'I was completely in awe of him. After the shot was okayed, I would quickly run back to my chair and sit quietly till I was called again.'

'Here are 25 stories special to me for one reason too many,' says Sukanya Verma who scored 25 years writing about the movies last week.

With Vinesh Phogat's heartbreaking disqualification over discrepancies in weight at the Paris Olympics just when India was keeping its fingers crossed for a sure shot victory at the finals, spirits have hit an all-time low. Art mirrors life and it won't be a surprise if our sports biopic obsessed film-makers turn this dramatic change of events into a movie one day.

'In my time, I didn't have that kind of guidance. 'I asked to speak to the international pageant winners before I went and nobody spoke with me. 'It doesn't take away from your title when you help others. It just brings more accolades back to our country.'

'It was one of the greatest learnings in my life to see someone like the great Amitabh Bachchan go through such a tough phase.' 'He had been there, done it all and really didn't need to prove himself.' 'Yet, he channelised it all and came out with one of his best performances,' Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra tells Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com in a fascinating conversation about the films he has made and the actors he has worked with.

'If questioning and dethroning hierarchies is your primary motive, why not put an end to the practice of announcing your shining star, your box office draw, in big flaming letters and mentioning everyone else's name in small font at the bottom of the screen?' asks Sreehari Nair.

'Who knew he would leave us all like this?'

Aseem Chhabra introduces us to the best of Berlinale.

It looked as if the BJP was hoping to use Rajinikanth to press their seat-bargain with the AIADMK. Now with the Rajini bait gone, the question now is not how much the BJP would settle for, but how much the AIADMK would be ready to offer, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.

'I want to win the MMA World championship.'

His songs were the anchor, the substratum, if you will, upon which life unfolded day after day, decade after decade -- across villages, towns, cities, and regions. Siva Sankar pays tribute to S P Balasubrahmanyam, the legendary singer who passed into the ages on Friday.

'My journey as an actor started to evolve when Web series started blowing out in a big way.' 'I lucked out because Inside Edge was one of the first big shows so that gave me a good platform, and led to more opportunities.' 'Web series have an ensemble star cast, and the characters are well written.' 'It's not only about a hero or a villain.'

Will there be answers? Will we ever know the truth about who murdered Sheena Bora?

'Deepika has got a lot to do with whatever I have achieved in the last six years.' 'She has kept me grounded. Otherwise, who knows what I would have turned into?'

'It's okay to Twitter shame somebody, but what happens after that?' 'Most of these people, who were accused, are back at work now.' 'I want the movement to go on, I don't want the momentum to slow down.'

Sanjeev Khanna stepped out of his usual sort of absent-minded personality to actively 'log into' the hearing, following the testimony alertly, at times standing up in the accused box to catch all of what was being said. His co-accused Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea were less attentive, but were not switched off either.

Manoj Bajpayee confides in Rediff.com's Ronjita Kulkarni about his 'long journey filled with rejection, betrayal, misery, failures and disillusionment.'

'In Sanju, Rajkumar Hirani has essentially found a Rajkumar Hirani story buried inside Sanjay Dutt's life.' 'Now if you think that's scary, sample the alternative: Perhaps Sanjay Dutt had been living his life to suit the narrative of a Rajkumar Hirani film,' says Sreehari Nair.

'In this chicks-rule-the-roost universe, the men are non-existent, untrustworthy or plain incompetent and it's the women who are providing for each other's fantasies.' Sreehari Nair applauds Ocean's 8.

'We always know on whose house the raid was conducted, and how much money was recovered.' 'We never know what happens inside when the raid is going on.'

'We should celebrate when a girl hits puberty, just the way we celebrate New Year, Holi, Diwali.'

'He personified the kind of debonair charm, sublime sensuality and unabashed romance women fantasise about,' says Sukanya Verma.

Varun Dhawan tells us what an actor's life is really like.

'She broke down, I broke down... because it is such an intense film.' 'The lines blurred between being on screen and our real emotions towards each other.' The Kapoor siblings turn reel life siblings in Haseena Parkar.

'On her birthday, I decided to meet her and dressed up for it.' 'Then I saw her walking towards me with a boy. I thought it could be her brother.' 'But when she came close, she asked, "Have you met my boyfriend?"' 'That day I realised the value of sad songs in India.' 'That was the first time I was heartbroken.'

'2016 was the year when Shah Rukh Khan took risks and traversed along the path that would ensure the actor could shine more than the star,' says Aseem Chhabra.

How bridge keeps corporate India sharp and quick-witted.

Irrfan Khan's fascinating interview with Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com.

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.

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

NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the 'habitable zone' around a sun-like star.

y talking about her struggle with depression, Deepika Padukone has exposed the stress-filled lives of filmstars say Ranjita Ganesan and Veenu Sandhu.

In the documentary The World Before Her, a young girl has to submit to the will of her father for a most gut-wrenching reason: 'He let me live... I am a girl... but he let me live.' Is that reason enough, asks Suparn Verma.

Chaya Babu gets a peek into the inside world of Anil Gupta, one of the topmost inkers in the US.

United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday delivered his State of the Union address in which he spelt out the agenda for the second term of his Presidency

Aseem Chhabra feels Talaash is an intelligent film but falters towards the end.

The man lived a life so grand, touched and entertained millions. He defined my early teenage years and in some ways who I am today. For that I will always be grateful to him, says Aseem Chhabra.

When Tahawwur Rana's defence attorneys cross-examine David Headley this week, it's possible that they will severely damage him, or that he will self-destruct on the stand. Investigative journalist Steven Rotella reports for ProPublica.org on the Lashkar operative's credibility problems

A round-up of what celebs around the world are upto.

Here's a look at some Hindi films featuring kisaans.