Hindi
Shakti Samanta passes away at 83
MUMBAI: Noted Hindi filmmaker Shakti Samanta passed away today at 6.30 pm, creating a void in the film industry. He was 83.
Samanta was recovering from a stroke. His funeral would be held at Santacruz crematorium at 10.30 am tomorrow, a family member said.
Samanta churned out several box-office hits like Howrah Bridge, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Aradhana and An Evening in Paris.
In all, Samanta directed 43 feature films, including 37 Hindi and 6 Bengali films.
Says yesteryear film actress Asha Parekh, “Today has turned out to be a very bad day for me. I cannot believe that this down-to-earth person is not amongst us anymore. A wonderful human being, Shaktida had a lot of music sense and was instrumental in dishing out memorable music in all his films. My hearty condolence to the entire Samanta family.”
Samanta is credited for starting the trend of making double-version films in Hindi and Bengali with Amanush in 1974. He also made the first co-produced film between India and Bangladesh in 1984.
Incidentally, Samanta was the former president of Indian Motion Pictures Association of India (IMPAA).
Hindi
Rashmika Mandanna, Shanaya Kapoor and Naila Grrewal climb IMDb’s Indian celebrity rankings
Upcoming films and returning shows are driving fan interest across Bollywood and streaming
MUMBAI: Bollywood’s popularity contest has a new weekly scorecard, and the numbers are telling. IMDb’s Popular Indian Celebrities list for this week places Shanaya Kapoor at number six, buoyed by buzz around her film Tu Yaa Main. Naila Grrewal slots in at seven on the back of the returning comedy series Maamla Legal Hai, while Rashmika Mandanna climbs to eighth, riding mounting anticipation for Cocktail 2.
The list, available exclusively on the IMDb app for Android and iOS, tracks trending Indian entertainers and filmmakers each week, drawing on data from more than 200m monthly visits to the platform worldwide.
Further down the rankings, Raaka is keeping two of its biggest names in the spotlight. Deepika Padukone holds 11th position, with Allu Arjun close behind at 13th, as the film continues to find traction with audiences.
The list offers fans a weekly pulse on who is breaking through, who is holding steady, and who is fading. It is a barometer as unsparing as the box office itself.
