'Even when he moves beyond his traditional repertoire, he sticks to a template that does not take him too far from the viewer's gentler emotions,' notes Vikram Johri.
Many of the stories, the pictures going out of India worldwide lately with these provocative processions, taunting of Muslims, bulldozers targeting mostly their properties, the sweeping 'othering' of a community of 200 million are painting the front pages and TV screens in the democratic world. That is where most of the friends we covet lie. Soon enough, these will also make our vital friends among the Muslim nations, from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, uneasy. The best time for course correction is now, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
'If you perform well, if you do your best, it stays with the viewer. That's how you grow.'
At some stage this fall in the quality of life will begin to hurt anybody's popularity, observes Shekhar Gupta.
The Modi government is notoriously honest about one fact: It does not listen to economists, observes Shekhar Gupta.
'The BJP has shown signs lately of returning to its trader mindset.' 'Several strong emotions get meshed in this: Nationalism, protectionism, mercantilism, and arrogance,' points out Shekhar Gupta.
'Pure, uncluttered anti-Modi-ism, however angry, can't be an ideology or an electoral alternative.' 'The best it can do for you is damage Mr Modi enough for him to finish below 200.' 'Can it enable you to cross 100 to begin with?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
Why is the government unwilling to disclose the winners of its DigiDhan Yojana?
The prayer service for Veeruji, who passed into the ages on May 27, was held at ISKCON, in Juhu, north west Mumbai.
Sukanya Verma brings the latest action on OTT platforms this week.
After 18 months of closure, what really could be salvaged? And the answer sadly is, precious little, Patience, perseverance and plenty of moolah is the way forward even assuming intent is in place, says Anjuli Bhargava.
Nikhil Lakshman remembers the times he spent with the legendary writer who passed into the ages six days before his 86th birthday.
'Mr Modi may have the aura of an irresistible conquistador now, but he is human. He isn't an 'avatar,' argues Shekhar Gupta.
'If Mr Modi and Mr Shah have made a poisonous, polarising campaign their brahmastra for 2019, Mamata Banerjee is showing them its limitations,' says Shekhar Gupta.
The jobless armies of youthful India are getting angrier and desperate, warns Shekhar Gupta.
Anil Rego, CEO, Right Horizons, answers your personal income tax queries.
'God gave me a second chance to live and I had to make the most of it.'
'Did the Nobel committee, reviled for awarding Mr Dylan, play a little inside joke this time around, by awarding another lyricist who was once an aspiring musician?' asks Uttaran Das Gupta.
'You can't make the poor rich overnight.' 'Nor can you fly millions in planes.' 'But remember that word: Empathy.' 'Who in the BJP is speaking in that language to these millions?' 'Someone putting an arm of understanding, warmth, comfort around them?', asks Shekhar Gupta.
But why should India be talking to the Taliban in the first place? There is no love lost there. India will never forget or forgive the humiliation to which the Taliban subjected it in the IC-814 hijack, notes Shekhar Gupta.
The Sikhs love a good fight, and that's what the Modi government has given them.
Omkeshwar Singh, head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
'This is not the party I knew... it has changed so much,' he said wistfully.
Indian business, on quite a different trajectory from its global counterpart, remains relatively insulated from any kind of backlash.
The duo were reportedly shooting together for film-maker Shashank Khaitan's Dharma Productions film Mr Lele.
Bollywood celebrated Raksha Bandhan with their siblings over the weekend, and posted lovely pictures on Instagram.
There are many patriotic movies lined up in the months ahead. What makes some of these films special is that these have the country's name right in the title itself, what with 'India' and 'Hindustan' finding prominence.
The move to oust Indian Olympic Association president N Ramachandran appears to be gathering steam as Badminton Association of India also joined the chorus in demanding a No Confidence Motion against him by calling a Special General Meeting.
'In India a strong leader with a majority has never yet been defeated by a challenger.' 'He (or she, as with Indira Gandhi in 1977) must defeat himself,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Amit Shah now enters an unfamiliar and interesting phase of his political career. His success or failure will henceforth be assessed based on his performance as a key minister, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'It was one of the greatest learnings in my life to see someone like the great Amitabh Bachchan go through such a tough phase.' 'He had been there, done it all and really didn't need to prove himself.' 'Yet, he channelised it all and came out with one of his best performances,' Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra tells Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com in a fascinating conversation about the films he has made and the actors he has worked with.
When BJP leaders, including Mr Modi's number two, Amit Shah, use the pandemic to launch an assault on state governments run by opposition parties, or to topple them, they are exploiting a grave crisis in cynical political self-interest, notes Shekhar Gupta.
What the Indian economy looks like next January will influence her view on India, not her genetics, notes Shekhar Gupta.
'The biggest question is why members of parliament and senior party functionaries of the BJP still supporting Suresh Kalamadi when they were opposing him for opposing the Congress Party'
A better option will be a nation-wide campaign by Team Anna to convert what has remained an elitist middle class movement into a mass movement of the people based on three slogans: "Say No To Bribe", "Bring in Jan Lokpal" and "Free the CBI From Govt Clutches", notes B Raman.
The note ban is Modi's make-or-break gambit for 2019. Opposition leaders see a vulnerability and won't gift pre-eminence to the Congress, says Shekhar Gupta.
'Officers have been made the scapegoat for political failure.' 'No effort has been made to find out who scuttled the prime minister's decision to introduce competitive bidding and why and at whose instance.'
Omkeshwar Singh, head, Rank MF, a mutual fund investment platform, answers your queries.
Tax expert Anil Rego answers readers' questions about how Finance Minister Piyush Goyal's Budget affects you.
Presenting celebrity showstoppers who scorched the ramp at the Pune Fashion Week 2016.
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