Amita Malik Biography 
Amita Malik is one of the foremost figures of film and television critics, often dubbed as the "first lady of Indian media”. Time magazine described her as India's "most prominent film and television critic”, "first lady of Indian media" and "India's best known cinema commentator". She began her career at All India Radio, Lucknow in 1944 and has worked as a columnist for many Indian newspapers. Kamal Kumari National Award, B. D. Goenka Award in Journalism 1992 and Hon. Fellowship of International Police Association are the major awards received by her. She was a contemporary of Film critic and historian, Chidananda Dasgupta, and both of them share the same birth year – 1921.
She joined All India Radio at Lucknow in 1944 at a salary of a hundred rupees a month. She presented the weekly programme of lunch hour European music on Saturdays. Earlier, she has worked with All India Radio's Delhi station as a programme assistant for a brief period. She is the only Indian film critic who got privilege to interview film celebrities and directors like Ingmar Bergman and Marlon Brando. Malik was the first reporter to interview Indira Gandhi when she unexpectedly became the prime minister of India for the first time. She received the first fellowship of the Canadian Women's Press Club in 1960 and got an opportunity to interview Canadian Prime Minister Diefenbaker. The same year she launched a cutting campaign against foreigners in saris.
Amita was responsible for getting the censorship curbs on foreign media during the Indian Emergency lifted. In 1989 she launched campaigns against misuse of media to promote Rajiv Gandhi and Indian National Congress. Her syndicated column "Sight and Sound" has been published in columns of different daily newspapers.
Published: N/A
Updated: February 18, 2014
