Bhawana Somaaya has been a film critic for more than 40 years. She has contributed columns to all the leading publications. She is the former editor of Screen and has authored several books on cinema that includes biographies of Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan.

Her books are a point of reference for students studying cinema at the Whistling Woods, Manipal University and now JNU, Delhi

She has served on the Advisory Panel of CBFC India, and also the Governing Council FTII, Pune. She is Chairperson of Tiger Land India Film Festival, Madhya Pradesh and the Entertainment Editor at 92.7Big FM Radio Channel. She anchors Podcast shows and is also a trained classical dancer.

Letters to Mother, English translation of the Prime Minister’s Saakshi Bhaav was published in 2020.

On Camera Off Camera stories about Bollywood and the dream merchants published in 2021 is her eighteenth book.

Somaaya was conferred with Padma Shri in 2017 and with an honorary doctorate for her extensive writing on cinema by the prestigious Jagran LakeCity University, Bhopal. READ MORE

Letters To Self

On Camera Off Camera—Pages from the Past

Letters To Mother: Translated from the Gujarati Saakshi Bhaav by Bhawana Somaaya

47
Years of Journalism
20
Author of Books
15
Years of Radio
9000
Columns

On Television

She does Friday review of films on radio and weekly columns for Janmabhoomi Pravasi, The Hans India & the Indian Express North America.

Critical of the unrealistic, stereotypical costumes of the Hindi film heroine, she had taken up a challenge from Shabana Azmi and turned designer. Bhawana Somaaya did five films for Shabana. MORE

On Radio

She is the only journalist today visible in all the mediums – Radio/ Web/ TV and Print. Her eleventh book Mother Maiden Mistress.

Somaaya is currently the Film Expert with Radio Channel 92.7 BIG FM and shares Bollywood updates every morning. She does Friday reviews of radio and has 2 weekly shows – Once upon A Time in Bollywood & Big Talkies. MORE

Gallery

In 1981 joined Movie as Assistant Editor and in 1985 was promoted as Joint Editor. In 2000 joined as Editor Chief Screen, a film weekly of The Indian Express Group. In 2012 was appointed as Editor Chief Block Buster.READ MORE

International Medical Conference

Irfan khan and Karan Johar release Talking Cinema

With Zoya Akthar post Dil Dhadakne Do

Varun Dhavan at a Family Wedding

Catching up with Poet Gulzar

At Crossword with Faran Akthar

Interviewing Rekha

At FICCI frames with Abhishek Bachchan and Vijay Krishna Acharya, Director of Dhoom 3