From the humble boxing ring of Dighwara village comes the amazing story of girl boxers who have started a revolution of sorts in Bihar's rural hinterland.
'I may have been six, but children at that age are aware that there is something called death. I was petrified for Pa, but tried not to show it. I would pray every night, begging for his recovery, at the same time sneaking in a request for a new toy or a pencil set.'
For a person who hasn't overdosed on a TV series for decades -- not since the delightful Friends, and much further back, the homily-laden Hum Log or the excellent Buniyaad or Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi -- Game of Thrones has been a game changer for me, writes Shuma Raha.
The law minister said 20 Muslim countries in the world, including Pakistan and Malaysia, have banned the triple talaq. "Why can't a secular India do it?" he asked.
Dr Siras was a man determined to be a freak in the show called Life, says Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
Shatranj Ke Khilari was Satyajit Ray's first Hindi film. The Master set the Premchand story against the backdrop of the First War of Independence in 1857. Bijoya Ray, his wife, reveals fascinating glimpses behind the making of the epic in this exclusive excerpt from her memoir.
'Hrishi-da often voiced his disenchantment with Bachchan's Angry Young Man persona -- the 'maara-maari', the growth of sidelocks; he even said directors were killing Amitabh the actor and turning him into a stuntman. Yet, as Jaya Bhaduri jovially pointed out, the seeds of that seething persona can be found in Anand and Namak Haraam.'
'This is a film that trumpets out its sex -- it is content in being a girl's version of the archetypical boy's locker-room picture.' 'And if it was just that, that would have been fun too, but Lipstick Under My Burkha doesn't want to affect your senses, it wants to control your mind!' Sreehari Nair comes away unimpressed.
'From envy, heartburn and broken hearts to broken marriages, much damage has been done by unintended revelations in the social media. Suspicious partners bring out hidden relationships, which may never have come to light and hell breaks lose in many lives,' warns T P Sreenivasan.
'When a woman is at home and not getting that kind of importance or attention or made to feel special from the man in her life, it's very frustrating. At times, women are made to feel inconsequential. It's a sad, painful and a lonely feeling.' Baar Baar Katrina!
Govinda returns with Aa Gaya Hero.
Alone is as good as a B-grade film, featuring several sequences that are very corny, says Paloma Sharma.
How are the illiterate and aged coping with Modi's demonetisation, wonders Subir Roy.
Manobi Bandyopadhyay, India's first transgender principal of a college, speaks of her struggles in a moving interview.
Brilliant cinema at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival, raves Sukanya Verma.
Singh is Bliing proves all that glitters is not gold, says Sukanya Verma.
An A-Z of Bachchanalia, the letters expanding into unforgettable bits of his filmography.
'People need to offer me exciting stuff. I am stuck in a rut. People keep exploiting what has worked for me in a film, so they offer me the same thing over and over again. I guess people need to see me for the person that I am, and give me youth-centric roles, make me act with actors who are closer to my age.' Prachi Desai believes she can do 'a lot more'!
Gandhi and Birla, in spite of their closeness, too differed.
'He only talks about what concerns our home, like what I have made for lunch or dinner. No politics at home and no controversies too.' 'If I want to know something, I have to update myself from the newspapers or the local people; unfortunately no inside information.' 'He is like a strong fort, which no one can break and get in, not even his wife.'
The going has never been easy for author Cyrus Mistry, who suffers from a nervous disorder. The reclusive author, who bagged the prestigious South Asian literature award, talks openly to P B Chandra about his illness and how writing has helped him cope with it.
'I just lucked out.' 'I got good roles. I was in the right phase, selected at the right time.' 'But I had no great ambition.' Suchitra Krishnamoorthy gives us a glimpse into her career.
Bharati Dutt witnessed life-changing events that shaped India on the threshold of freedom. Her memories are an account of how ordinary Indians saw India change.
The actress, who turns feature film director with A Death in the Gunj, discusses the cinema she is comfortable with and why she loves being an outsider.
Shatranj Ke Khilari was Satyajit Ray's first Hindi film. The Master set the Premchand story against the backdrop of the First War of Independence in 1857. Bijoya Ray, his wife, reveals fascinating glimpses behind the making of the epic in this exclusive excerpt from her memoir.
How much do you know about Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal and the Taj Mahal?
'Just because you fall in love with someone, who might not belong to the opposite sex does not mean you are different.' 'Love is always Love.' 'You cannot choose which person you will fall in love with.'
Her great grandfather began sugar co-operatives in Maharashtra. Her grandfather was an eight time MP. Her uncle is currently leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly. Her cousin joined the BJP on Tuesday, March 12. Nila Vikhe Patil, who could one day become prime minister of Sweden, unravels her India connections in an e-mail interaction with Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
Ananth Mahadevan takes on the audience.
'I don't give a f****. I am old enough now.' 'You just have to white-knuckle it and ride through it.' 'But really, who cares?' 'At the end of the day, just get on, feel the pain, embrace the suck.'
How many of these have aged well?
'I realised I didn't have to wait for a spectacular event or a character to emerge. All stories of ordinary people, of your family, are extraordinary,' novelist Yasmeen Premji tells Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com
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Shuddh Desi Romance conveys a simple but underrated philosophy in the most fun way possible.
Rather than talking about Khajuraho and Shikhandi, the argument should be about a Constitution that promised rights to all, says Mihir S Sharma
"Everyone knows me because of that terrible tragedy. My memories of Mosul only bring me sadness. How can I be proud about my fame? I lost everything there," Harjit Masih told Rediff.com's Swarupa Dutt over the phone.
Sreehari Nair introduces you to three promising movies coming up.
'My grandmother taking me to the jamatkhana was like a different world.' 'Like I had a key to a door which no one else seemed to have.' 'She doesn't take me anymore because she says I'm an embarrassment!'
Love at first sight -- happens or not -- Nisha Jamvwal explores the possibilities here.
'Human beings are voyeuristic by nature. We love to imagine some things. Like Salman and Katrina were ex-lovers, and are now working in Ek Tha Tiger. Oh my God, what must be going on between them...? We, as an audience -- and I include myself in that -- talk like that. If Salman and I announce a film tomorrow, I'm presumptuous enough to say there will be interest in it.' Katrina Kaif on life and love.
He keeps a Ganesha idol in his room. His next book will have eight chapters set in Mumbai. He loves India; it's his biggest market. Yet there is one thing that bestselling Jeffrey Archer detests -- it actually drives him nuts! -- about this country.
