Nepotism vs Merit in Bollywood: Ongoing Debate This article examines nepotism vs merit in bollywood: ongoing debate in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Overview Nepotism vs Merit in Bollywood:...

Indian Classical Music Streaming: Reaching New Audiences This article examines indian classical music streaming: reaching new audiences in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Overview Indian Class...

Indian Classical Music: Preservation vs Evolution in Digital Age This article examines indian classical music: preservation vs evolution in digital age in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Overv...

Indian Cinema's OTT Disruption: Netflix vs Bollywood This article examines indian cinema's ott disruption: netflix vs bollywood in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Overview Indian Cinema's OTT...

India-Pakistan Cricket: Why the Rivalry Still Captivates Billions This article examines india-pakistan cricket: why the rivalry still captivates billions in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Ove...

How Indian Film Industry Conquered South Asia This article examines how indian film industry conquered south asia in contemporary India and its global implications. Context and Overview How Indian Film Industry Conquered...

Kamal Haasan's recent statement in an interview that he went bankrupt after his divorce with danseuse Vani Ganapathy, doesn't seem to have gone well with his ex-wife. The danseuse, said in an interview to Economic Times,...

By ( 16 May 2015 In the book “Mumbai Fables – A History of an Enchanted City”, in Chapter 3, author Gyan Prakash (professor of History at Princeton University) talks about the seduction of Bombay and how in the backdrop...

Films with father-daughter as the central characters are quite rare in Bollywood. “Daddy” (1989) and “Khamoshi The Musical” (1996) are two of the most memorable ones. Films discussing bowel movements in all its glory are...

Ekjut recently staged their maiden Hindi romantic comedy play called "Pyar ka panchnama" which entertained a full house with lots of laughter. EKJUT provides a platform for adult enthusiasts and local community for drama...

Shahrukh Khan is going to be playing the role of stalker again similar to Darr. The movie is to be released on August of this year, and Shahrukh Khan talks of this movie as one of the most challenging projects. Maneesh S...

Deepika Padukone was diagnosed with depression and she talks bravely of her journey to fight the disease. She talks about how it was difficult for her to shoot for the climax scene of Happy New Year. She didn’t feel like...

Last night Golden Globe Awards saw “Boyhood,” “Transparent,” Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore as the big winners of the night. It was “Transparent” Amazon’s original series that had emotions ranging because of the accep...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views By Arup Raha, 19 December 2014 To end the year 2014, as in 2013 (Dhoom 3) and in 2012 (Talaash), we had an Aamir Khan movie to look forward to. Man...

Aamir Khan's PK opened to record-breaking numbers on December 18, 2014, shattering several box office records in its opening weekend and quickly establishing itself as one of the most discussed—and debated—Bollywood film...

The Key Has Turned' is Surjo's first full-length debut album, and it has 12 songs. It's a departure from his usual brand of electric guitar rock and moves into a more relaxed space with only his acoustic guitar to accomp...

Sony’s unreleased films being hacked One of the biggest hacks in the piracy world, which is being investigated for criminal charges. Sony’s unreleased movies “Anne” , “Fury” , “Mr. Turner,” “Still Alice” and “To Write Lo...

When the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don 2 hit theatres in 2011, the film’s director Farhan Akhtar told a section of the media, “I need a break from action films. As a director, it’s my right to explore different things.” Thr...

So much has been written about this movie. Every critic has passed judgment on Vishal Bharadwaj and his gang. I am no critic. I don’t even write regularly. But after watching the movie, I felt this urge to voice my opini...

There is something universally relatable about watching someone encounter Bollywood music for the very first time — the initial confusion at the melodrama, the involuntary head-bob when the beat kicks in, and the slow, h...

Written by ( If you weren’t living under a rock, the Bollywood aficionados among you have read about Deepika Padukone’s recent outburst on Twitter. She accused TOI of publishing photos of her cleavage and showing utter l...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Chennai for the audio launch of Vikram-starrer Tamil romantic-thriller "I" The audio launch will at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium has the megastar Rajinikanth sharing the dais with Schwarzenegger....

A Few Good Men “You can't handle the truth!” There are actors who desperately seek your notice. And then there are the very few whom you cannot help but notice – even if they are as still as the furniture in a scene. Per...

The Naperville Public Library has long served as a cultural hub for the community, and few of its programs have cultivated a more devoted following than the Retro Reel screening series curated by Sreepathy. Now in its 23...

The Ox-Bow Incident When the law takes the law into its own hands… Slice and dice it anyway you want, but majority is just a number. Its voice has volume, but it may not necessarily be valid. It has might, but it may not...

Munich Revenge tastes sweetest, till we realize that we are inevitably diabetic… As individuals, as groups, or as nations, the urge to respond with force to an act of evil is very real and natural. Let’s not be naïve, or...

broke the news superhero fans have been waiting for – Ben Affleck will be the new batman! “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certa...

Who would think Oprah Winfrey will be a subject to racism? On a recent trip to Zurich, Switzerland to attend ( Oprah stopped by at ( one of the most expensive streets of the world. A $40,000 handbag caught her attention....

Real to Reel to Real Life (Part 2 of 2) Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, ( Now that the name of the movie is out of the bag, let me start Part 2 with the results of the guessing game from Part 1. Ma...

Madonna –the woman always in controversy She is to be discussed in a Polish exorcist meeting as reported by ( A secretive 5-day meeting to held in Poland by priests who are trained in taming and defeating the demons will...

Young girls entering the film industry are often exploited . Debutant director ( is making a movie inspired by Jiah Khan’s death. This film will tell the story of three young girls who come to Bollywood to make a career....

makes it news when Aishwarya Rai skips meeting Al Pacino so that she could be with her daughter. Rest of the newspapers follow suit –making it their job to make Aishwarya’s decision to stay home with Aradhya the national...

Penelope Cruz will be the next bond girl. This Oscar-winner will be playing the Bond Girl in Sam Mendez’s follow-up to Skyfall that released last year. She sets the record to be the oldest Bond Girl. Cruz will be 40 next...

Sylvester Stallone is flattered that John will be "rambo" in the remake because he thinks John is in much better shape than he ever was . The 40 year old sure is fit but to have been praised by Stallone must mean somethi...

Actress Jiah Khan committed suicide at her Juhu residence on Monday night. She hung herself, it has been reported. The 25-year-old actress, who worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Nishabd’ was apparently d...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views Volume 13, By Arup Raha, Monday 27-May-2013 My decades of waiting for an opportunity to operate a movie projector ended last year in the sophistica...

Real to Reel to Real Life (Part 1 of 2) Art mirrors life, but when life portends art… To twist things a bit, let me tell you the story about a movie before I tell you the story of *the movie. What follows though, is a tr...

The Lake Effect is a 90 minute drama staged by three incredible actors. Pulitzer finalist Rajeev Joseph wrote a simple but a very strong drama. The tale of how an Indian origin family is trying to reason out and console...

The appearance of Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi in the Chicago area for a cultural event drew the kind of attention that visits by prominent figures from Indian arts and letters reliably generate in communities with larg...

Hopefully AAA 2 will have the same cast as the first one – however if the humor is as good as the first one the star cast might not matter. Or maybe it could be a ghazani look for Aamir and dabangg look for Salman -it su...

Award winning Chicago-based theatre company, Silk Road Rising, is producing the World Premiere of Jeff Awards Recommended play, “The Lake Effect,” by Indian American playwright Rajiv Joseph. The cast of “The Lake Effect”...

A r g o Here’s the kind of movie that makes movie-watching worth its while. “Based on a true story.” That ubiquitous line from many a movie’s beginning never sounded truer or more authentic than from Argo (2012). If you...

The former host of Australia's Biggest Loser Ajay Rochester has revealed she has gained a staggering 105lbs. The 44-year-old, who hosted the weight-loss television show for four series between 2006 and 2009, said in a ra...

Murder, she writes! Put aside Agatha Christie, Patricia Cornwell and Ruth Rendell and pick up Kalpana Swaminathan, Madhulika Liddle or Swati Kaushal instead. The Indian sorority of women crime writers talk about how they...

Minority Report Is a crime committed before it’s committed if you stop it before it’s committed? A paradoxical, circular question like that sends your brain into a tizzy, doesn’t it? But then, what human conundrum doesn’...

big heart has made an even bigger difference: The UNHCR Goodwill ambassador exclusively confirms to E! News that she has opened a school in Afghanistan. Jolie chose to fund the girls-only primary school in an area just o...

Rejects the first draft of his film put together by the author, says it is not commercial enough Chetan Bhagat is never at a loss for words. But for once, the voluble author and purveyor of all things controversial, was...

It seems Alec Baldwin is going to have to find a new name for his baby. The excited father-to-be had revealed plans to call the child Massimo - if it was a boy. But his thrilled wife Hilaria revealed on Thursday that she...

12 Angry Men “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” The man who said that, Abraham Lincoln, knew a thing or two about all three – adversity, character, and power....

Freida Pinto, one of India's most successful faces abroad, will play host to Hollywood's glitterati at one of the most sought after pre-Oscar parties. As a run up to the Oscars, Vanity Fair magazine and Freida will co-ho...

is playing a dad again — and this time it's not a movie! The 67 year-old "Cheaper by the Dozen" star and his wife, Anne Stringfield, 41, have welcomed their first child. A rep for the legendary comedian confirmed to the...

Priyanka Chopra's family has found the perfect match for her in the form of TV actor ( who plays ( in the popular mythological series. ( had been avoiding the question of marriage stating that she is eagerly waiting for...

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan faced the prospect of a decade in prison as a court took up the long-running criminal cases against him — a legal saga that had dragged through the Indian judiciary for years and that high...

Of Punjabi bhangra-pop artist Daler Mehendi, it was famously said that he built an entire entertainment career on the strength of just five nifty dance moves. Much the same can be said of actor Shah Rukh Khan. A man of a...

img class="size-full wp-image-8962" alt="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a recommendation of good mov...

Well this is one way to get thrown out of the Hollywood mothers' group. Cougar Town actress Nicole Sullivan has launched an attack on celebrity mothers who claim. The mother of two singled out Jessica Alba, saying the Bl...

90-year-old Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar has been dragged to court following a legal complaint filed by his two brothers over their Pali Hill bungalow in Mumbai. The two brothers, 77-year-old Ehsan Khan and 75-year-ol...

In a surprise move, the Golden Globe award for Best Drama went to "Argo," the true story of how the CIA faked a sci-fi movie as a cover to rescue hostages in Iran. Ben Affleck also won the award for Best Director, which...

The 'surprise' birthday party of actor Hrithik Roshan, who turned 39 today, was no surprise to him, thanks to the media. A few papers said that Hrithik's wife Suzanne had organised a surprise yacht party for her hubby la...

A memorably absurd workplace disciplinary case emerged from a federal government agency when an employee was formally reprimanded — in writing, with documentation — for excessive flatulence in the workplace, in a case th...

Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a recommendation of good movies of different genres, with the sense o...

Pandit Ravi Shankar, the best known contemporary Indian musician, died Tuesday evening in San Diego, Calif. He was 92. The sitar star's website announced his death. "Shankar had suffered from upper-respiratory and heart...

The entire schedule of romantic comedy "Ghanchakkar" is said to have been planned in accordance to its lead actress Vidya Balan's real life wedding plans. In fact, her work in "Ghanchakkar" is being rush-completed in tim...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views by Arup Raha If there still are people who think Bollywood is all about the loud and pointless variety of cinema that cannot be perceived by their...

The latest James Bond movie, "Skyfall", has become the highest-grossing film in British box office history, its producers said on Wednesday. The 23rd episode of the spy series, starring Daniel Craig as Agent 007 for a th...

Even as the hoopla over the grandest wedding in the town approaches its crescendo, Saif Ali Khan entered into matrimony with five year long girlfriend Kareena Kapoor today in Mumbai. The high profile couple of Bollywood...

Veteran Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle's daughter Varsha, who was suffering from depression, today committed suicide by shooting herself, police said. A singer and columnist, Varsha, 56, shot herself in the temple with a p...

Victims of Salman Khan's reckless driving have not been paid . In 2002 he had run over some people , while driving his land cruiser .This had resulted in killing one person and severely injuring three people. It had take...

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has come out with an autobiography called "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.". He is promoting his book and will be on 60 minutes this Sunday. He talks about his wife and sa...

Veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra, who has given several golden hits to Indian cinema including 'Waqt', 'Deewar', 'Silsila', 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' and 'Veer Zaara', will end his directorial innings with the upcoming Shahrukh K...

They have churned out some good cinema over the years. Now Farhan Akhtar and childhood friend and business partner Ritesh Sidhwani have taken their company Excel Entertainment where no other Indian film house has been be...

The Chicago South Asian Film Festival returned for its annual showcase of cinema from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the South Asian diaspora, bringing to the city some of the most compelling and critically...

Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a recommendation of good movies of different genres, with the sense o...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Over a dozen suspected workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) allegedly ransacked a theatre here today, protesting against the screening of a Bhojpuri film, district police said. According to police, the group o...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Books that are made into films end up fascinating readers and film enthusiasts alike. For the readers, it is a matter of finding out whether the key characters live up to their own visualisation of the roles and the intr...

Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a recommendation of good movies of different genres, with the sense o...

The announcement that Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan would be spending several months in Chicago for the filming of their upcoming Bollywood production generated the kind of local-interest attention that major film sho...

So happy: Jennifer Aniston said 'yes' to Justin Theroux's proposal during his birthday dinner on Friday night in New York City Jennifer Aniston has been filming her latest movie for the past few weeks in North Carolina....

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone would be honoured with the biennial Smita Patil Memorial Award instituted by Priyadarshni Academy for her contribution to the film industry. The award would be presented to her at the 28t...

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan carried the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark on the final leg of its 300-metre relay on Thursday, a day before the opening ceremony of the Games. The 32.7 mile relay of the Olympic fla...

Dark Knight' showing halted in Bergen County because of unusual activity near emergency door About 100 moviegoers in Edgewater were evacuated from a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" tonight after a patron saw someone o...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

When Oprah Winfrey visited India in 2012 and aired an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter featuring Indian families and culture, the response from many Indians was not the warm reception her producers might have expected — i...

Gunman kills 12 in Colorado movie theater A heavily armed gunman attacked an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater early Friday, tossing tear gas before opening fire on the terrified audience and killing 12 and wounding 38, au...

The aggregating Web site RottenTomatoes.com suspended user comments on movie reviews of "The Dark Knight Rises" after commenters reacted harshly to negative reviews of the film and made profane and threatening remarks ab...

It seems unloading on her three daughters in her time of need has resulted in the breakdown of Demi Moore's relationship with her girls - who are now 'considering a...

Love stories between directors and actresses is as old as Bollywood. Among the newer lot, Anurag Kashyap fell for and subsequently married his DevD actress Kalki Koechlin. Then there's Sajid Khan and...

Wrestler-turned-actor Dara Singh died at his home in Mumbai, his family said on Thursday. He was 84. The former wrestling champion was battling for his life at the Kokilaben Hospital for the last four days and was shifte...

Having just finished a gruelling outdoor shoot in Istanbul for Race 2, Saif Ali Khan is back in Mumbai, promoting his new film Cocktail and planning his wedding with Kareena Kapoor. Even though Cocktail releases this Fri...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Jane Pitt, mother of actor Brad Pitt, has been scared into silence by the hate-filled, vulgar and even violent reaction to her public assertion that Barack Obama is...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Living in separate bedrooms the reason for divorce Katie Holmes today emerged for the first time since filing for divorce from her husband Tom Cruise last week. The 33-year-old actress, who has looked decidedly tense and...

The announcement that Psycho — Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller, one of the most studied and influential films in cinema history — would be adapted into a television series generated the kind of skeptical attention that...

Esha Deol's mehendi ceremony drew Bollywood's social set to Mumbai for an afternoon of color, tradition, and the particular celebrity culture that surrounds star-family weddings in India. The daughter of veteran actors H...

When Nora Ephron died of leukemia in June 2012 at the age of seventy-one, the tributes that poured in from writers, filmmakers, and readers reflected not just the scale of her achievement — When Harry Met Sally, Sleeples...

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the storied Paramount Pictures, the only studio to still call Hollywood (the L.A. neighborhood, not the state of mind) its home. Founded in 1912 as the Famous Players Film Company...

When Lady Gaga launched Fame in 2012, it was not simply a celebrity fragrance release — it was a performance in the medium of commerce, which is to say it was entirely consistent with everything else she had done in the...

The reported détente between Gauri Khan and Priyanka Chopra — following years of tabloid-documented tension stemming from the actress's friendship with Shah Rukh Khan during the filming of Don and its sequel — was the ki...

If grapevine is to be believed, actress Kareena Kapoor is set to tie the knot with her beau Saif Ali Khan soon, but she is mum about it as of now. She dodged questions related to her wedding at an event here Wednesday. A...

One is a fresh-faced child star bouncing back from a career nosedive with a new Liz Taylor biopic. The other is a socialite who pretty much came out the womb partying. Yet Lindsay Lohan, 25, was left looking years older...

It is such a pleasure to be here today. My association with Sanjayji (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) goes back to 'Devdas'. I have interacted with Belaji too. It is such an unusual story. When you think of Shirin and Farhad, you...

Bolly Volley A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views Volume 10, By Arup Raha, Sunday 3-Jun-2012 This edition of Bolly Volley has taken a little longer than usual. The joy of being lazy ma...

caption id="attachment_6634" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's return to the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012 was her first major international appearance since giving birth to her daughter Aaradhya in November 2011, and it generated, as her Cannes appearanc...

Mensa, the high-IQ society that requires members to score in the top 2 percent on standardized intelligence tests, counts among its global membership a handful of celebrities whose intellectual credentials tend to surpri...

Sridevi's return to Hindi cinema after a fifteen-year absence was one of the most anticipated events in Bollywood in years, and English Vinglish — directed by Gauri Shinde and released in 2012 — vindicated every bit of t...

Subhash K Jha : This show was such a well researched show. I never knew government of India had supported female foeticide once upon a time. It is always hard to make a change especially a change like this because the to...

In early 2012, actor John Travolta faced accusations from two men who alleged that he had made unwanted sexual advances during separate incidents involving massage sessions. Both filed civil lawsuits. Both were eventuall...

A London jogger's account of collapsing with a heart attack during his morning run and receiving CPR from actor Dustin Hoffman, who happened to be in the vicinity, generated the kind of story that spreads quickly through...

When a six-year-old boy in the United States was suspended from school for singing the LMFAO song "I'm Sexy and I Know It" to a female classmate, the incident generated the kind of widespread bewilderment that only a sto...

Relationships involving significant differences in public profile come with their own particular pressures, and the partnership between actress Vidya Balan and UTV Motion Pictures head Siddharth Roy Kapur was, from the o...

caption id="attachment_6307" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

She debuted the ring in a subtle fashion after stepping out at a museum event. But it appears that Angelina Jolie is getting used to wearing her huge engagement diamond and was seen holding it up for all to see as she he...

A self-proclaimed brainiac and science expert who loves to shop, this adventurous, skydiving 18 year old from Lilburn, Georgia is ready to show her family and the world her musical talent. Although Mathai loves to sing p...

Reports circulated that Salman Khan was planning to give Kareena Kapoor a BMW as a gift in gratitude for her item song appearance in Dabangg — a gesture that, if accurate, spoke to the informal and highly personal econom...

Rowdy Rathore, the Bollywood action film starring Akshay Kumar, crossed the 100-crore mark at the box office in its opening week, establishing itself as one of the summer's biggest commercial successes and cementing Prab...

Karisma Kapoor's decision to file for divorce from businessman Sanjay Kapur after nearly nine years of marriage was confirmed in 2014, ending a union that had been reported as troubled for several years and marking a sig...

She famously struggled with her weight during the early years of her fame. But now that Kate Winslet has achieved a figure she is content with, the actress can look back on her most well-known film, Titanic, and smile sm...

The confusion that arises from shared names took an unusual and somewhat charming turn for a Faridabad resident who found himself receiving a steady stream of phone calls intended for Bollywood superstar Katrina Kaif — t...

The King of Twitter is now the King of Apple, as "Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher is attached to play Steve Jobs in the indie pic "Jobs," which Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") will direct from a script by Mat...

caption id="attachment_5852" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views by Arup Raha Someone recently asked me which movie I am looking forward to, now that the earlier favorites for the year, Paan Singh Tomar and Kahaa...

On March 16, 2012, in Mirpur, Bangladesh, Sachin Tendulkar reached a number that no cricketer had reached before and that may never be reached again: his 100th international century, a milestone that seemed almost prepos...

She was known for natural looks, void of fake tan and thick make-up.But Ashley Judd looks a far cry from her Hollywood heyday. The actress sparked plastic surgery rumours when she appeared on a Canadian talk show to prom...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

A notable shift occurred in Bollywood's public culture when several prominent stars began speaking openly about health challenges that had previously been kept private — not out of a desire for sympathy, but as part of a...

A Michigan man filed a lawsuit against AMC Theaters challenging the legality of the chain's policy prohibiting moviegoers from bringing outside food and beverages into the theater — a policy that, in his view, amounted t...

When Aamir Khan announced he would host Satyamev Jayate — a television program addressing serious social issues including female infanticide, child sexual abuse, honor killings, and discrimination against people with dis...

caption id="attachment_5453" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Meryl Streep's appearance at the Academy Awards was never merely a ceremonial duty — it was an event. With more Oscar nominations than any other performer in the award's history, Streep occupies a singular position in th...

Bollywood's Dhoom franchise has built itself into one of Hindi cinema's most reliable commercial properties through a consistent formula: slick production, elaborate action sequences, and the casting of a major star as t...

Victoria Beckham 'working round the clock' as Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow and Charlize Theron request Oscars gowns For a fashion designer to be handpicked by the world's top stars to be worn at one of the most importan...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views by Arup Raha In this edition, I have quite a few recommendations from movies to be released in the next one month or so. Before that, however, let...

Imran Khan—the photographer, not the politician—and actress Kareena Kapoor collaborated on a photo exhibition that turned the professional distance of a film shoot into something more artistically personal, as Khan prese...

Arnold Schwarzenegger's visit to India generated the combination of celebrity excitement and political engagement that his unusual biography—action star, bodybuilder, governor, activist—tends to produce in countries wher...

caption id="attachment_5090" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

Veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle will be felicitated with lifetime achievement award at an award ceremony. The 78-year-old singer, who recently entered the Guinness World Records for the most number of single studio r...

Reports that Maria Shriver was reconsidering her decision to file for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger surfaced in 2012—more than a year after she had announced the separation following his admission that he had father...

caption id="attachment_4839" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Arup specializes in any job that requires stretching out his legs - whether it is on a reclining chair at the beach, or in the Economy Plus seat of Unit...

caption id="attachment_4825" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao announced the birth of their son Azad, who was born via IVF using a surrogate mother. The disclosure was handled with characteristic thoughtfulness by Khan, who acknowledged the process...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

caption id="attachment_4653" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Retro Reel is a column about movies, but not about the latest box-office releases. There will be aspects of review, but the column is intended more as a...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views By Arup Raha As I start writing this new edition of Bolly Volley trying to recall what I liked and disliked about the two major Bollywood films rel...

Demi Moore is ending her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, she told The Associated Press on Thursday. Moore, 49, and Kutcher, 33, were wed in September 2005. The couple's relationship became tabloid fodder in rece...

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan welcomed their first child, a baby girl, bringing one of Bollywood's most celebrated families cause for widespread celebration. The birth was greeted with enormous public inte...

Andreas Gursky's photograph Rhein II sold at Christie's in November 2011 for $4.3 million, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a photograph at auction and igniting a predictable media cycle about whe...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Dinner with Ehsaan Noorani A dream come true for some of us living on the other side of the globe. Ehsaan was in US on vacation and had done skydiving that day. There was a dinner in the evening at our friend's home and...

Mr Picky Aamir Khan, will for the first time now appear on television on a show about India and its stories. It's a show which will showcase real stories, real lives and real emotions. Commenting on this concept,...

When Pandit Bhimsen Joshi died in January 2011 at the age of 88, India lost one of the last great masters of the Kirana gharana and arguably the finest khyal vocalist of the 20th century. The Bharat Ratna, India's highes...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views by Arup Raha Ah, Diwali is less than a week away! It always brings back memories of the days when it was okay to burst a loud...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

After months of tabloid speculation and a very public unraveling, Demi Moore confirmed what many had suspected: her six-year marriage to Ashton Kutcher was over. Moore filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences...

Lady Gaga attended a fundraiser with the president on Sunday night, according to a White House pool report, and she raised the issue of suicide and bullying of gay teens. The report describes her as wearing enormous heel...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar was bowled over when superstar Shah Rukh Khan gave him a sneak peek into the 3D trailer of his mega-budget project "RA.One". "@iamsrk showed us two songs and the trailer of 'RA.One' in 3D la...

When will adults get mature enough to know what gifts to give to their children . In another incident in the Chicago area -one wealthy but immature set of parents had gifted a Porsche to his 16 yr old! The child was driv...

Tyler Perry's position at the top of Forbes's list of the highest-paid men in entertainment — ahead of Jerry Bruckheimer, Steven Spielberg, and a roster of talent whose individual projects command budgets larger than Per...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views Volume 4, By Arup Raha, Thursday8-September-2011 I am ready with a new edition of Bolly Volley (late again!). I know many are eager to watch the ma...

Kareena Kapoor has reaffirmed her place as the numero uno female superstar in the business. Her Bodyguard has taken a historic opening all over and while it is a given that Kareena would be enjoying a Rs. 100 crore super...

Google marked what would have been Freddie Mercury's 65th birthday with a stunning animated doodle — a fitting tribute to one of rock's greatest showmen. But how many fans know that Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsa...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

Bodyguard has crossed Rs 200 crore at the box office, making Salman Khan's third consecutive blockbuster and cementing what Bollywood commentators are now simply calling the Salman Phenomenon — a run of commercial succes...

35-year-old Reese Witherspoon has been spotted house hunting in California, and it seems that only the best will do for the Legally Blonde star. She has her eye on a $14million Malibu home that is currently inhabited by...

Concern about Angelina Jolie's weight has been a recurring feature of the entertainment press for years, but recent photographs taken at public appearances have intensified the conversation, with multiple observers notin...

Rihanna's envious red tresses come at a hefty price tag, as it was revealed that she spends a whopping $23,000 per month to get her hair to that perfect shade. The 23-year-old Barbadian beauty has enlisted the help of ce...

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and former California governor, began the slow and difficult process of rebuilding his public image and family relationships following his acknowledgment in 2011 that he had fathered a ch...

Bolly Volley A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views Volume 3, By Arup Raha, Sunday 31-July-2011 Yes, I am late with this edition. After all it has been a busy month for...

Pandit Bhagwat Guruji's stubbornness might cost Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza their marriage plans. The Hindu priest insists the lovebirds cannot take saat pheras anytime soon. Apparently, the priest got Genelia m...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

The question of whether Bollywood actresses can sustain major careers after having children has been the subject of ongoing industry conversation, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's pregnancy has made her an unavoidable case s...

John Abraham confirmed what had been rumored for months when he acknowledged publicly that his long relationship with actress Bipasha Basu had come to an end. The confirmation came without drama or acrimony, framed inste...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views Volume 2, By Arup Raha, Friday...

The tabloid fascination with the Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston-Angelina Jolie triangle shows no signs of abating, even years after the events that created it. The latest entry in this apparently inexhaustible narrative: rep...

Reese Witherspoon better make some room on her trophy shelf. MTV says Witherspoon will receive its Generation Award at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards. The 35-year-old Oscar winner is being recognized for her range as an actre...

Be really honest! It doesn't matter whether that makes you look good or bad but be sure that you are honest towards the participants of the show. That's what makes an entertaining show," says Catherine 'Cat' Elizabeth De...

This story bearing all the cliched hallmarks of PR led journalism will have you in splits. It has all the ingredients of a big star - Akshay Kumar - who is very much in touch with his roots. Story touches upon all the ke...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

A monthly shower of Bollywood previews, reviews and my unsolicited views by Arup Raha If you believe you are a follower of “Bollywood”, do any of these names ring a bell in your mind - Pawan Kriplani, Shashant Shah, S Ma...

Technology and Modern Life Technology has transformed how we communicate, work, and live. Understanding technology's role in society is essential for the modern world. The Speed of Change Technological change accelerates...

1. The most vivacious: Tanuja and Kajol With a sunshine smile, easy charm and some impressive screen roles, Tanuja won many hearts and the daughter followed suit. In fact, she went even higher. The most vivacious mother-...

Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to leading roles after leaving the California governorship in 2011 was shaped by an apparent desire to demonstrate range rather than simply replicate the action-hero formula that had made h...

Ram Gopal Varma's public praise for Raveena Tandon—describing her as stunning and suggesting she remained one of Hindi cinema's most underrated presences—revived discussion of an actress whose career had followed an unus...

Ellen DeGeneres's public statement that being skinny was not important — made in the context of her own relationship with body image and the specific pressures of being a woman on television — landed differently than mos...

After months of speculation about the cast of director Kabir Khan's next film, sources close to the production have confirmed what Bollywood watchers have long suspected: Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are reuniting on scr...

Justin Bieber's visit to Israel in 2011 produced scenes of crowd management that Israeli security forces handled with characteristic pragmatism, as thousands of teenagers descended on his hotel and public appearances in...

Born in Canada, Anglo-Indian stand-up comic Russell Peters says he can't relate to B-Town, feels the acting is bad and the stories almost identical! Indians can be cheap, the Jews will pay up if they think it's worth it,...

A.R. Rahman's authorized biography arrived in 2011 at the height of his international profile — two years after his twin Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire, at the moment when the global music establishment had fully...

Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu's romantic life became a subject of sustained media speculation in 2012 following her separation from actor John Abraham, her partner of nearly a decade, and a period of apparent solitude t...

Sesame Workshop's adaptation of Sesame Street for Urdu-speaking audiences — Sim Sim Hamara, produced for Pakistani television — represented one of the more thoughtful applications of the franchise's core insight: that ed...

Here comes the bride, all dressed in . . . pink! When Reese Witherspoon walked down the aisle to wed Jim Toth on Saturday, the second-time bride ditched traditional white for her dress. Instead, the Oscar winner, 35, wor...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, the second film adaptation of Jeff Kinney's enormously popular middle-grade book series, arrived in 2011 with the comfortable confidence of a franchise that understood its audience pr...

Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, of congestive heart failure. She was seventy-nine years old. With her death, Hollywood lost its last genuine connection to the golde...

Saif Ali Khan's contention that Bollywood has evolved into a genuinely self-sufficient creative ecosystem—no longer dependent on Hollywood for narrative inspiration, technical standards, or cultural validation—reflects a...

Shah Rukh Khan's decision to quit Twitter in early 2011 — after what he described as an overwhelmingly negative experience with the platform's dynamics — was one of the earliest high-profile celebrity departures from soc...

Charlie Sheen's very public unraveling in early 2011 — culminating in his firing from Two and a Half Men by CBS and producer Chuck Lorre in March — was one of the first major celebrity implosions conducted substantially...

A story circulating in early 2011 about an underground fighting circuit operating in Mumbai — organized bouts between willing participants, conducted outside the regulatory framework of licensed combat sports, in setting...

The state's forts and palaces are all set for the shooting of two big Hollywood films, starting April. If Tom Cruise is arriving for the shooting of his film Mission Impossible 4, Mexican beauty Salma Hayek will be comin...

Here is a very interesting interview of Steve Jobs after he was just kicked out of Apple in 1985. He doesn't beat around the bush on getting fired and his disappointment. However what's even more remarkable is how he has...

Income tax officials are conducting raids at residences of Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, TV channels reported on Monday. The income tax sleuths reached the residences of Katrina and Priyanka at 7:...

Goldie Hawn's ex-husband is planning to write a tell-all book about his former partner and their famous daughter Kate Hudson. Hawn married Bill Hudson in 1976 and they became parents to two children, actors Kate and Oliv...

Shah Rukh Khan apologised to Salman on a talk-show. Salman Khan insists that was no apology. Shah Rukh Khan stunned the world when he apologised to Salman Khan on a talk show on television hosted by Karan Johar. With the...

When Amitabh Bachchan announced he would share screen space with Prateik Babbar — son of the legendary actress Smita Patil — in an upcoming production, it prompted a wave of reflection on one of Bollywood's most poignant...

All that buzz about Krrish 3 was right, the movie will roll early next year and Priyanka Chopra will be seen opposite Hrithik Roshan once again. Though there were rumours that the actress is not being considered for the...

New York (CNN) -- The mansion and four-acre estate featured in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film "The Godfather" is up for sale for a whopping $2.9 million. Owner Jim Norton said he put the eight-bedroom, five-bathroom St...

Bollywood's box office wars rarely produce moments of genuine wit, but Salman Khan delivered one in late 2010 when he quipped, with characteristic bluntness, that "not even a macchhar went to watch Guzaarish" — a comment...

He is the veteran 'Showman' of Bollywood but Subhash Ghai is taking a sabbatical from showbiz and will make his return to direction post the break. Ghai said that he will be on an extended holiday for a year and hopes to...

The Guinness World Records recognition of a couple as the world's tallest — with a combined height that exceeded thirteen feet — generated the kind of human interest coverage that record books exist to produce: photograp...

Shah Rukh Khan's film Ra.One, released in October 2011, arrived with the weight of expectation that attaches to a production on which the scale of ambition and the scale of marketing expenditure both broke records for Bo...

Katrina Kaif has always been known for her toned physique, but for her role in the upcoming comedy Tees Maar Khan, the actress reportedly pushed herself to reach size zero — the ultra-slim body standard that had already...

The intersection of Hollywood and Bollywood has moved beyond occasional co-productions and casting crossovers into something resembling a genuine industrial partnership, driven by the logic of overlapping global audience...

Lower back pain affects roughly 80 percent of adults at some point in their lives, making it one of the leading causes of disability and medical expenditure in the developed world. For decades, the standard treatment res...

Hair occupies a peculiar position in the psychological landscape of womanhood — at once trivial and profound, a vanity easily mocked and a site of genuine identity that women spend significant portions of their lives neg...

David and Victoria Beckham have been married since 1999, a duration that in the specific context of celebrity marriage represents something approaching geological time. Two decades in public life, four children, multiple...

Rohit Shetty's Golmaal 3 opened to strong numbers in its first weekend, confirming the franchise's reliable hold on multiplex audiences seeking broad comedy, while Akshay Kumar's Action Replayy struggled to find traction...

The sociology of neighbor relations in urban India has undergone a transformation so rapid that the generation that grew up with it barely registers the scale of the change. In the joint family neighborhoods of the mid-t...