Samar Gupta

Filming, always. Storyteller. Everything work in progress.

[Pratim D Gupta @peedeegee]

I have a favourite Aamir Khan story that should have absolutely been the crown jewel of my Bollywood book, if I ever get around to writing one. And given that I spent 12 years in the trenches as a Hindi film journalist and critic for The Telegraph, believe me, I have quite a few stories.
But this one. This one is different.
Dhobi Ghat had just released. I reviewed it for t2, the entertainment supplement of The Telegraph. I wrote that while Monica Dogra, Prateik Babbar, and Kriti Malhotra slipped into their characters like second skin — effortlessly, organically, exactly what Kiran Rao's debut needed — Aamir Khan stuck out like a sore thumb. He hadn't found the sur of the film. He was, in my honest critical opinion, miscast.
The review ran on Saturday.
Monday evening. Late. My phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number.
"Hi Pratim, when can I call? Aamir."
I went cold. I knew what film people do when you don't align with them creatively. They get vengeful. They get vindictive. They have long memories and longer grudges. And this wasn't just any film person. This was Aamir Khan. The perfectionist. The man who doesn't do anything without a reason.
With slightly unsteady fingers, I typed back: "Hi Aamir, we can speak now."
He called immediately.
In that inimitable style of his — measured, unhurried, punctuated with those trademark pauses that make you hang on every single word — he said he had read my review.
I braced myself.
He said he completely agreed with me.
I'm sorry — what?
Aamir Khan had called me, a film critic, to say I was right about his performance being off. I couldn't process it. Here was one of the biggest stars in Indian cinema, a man with nothing to prove to anyone, voluntarily picking up the phone to validate a critic's assessment of his own shortcomings. The silence on my end must have been deafening.
And then he said it. The line I will never forget: "I was the worst of the four."
He ended the call with four words that have stayed with me ever since: "Keep writing what you feel."
Years later, when I heard that he had auditioned for Kiran Rao's second film — Lapataa Ladies, which he was producing — and that she had ultimately gone with Ravi Kishen for the role instead, something clicked into place quietly inside me.
No ego. No entitlement. Just a man who understood his own limitations well enough to let go.
Nothing had changed. He was still that guy.

[Kunal Kamra @kunalkamra88]

30+ artists including me were summoned by authorities for being on Latent.
The whole comedy fraternity took a hit because of how stupid you’re. Shows were canceled, Venues pulled out, Judgements made, the pathetic shadow of your stupidity still continues to make lives of funny comedians difficult. You didn’t even care to understand that side.
Stop pretending to be the nice guy you’re not. Take your cheque’s,
lower your gaze & be very ashamed.
You’re a contraceptive for creativity,
stop milking this & go back to what you do best which is being a hurdle for upward social change while FraudCasting & clout chasing…

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@narly @grok No free money is wrong. Bring it on!

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@Ariwodo_ Congratulations Samar ❤️

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@OneLuckyGirl_28 A good opportunity to direct the top most star!

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@IndiGo6E I have sent you a DM, detailing the concern, along with sharing the PNRs. I need an immediate senior intervention on this please.

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@IndiGo6E there’s a reason I actually never travel with you. Had to book because to that destination nobody else operates. First you changed my flight timing, then you cancelled the second flight, then you rebooked me on wrong date. No resolution, only long holds! Worst airline

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

Kudos to Mr. Swanand & his team - Priyanka, Sonia, Neelam - counter staff for @airindia @ Goa @aaigoaairport to accept my arrival 15 mins late past checkin close but still making an exception as a gold member & business class ticket. A loyal @airindia customer for life. Thank you

[syd//🦑 @catts101]

A pedophile got more screen time than half the cast. That about sums up the season

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

“Three laps is a lifetime.” #F1TheMovie

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Still Thinking About #F1TheMovie

[Pop Base @PopBase]

Record-breaking crowd gathers for Budapest Pride after Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, attempted to ban it and threatened legal repercussions.

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@Crazymoments01 I would rather die on the hospital bed.

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@zoodlei @tanaya_0510 Thankssssa

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@zoodlei @navyashrii Cutie ❤️

[Roshan Rai @RoshanKrRaii]

& It begins.

Modi has officially started asking for votes in the name of Operation Sindoor.

Look at the narcissism , took his own name 15 times in 2 minutes.

Absolute cringe.

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@janhvi52 It may be

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

@fairydust_chad @zoodlei Thank you @zoodlei ❤️ Hey Apurv @fairydust_chad feel free to DM!

[wanna be @syupergerl]

Sir, you literally just changed my life 🪻

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

they are known to do this in Chandigarh trycity area! Whose problem is it and why is our money being held, and bank interest not being paid? Pls look into it. @MahindraRise @Mahindra_Auto @anandmahindra - we really shouldn’t be tweeting you for such matters, but here we are…

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

Hi @anandmahindra love & respect to you, but agencies have been tarnishing ‘Mahindra’ name for a while now. Raj Vehicles, Zirakpur booked a car last week March for some goal completion and now refuse to give the car. While bank loan they returned, bank is asking for interest…

[Samar Gupta @500daysof_Samar]

on that amount which agency refuses to pay. Isn’t it their problem that they booked a vehicle which isn’t available. They called for deliveries and turned out to be wrong variant. Even booking amount isn’t refunded now. Raj Vehicles owners are known @anandmahindra @Mahindra_Auto