'What can I do for my India except make films that showcase it's greatness to the world, which touch on national issues and arouse the feeling of patriotism?'
Soulful strains of classical music wafted through the chilly air as the ninth edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival kicked off in Jaipur on Thursday at its usual venue, the sun-kissed Diggi Palace grounds, amid elaborate security arrangements.
'There are films that are meaningless, but still do well.'
Akshay Kumar seems to be the closest to inheriting the brand appeal and position enjoyed by Amitabh Bachchan. We tell you why.
It's a tribute from a daughter to her father.
Before Akshay Kumar takes centrestage in the courtroom this Friday, here's looking at filmi lawyers before him.
There is a vital difference between Bofors and Rafale, explains Shekhar Gupta.
'I defy all the controversy. For me, it is meaningless. They say the students are unhappy that I have been appointed as the head of FTII. They have not seen my work so how can they be unhappy?' Gajendra Chauhan tries to justify his appointment to head the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India.
'Our drains are not filled with bodies, our hospitals not run out of beds.' 'That good news, or absence of expected bad news, is the truth that so many in the international community, and also within India, seem unable to handle,' notes Shekhar Gupta.
The opposition to Gajendra Chauhan's appointment has more to do with his background and less with anything else, feels Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
'Motionless .. still .. eyes shut in perpetuity .. a form on wooden logs .. covered .. flames about .. and a life turned to ashes,' writes Big B.
'This coming general election is not going to be about manifestoes.'
"(Former PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee said 'raj dharma' was not followed in Gujarat (during the 2002 riots). Now, 'raj dharma' is not being followed in case of Andhra Pradesh. We have been denied what was rightfully ours," he claimed.
'We cannot express the sorrow in words.'
Counting of votes in the high-stakes close-to-call Bihar assembly elections, billed as a hot battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, will take place on Sunday.
The ninth edition of Mijwan was a night to remember.
Why do the biggest, most talented and successful film-makers of India suck up to the establishment so breathlessly, asks Shekhar Gupta.
'Not many know I am a Rajput from Jodhpur.' 'My ancestors shifted to Kolhapur as my great grandfather and grandfather were both engineers.' 'They were called by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj to build the city of Kolhapur.'
Veteran actress, television personality and anchor, Tabassum, who has completed 67 years in the industry, shares her insights about the stars of the past.
'The BJP is no longer the BJP. It has become the Bharatiya Janata Poaching Party.' 'They talk of black money and here they are ready to pay Rs 100 crore to MLAs.'
A revealing excerpt from Anupam Kher's Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography.
'When you are involved in a relationship and get married, why do you do that? To have a happy life together, right?' 'Not for arguments and divorce.' 'We face challenges at every stage of life.'
Salim-Javed's speciality was conjuring the kind of violence that played on your mind rather than the sort that played out only in front of your eyes.
Bollywood celebrities mourn the death of the charismatic actor.
The National Democratic Alliance on Monday finalised its seat sharing for Bihar polls with the Bharatiya Janata Party contesting 160 out of the 243 assembly constituencies while allies Lok Janshkati Party and Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha being allotted 40 and 20 seats respectively.
"Any fight with the Congress will remain in the state. At the national level, we will fight together, this I am saying from the heart..." she said.
'Designing the Bigg Boss sets is total dhamaal!' 'They are so happy with the way I design the sets that no questions are asked.' 'Contestants live there for three months, and so, the sets also become a character.'
Over 20 political parties, except the Biju Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front, took part in the massive rally.
New York-based photographer Mark Bennington recently released his collection of beautiful photographs depicting the typical Bollywood life in a coffee table book called Living the Dream: The Life of the 'Bollywood' Actor.
'The BJP should avoid escalating every local issue and minor provocation into a national crisis and claiming a 'holier than thou' monopoly on patriotism.' 'And the Opposition should avoid paying the government back in the same coin by crying wolf about intolerance at the slightest provocation.'
'I barely manage to be in front of the camera and act.' Amitabh Bachchan gets shockingly modest.
'The Ek Do Teen star struggled with a problem skin all through her reign as numero uno.' 'And yet acne never got into the way of her incredible success.' All this and more in Sukanya Verma's Super Filmi Week.
With the images of Rajendra Babu, Radhakrishnan, K R Narayanan, V V Giri and Kalam in my mind, the image of my beloved hero dancing ungainly to 'Merey angney main tumharra kya kaam hai', doesn't make a smooth transition, says Sudhir Bisht.
For a show that prides itself on being of the people, by the people and for the people, it's strange how in its moments of success, the 'people' were missing, says Sukanya Verma.
'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.'
'My father became a very popular villain and in some films, was paid more than the hero. He was a very simple person. All he needed was six pairs of white shirts and trousers for the whole year, one or two packets of Dunhill cigarettes a day and books.' Shehzaad Khan on his famous father Ajit.
Son Suneil Anand talks about his famous father, and their life together.
'Amitabh Bachchan told me, "I don't appreciate other people doing my voice".'
'It is ironic that the guy who set the standard of stardom was forgotten. It was his death that made us remember him again.'
