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Aseem Chhabra

Senior Rediff.com Contributor Aseem Chhabra is director of the New York Indian Film Festival, an entertainment writer and author of Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star. You can e-mail the author at aseem.chhabra@gmail.com

All stories by Aseem Chhabra

How I will remember Sadhana

How I will remember Sadhana

Rediff.com29 Dec 2015

'Her death has left a small hole in me. That little space that her songs and her screen image always filled in me. She had not worked in films for years, but somehow I always sensed she was there, somewhere in Bombay where movie magic is made.'

'Indian filmmakers make art even when they aren't thinking they are making art'

'Indian filmmakers make art even when they aren't thinking they are making art'

Rediff.com1 Dec 2015

'I personally consider Indian cinema as one of the most creative and powerful forms of cinematic expression in the world.' 'An average Indian film is 10 times better than a costly American production because of the creativity involved.'

Dev Patel: I have always felt like an outsider

Dev Patel: I have always felt like an outsider

Rediff.com20 Nov 2015

How things have changed for Dev Patel!

Shashi Kapoor's good looks helped launch Saeed Jaffrey's film career in India

Shashi Kapoor's good looks helped launch Saeed Jaffrey's film career in India

Rediff.com17 Nov 2015

'Once Attenborough had locked the shot, Jaffrey turned to Amitabh and told him in a very controlled but stern voice that he should never talk to an actor in between takes.'

A 58-year-old film that speak to Indians of 2015

A 58-year-old film that speak to Indians of 2015

Rediff.com5 Nov 2015

'India was 10 years old when Guru Dutt made Pyaasa, but even at that young age, its poets -- including the film's lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi -- appeared disappointed with the direction the country was taking.'

Why Aligarh is a very important film

Why Aligarh is a very important film

Rediff.com5 Nov 2015

Aligarh is a milestone in the history of Indian cinema that should start the much needed conversation about how India treats gays and lesbians, feels Aseem Chhabra.

10 movies you must see at MAMI

10 movies you must see at MAMI

Rediff.com27 Oct 2015

Satyajit Ray. Films from Italy, Iceland and Albania feature on Aseem Chhabra's list.

Pixar's desi star who may win an Oscar

Pixar's desi star who may win an Oscar

Rediff.com20 Oct 2015

'John Lasseter gave me such good advice. He said the reason why he wanted me to tell the story was because it was about my dad and me. He said if it is a father and son story, it will relate universally.' Star Pixar animator Sanjay Patel tells Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com the back story behind his new film, Sanjay's Super Team, which features Hanuman, Vishnu and Durga as superheroes.

'In India, we make so much of the family. It is almost like the holy cow'

'In India, we make so much of the family. It is almost like the holy cow'

Rediff.com19 Oct 2015

'We asked Shashank Arora to go at nine in the morning and shit on the beach. We wanted him to sense what it feels like to have no personal space.' 'We wanted my father not knowing what he was doing, because it reflects on the kind of character he is in the film. Not giving him the script added to the situation the actor is in.' 'We would not say good or anything encouraging to Ranvir Shorey after each shot. We would not even talk to him.' 'We were always trying to get people out of their comfort zone. I think that's when the acting stops and something organic starts to come out.' Kanu Behl -- who has directed one of the most awaited films of the year, the most unusual movie Yash Raj Films has ever produced -- discusses Titli with Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com

'Stealing the Tour 7 years in a row? It's like stealing the Mona Lisa'

'Stealing the Tour 7 years in a row? It's like stealing the Mona Lisa'

Rediff.com13 Oct 2015

'It was a spectacular crime, wasn't it? Sepp is on the same scale. He's up there with Lance.' Director Stephen Frears, in an exclusive interview with Rediff.com

Cate is awesome. Will she win an Oscar again?

Cate is awesome. Will she win an Oscar again?

Rediff.com8 Oct 2015

'In Carol, Cate Blanchett reminds us what a real movie star is and why we are enamored by her acting and looks.'

Talvar: Riveting and extremely disturbing

Talvar: Riveting and extremely disturbing

Rediff.com30 Sep 2015

'It is a very uncomfortable film to watch, and that is what makes it so good. A good film should be able to get into our skin, challenge us, shake us up and Talvar does all of that.' Aseem Chhabra reviews Meghna Gulzar's film on the Aarushi murder case, the first of our reviews on arguably the most controversial movie of the year.

'Malala is the real deal'

'Malala is the real deal'

Rediff.com30 Sep 2015

'She is a genuine, real, person who wants to be with girls who are suffering the way she suffered.'

'Wherever Mukesh puts up a plant, I put up a school'

'Wherever Mukesh puts up a plant, I put up a school'

Rediff.com29 Sep 2015

'I sat down and asked them what they would want in their new school. One student said a football field, another one asked for computers. One little girl came and sat next to me and said, "A separate toilet for the girls." I think these small things make a huge difference in the future of education in India,' Nita Ambani tells Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com

'Women make very good peacekeepers'

'Women make very good peacekeepers'

Rediff.com28 Sep 2015

'If you look at peacekeeping right now, it is fraught with accusations of sexual abuse or peacekeepers involved in deals that are outside their purview, human trafficking.' 'When a contingent of women walk through a camp, the women in the camp and the children respond to them, talk to them. Women are more open to talking about sexual violence and domestic violence to other women.'

Exclusive! How Court was selected for the Oscars

Exclusive! How Court was selected for the Oscars

Rediff.com24 Sep 2015

The vote was tied 7-7 until... Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com reveals how Court was chosen as India's nominee for the Academy Awards.

'How many lives can these outsiders have?'

'How many lives can these outsiders have?'

Rediff.com24 Sep 2015

'Outsiders are the ones who have to make the biggest journey to realise themselves, to come back to some sense of normality.' Director Jacques Audiard and actor Jesuthasan Antonythasan discuss the human landscape behind the award-winning film, Dheepan, with Aseem Chhabra/Rediff.com

'Male directors are obsessed with movies about male bonding'

'Male directors are obsessed with movies about male bonding'

Rediff.com23 Sep 2015

'We went around with the story, but no one came forward to finance it. They would say 'Who would want to watch this?' Or they would say 'Ek to ladka dal do is me.' We said no, we didn't want to compromise.'

The first foreign feature film on the 26/11 attacks

The first foreign feature film on the 26/11 attacks

Rediff.com14 Sep 2015

'The city was never the same after the attack. It was scarred,' says Nicolas Saada whose movie Taj Mahal offers a unique view of the Mumbai attacks.

Hey, that's Steve Jobs!

Hey, that's Steve Jobs!

Rediff.com10 Sep 2015

In Danny Boyle's biopic, reports Aseem Chhabra from the Telluride Film Festival, 'we are left with Jobs -- the man, a genius as well as (what Steve Wozniak calls him in the film), an asshole!'

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