Stepping into Sixty

“Considering the online presence that Bollywood stars have on Twitter and blogs,the new media theme was a natural choice for our 59th anniversary issue. Our cover story with Shah Rukh Khan on new technology succinctly sums up the road ahead for the industry. Screen Annual Survey 2010 on new media usage and impact indicates that Amitabh Bachchan is the leading man online in terms of best usage of new media while Aamir Khan has the widest online following,” says Priyanka Sinha,editor of the film journal.

Screen was launched on September 21,1951 under the editorship of Manorma Katju and became popular for its reviews by veteran journalist Bunny Reuben and pictures by leading photographer BJ Panchal. It has since run under the able leadership of names like BK Karanjia and Udaya Tara Nayar.

One of the most important landmarks in the magazine’s history came in 1991 when the continuing success and respect for the candid yet tongue-in-cheek look at the film industry inspired Screen to host the first edition of Screen Awards. The awards have since been a popular annual ritual and are known for being unbiased.

As it happens with all things good,Screen too went through a challenging phase in the late ’90s. In 2000,to keep pace with the changing times,the journal was revamped. Keeping the old format intact,it was re-invented as a broadsheet. Even as most magazines were going the gossip way,Screen retained it’s USP — holistic content – and has thus come to be respected among the industry folk. As Aamir Khan says,“It is no small feat to stand by quality journalism for 59 years.”

It has hence been the choice of the industry leaders like Dev Anand,Dilip Kumar,Raj Kapoor,Sunil Dutt,since the 1950s,and is,to date,considered the last word on holistic entertainment coverage by both the gennext stars and the industry veterans.

“I have been in the industry for 40 years and have been reading Screen ever since I can remember. It’s very special to the whole family and all of us wait for Wednesdays to get an update on what’s happening in the industry,” testifies veteran actor Neetu Singh.

(For more,grab your copy of Screen’s anniversary special issue dated October 08,2010)