All stories by SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF
75 years ago: 'There was absolute chaos'
Rediff.com9 Aug 2017'I remember the confusion over the slogan, 'Karenge Ya Marenge! (Do Or Die!)'.' 'I think this confusion arose because Gandhiji was arrested.' 'People used to wonder: What are we supposed to do?' 'How are we supposed to die?' 'How are we to fight the British?'
In India, it's still all about 'Who's your dad'
Rediff.com8 Aug 2017It may be 2017, but the 'uska baap kaun hai, maloom hai kya' still dominates India.
'Unfortunately, people believe in WhatsApp forwards'
Rediff.com7 Aug 2017'Everything they read on social media, they believe, is the truth.' 'One of the biggest challenges in the country today is how to counter fake news and propaganda.'
Working women, Modi and tomato prices
Rediff.com2 Aug 2017Modi seems to have forgotten the solution to rising tomato prices he had in mind in 2014.
Conscience is dead. Thank you Nitish Kumar for letting us know
Rediff.com28 Jul 2017From July 27, 2017, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf, my daughter will have to learn that there are only two most important things in life: Power and money.
A lungi, Anil Kapoor and the story of the Internet
Rediff.com25 Jul 2017Interviewing Anil Kapoor, Syed Firdaus Ashraf discovered, can be a real pleasure!
'Terrorism should not be branded Hindu or Muslim'
Rediff.com19 Jul 2017'They have the same pet peeves, the same ruse, the same beliefs, the same justifications.' 'All terrorists thrive on the premise that by perpetuating violence and bloodshed on innocents, they are justifying the injustices done to their community.'
Trailer Watch: Best part of A Gentleman is...
Rediff.com10 Jul 2017...Besides the divine looking Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez, of course.
'BJP is using Kovind only as a symbol'
Rediff.com10 Jul 2017'The BJP will never do anything substantial to empower Dalits.'
'Mamata has no clue what is happening'
Rediff.com7 Jul 2017'There are many able, good, police officers in Bengal who are capable of handling this situation, but without Mamata Banerjee nothing moves.'
Why 70% of commodities will be cheaper under GST
Rediff.com5 Jul 2017'GST is imperative for India's success.' 'Without GST India will be a less competitive country.'
'PM's speech should be matched by action'
Rediff.com29 Jun 2017'The PM should have spoken out much earlier and I would urge him to act, since speaking is not enough.' 'What we are demanding is action.' 'Immediate orders have to be issued by state governments to officials that such incidents should not happen.'
We are Indians, not Hindi-ans
Rediff.com29 Jun 2017Only nine out of India's 29 states have Hindi as the official language, so why impose Hindi on the other states, asks Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Mubarakan trailer review: Anil Kapoor rocks
Rediff.com21 Jun 2017One Anil Kapoor seems more entertaining than two Arjun Kapoors!
Trailer Review: Baadshaho looks interesting
Rediff.com20 Jun 2017The Baadshaho trailer has packed in all the masala one expects from an Ajay Devgn film, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Sex on your mind? Anushka has a plan
Rediff.com19 Jun 2017The Emperor of Bollywood Romance tries to play a lecher for the first time in his career.
Trailer Review: Why is Daddy looking so lost?
Rediff.com14 Jun 2017The beefcake looks lost, says Syed Firdaus Ashraf, his expressions for a gangster just don't hold up.
'Farmers are disillusioned with Modi'
Rediff.com8 Jun 2017'If the BJP thinks they can suppress the farmers' movement by opening fire, they are wrong.' 'It will create a boomerang effect which will be very difficult to manage.'
RSS leader: 'Gosht' is cow meat, Quran prohibits eating it
Rediff.com7 Jun 2017'In Mecca and Medina, cow slaughter is not allowed'
The woman behind the new cattle sale law
Rediff.com1 Jun 2017'The idea behind the new rules is that slaughter markets must buy directly from the farms as is the case in the bloody world.' 'The cattle markets have become centres for the organised beef mafia.'