After a lifetime of showing us what it means to 'act at the top of one's bent and never hit a false note', Mammootty had the good sense, in the third act of his career, to pare down his style, become less mannered, draw directly from life. And getting a performer like that to play characters who seem 'completely dead inside', is, in my view, a betrayal of his legacy, his still-burning ambition, and his still-sharp feelers, observes Sreehari Nair.
'People think about his final 48 hours and how did he become a martyr... but the life I came to know from uncle and aunty was of someone who was so full of joy and laughter.'
Few people know Ratan Tata as well as R K Krishna Kumar does. Widely perceived to be among the managers closest to Tata, Krishna Kumar assesses Ratan Tata, the man and business leader, in this exclusive interview to Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
'That very brand name comes in the way of people expecting something different from me.'
The death of the 81-year-old former England keeper was announced by his former club Stoke City on Tuesday.
In this weekly self-help series, mental health and life coach Anu Krishna tells you how to take control of your life.
As splendid it is to behold, A Suitable Boy cannot match in soul and falls short of being memorable, feels Sukanya Verma.
'India is the most depressed country in the world at the moment and women have twice as much of the likelihood to be depressed.'
'It is a sad day when social activists, environmental campaigners, anti-corruption workers are singled out as anti-nationals and then criminalised.'
Kunal Kemmu's crime thriller Abhay 2 continues to be gripping in the second season, notes Moumita Bhattacharjee.
In this weekly self-help series, mental health and life coach Anu Krishna tells you how to take control of your life.
'I'm a very positive and optimistic human being.' 'You put a pile of garbage in front of me and I will find a flower in it.'
'If the US intention was to use the FATF platform to isolate Pakistan and impose sanctions against it, that is not going to work when influential countries such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia will not lend support to the US campaign,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
In this weekly self-help series, mental health and life coach Anu Krishna tells you how to take control of your life.
'Once Mohanlal's ever-swelling entourage grasped his enormous worth, once it realized that the innate Mohanlal appeal could be profited from, it set about to exploit, to make uproars, to create the Mohanlal brand.' 'And he wasn't meant to be a brand. He was meant to be an artist, a tireless explorer of the unique seas inside him,' asserts Sreehari Nair.
More than 600,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar's Rakhine state have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, creating one of the world's most dire refugee crisis.
'As some of the marchers shouted, "Hum apna adhikar mangte, nahin kisi se bheekh mangte, (we are fighting for our rights; we are not beggars)," the message of the parade was clear.'
He urged the crowd attending a pro-CAA rally to give a missed call to the 8866288662, pledging their support to the legislation. Shah also sought to dispel 'rumours' of discord within the NDA in Bihar and said CM Nitish Kumar will be the alliance leader in the state.
Aseem Chhabra lists his favourite films, most of them shown at international film festivals held virtually (Berlinale and Rotterdam), hybrid (Toronto) or physical (Cannes and Venice).
Amidst raging controversy in India over visa for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the US on refused to commit itself whether he would be granted permission to travel to America.
Aseem Chhabra lists 10 of his favourite films that played in various sections at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
The rapid spike in the pollution level after Diwali has become a cause for concern
Other strong men have stopped Modi and his hordes in states before, but none of them with a footprint or battle cry to shake up New Delhi, observes Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
Kabir Khan tells Patcy N/ Rediff.com what Bajrangi Bhaijaan is all about.
'It is natural for parents to want to keep their children safe.' 'But there's a difference between putting up firewalls to protect them and snooping on them 24X7,' says Shuma Raha.
Accusing Pakistan of continuing to support "proxy war" in Jammu and Kashmir despite suffering casualties due to terror on its soil, Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh on Tuesday said threats and challenges have been growing because of the "active borders".
'The separatist resurgence in Balochistan is thwarting Pakistan's plans to build CPEC projects to optimally utilise Balochistan's energy reserves,' points out Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
On Shashi Kapoor's 83rd birth anniversary, Subhash K Jha looks at his top five productions.
Ajit Balakrishnan on how the Web could return to its original egalitarian goals.
'Madaari is a very strong film for the younger generation. If they understand this film correctly, it would be great fun. It is serious cinema and our youth want to see that too; they don't just want entertainment.' Madaari director Nishikant Kamat discusses his new film.
'Looking at how teachers can change lives of students, I asked myself: 'Why don't I become a changemaker and change the lives of underprivileged students?''
'The Indian state is very benevolent when it comes to corporates,' says Tom Thomas, chief executive officer of Praxis, and convenor of CRW India.
There is growing alarm at the inexorable rise of China, both of its military prowess and its aggressive bullying of other countries plus its subjugation of whole portions of its own population.
'The NRC is aimed at rounding up and permanently jailing Indian Muslims who cannot produce the documents to satisfy a government which punishes those individuals who do not declare maximum number of Muslims foreigners.' 'It is for this reason that we see so many Indian Muslims protesting these laws and it is for this reason that so many non-Muslims cannot stand by and watch what is happening in their country,' says Aakar Patel.
'The problem is delaying (or missing) the second dose would probably keep you at a 20 per cent risk of still getting COVID-19, till you are fully immunised.'
Members of an alleged London cell of the Al Shabaab terrorist group, behind the recent shopping mall siege in Kenya, have secretly been stripped of British citizenship.
Bollywood pays homage to one of India's finest actors.
Torbaaz is a well-intended movie, but suffers from step-fatherly treatment that doesn't quite let you feel the emotions, notes Moumita Bhattacharjee.
'We say we are proud to be Indian. Can we be proud of such an India where its people are hungry and on the streets?'
'The Indian government has accepted and is a party to international agreements, standards and conventions on religious freedom.' 'We did not force it on them. We are not trying to impose something on them that they haven't already agreed to...' 'India has never allowed us to visit, which is very disappointing for such a wonderful country with such a rich democratic tradition. They seem to be afraid to let us in.'
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