At The Root Of All Lynchings: Vigilantes Don’t Expect To Be Punished, Victims Don’t Expect To Get Justice

Pehlu Khan, a Muslim, was lynched by Hindu criminals, professing to be cow vigilantes. The incident fills one with grief and anger. Around the same time, Farook, a Muslim atheist in Coimbatore, was lynched by Muslim criminals, claiming to be true believers.

Search deeper and you will find the case of a Hindu doctor lynched by a mainly Muslim mob, over a cricket dispute. Hindu rail passengers lynched a Muslim youth, in what began as a dispute over seats.

The Urban Politics Of Parkour: The New Play To Rediscover The City

By SARAH WILLIAMS | INNLIVE

This playful form of rebellion is empowering people all over the world to move freely around their cities.

Parkour, as we know it today, stems from the activities of nine young Parisian men. The Yamakasi group, as they were known, trained together in what they called “l’art du placement”: a spectacular, regimented and controlled way of moving. But that was at the turn of the 21st century. Now, parkour is a global phenomenon, with traceurs – those who practice parkour – running, jumping, climbing and rolling their way through cities around the world, and in places such as Gaza.

Superstar Salman Khan - The 'Last Sultan' Of India

By NISHI KHAN | INNLIVE

The man, the mind and the mayhem. Up close with Hindi cinema’s biggest star ever made.

Outside a large vanity van that casts a soft light upon its owner whenever it is opened, like a refrigerator in a dark room, Salman Khan sits under a temporary structure made of poles and tarpaulin sheets, across a table with several white plastic chairs. He sits at a slight elevation—two chairs stacked one atop the other—as if to distinguish his position from those who come to occupy the other chairs.

Romantic, Reckless Or Narcissists? Couple In Trouble For Pre-Wedding Shoot In Mysore Palace

By SHAZIA REHMAN | INNLIVE

In the past couple of days, local TV channels in Bengaluru have been full of the daring pre-wedding shoot that a couple shot inside the Mysore Palace. The video which went viral on social media, got the couple, their photographers and the palace board officials into serious trouble.

The romantic pre-wedding photo shoot inside the Durbar Hall in the Mysore Palace, would have gone undetected, but for the video being uploaded on YouTube and Facebook. Pictures, videos and selfies are not allowed inside the Durbar Hall, unless special permission is taken from the Royal family. This is usually given only during the Dasara celebrations.

'Bin Roye' Film: Pakistan Throws A Challenge To Bollywood

A new Pakistani film could finally revive the country’s long-dormant industry. Bin Roye—a romantic drama adapted from the Pakistani novel, Bin Roye Aansoo—is one of the country’s first films to release worldwide on the same day.

In addition, it is one of the country’s most expensive films—made on a budget of 35 million Pakistani rupees ($345,541). It also received a West End premiere on July 19, something unheard of in a movie industry that was until recently in deep water. West End is London’s glamorous centre for red carpet movie premieres, generally packed with Hollywood stars.

Why 'Bajrangi Bhai' Is Turning To Be Salman's Biggest Hit?

By Nishi Khan in Mumbai

Nothing comes between Salman Khan and record-breaking box-office numbers when it comes to his Eid releases—not even an ongoing court trial.

The Bollywood actor’s latest film, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, has become the fastest Bollywood film to earn Rs100 crore at the box office within India. In the first three days of its release—or the opening weekend—the film collected Rs102.60 crore.

Don't get taken in by the gushing noises around Bajrangi Bhaijaan. This Eid release is not an un-Salman Khan film. Actually, it is everything that a Salman Khan film is expected to be in recent times - a two-and-half-hour-long exercise establishing Khan as the human NREGA, the great saviour of the country's poor, ageing and (of course) women. Thus, you can also call these movies film-shaped definitions of the word 'irony'.

Existential Crisis: 'I Sacrificed Everything - Health, Wealth And Teenage To Study At IITs - But Why It's Not Worthy?'

By Ananya Rathi in Mumbai

In eighth standard, I volunteered to revise one of the Anglo-Indian battles for the class. Using the blackboard, I described the various players and events of the battle in great detail, making up for my faltering English with infectious enthusiasm.

Impressed, my class teacher asked me, “So what have you finally decided? Who do you want to be: a cardiologist, a historian or a scientist?” Those days I used to proudly proclaim that I wished to be a cardiologist, primarily because my doctor parents used to tell me that it was the hottest specialisation in medicine. Excited by my teacher’s praise, I went to my father and told him about it. It brought a proud smile on his face and he said, “Tell her you want to become an IITian.”

Spotlight: Why IPL-8 Mostly Has 'Videshi' Cheerleaders?

Considering IPL is anyway supposed to be a Bollywood awards function with some cricket thrown in, the decision to ban cheerleading never amounted to much. What's Bollywood without item numbers and IPL without cheerleaders? 

Not that this was ever a big, fat secret, but it is important to remind ourselves all the time: IPL is just one part cricket. The rest is an expensive, real-life remake of events that usually lead up to a big Punjabi wedding in a Yash Raj film.

Doesn't Make Any Difference With Age: Turning 50 Khans

They're turning 50, but the indomitable clout of Bollywood's Khan trio – Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman – in the Hindi entertainment space continues to get stronger. 

Age notwithstanding, the trio has a much brighter future, predict trade experts and film celebrities. Katrina Kaif, who played the leading lady to all the three, says it’s their "passion, audiences' love and desire (to excel)" that keeps them going.

Education Scenario: Non-Conventional Courses A 'Hit' But Indian Universities Failing To Meet The Demand

Though universities like Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai University and Nagpur University offer some innovative courses, the attractive ones are being offered by the private standalone centres, which often lack recognition but charge hefty fee for the course.

Kshama Gandhi, a class-12 science student of a Mumbai school, is neither interested in pursuing engineering nor a medical career and has been devoting a lot of time these days surfing net to find something more "exciting" and "satisfying" than the traditional career options.

'And The Award Goes To...': What Backstage Drama Goes Behind 'Award Ceremonies' In India?

Jockeying for trophies, frantic planning and the mania leading to each event - a glimpse into the not-so-glam aspects of these shows.

It's that time of the year in B-Town — award season time, whilst up north the buzz is all about the next instalment of the Jaipur Literary Festival and the Patna Lit Fest that follows as well as the ongoing Kolkata Literary Festival; here in the city of dreams — this month is about dreams realised. But as with literary festivals, the stories off stage, the drama that leads up to the main day, the jockeying for awards, the absence or the presence of actors or rather stars — is what makes up the narrative.

Focus: Bringing 'Hollywood' To The 'Desert Of Abu Dhabi'

A red Porsche sports car speeds down a California street known to be popular for drifting cars. Driven at around 160kmh and with a former professional racer at the wheel, it eventually loses control, crashes into a concrete pole and bursts in flames.

While the scene was caught on film and the passenger in the car was actor Paul Walker, famous as the Hollywood star of the high-adrenalin, billion-dollar Fast and Furious film franchise, this was no film set.

Straight Talk: Why Is A Muslim In India Expected To Explain An Act By Algerian Muslims In France?

What happens when you are in a newsroom working on something that may offend people, when you hear that in another newsroom ten colleagues were killed and 11 others were grievously hurt for doing the same. I had just finished writing on religious fundamentalism and was discussing Islamism with a believing Muslim colleague, when the horror of Charlie Hebdo streamed in on TV.

Of course, what I do is nowhere close to what the satirists at Charlie Hebdo do. Indian laws do not allow that kind of freedom of expression.

Exclusive: Exploring The 'Hidden Secrets' Of Hyderabad

Exploring the hidden secrets of Hyderabad. INNLIVE discovers a high-tech boomtown with new hotels and renovated palaces.

The draw of Hyderabad is its astonishing backstory, which can make you feel at times as if you are in India’s Oz. How else to explain the peculiar magic of this city deep in south-central India? Part Brigadoon and part Epcot, it pulls you almost immediately into its hallucinatory past. On a balmy night in November, down the narrow lanes of the old city, we drive through the pearl bazaar and the throng of auto rickshaws near the Charminar, the grand arch and mosque that is the central artery of Hyderabad. 

Bigg Boss-8 Diandra Episode: 'Kissing Doesn't Make You Pregnant' As India Is Sexually Ignorant

"Kissing doesn't lead to pregnancy," said model Diandra Soares, after her exit from the reality tv show Bigg Boss, reminding many that ours was once the nation of the Kama Sutra and is now that of "sexpert" Mahinder Watsa's column.

Soares was presumably being sarcastic, but the idea that someone would think kissing causes babies doesn't seem entirely impossible in India. For a country whose population can barely be contained within its boundaries, it's alarming to realise how little India knows about sex.

Focus: Has Actor Aamir Khan Overdone His Perfectionism?

Aamir Khan's habit of pedestalling any-damn-thing he acts in, acts as the chink in his perfect armour.

Back in 2008, when his Mr Perfectionist tag was yet-un-abused, Aamir Khan had said in an interview, “One of my favourite authors, Harry Crews, has said, what deserves to be done, deserves to be overdone!” (Uncut: Understanding the Minds of the Khans, Anshul Chaturvedi). Six years down the line, one can’t help but wonder: has this Khan overdone his perfectionism?

If one remembers right, even a decade back, Aamir wasn’t this hardcore a perfectionist as he’s turned out now. There were films like Raja Hindustani and Dil, which helped him gain a firm footing in the Hindi film industry, but that was Aamir minus the perfectionism.

What’s Riding On Salman Khan? Rs. 700 Crore Or More!

It is hard to argue with the kind of fame Salman Khan found with his second coming, which started in 2009 with Wanted. He’s had a bit of a Midas touch since, with a slew of hits. As a result, he is, at present, the best example of what Bollywood likes to call a ‘bankable’ star. 

But with a crucial new development in his 2002 hit-and-run case (a chemical analysis expert recently testified that the alcohol content in his blood on the day of the incident was higher than normal), many in Bollywood and the ad world are nervous about the eventual outcome. 

“Currently, he is the biggest star, who churns out one box-office success after another,” says trade analyst Komal Nahta. As per industry estimates, a whopping Rs. 650-700 crore is riding on the star — combining big-ticket films, ad campaigns and a particular TV show contract.

Bigg Boss 8 ready to take off on 21st September 2014

Salman Khan as a dashing pilot in the new teasers of Bigg Boss 8, has increased the curiosity level of the viewers. In the promo, the Bollywood actor and Bigg Boss host promises to take the contestants, as well as the viewers, on a thrilling flight.

This year's theme will reflect in the new set of the Bigg Boss house, located in Lonavla, which has been designed to resemble a jumbo aircraft. A source says, "To elevate the excitement level, the house will be designed as the interior of an aircraft, just as last year's season seven was designed as heaven and hell." Sources further revealed that the house will also have a waiting lounge and two different sections for Economy and Business class.

Modi Factor Tilts The Voting Balance In Andhra Pradesh

By M H Ahssan | INNLIVE

POINT BLANK Is there a Modi factor in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, which goes to polls on May 7th? To check the facts for myself, I chose to visit Madanapalle in the Rayalaseema region, which was part of  Modi’s itinerary on May First.  I had indulged in a similar exercise in Tamil Nadu, when I attended a rally in Krishnagiri, addressed by  Narendra Modi, the Gujarat Chief Minister and the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. Unlike TN where the BJP is in alliance with small parties, here, in AP, it has tied up with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a regional giant. Both Seemandhra and Telengana are having simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and to their respective state assemblies.

Khatron Ke Khiladi: Where The Big, The Beefy Stands Fail

By Niloufer Khan | INNLIVE

Why has it taken me two weeks to write about the new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi, the Indian version of Fear Factor? Because it’s taken them that long to make the first elimination, making sure they can squeeze as much TRPs as they can out of the first round. 

And the culling has begun with the least famous of the lot. But I’ll get to that later. This time’s Fear Factor which began two weekends back, is hosted not by Akshay Kumar but by Rohit Shetty – who seems to have a strange predilection for blowing up cars in his films. This clearly qualifies him to be the host. Till date, I haven’t noticed him showing any stunt other than Ajay Devgn standing on those moving bikes.