Politics, favouritism and poor taste in cinema have contributed to embarrassing choices for the Oscar race in the past. This little gem from India needs the love, emotional and financial support from the government as well as the Indian film industry, argues Aseem Chhabra.
'Gully Boy is a pulsating salute to the new angry India and its youth,' says Aseem Chhabra who watched Zoya Akhtar's movie at the Berlin film festival.
The Dhoni biopic is all set to lead the charts!
Most critics have picked this film as a favourite that should be sent to the Oscar awards
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
'Even in its unmistakably masala tone, Bajrangi Bhaijaan firmly believes the desire for peace is universal and recommends being a hero. Or just human,' says Sukanya Verma.
'Dev for me embodied all that kind of charm, optimism, energy, vulnerability, awkwardness and yet strength.' 'He's in every scene for two hours.' 'He has to play drama, melodrama, romance, pathos, comedy.' 'It was a relief when he said yes.'
The hits and misses of the week.
What was life like for the confident Priyanka Chopra of today when she was a gawky teenager?
Akshay Kumar is King of the box office!
Titan's sarees will ride on the parent brand's immense equity and deep penetration to crack open the potential Rs 550 billion market.
The hits and misses of the week.
Aseem Chhabra picks the finest Indian films in the 2010-2019 decade.
Aseem Chhabra on his friend, the firebrand Nepali journalist Kanak Mani Dixit, who was arrested last week. Aseem, who has known Dixit for 35 years, believes the charges are trumped up.
A look at the hits and misses of the week.
Why were two of 2018's critically panned films awarded?! exclaims Aseem Chhabra.
As the MAMI film festival kicks off, Aseem Chhabra picks the must watch Indian movies.
Moothon's script won the Sundance Institute's Global Filmmaking Award. Geethu Mohandas's movie is now coming to a theatre near you.
The 91st Annual Academy Awards was anything but boring, feels Aseem Chhabra.
The documentary released in India on June 6 this year.
'Salman and I would play table tennis and drive an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) while shooting in Karjat. And he made me eat a lot of biryani!' Child actor Harshaali Malhotra shares her Bajrangi Bhaijaan experience.
Coming up: Aarambh: 'Biggest Indian TV show ever'
A look at the hits and misses of the week.
A look at the hits and misses at the box office this week.
Can India really succeed when it leaves some of its underprivileged so far behind that they simply do not matter, asks Aseem Chhabra
The Oscars are only days away, and Rediff.com's Terrific Trio have already placed their bets.
On planes, on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, Zee5, Hulu, MUBI, Kanopy, film festivals... Aseem Chhabra tell us how he watched 309 films in 365 days.
'I wish I could find a party that could offer the best of the three parties,' best-selling novelist Chetan Bhagat tells Rediff.com's Aseem Chhabra in New York.
'He personified the kind of debonair charm, sublime sensuality and unabashed romance women fantasise about,' says Sukanya Verma.
Delhi, which has gained infamy as one of the world's most polluted cities, has for some years now witnessed a sustained campaign from various quarters seeking a ban on firecrackers. While the Centre launched the newly approved, eco-friendly firecrackers earlier this month as a "safer and cheaper" alternative, the mood in the market is tepid, says Ritwik Sharma.
Looking at Shah Rukh Khan's unusual onscreen professions.
Will Priyanka start a family? Or does she have some career aces up her sleeve? Longtime Rediff.com contributor Aseem Chhabra, author of
Javed Akhtar had the most terrifying experience of his life when he lost the power of his limbs for some time.
'We want to be a nation at par with the best internationally.' 'But why is it in theatre we continue to have such low standards?'
A Death in the Gunj is not a happy film at all times, but it is very entertaining says Aseem Chhabra.
'Raj and DK have taken the effort to look at Moosa as a person.' 'Like, what happened to him?' 'What made him become a terrorist?' 'The emotional trauma that he might have had... that clicked for me.'
