Bigger India

Arts & Entertainment

Costume Catastrophe at Cannes

ooks like it is time to lament Indian fashion

Bollywood's Fashion Disaster on Day 2 of Cannes

The Bollywood entourage makes the fashion police run for cover as they seem to be dressed for a big, fat Indian wedding at one of the most fashionable events of the world.

Sanjay Dutt: India Bollywood Actor Returns to Jail

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has returned to jail to serve his sentence for firearms offences linked to 1993 blasts which killed 257 people in Mumbai.

Sanjay Dutt To Surrender Today

The Supreme Court, on March 21, had upheld his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts

Learning Online at the Feet of India's Gurus

India once had a great tradition of disciples learning at the feet of their gurus. That tradition seems to have been revived - in virtual world - thanks to technology.

Fingersmiths With a Sense of Style

Hyderabad’s calligraphers’ sleight of hand keeps an ancient art alive, and electronic printers at bay

Bollywood Cinema: 10 Lesser-known Facts

Indian cinema began 100 years ago with the first "Bollywood" film, although the term was only coined many years later. The vibrant song-and-dance routines have millions of fans but here are some lesser-known facts that may have escaped their knowledge.

The Great Gatsby Premiere: Noise for Big B Confused US Media

At the New York premiere of Hollywood film The Great Gatsby“, the noise went up for a moment and the US media was left wondering if Leonardo DiCaprio had come

Bollywood Celebs Who Tried to Hide Away Their Cash

Income Tax (IT) officers raided the studios and offices of Balaji Telefilms’ head honcho and leading Bollywood producer, Ekta Kapoor.

Sudarsan Pattnaik's Award-winning Stunning Ganesha Sculpture

Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik was recently awarded Moscow choice prize for creating a sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh at World sand art championship 2013, Russia.

From Mother India to Munni

When it comes to portrayal of women on screen, do commercial films merely reflect prevailing attitudes or do they shape and contribute to those attitudes as well?

Midnight's Children: Two Authors in Search of a Film

Rushdie and Mehta’s Midnight’s Children promises a doubled up feast for thought and senses before the theater goes dark.

When Bollywood Saved the Day in Parliament

Don’t diagnose problems when you haven’t taken any steps to improve the condition of women

Sotheby’s Auction Boosts Indian Art Sales

The Indian art market appears to be on the rebound after Sotheby’s first international evening sale of Indian art in New York last month fetched nearly $7 million.

Flying the Indian Flag at Cannes 2013

Flying the Indian flag at the Cannes festival is Amit Kumar's Monsoon Shootout, which is one of two films selected for Midnight Screenings.

Princie Diamond: Rare Indian Gem Sells for $39m

All four of the world's top pink diamonds have been found at Golconda

Phulkari Takes Me Back to Childhood

"The earliest mention of Phulkari can be found in the Guru Granth Sahib in the 15th-16th century and in the popular Punjabi epic of Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah

Aamir Khan Featured on Time Cover

Bollywood star Aamir Khan has been featured on one of the seven special covers of the Time magazine listing the world's 100 most influential people.

If Sanjay Dutt Can Get Four Weeks Off, Why Can’t Others

this ability of male superstars to get almost anything that they don’t like changed is limited to “reel life” and not “real life”. Not unless if you are Sanjay Dutt.

Playboy's First India Club Rejected in Goa

Authorities in India have rejected a plan by the adult entertainment company Playboy to open its first club in the country, in Goa.

Bitchy Ballads

If you thought only an urban woman could take digs at misogyny, it's time for a rethink.

Jewish Stars of Bollywood

'Shalom Bollywood’, a documentary tells of the 2,000-year-old Indian Jewish community and its role in the country’s film industry.

Celluloid Man: Past Without History

For Nair, the very existence of the past, even in its residual form was more important than constructing a discriminating history of cinema.

Why Ranbir Reminds Us of His Grand-uncle Shammi Kapoor

Actor Ranbir Kapoor’s high-on-energy moves in new song Badtameez dil from his forthcoming movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani are being compared to his late grand-uncle Shammi Kapoor’s famous dancing style.

Sonic Boom

Two creative entrepreneurs make rhythm and melody from scrap

Barfi Wins Top Honours at Lux Cozi TOIFA

Barfi!" turned out to be the top winner at the maiden edition of the Times of India Film Awards.

Puppet theatre: Ancient Art Form Redefined

Puppetry, believed to have been born in India, finds reference in the Tamil epic "Silappadikaaram" written around the 1st or the 2nd century BC

Shades of Indian Contemporary Erotica: A Growing Genre

You need good understanding of the entire erotic vocabulary to pull off a book.

The Shameful, Politically Incorrect Side of the Indian Ad Industry

You can be in denial but you can’t hide from the great Indian advertising business. They know all your deep dark secrets.

Will Aishwarya Rai Fake it or Keep it Real With Abhishek Bachchan

Aishwarya's Vancouver performance along with husband Abhishek would be her first overseas performance post the birth of her baby daughter Aaradhya.

Fashion TV Ordered Off Air in India for Indecent Visuals

The visuals offended good taste and decency and were obscene and vulgar and not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition.

Paan Singh Tomar at the Oscars. Why Didn’t it Happen?

Picking Barfi! over Paan Singh Tomar, Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Deool, Eega, Vazhakku Enn 18/9 and Akasathinte Niram as the Indian entry at the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was quite a disappointing decision.

Have Not Applied for Pardon, I Love India: Sanjay Dutt

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt who was sentenced to five years in jail by the Supreme Court last week, broke his silence for the first time since the judgement, and said that he would surrender when the time comes.

Shiv Sena Opposes Move to Pardon Sanjay Dutt

The Shiv Sena today opposed the move to pardon Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt stating that it would send a wrong message to the society.

The Three Faces of Sanjay Dutt: Which One Do We Punish?

If sentenced, he will serve a few years in jail and come back almost forgotten. In the trial of an actor’s life, that may well be the ultimate punishment.

It’s Time Someone Sang Subah Ho Gayi Mamu to Sanjay Dutt

The Supreme Court judges have shown that they are not blind and that they can see things as they are.

Why Jeffrey Archer Loves and Complains About India

Best selling author Jeffrey Archer said that India was his biggest market, and was more important to him than the United States.

Supreme Court Upholds Sanjay Dutt's Conviction, Sentences Five Years in Jail

Supreme court says that on the gravity of the crime Sanjay Dutt will not get a probation as he had asked for.

New York Indian Art Sale Breaks Artist Records

he sale that was billed as the hottest of the season and featured the who's who of Indian art netted $6.7 million

Connecting India, South Asia, Diaspora with Reality Art

The alternative community of artists, musicians and performers in India and South Asia has found a new umbrella to express its concerns in genres as diverse as art, music, dance and performance - linking it to greater global realities.