'Listen to the voice in your head and keep your inner sanctum safe.'
Sreenivasan could so willingly be 'our little man' because in his heart of hearts he never felt trivial or inconsequential. And to the very end he stayed that way, the shrimp who knew he was a giant. Sreehari Nair doffs his hat to the late legend.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Jugnuma has the unhurried pace of a stroll at dusk through the hills and the quiet delight in coming across jugnus (fireflies) twinkling in the trees, observes Deepa Gahlot.
120 Bahadur is underwhelming, adding little fresh perspective and generally feeling like a standard war drama we have seen umpteen times before, notes Mayur Sanap.
Diwali celebrations in Maharashtra would be incomplete without the making of the killa, a playful ritual rooted in tradition and creativity, where children and adults come together to craft miniature forts made using mud, sand and clay.
Asrani may have never been a marquee name up in sparkling lights or on outsized posters but the sheer proficiency with which he realised his characters has unleashed gales of laughter over five decades and made a significant contribution to several landmark films. Dinesh Raheja salutes the iconic actor.
Diane Keaton's wit and honesty taught us that ageing and uncertainty aren't weaknesses, they are part of what makes us human and graceful, observes Sreehari Nair.
17-year-old Tejasvi Manoj becomes TIME's Kid of the Year 2025 for protecting seniors from cyber fraud.
Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off for Ajinkya Rahane.
'We may not be perfect, but there are many like Inspector Mahima Basor who are trying to move bricks each day with their choices and their courage.'
A 55-year-old woman from Rajasthan's Udaipur district has given birth to her 17th child, sparking conversations about poverty, illiteracy, and family planning in the region. The delivery, which occurred at a Community Health Centre, highlights the challenges faced by families in tribal-dominated areas.
She goes "girly" for Designer Aisha Rao.
Meet the dreamers of Bollywood, who come together for Chidiya.
Almost all the Indian batters ended their batting sessions with lofted shots. Every few minutes, screams of 'Watch out!' filled the air -- not from the players, but from scribes trying to protect their laptops, cameras, and skulls.
She blends traditional drip with modern edge, making every look a total Instagram moment!
Do you know how to buy the best lady's fingers? Or choose the best cauliflower?
India are yet to win a Test in Birmingham in nearly six decades -- boasting of a dismal record of seven losses and one draw in eight attempts.
Gajjar halwa made from this dark variety of carrots is slightly more earthy-tasting than standard GH.
'A man with a gun commanded respect. I thought if I also got a gun, I could save my family. With this thought, I went to Pakistan and got training there'
'While shooting the Don song, Chandra Barot ordered 30-40 paans and insisted Amitabh Bachchan eat them all.'
'I had not even realised I had done almost 100 films.'
She refuses to give her maternity style a baggy spin with oversized clothes.
Narivetta takes its cue from real-life incidents and fictionalises the ordeal through the experiences of a young cop caught in the crossfire between the police and tribals up in arms, notes Arjun Menon.
Gouri Venugopal's sambar is unparalleled as far her daughter Durga and granddaughter Maya are concerned.
A match defined by mistakes - 11 dropped catches, several misfields, and one team punished more heavily than the other.
'It's important to keep doing your work. Do what you understand and don't expect much.'
Babil's palpable reactions to invasion of privacy make a strong case for Logout's plausible scenario, observes Sukanya Verma.
If you have an appetite for crowds and the visual spectacle of many focused on one task or activity, a pooram will engage you, notes Shyam G Menon.
Roshmila Bhattacharya shows us just why India has lost her Mr Bharat.
Television actor and Bigg Boss OTT 3 winner Sana Makbul made a take-your-breath-away entry, walking for designer Varshha at the Bombay Times Fashion Week in Mumbai.
Urvashi gets the blues... Diana is grateful... how Arjun kills time...
Aseem Chhabra picks his top 10 Indian films of 2024, which includes films that have had theatrical releases or are streaming on OTT.
Sukanya Verma raises a toast to the top female performers of 2024.
Pat Cummins took five wickets as Australia maintained their unblemished record in 'Pink-ball' Tests with a thumping 10-wicket victory over India in the second Test in Adelaide on Sunday to level the five-match series 1-1 in just two-and-a-half days.
Despite the mediocrity at large, these films had me in raptures for the emotions they evoked within as a cheering audience, critic and cinephile.
Literary adaptations, whistleblower pursuits, kidnapped Santas and South India's biggest stars, Sukanya Verma lists them all on OTT this week.
Although India's hopes to nab the big one went unrealised, it was heartening to see filmmaker Payal Kapadia and her globally acclaimed creation All We Imagine As Light, among the nominees for Best Non-English Film and Best Director. Aside from that disappointment, the Golden Globes remain a ho-hum affair livened up by occasional display of wit and wildness.
Though Zanjeer is credited as Amitabh's breakthrough film, it didn't immediately enthrone him. Rajesh Khanna countered with a huge hit in Daag that year. But Deewar upended audience's cinematic taste and filmland hierarchies at the very start of 1975. Bachchan emerged as a one man industry, the angry young man who could regulate the thermostat of the entire film industry, recalls Dinesh Raheja.
