SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF, DIVYA NAIR

Stories by SYED FIRDAUS ASHRAF, DIVYA NAIR

'Grammy's Coming Home This Year'

'Grammy's Coming Home This Year'

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2025

Composer Sidhant Bhatia, singer Raja Kumari, singer-producer Raghav Mehta and mixing engineer Deepak PA talk about Sounds of Kumbha, which is shortlisted for the Grammys in the Best Global Music Album category.

'IndiGo Must Be Broken Up Into 3 Or 4 Airlines'

'IndiGo Must Be Broken Up Into 3 Or 4 Airlines'

Rediff.com   9 Dec 2025

'IndiGo is fooling the country and the government has succumbed to it.'

Dies Irae Review: CHILLING!

Dies Irae Review: CHILLING!

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2025

The bed starts to creak. Anklets jingle in the stillness of the night. A creeping anxiety settles in as strange accidents and eerie incidents force you to question whether a supernatural presence is quietly observing your every move, observes Divya Nair.

Bigg Boss 19 Winner Gaurav Khanna Woke Up Weeks Into The Show

Bigg Boss 19 Winner Gaurav Khanna Woke Up Weeks Into The Show

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2025

'Gaurav Khanna may not have had the most inspiring journey like his predecessors, but he has clearly been one of the most well-behaved contestants and winners in Bigg Boss history. So kudos to that!'

How A Silk Sari Started A Fashion Revolution

How A Silk Sari Started A Fashion Revolution

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2025

'Women weavers are hardworking, open to learning, resilient.' 'They finish their cooking, housework, puja, then they come to weave.' 'They care about design. They care about beauty.'

1,751 Maoists; 1,910 Troops, Civilians Killed In 11 Years

1,751 Maoists; 1,910 Troops, Civilians Killed In 11 Years

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2025

After recent high-intensity operations in the Bastar region and the neutralisation of several senior Maoist leaders, officials say the insurgency has lost its ability to mount large-scale coordinated attacks.

'Why Should Men Not Cry?'

'Why Should Men Not Cry?'

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2025

'We are not AI. We are allowed to break, and rebuild.'

'Special Revision Of Assam Voters Is An Eyewash'

'Special Revision Of Assam Voters Is An Eyewash'

Rediff.com   3 Dec 2025

'Even today illegal foreign immigrants live in Assam and their names might be on the voters list. This we can get rid of only by doing SIR.'

'Bulldozer Justice Continues Despite SC Verdict'

'Bulldozer Justice Continues Despite SC Verdict'

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2025

'Even as the Supreme Court's anti-punitive demolition judgment nears its first anniversary, no formal contempt proceedings have been initiated either by the Supreme Court or any high court against officers or demolition squads who have acted in violation of it.'

'Glorification Of Demolitions Incentivises Leaders'

'Glorification Of Demolitions Incentivises Leaders'

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2025

'The implementation of the judgment has largely been left to the discretion of the very executive authorities it sought to restrain.'

Tere Ishk Mein Review: Raanjhanaa Redux

Tere Ishk Mein Review: Raanjhanaa Redux

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2025

Tere Ishk Mein is a disservice to brilliant actors like Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, who have poured their heart and soul into their performances in a story that fails to honour its characters, notes Divya Nair.

Gustaakh Ishq Review: Must Watch

Gustaakh Ishq Review: Must Watch

Rediff.com   28 Nov 2025

Gustaakh Ishq feels like a cinematic revival of everything we once loved about Urdu story-telling, observes Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

How New Labour Code Will Change The Workplace

How New Labour Code Will Change The Workplace

Rediff.com   25 Nov 2025

From appointment letters becoming mandatory to gig workers receiving social security to enhanced rights for women and contract labour, the changes reflect India's attempt to balance ease of doing business with stronger worker welfare.

'SC Opinion Takes Away A Degree Of Power From States'

'SC Opinion Takes Away A Degree Of Power From States'

Rediff.com   24 Nov 2025

'It makes law-making on the part of the state governments much more difficult and throws up bottlenecks as governors are not acting on bills.'

Ziddi Ishq Review: Stubbornly Unlovable

Ziddi Ishq Review: Stubbornly Unlovable

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2025

Ziddi Ishq is a messy, unhinged revenge drama that is all over the place, observes Divya Nair.

Dining With The Kapoors Review: Eat, Troll, Love

Dining With The Kapoors Review: Eat, Troll, Love

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2025

Dining With The Kapoors offers a perfectly edited, heart-warming family reunion, but it stops just short of showing the messy nok-jhoks and real moments that could have made it more immersive, notes Divya Nair.

Missing Thackerays And A Bulldozer At Marathi School

Missing Thackerays And A Bulldozer At Marathi School

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2025

If the Thackerays don't save a Marathi school in their backyard, who will, wonders Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

The Delhi Blast: What We Know So Far

The Delhi Blast: What We Know So Far

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2025

Ten days after the devastating car explosion near the Red Fort, in which 13 people lost their lives and several others were injured, investigators say the incident is part of a broader terror conspiracy involving a professional network of radicalised individuals based in Faridabad, Saharanpur and Kashmir.

Noel Alexander, The Dancer Behind Kaantha

Noel Alexander, The Dancer Behind Kaantha

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2025

From a reluctant engineering student to one of India's most loved viral choreographers, Noel Alexander's rise has been nothing short of cinematic.

'Educated Youth Voted RJD, Uneducated Youth Voted JD-U'

'Educated Youth Voted RJD, Uneducated Youth Voted JD-U'

Rediff.com   19 Nov 2025

'When you compare Bihar's poverty from its earlier times, then there is a huge difference. Things have improved a lot. And migration has played an important role in reducing poverty.'