Then and now.

THEN & NOW

Action: Action replay
No film was ever complete without dhishum dhishum. Remember the action scenes in films like Mother India, Deewaar, Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Sholay wherein the hero fought with the villain, and we enjoyed the baddies being beaten up to those man-made sounds? Fights were generally shot on sets of garages, godowns or dilapidated bungalows. Today the action is shot on actual locations like underwater or on a boat. Yes, there are sound effects, but "dhishum" has been knocked off.

Airports: Flights of fantasy
Every time the "maa ka laadla" returned from "vilayat" (foreign shores), he would wave at his kith and kin as he descended from the plane. He would then take off his dark glasses, and be greeted by the ritualistic garlanding ceremony. With air- and even foreign travel becoming common over the years, we now have to be content with seeing off daughters at the check-in counter itself as seen in films like Pardes and Hum Tum. On the bright side, much of the drama has now shifted to within the aircraft itself, be it a climax (Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha), comic relief (Kambakkht Ishq) or even romance (Dil Chahta Hai).

Animals: Jaanwar aur insaan
It's one community that never saw a category being dedicated to it at any awards. However, the contribution of animals in Hindi cinema cannot be undermined. In the absence of a best friend to the hero or the heroine, it has invariably been the dog (Betaab, Teri Meherbaniyan, Vaada Raha), a falcon (Coolie) and the dove (Maine Pyar Kiya) who filled the vacuum. In fact, two decades down the line, half the credit for the song Masakali's popularity goes to the pigeon perched on Sonam's shoulders. Though films like Haathi Mere Saathi and Noorie have become rarities with the issue of animal rights gaining predominance, technology has come to the rescue. Animation films like Roadside Romeo and Ab Dilli Door Nahin reaffirm the fact that four-limbed and winged creatures will never go out of circulation.

Audio: A 'Sound' system
Films were being recorded with RCA Sound Systems and other variants of mono recording with all tracks finally being placed on the film's negative. Since Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli(1971) and Sholay(1975) respectively, music soundtracks and films themselves gradually entered the Stereophonic era. Today we are in the times of Dolby Digital and so analogue is passe, whether in music albums or in film projection.

Bell Bottoms: 'Flares' up!
The drainpipe trousers and tapered varieties gave way to 30-inch-wide flares, worn with skin-fitting see-through shirtsoften knotted at the waist. Remember Amitabh Bachchan's flared bell-bottom pants in Deewaar and Don in the 70's? Those bell-bottoms have now made way for skin-fit and - more recently - ripped jeans (Akshay Kumar in Kambakkht Ishq and Salman Khan in Wanted). Shah Rukh too has been caught wearing such jeans.

Bikini: Skin-show
Dimple Kapadia looked sensational in a red bikini in her debut film Bobby and the curvaceous Zeenat Aman looked voluptuous when she sported a bikini in Qurbani. It has almost become a necessity for actresses to sport a two-piece these days. Priyanka Chopra managed to pull off the bikini act classily in Dostana, but the size-zero Kareena Kapoor in Tashan was a far cry from what yesteryear's heroines looked like in two-piece outfits. Lara Dutta will now be seen sporting a bikini in Blue.

Cars: Mobile mohabbat
Remember Rajesh Khanna driving a jeep and singing away to glory in Aradhana, wooing the heroine with Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu. Then we had Randhir Kapoor in Jawani Diwani, Khanna again in Mere Jeevan Saathi, Rishi Kapoor in Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan and many more. The Ganguly brothers Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Anoop Kumar zoomed away on a Buick on the streets of Mumbai singing Babu samjho ishare in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi. Over the years the vehicle has become more stylish, and though the hero stills sings for his love while driving (Race et al), the vehicles have metamorphosed from rough-hewn jeeps and convertibles to the sleek Audis and Hondas of the day.

Choreography: East to West
Dance and songs have always been integral to Indian films. In the early years, choreography was primarily based on classical Indian dance styles while today it is more of a blend of Western dances and - yes- Punjabi folk. In the '80s, the lead actors would often perform with a troupe of dancers, with props like huge pots or balloons. While the instantaneous shifts of location and costumes between verses of a song remains, the locations have shifted abroad in most cases. In the good old days, the dance movements were very subtle and restrained, making the song look very graceful, but today they are more like physical exercises!

Comedy: Laughing 'stock'
The level of comedy in old films tended to be - with a few exceptions of a Johnny Walker or specific films - pretty inane, with stock ideas and stereotypes like making fun of communities, funny voices with oddball background music, clowning, OTT acting and even double-meaning lines. After some initial improvement from better comics like Asrani and Deven Verma and actors like Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda through the '70s and '80s, Hera Pheri(2000) changed the trend forever and raised the bar. After that comedy also diversified and became classier (Munna Bhai MBBS, Bheja Fry) and also dared to go the "adult humour" way (Masti, No Entry) and showed that intelligence, wit and hilarity need not be compromised to make for side-splitting humour.

Contract: The written word
Till two decades ago, there was nothing like a written contract between stars and producers. Business was a matter of faith and was conducted verbally. A word was enough to seal the deal. There are instance of stars like Dharmendra who did not collect their payments even after a film was complete and the producer had to keep reminding him to take his dues. It was in the '90s that the concept of written contracts started but that was just a one-pager. The entry of corporate companies five years ago changed the scenario completely and today the contract sheets run into 20 pages. This includes everything from who's going to have the rights for the film and the payment mode to stars' appearances for promotional events. Cheque payments are also a norm now thanks to realistic tax provisions and incentives.

Clothes: Fit to kill
Deepika Padukone is quite a welcome change in her flowy, bright blue bandhani kurta that she wore in Love Aaj Kal. The churidar is a take off from the old 60's Sadhana style of skin-fit combos that she wore in films like Arzoo.
Sack dresses that were a rage then in Hollywood inspired Bollywood to stitch up the side-slits and tighten the kameez, in which heroines could barely hobble! Kareena Kapoor also set off a new trend with Jab We Met when she teamed a traditional gherao Patiala salwar with a long tunic.

Dialogue: Word-of-mouth
Maine tumhare pasand ka gajar ka halwa banaya hai, a mother always said to her grown-up son. Today a mom will tell her NRI son, Bete khana rakha hai, garam karke kha lo!
Main tumhare bacche ki maa bannewali hoon - How many times have we shuddered at this trite line mouthed by the sobbing heroine to the hero or villain? Today, our gutsy heroine not only tells the hero that she is preggers, but when he refuses to take the responsibility, she puts the matter in perspective with Kyoon? Kya maine tumhara rape kiya tha? Way to go!
Today 'ethnic' gaalis have been updated to English expressions like "bitch", while higher expletives are beeped out. As for Kutte, kaminey, main tera khoon peee jaonga - thankfully such blood-curdling dialogues are a thing of the past.

Directors' cut: Sure-shot
Directors would check the 'frame' of a shot after the cinematographer finalised it and then yelled 'Action!". The footage shot was later watched and checked inside a studio and was called "rushes". Today's directors check on a monitor connected with a computer and can prevent or correct mistakes instantly.

Double roles: Two is company
Double roles have always ruled the Indian film scene. Whether it is identical twins or just a lookalike, the projection of the two on-screen was always tricky. There were times the camera did not do justice when different shots were taken and then merged together. Today with the advancement of technology, digital help creates a real feel.

Dressing-gown: We are changing
The dressing-gown was one of the important attires at one time. The actor would move about in the house in a gown without a flinch. Now that has been replaced. With shorts, tees and vests.

Earrings: Hanging on
Hollywood beauties from Penelope Cruz to Angelina Jolie have found a new favourite accessory- chandelier earrings. Today, Rani Mukerji's big chandelier earrings and pearl-drop earrings and Bipasha Basu's metallic, oxidised earrings studded with semi-precious stones are a big rage. But the round, colourful hoop earrings that Raveena Tandon and Madhuri Dixit wore in the '90s are today considered to be a fashion disaster. Gold sets with heavy necklaces and earrings sported regularly over the years by Rekha and others are now pass.

Eye make-up: New look
The Cleopatra-winged eyeliner look that Hema Malini and Asha Parekh sported in the '70s in all their movies has now made way for the heavy smoky-eyed look. Rani Mukerji started the trend in Bollywood followed by Kareena Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Another make-up trend that has caught up with our beauties is the nude, shimmery eye-shadow look set off by deep kohl-rimmed eyes.

Favourite sport: Badminton and beyond
Jeetendra and Leena Chandavarkar sported all whites as they played badminton to the beat of Dhal gaya din in Humjoli. However, by the next decade, the aggressive hero opted for punching bags and sixes at the cricket ground to prove his mettle. And with the recent advent of the metrosexual male, we are back to a unisex sport - the volleyball - with films like Salaam Namaste, No Entry and Race.

Film Studios: Blowing hot, blowing cool
Gone are the majestic film studios that sprawled across acres, where the actual stages were stuffy and hot. Today's film shooting studios can be housed in a compact building with ready permanent sets on different levels, and of course they are comfortably air-conditioned.

Foreign locations: Recce race
Since the time Raj Kapoor initiated the trend of shooting in foreign countries in Sangam (1964), filmmakers have shaped their worlds against exotic destinations like the white sand beaches of Italy (the forthcoming Housefull), the colorful carnivals of Brazil (Dhoom:2) and even the Great Wall Of China (Chandni Chowk To China) in an attempt to add authenticity and freshness to the screen. As for all-time favourites, Switzerland, Paris, London, the US and off-late Australia and South Africa figure high on the list. But since the '90s foreign locations are there in every third film, unlike the past ratio of one film in three years.

Gramophone Records to CDs: Digital Groove
The gramophone records of yesteryears were replaced by audiocassettes and later by Compact Discs. For those who never bought physical soundtracks, the radio as a means of listening gave way to television and FM Radio and then digital media like computers, MP3 players and mobile-phones.

Hair-do: Tress factor
Sharmila Tagore's made quite a style statement with her distinctive bouffant hair-dos or those stiffly bobbed wigs with stand-out curls at the edge in Safar. Though Sharmila accepts that she hated her hair-do, it has made a comeback of sorts. Katrina Kaif's coloured bright red locks in New York stood out. Poker-straight hair with a lot of fringes and bangs is also in. Bipasha Basu's short bob hairstyle also made heads turn. The wigs that the yesteryear's heroines sported have also made way for real and fake hair extensions.

Heroines' mothers: Mom's the word
Till a decade ago it was taken for granted that the leading lady of a film would be accompanied by her mother on the sets. Hema Malini's, Madhuri Dixit's and even Shilpa Shetty's mothers could often be spotted in the make-up rooms or vans, reading books or chatting up people. This trend has almost stopped today, and Deepika Padukone or Sonam Kapoor breeze in on the sets unescorted.

Interiors: Winding up
The quintessential wooden staircase in bungalows stood out in several films like Jyoti, Maine Pyar Kiya and Seeta Aur Geeta. But this magnificent structure is now almost extinct but for a rare Yuvvraaj. The rexine sofa sets, wooden cabinets and windows with fancy grills have also vanished. Compare it to homes and penthouses in Dostana, Salaam Namaste and even in India-based films. Sleek furniture, attractive upholstery, pretty drapes and interesting artefacts make for exquisite and elegant backdrops.

Item girls: Dancing queens
What used to be cabaret numbers earlier have changed to today's "item" numbers. Earlier heroines would never dance in itsy-bitsy clothing - that was reserved for vamps. Helen, Bindu and Padma Khanna among others specialised in cabarets. Today with vamps getting redundant, girls like Rakhi Sawant or Sambhavna Seth are signed on only for special seductive dance numbers. Even heroines are prone - no make that eager - to do "item" numbers in films they are not featuring in, like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan did in Bunty Aur Babli or Preity Zinta is doing for Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.

Joint family: Clan and now
Though the family drama as a genre is a hit with the audience, the joint family system that was a regular in old films is hardly seen these days. Those elaborate wedding rituals and festival celebrations of films like DDLJ have made way for nuclear families. We first saw a joint family in the evergreen Hrishikesh Mukherjee's lighthearted film Bawarchi. Later on came the Barjatyas' Hum Aapke Hai Kaun!... and Hum Saath Saath Hain - and many more like Hero No.1. Today, even the nuclear family of Waqt and Vivah has given way to single individuals minus clans.

Jubilee runs: From weeks to weak
Silver (25 weeks) and Golden (50) jubilees were rampant with Diamond (60) and Platinum (75) jubilees and 100-weeker films also being quite common in the past. Hoardings, print ads and lavish parties would commemorate these achievements. Today, a producer celebrates a "hit" after the opening weekend and only the rare film does capacity business past the fourth day. The annual box-office success ratio of 65% has come down to almost a tenth of that figure.

Kissing scenes: Lip service
Kiss me kiss me kiss me, croons Katrina Kaif to Saif Ali Khan in Race. Till a decade ago, a kiss was symbolised by a pair of birds pecking each other or two flowers filling up the entire screen. The passionate smooch between Aamir Khan and Karisma Kapoor in Raja Hindustani was probably the longest and most talked-about. Today nobody treats the kiss as a foreign concept. Thanks to Mallika Sherawat who debuted with a record number of 17 smooches in Khwahish, a lip-lock is no longer a big deal. Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan smooch on their first date in Love Aaj Kal. Clearly, lip-service is 'in' - big-time.

Lyrics: Verse to worse
Time was when lyrics voiced sentiments of important characters in a given situation, like Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai(Guide) in simple yet elegant Hindi and Urdu. Today, Punjabi and English rule with incomprehensible rap, and the verse is often irrelevant to the situations or visuals.

Make-up: Rest assured
Artistes for years had to make do with just one make-up room in the studio, which they would use either to freshen up their make-ups or to rest in between shots. The room would be filled with several artistes along with their Man Fridays, hairdressers, make-up men, secretaries as well as visitors. There would be just one noisy fan, a few chairs, clothes and things scattered over the place and a filthy toilet. Today every artiste has a make-up room to himself - air-conditioned with plush seating and resting arrangements and clean toilets. Most importantly, there is privacy.

Men's hairstyle: Mane mania
When it came to men's hairstyles, not much could be experimented back then. Amitabh Bachchan had the same hairstyle and trademark long sideburns for years together whereas actors these days are ready to experiment with their hairstyles for every film. Shahid Kapoor who sported long hair in Kaminey, opted for a really short crop for Chance Pe Dance. Farhan Akhtar grew his hair and then cut it short to play the rock-star and the business tycoon convincingly in the same film. Aamir Khan, known to be a perfectionist, changes his look for every film. His Ghajini haircut became a huge rage all over the country.

Midis to Minis: Up and down
Midis are one-piece dresses that are basically knee-length or a little longer. They were a rage with our '80s heroines like Meenakshi Seshadri, Madhuri Dixit and Amrita Singh. Today they are completely out of fashion and have been replaced with minis or shift dresses. However, the shirt-type tunics, which are usually paired with slacks, could pass off as a transformed version of a midi.

Mother: Mere paas maa hai
Mother-figures like Leela Chitnis, Sulochana and Nirupa Roy are remembered as forlorn and weeping ladies often with dishevelled hair and and tattered sarees. Recall films like Hum Dono and Amar Akbar Anthony? Now compare them to the chic, well-grooms moms of today like Reema Lagoo, Anjana Mumtaz and the more recent Kirron Kher in Dostana.

Music: Discordant pitch
IN the good old times, the composition, words and vocals tended to dominate the orchestration and sound, unlike today when the sound and programming overshadow the melody and vocals. Today, Indian instruments are also hardly heard and songs are designed more for television promos and dance floors with hook-lines and grooves replacing catchy mukhdas, and a fast-food quality ruling in place of lasting nourishment.

On-screen Villainy: Devil's Den
The villain, even if he was just a deviant family member (Ram Aur Shyam) had a hideout (usually in a godown or somewere underground) with hired, hefty thugs as his army. If he was a professional criminal, there were also secret passages, torture chambers, molls and even wild animals in a cage or on a leash. But today's villains are politicians, terrorists, dons, gangsters or even one of the 'normal'-looking lead artistes - and all operate from home or office.

On-Screen Passion: Getting Physical
The lead pair in the past would express love and even physical attraction in chaste terms, largely verbally, and a night of passion happened due to unforeseen circumstances and resulted in instant pregnancy with long-lasting repercussions. Today, implied and overt rolls in the hay for a hero and heroine are a regular concept without conception - of a child, that is.

Phones: Ringing tones
Ever since Bell's much-loved invention was made available to the common man, it has been a great subject of interest for filmmakers. Songs such as Mere piya gaye Rangoon, O neend na mujhko aaye, Jalte hain jiske liye and Telephone dhun mein bear testimony to this fact. The charm of the traditional 'tring-tring' has been replaced with cell-phones that see lovers hooked on to non-stop chatter till they venture into 'no network' area. And in Baghban, Bachchan even sings to faraway wife Hema from a public 'phone booth!

Physique: Hot bods
Till Dharmendra flashed his robust torso in Phool Aur Patthar, followed by macho men like Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and Sunny Deol, heroes like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor had lean but not macho physiques and they rarely removed their shirts. The trend has now shifted to six- and eight-pack abs. From the Khans to Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham and Shahid Kapoor, all our heroes boast of taut bodies and don't shy away from baring them.

Popcorn: Munching ground
Popcorn has and will always been one of the great attractions of watching a film in a movie hall. The only difference is that earlier you got the plain old salted popcorn for Rs 5 in a polythene pack and today you shell out a whopping Rs 75 or more for a tub of it. What's more, you get it in yummy flavours like caramel and cheese.

Popular names: Roll-call
Amit, Vijay, Raj, Rahul, Sonia, Jahnavi and Seema may be some of the common names that adorn screen protagonists today. However, this wasn't always the case. Back in the days when feudalism was the order of the day, prefixes such as Thakur, Seth, Maharani and Rai Bahadur were a regular phenomenon.

Posters: Changing colours
Much before television became a household phenomenon and satellite channels took film promotion to a new level, the film poster was the first point of contact with the audiences. Filmmakers like Bimal Roy even took personal interest in the illustrations to come up with classic, hand-painted works of art (Sujata, Bandini). Dev Anand and Vijay Anand with their publicist Amarjeet gave more innovative and teaser posters in the '70s, including on the famous Page 3 of Screen. Decades down the line, vinyl laminates have taken over. But Sanjay Leela Bhansali displayed his fascination for the classic hand painted poster when he asked veteran Balakrishna to make one featuring Shah Rukh Khan for Devdas.

Premieres: Winding up the red-carpet
There was a time when the premiere of a film was a mega-event for the industry. That was the era when ardent fans had no access to their favourite film actors, unlike today when every channel showcases a star presence. Many may recall the premiere of K.Asif's Mughal-E-Azam when the print of the film was brought to Mumbai's Maratha Mandir theatre on an elephant. After the mid-'90s, premieres seemed to lose their charm. Today when marketing and promotion is the most in-thing for the success of a film, filmmakers have once again begun holding premiere shows but there is no major excitement to the events that are normally held at multiplexes.

Profession: On the job
Just like every parent wanted his son ordaughter to either be a doctor or engineer, our heroes too would largely be oscillating between professions like a lawyer, doctor, professor or engineer till the early 'Nineties. Today films play anything but safe. With different concepts being explored, even the heroes have evolved to being chefs, racers and journalists and even a male nurse, and with the heroine becoming a working woman or a professional, we have them doing everything common as well as uncommon (a violin coach in Scotland in Three).

Railways: Lovers' Junction
One of India's best-developed infrastructures, trains have fascinated filmmakers time and again. While films like Coolie and The Burning Train were based around trains and railway stations, and so were so many hit songs, they have also been eternal favourites when it comes to lovers' first meetings, right from Raaj Kumar 's glimpse of Meena Kumari's feet aboard a train in Pakeezah to a baffled Kareena Kapoor missing her train for co-traveller Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met. And then of course, some of the most memorable climaxes (Jab Jab Phool Khile , Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge) have been shot at railway stations.

Recording Studios: Assembly line
Singers would record in singers' cabins 'live' with up to 150 musicians performing simultaneously in the huge hall outside, while the composer sat with the recording engineer in the console room. There were usually 2 tracks for sound (vocal and instrumental). Today, a song is digitally assembled with each singer and musician separately recording in a room that can be as small as 10 by 10 feet. Over 60 different stereo tracks are possible and computers are a must. Rehearsals are almost unknown as singers can record a line at a time and duets can be recorded separately by the singers even in different studios. Instead of two songs in one day, one song can take many days to record.

Return of investment: Paisa Vasool
When the producer and distributor invested in a film and released it, his only source of return of investment (ROI) in the past was through his share in the tickets sold in theatre. Today, a film's income starts well before the theatrical release with in-film advertising, merchandising and online tie-ups, music, satellite, overseas and other electronic and digital rights, which can bring in so much revenue that the theatrical collections often becomes irrelevant in terms of basic economics. The overseas share also decimates the national business in sheer currency value.

Safari suits: Upmarket change
Safari suits, considered very stylish in the 80's, are now the insignia of the corporates and the bureaucrats. Abhishek Bachchan wore a safari suit while playing a politician in Mani Ratnam's Guru because of the older timeframe of the story, but anybody seen wearing a safari now would be immediately dismissed as a fashion relic. These suits are now replaced by slim-fit trousers and paired with a shirt and a waistcoat. Saif Ali Khan played the perfect corporate boss in Race when he teamed basic shirts with waistcoat and jeans, giving a very casual look.

Sarees: The saree figure
Remember Neel Kamal, Maryada, Do Badan and Aradhana? City-bred characters saw heroines like Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Asha Parekh and Sharmila Tagore mostly draped gracefully in sarees. Today's actresses like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Asin are almost always seen in a jeans and a top. At times it could be skirts and smart salwar-kameez.

Seats: The hall truth
Earlier in cinema-viewing experience, the seats did not matter, nor did the ambience. All we were interested was in the film - which was usually strong in content. It's only when we got exposed to reclining chairs, red lounges and what-have-you that the importance of comforts came in. Today multiplexes even provide blankets to while watching films.

Servant: Service with a smile - or tear
An elderly servant, often called Ramu Kaka, almost always was present in the households of the films of yore. A.K.Hangal and Satyen Kappu in a old kurta and dhoti with a gamchha slung over the shoulder were common sights. Household help is now modern too, and servants appear in urban attire, like a Laxmikant Berde in Maine Pyar Kiya.

Secretaries: Loyal log
Film stars have always depended on their secretaries who in turn would be loyal to their bosses for years together. Today the equation has changed and it is divided into being a Business manager and publicity manager. The concept of the secretary seems to have taken a backseat now. However there are some staff who are loyal even today, like Rikku Rakesh Nath, who has been with Madhuri Dixit for much more than a decade.

Songs: Changing Notes
Earlier, the song was always an integral part of the film's narrative, with clear-cut preceding and following sequences and the story even moving in the interludes through visuals. The orchestration was suited to the timeframe, socio-economic and regional and cultural backgrounds of the characters.
Today, a villager can enact a song in Switzerland or Mauritius and the song - especially after Rangeela set the trend in 1995 - need not have any connection with the storyline and often comes in as a disconnected music video. Lip-sync has also given way to background vocals in many cases.

Star-singer teams: Voice imperfect
One of the most disturbing aspects of today's songs is the dissociation of the star from a suitable playback voice. Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore had a major role in the branding as well as popularity of so many stars, ditto Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Even in the '80s and '90s, there was some congruence between stars and their on-screen voices. But today, when we hear four assorted singers for a single actor or actress, we wince, for voice qualities are completely unmatched.

Tickets: Book(ing) worm
Remember the serpentine queues for getting tickets of a film you were dying to watch? You would patiently wait in the line for your turn at the window and would be thrilled to get the little pink or yellow coupons. Today you can book tickets from the comfort of your home through the Internet or phone. What's more, you can even choose the seats you want.

Titles: In lingo
English titles like Hero, Around The World, Mr India and Jewel Thief were rarities, but now the trend has been reversed. With Bollywood's arrival in the international arena and the growing Western influence in Hindi films, Angrezi and Hinglish titles such as Black, Kidnap, Wanted, Wake Up Sid, Golmaal Returns and All The Best are becoming the order of the day.

Television-film connection: Payback time
When television was monopolised by Doordarshan, the top shows in terms of popularity were the weekly Hindi feature film, the weekly show of Hindi film songs and the weekly interview of a film celebrity in Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan. TV was thus largely dependent on films and film celebs for their best-selling shows. In the '90s, film promos were also the mainstay of music channels.
But today, film stars are dependent on the small screen for wider exposure - failed actors, technicians, musicians and filmmakers look at soaps for survival and so do those past their prime and others seeking artistic satisfaction- a phenomenon that took off from the '90s. And of course even the biggest stars host or judge prestige shows and earn a bomb while they do only select films.

Vanity Vans: On wheels
Moving away from unhygienic atmosphere of the make-up rooms, film stars now prefer vanity vans. Some have personally designed their palaces on wheels that are not just super-comfortable and clean but also technologically well-equipped with computers and LCDs. Shah Rukh Khan is the first actor to own a vehicle with two sets of axles in the rear.

Variety: Breaking brands
Remember the time when there were clear-cut black and white characters - and artistes to match? Hero, heroine, vamp, comedian, villain, character artistes with sub-divisions - the roles were sharply delineated. Today, it's all about characters - usually gray and without boundaries. A Suniel Shetty can play a character role while we can have an Anupam Kher or a Paresh Rawal in the lead. We can have a 60-plus hero (Black) and an actor making her debut in a negative role, like Bipasha Basu and John Abraham. Gays, lesbians - artistes can play any role and lead artistes can be master villains.