Playing a petty pickpocket with irresistible aplomb in C.I.D. (1955), the iconic Johnny Walker took audiences through a city of striking contrasts singing “Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan… Yeh hai Bombay meri jaan.” On the one hand, Bombay boasted stately Art Deco buildings, palm-tree-lined sea fronts, broad avenues, rumbling trams, horse-drawn Victorias, Plymouths, textile mills, and a unique work culture. On the other, it could be a cold, unforgiving landscape. Having experienced its harsh underbelly while struggling for a living, the comedian sang the track with such infectious chutzpah that it became the defining anthem of the metropolis.

Born as Badruddin Kazi on 11 November 1926 in Indore, the late actor would have celebrated his centenary this year. Delightfully, despite being a lifelong teetotaller who never touched a drop of alcohol, Kazi was rechristened after the famous Scotch whisky brand by filmmaker Guru Dutt, who was thoroughly mesmerised by Kazi’s uncanny impression of a stumbling drunkard.

Long before Baazi (1951) changed his fortunes, the comedian endured a crushing early life. After his father lost his job at an Indore cotton mill, his large family relocated first to Deolali and then to Bombay. Starting out selling ice candy in Deolali at the tender age of fourteen, Kazi later sold fruits and vegetables on the streets of Bombay to support his household. Eventually, he secured a job as a conductor on the BEST bus routes, earning a modest monthly wage of Rs 26.26.

The job had one silver lining: free transit across the length and breadth of Bombay, which allowed him to drop by movie studios. The cheeky conductor transformed the aisle of the bus into his personal stage. He would shout out stops in bizarre, exaggerated voices—bellowing “Mahim-wala passenger, get ready, ladies first!”—and pull off uncanny mimicry to keep weary commuters laughing.

When his family relocated to Hyderabad in 1947, the uncomplaining youngster stayed behind to chase his cinematic dreams, entering the industry as a junior artiste—a polite euphemism for an extra in the crowd. “If I was lucky, I got a few lines of dialogue, for which I would be paid Rs 10,” he recalled during an interview at his spacious bungalow in the 1990s, long after retiring from the screen.

While working as a crowd extra for Rs. 5 a day, Kazi often entertained stars on set during breaks with his impressions. While shooting Hulchul, actor-scriptwriter Balraj Sahni watched him perform and saw a genuine talent being treated like a jester. Sahni pulled him aside, told him to respect his craft, and arranged an audition with Guru Dutt, who was then drafting Baazi. The audition led to the birth of a screen legend. Kazi had staggered into Dutt’s office, pretending to be sloshed, picking a quarrel and causing such a scene that Dutt nearly had security toss him onto the street—until Sahni revealed it was all an act. Impressed by the the performance, Dutt cast him on the spot and gave him the catchy moniker after the release of Baazi.

The film marked the start of a legendary partnership. The two men were polar opposites—Dutt the erudite intellectual, and Kazi the unpretentious, cheery realist who had studied only until the sixth standard—yet they forged a deep personal bond. They played badminton after wrap-ups, ate phuchkas (pani puris) at street stalls, and went on hunting trips to Madhya Pradesh.

Dutt valued his friend so highly that he conceived specific roles for him, gave him top billing directly under the leads, and even asked lyricists to write entertaining, profound songs especially for him. Following Aar Paar (1954), Dutt gifted his favourite screen prankster a brand-new convertible Ford. Until then, Kazi had happily ridden public transport, thrilled whenever commuters recognised him.

It was on the sets of Aar Paar that the actor fell for his co-star, Noorjahan (Noor), sister of actress Shakila. Though her character on screen rebuffed him coquettishly with Na na na tauba, real-life romance blossomed between the stanzas.

In stark contrast to the rogue he played on screen, Johnny Walker was a devoted family man who loved quiet fishing trips to Powai Lake with his wife. “Being married to her has made me one of the happiest men on earth!” he effused.

Playing the man on the street came naturally to him as he had been one himself. The unforgettable tel-maalish champiwala in Pyaasa (1957) was modelled on street masseurs Dutt and Walker had observed in Calcutta, who chattered incessantly while massaging clients. “My years of struggle made me aware of human foibles and frailties. That’s why I could play these characters in an identifiable manner,” he reflected.

Walker lent his comic genius to masterpieces by directors like Chetan Anand (Taxi Driver), Raj Khosla (C.I.D.), B.R. Chopra (Naya Daur), Bimal Roy (Madhumati), and H.S. Rawail (Mere Mehboob). Yet in 1968, at the pinnacle of his stardom, he voluntarily cut back his workload. “I was doing double shifts then, but I felt money was of no use if I didn’t have time to eat or sleep when I should,” he reasoned.

In 1985, he stepped away from cinema altogether, coming out of retirement only once for Kamal Haasan’s Chachi 420 in 1997. Content with his quiet life, his car, his home, and providing his children the education he missed, he famously remarked: “Crorepatis don’t have my peace of mind.”

For his 100th birthday, here’s a toast to the non-drinker who gave this melting pot of a city its beating heart: Main Bambai ka babu, Naam mera Anjana, English dhun mein gaaun, Hindustani gaana…

For Vishal Bhardwaj, music is as much about the stories behind a song as it is about the act of singing it. At a recent intimate baithak of music and conversations in Delhi, he opened up about a chapter of nostalgia. From recalling his collaborations with Gulzar to discussing the influence of poet Bashir Badr, the filmmaker, composer and lyricist offered insights into the ideas, words and emotions that shape his music. Seated across from him in the front row, Rekha Bhardwaj listened to his songs from the audience. Excerpts:

Vishal Bhardwaj is an alumnus of Hindu College. He shared that back then, the tradition of mehfil was very much alive, where the great artistes of that era would sit together and perform. Over time, the distance between the performer and the listener kept growing, and we forgot that tradition. Talking about the concept of a baithak, he said, “Jab audience ko achha lag raha hai toh pata chalta hai, jab achha nahi lagta hai toh pata chal jata hai, toh ye bahut khoobsurat hai.”

Bhardwaj would often stop singing to explain the nuances of the lyrics and the origins of a song. Before singing Pehli Baar Mohabbat from Kaminey (2009), he said, “Gulzar sahab ne separation sunn ke ye line di thi – pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, aakhiri baar mohabbat ki hai. Bahut hi khoobsurat line hai. Waise pata nahi aakhiri baar mohabbat hoti hai ya nahi. Pehli baar toh zaroor hoti hai.”

He recalled that after recording the song Raat Ke Dhai Baje, he felt its soul was demanding something else. He then recorded another version of the song.

Two poets who have left a deep impression on the country, Bashir Badr and Gulzar, kept coming up in Bhardwaj’s anecdotes. Both are immensely close to him.

“Bashir Badr sahab mere ustad rahe hain aur woh kehte thay ki ghazal jo hoti hai woh contemporary hoti chali jaati hai, aur uska maza bhi tabhi hota hai jab rozmarra ki jo bhasha hai woh usmein use ho. Uska connection tab banta hai. Koshish ye hai ki rozmarra ki baatein ismein ho.”

He then sang songs that had references to live location, Gmail and Google Maps. As always, he left the gathering in awe when he sang, “Pyaar mein itni bhi khamoshi theek nahi, gussa ho toh emoji mein bolo na.”

Bhardwaj had composed a song based on a sher by the poet Farhat Ehsas for the audience. He spoke about discovering the poet in Lucknow, and recalled a sher his friend had recited and said, “Hum log ke umr mein pahunchne ke baad bahut doctors ko consult karte hain. Toh woh tha – ‘Ilaaj apna karate fir rahe ho jaane kis-kis se. Mohabbat karke dekho na, mohabbat kyun nahi karte?’”

When he ended the evening on a high note with Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale, requests written on chits began arriving one after another. As the requests kept coming, Bhardwaj said, “Mujhe toh lag raha tha maine aap logon ko phansa ke rakha hai!”

Three years ago, Vishal and Rekha performed live together. Back then, they spoke of how sharing the stage had been a dream for years. Since then, the two have performed together a couple of times. However, at Ibtida-Ek Mehfil, the spotlight was on Vishal, the singer, as Rekha sat in the audience listening to him. The stories he narrated drew from his many worlds, while an attentive audience listened, hanging on to his every word.

He began the evening with the ghazal Jaana tumko jaana ho toh mat aana from Khufiya (2023) and said, “Rekha sang this ghazal. I’m very happy that Rekha is late. She is going to be sitting in the audience today. Mujhe bhi aisa mauka kabhi kabhi milta hai jab main gaa raha hoon aur woh sunein. Usually, ulta hi hota hai. Obviously, hona bhi chahiye. Rekha bahut hi zyada achhi singer hai. Main uske aas-paas bhi nahi hoon. Par ab Rekha nahi hai toh aur bhi mauka banta hai sunane ka.”

Sharing a joke, he said, “Gaana Rekha ko hota hai aur gaa main raha hoon.” Later in the evening, when he invited Rekha on stage, she told the audience that Vishal had been doing more riyaaz than her these days. Vishal added, “Rekha meri guru hai.”

Bhardwaj said the evening reminded him of the old times Gulzar wrote about in the song Dil Dhoondta Hai. He said,

“Ghalib ka unhone ek sher leke usko aisa khola ki ‘Dil Dhoondta Hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din’. Ki woh jo waqt hai na, ki kuch nahi hai karne ke liye, aap apni jagah ke tasavvur mein bas baithe hue hain. Woh dil dhoondta hai. Zindagi mein jab hamare ambitions, humari greed humein itna uljha dete hain, hum wohi lamhein yaad karne ke liye gaane sunte hain. Wohi lamhe yaad karne ke liye hum aisi mehfilon mein saath mein milte hain.”

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“Ye experience mere liye itna zyada maayne rakhta hai ki main iss mental state mein kabhi-kabhi jaata hoon – jaise ki apne drawing room mein baithe hain.”

NAYYI NAVELLI could not do much on the first day and it did not pick up much either in the evening as it recorded collections around the 3 crore nett mark. The film did not play on the horror factor enough in marketing. After all, its horror that pushes HAUNTED – ECHOES OF THE PAST to 2 crore nett and this film is a superior product and much more costly one also. 

The audience in the Hindi belts have kept away be it Rajasthan or Gujarat when a film with this sort of feel should be doing better in these places. UP is a little better comparatively but it should have been much better. This opening makes it very tough for the film as there are limitations to films in this genre.

PRAHAAR opened less than NAYYI NAVELLI but had better movement in the evening. So, it should have better growth on Saturday. The film maybe has some appreciation in places like Mumbai and Bangalore but the growth has to be really extraordinary on the second day for Monday to hold well. If any of these releases is to do well, it will be this one though its a long shot. The film collected a little over 2 crore nett on day one.

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RAJINI: THE JAILER 2 will turn out to be the best release this week as it collects almost 18 crore nett in five days and is ahead of the original Hindi films NAYYI NAVELLI and PRAHAAR. The trend of RAJINI: THE JAILER 2 also looks the strongest and hence, it should be best in the long run. In recent history, not many Tamil films have done well in Hindi as ROBOT (2010) was a semi success while 2.0 (2018) was a super hit. Both films are of the same franchise though there were films from the Tamil film industry in the 90's which did phenomenally well. 

It remains to be seen where RAJINI: THE JAILER 2 goes but if it can do 40-50 crore nett business it would be a good result especially considering no national chain release. The original Hindi releases, NAYYI NAVELLI and PRAHAAR, have not done well although Monday is steady with the latter getting the same as the first day.

It is the holiday factor driving these figures and Tuesday should be even better for all the films but it will be tough ride after that. Its only about which film does better eventually and although PRAHAAR is behind at the moment it has the stronger trend. So, it could start to close the gap in week two.

Friday - 3,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 3,85,00,000 apprx 

Sunday - 4,50,00,000 apprx

Monday - 2,65,00,000 apprx

The collections of PRAHAAR are as follows and it has clocked up 10.50 crore nett in four days.

Friday - 2,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 3,00,00,000 apprx 

Sunday - 3,50,00,000 apprx

Monday - 2,00,00,000 apprx

Around 6.30 pm on October 20, the makers of Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend announced that the movie’s advance bookings had opened in leading theatre chains, removing the cloud of uncertainty that loomed over the Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash-starrer in the preceding hours. The delay in the advance booking’s opening, it turns out, was due to a tussle between the exhibitors and Dharma Productions, which is the North India distributor of filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari’s magnum opus. Dharma Productions reportedly demanded a 60 per cent profit share for the first week, in a departure from the usual 50-50 per cent share between distributors and exhibitors.

Happy that the exhibitors and the distributor found common ground, leading to bookings opening in PVR-Inox and Cinepolis, exhibitor Akshaye Rathi told mid-day, “The commercial terms that have been agreed upon are on similar lines as those in the case of event films. The negotiations with the rest of the theatre chains are underway.” It’s not known yet if the exhibitors agreed to Dharma’s demands or the latter relented.

But one thing is for certain — the demand has left the exhibitor community worried. Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan shared, “Dharma was trying to arm-twist cinemas by saying, ‘This is a big film. We have paid a bomb [to buy it], now you pay us more in the first week.’ Assume the film makes Rs. 300-400 crore in the first week, Dharma will generate anywhere between Rs 25-30 crore of extra revenue. In the second week, they are asking for 50 per cent share. My contention is that if Ramayana merits a 60 per cent profit share because it’s a big movie, then how much should we pay Udta Teer, which is [a smaller film] distributed by Dharma? Then we should give a low share to them.”

Chauhan further argued that such a demand may leave exhibitors open to being arm-twisted by bigger players in the future. “Avengers: Doomsday is a bigger film than Ramayana. So, should we pay the distributor 70 per cent? Should we give 65 per cent share to Shah Rukh Khan’s King? One film cannot destroy a set [practice].”

A day after we reported that Saif Ali Khan and filmmaker Ritesh Batra were set to collaborate on a yet-untitled period drama (Making way for period drama, Oct 20), a casting change has emerged in the project. Sources close to the production have told mid-day that Priyanka Chopra, who was originally expected to play the female lead, is no longer part of the film.

This development comes as the movie rolls today, October 21, at a museum in Byculla, Mumbai. A source close to the project revealed, “Priyanka was expected to join the Mumbai shoot. However, she had to bow out of the film. She was keen to headline it, and work with both Saif and Ritesh. Her existing professional commitments, however, led to a scheduling conflict. The team explored the possibility of working the dates around, but it just didn’t work out.”

From what we’ve heard, the makers are now in talks with two leading actors for the role. Considering the shoot has begun, they will lock one soon. For now, Batra and the unit are moving ahead with Khan, filming his portions for the first few days. The movie will apparently be shot in a start-to-finish schedule in different parts of South Mumbai. 

mid-day reached out to Batra and Chopra’s team. Both didn’t respond till press time.

DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION remains the top film this week as it kept the new films at bay with collections of 3.25 crore nett. This film has dropped around 20% from the previous day but stands at a huge 326.50 crore nett and this Friday ensures that the 350 crore nett mark is crossed comfortably. The growth on Saturday will no doubt be more than the new releases.

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DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION had a good third weekend as it collected 14 crore nett and the film should do well over the weekdays with the Monday and Tuesday being holidays. The film should have the potential to bring in 25 crore nett plus over the week due to the holidays. It will still be a 70% drop week on week but the film had an extraordinary first weekend. So, these drops don't really matter much as the business remains high.

The film has a total of 337 crore nett so far and will cross 350 crore nett by the end of the week. There will still be two weeks left till the release of Diwali biggie RAMAYANA, and it should another add 15 crore at least. The film remained the top Hindi film as it performed better than RAJINI: THE JAILER 2 over the traditional weekend though if you count the four day weekend of the dubbed South film, then that his higher.

Despite the Navratri factor, the film has maintained best in Mumbai circuit and is looking to cross the likes of ANIMAL, JAWAN and PATHAAN in this circuit and maybe even TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR. It will not cross the admits of TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR and probably wont reach the level of GOLMAAL AGAIN as well.

The collections of DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION till date are as follows.

Friday - 62,50,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 51,00,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 59,00,00,000 apprx

Monday - 20,00,00,000 apprx

Tuesday 19,00,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 15,00,00,000 apprx

Thursday - 12,50,00,000 apprx

Friday - 14,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 26,50,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 22,50,00,000 apprx

Monday - 5,25,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 7,25,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 4,75,00,000 apprx

Thursday - 4,00,00,000 apprx

Friday - 3,00,00,000  apprx

Saturday - 5,00,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 6,00,00,000 apprx

It is a moment of terror for Tiger Shroff, who was shot at by gangsters on Sunday (October 18), and the film fraternity at large. While Shroff remains unharmed, the Bishnoi gang’s threats against those who allegedly refuse to meet their demands and continue associating with Salman Khan have raised fresh concerns about the industry’s safety.

This is not the first time Bollywood has faced such threats. The Bishnoi syndicate has been threatening Salman since 2022, sending intimidating letters, emails, and videos on social media. In 2024, gunmen fired shots at his Galaxy Apartments residence. The syndicate has also threatened Rohit Shetty, Ranveer Singh, Aamir Khan, and Aayush Sharma, among others.

With safety concerns mounting, factions of the film industry plan to approach Home Minister Amit Shah for better security. “We have been saying it’s a serious matter since the firing outside Rohit Shetty’s home,” says filmmaker and Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) chief adviser Ashoke Pandit. He believes the government must step in.

“What else can we do besides writing letters and speaking officially? But it has no meaning right now. It is happening two minutes away from Juhu police station, during Navratri. It is scary [to see this] happening in Bollywood again today,” he laments.

Pandit fears a return of the 1990s, when Bollywood struggled to escape the underworld’s grip. “Gopinath Pandurang Munde, [during his tenure] as the Home Minister of Maharashtra, had severely cracked down on Mumbai’s mafia. We thought that era was over. Tiger’s incident makes the law and order machinery look weak,” shares Pandit.

Suresh Gupta, president of the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA), has urged the industry to unite. “If we stay apart, everything will fall apart. Everyone will be targeted,” he says. The association has emailed the home minister and is planning a delegation meeting with representatives from across the industry.

“The plan is to take a Bollywood delegation to meet Amit Shah, with representatives from each sector. We’d like actors like Sushant Singh, Ajay Devgn, and other film industry bigwigs to be a part of this meeting,” Gupta explains.

Meanwhile, the industry continues to work while tightening security. Madhu Bhojwani of the Producers Guild of India says high-risk individuals “need to reinforce security measures and work closely with the police and intelligence agencies to ensure a high level of preparedness and vigilance”. 

Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) president Poonam Dhillon acknowledges the challenge of protecting everyone. “The Hindi film industry is large, and every actor is shooting in different places and at varied times. It’s challenging for the government and the police to give security to every actor,” she says. However, staying home out of fear is not an option. “You can’t live in fear. We have to work on a solution together,” she insists.

Security for the Shroffs, NIA and central agencies to probe the gang networks, fast-track trials under strict laws, a dedicated task force for the safety of artistes, a permanent end to the fear of gangsters, and a time-bound report on the action taken.

- June 2022–2026: Salman Khan remains a key target, facing repeated threats and security breaches, including gunfire

- November 2023: Gunshots were fired outside Gippy Grewal’s Canadian home allegedly over his association with Salman

. July–August 2025: Kapil Sharma’s Canadian café was attacked twice after he invited Salman on his show

- February 2026: Ranveer Singh received an audio message demanding Rs 10 crore

- February 2026: Gunshots were fired outside Rohit Shetty’s Juhu residence

- February 2026: Aayush Sharma received an email demanding ransom

- July 2026: Aamir Khan received threats via videos on social media

More than a month after audiences saw him in the intense thriller ‘Haiwaan’, Saif Ali Khan is stepping into the world of a period drama. mid-day has learnt that the actor is collaborating with filmmaker Ritesh Batra of ‘The Lunchbox’ (2013) fame for his next film.

“The film has been in pre-production for some time. Both Saif and Ritesh are huge admirers of each other’s work. And Saif is the perfect fit for Ritesh’s soft, subtle stories,” reveals a source.

The project is set to go on floors later this week in Mumbai. Sources say the team plans to shoot on a tight schedule and “wrap up the intimate period drama in one go”.

Apart from the yet-untitled drama, Batra is also putting the finishing touches to the first two episodes of the upcoming Netflix series ‘Unaccustomed Earth’, starring Freida Pinto and Siddharth.

Batra was previously set to helm a cross-country romance starring Anil Kapoor, which was later put on hold. While details of his film with Khan remain under wraps, it is unclear whether the period drama is the same project.