The outcome of the investigations essentially formed the basis for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to issue a sweeping directive on November 28 last year, mandating that app-based communication services like WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal must be continuously linked to an active, physical SIM card within the device.
The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
'You can't make art with a point of view of fear. You have to present the truth.' 'That's why such films are not being made these days.' 'You never put the truth in the script because you fear you might offend somebody.'
Several Indian-American and South Asian candidates are running for key positions in the US elections, including mayoral and gubernatorial races.
'I am very fortunate that I am getting films where I am finally doing romance on screen, if not in my real life.'
'On the run, Srikant must navigate uncharted territories while confronting threats and enemies from both within and beyond the nation's borders.'
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.
A look at the interesting movie releases lined up for November.
Haq will aim for a lifetime collections of Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore
The Madhya Pradesh high court has dismissed a petition filed by Shah Bano Begum's daughter seeking to stop the release of the Hindi film Haq, inspired by her mother's famous legal battle, holding that a person's right to reputation or privacy is not heritable.
Gustaakh Ishq feels like a cinematic revival of everything we once loved about Urdu story-telling, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Made at a time when an insidious agenda can be read into it, Haq is an important film that deals with a contentious subject with maturity, observes Deepa Gahlot.
They also used YouTube extensively to learn how to create Improvised Explosive Devices for carrying out terror attacks. Digital footprints analysed during the interrogation identified the primary handlers as 'Ukasa', 'Faizan' and 'Hashmi'.
'I felt I didn't understand the film industry at all.'
'I was a nobody when I came here, and now I've become something.'
After a four-year wait, The Family Man 3 returns with Shrikant Tiwari facing his most personal battle yet.
Silent it may aim to be, but Ufff Yeh Siyapaa is as headache-inducing as an out-of-tune brass band, sigh Deepa Gahlot.
'If you don't have a discussion, there is no meaning to any film.' 'I hope Haq will come in that category that you like a lot.'
The Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the release of the Hindi film 'Haq', which is inspired by the life and legal struggle of Shah Bano Begum. The court found the petition devoid of merit, clearing the way for the film's release.
'Sometimes, four years is too much. People forget. But whenever we posted on social media about any other show or film, we received a hundred questions immediately. eople are very interested. Now when the trailer came out, people are really looking forward to it.'
Season 3 belongs to Jaideep Ahlawat who, despite the not so well-etched character, owns Rukma and gives the confrontation with Srikant Tiwari the missing edge of the earlier two seasons, observes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
Given all the talent involved and a rousing real life story at its centre, Haq is looking solid, notes Mayur Sanap.
'I wanted to go for the heart, and at the same time, open the audience's mind.'
September is going to be an exciting month in theatres.
His latest film Saiyaara is a blockbuster and has propelled him way into the big league.
'He was immediately given CPR before being rushed to Singapore General Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he was declared deceased in the ICU around 2:30 PM IST.'
A day before Sarzameen started streaming on JioHotstar, film folk stepped out to watch it at a special screening in Mumbai.
'For all you know, in the next five years there could be a path-breaking cancer treatment and I may be absolutely fine. Or maybe I won't be. I have to live with both scenarios.'
'I'm totally focussed on finding the right energies around me. A lot of the treatment is psychosomatic, as my mother keeps reiterating, if you think positive, positive things will happen to you.'
India went down fighting 1-2 to Qatar in their second Group H encounter of the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.
'The evening show is coming to an end, and everyone is on the phone and I want to take everyone's call.' 'I want to ask how they liked the film. How did they feel when they left the cinema while crying?'
The emotional quotient of They Call Him OG falls flat, the plotting looks jerky, and the runtime feels compromised, but hey, if you are a Pawan Kalyan fan, none of this matters, notes Arjun Menon.
Emraan Hashmi's Ground Zero is all set to make history by becoming the first film to have its red carpet premiere in Srinagar in 38 years.
'Audiences will buy tickets for a film on Dawood, not on Swami Vivekananda.'
'When I met Dubeyji, whose character I am playing, I told him the story is even more filmi than films.'
Tickets for the match on September 14 are in huge demand than for any other match. Most journalists are also arriving only in time for this match, even skipping India's opening match against the UAE on September 10.
'I remember how my grandmother was scared for me when I joined the industry because she was aware of the hurdles and pitfalls.' 'It's a harsh place.' 'When the going is good, it's great, but you really have to have the spirit to deal with the situation when the chips are down.'
Some leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed have claimed that their outfit played a role in last year's mass anti-government protests in Bangladesh that led to the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Ground Zero is a decent watch but word-of-mouth needs to be strong for the weekdays to stay stable as well.
Soldiers, cops, detectives, K-Pop idols, here's everything you can catch on OTT this week.
