'The next two years are not going to be a joy in Washington. All of Obama's charm, intellect and skills will have to be put aside as a new reality sets in. So it is wonderful to see the Obamas having a good time in India.'
The final instalment from the Millennium trilogy is European action-oriented commercial cinema at its best.
Makers of the documentary The Sun Behind The Clouds see light in a hopeless situation, finds Aseem Chhabra. Embarrassed by the footage of Chinese brutality and suppression of the 2008 uprising in Tibet, China requested that the film be withdrawn.
'The show -- one friend described it as a desi Lion King -- was stunning to watch. The lights, set design, sound, the selection of songs was simply quite spectacular.'
Kunal Kohli on his latest production with a newbie at the helm.
Sean Baker broke a record by winning four Oscars just himself for Anora: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay.
Indian American Reshma Saujani hopes to become the next United States Congresswoman from New York. It is a difficult race to win the New York primary slated to be held on Tuesday, but she is counting on immigrant power and her Wall Street connections. Aseem Chhabra speaks to the candidate.
'In a world which is full of categories, hatred and ideologies, there was this basic decency.'
The Tibetan leader recently completed 50 years in exile in India and took time off from his busy schedule in New York City to thank his host country by connecting with Indians living in the US.
Farhan Akhtar presents us a plot and script that is dull, almost boring.
Rediff.com's Aseem Chhabra witnessed the reflection of the struggle for equal marriage rights for gay and lesbians in New York city on Sunday where over hundred same-sex couples took their vows. Among the couples was an Indian American couple too.
Through Bob Dylan's music, lyrics, and Timothe Chalamet's superb acting, we feel we have rubbed shoulders with greatness, even when it is full of flaws, self-doubts, warts and all, observes Aseem Chhabra.
New York-born S Mitra Kalita moved to Delhi to experience Indian life. On her return to the US she wrote a book about her unpredictable two-year adventure. Aseem Chhabra reports.
Aseem Chhabra relishes celebrating his otherness during the festival.
New York-based Aseem Chhabra recollects his New Delhi days with Digvijay Singh, who passed away last week
New York-based Aseem Chhabra recollects his New Delhi days with Digvijay Singh, who passed away last week
Titanic won its fans all over again when it was re-released in 3D recently. Aseem Chhabra presents his wishlist of Hindi films that could make great comebacks with 3D!
Here's a look at the Oscar nominations, 2010.
Aseem Chhabra tries to guess which movies will be a part of Oscar history, if only as a nomination.
For Dara Huang and John Fesko, the terrorist attacks of a year ago triggered a re-examination of the nature of their relationship.
Imran Khan talks about his new film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, fame and US -- the country he has a special relationship with.
'Sudip sir keeps telling me that what I have done is very Hollywood.'
Ismail Merchant was known for his persuasive powers and his ability to mold difficult situations in his favour.
This year's Sundance Film Festival was rich with films and the theatres were warm, even as temperatures outside dipped to below freezing point. It snowed only once but the sidewalks remained slippery for a few days.
'The work of a film-maker is going out and making films.' 'And if you are in prison for 15 years, you can't make films.'
When mainstream Hindi cinema is preoccupied with romance, comedy, horror and action, stories about sisters and brothers are very rare. Vasan Bala has made a first-of-its-kind film where the leads play sister and brother, notes Aseem Chhabra.
Showing total disregard for the US constitution, Trump has said that this could be the last election to be held in the country. A Trump presidency could lead to mass deportation of undocumented migrants and harsh family separation, warns Aseem Chhabra.
The Apprentice is a keenly observed and entertaining biopic about the making of a man who is mostly responsible for all that has gone wrong with current American politics, observes Aseem Chhabra.
Aseem Chhabra and Sukanya Verma send in their predictions for the top Oscar awards.
'The war ended in 2009 and I believe the new generation of Tamils don't know what was going on there.' 'I felt it was my duty to tell our story.' 'Since 2009, it seems like we are sleeping.'
His cinema of compassion inspired me, gave me tools to develop empathy for others. But it also made me understand that serious, socially committed cinema with deeply engaging narratives and great performances is an art form to admire, appreciate and explore. Aseem Chhabra remembers Shyam Benegal, who passed into the ages on Monday evening.
All We Imagine as Light has been on several critics' best of the year lists, including Sight and Sound (Payal Kapadia appeared on the magazine's cover, perhaps a first for an Indian filmmaker), to The New York Times, Time and it is the number one film recommended by Barack Obama. The future certainly belongs to Payal Kapadia, asserts Aseem Chhabra.
'It's such a mishmash of wonderful things, so many different cultures, subsections of society and weird histories.'
'I think of that young baby, still in her diapers, balancing with her arms held up by her mother, a Tamil woman wearing a salwar kameez and a dupatta, seated on a stoop,' recalls Aseem Chhabra.
'I hadn't worked for three-and-a-half years.' 'I felt industry was based on who you knew.' 'I didn't belong to a network.'
How wonderful it would be for all of us to watch the Oscar ceremony on March 2, 2025 and watch AWIAL win an Oscar, notes Aseem Chhabra.
'I often wondered while watching the film/trilogy, what if Durga had lived. What if Ray made The Durga Trilogy.' Sandip Roy looks back at Pather Panchali's Durga and the woman who brought her alive, Uma Dasgupta.
'When I least expect it, I start to find traces of India in foreign lands.'
'We watched the film many times but each time, we would cry.' 'During the editing and sound mixing, my whole team would cry.' 'When we reached the music composing stage, it happened again.' 'Our producer said it is too much to be crying so many times.' 'But we never thought the film would be such a big hit.'
