The year had a variety of films to choose from. Not all of them were successful at the box office, but had merit.
'Dhoom Machale...' The exuberant, celebratory track from the 2004 blockbuster Dhoom rounded off Zohran Mamdani's victory speech, more evidence that New York's newly elected mayor embraces his many identities with a light-as-souffle touch.
India's Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of light, has been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during a meeting held at the Red Fort in Delhi.
'Salman is a very hard-working actor whose diligence I have to commend despite the fact that during the shoot, my heart was in my mouth.'
'The Bhashini Mission has delivered a working technology at large scale, which is as good as or better than the one with MNC tech giants.'
Dhurandhar may not have the dark realism of a spy story which a web show can manage. But it does not have the flamboyance either, that has come to be associated with espionage movies, observes Deepa Gahlot.
One of Debashish Bhattacharya's most remarkable contributions is that he has taken the scope and foundation of the slide guitar, improvised it again and again, thereby designing and creating four entirely new guitars.
'The war scenes in which Indian soldiers fight fearlessly and the powerful dialogues are meant to make the audience proud of the loyalty and valour of Indian soldiers,' observes Deepa Gahlot.
The wedding of star Indian women's cricketer Smriti Mandhana and music composer Palash Munchal has been postponed indefinitely after her father Shrinivas fell ill in the lead-up to the ceremony.
'It feels great to carry on this musical tradition.'
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.
Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's touchdown in Kolkata in the early hours of Saturday sent the city into a frenzy.
November 7 2025, marked the 150th year of India's revered national song, Vande Mataram.
Renowned classical vocalist and Padma Vibhushan Pandit Chhannulal Mishra passed away at the age of 89 after a prolonged illness. He was an exponent of Hindustani classical music and the Banaras gharana.
Amid escalating India-US trade tensions, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre -- the tony cultural event outfit run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's wife -- has postponed next week's theatrical event in New York, citing "unforeseen circumstances".
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
The Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) has resolved to implement a revenue-sharing model for big-budget films, requiring actors and technicians to share profits and losses. The move aims to address financial pressures from declining theatrical and OTT revenues. The TFPC also mandated staggered OTT release windows and formed a committee to ensure access to theaters for smaller films.
Kamini Kaushal was one of Indian cinema's long-lasting actresses, who went from playing Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand's heroine to Manoj Kumar and Rajesh Khanna's mother.
Lieutenant Colonel C Dwarakesh is the only completely blind officer to continue in the Indian Army after losing his eyesight while in service. In his remarkable journey after disability, he enhanced his education qualification, scaled the Siachen Glacier and found purpose in sport.
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against YouTuber Elvish Yadav, singer Rahul Yadav (Fazilpuria), and others, accusing them of money laundering related to wildlife crimes involving protected snakes and lizards.
Whilst the truth of the village lies shrouded in ruins and mystery, I exit Kuldhara with goosebumps -- and those feel entirely real!
Actress and social media sensation Avneet Kaur celebrates her 24th birthday on October 13.
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.
Kamini Kaushal, who began her career with the 1946 classic Neecha Nagar and went on to act in a host of films right till 2022, passed away in her Mumbai home on Thursday night.
From a reluctant engineering student to one of India's most loved viral choreographers, Noel Alexander's rise has been nothing short of cinematic.
'That a song can carry the weight of a people's dreams and move hearts across the world.' On Bhupen Hazarika's 99th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays rich tribute to the legendary singer and composer.
The victorous Indian team sung a new victory anthem to celebrate winning their first World Cup.
Gayle, Ryder, other former stars stranded in Srinagar hotel after IHPL scam
The Deepa Thoon controversy, if not allowed to die a natural death, could take the election focus away from the anti-incumbency impacting the DMK and into the secular space. Stalin would love to have it that way, all over again, after the three past elections, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Praising Mohan Bhagwat for his intellectual depth and empathetic leadership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his tenure as the head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since 2009 will be considered the most transformative period in its 100-year journey.
The case of 42-year-old Shafaatullah Khan, which came up in a court in Bridgeport on Wednesday, comes close on the heels of a Hindu priest being arrested on charges of groping two children in Texas. Khan, a Pennsylvania resident who plays sitar, surbahar and tabla and teaches Indian classical music on a wide array of instruments, has been charged with multiple counts of corruption of a minor, indecent assault, and related sexual offenses, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Travellers are turning concerts into full-fledged weekend getaways, giving rise to the 'gigcation' -- a short, experience-led micro-holiday.
Lionel Messi's much-anticipated 'GOAT Tour to India 2025' just got bigger with Hyderabad added as the new southern leg stop to ensure fans in the region are not "deprived" of seeing their idol following the cancellation of Argentina's proposed friendly in Kerala.
Sri Lanka stays with you not just in memory, but gently reminds you what a society can achieve when heart and heritage guide the way.
Avneet Kaur on how she put together her unique, dazzling Diwali looks.
'The largest listenership for Vividh Bharati outside the country is in Spain.' 'The labourers who go there for the tomato-picking season feel cut off from their country and listen to Vividh Bharati to overcome their loneliness.'
Names and names and names and names... 329 in all. Some Indian. Some Canadian. Some British. Berry. Gupta. Jain. James. Bhatt. Beauchesne. Chatlani. Enayati. Lougheed.... Vaihayasi Pande Daniel visits Ahakista, Ireland, home to the memorial for the worst terrorist atrocity in India's history.
'It is a beautiful balance between traditional old-world sanskaars, and new generations opening up to new worlds without renouncing respect,' observes Sandeep Goyal.
The store will offer music from premiere labels such as Saregama India Limited, Ishq Records, Yatra Communications and many others, offering a catalog of over 40,000 songs.
In the academic year 2024-2025, the IB had 258 authorised schools in India, up from 183 schools in 2019.
