Gulzar

Gulzar's appointment as chancellor elates Assam University

Guwahati: The news of the appointment of eminent lyricist Gulzar as its chancellor has elated officials at Assam University. They hope this association will help the university in improving its image.

"The appointment of the Chancellor in the central universities is the prerogative of the President of India, who is the Chief Visitor of the universities. Gulzar is an eminent personality and a Padma Bhushan awardee. The President of India might have thought it appropriate and hence it is done," said Pinak Pani Nath Purkayastha, secretary to the university's vice chancellor, Somnath Dasgupta.

Dasgupta, however, could not be reached over phone for comment.

The university had already uploaded the name of Gulzar as chancellor on its official website....more    

Snapshot: How often do you see Gulzar, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh and Helen in one photo frame?

New Delhi: Veteran actresses Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh and Helen were spotted with lyricist Gulzar during a play 'Paansa' at Privithi Theatre in Mumbai. ...  

Theatre more interesting than films, says Gulzar

Mumbai: Besides writing lyrics and screenplays, Gulzar has also penned several plays like 'Kharashein' and 'Arey O Henry', and says theatre is more interesting as you get 'audiences' instant reaction' and have scope to 'rectify mistakes'. "Theatre is a very beautiful and interesting medium because it's a live show, unlike a film - once released, it's gone," said the veteran who has also written other plays - 'Lakeerein' and 'Atthaniyaan'...  

Watch the viral video of Alaa Wardi's 'Jiya Re'

New Delhi: Iranian musician Alaa Wardi has come up with a new version of the song 'Jiya re' from the film 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'. The video has gone viral on the internet and it's a completely new take on Rahman's song. The specialty of the song is that Alaa Wardi has not taken any external help in producing the song. He has generated the voices for bass, clap, strings...  

100 Years of Indian Cinema: The first women directors

Fatma Begum is considered as the first woman director of Indian Cinema. She directed her first film in 1926. ...  

Special courts for Muslims an 'eyewash', say Muslim organisations

Muslims organizations have expressed skepticism over the home ministry's proposal to set up special courts for speedy trial of Muslim youth falsely implicated in terror-related cases, terming the move a "lollipop" for the community. Gulzar Azmi of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind said the move has been made with an eye to next year's elections. ...  

Emraan Hashmi pays tribute to Gulzar in 'Ek Thi Daayan'

Actor Emraan Hashmi has paid tribute to legendary lyricist Gulzar in 'Ek Thi Daayan' and the director of the horror thriller Kannan Iyer says the sequence is presented in a realistic manner. ...  

Don't be angry with me, says Gulzar

Veteran lyricist Gulzar wrote an apology letter to the organiser of the Karachi Literary festival organiser Ameena Saiyid. ...  

'In the Company of a Poet' is a delightful read

'In the Company of a Poet' does a fantastic job of steering Gulzar through his personal history. ...  

Vishal Bhardwaj teams up with Gulzar for a song

Director Vishal Bhardwaj and lyricist Gulzar have teamed up once again for 'Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola', targeting the land acquisition issue this time through the song 'Lootnewale'. The duo have previously worked together in films like '7 Khoon Maaf', 'Ishqiya', 'Kaminey' and 'Omkara', composing hits like 'Beedi jalaile', 'Dil to bachcha hain ji' and 'Dhan te nan'. ...  

Ravi Shankar was always young at heart: Gulzar

Writer-lyricist Gulzar remembers the late sitar maestro as an honest person who was young at heart. ...  

Raakhee once took sitar lessons from Ravi Shankar

Raakhee Gulzar spent weeks learning how to play the sitar from the maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar himself. ...  

Why Gulzar cremated his father 5 years later

New Delhi: Shell-shocked after not being able to attend his father's last rites, lyricist Gulzar decided not to cremate him and did so only five years later when his revered filmmaker Bimal Roy died. "When my father passed away in Delhi, I was working with Bimalda as an assistant in Bombay. My family did not inform me about it. My elder brother who lived in Bombay, and who knew what...  

Yash Chopra had lyrical approach to filmmaking

Mumbai: Yesteryear actress Raakhee Gulzar, who did popular films like 'Daag', 'Kabhi Kabhie' and 'Trishul' with Yash Chopra, says he had a lyrical approach towards filmmaking. "Yash wasn't too heavily into technical aspects of filmmaking. He went by the heart. His approach to filmmaking was lyrical. There was no vulgarity about his presentation. And he was fascinated with femininity He had a certain image and vision of the ideal woman....  

Khar's husband says 'rubbish' rumours aimed at maligning wife

Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar's husband Feroz Gulzar has rubbished rumours about differences in their relationship as a campaign to malign his wife. Gulzar, an industrialist from Punjab province, was quoted by Geo News channel on Thursday as saying that the campaign to malign his wife was "rubbish" that does not merit comment. He further said there was "no premise for such trash" and that he would not...  

Gulzar to present 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore'

New Delhi: Eminent lyricist and director Gulzar, who was working on 'Kya Dilli Kya Lahore' as a mentor, has now officially lent his name to the project. He would present the movie and says that the subject of partition is close to his heart. "The subject (partition) is very close to my heart. I have been writing about it a lot. After seeing the film I was surprised to know...  

Shah Rukh Khan's new look in the Yash Raj film

During the shooting of Yash Chopra's as yet untitled directorial film, these pictures of Shah Rukh Khan surfaced, where he is smartly dressed in army fatigue. Chopra started shooting for the film's next schedule in Ladakh last week. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The film also brings together the award winning pair of AR Rahman and Gulzar. The film is scheduled for a Diwali,...  

Ashok Mehta was a painter with camera: Gulzar

Mumbai: Few would know that late cinematographer Ashok Mehta had a brief role in the 1987 Naseer-Rekha starrer, 'Ijaazat'. But lyricist Gulzar, who directed the film, cannot forget the fact. I didnt have to convince Ashok to face the camera. Ashok played Naseers colleague who puts his head in Naseers room in a scene and asks him, Maya has called again. What should I tell her? It was a small...  

Birthday playlist: Creativity thy name is Gulzar

New Delhi: Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar started as a lyricist before turning into one of Indias most original storyteller. Though he started as a song writer with Swami Vivekananda but is name came into limelight after Kabuliwala (1957). The strength of Gulzar lies in his depiction of reality which seems to be a cross between the harsh, naked truth and a hypothetical state. A career of 14 years as...  

Column: Have today's writers become performers?

New Delhi: In todays market-driven world, have the soul, spirit and persona of the writer undergone change? Is he more marketer than writer, keeping his eyes firmly on market-forces and hot-wiring his talent to tango with themes that are reader friendly? Is he exploring and exploiting the public space accessible via new technology and forums to ensure and maximize mass connect? Does the interaction not diminish the very magic and...