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A new breed of producers and directors are coming up with a string of mint-fresh narratives, literary adaptations and historical recreations. Is this Bollywood shift — towards meaningful yet popular cinema — here to stay, asks Saibal Chatterjee
Commercial Hindi cinema is a world apart. In the form we know it today, it is as far removed from the nation’s reality, literature and history as our planet is from Mars. But, going by a slew of atypical Bollywood films lined up for release in the weeks ahead, the Mumbai industry’s frames of reference seem to be undergoing a sea change.

Balcony of the Himalayas
Partha S. Banerjee travels to the steeped-in-culture Bumthang valley of Bhutan
IT’S a fabled valley deep inside Bhutan with the prettiest women anywhere. Or so, at least, goes one story about the origin of Bumthang’s name. For, bum in the local language means girl. If the women are beautiful, the land is a patch of paradise.

Mrs Robinson and more
Vikramdeep Johal on Anne Bancroft and her unforgettable roles in The Miracle Worker and The Graduate
Talking about the character that made him a star, Sean Connery once said, "I have always hated that damn James Bond. I’d like to kill him." This candid remark came from his failure to shake off the 007 tag, despite his best efforts. What Bond did to Connery, Mrs Robinson did to Anne Bancroft.

Pop goes the cause
Janet Street-Porter tells why charity concerts by pop stars make her want to scream
THIS will be remembered as the year pop music finally lost any credibility from Bob Dylan’s protest songs of the 1960s finally ending up in 2005 in the car park of good intentions and zero content.