Her great grandfather began sugar co-operatives in Maharashtra. Her grandfather was an eight time MP. Her uncle is currently leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly. Her cousin joined the BJP on Tuesday, March 12. Nila Vikhe Patil, who could one day become prime minister of Sweden, unravels her India connections in an e-mail interaction with Rediff.com's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel.
'Kumbalangi Nights is a movie that respects women, but most importantly, it's a movie that loves them,' says Sreehari Nair.
'I changed because I wanted to excel myself at every point. It's important to look good and take care of yourself as there is so much competition. I have not done any surgery. My lips have always been like this. Today, my face is exactly how it was, when I was 16.' Shama Sikander up, close and personal.
'The new Indian cinema has still not found its voice and identity. It's trapped under the deadwood weight of Bollywood and popular Indian cinema.'
The United Nations has expressed concern over the killing and maiming of children who continue to be recruited and used as human shields by Maoists in India and over the threat of sexual violence against girls within Naxalite ranks.
'He was a magnificent looking man -- perhaps the best looking international actor of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, even in the current century. And quite definitely the first actor from Asia to make it big in the West,' says Aseem Chhabra.
Most adult Indians should have access to bank deposits, credit and remittance facilities as well as insurance and mutual fund products in the next decade, and technology will play a big role in this transformation, says Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Surely even cleavage-obsessed filmmakers ought to, at first, be filmmakers, yes, asks Raja Sen.
A tribute to one of Indian cinema's most prolific filmmakers K Balachander, who passed away at the age of 84 on December 23.
You'd wonder what madness seized Rahul that he has decided to play to the BJP's strengths, says Shekhar Gupta.
A new logo can harm image than doing good, say experts.
'A lot of people in the West think that India has a very conservative culture, so we don't show much intimacy and sex in movies here. But I always say that, without sex, India won't have a population of over 1.2 billion people.'
'The news that the once dashing, absolutely handsome, utterly charming Shashi Kapoor is no more makes me feel terribly sad.' Aseem Chhabra, author of Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star, pays rich tribute to the iconic actor.
Rediff.com looks at other sensational murder mysteries that left India shell-shocked.
Over the last nine months, every time I stepped out of my home, I have quietly swallowed the daily mandatory advice doled out by someone or another, on how to have a happy and normal pregnancy.
'Will the age of majority be decided on a case-by-case basis by judges?' 'Does a 24-year-old woman still need "care, protection and guidance" and only from parents?' 'Is a Facebook post enough to declare a person a dangerous radical?' asks Shekhar Gupta.
From Feroz Khan-Danny Denzongpa's bare skin to Ranbir Kapoor-Ranveer Singh bare soul, Sukanya Verma's super filmi week saw it all!
Perhaps India needs to implement these for Achhe Din to happen.
It was a crazy week for the world. Sukanya Verma cannot claim to be any different.
'If you just click sexy pictures, you are only going to have a bunch of perverts following you.' 'What do perverts buy? They don't even buy condoms.'
Holidays, slurping on ice golas, fights in the school bus for the window seat and visiting grandparents are some of the things Rediff.com's Anita Aikara misses dearly.
'Bollywood runs on the idea of age.' 'The moment you're single, even if you're 40, you're still appealing, you're still young.' 'The moment you're married, even if you're 25, it's uh huh. She's not sexy anymore.'
'I served the Indian Army and I am an ex-serviceman.' 'I look at this as a battle I am fighting after I left the army.' 'I will not leave till I get her back as my daughter Akhila, and I believe it will happen one day.'
From her thoughts on a black woman becoming First Lady to marital struggles with her husband Barack, Michelle Obama hasn't held back in her memoir, which is being praised as honest and telling, Becoming.
It was between 2010 and 2014 that wildlife biologists began to realise the heavy proliferation of tigers in the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka. The fiercely-territorial beasts are today locked in battle for dominance with man and his cattle.
You don't have to be a nature-lover to appreciate these captivating shots taken from around the world. The Natural History Museum has released its shortlist for its celebrated People's Choice Award -- a title that lauds the very best of wildlife immortalised by the lens. This remarkable gallery of finalists was selected from almost 50,000 submissions from 92 countries. From birds bursting with colour to giraffes to fish we're not used to seeing -- here are some of the pictures.
Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.
'I compare Rocky Handsome to Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Bajrangi (trailer) did not tell you much but when you came out of the theatre, you said it was a beautiful film and felt that emotion. What's different in the two films is that Bajrangi did not have action. Rocky Handsome has action that hasn't been seen before.' John Abraham on Rocky Handsome.
Aamir Khan tells Urvi Parekh why his next release is probably one of the most important films he has made.
'People with a lot of dreams and passion are paying a lot of money and making a film for two years. Then, one random person who might be a lawyer or a teacher or a social worker, comes and finds a character (in the film) kissing for too long and asks for it to be cut down. That doesn't sound right.' Filmmaker Pritam D Gupta talks about his long hard battle with CBFC.
Sukanya Verma recaps all the action at this year's MAMI.
10 Ways Bollywood has kidnapped in the movies.
Here's an FAQ on what you MUST know about Dengue fever.
Woody Allen, I salute you for taking a position against the anti-smoking messages in theatres, writes Aseem Chhabra.
Aseem Chhabra lists the movies that taught him about the Idea of India.
Some people are remembered for their great feat. But, there are some like these who enter record books for the sheer oddity. On the occasion of 60th-anniversary edition of the Guinness World Records book, here are some of the latest additions to the oddball hall of fame.
