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.
Aseem Chhabra ranks the Best of 2025's films that released in theatres, or went directly to OTT platforms.
Actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh missed out on the Best Actor award at the 53rd International Emmy Awards 2025, where he was nominated for his performance in Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has been named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after spending the entire year at the top of the rankings.
The year began on an unusually dull note with boxers absent from most international competition in the aftermath of a medal-less Olympic campaign.
When you declare 12th Fail as the Best Film and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani as the Wholesome Entertainer of the year, you have somehow narrowed the range of the awards, suggesting, in effect, that the entire spectrum of possibility in Indian cinema extends from the Filmfare Awards winner for the Best Film to the Filmfare Awards winner for the Best Film (Critics), points out Sreehari Nair.
Revenue generated from the final podcast featuring Zubeen Garg will be placed in a 20-year fixed deposit to support emerging artists.
Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday acknowledged the shortage of runs from him but India's T20I skipper did not count it as lack of form, saying that runs will come sooner than later.
Nancy Tyagi's sari-inspired look for Tyla's maiden visit to India is the inspiration moment that aptly blends global glam with desi charm.
'Her presence lit up the room as she reflected on a remarkable career that has shaped generations of Indian cinema.'
Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati expressed deep anguish over the incident, and stressed the need for a thorough and impartial investigation and strict punishment for the culprits as per the law.
The video showed some WAPDA players chasing the match referee into his changing room and he was also reportedly physically abused by them before being rescued by other officials and players.
The 34-year-old mystery spinner rewrote the record books during the fifth and final T20I against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Friday, casting a spell of his bamboozling spin magic on the Proteas batters, four of them surrendering to his bowling.
Bengaluru to host India-Netherlands Davis Cup tie on February 7-8
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
A deafening roar at Twickenham capped a 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup that smashed attendance records, while India's first Women's Cricket World Cup triumph sparked nationwide celebrations.
'I was just a little kid in a darkened theatre, and I remember that beam of light just cut across the room, and I remember looking up, and it seemed to just explode on the screen.'
The Wrestling Federation of India unveiled a new selection policy that makes attendance at national camps mandatory to be eligible for national selection, bars wrestlers from training independently and mandates Olympic Games quota-winning athletes to appear in a final one-bout selection trial.
India's first lifestyle and music festival -- Myntra GlamStream Fest 2025, where fashion, beauty, music, and pop culture come together -- was held on November 16 at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai.
'He has never offended anyone in spite of his criticism on Communism or any 'isms'.'
TasteAtlas, the online international food guide, has announced its cuisine awards for 25/26.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ethiopia on a bilateral visit, engaging with Ethiopian leadership to strengthen partnerships in various sectors. He was warmly welcomed by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and participated in cultural events, highlighting the strong ties between the two nations.
India ended a disappointing 10th in the FIH Junior Women's Hockey World Cup after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Spain.
To digitise Customs processes, the Union finance ministry is planning to integrate the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), Risk Management System (RMS), and Indian Customs Electronic Data Interchange System (ICES) into a single unified national Customs platform, according to government sources.
Mohamed Salah had already clinched the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Golden Boot for most goals scored and the Playmaker award for most assists, making him the first player to win all three awards in the same season.
The country also mounted bids on some high-profile continental and global events, including the 2031 World Athletics Championships with Ahmedabad as the proposed venue.
Inter edge Genoa to go top
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday nominated United States President Donald Trump for the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honour, hailing him as 'the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House'.
'The photographs showcase the different emotions of India and power of faith. For someone who couldn't visit the historic event, the pictures take me there.'
Bollywood Hungama's OTT India Fest and India Entertainment Awards saw a lot of glamour on the red carpet.
Guillermo del Toro restores and amplifies the morality tale Shelley had meant her book to be. His message is kindness and forgiveness are the greatest virtues and arrogant ego meets its own just end, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
'Judges have transmitted a terrible message to citizens across the nation. All right-thinking individuals will be disturbed by what the Delhi high court judges have done.'
Saali Mohabbat escalates the hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned theme, and fashions a dark domestic thriller, discovers Deepa Gahlot.
In 2025, Indian stars didn't just make global fashion moments, they owned them.
India, the eight-time Olympic champions, won their only World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 1975 defeating Pakistan 2-1 with Surjit Singh Randhawa and Ashok Kumar netting the goals.
India's Raghu Prasad named FIH Male Umpire of the Year 2025
Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha is confident about securing the hosting rights of the 2030 Centenary Commonwealth Games during the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly in Glasgow on November 26.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that his partner Shivon Zilis is half-Indian and that one of their children's middle name is 'Sekhar' after Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
V Shantaram is a historical biographical drama that honours the life, spirit and cinematic uprising of one of India's most visionary storytellers.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav admitted that he is "bad with DRS" appeals after his hilarious banter with senior pro Rohit Sharma formed a nice, little subplot of India's series-clinching victory against South Africa in the third ODI in Visakhapatnam.
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