'We don't burn Raavan!'

Akshay Kumar is, self-admittedly, an ambitious actor. And a greedy one as well, he tells Rediff.com'sSavera R Someshwar. Here are some life lessons from an actor who, despite facing various ups and downs in his career, refused to give up. Please read: 'The father-son relationship is the underdog relationship in this world' Pssst! He also reveals a secret about himself. Could you name three people without whom Brand Akshay wouldn't be the brand it is today? My man Friday, Nitin. He knows me ...

‘Mandela is part of every South African’s life. I’m not just talking about black families or coloured families that might have the pride of having fought white oppression. I’m even talking about young white people who feel a tremendous pride in Mandela. ‘They see him as the singular reason why there was no violence when the apartheid government was defeated. White people were not persecuted. They see him as the reason behind that kind of acceptance and peace in the ...

I can actually say I know what it’s like to be around someone who was literally a living legend, says film director Kabir Khan. Nelson Mandela has always been one of my greatest heroes. Meeting him was an amazing experience for someone so young. I was barely 22 years old, just out of film school and had just started doing international documentaries. In 1995, I got the opportunity to assist Saeed Naqvi, a senior journalist who was shooting a documentary in South Africa on the role of ...

'To start walking on the path towards making India a better nation, we don’t need to take giant strides. Small steps, taken regularly – even when it is not convenient to do so – will work just as well,' says Actor Akshay Kumar, in our special series where well-known Indians speak about their India. We have so many different cultures in India, yet we all stay together in harmony. We speak so many different languages. We have such varied geography and so many different kinds of ...

'Young people may be good, but their knowledge is not as much you find in an old man. If you want to do successful things and take your party ahead, according to me, 25 per cent people should be old in leadership and remaining 75 per cent should be young, so that there will be lesser mistakes and the party may prosper.' Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi speaks to Rediff.com's Savera R Someshwar in an exclusive interview. Who are the promising young leaders in the Shiv Sena today? What future does ...

O saare jag ke rakhwale Nirbal ko bal dene wale Balwano ko de de gyan... These lines by Sahir Ludhianvi ask the One who empowers the weak to give wisdom to those who wield power. I think it is one of the greatest lines ever written. It fits so well in today's scenario. If India has to change, each and every one of us has to make certain changes in our lives, says lyricist-writer-director Swanand Kirkire in our continuing special series where well-known Indians speak to Rediff.com about their ...

‘India stands out in the world because of its ability to absorb, survive, bounce back and stay together despite daunting odds. ‘India stands out because of its survival instincts. ‘India will go on forever...,’ says author, columnist and publisher Shobhaa De, in a special series where well-known Indians tell Rediff.com why they love India. I love: India’s unpredictability. Its insanity. Its jugaad mentality. Its wisdom. Its compassion.  ...