Mayank Shekhar is an Indian film critic, journalist and author. [1] He has been a film critic and a national cultural editor with Hindustan Times . [2] He previously worked under Mumbai Mirror and MiD DAY . [3] [4] He also used to write a blog, Fad For Thought, at the Hindustan Times website. [2] Currently, his reviews appear on his website theW14.com and also at the Dainik Bhaskar in different languages. He is the editorial head of Mid-Day entertainment and the host of the online talk show Sit with Hitlist. He is also an advisory member for the Central Board of Film Certification. [5]
Shekhar completed his schooling from Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram, Delhi in 1998 and thereafter graduated in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, in 2001 and moved to Mumbai thereafter. [6] He currently resides at Chembur. [7]
Shekhar moved to Mumbai after his studies and started his career as film journalist, eventually he came to head the features team at Mumbai Mirror for two years and was also part of the Mid-Day features team for four years. [8]
In 2006, Bombay Talkies, a book authored by Shekhar was published by Frog Books. [9] The book is a compilation of film reviews written by Shekhar from 2004 to 2005. In a review, Bollywood Hungama wrote that the book "qualifies more as his [Shekhar's] personal portfolio or his extended resume." [1]
Shekhar is a member of the Central Board of Film Certification. [5] [10]
Shekhar has gained popularity for his film reviews. [8] [11] According to Rediff, Shekhar belongs to breed of film critics who "bring sense, and a measure of cinematic sensibility, to their writing". [12] He has been the recipient of a number of awards. In 2004, he was one of 21 recipients of the 5th "Young Achievers Awards" by the Indo-American Film Society for his work as a film critic. [4] In 2007 he was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. [13] In 2021, he won the Best Talk Show Host award for his online show Sit with Hitlist at the 5th Annual Talentrack Awards. [14]
He currently runs a cinema website called theW14.com.
He has authored a book, Name Place Animal Thing. [15] [5] The Telegraph described it as "a collection of essays on a number of aspects of popular Indian culture - ranging from cinema and drinking to politics and music - that are often glossed over". [8]
The Indian Express is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by Ramnath Goenka with an investment by capitalist partner Raja Mohan Prasad. The company is held in a trust by current legal heirs for Prasad's family as per the trust deed given by Goenka to Prasad. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split between the family members. The southern editions took the name The New Indian Express, while the northern editions, based in Mumbai, retained the original Indian Express name with The prefixed to the title.
Kurla is a suburb of East Mumbai, India. It is the headquarters of the Kurla taluka of Mumbai Suburban district. The neighbourhood is named after the eponymous East Indian village that it grew out of. It falls under Zone 5, Ward 'L' of the Bombay Municipal Corporation. Its railway station, spelt as Coorla until 1890, is one of the busiest on the Mumbai suburban railway on the central and harbour railway lines of Mumbai as is the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) for out-station passenger/express trains.
Bombay is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala. The film tells the story of an inter-religious family in Bombay before and during the Bombay riots, which took place between December 1992 and January 1993 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid led to religious tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities. It is the second installment in Ratnam's trilogy of films that depict human relationships against a background of Indian politics, including Roja (1992) and Dil Se.. (1998).
Alam Ara is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves around a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a fakir tells the king that the former wife will give birth to a boy, later named Qamar, but the child will die following his 18th birthday if Navbahaar cannot find the necklace he asks for. Meanwhile, the king finds out that Dilbahaar falls for the senapati Adil, leading the king to arrest him and evicts his pregnant wife, who later gives birth to Alam Ara (Zubeida).
Ranbir Kapoor is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including seven Filmfare Awards.
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian film director and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France made him a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2013.
Raajneeti (transl. Politics) is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language political thriller film co-written, directed and produced by Prakash Jha, with a screenplay by Anjum Rajabali and Prakash Jha. Depicting an archetypal conflict between rival political families and parties, based on Mahabharata, the film starred an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Sarah Thompson and Naseeruddin Shah. It was originally produced by Prakash Jha Productions and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and Walkwater Media.
Lamhaa (transl. Moment) is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Rahul Dholakia. It stars Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Anupam Kher and Kunal Kapoor in the leading roles. The film follows an Indian Army officer sent undercover to find the culprit behind extremist attacks in Kashmir, where he is helped by the daughter of a separatist leader. The film released on 16 July 2010.
Dhobi Ghat, released internationally as Mumbai Diaries and Bombay Diaries, is a 2010 Indian drama film directed by Kiran Rao in her directorial debut. The film was produced by Rao and Aamir Khan, and stars Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra and Khan in the lead roles. Gustavo Santaolalla was signed to compose the score and soundtrack of the film, which includes a song by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Dibakar Banerjee is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and advertisement-filmmaker known for his work in Hindi films. Banerjee started his career in advertising, being a feature filmmaker, he still continues to be an ad-filmmaker. He also runs his own film production company, Dibakar Banerjee Productions.
Ranveer Singh Bhavnani is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several awards, including five Filmfare Awards. He is among the highest-paid Indian actors and has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012.
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian filmmaker duo. They are best known for their work, specifically as creators, directors, writers, and producers of the Amazon Prime Video Hindi-language thriller series The Family Man (2019–present), Farzi (2023–present), Guns and Gulaabs (2023).
Sumit Nijhawan is an Indian actor residing in Mumbai, India. Nijhawan has appeared in films such as Contract, Sarkar Raj and Phas Gaye Re Obama. He also played Sarfaraz, a prominent character in the movie Jannat 2, where he made his presence felt. His first role as a main lead came with Maazii, which received the IBN Live Best Independent Film 2013 award. He has since played substantial roles in films like Dishkiyaaoon, Raja Natwarlal and Vidya Balan starrer Begum Jaan where his role received significantly appreciation. His performance in Mardaani 2, an action thriller starring Rani Mukherji, and Lootcase, a FOX India film, received rave reviews from critics.
Anshuman Jha is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and theatre. He is known for his role in Love Sex Aur Dhokha. He had been rated as one of the "Top Ten Bollywood Actors of 2010" by Rediff. He appeared in films such as Yeh Hai Bakrapur (2014), X: Past Is Present (2015), Chauranga (2016), Mona Darling (2017), Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain (2018) and No Fathers In Kashmir (2019). His 2020 Web show Mastram has had over a billion views on MX Player. He played the lead in the film Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele (2021). His latest release, the Action-Thriller titled Lakadbaggha (2023), has won him lots of critical acclaim including the Best Actor Award as the South Asian International Film festival presented by HBO
Bombay Talkies is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap. The film released on 3 May 2013, coinciding with and celebrating the 100th year of Indian cinema and the beginning of a new era in modern cinema. It screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2013.
Vineet Kumar Singh is an Indian actor and writer known for his strong portrayal of an aspiring boxer Shravan Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz (2018). An M.D. in Ayurveda from Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur, Vineet began his acting career at the age of 21 with the movie Pitaah (2002). After few series of performances in his early career including the 2010 film City of Gold, he got noticed for his role in films like Bombay Talkies and Gangs of Wasseypur. His role in Ugly and the portrayal of the character Milan Shukla in the film Daas Dev won him appreciation. He made his debut as lead actor in the 2018 Anurag Kashyap film Mukkabaaz for which he won two awards.
Burjor Khurshedji Karanjia was an Indian film journalist and editor. He was the editor of Filmfare for 18 years, followed by Screen which he edited for 10 years. He also remained the chairman of the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC).
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest Indian filmmakers, he is credited with redefining the "range and depth of Tamil cinema". As of 2019, he has directed 28 films, and produced over 15 under his production company Madras Talkies.
Yasser Usman is an Indian television journalist, bestselling author, news presenter, and biographer. Born in Delhi, Yasser Usman began his career by working as a television presenter and was awarded the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award for his contribution. Usman has been recognised by the media as one of India's most successful film biographers.
Shubhra Gupta is an Indian film critic who writes for The Indian Express. She received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Best Writing on Cinema in 2012. She was a member of the Central Board of Film Certification from 2012 to 2015. She is the author of 50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995–2015.
Thirty-something Mayank Shekhar, the man she's seeing, is popular for his film reviews.