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.
'He was a legend, he changed kathak and brought it to a whole different level.' 'He held very high standards and his energy was beyond imagination. He was god-like to see; he expressed such positive vibes.' Amid dance and music, friends and family mourned the loss of Kathak maestro Pandit Chitresh Das, who passed away on January 4 of a heart ailment. Touching tributes were made for the great dancer. Ritu Jha/Rediff.com reports
How many of the 354 films Aseem Chhabra watched in 2017 have you seen?
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.
'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.'
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal unveiled the party's manifesto for the youth. The party, which is aiming to capture power in the state, will come out with separate manifestos for different sections of society.
Here's your weekly digest of the craziest and funniest stories from around the world
Indian chess diva Tania Sachdev holds forth on women in the sport.
'Woman need to be respected much more in our country. But choices should be allowed for women as well as men. I don't care about the box office collections of Ki & Ka; I care about the thoughts and conversation that it brings on. Every actor has that one film in their filmography where they pushed the envelope further.' Arjun Kapoor takes on new challenges with Ki & Ka.
'My own Indianness has kept me evolving and changing -- and that's something that nobody and nothing can take from me,' says Roopa Unnikrishnan, who left the Indian shores a decade ago. As India gears up to honour its pravasis to mark their contribution in the nation's development, Rediff.com presents different perspectives on the Diaspora.
What impressed me right up front was the patience he showed towards a rookie reporter.
'They need to see Bolt compete and struggle and come back from losses,' says Edwin Moses, athletics legend.
Director Mohanakrishna Indraganti talks about his first comedy film Bandipotu.
Renu Rajani, VP, Capgemini India tells us why it is important for young professionals to make the most of opportunities at hand and not be scared of failures.
Maleficent ends up disappointing after a decent start, says Paloma Sharma.
Chef Ranveer Brar, one of the judges on the fourth season of Master Chef India alongside Sanjeev Kapoor and Vikas Khanna, tells Rajul Hegde the reasons behind his success.
SpiceJet promoter Kalanithi Maran would need to invest at least Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion) almost immediately to stabilise the airline.
'The Reserve Bank's independence has remained a work in progress, an enduring challenge that the nation has been grappling with on an ongoing basis,' says RBI Deputy Governor Dr Viral Acharya.
'I want to play a villain. There is something really exciting about villains. They have beautiful girls around them every time, lots of money and all the luxuries because of which I don't mind dying in the end.' Ranbir Kapoor speaks his mind.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee would seek to placate the hawks in the RSS by stating that the writing of history should not be one-sided. At the same time, he would project a moderate 'Nehruvian' image of himself as the archetypal liberal politician who would strive to attain a balance between conflicting viewpoints. A fascinating profile of the former prime minister and Bharat Ratna by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Shankar Raghuraman.
After a decade of acting in comic films, Riteish Deshmukh finally shows a versatile side with Ek Villain. The days ahead seem busy, with his production ventures and a kitty full of films.
'Olympic wrestling is like an old Nokia phone.' 'WWE is like an iPhone.' The Great Khali's academy turns pro-wrestling dreams into reality
Chaitanya Tamhane's National Award-winning film seems more relevant today than when it released, says Sreehari Nair.
Meet the Bhandari brothers, who scored a critical and commercial hit with their debut film while the biggest movie of the year was dominating the box office across the country.
The prime minister is checking in with baggage of the kind that will make history, any which way things take a turn, says Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com
Start-ups in the information technology domain are quite common these days. But three young entrepreneurs have ventured into a comparatively lesser known area of food: snacks. Arul Murugan, co-founder, Chloroplast Foods, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com, how he is bootstrapping his start-up.
'Biometric Aadhaar-based surveillance is not only about violation of privacy, but also about the treasure hunt for unprecedented financial surveillance and economic intelligence in the economic history of mankind,' asks Gopal Krishna.
Judge Srikanth 'Sri' Srinivasan is the front-runner to replace the late Justice Anthony Scalia on the US Supreme Court.
'One of the director's primary jobs is to make sure that all the actors perform as if they are in the same movie, playing in the same band -- one is not acting in a different band than the other.'
Lalit Sathyarthi, an aspiring actor, left his home in Agra to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a Bollywood hero. He is still struggling to succeed but he's not giving up yet.
'Not allowing people to speak or listen is the biggest act of anti-nationalism,' says Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, one of India's finest poets.
'Bipasha dislikes my voice in Jism. Everyone liked my voice and it did wonders for her and even for me. But she disliked it tremendously. She was very upset. She refused to do the promotions for the film because I dubbed her voice.' Meet dubbing artist Mona Ghosh Shetty.
'Kejriwal has taken a leaf out of Modi's campaign of 2014 and improved upon it.' 'That suit will haunt Modi till he exits politics.' 'Of all the factors that favoured Kejriwal, the biggest was the arrogance and over-confidence of the Modi-Shah led BJP.' 'What the Congress could not do in the last two decades in Gujarat, Kejriwal did it in no time in Delhi.' 'The BJP has behaved exactly like the Congress in decoding Kejriwal's politics.'
At Rs 32,500, the 4G-enabled Samsung Galaxy A8 is only for dyed-in-the-wool fans, says Himanshu Juneja
In 2002, at 13 she lost both her hands and severely damaged her legs in a freak accident. Today she is a dedicated social worker, a motivational speaker and model for accessible clothing in India.
Overseas education consultant NNS Chandra shares advice on how to pick the right international education.
Smita Patil would have been 60 on October 17 had fate not cruelly snatched her from us in 1986. She was only 31 when she died. Rediff.com salutes the incomparable actress in a special series.
'No PM has said no to anything we have proposed. I am not a politician and I cannot give speeches about things, but a lot of good things have been done in science by previous governments.' 'Under Dr Manmohan Singh, we could do a few important things. I used to meet him once in 6, 8 weeks. He often said, 'Professor Rao, you assume that you have my approval and carry on.' He was shy and decent. He is a real gentleman.' 'Science keeps me going at 80. I feel young.' Professor C N R Rao, the eminent scientist who was honoured with the Bharat Ratna, on the state of science in India.
Aseem Chhabra is heartbroken that India overlooked the acclaimed film, The Lunchbox, as its Oscar nominee.
Why are more and more young people quitting their day jobs to travel? Abhishek Mande Bhot finds out.
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