Ahmedabad's cultural scene would not have gone beyond the garba, but for Mrinalini Sarabhai's pioneering efforts.
'I have been offered the main lead many times now, including romantic and action hero roles. But they're not interesting. I want to do films like Aandhi, Angoor, Ram Aur Shyam, Mela, Deewar, Zanjeer and Sholay but I don't have a plan.' Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub gets ready for the next level.
Kabir Akhtar won it for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for the series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
'Asked which Dilip Kumar films were among her favourites, she said she had seen not a single movie of his until that time. This became a sensational issue. She did not mean to offend Dilip Kumar. There was not a bone of diplomacy in her and she never acquired that calculating attitude even at the cost of some of the roles that she would eventually lose.'
'We still look at films with A-listers.' 'There is change, but it's minor.' 'We still haven't learnt how to invest in stories.'
'Satyajit Ray was somewhat tolerable; you didn't have to hang your head in shame.' 'Sholay is a series of stereotypes and borrowed ideas... And we are still singing praises of that film.' 'What would I make of two grown men behaving in this manner? It's deeply embarrassing.' If you thought Naseeruddin Shah was too frank with his opinions, he'd have to take a back seat to wife Ratna Pathak Shah, who doesn't waste a second, giving you her strong views on matters movies and personal.
'People don't talk about any role that my father did -- it is always Gabbar Singh. He regretted this. He would tell me, 'I started at 25 floors and couldn't go any higher because I had started too high.'
These offbeat courses will guarantee you a job.
'There are many stories that could be made in the North East.' And here's one of them.
The 'Shatrughan Sinha of the South' plunges into politics.
As the legendary actor turns 60 today, we look at his finest performances in the last six decades.
'I'm a rascal, I'm going to play a paramahansa?!'
Bharata Natyam legends Shanta and V P Dhananjayan discover they are a national sentation after their Vodafone ads.
'My mother has one complaint -- I die in all of my films. She has told me to stop dying now.'
Mohammad Sajjad salutes the memory of Mushirul Hasan -- historian, thinker, academic, institution builder, -- who passed into the ages this week.
Devanik Saha wonders if saffronisation of India is on the rise
In its 60th year, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra's dance drama is as iconic as Delhi itself
Battling on Rahul Gandhi's behalf, Priyanka Gandhi took on Narendra Modi over his shehzada, namuna and other barbs at her brother on Tuesday, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party leader is aspiring to be prime minister but indulging in childish behaviour and that he should maintain decorum.
'His script, his body language is different, at the most he is a trained pracharak, a national politician building a base, an audience, a community of behaviours and followers from a younger generation, attempting to talk to children so they become his enthusiasts. Many are and that is his victory.'
The year threw up quite a few shockers, some rather rude one. Below are Rediff.com's 12 picks that made us sit back and think, 'Did that really happen?'
'The other day, someone told me they saw Sarbjit again and it still haunts them.' 'They said I made Aishwarya do what she's never done before.'
Mohammad Sajjad profiles Professor Riazur Rahman Sherwani, 94, versatile mind, intrepid intellectual.
And no, the list doesn't start and stop with Boman Irani!
The Alams saw the magical spot while on a drive to the hills. A few years later they set up home and a small hand woven shawl business, hiring local weavers, using local wool and natural colours made of root, stem and flower.
'For a long time Pakistan dreamt that India would break up and that it would be the predominant power in the region,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Sreedharan epitomises the way in which an Indic ethos can be brought to bear upon the seemingly intractable problems facing India,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
Aseem Chhabra lists the movies that taught him about the Idea of India.
Satyajit Ray's fabulous use of fantasy to condemn fascism and Shah Rukh Khan's gift of enthralling oratory, Sukanya Verma's fantastic filmi week.
Irrfan Khan's fascinating interview with Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com.
'For me, success is saying 'no' when you want to say no.'
'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?'
'To be fair to Arnab Goswami, the television camera is his only fix.' Unlike other TV stars who rule social media, Arnab is nowhere to be found.' 'While they hold forth in newspaper columns, maybe having realised that true gravitas is earned via newsprint not digicams, he does nothing of the sort.' 'He breathes and lives TV news,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'I had to convince myself that I was steely enough to operate on a cold-blooded killer.' 'For all my medical experience, this was something I had never done!' 'If something happened to Charles, I knew my fate was sealed for me.' 'I would be called Doctor Death until I breathed my last.' 'Success was my only hope of escaping that fate.' A fascinating excerpt from heart surgeon Dr Raamesh Koirala's Charles Sobhraj, Inside The Heart Of The Bikini Killer.
Saurabh Shukla, Piyush Mishra and Sanjay Mishra are not likely to be in the limelight when a film releases, but they are the ones who eventually light up the movie.
'I did not always want to be an actor. The initial plan was to become a filmmaker.' Sri gets candid about his movie career.
Brilliant cinema at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival, raves Sukanya Verma.
'I am fortunate that I have never been stuck in riots. I have had a very protected life and upbringing. I remember my brother was in Mumbai during the 1992-93 riots and we were all worried about him. But he was fine.' Soha Ali Khan gets serious.
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