Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
Aseem Chhabra ranks the Best of 2025's films that released in theatres, or went directly to OTT platforms.
'I often give myself a pat on the shoulder, reminding myself that I've done a good job considering where I started and the mindset I grew up with.'
A major pile-up on the Yamuna Expressway in Mathura, India, resulted in four fatalities and numerous injuries due to dense fog and low visibility.
'Audiences are loyal to good content.'
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
'Madhubala in Kala Pani looks divine and yet, she's not just there for glamour.' 'In Do Raaste, the character of Neelambari (played by Bindu) isn't a heroine in the traditional sense but she has such a pivotal role.' 'That Raj Khosla gave a non-heroine such a central role, instead of the heroine, says a lot about how he valued female characters.'
Kamini Kaushal, who began her career with the 1946 classic Neecha Nagar and went on to act in a host of films right till 2022, passed away in her Mumbai home on Thursday night.
rediffGURU Nayagam PP, founder of EduJob360, breaks down the top government competitive exams aspirants can target in 2026, along with their eligibility criteria, important dates, syllabus essentials and preparation strategies.
'It was Kishoreda who suggested to Sulakshanadidi that she should become an actress and sing her own songs in her films. This transformed her life and career.'
Singer-actress Sulakshana Pandit, 71, passed into the ages on November 6 after a prolonged illness. Besides her acting roles, she leaves behind some beautiful songs to remember her by.
'...and say that if I don't wear a sari, they will unfollow me.' 'Today, if I have 2.9 million followers on Instagram, out of that, the majority is from the South.' 'Telugu has given me the most fame and money.'
In 1973, several major leading ladies like Mumtaz, Raakhee, Jaya Bhaduri, Dimple Kapadia, Tanuja, had married and retired from films. Producers wanted a new heroine as a replacement. Many thought Sulakshana was a Mumtaz lookalike and was soon persuaded to sign on multiple films as a leading lady.
'I don't regret anything I've done in my life.'
After big win in Bihar, the BJP is likely to push harder in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK government and the uneasy BJP-AIADMK alliance are preparing for a tense election filled with seat-sharing fights, changing alliances, and the unpredictable entry of Vijay's TVK party, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy.
'Gujarati films are crossing the Rs 100 crore mark, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra has surged past Rs 300 crore, Marathi film Dashaavtar has already topped Rs 50 crore and Tamil blockbuster Coolie has raked in over Rs 250 crore.' 'These successes show that regional cinema is no longer niche.'
October looks bright with a lot of festive season releases on OTT.
Superheroes, sleuths and Sara Ali Khan in love, catch all kinds of fun-sized action on OTT this week.
Dinesh Raheja salutes Sandhya, the acclaimed dancer who passed into the ages on October 4.
'I'm so grateful Kathal is getting the recognition it deserves.'
'If I had the chance now, I would have continued acting.' 'The cultures of Maharashtra and Bengal are different and I felt I had to give my best to be a good daughter-in-law and an ideal wife.' 'I never thought I could balance both.'
'What is it about the institution of faith that makes somebody get a sense of impunity, that they believe they can get away with anything?'
'I have heard big stars, who are a part of Gen Z, demand not only food of their choice but also insist on taking food home for their family. And I am talking about stars who charge anything from Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore.'
'Kashmir has so many stories, cultures, and folklore. It should be promoted. We should definitely have more stories out of Kashmir.'
Sholay's Basanti is the face of women's empowerment and gender equality. That's why, half a century after the movie first released, we're still talking about her.
Dinesh Raheja celebrates Lata's 96th birth anniversary on September 28 by picking some choice examples of her non-typical songs that are tinged with a rare eroticism.
Veteran actor B Saroja Devi passed into the ages on Monday, July 14, in Bengaluru.
Shah Rukh Khan won his first National Film Award for best actor for Jawan, sharing the honour with Vikrant Massey for 12th Fail. Rani Mukerji was named best actress for Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway. 12th Fail was adjudged best feature film.
Film stars from Hindi cinema as well as the south came together on a common platform, where they were honoured for their work.
The Hollywood release F1: The Movie also took a good start at the box office, scoring a half century in its first weekend.
'Story-telling is at the core of everything I do.'
The bilingual -- Hindi and English -- invitation cards for I-Day anniversary celebrations carry this image on the top right corner of the invite, while the silhouetted image of the Chenab bridge, the world's tallest railway arch bridge, sits at the lower side of the cards, which have largely being issued online via 'Aamantran' website of the Ministry of Defence.
Ajay Devgn can't be Singham all the time, so he returns to his goody avatar as the turban-clad Sikh lad Jaswinder 'Jassi' Singh in Son of Sardaar 2.
Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri put forward their never-seen-before intense side in Dhadak 2, which is deemed as the spiritual sequel to the Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor-starrer 2018 film, Dhadak.
'I make films which I think have the possibility of being liked by a majority of people, and you present it with the right emotions.'
What keeps the momentum going is Kajol's fully committed performance that elevates this generic material to a surprising degree of watchability, feels Mayur Sanap.
After Sonam was found in Uttar Pradesh, the police officials sent her to Sadar Hospital for initial treatment. Now she is kept in the Sakhi One Stop Centre, the official said.
Sharmishtha Panoli was arrested for making a post on Instagram in which alleged that the Hindi film actors were silent on Operation Sindoor.
'After playing strong women like Kavita and Tulsi on television, it would be very difficult for audiences to accept me as a routine running-around-trees heroine.'
BJP leaders in Maharashtra criticized Uddhav and Raj Thackeray's joint rally in Mumbai, calling it a desperate attempt to revive their political fortunes ahead of civic polls. They accused the Thackerays of using the Marathi language issue as a guise to regain power and criticized their past actions.
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