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Celebrating
Indian films

Filmfare’s special centenary edition, showing three generations of superstars, is indeed a collector’s item — and probably an industry first where a trio of stars that have graced Indian cinema since the 40s, responsible for billions in box office receipts, and, collectively earning two dozen Filmfare trophies between them!

Retired matinee idol, Dilip Kumar, swashbuckling hero of the black and white era, Amitabh Bachchan, the industry’s angry young man, and latter day box office sensation SRK’s unique photo shoot will be treasured by film enthusiasts and pundits, globally, in what is a once-in-a-lifetime get-together that will make sister industry Hollywood green with envy!

And, were they to emulate this feat — who would have graced their cover?

A quick guess would be Sir Laurence Olivier (deceased), Richard Burton (deceased), and to complement that, the record breaker in the Oscar stakes, Daniel Day-Lewis!

Olivier was a Shakespearian “specialist”, Burton a fine orator with an incomparable dialogue delivery, (but Oscar-less), and Day, whose latest impersonation of president Lincoln gave Americans a sense of Déjà vu!

Yet, collectively, they have a total of five Oscars between them in careers spanning seventy years — against the 24 mentioned above! Remarkable, indeed!