One of my most treasured photographs of Shri Amitabh Bachchan began with a Scrabble board. His mother, whom I called Maaji, had written a birthday message on the board: “I love you Munna, happy birthday.”

When he saw it, I took the photograph. I have covered countless important occasions, but I can still see that moment whenever I close my eyes. The man millions knew as a superstar was just a son receiving a message from his mother.

As my boss turns 84 today, it is moments like this that come back to me. After more than three decades as his personal photographer, I have learnt to look beyond the obvious frame. And in life, as often in films, some of the most revealing bits are moments nobody could have planned.

I still remember my first call to Pratiksha 30 years ago. Sitting at the reception, nervously checking my cameras and lenses, my heart was racing. When the receptionist finally said AB—as I affectionately call my boss—was asking for me, I gathered my gear and walked inside.

What I saw gave me goosebumps. Amitabh Bachchan ji, Jaya madam ji, Harivansh Rai Bachchan ji, and Teji Bachchan ji were sitting together, with Babuji composing poetry as I entered. My heartbeat soared, but I steadied my hands and began clicking. An hour later, AB said, “Okay, thank you,” and I left to print the photographs. I was going through a difficult personal phase, and those lively images gave me enormous happiness.

That evening, when I handed over the prints, my journey as his personal photographer officially began.

For a long time afterwards, every call from Pratiksha or Jalsa would make me anxious. Had my work met his expectations? His positive responses gradually gave me confidence, but even today, every assignment feels like an examination. He studies the pictures carefully before he chooses what to share. Yet behind that exacting eye lies a deep empathy.

Working with Mr Bachchan quickly grew beyond a professional assignment into a relationship built on deep trust and mutual respect. People know him as the Angry Young Man or the towering icon of Indian cinema, but behind the lens, I have witnessed a side that rarely reaches the public eye: caring, remarkably thoughtful, and fiercely disciplined.

During an outstation film shoot early in my career, I was lying ill in my room and missed going to the set. Noticeably absent, my boss came to my room personally during a break. He didn’t just send someone to check on me; he walked in, saw my condition, called a doctor, and waited by my bed until the doctor arrived. He then arranged a flight to Mumbai so I could recover comfortably at home. That is who he is—a megastar with an impossibly demanding schedule who takes time to look after every member of his team.

His attention to those around him can be wonderfully unexpected. After a shoot in Malad, he asked, “Paresh, you stay in Malad, right?” Then he said he wanted to visit my house. He met my family, prayed at our temple and blessed me.

On a trip to Kashmir, I bought him a shawl. He owned so many that I assumed mine might never be worn. Yet, on my birthday, January 3, I saw him wearing it. He had remembered something I had long since stopped expecting him to remember, and clearly, he knew how much that gesture would have meant to me.

His everyday discipline is legendary. Whether he finishes shooting late into the night, he never skips his gym routine, his spiritual practices, or his commitments. But even this discipline comes with consideration for other people. Once, after a shoot that began at 7 am, we reached the Trident at about 5.35 pm for a 6 pm event. He had not even had lunch, but he waited in the car. I learnt that he did not want an early entrance to unsettle the organisers’ arrangements; so, he went in at exactly six.

On set, his respect for the craft extends to everyone behind the scenes. He ensures technicians have the space they need to do their work. During rehearsals, instead of retreating to his vanity van, he will stand opposite a co-actor for their close-ups—offering his own eyes for them to perform to, knowing how much it elevates their delivery. If he notices a crew member standing without a seat, he immediately asks for a chair to be brought over. These small, thoughtful gestures matter enormously to the people who receive them.

I see that same intense awareness outside Jalsa. Every Sunday, before his scheduled appearances, we prepare our cameras and coordinate with the security teams as massive crowds gather. When he finally steps out, his enthusiasm is infectious—it reminds me of a child running to meet loved ones.

Yet, even in a sea of thousands, his focus never loses the individual. During one chaotic gathering, he spotted a woman whose hand had become trapped in a barricade. He instantly called for security to intervene, personally attended to her, and ensured she received immediate medical care. Within that enormous, roaring crowd, he had noticed one person in distress and made sure she was looked after.

My work has taken me from film sets to family occasions, including Abhishek and Aishwarya’s wedding and Aaradhya’s birth. Those photographs carry a responsibility beyond technique. Some stories and photographs are not mine to share. The confidence placed in me matters as much as the archive. After all these years, I still want every frame to do justice to my boss; I also know that some of my best work must remain with his family.

For decades, Mukesh Mills has been an integral part of the city’s imagination. Bollywood turned its abandoned sheds into everything from 1960s Bombay to suitably sinister backdrops for horror films. Fashion designers found its wooden beams and Mangalore tiles delivered the sort of atmosphere that elevated a fashion show. And somewhere along the way, the Colaba mill also acquired a second identity: one where it was populated by ghosts. Now, the owners are trying to give the 10-acre property another life.

About three acres of its overgrown waterfront land have been cleared and flattened, creating a large open space between Sassoon Docks and the naval establishment at INS Shikra. The work took about a week and, for now, “It’s a blank space,” says 47-year-old Ashish Agarwal, who has overseen the mill’s affairs since 2016-17. “You could put up a little hangar and hold an indoor event or have an open-air event.”

The open-ended approach shows the unusual position in which Mukesh Mills finds itself. Its future is still tied to a long-running dispute over redevelopment, while its present is increasingly being defined by the creative industries that discovered it after its industrial life ended.

The mill was once a working textile operation with its own dock. In 1975, Agarwal’s grandfather bought it, and the family operated it until January 1982, when Mumbai’s textile strike brought work at the mill to a halt. A fire followed, and operations never resumed.

Its ruins later became part of Bollywood lore. “Bollywood came calling,” says Agarwal. “They loved this kind of moody vibe.” Amitabh Bachchan’s Jumma Chumma De De from Hum is among the location’s most recognizable appearances. More recently, productions including Matka King have recreated other eras of Mumbai there.

The supernatural mythology grew alongside the film shoots. Stories about strange voices, possessions and unexplained incidents became lore. Agarwal is sceptical of the mythology. Even the best-known documented celebrity account is less dramatic: Bipasha Basu has recalled repeatedly forgetting her lines. A caretaker subsequently suggested that she tie her hair, and a religious ritual was performed. “It’s more like a whole body of lore that has been created around the place,” Agarwal says. “Out of maybe 500 movies shot here, most of these stories probably boil down to four or five movies with supernatural themes.”

The new three-acre clearing is part of an attempt to make the property useful beyond film production. Over the past year, Mukesh Mills has hosted a food, art and culture festival, product launches, fashion events and private celebrations. Five of its 10 structures are currently usable; the others are not. The chimney, beams, pillars and industrial details are being retained where possible.

The family estimates that aside from films, series, advertisements and shoots, the use of the space for events rose from about 10 in 2025 to around 25 this year. “Bombay is discovering it,” Agarwal says. “One event brings new people to the property, who then imagine what else they could do there. The way to think about Mukesh Mill is that it has been evolving for 150 years. It started as a mill, so it was filled with mill workers. Then it became filled with film crews. We are adding the events layer. We hope it becomes a place that creatives see as a blank canvas.”

DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION had a fantastic second Friday as collections went up well after seeing drops on Wednesday and Tuesday. The film collected around 14 crore nett which takes the film to over 250 crore nett at 253 crore nett. There will be huge growth on Saturday and it will be no surprise if the film hits 300 crore nett on Sunday.

There has been an underlying trend that the films that dont go for the discounted rates tend to see better weekend growth and this could be the case here with DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION. The film also got advantage of the fact that there was no release this week and it remains on course for that 400 crore nett mark.

But that benchmark is down to the weekly trend and it will face a tougher challenge next Friday with multiple releases. But if the film even continues with 60% weekly falls after the second week, it will get to 400 crore nett and this is not much of a task especially if it gets through next Friday.

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

------------------------------------------

DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION showed a huge hump on its second Saturday as it collected 26.50 crore nett which now takes the film to almost 280 crore nett and keeps the film on target to finish in the vicinity of 400 crore nett. The second week is already over 40 crore nett and it remains to be seen if the second week can do 100 crore nett.

There have been only ten original Hindi films that have managed to cross the 100 crore nett mark in week two and DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION will be number eleven if it manages to reach the mark. The film also crossed the 100 crore nett mark in Mumbai circuit on Saturday making it the third Ajay Devgn film to achieve this and no other actor has managed this till date. The other two 100 crore nett films are TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR and SINGHAM AGAIN.

The film has also crossed 60 crore nett in Delhi/UP and here it took only one week to become the highest Ajay Devgn grosser. This was not just the case in Delhi/UP but in some other circuits 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

Nana Patekar is no more as he reportedly died due to a cardiac arrest at the age of 75. He was a rare actor that made a transistion from a character artist to a very successful hero. He made an entry into films in the late 70's doing some Marathi films but first came to attention with the B R Chopra superhit film, AAJ KI AWAZ, where he played the antagonist.

Then came the sleeper Hit ANKUSH in 1986 and these films gave him a good fan following due to his dialogue delivery with the public in Maharashtra. It all erupted with the blockbuster film TIRANGAA which actually made Nana Patekar a full fledged star. This was followed by more Blockbusters like KRANTIVEER and AGNI SAKSHI. At that point of time, he was probably the biggest star in Maharashtra as his films fetched a huge premium here sometimes taking the prices ahead of the biggest stars.

The 93-97 period was huge for Nana Patekar as barring KHAMOSHI (1996), all his films succeeded. The films were TIRANGAA (1993), KRANTIVEER (1994), HUM DONO (1995), AGNI SAKSHI (1996), YESHWANT (1997) and GHULAM-E-MUSTHAFA (1997). Barring HUM DONO, all the other films were bonafide Hit films in Maharashtra and a lot was down to his star pull in the state.

As makers tried to cash in this success, it became very repetitive which led to the downfall as the dialogues which were organic in the likes of TIRANGAA and KRANTIVEER became very forced which led to films not faring well. Yet, a decade later, he found huge success with WELCOME (2007) with an insanely popular character and arguably, this was his most famous character. Its unlikely that someone so unconventional in terms of the male lead will ever reach the status that Nana Patekar did in the 90's.

Mumbai: Police are in the process of writing to immigration officials over allegations that actor Imran Khan holds an overseas citizen of India card and had violated rules by participating in CJP’s stir on Saturday, said senior Gamdevi police inspector Prashant Mohite.

BJP’s Kirit Somaiya, who had flagged the alleged violation, said Khan is mentioned in a general FIR but a separate case needs to be filed against him.

He said he will visit the police station on Monday to ensure a separate FIR is lodged.

Actor Katrina Kaif recently faced criticism for her postpartum weight gain, and actor Radhikka Madan expresses solidarity with her. She insists that being a woman in itself brings barrage of judgement on looks, and she herself has been a victim of body-shaming.

"I had gained 15 kgs for Pataakha, and I was losing that weight through Shiddat and Angrezi Medium. I was told that I was 'too fat. Heroine kaise banegi ye'. I kept losing weight and shooting back-to-back, and fully became like bones. It started affecting my health, so I took a break,” she shares.

But it was realizing what actually mattered that changed her perspective. The actor adds, “Earlier, I was too fat, now I was too thin, and in between, I was neither here nor there. I asked myself why am I trying to please people when they will never be happy? So, I started focusing on feeling healthy rather than chasing a particular body size. Once you do that, others’ opinions don’t affect you as you become wiser. You don’t know what insecurity they [critiques] are coming from. But I have that security of knowing that now, I am chasing health.”

While she acknowledges that trolls would continue their criticism and one should ignore that, especially young girls who depend on social media validation in today’s age, Radhikka Madanadmits it’s easier said than done.

“Us time pe aisa hota nahi hai because we have this manicured idea and this burden, especially on girls, about how to look and what’s a perfect size. And if you aren’t fitting in that, you are going wrong. That conditioning comes from childhood as you see such women only on magazine covers. So, if I am sitting in a classroom with a unibrow and some facial hair, I will never feel enough as I am not that ideal woman. We have to realize that the idea of a perfect woman is fed to us,” she says.

Radhikka adds, “I find the idea of loving yourself a bit too cliché, but you have to accept yourself and have fun. Find your own quirks. In school, I even had a unibrow and was really hairy, but because my parenting was quite positive, I was hyped so much that I felt people don’t realize but I am beautiful. I had friends but I never felt the need for their validation to be seen. So, even when my unibrow went away, and people started noticing me, I judged them because I felt the same as before.”

The actor admits the journey to acceptance is long, chaotic and confusing. “But be on this journey of finding yourself, your ground, and start by accepting yourself because you are like a snowflake,” she ends.

Actor Vikram Singh Chauhan is on cloud nine following the response to his much-delayed OTT release, Pooja Meri Jaan. “All’s well that ends well; surely it took time to release as we had to wait for couple of years, but it’s okay, I feel,” he says.

Reflecting on the audience's response to his role as a stalker, Chauhan adds, “I am really, really happy that it's been taken so positively. When you play a character who is partly positive, partly negative, you wonder how it will land. I was mostly just excited to see how people would react.”

He notes that the ambiguity of his character was a hit with viewers: “So many people came up to me saying they were genuinely confused at first about whether to sympathize with Aniket. In the middle, they were thinking, ‘Yeh banda kitna creep hai.’ There were moments where they sympathized with him, hated him, and even loved him at some points.”

When asked if he had any initial hesitations about playing a character who dies early in the script, he admits, “The first thought that crossed my mind when I got the role was 'Why am I dying?' Especially as a young actor, you hesitate. But when I met the team and got the complete brief, I realized Aniket wasn't just a regular, one-note stalker. I was scared even until the time of the premiere wondering how much of my role would be left I told my friends not to expect much (laughs), but sab scenes thhe.”

The film delves into the uncomfortable nuances of stalking and male conditioning. Vikram explains, “The topic is so relevant today. Cinema has often ended up celebrating toxicity, but there are rare films that actually expose it. It starts a much-needed conversation. By the end, viewers realized how deeply ingrained his poor conditioning was.”

The response has also brought some eye-opening interactions according to the actor, "Surprisingly, I’ve had guys message me saying the character was justified in his actions, which shows how normalized this mindset still is. On the flip side, several close female friends opened up to me after watching the film, sharing their own horrifying experiences of being stalked for years by a few educated, influential men."

Recalling his experience with the ensemble cast, Vikram praises his co-stars. “Everyone was good. Vijay Raaz sir operates with such ease, he seamlessly switches into character. It’s incredible to watch.”

On his bond with Mrunal Thakur, he shares, “Mrunal was the one who broke the ice. Since we were staying at the same hotel, she’d invite me over to rehearse lines. We worked out together, played squash, and did script readings. That comfort level naturally translated into our on-screen chemistry.”

The actor was last seen starring as the antagonist opposite Ajay Devgn in Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness.

Imagine going back to your childhood. That was a tempting prospect for Gulshan Devaiah, and a strong enough reason to front director Kaushal Oza’s Little Thomas.

“When I read the script, I had a smile on my face. I felt my character, Desmond, is a grown-up version of Thomas. I liked understanding Kaushal’s vision for the film. It’s about the innocence of childhood and it took me back to my own childhood days,” Devaiah told mid-day of the family dramedy that also stars Rasika Dugal and child actor Hridansh Parekh.

Anurag Kashyap has co-produced the upcoming movie that did the rounds of international film festivals over the past year. Devaiah isn’t surprised by the association. After all, the filmmaker and he end up finding each other project after project.

“Anurag Kashyap seems to be a ghost that doesn’t get off my back,” laughed the actor, before adding, “We acted together in Bad Cop [2024]. He gave me my first credit in That Girl In Yellow Boots [2011], produced Shaitan [2011], and many more. He is a constant in my life.” 

There’s another constant in Devaiah’s life — his hunger to have a career built on diverse stories. “I want to have an interesting career and do things not just for money. I see that people around me have ambition. When they taste success, they want to be perceived a certain way and spend enormous amounts of resources trying to build [that perception]. I don’t do that. Maybe that’s the right thing for me. I am not under the pressure of EMI and bills, and that gives me the freedom to choose. I had the patience to invest in myself, not be influenced by what the world thought of me, and let things happen.”

Gulshan Devaiah is excited to return with the second season of ‘Dahaad’, also starring Sonakshi Sinha and Vijay Varma. “I have never wanted to go back and [reprise] any character, except for Devi Lal Singh. I really wished I could be Devi Lal one more time, and that was granted,” he smiled.

When Ektaa R Kapoor revived Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi for a second season in July 2025, it was a defining moment for its legion of fans. After a 15-month run, the Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay-led family drama is set to wind up on October 20. It’s a bittersweet moment for Upadhyay aka Mihir Virani.

“All good things come to an end,” the actor told mid-day, before adding, “It was supposed to be 167 episodes. But with Kyunki… doing really well, it got an extension in January. Then it kept on getting extended. But we were prepared that it would close at one point.”

So, is it the final goodbye from the Viranis? The family was first introduced in 2000; soon Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi topped TRP charts and became a landmark offering in Hindi television, running for eight years. Considering the show was revived 17 years later, Upadhyay is hopeful that it’s not the end of the road yet.

“It might come back in the future. This time, it returned after nearly 20 years; maybe the next season will be much earlier.”

The actor had exited the JioHotstar and Star TV offering in May for four months. He returned only last week. He revealed that his contract had ended, leading to his absence.

“Negotiations were happening, and, then the [narrative] shifted. The makers wanted to wind up the old track and then bring me back in a big way. Unfortunately, by the time I returned, it was time to wind up.”

Music is a language in itself. And then there’s the beauty of the mother tongue. Singer Sanju Rathod’s heart lay in marrying the two languages. So what if people told him that there would be no takers for Marathi music? Or that only Hindi numbers work in India? He followed his heart, and today that has led the pop star to a huge fan following across India, chartbuster songs, and greater anticipation from his audience for his future works. In a chat with mid-day, the Gulabi Sadi singer speaks on his journey so far as he announces his next album under the music label BL/UR. Excerpts from the interview.

It features 10 songs. The title is Gaon To Global. We have kept this title because the album is about me and people usually say that this guy from a village has gone global. We have been working on this album for the past one-and-a-half to two years. In fact, Shaky Shaky and Bangles are part of the same album. Since making 10 songs of a certain scale needed more time, we decided to release these tracks separately. 

Every artiste wants to do something, but they have to wait because they know it’s not commercial enough. I thought once I established myself, I would sing the other songs. So, I waited it out. There are many genres in this album that I have never attempted before. It also has the kind of music I am known for. 

I believe language doesn’t matter for music. Maybe what I brought felt fresh musically, and the melody connected with people. I have done shows in Nepal, where people don’t speak Marathi, but the crowd sings along with me. They ask me which language I am singing in. Then they research it. Many people have told me, ‘We didn’t know it was Marathi. We started listening to Marathi music because of you.’

When an artiste starts their career, they hear a lot of stuff. When a Marathi artiste is making a song, he is told, ‘Arre, make a Hindi song because the audience for Marathi music is limited’. I have faced this a lot. But I used to always think that we listen to so many songs from different languages — Japanese, English, songs from the South. I am not fluent in English but I have been listening to English music for long. So, I knew there would be an audience for Marathi music too. I created two-three Hindi songs in the beginning, but since 2017-18, I have been making Marathi songs. Also, I have noticed that even if your song hits a million views on a streaming app, people say, ‘Had you made a Hindi song, you would have gotten 10 million views.’ Aaj un logon ka mooh bandh ho gaya hai.

“I want global domination. I want to be seen as an international artiste. There are so many from India who are making it big internationally, like Diljit bhai [Dosanjh] and Karan Aujla bhai,” said Sanju Rathod.