Latest news with #Filmistan
Economic Times
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
‘Pretty little girl': Saif Ali Khan's resurfaced comment on first meeting with Kareena Kapoor stirs buzz online
Synopsis A resurfaced video clip featuring Saif Ali Khan recalling his initial encounter with Kareena Kapoor on a game show has ignited controversy. Saif described noticing a young Kareena at Filmistan Studios, sparking unease among viewers due to the age gap. Agencies Saif and Kareena: A Retrospective Glimpse at a Controversial Moment in a Celebrated Love Story Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan are often seen as one of Bollywood's most admired couples. Over the years, their relationship has blossomed both in public and private, with fans appreciating their chemistry on-screen and their strong bond off it. But a resurfaced video clip from a game show has sparked renewed conversations about their early encounters and the fine line between nostalgia and problematic an old episode of the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan recalled a moment from the start of his acting journey. During this segment, Saif shared a personal memory that predated his romantic relationship with Kareena. He described an early encounter at Filmistan Studios where he had noticed Kareena Kapoor sitting silently outside a makeup room. She was alone, leaning against a wall, and watching him. Curious, he asked someone about her identity and was told that she was Karisma Kapoor's younger sister. At that time, Kareena was still a child, far from her own stardom. Saif admitted feeling drawn to her beauty even then. 'The first time I saw her, I was shooting at Filmistan studio when I noticed a little girl sitting alone outside the makeup room, leaning against the wall. She was looking at me. I asked someone who she was, and they said she's Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor's younger sister. I thought she was very pretty. I think I liked her from that moment," he said. Saif narrating about how he met young Kareena in Filmistaan studio and found her "acchi" from then. by inBollyBlindsNGossip While his statement may have been delivered with innocent intent or fondness in hindsight, it has triggered unease among many viewers due to the age gap and the context of the the video surfaced on the Reddit forum BollyBlindsGossip, it swiftly gained traction. Numerous users voiced discomfort, pointing out the troubling implications of an adult recalling a young girl in such affectionate terms. While Saif may have intended to reflect on how early their paths crossed, his recollection was received by many as inappropriate, given that Kareena was a minor at the Redditor reacted harshly, describing the comment as unsettling and labeling it as 'creepy.' Another user made a sarcastic remark about 'eugenics,' indirectly referencing Saif's past backlash also reignited memories of Saif's earlier statements on nepotism and genetics. After facing criticism for joking about nepotism during the 2017 IIFA Awards, Saif had written an open letter published by DNA. In it, he argued that success in Bollywood stems from inherited traits rather than favoritism, referring to the industry as a merit-based system. He even claimed that producers invest in actors based on their lineage and background, citing his own mother, Sharmila Tagore, as an example of genetic influence rather than meant to defend his career path, this reasoning too was met with skepticism, and many questioned the ethics of linking talent and success to biological entire episode has stirred important reflections on how adults recall early interactions with children, especially in an industry rife with power imbalances. It forces viewers to reassess how nostalgia can sometimes sanitize or romanticize moments that, in retrospect, raise ethical concerns. The line between affection and inappropriateness is thin, especially when viewed through the lens of changing societal standards.
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Mujhe laga ki bahut khoobsurat hain': When Saif Ali Khan recalled the time he first met Kareena Kapoor and called her ‘chhoti ladki'; expert on boundaries for adults
An old video of Saif Ali Khan recalling his first encounter with Kareena Kapoor Khan has resurfaced, sparking mixed reactions online. In the clip, Saif describes seeing Kareena as a 'chhoti ladki' (little girl) when he first noticed her at Filmistan Studios in Mumbai. His words — meant to express admiration — have left many viewers unsettled, particularly because he was an adult working in the industry at the time, while Kareena was still a child. In the clip, Saif recalls, 'Actually, pehli baar jab maine unhein dekha tha, main Filmistan studio mein shooting kar raha tha toh ek chhoti ladki baithi thi makeup room ke baahar, deewar pe akeli baithi thi. Aur dekh rahi thi meri taraf. Maine poocha kisi se ki, 'Yeh kaun hai?' Toh unhonein kaha ki yeh Kareena Kapoor hain, Karisma Kapoor ki chhoti behen. Mujhe laga ki bahut khoobsurat hain. Aur mere khayal se tabse woh mujhe kaafi achchi lagi. (The first time I saw her, I was shooting at Filmistan studio when I noticed a little girl sitting alone outside the makeup room, leaning against the wall. She was looking at me. I asked someone who she was, and they said she's Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor's younger sister. I thought she was very pretty. I think I liked her from that moment).' However, Saif and Kareena's love story began much later on the sets of Tashan in 2008. Since then, the couple was spotted together several times and eventually married each other in 2012. This highlights broader themes of how adults perceive childhood admiration, power dynamics in interactions between different age groups, and the way nostalgia can sometimes reshape our memories. Psychologist Anjali Gursahaney tells 'Our emotions, present perspectives, and the passage of time shape our recollections of past interactions. Over time, memory undergoes reconstruction, where details get altered, forgotten, or romanticised based on our current emotions and life experiences.' Nostalgia filters out negative aspects and highlights emotions that reinforce our current beliefs or relationships. A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan) 'For example, in Saif's case, his memory of first seeing Kareena might have been a fleeting moment at the time, but looking back — especially given their deep relationship now — it takes on a romantic and poetic quality. His mind fills in details that align with his love and admiration for her. This is why people often recall 'first meetings' with a tinge of fate or magic, even if they seemed unremarkable in the moment,' Gursahaney reveals. Gursahaney explains, 'Power dynamics between children and adults are inherently imbalanced because children are in a developmental stage where they lack the autonomy, experience, and social power of adults.' When recalling moments from the past, the framing matters — especially when discussing a child or a teenager from an adult's perspective. 'If the memory is narrated with a lens that romanticises or retrospectively assigns adult-like qualities to a child, it can come across as inappropriate, even if unintentional. In Saif's recollection, his description is mostly innocent, but if the same memory were framed with deeper attraction or emotional weight at that moment, it could be problematic,' she stresses. The ethical boundary here is ensuring that past interactions are remembered in a way that respects the developmental stage of the younger person at that time.
India.com
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Saif Ali Khan was impressed as soon as he saw 10-year-old Kareena Kapoor, here's how Bebo and Chhote Nawab's love story began, watch viral video
Bollywood's star couple, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, have many fans. This couple has also done many films together. Saif and Kareena are also parents of two sons and live a wonderful life. Kareena is the actor's second wife. Saif's first wife was Amrita Singh, from whom the actor got divorced. Saif-Amrita got divorced in 2004, and before that, Saif had met Kareena. In the year 2003, the film LOC-Kargil was released, where Saif saw Kareena for the first time. In a show of Shah Rukh Khan, Saif shared the story of seeing Kareena for the first time. When was the first time Saif Ali Khan saw Kareena Kapoor for the first time? Saif told on Shahrukh Khan's show, 'The first time I saw Kareena, I was shooting in Filmistan studio, a little girl was sitting, outside the make-up room, and maybe she was looking, towards me, maybe not at me, I felt she was looking at me, I asked someone who she was, then someone told me that she is Karisma Kapoor's younger sister Kareena Kapoor, I thought she was very beautiful, and since then I have liked her a lot, we have met many times, did not talk much, we did a film LOC, we did not talk much in that, we did not talk at all in Omkara, we talked a lot in the film Tashan and then slowly we became friends.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollykike (@bollykike) When did Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor get married? After this Shah Rukh asked Kareena, 'Kareena, when you were looking at the wall, were you really looking at Saif?' To this, Kareena said, 'To be honest, I don't remember at all. ' Let us tell you, Saif and Kareena got married in the year 2012, and the couple has two children from this marriage, Taimur and Jahangir Ali Khan. Saif-Kareena have done many films together, including LOC Kargil, Omkara, Tashan, as well as Agent Vinod and Kurbaan. Agent Vinod was released on 23 March 2012, and the couple got married on 16 October 2012.
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Filmistan Studio: Bollywood giants walked the floors of Mumbai's iconic glory
MUMBAI: It was let to decay – rust adding up on its doors and railings, ceiling fans and iron cupboards. Land prices in Goregaon West have skyrocketed since 1943 when the sprawling Filmistan Studio, with seven shooting floors came up, where once the Sharda Movietone studio stood. History aggregating with its 'parental' Bombay Talkies, geographically separated by less than three kilometers. After the co-founder Himanshu Rai died in 1940, the emotional and intellectual proximity between Devika Rani, his wife, and producer Sasadhar Mukherjee widened. In 1943, Mukherjee left Bombay Talkies along with the production controller Rai Bahadur Chunilal (music composer Madan Mohan's father), director Gyan Mukherjee and actor Ashok Kumar to set up a new banner -- Filmistan, on April 28, 1943. Just a year before, Mahatma Gandhi had given the Quit India call to the British, and WW-II was at its peak. In those times of turmoil, Bombay Talkies had produced a historic block-buster 'Kismet' directed by Gyan Mukherjee. Filmistan studio.(HT) At Filmistan, Gyan Mukherjee, opened his innings with 'Chal chal re nau jawan' (1944), starring Ashok Kumar and Naseem Banu (Saira Banu's mother), and written by Sadaat Hasan Manto. Yesterday, standing outside Filmistan Studio with its gates closed, as it has been sold to a real estate developer, a memory gripped my mind – that of Guru Dutt, who considered Gyan Mukherjee his mentor. Yet another memory that struck me was that of Ritwik Ghatak, a giant of a Bengali filmmaker, who had joined Filmistan for a few months during the 1950s as story and screenplay writer. During that time, he had written his celebrated letter to the boss Sasadhar Mukherjee about introducing more experimental dynamism to the films produced by Filmistan. Ghatak then joined the Film Institute of India (later Film & Television Institute of India), Pune, as vice principal. I have visited this film studio several times before and remember a permanent set of a village with a Dattatray temple, a circular well, old houses, a sets-making workshop, etc. The temple has been shown in many Bollywood films. Filmistan Studio was set up in 1943. It rode the crest for decades, following which it gradually began to lose its sheen. MANOJ PATIL/ HINDUSTAN TIMES(HT) After the production controller Rai Bahadur Chunilal passed away in 1951, the studio lost its regular din of shooting, when its new owner Tolaram Jalan took over the financial reins. It was rumoured he wanted to sell off the property way back in 2011. Mukherjee gradually lost interest in Filmistan and eventually separated from it in 1958 to set up his new banner – Filmalaya at Amboli, Andheri West. By then Filmistan had already produced some successful films including 'Samadhi' (1950) about Subhash Chandra Bose and his Azad Hind Fauj. Its marching song composed and sung by C Ramchandran, 'Kadam badhaye ja' still rents the skies on India's Independence Day. Memorable films Filmistan gave several other memorable films such as 'Anarkali' (1953) and 'Nagin' (1954) both directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal. But soon a new Bollywood hero was to emerge from the Filmistan stable -- Shammi Kapoor, the industry's early stylish playboy and dancer. With the film 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' (1957) Kapoor became a darling of the Indian youth. Its songs such as 'Yun to hamne lakh hasin dekhen hai, tumsa nahin dekha', composed by O P Nayyar, took them to a new high. The Filmistan stable had such eminent directors as P L Santoshi, Nandlal Jaswantlal, Subodh Mukherjee, Kishore Sahu, Ramesh Sehgal, Nasir Hussain and Najam Naqvi and of course the co-founder Gyan Mukherjee, who introduced his brand of filmmaking, which was commonly known as the Gyan Mukherjee school. Sasadhar Mukherjee(HT archive) The Filmistan stars were Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Nalini Jaywant, Kamini Kaushal and others. In the Filmistan film 'Shabnam' (1949), the pair of Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal was established. And with that film, the music composer S D Burman had also become well known. Other leading music composers belonging to Filmistan were C Ramchandra (Ramchandra Narahar Chittalkar), O P Nayyar, Anil Biswas and others. In 'Nagin', Hemant Kumar, emerged a household name as a music composer. Gyan Mukherjee(HT archive) Filmistan's 'Shehnai' was initially released on August 15, 1947. Written and directed by P L Santoshi and songs (penned by Santoshi) composed by C Ramchandra became big a hit across the country. One of its songs, 'Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday' had taken the newly independent nation by storm. I have a personal anecdote to share from the film which created a newer musical environment. A nallah closer to the place where I live in Kandivli West, was once the pristine River Poinsur. Some residents in Kandivli village told me that many scenes and songs of films were shot in this river, as both Bombay Talkies and Filmistan were in the neighbourhood -- Malad and Goregaon, respectively. In my research, an old man remembered the words 'Chhaiya', not from Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se' but Filmistan's 'Shehnai'. I eventually managed to track down a worn-out CD of the film and there was 'Chhuk chhuk chhaiya chhaiya…' It was river Poinsur. Memories of Filmistan Studio cannot be erased ever. (Amrit Gangar is a film scholar, curator and researcher.)
Economic Times
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Kajol and Rani Mukerji's grandfather's 82-year-old studio will be turned into Rs 3,000 crore luxury apartments
Transition to Real Estate: The Studio's Fate Sealed Emotional Response and Protests from Industry Workers A Living Symbol of Bollywood's Past Current Work by the Mukherjee Family Established in 1943 by the visionary Sashadhar Mukherjee—grandfather to Bollywood divas Kajol and Rani Mukerji—Filmistan Studios emerged as a foundational pillar of the Indian film industry. Located in Goregaon West, Mumbai, the studio was co-founded with legendary figures like Ashok Kumar, Gyan Mukherjee, and Rai Bahadur Chunilal. Together, they helped shape what would become one of Bollywood's most iconic creative spaces. Filmistan broke away from Bombay Talkies to form an independent platform for filmmaking, and for decades, it wasn't just a set location—it functioned as a full-scale production house where artists and technical staff were employed with stable, monthly reported by Times Now Digital, on July 3, 2025, Filmistan Studios was officially acquired by Arkade Developers Limited for a transaction valued at approximately ₹183 crore. This purchase marks a pivotal moment, signaling the symbolic conclusion of Hindi cinema's so-called golden period. The new owners plan to transform the property into a high-end residential to a report in the Economic Times, Arkade Developers is preparing to launch a luxurious real estate project on the site, slated for 2026. The project is projected to cost around ₹3,000 crore and will feature two towering 50-storey buildings comprising premium 3, 4, and 5 BHK apartments. Amit Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Arkade Developers, confirmed the development on LinkedIn, stating that the acquisition aligns with the company's vision for upscale urban sale has sparked significant outcry among members of the Indian film fraternity. The All Indian Cine Workers Association ( AICWA ) has publicly expressed its discontent, calling on Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, to step in and prevent the destruction of Filmistan Studios. The organization emphasized that the studio represents not just an architectural landmark but a rich cultural heritage built on the relentless dedication of thousands of behind-the-scenes warned that the redevelopment would result in widespread job loss for technicians, camera operators, and daily-wage laborers who have long depended on the studio for their livelihood. Their letter also highlighted that several other historic film studios are facing similar threats, posing a broader risk to employment across the entertainment generations, Filmistan Studios served as a nucleus for creativity in Hindi cinema. More than a workplace, it stood as a testament to collaboration and passion, sheltering not only celebrated stars but also an army of skilled professionals whose contributions were often unseen but vital. Its conversion into a luxury complex signifies a dramatic shift in priorities—one that places real estate over artistic Kajol, one of Sashadhar Mukherjee 's most prominent descendants, continues her journey in Indian cinema. Her recent performance was in Maa, a supernatural thriller linked to the Shaitaan cinematic universe. The film follows a mother battling dark forces to protect her child, mirroring the emotional tension that now surrounds the fate of her family's historic Studios may soon exist only in memories and archived footage, but for those whose lives it touched, its walls carried more than echoes—they carried dreams.
