'I never got respect as an actress.' 'But when I became a director and worked with actresses like Cate Blanchett and Jessica Chastain, I felt such pride of being an actress.'
Soumitra Chatterjee -- one of the finest Indian actors of our time -- meant so much to Aseem Chhabra.
'I consider myself to be a 50 year old with a 16-year-young mind, ready to conquer more continents,' Dr Shuvendu Sen tells Payal Singh Mohanka.
Veteran director Shyam Benegal discusses with P Rajendran how corporate funding has helped transform the Indian film industry.
'It will take me a while to process the meaning of the loss of a man who meant so much to me through my entire life,' says Aseem Chhabra.
Here's a peak at the main characters in Deepa Mehta's Midnight's Children, the film adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker-winning 1980 novel of the same name.
Aseem Chhabra picks 10 fascinating films he watched in Macao -- a blend of Asian, independent, Hollywood projects and even a 66-years-old classic Japanese film that still stands the test of time.
'Every piece of content, every thought, has stemmed from reality and personal experiences.'
Lovers Rock is sexy, romantic, charming and hugely entertaining -- a perfect gift for movie lovers in these tough times, feels Aseem Chhabra.
'The real test whether the movie has worked or not is when the people remember it five years later. Just like wine and relationships, the same is true for movies.'
'He represented the warmth, gentleness and goodness that existed in Hindi cinema before Bollywood became a loud commodity.' Aseem Chhabra on the legendary actor he admired for over 40 years.
Aseem Chhabra watched some great films and some huge disappointments in 2020.
Aseem Chhabra's recommendations for the Mumbai film festival.
There is so much goodness in Garm Hava, says Aseem Chhabra/ Rediff.com
'In Carol, Cate Blanchett reminds us what a real movie star is and why we are enamored by her acting and looks.'
'I believe politics was imposed on it by the censor board, when it gave the film's trailer an A certificate, hoping to deny children, teenagers the opportunity to watch it during prime time television shows,' says Aseem Chhabra.
As he struggles in hospital, I wonder why anyone, especially someone who was not even born when The Satanic Verses was published, would want to harm a 75-year old man and a literary treasure, wonders Subhash K Jha.
After working on Mr India and Sagar, Partho Sen-Gupta left to study filmmaking in France at 26. He returns with the dark and moody Sunrise.
Hemal Trivedi, a Hindu filmmaker originally from India, and Mohammed Ali Naqvi, a Muslim from Pakistan have made one of this year's most talked about films.
'Never in the history of Indian cinema did we have a distribution system for 240 countries, but we have it now.' 'And if we still keep catering to the B and C-tiers of our country, and not the whole world, then we are really being losers.' 'The visionaries of the industry must pull up their socks and say that now we will create for the world.'
Back in the Press Briefing room on being commended for her questions to President Biden and the Indian prime minister, The Wall Street Journal's Sabrina Siddiqui responded, "You gotta do it."
Director Ritesh Batra discusses his film, The Lunchbox, which releases this week.
Umrika, which won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, finally releases in India.
'...it didn't make sense to me.' 'If the character was not adding (to the story), I wasn't interested.' 'The reason why I chose to act is because of the way it makes me feel when I'm acting, not for the fame and money.'
'Of the people here in Europe who have watched The Story of Film: A New Generation, the most talked-about clip is the one from Ram Leela.'
'It's an experience of a lifetime. It's the first time I acted in a South Indian film where I was treated as an equal by an actor.'
Meet Srihari Sathe. Producer. Director. Professor.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's next film is about aging Pakistani musicians who get a second chance because of jazz.
Will Priyanka start a family? Or does she have some career aces up her sleeve? Longtime Rediff.com contributor Aseem Chhabra, author of
Aseem Chhabra imagines a time, 20 years from now, when movie-watching in theatres will be long gone, thanks to the coronavirus, and pens a letter to his grandchild, explaining the magic of the cinema hall.
It is always wonderful to discover a gem of film at an international film festival. It is even more exciting when that film is from India.
'We cannot be the country that created the Kamasutra and then we show flowers kiss and a child is born.'
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
'Sridevi was a responsible mother.' 'I have heard her talking about her daughters.' 'Once in a while, they came on set. She would make sure she had time for them.' 'That's why she could play a mother so wonderfully in English Vinglish.'
But his nature, temperament, his skill to listen to others, and empathise with their pain and hardships will make him a far better president, a leader America has been longing for four years, notes Aseem Chhabra.
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Sujatha Gidla's scathing observations about Mahatma Gandhi and other highlights from Jaipur Literature Festival 2018.
'You need to be very passionate towards life, not because you are a film-maker, but because you are a human being.' 'If you can do that, then I think it reflects in the films that you make.'
Indians in countries like the United States, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Egypt, Israel and South Africa celebrated the day with hoisting of the national flag and singing of patriotic songs.
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