'Later, I asked Hrithik how he could have remained so calm in the circumstances. He told me simply, "What could have happened? At the most, they would have killed me".'
Demonetisation and Agniveer reveal the two mindsets India has become. In both these government schemes, one sees a desire to play the country like an orchestra anchored by conductor/conductors, argues Shyam G Menon.
England Test captain Ben Stokes is very categorical that his participation in the IPL 2023 will depend on the national team's calendar.
If you think the film is gutsy, you are simply being blind to the truth that the whole men-are-worthless slant is saleable right now, argues Sreehari Nair.
Here are various roles that a bigot can play, disproving that s/he is one-note and uni-dimensional, and is in fact a versatile, multitasking person.
'Our modern icons have assumed infallibility and think course correction or admission of a mistake as taboo.' 'Much will depend on the sagacity of the national leadership to show humility that our Gods showed.' 'Else, we are doomed in the coming year to divert our attention to firefighting rather than the task of nation building,' warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'It disappoints and saddens me no end that Mahua has allowed herself to be carried away by the Goebbelsian onslaught mounted on the BJP and Narendra Modi by certain vested interests which find themselves exposed and thrown out of the gravy train,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.
'Article 15 is not the work of a hack, or of someone merely scooping a plot out of newspaper headlines.' 'It is a well-researched, clear-headed movie; but its findings have a purpose,' says Sreehari Nair.
'With the Election Commission wisening up to the practice, which strikes at the very root of electoral democracy, the practitioners of cash for votes have been getting more and more ingenious,' points out Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
'The conception of Make-in-India, Skill India, Smart Cities, Digital India, Beti Bachao, Beti Padao and so on show a visionary breadth of mind, and Modi is almost the first political leader in India to put them into effect with single-minded zeal,' notes B S Raghavan, the former civil servant.
Justice Karnan told the doctors that for holding such a medical examination, guardian's consent is required.
Till date, 107 elections to states and three parliamentary polls have been smoothly conducted using the EVMs.
Just when it looked as though CGI overkill has ruined the fun of spectacle, here comes a film that charms with its kaleidoscopic vision and meticulous combats, says Sukanya Verma, who can't wait for more!
Queen Of Katwe feels almost like Mira Nair is making a Bollywood film in Africa, notes Raja Sen.
The gulf between Hindi cinema's finest current actor and his contemporaries widens with each film. But even Irrfan Khan, in Mick Jagger's words, can't always get what he wants. Raja Sen tells us why that's not a bad thing.
A comeback without a digital plan may turn out to be futile.
The finance minister said he said, "The judgement has upheld the primacy of one basic structure -- independence of judiciary -- but diminished five other basic structures of the Constitution, namely, Parliamentary democracy, an elected government, the Council of Ministers, an elected prime minister and the elected leader of the opposition."
All Is Well spends two hours desperately tickling the audience but the overall impact is one of torture, says Raja Sen.
Inside Out is arguably Pixar's finest film, says Raja Sen.
In this special series, we re-visit great Hindi film classics. Today, we look back at Amitabh Bachchan and Nutan's 1973 film Saudagar.
'The comment is ill advised and unworthy of the exalted office occupied by the prime minister.' 'The judiciary as a whole cannot be attributed to be functioning under extraneous influences or pressures,' says Constitutional expert and Senior Supreme Court Advocate P P Rao.
Ever thought if Bollywood actors are capable of playing these roles?
Prem Panicker, on the Rediff chat, delves on what went wrong for Team India and what to expect from Sunday's trans-Tasman World Cup final.
Dilip Shanghvi has never tried to be everything to everybody.
Indian actors from different generations and worlds, Roshan Seth and Sendhil Ramamurthy, star in a remarkable film, co-starring Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen and Oscar nominee Michael Lerner. Brahmin Bulls director Mahesh Pailoor, in a fascinating conversation with Arthur J Pais/Rediff.com
To a lay observer, therefore, India today presents two conflicting realities.
'Every minute, one has to listen to some diktat or the other. As a Trinamool Congress member, every step of ours is vetted. One has to take permission before doing anything,' MLA Sikha Mitra, suspended for criticising party leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, tells Indrani Roy.
Vodafone judgement has set the cat amongst the pigeons.
Hamilton will need to sparkle a lot brighter than that to start winning back his shine, says Raja Sen.
'While our politicians get voted out, the industrialist grows from strength to strength irrespective of government shifts till one day he controls the entire political structure... That is the real story of India today.'
'What India needs more than anything else is an in-command Singh, who assiduously shepherds a difficult slippery path with good footwork and adroit balance. Instead we have a hamstrung leader struggling with a difficult diverse set of issues.'
'Unlike the present system under which every minister does her/his own thing while Dr Manmohan Singh minds his business, prime ministers from the Nehru family were truly in control of their governments.'
The Commonwealth Games is symptomatic of the deeper decay, decadence, and debilitation of our moral and ethical standards. It is not just about Kalmadi. It is about much more.
The year has been an exceptionally unremarkable year for Hindi film buffs.
Roiling emotions are the drivers at market extremes and those who can keep their emotions in check end up winners
It's sad and somewhat embarrassing to watch Ghai try valiantly to sculpt a magnificent innings -- and miss his target rather spectacularly.
Raja Sen on Amitabh Bachchan's blog, and why the superstar needs a crash course on celebrity blogs.
A look at the events and highlights slated for the upcoming year.
American researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that with the aid of a sophisticated scanner and computer programme, they were able to determine how the brain lights up when thinking about different subjects.
Director Suparn Verma and resident film critic Raja Sen discuss the 2007 movies.
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances