Can a film and the voice of its actor really influence us, and change our lives? I like to believe so, says Aseem Chhabra.
'When we saw Saawariya for the first time, I was aghast.' 'If only Bhansali had told me, I would have dissuaded him.
'There has been a lot of ups and downs, unexpected highs and unimaginable pain, almost thinking that I'm going to die.'
Donald Trump, Hardik Patel, Kangana Ranuat... The year 2017 wouldn't have been the same if it weren't for these personalities and many more. As we herald in 2018, here's a look at the faces and stories which left an indelible mark on us.
Godavari Dange, a school dropout who was widowed at the age of 19 is now changing the lives of farmers in her village and beyond.
Aseem Chhabra gives us the top films that enriched his year.
The West has built a culture of art philanthropy.
Sukanya Verma's nostalgic filmi week!
Dallas police say the gunman staged a furious ambush-style attack in Dallas at a rally held to protest this week's fatal shooting of two black men by police in other states.
Aseem Chhabra spots 10 must-see movies at the Berlin Film Festival.
Doesn't he know that the Indian audience has settled itself with a certain strain of mediocrity that lands up at the cinemas every Friday?
The Michelin Star chef and host of MasterChef India, who penned his first work of fiction, shares stories from his life.
Here's a pick of what Warrenn Buffett had to say over the weekend, and his annual 'Woodstock for Capitalists'.
'Since there will be US lawmakers, deans of leading universities like Harvard and Columbia and personalities from the worlds of art, culture, politics, medicine, science, technology, "We have made a request to the prime minister to say something in English." Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com reports from Washington, DC.
'I used to be humiliated.' 'If I would approach an actor, he would just say hello and then turn away.' 'That's when I understood the whole game of the industry.'
As Shah Rukh Khan turned guide in Jab Harry Met Sejal, Sukanya Verma looks back at Bollywood's original Guide.
'We cannot be the country that created the Kamasutra and then we show flowers kiss and a child is born.'
'The only time I went on set was during Badshah. I was very young at that time. After being there for about an hour, I was bored and wanted to go. I couldn't watch it again and again, the retakes.' But Mustafa Burmawalla could not stay away from the arc lights for long.
The top posts on social media from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
Here are Aseem Chhabra's picks -- 'films that mattered to me, entertained me and will stay with me through the year.'
'People won't think Shankarabharanam is an old film. It is a family entertainer, different from what I have done before,' Nikhil Siddhartha tells Radhika Rajamani.
The Wolf of Wall Street has its moments but it is director Martin Scorsese's weakest attempt at film-making, says Aseem Chhabra.
'At the end of the interview, as he walked with us to the elevator, he looked at me and said, "Do you think it was my karma that I should have made this film?"' Arthur J Pais/Rediff.com recalls his encounter with Richard Attenborough.
A look at the top tweets from your favourite Bollywood celebrities.
'My character in Surya Versus Surya cannot come out in daylight.' Actor Nikhil Siddhartha talks about his latest film.
National award winner Chaitanya Tamhane tells us the story behind his film, Court.
Aseem Chhabra is impressed by Rima Das's Bulbul Can Sing, Ritesh Batra's Photograph and eight other outstanding films.
The Chinese billionaire and founder of Alibaba is said to be planning a significant investment in business to business e-tailing as well as payment services and logistics companies.
'There are too many things that haven't gone out of you. So even though the years may have gone by, you are still close to the films in terms of the making.'
From Beckham to Nyong'o and Lopez to Lawrence, we look back at the year gone by through these red carpet outings. Don't forget to tell us who your favourite is at the end of this page!
'When the audience leaves the theatres (after watching Dear Dad), they will have a smile on their faces. They will not be disappointed. That's a 100 per cent guarantee.' Dear Dad director Tanuj Bhramar tells us why we're going to love his film.
'Indian diplomacy is once again being saddled with the heavy burden of a Pakistan-centric foreign policy. It is something grossly unfair at a crucial juncture in India's trajectory as an emerging power on the global stage,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'The entire journey was beautifully nourished and I was very lucky that Lion came out the way it did. Otherwise, I would have really regretted it.' Priyanka Bose is ready to take her film Lion to the Oscars.
Bibhu Mohapatra from Odisha gave up a degree in economics to design clothes and hasn't looked back.
'2016 was the year when Shah Rukh Khan took risks and traversed along the path that would ensure the actor could shine more than the star,' says Aseem Chhabra.
Robbed of prey as people fled, Omar Perez came marching back and shot bullet after bullet into Prudhvi Raj Kandepi's head, thus ensuring that a man he had never met before, known nothing of, would never get up again.
Ananth Mahadevan takes on the audience.
Chennai Express is a full throttle masala entertainment ruled by Shah Rukh Khan's star power
'To me,' says Aseem Chhabra, 'the Golden Globes hold the most meaning as one gets to see stars celebrating, getting emotional, letting their guard down and showing us their regular human side.'
