SHABANA AZMI
The settting up of corporation, Plus Channel and ABCL, were the truning points. This means a positive spurt in parallel cinema which had disappeared by the '90s. As far as film trends go, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Rangeela and Dilwale dulhaniya Le Jayenge have managed to get people back into the theaters. Though there has been much criticism of the hike in cinema rates,theatre owners have made profits.
SHEKHAR KAPUR
The best film in India, I think,is Bandit Queen . It's by far the best this year and in many years. Since I can't name it, I would say the number one in Bombay because it took on a problem never handled before.
GOVIND NIHLANI
In popular cinema, Rangeela and in parallel cinema Naseem, Mammo and Drohkaal were the films of the year.
SHYAM BENEGAL
This year, as in the past two, the most successful films have been those with family values. Since people feel that the Indian family is under threat, there's a demand for films like HAHK and DDLJ.
REMO FERNANDES
I am an admirer of south Indian music, especially Ilaiyaraja and A.R. Rahman. 1995 was the year of the south Indian music directors. They have finally been exposed to the rest of the country. I'm sure it will have international ramifications.
ASHA BHONSLE
The north is copying the south for a change. Remember Muqabla Muqabla ?The year's best composer was A.R. Rahman, both in Rangeela and Bombay. Latadidi and Kavita Krishnamurthy had a nice year. Udit Narayan displayed a very original voice. Kumar Sanu, as always, was very good. I loved singing the title song of Rangeela.
PANKAJ UDHAS
Fusion music has reached out to the rest of the world. At ots best, it is visible in the popular music creations of A.R. Rahman. Both Rangeela and Bombay had music with universal appeal. Even Alisha Chinai's Made in Indai contributed to the trend.
GARY LAWYER
In western pop in India, the situation is not as rosy as it seems, In 1995, the kind of exposure western popular music bands got was not of the magnitude the media and masses thought. But the Indian fusion band, Pulse,came up with good videos.
SIDDHARTHA BASU
The wacko Channel V promos, Javed Jafffrey and Ruby Bhatia - in that order - were the best of 1995.
IQBAL MASUD
TV shows were dismal this year, but Prannoy Roy's Tonight stood out.
EBRAHIM ALKAZI
NSD's Einstein, scripted by Mohan Maharishi, was the finest play performed in India in 1995. It was one of the finest plays written anywhere this year.
SONU MIRCHANDANI
I liek Shriman Shrimati. I think it's the best comedy serial of 1995. It is light entertainment although it's not technically brilliant. Thre worst programmes are the innumerable clones of close up Antakshari . Absolutely unbearable!.
SANJANA KAPOOR
Original playwrights are a dying breed. Therefore, Makarand Deshpande's play jungle ke paar , is commendable. It was also a joy to watch Naseeruddin Shas in Faust . I hope he manages to make more money from theatre. The age of patronage is over and the power of advertising has peaked. The Coca- cola jingle in Alyque Padamsee's production was appalling.
ALYQUE PADAMSEE
The year offered a mixed bag, some goodies and soem lousies. There was a healthy Shakespeare trend blowing across the land. Hina Devi's Hamlet to a still - life Merchant of Venice to a lively Shakespeare workshop with Gerson Da Cunha and Vijay Crishna duelling it out. Another healthy trend was that unhealthy sex comedies began to lose theri box - office power. The landmark achievement of 1995 was Feroz Khan's Saalgirah Beautifullu etched performances by Kiron and Anupam Kher. The other unique happening was Vijaya Mehta's launch of Chauraha. Keep your eye on the Chauraha programme for 1996- it promises all the year round what Prithvi theatre does once a year.
AMAN NATH
The Husain -Madhuri show was the event of the year. An art event was on the front pages of newspapers— a rare happening. Another show worth a mention was the Shahab Durazi fashion show in Bombay.
SATISH GUJRAL
Two sculptors doing remarkable work, both of whom are currently exhibiting in Delhi, have commanded our attention in 1995. Nagji Patel and K.N. Tiku are superb practitioners of the art. As for painting, the Event of the Season reminded me of the story of the villagers who paraded a nude woman on a donkey: when everyone stared, the donkey preened thinking it was him that the crowds were ogling at.
SHIREEN GANDHI
Atul Dodia’s move away from the photo realism genre and Nalini Malani’s ideas with theatre and video have both been path-breaking events.
BHASKAR GHOSE
Mahesh Dattani’s play, Dance Like a Man, was impressive. The first time Indians spoke in Indian English about Indian situations. The debut of second-generation Amitav Ghoshs and Vikram Seths, Mukul Kesavan and Rukun Advani, was reason for jubilation.
RAJEEV SETHI
This has been a year of potpourri alliances between tribal craftsmen and film artistes, dancing brushes and tinsel affectations, preppies and bambaiya styles. Nothing sticks, nothing stays.
DOM MORAES
The best book of the year was A.K. Ramanujan’s Collected Poems. Book One by young Sharmistha Mohanty was promising. Of Mukul Kesavan and Vikram Chandra’s books, the latter was better. They signalled the demise of magic realism.
ASHIS NANDY
For me, Veena Das’ Critical Events was the Indian book of the year. An insightful, perceptive anthropological study, it for the first time deals with the whole gamut of public life. It also explores the traumas of post-Independence India— the fallout of the Partition, the anti-Sikh riots.
JYOTINDRA JAIN
Very little to report in the Best of 1995 section, I’m afraid. Nothing happened. I had an extended hangover from the Pina Bausch 1994 performance through 1995.
KHUSHWANT SINGH
Amit Chaudhari’s Afternoon Raag was the best work I read in 1995. A neat little novel, beautifully written with evocative descriptions of Oxford, Bombay and Calcutta. The worst book was Kusum Sawhney’s. Pretentious, badly written. She can’t even write reasonable erotica.
DIMPLE KAPADIA
Fashion to me is something personal: independent of trends this year or the last. One could make a statement by innovating on a sari. It’s all up to the individual after all.
MILKHA SINGH
The standout performance of the year came from Leander Paes who did India proud in the Davis Cup tie against Croatia. Special mention must be made of golf where Gaurav Ghei won the Gadgil title in New Delhi and Chiranjeev bagged the Manila title.
MICHAEL FERREIRA
Vishwanathan Anand was the star this year. Not only for what he did for chess but also for projecting India in the consciousness of the world. Tendulkar’s contract was terrific news. It bodes well for sportsmen.
AJIT PAL SINGH
Vishwanathan Anand did India proud with his achievements.
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