Forty magical moments from the life and career of Priyanka Chopra Jonas
A path-breaking global career has turned Priyanka Chopra Jonas into perhaps the most
famous Indian celebrity on the planet.
From her stunning Miss World win to becoming a frontline Bollywood star and then cracking Hollywood, she has blazed a trail with her brave approach. This week the beauty queen turned actress will turn a year older on July 18 and receive good wishes from around the world.
Eastern Eye decided to get involved with her landmark 40th birthday celebrations and present 40 magical moments from her magnificent career, knowing full well there are many more.
Miss World 2000 (MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP via Getty Images)
1. Priyanka was just 18 years old when she got global attention by winning the 2000 Miss World pageant in London and started receiving film offers soon after. It was the beginning of a remarkable journey filled with many firsts.
2. Priyanka scored her first big film success with 2004 romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. She starred opposite Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in one of the year’s biggest hits.
Aitraaz
3. The actress brilliantly played a villain role for the first time in Aitraaz (2005) and won a load of honours, including the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative role.
4. Priyanka stepped into sci-fi sequel Krrish (2006), which became the most successful superhero film in Hindi film history. She then returned with lead star Hrithik Roshan for the third instalment Krrish Returns (2013).
Don: The Chase Begins Again
5. Bollywood remake Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006) saw her successfully take on the power-packed role portrayed by Zeenat Aman in the original 1978 version. Priyanka returned for the sequel with Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2 (2011).
6. Her immense philanthropic work has included working closely with UNICEF since 2006 and officially being appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the organisation in 2010.
Fashion
7. A phenomenal performance in Fashion (2008) earned Priyanka her first National Award for Best Actress. She swept the boards at the other major ceremonies to win a whole load of accolades for that role of a model caught in the underbelly of the fashion world.
8. Dostana (2008) became a huge success, and the biggest highlight of the film was her smash hit Desi Girl song, which turned into anthem for south Asian women around the world.
9. What’s Your Raashee? (2009) may not have done well at the box office, but it had Priyanka showing off her remarkable range by playing 12 contrasting characters.
10. She won an award at Shanghai International Film Festival for her contribution to cinema in 2009.
11. Although Shahid Kapoor’s dynamic double role was the centre of attention in cult classic Kaminey (2009), Priyanka more than held her own with a stunning performance as a feisty Marathi woman named Sweety.
12. The brave beauty stepped in to host season three of popular reality TV show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2010 and performed a number of eye-catching stunts.
7 Khoon Maaf
13. The fearless star took on one of the most unique roles in Hindi cinema history in 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), where she played a murderous woman, who causes six deaths in her quest for love. The award-winning performance by the actress received rave reviews.
14. In 2011, she signed a global music deal and became the first Bollywood star to release songs internationally.
15. In 2012, she became the first Bollywood star to sign with major Hollywood talent agent Creative Artists Agency.
Barfi
16. She delivered one of the best performances of her career as the loveable Jhilmil in blockbuster success Barfi (2012) and completely transformed herself for the beautifully crafted role.
17. Priyanka stood out in the male-dominated action-drama Agneepath (2012), which became a huge blockbuster success globally and earned the highest opening day record.
18. She won the hearts of young audiences by voicing the character of Ishani in 3D-animated feature Planes (2013), which became a big global hit.
19. The actress exploded onto the big screen with a dynamite song performance of Ram Chahe Leela in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-leela (2013). The contemporary mujra has since been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube.
Mary Kom
20. Biographical sports drama Mary Kom (2014) premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Her transformative portrayal of the champion boxer won praise, and the film marked her debut as a playback singer.
Bajirao Mastani
21. The actress delivered one of the all-time great supporting roles in Bajirao Mastani (2015) and won multiple awards. The blockbuster hit was by far the highest grossing Bollywood film of that year.
22. She continued to break international ground for India by presenting an Oscar for Best Film Editing at the 88th Academy Awards in 2016. Then in 2021, she along with husband Nick Jonas, announced the nominees for the 93rd edition of the awards.
Quantico
23. She became the first frontline Bollywood star to headline a Hollywood series with a powerful lead role in hit drama series Quantico, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2018 and won her People’s Choice awards.
24. She was presented with India’s fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri in 2016 and then in 2017 received the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice.
25. The big-thinking star set up her production company Purple Pebble Pictures and chose to focus on uplifting regional language cinema. Her debut home production, Marathi film Ventilator (2016), won multiple honours, including three prestigious National Awards.
26. The actress admirably bagged the villain’s role in Hollywood movie Baywatch (2017), even thought it was originally written for a male.
27. The beautiful star topped the Eastern Eye newspaper’s globally popular list of sexiest Asian women in the world a record five times, (2006, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017). She has regularly topped other similar lists across her career.
28. The actress has also regularly topped power lists, which included being named in Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2016. Similarly, Forbes magazine listed her among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 and 2018.
Priyanka at the royal wedding in 2018
29. In 2018, Priyanka looked magical at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
30. She produced acclaimed Marathi language drama Paani (2019), which won The National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation.
31. She co-produced and starred in critically acclaimed drama The Sky Is Pink (2019). It is yet another film where she received multiple Best Actress nominations.
32. In 2019, she received the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF for her philanthropic work and dedication towards the welfare of society. The same year she teamed up with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and the Crocs company to donate 50,000 pairs of shoes to deserving school children in Belize.
33. In 2019, she became the first Indian actress to have wax statues in four Madame Tussauds
museums around the world.
34. She delivered a winning turn in Hollywood children’s film We Can Be Heroes (2020) and received praise for her terrific turn.
35. The actress played a key role and executive produced the big screen adaptation of iconic novel The White Tiger (2021). The film receives an Oscar and BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
36. In February 2021, Penguin Random House published her memoir Unfinished, where she revealed remarkable aspects of her life, including exposing a dark side of Bollywood that saw her ejected from early projects because they were given to the leading man’s girlfriend.
The Matrix Ressurections
37. She lit up mega-budget Hollywood film The Matrix Resurrections in 2021, with her role of Sati.
38. After playing multiple supporting roles in Hollywood films, she landed a lead in romantic drama It’s All Coming Back to Me. The remake of 2016 German film SMS für Dich is due for release in 2023.
39. Her other forthcoming projects include a lead role in thriller series Citadel and playing Ma Anand Sheela in a film based on the real-life of the spiritual guru. She has committed to an
Indo-American wedding comedy with Mindy Kaling, courtroom drama Tulia, action film Ending Things and Bollywood road-movie Jee Le Zaraa. She is also linked to action film Cowboy Ninja Viking opposite Chris Pratt and a film adaptation of the novel Secret Daughter with Sienna Miller.
Priyanka and Nick Jonas at their wedding
40. Last, but not least, the most magical moments for the actress in recent years were a dream wedding to Nick Jonas in December 2018 and welcoming her first child in January 2022, a baby girl via surrogacy. They will be by her side to celebrate 40 beautiful years on her birthday.
For the first time, London’s Mall Galleries will host a major exhibition dedicated entirely to Pichvai paintings, an intricate devotional textile tradition from Rajasthan. Titled Feast, Melody and Adornment (2–6 July 2025), the show brings over 350 artworks to a British audience, highlighting the evolution and global revival of this 400-year-old art form.
Curated by Pooja Singhal, founder of Udaipur-based atelier Pichvai Tradition and Beyond, the exhibition is being hailed as the most ambitious contemporary presentation of Pichvai to date. In fact, it marks a powerful shift in how Indian temple art is being experienced: not in hushed museum archives, but as a vibrant, living tradition reaching new audiences.
Pichvai, meaning “behind the idol”, originated in the 17th century in Nathdwara, a temple town near Udaipur. Artists created these large-format cloth paintings for daily darshans (ritual viewings) of Srinathji, a baby Krishna deity. These works captured moments of shringar (adornment), bhog (feasting) and raag (devotional music), and were displayed behind the idol in the sanctum.
Deccan Miniature Images - Gold Cows on red getty images
Over time, these temple painters formed a tight-knit community. “My mother collected Pichvais, and my grandfather sold them,” says Singhal, whose childhood was steeped in this visual tradition. “I literally grew up surrounded by them.”
Layers of meaning, scale and detail
Though often mistaken for simple Krishna depictions, Pichvais are complex, layered artworks. They can include over 100 miniature elements like cows, lotuses, chariots and gopis, often spanning six to eight feet in height. Some motifs, like lotus blooms, are symbolic too, evoking cooling relief during Rajasthan’s scorching summers.
Pastel Lotus getty images
“Pichvai is unique because it marries the scale of a textile with the detailing of miniature painting,” explains Singhal. “Every inch has a hundred layers. You can stand there for hours and keep discovering new stories.”
Krishna as Govindagetty image
Schools of miniature painting from Nathdwara, Bundi, Jaipur and Kishangarh influence the styles on display. Some resemble aerial maps of temple festivals; others evoke the rhythm of music or the warmth of food being served to devotees.
Reimagining tradition for a global audience
Singhal’s goal since launching Pichvai Tradition and Beyond in 2010 has been to preserve traditional methods while adapting them for modern collectors. Her key innovations include:
Grayscale reinterpretations for minimal, contemporary homes
Greyscale Pichvais
Restored sketchbook folios, recreating daily temple scenes from archival fragments
Sketches
Pastel colour palettes and geometric cow motifs to appeal to wider interiors
Modern Cow Pastel
Framing artworks individually, allowing Pichvai sketches to stand as contemporary works in their own right
Sketches
These modern adaptations haven’t diluted the tradition; they’ve helped it grow. One of the atelier’s works was even selected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a diplomatic gift to a foreign leader, an unexpected milestone that, according to Singhal, affirmed the relevance and stature of this centuries-old tradition in the modern world. “When a Swedish collector bought a grayscale Pichvai at the India Art Fair, I realised the form can travel,” she says.
Pichvai gifted to Narendra Modi
A new system for old skills
Breaking away from the age-old guru–shishya (teacher–disciple) model, Singhal’s atelier now works more like a studio collective. A team of 10–12 artists from different miniature schools collaborate on large and small format works.
“Many painters had no work,” she says. “We started smaller Pichvais and even Deccan-style gold miniatures. It gave artists a viable livelihood.”
Black and gold Gopis
Bringing Pichvai to Britain
Shipping 350 works across continents has taken six months of preparation. The Victorian-era Mall Galleries, located near Trafalgar Square, has never hosted an Indian temple art show of this magnitude.
The artworks are split across three interconnected rooms, themed around Raag, Bhog and Shringar. Alongside the art, there will be over 15 events including artist walkthroughs, collector previews, academic panels, and auctions benefiting Rajasthan’s artisans.
The Haveli of Shrinathji
“I’ve never worked at this scale before,” Singhal admits. “But if every visitor leaves feeling connected to the art, it’ll be worth it.”
What it means for British-Indian audiences
This is the first exhibition in the UK to exclusively showcase newly created Pichvais, not just preserved artefacts. For British-Asian families who’ve seen such works in temples or family homes, it’s a rare chance to see them celebrated on an international platform.
“Many have never seen this tradition at such scale or detail,” says Singhal. “And now, these living artists, whose families have painted for generations, get their moment.”
📍 Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1Y 5BD 📅 2–6 July 2025 🕙 10:00–18:00 daily (until 19:00 on 4 July) 🎟️ Admission: £12 (₹1,280), £8 (₹850), Free for Under 12s 🔗 More info: mallgalleries.org.uk
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The strike highlights long-standing concerns among Louvre staff
The Louvre Museum in Paris, the world’s most-visited art institution, was forced to shut its doors to the public for most of Monday, 17 June, as workers staged a spontaneous strike in protest over chronic overcrowding and deteriorating working conditions.
Thousands of ticket-holding visitors were left waiting in long queues beneath the museum’s iconic glass pyramid, with no clear explanation provided on-site. Many expressed frustration over the lack of communication and the disruption to their plans.
Staff protest against 'untenable' conditions
The walkout took place during a scheduled internal meeting, during which gallery attendants, security staff and ticket agents decided to withdraw their services. According to the CGT-Culture union, the protest was triggered by “unmanageable crowds”, insufficient staffing and unsafe working conditions.
Sarah Sefian of CGT-Culture said, “We can’t wait six years for help. Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art – it’s about the people protecting it.”
The strike highlights long-standing concerns among Louvre staff, including inadequate facilities for both visitors and employees. These include limited restrooms, a shortage of rest areas, and extreme temperature swings within the museum that also pose a risk to the artworks.
Louvre’s overtourism problem
Over 8.7 million people visited the Louvre in 2023 – more than double the capacity the building was designed to handle. Despite a daily visitor cap of 30,000, staff say that the volume, combined with inadequate infrastructure, turns the museum experience into a daily “physical ordeal”.
Central to the issue is the popularity of the Mona Lisa, which draws around 20,000 people a day to the Salle des États. The crowding in this room often prevents visitors from appreciating the surrounding Renaissance masterpieces. Some tourists describe the experience as overwhelming, with little chance to enjoy the art amid the noise, heat, and crowding.
Renovation plans and funding concerns
In January 2025, President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a €700–800 million “Louvre New Renaissance” plan to address the museum’s pressing issues. Under the plan, the Mona Lisa will be relocated to a purpose-built gallery with timed entry. A new entrance near the Seine River is also expected to be completed by 2031 to alleviate congestion at the existing pyramid entrance.
However, Louvre staff remain sceptical about the project’s impact. While the plan promises improved display conditions and a modernised visitor experience, unions have criticised the government for allowing annual state subsidies to fall by over 20 per cent in the past decade, despite increasing footfall.
“We take it very badly that Monsieur Le President makes his speeches here in our museum,” said Sefian. “But when you scratch the surface, the financial investment of the state is getting worse with each passing year.”
A leaked internal memo from Louvre President Laurence des Cars echoed many of these concerns. The document described failing infrastructure, including leaks and temperature fluctuations, as well as poor basic visitor services such as signage, food and restrooms.
Limited reopening possible, full closure expected Tuesday
Some striking staff indicated they might briefly reopen a limited “masterpiece route” on Monday evening to allow access to key artworks, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. However, the museum is officially closed on Tuesdays and is expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday.
Visitors affected by the strike may be allowed to reuse Monday’s tickets on another day, subject to availability.
Financial outlook and restoration timeline
The Louvre’s full renovation is expected to be financed through a mix of ticket revenue, government contributions, private donations, and proceeds from international partnerships, including licensing from the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Ticket prices for non-EU visitors are expected to increase later in 2025.
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Unlike other major Parisian sites, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Centre Pompidou – both of which are undergoing state-funded restorations – the Louvre remains underfunded and overstretched. Staff argue that without immediate action, both the museum’s collection and its workforce are at risk.
President Macron, who delivered his 2017 election victory speech at the Louvre and used it prominently during the 2024 Paris Olympics, has promised a revitalised museum by the end of the decade.
For now, however, the Louvre remains emblematic of the broader overtourism challenges facing cultural landmarks across Europe. With no short-term solutions in place, both staff and visitors remain caught between ambition and reality.
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Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion
Father’s Day is often seen as a time for cards, tools or a family lunch, but across the globe, it carries a much deeper significance. Beyond the commercial promotions, Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion. While some mark the occasion with grand gestures, others focus on quiet reflection, respect and the bonds that define fatherhood.
Thailand’s day of respect
In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on 5 December, the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The day is as much about honouring the nation’s former monarch as it is about celebrating fatherhood. Citizens wear yellow, the king’s birth colour, and present canna lilies to their fathers as a symbol of gratitude and respect. It’s a cultural blend of familial and national reverence.
Germany’s tradition of brotherhood
Germany takes a different approach. Known as Vatertag, or Father’s Day, it coincides with Ascension Day and is often marked by groups of men going on hiking trips, pulling wagons of food and drink. While it may appear more social than family-oriented, the tradition is rooted in camaraderie and shared responsibility among men and father figures.
Remembering fathers in Mexico
In Mexico and across parts of Latin America, Father’s Day is a time to honour both the living and the departed. Families often visit cemeteries to pay tribute to late fathers and gather to share stories and memories. It’s a day that highlights legacy over materialism, where the emotional role of a father is celebrated beyond life itself.
The expanding meaning in India
In India, Father’s Day doesn’t have deep historical roots, but its popularity is growing among urban families. Influenced by Western customs, it is increasingly used to recognise not only biological fathers, but also mentors, guardians and elders who provide support and guidance. The day is evolving into a broader celebration of male role models across generations.
A shared message worldwide
Though celebrated in different ways, Father’s Day across cultures shares a central idea: appreciation. Whether through a gift, a walk, a meal or a memory, the day is about acknowledging the role fathers and father figures play in shaping lives. In a time when traditional family structures are changing, this occasion also highlights that fatherhood is defined not just by biology, but by love, responsibility and care.
A thoughtful reminder
Rather than focus on finding the perfect present, Father’s Day offers an opportunity to be present. A simple message, a phone call or a shared moment can mean more than any physical gift. In a fast-moving world, slowing down to recognise those who’ve quietly supported us is perhaps the most meaningful tribute we can give.
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Drawings by Victor Hugo on display include Ecce Lex
The moment I walked into the Royal Academy to see Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, I thought of Rabindranath Tagore.
Both men were giants of literature, but they were visual artists as well.
Victor-Marie Hugo (February 26, 1802- May 22, 1885) is best known for his novels The Hunchback ofNotre-Dame (1831) – many will have seen the 1939 film adaptation starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara – and Les Misérables (1862), which BBC TV adapted in 2018, with a starring role for Adeel Akhtar.
The Cheerful CastleParis Musees
Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861-August 7, 1941) was a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for the poetry of Gitanjali.
Gallery owner Sundaram Tagore, who had flown over from New York to attend Eastern Eye’s Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards (ACTAs) at the May Fair Hotel on May 23, said: “Before leaving London, I managed to visit the Victor Hugo exhibition, which moved me deeply.”
Sundaram’s father, Subhogendranath Tagore (1912-1985), was the grandson of Hemendranath Tagore, the third son of Debendranath Tagore and the elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore.
The Victor Hugo exhibition is definitely worth seeing before it ends on June 29.
Giving a tour of the exhibition, Andrea Tarsia, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy, said Hugo left behind some 4,000 works on paper, of which 70 were chosen for display.
“But they really are 70 of his most remarkable drawings,” commented Tarsia. Hugo often used brown ink and wash and graphite on paper.
OctopusParis Musees
Notable works include The Town of Vianden Seen Through a Spider’s Web, 1871; Mushroom, 1850; Lace and Spectres, 1855-56; The Cheerful Castle, 1847; The Town of Vianden, with Stone Cross, 1871; Mirror with Birds, 1870; Chain, 1864; Octopus, 1866–69; and The Lighthouse at Casquets, Guernsey, 1866.
There is also Ecce Lex (Latin for “Behold the Law”), 1854, done after the hanging of John Tapner in Guernsey; and The Shade of the Manchineel Tree (notes from a trip to the Pyrenees and Spain), 1856, where the shade is made to resemble a skull to denote the poisonous qualities of the fruit.
The Shade of the Manchineel TreeParis Musees
There is a photograph of Hugo seated on the Rocher des Proscrits (Exile’s Rock), Jersey, 1853, which was taken by his son, Charles Hugo.
“Hopefully, together, they will give you an intimate sense of Hugo’s remarkable, multifaceted imagination. Perhaps people are less familiar with his work as a visual artist. The exhibition is the first to be held in the UK with Hugo’s drawings in just over half a century.”
MushroomParis Musees
He explained it was “a rare chance to see these works because the inks and the paper are so fragile that once exhibited, even at these very low lighting levels, they then need to be kept in the dark for an extended period of time”.
The exhibition’s curator, Sarah Lea, said: “We made a decision to arrange these spectacular works in a thematic structure, because although Hugo drew across his lifetime, he often returns to similar motifs. And it’s really interesting to be able to see, for example, the collections of the castles, one of his great passions. Despite writing so much, he doesn’t leave us very much direct commentary on the drawings themselves. He was inspired by the way ink moves on paper. He was never intending to be an artist.”
She referred to his “mysterious” drawing of a mushroom: “Who knows what was really meant by the mushroom? It appears to us as a total enigma.”
“We have him exploring nature on the monumental level with mountains, and a minute level with spiders’ webs and birds’ nests,” she went on. “The drawings were largely private during his lifetime. Sometimes he made works that he would send to friends. But the drawings themselves weren’t exhibited until three years after his death. They’re first shown in a public exhibition in Paris in 1888.”
A photograph of Hugo taken by his son, CharlesParis Musees
Hugo lived in exile from 1856 to 1870 on the island of Guernsey, where he bought a house. “He redecorated it from bottom to top in a most extraordinary manner of eclectic collecting and reassembling different pieces of furniture and decorative arts. And it was from the lookout, which was a vast conservatory that he constructed at the top of this house, that he would be able, on a clear day, to see the coastline of France. And it was there that he completed some of his most important literary works. A profound source of inspiration for Hugo was the ocean.”
He strongly opposed the death penalty. After the execution by hanging of convicted murderer John Tapner in Guernsey in 1854, Hugo made many drawings of a hanged man, including Ecce Lex.
He also appealed – unsuccessfully – to the US to pardon John Brown, an abolitionist who had been sentenced to death in Virginia on charges of treason, murder and conspiracy to incite a slave insurrection. Hugo appeared to be an early supporter of Black Lives Matter.
Hugo’s brother-in-law, Paul Chenay, made print reproductions of his earlier Ecce drawings, which were published with a new title, John Brown, and circulated in protest at Brown’s execution.
In a letter to Chenay in 1861, Hugo said: “John Brown is a hero and a martyr. His death was a crime. His gallows is a cross. Let us therefore once again draw the attention of all to the lessons of the gallows of Charlestown. My drawing, which through your fine talent has been reproduced with striking fidelity, has no other value than this name: John Brown – a name that must be repeated unceasingly, to the supporters of the American republic, so that it reminds them of their duty to the slaves: to call them forth to freedom. I shake your hand.”
When Hugo died in 1885, aged 83, over two million people lined the streets of Paris to see his funeral procession. But many of Hugo’s admirers wouldn’t have been aware of his private love of drawing.
Incidentally, the Royal Academy last week announced that Simon Wallis, currently the director of The Hepworth Wakefield, will take over in September as its new secretary and chief executive. In his earlier career, he held curatorial positions at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, and Tate Liverpool. He was the director of Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Wallis, who succeeds Axel Rüger, said: “The Royal Academy of Arts is at a pivotal moment of development and positive change. The RA is the central London home for artists, art and art lovers, generating powerful experiences and innovative teaching about art in a rapidly changing society. As the UK’s oldest and foremost artist-led organisation, the extraordinary talent and vision of the Royal Academicians and their team lead the creative conversation on a national and international stage.”
Now that Hugo has been featured at the Royal Academy, maybe Tagore, too, will merit an exhibition one day under Wallis’s leadership.
The Royal Academy won the ACTA for community engagement last year. It was collected by Tarsia.
In Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, at the Jillian and Arthur M Sackler Wing of Galleries at the Royal Academy, ends on June 29.
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The year 1975 was significant in Indian cinema for newly crowned superstar Amitabh Bachchan
The year 1975 was significant in Indian cinema for newly crowned superstar Amitabh Bachchan, as he starred in the two biggest films of that year, and also his career, Deewaar and Sholay.
These blockbusters cemented his position at the top. In between their releases came Mili, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s decidedly different tearjerker.
Known for his non-starry social dramas, the acclaimed producer-director delivered a message-driven story about Mili (Jaya Bhaduri), a terminally ill but bubbly young woman, and the profound impact she has on those around her – including depressed alcoholic Shekhar, played by Bachchan. The real-life couple headlined a multi-layered film anchored by subtle, deeply emotive performances.
Eastern Eye marks 50 years of the underrated classic on June 20 by presenting the 10 best scenes from this story of hope, anguish and learning how to live.
Enter the grouch: Known for her pranks and cheerful attitude, Mili is taken aback by new neighbour Shekhar’s aloofness. His introduction, during the haunting Badi Sooni Sooni Hai song, shows him as a tormented alcoholic. It establishes the contrast between the two main characters – she smiles through life’s challenges, while he seeks refuge in alcohol.
Visual highlights from MiliRotten Tomatoes
Confrontation: Unable to understand Shekhar’s solitude and unfriendliness, Mili ropes in the children from their building to disturb his peace in protest. What begins as an immature territorial clash soon reveals Mili’s intuitive response to the darkness surrounding him. Her inner child recognises and challenges the negativity threatening their otherwise pleasant environment.
Their innocence and kindness melt his hardened exteriorIMDb
Compassion: After provoking Shekhar, the children apologise sincerely. Their innocence and kindness melt his hardened exterior, and he invites them, along with Mili, to play on his terrace. In the song Maine Kaha Phoolon Se, Shekhar, glass still in hand, watches them dance and smiles for the first time. The warmth of this moment even leads him to request tea instead of whisky in the next scene, to his servant’s delight.
Visual highlights from Mili
In the song Maine Kaha Phoolon SeIMDb
Crossroads: In a drunken breakdown, Shekhar slashes his wrist and is saved by Mili. For the first time, she shows visible anger and tears. Her outburst marks a new level of closeness in their friendship and signals the beginning of something deeper. In his vulnerable state, Shekhar is moved by Mili’s scolding – a sign of care he desperately craves.
The raw emotions of every characterInstagram/ hindifilimography
Romance: Shekhar’s growing vulnerability draws him closer to Mili. He begins confiding in her about childhood trauma, his mother, and the root of his pain. He is receptive of her solace and outlook on life. Their bond strengthens as they exchange notes when Mili falls ill. He experiences joy for the first time, unaware of the seriousness of her condition.
The heart-rending scene between father and daughterInstagram/ hindifilimography
Tragedy: The film reaches its most emotional point when Mili’s father (Ashok Kumar) learns that she has only days to live. The harrowing scenes that follow reveal the raw emotions of every character, from shock to grief to quiet acceptance. The heart-rending scene between father and daughter, with Kumar and Bhaduri in each other’s arms, delivers an emotional poignancy audiences can relate to.
The woman who taught him how to liveRotten Tomatoes
Role reversal: Initially unable to process the truth about Mili’s illness, Shekhar has a change of heart about leaving after confronting some hard realities. The woman who taught him how to live is dying, and he feels betrayed by fate. Determined not to give up, he sets out to explore every possible option that might offer her a chance of recovery.
He sets out to explore every possible option Rotten Tomatoes
Selfless love: Unaware that Shekhar already knows the truth, Mili urges her father not to tell him about her illness. Having changed him for the better, she fears that the news will undo his progress and send him back into despair. In that moment, she puts his well-being above her own.
Having changed him for the betterInstagram/ hindifilimography
Proposal: In the film’s penultimate scene, its message becomes clear – the purpose of life is happiness. Shekhar realises he can fulfil one of Mili’s dreams by marrying her. He proposes not out of pity or obligation, but love. Their decision to embrace a short but meaningful life together speaks volumes.
Fifty years later, those sentiments still ring trueInstagram/ hindifilimography
Farewell: The story, told in flashback, returns to its starting point as the newlyweds leave for Switzerland in search of a cure. Mili’s father waves to their aircraft, perhaps knowing she may never return. As the plane takes off, the audience is left with a lasting message – that hope should never die. Fifty years later, those sentiments still ring true.