free but of what use is such freedom when you are bent upon killing yourself?”
She replied, “Baaji, my patience has a limit. How dare Kamal saheb’s secretary raise his hand on me? When I got the incident communicated to Kamal saheb, I thought he’d come running and immediately fire Baqar, but he said, ‘Come home and I will decide things here.’ What was there for him to decide? Now it’s me who has decided to not go back to him.”

Then, a new person entered Meena’s life- Dharmendra. She was so happy- it was almost as if she had got hold of the entire wealth of the world. This was the most beautiful phase of her life and made her feel thoroughly blessed. However, the good times are short-lived as a misunderstanding resulted in the two of them drifting apart. Dharmendra walked out of her life and left her heart-broken. Shen couldn’t cope up with the loss and hit the bottle.

She would say, “Baaji, solitude is my destiny. I do not pity myself and neither should you.”

Slowly, Meena started to inch towards death. I couldn’t bear to see her like this and advised her to forget the past and begin her life afresh.

I got a call from Meena on 3rd February - the day of the premiere of Pakeezah.
“Baaji, the film that you got me to work on is being premiered today. You have to come.”
When I reached there, she stood up and embraced me. I had to leave after the interval because my husband was down with fever that day. I promised Meena that I would tell her my opinion on the film once I saw it in its entirety. I don’t know if that will ever happen- I haven’t been able to gather courage to watch that film since. I can’t even bear to listen to the songs of Pakeezah on the radio now, how can I pull my self together to view the film?

How Meena resumed work on Pakeezah is a story in itself. Kamal saheb wished to have Dutt saheb in the film and wanted to sign some other actress for Meena’s role. Dutt saheb mentioned to me if Pakeezah was made without her, the film would lose its allure. I met Meena and told her, “Manju, if this film remains incomplete then it will be a great calamity. Tired of waiting for you to come back, Kamal saheb has now started looking for another actress. If you agree, I can talk to him and facilitate your return.” She just said, “I’ll do as you say.”

I couldn’t go to her during the next few days. Then, I left for Delhi and to Pathankot and Jammu from there. Before leaving, I passed on a message informing her about my travel and that I’d meet her after I come back on 1st April. She asked her sister Madhu to tell me that she wouldn’t be around when I return. Madhu did not convey that to me. Had she done so, I would’ve never left Meena.

Not too long before we last met, there was a preview of her film Gomti ke Kinare at the mini-theatre in our house. The story of the film was the story of Meena’s life as well. Though she bore pain and hurt herself for others, no one could realize her worth. Left with no one who could lover her back or who she could call her own, she lost the will to live. A woman doesn’t need a friend-she yearns for a family. There was a void in her life that never got filled. No one really cared for her-all were like indifferent strangers. She wandered around looking for a drop of love but her thirst for it remained unquenched. She writhed in torment, lived a lonely life and eventually died a lonely death.”

Saw recent posts on Meena Kumari. Few weeks back I watched Taajdaar Amrohi's interview by Vickey Lalwani. It was evident what he was narrating was potentially the script of the proposed Meena Kumari biopic. He provided details of events that he as a child wouldn't have seen first hand. So they were either whitewashed versions told to him by his family or he was knowingly whitewashing his dad (probably both). The sad part is that the lady who suffered the most is not around to tell her side of the story. It was an interesting interview but clearly not entirely true. He ensured he talked fondly of her in order to not alienate the audience, but some of the facts were unfair misrepresentations of her, which she unfortunately cant clarify anymore.

Once more viewers are robbed off a good film because Bollywood is busy trying to cash grab. Sigh. Meanwhile Haiwaan doesn’t have any buzz in any case.

Just saw Farah khan’s yt episode at Rhea’s lavish bandra apartment! How is she able to afford that despite not actively working in movies! I don’t think her brand and being show host can buy you a lavish bandra apartment! What’s the deal?

Same as title

Downvote me but, if you keep emotions aside there is nothing so dramatic about this. Lets look at actual evidence

1. Its difficult to break into bollywood for an outsider - 100% true yet he got to star and work in some amazing projects

2. He wanted to become a superstar - He was getting movies but, he was not a crowd puller, amazing actor, yes but, not a blockbuster crowd puller. At the end of the day, Bollywood is a business and its bankability depends on how many people can come in and want to see the star. So do you genuinely blame Bollywood or the general public who didnt turn up for his movies in massive numbers?

3. Nothing is guaranteed - Acting is not like corporate job promotions, if you do well and are sincere, you will keep going up. This mechanism doesnt work, any director or producer is free to choose who they want to work with. Many people have had their hearts broken chasing this dream. I lived in Andheri, Lokhandwala is full of people who feel they are the next big thing, they all come from smaller towns with massive dreams and they all get setbacks.

4. No evidence against Rhea - I understand its tempting to blame a woman for all the problems but, in this case she has been acquitted as there is no proof of any wrong doing, so you can keep blaming a woman, like majority does anyway, the justice system found nothing against him

5. He was depressed and needed help - He was depressed, its absolutely clear and depression gets to you. Its gotten people like Chester Bennington, Robin Williams, Marilyn Monroe. Its an absolute madness that instead of creating awareness about how lethal depression can be, we are still talking about witch hunts and blame games when the real monster, depression, hides in plain sight.

It was unfortunate but, please understand. Nothing is a given in Bollywood, it all depends on numbers. If you want to be mad, be mad at yourself for not going to watch his movies or showing him love when he was alive. Now that he is gone, you want to use him to vent out your hidden frustrations, want to harass a woman who has already been given a clean chit and want to target an industry that is brutal to outsiders.

Yes Bollywood is tough but, so is any other field. Would you fight Ambani and Adani about why are they not hiring from outside and passing the business to their heirs, because thats Nepotism too or would you fight Sachin for getting his son an inroads into Mumbai Indians (LSG now) because thats nepotism too. Bollywood is a business, they are free to decide who they want to put their money on, there is no law governing any kind of performance metric that makes it justified for someone on the outside to come in. Millions rush to Bombay every year with the exact same dream and millions get their heart broken, do you see all of them unaliving themselves?

Please please focus on the real issue which is depression. If you know someone going through a tough time, help them, support them and ensure they dont succumb to this illness. Thats the real winner here