Saudi Arabia's crown prince and the presidents of Egypt, Turkey and Algeria, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General, are among leaders at the in a tent-shaped stadium ahead of the first match between the hosts and Ecuador.
From show business to sports stories, you'll find plenty to keep you busy on OTT this week.
Here's what you need to know about the opening ceremony of the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar
Sukanya Verma takes a look at all the strange ways Hindi films has dealt with the memory loss syndrome.
Today, Anirudh Ravichander's name on a film's poster is enough to pull in audiences, notes Arjun Menon.
It's quite a heated mood. Sukanya Verma gives us her OTT recommendations.
'With one fell swoop he (Sharad Pawar) won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief'
Make your Valentine's Day fun and fabulous with Sukanya Verma's OTT suggestions.
'I faced difficulties, but today when I look back, it all looks mazedar (fun).'
'It's amazing how many different kinds of patriotic songs we have in our country.'
As he completes 10 years in the industry and patiently waits for the release of his next biggie, '83, Joginder Tuteja looks at his biggest hits so far.
Half Pants Full Pants will instantly warm your heart, Divya Nair tells us.
'There were many experts around me,' A Ganesh Nadar discovers at the India-Pakistan hockey game. 'One of them was explaining to his neighbour, that fellow is a good dragger and flicker, that fellow is a penalty corner specialist, that fellow is a penalty specialist, that fellow is a very good defender, etc, freely dispensing with his expert knowledge.'
'But Telugu has done that.' 'The film that I'm doing right now is called Tiger Nageswara Rao, where I play a villain.' 'After this film releases, I guess things will be different.'
'If I cared about what is being said and written about me, then I'd get consumed by it and wouldn't have time for what I'm doing.'
'If you are mature and haven't done terrible things to each other, love doesn't have to go away.'
'The bumblebees in Par Ek Din may not be flying yet, but even as they dangle in mid-air, their stings hurt.' 'Effortlessly graceful, this is a work of passion that conveys what being passionate about something truly feels like,' says Sreehari Nair.
Meet the boy band from Kolkata who have caught Bollywood biggie Salman Khan's fancy.
Another week and a spate of OTT shows and movies to watch. Here's what Sukanya Verma recommends.
Don't go by the number, Ranveer Singh says, he is picky when it comes to endorsements. There are some brands he will never endorse. Fairness creams, for example, but he does not turn away from cola and alcohol brands.
From the boys who used to hand out tickets to people on the streets and invite them to their concerts free of charge to the men selling out Wembley Stadium in less than a day, having about 20 songs on Billboards #1, BTS have come a long way, says Maya Dominic, a fan of the Korean pop band.
The splendid rock figures around Cappadocia and the silent, eternal ruins of Ephesus made a trip to Turkey even more memorable.
The composer thanked other artists for the making of the song.
As Sachin turns 50, Rediff brings you 50 fascinating facts about the God of Cricket.
'I have never seen such a large parade being commanded with such precision just by a vocal word of command.' 'I would like to import this technology to England.' Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd), then a final year cadet at the National Defence Academy remembers Queen Elizabeth II's visit to NDA in November 1983.
The year is ending, but the OTT shows no signs of slowing down. Sukanya Verma brings you everything you can catch this week.
'The true meaning of a miracle was understood when I witnessed the baby being delivered.'
The Republic Day parade, which will begin at around 1030 am, will be a unique mix of the country's military prowess and cultural diversity, depicting the country's growing indigenous capabilities, Nari Shakti and emergence of a 'New India'.
The BJP's 2022 assembly election win may have further consolidated Adityanath's stock within the BJP. The saffron party is now set to win the UP state polls twice in a row, a feat achieved by no other party in three decades.
'Apart from work, Ranbir has few interests.' 'When he was not shooting, he could be lying on the bed, just staring fixedly at the ceiling.'
'There is an unsaid bond between Ranveer and me.' 'We just have to look at each other to know if something is not working.'
Once you are done paying your respect to God and Grasshoppers, you circle back to the human beings in Gold, and that's when things become progressively more and more muddled, observes Sreehari Nair.
Think you know everything about your favourite Bollywood stars? Test your gyaan here!
From Asgard's naughtiest imp to Arsene Lupin's biggest worshipper in Paris, Sukanya Verma notes OTT is full of curious options this week.
'It's like he came on a Time Machine and left in the same vehicle. A fairytale ending, but not a happy one.'
'There is so much you learn on a Mira Nair set.'
Meet Scavengers, a popular rock band from Mizoram that plans to introduce a rock idol contest.
