If there was one character from a book that Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan would love to bring alive on screen, it would be his father's role from his autobiography, "In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography"

During an open question-and-answer session at the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 in the capital Friday night, an enthusiastic fan out of an audience of almost a thousand asked Big B to pick one of his beloved characters that he'd like to play in a film.

He gave it a thought, and said: "Maybe I'd like to play the role that my father played in his autobiography."

You mean you want to play Harivansh Rai Bachchan, asked the startled host, Rajdeep Sardesai.

To that, Big B smiled and said: "It's a tough call, but I want to try."

Amitabh has often shared anecdotes of his celebrated father and it was no different at the event.

He talked about some of his conversations with his father - in his childhood, during his youth and of those that Amitabh shared with Harivansh Rai during his last days in 2003.

Harivansh Rai, who died in 2003, is credited with works like "Madhushala", "Madhukalash", "Madhubala" and "Agneepath".

Amitabh said his father once told him he was his "greatest poetry".

But "I do not know whether I am a free verse or a couplet, a chaupai or a shloka."

"I wish I had asked. Now it is too late," he lamented even as he proudly recited some verses from his father's "Madhushala" in his distinct baritone at the behest of the audience.

What followed obviously was loud applause.

Deepika Padukone's fluid and energy-packed dance in the "Nagada sang dhol" song from "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela" has been widely appreciated but she doubts if she can recreate the grandeur of the number sans the film's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

She says the song's popularity was the "least expected of the lot".

"There were other songs in the album which we thought would become popular... this was the underdog," Deepika told IANS.

"In fact, I am doing a show where I am expected to recreate that magic but I don't think I'll be able to do that if I don't have Sanjay to direct," she said.

Deepika is slated to perform at the Temptation Reloaded show in Dubai Sunday with stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

On the Bollywood front, she has completed Homi Adajania's English language film "Finding Fanny".

"It should be ready to release soon.

"I am also doing 'Happy New Year' with Abhishek Bachchan and Shah Rukh, all fun boys to work with. I am also looking forward to start Imtiaz's film with Ranbir," said Deepika, who has been on a roll with her box office successes this year.

Planning a holiday sometime soon now?

"I am sure I can squeeze in some family time, it's always welcome," said the 27-year-old, who recently made time to attend a friend's engagement in her hometown Bangalore.

Actor Rahul Bose, known for playing myriad roles in his almost two decades of association with filmdom, is currently busy working in four films.

"Doing four films now: Zoya Akhtar's next, 'Jeene Do', a soulful love story, a Bengali detective film and the sequel to 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'," Rahul shared during an interactive session with his fans on micro-blogging site Twitter.

He is currently shooting in Kolkata for a month.

"For most actors, I imagine filming is a busy time. For me, compared to the rest of my life, it's the most peaceful," he added.

Rahul has earlier delivered noteworthy performances in films like "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer", "Chameli", "15 Park Avenue" and "The Japanese Wife".

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is in Dubai to perform for his fans as part of the Temptation Reloaded tour with other celebrities. He is enjoying his stay there and says he is feeling very much at home.

King Khan will take to the stage in Dubai Sunday.

"It's show time folks...come and have a party with me and the gang of lovely ladies. I feel like dancing all night for you all. There is something in the air of Dubai. Feel at home and ready to work without it feeling like work," Shah Rukh posted on his Twitter page.

He will perform with his hit on screen heroines Madhuri Dixit and Deepika Padukone apart from others.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he is not "qualified" to pen an autobiography even though he has an illustrious career of over four decades in Indian cinema.

At an open question-and-answer session at the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 in the capital Friday night, Big B was asked if he has given a thought to sharing some of his life's experiences via a book.

"I am not qualified to do that," said the 71-year-old thespian who continues to entertain the people through his films and popular TV show "Kaun Banega Crorepati".

But isn't it what several "legends" have done - penned autobiographies to share their life with the world, asked host Rajdeep Sardesai.

"I have never considered myself a legend," said the humble actor, adding that he "didn't even know what happened in the past seven minutes" and so, recounting over 70 years of ups and downs in his life would be quite a task.

Kushal Tandon proposed to Gauhar Khan in the "Bigg Boss Saath-7" house and this boosted viewers' curiosity, while Tanisha Mukherjee-Armaan Kohli's camaraderie is keeping the audiences hooked to the ongoing season of the reality show.

How real are these relationships? Ex-contestants claim inmates sometimes "fake romances" for survival and to boost viewership ratings and sometimes "they attach themselves to someone" due to loneliness in the house, where they are locked up for three months without contact with the outside world.

Sambhavna Seth, who was seen in the second season of "Bigg Boss", said: "The people, who come in 'Bigg Boss', have it in their mind that if they are attached to someone and give a romantic angle to the show, it will increase the TRPs (television rating points) and also that it will help them last longer in the show."

"The second thing is that sometimes one can feel so lonely inside and because of that they attach themselves to someone," the actress told IANS.

Another ex-contestant, model Pooja Misra, told IANS that to a great degree, people feel "lonely" as they are away from their families and are surrounded by people who are not their friends.

Added Pooja: "Fake romances happen because they want to play the game of TRP with somebody whom they are romancing apparently, but actually they are just looking for a friend who is just sticking with them as they don't have a real friend in the 'Bigg Boss' house.

"So, yes, on reality TV people fake romances and once they step outside the house they don't keep in touch, they don't talk."

The "Bigg Boss" house has seen it all - from cuddling to hugging and kissing to lover's tiffs during each season. Alas, hardly any relationship survived outside the house.

The failed romances are a testimony to the fact that relationships in "Bigg Boss" house come with an expiry date.

If actors Aryan Vaid and Anupama Verma's romance set the ratings soaring in the first season, the duo went separate ways after the show.

The same was the case with Pakistani actress Veena Malik and Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel. They scorched the small screen in season four, but their romance was nowhere to be seen once the show ended.

In the same season, TV actress Sara Khan had a 'nikaah' with her longtime boyfriend Ali Merchant. Their marriage was called off immediately after the two got evicted from the show.

Other popular couples whose chemistry spiced up the show are Pooja Bedi-Akashdeep Saigal, Monica Bedi-Rahul Mahajan, Claudia Ciesla-Parvesh Rana, and Vishal Karwal-Sana Khan.

Once evicted, they all came back to the "we are just friends" tag, except Pooja and Akashdeep as their relationship is still going strong.

TV actor Rajev Paul says it's very "normal" to get close to someone, and it depends on an individual how he or she wants to take it forward.

"I grew fond of Sana Khan and even she was fond of me, but we were not involved romantically at all. In this season, Armaan and Tanisha are from the film background, so they share the same opinion, likes and dislikes, and thus are seen spending time with each other," added Rajev, who came in season six with ex-wife Delnaaz Irani.

"It's true that it's difficult to figure out what is fake and what is real, but it's practically impossible to fake it for 100 days in front of so many cameras. All those people who really fake it are good actors. I don't know whether it continues outside for others or not, but me and Sana are still friends and will always be friends," the actor told IANS.

In the current season, as a special treat, Bigg Boss even arranged a date for Gauhar and Kushal so that they could have a good time. There were candles, slow music, balloons and roses - a set-up similar to what Vishal and Sana got.

With as many as 84 cameras spying on them, the inmates have not been able to hide their love.

According to Shradha Sharma, who featured in "Bigg Boss 5", not a single corner in the house is left without a camera, so after spending some days, people get "used to it and behave according to their originality".

Whatsoever the reason, romance in the house definitely acts as a visual treat for the viewers!

Actor Vidyut Jammwal is happy that people are appreciating his work in director Tigmanshu Dhulia's recently released movie "Bullett Raja".

The actor plays tough cop Arun Singh Munna in the film. He is seen doing some difficult action scenes in the movie.

"I am overwhelmed with the positive response I have been receiving. Big thanks to the audience and the critics," Vidyut said in a statement.

Crime thriller "Bullett Raja", which came out Friday, features Sonakshi Sinha and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles.

Actor Shiv Darshan, set to make his Bollywood debut with forthcoming movie "Karle Pyaar Karle", was surprised after a secret fan sent him over a hundred bouquets.

Every bouquet had good luck notes and praises attached to it.

Directed by Rajesh Pandey "Karle Pyaar Karle" will also feature model-actress Hasleen Kaur. The film is slated to release Jan 10.

What's fun about growing up, asks actress Huma Qureshi who misses her childhood days.

"As a child, I couldn't wait to grow up, it all seemed so cool. Someone should have told me, it sucks being a grown up," Huma posted on Twitter.

The 27-year-old made her Bollywood debut with 2012 crime saga "Gangs Of Wasseypur" and went on to do movies like "Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana" and "Ek Thi Daayan".

The actress will soon be seen sharing screen space with Madhuri Dixit in director Abhishek Chaubey's movie "Dedh Ishqiya".

Filmmaker Vishal Mahadkar is all set to direct fourth installment of "Raaz", a remake of 1976 Hollywood hit "The Omen", says he is desperately looking for a child artist to play a vital role in his film.

In the Hollywood horror thriller, said to be one of the best in the genre, Harvey Stephens played the Devil's son Damien perfectly.

"Right now my focus is on the child artist. We need the right child to play the lead in the film. We are desperately hunting for the child," Mahadkar, who ventured into direction with Kunal Khemu starrer crime thriller "Blood Money", told IANS.

However, there is no fixed selection criteria, he said and added: "There is no wish list as such. I want a child who can make our life easy on the sets."

A franchise of 2002 movie "Raaz", the latest version is titled "Raaz - The Hidden Secret" and Mahadkar says the adaptation will be as per the Indian sensibilities.

He said: "We will start shooting from February 2014 and Vikram Bhatt is scripting the film. We will adapt the film as per the Indian sensibilities. The film will be very much the Indian 'Omen'. I have grown up watching Hollywood films and this film will certainly raise the bar of horror films in India."

The cast of “Raaz” movies has always been interesting. If Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea featured in the original, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Adhyayan Suman scorched the screen in the second installment titled "Raaz - The Mystery Continues".

When Bipasha returned to the franchise with "Raaz 3", it made headlines. Emraan and Esha Gupta joined her in the cast.

For part four, Mahadkar hasn't finalised the cast yet and says the focus is more on the content, which will be the star.

He said: "The content will be the star in the film. I don't mind roping in stars, but nothing is confirmed right now. I strongly feel the content is so strong that the script is the star as of now."

Hollywood actor Paul Walker’s death has came as a shock for everyone and mourning his demise Bollywood celebrities say that he has "gone far too soon".

Walker, best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the “The Fast and The Furious”, died in a car accident Saturday in Santa Clarita, California. He was 40.

Celebrities took to Twitter to express their sorrow and grief. Here is what they have to say:

Varun Dhawan: Can't believe Paul walker is gone. Life is crazy. Don't know why but this news has really depressed me. RIP Paul Walker.

Preity Zinta: So sad to hear that Paul Walker died a fast and furious death in an accident in LA. Life is so short and fragile. May his soul rest in peace.

Mika Singh: Very sad to hear about Paul Walker! What a brilliant actor! And an exceptionally good-looking man! Life is so unpredictable, really.

Jackky Bhagnani: I am in shock that Paul Walker is no more. I loved him in all the ‘The Fast And The Furious’ series. RIP.

Sonal Chauhan: RIP Paul Walker. Life is so uncertain. And we take it for granted. Value it, live it.”

Aftab Shivdasani: RIP Paul Walker. Sad and tragic. Prayers for his near and dear ones.

Dia Mirza: RIP Paul Walker.

Bejoy Nambiar: Brian O Connor bites the dust. Tragic. RIP Paul Walker.

Sophie Choudry: This news is just so so tragic! RIP Paul Walker. Gone far too soon.

Ajay Bahl, who debuted as a director with neo noir film "B.A. Pass", will now wield the megaphone for a murder mystery, inspired by a Japanese novel.

The film is tentatively titled "Informer".

"I am scripting a film, which is inspired by a Japanese novel. It's basically a murder mystery and I am thrilled about the project," Bahl told IANS.

"We will start shooting by March 2014 and the film is tentatively titled 'Informer'," he added.

Bahl, who had teamed up with Shilpa Shukla and Shadab Kamal for "B.A. Pass", described by critics as a stark, brutal portrayal of seduction and betrayal, is yet to decide on the cast of his new film.

"We have not decided about the cast. We are still working on that," he added.

Director-producer Anubhav Sinha, who is gearing up for the release of his Madhuri Dixit-starrer production "Gulaab Gang", about the women vigilante group, says his next will be a comedy.

Sinha, who went behind the camera to direct Shah Rukh Khan-starrer superhero film "Ra.One" and multi-starrer "Dus", told IANS: "It's too early to talk about it. All I can say is that it's a comedy that will go on floors soon."

Reportedly Nikhil Bhat will helm the project to be made under Sinha's banner Benaras Media Works.

Meanwhile, Sinha is looking forward to "Gulaab Gang", which is directed by Soumik Sen and will see Madhuri as the protagonist, while Juhi Chawla will be seen as the antagonist.

Actress Karisma Kapoor, who is choosy about her performances, bent the rules for Our Girl Our Pride, an initiative to empower the girl child. She said it's also a "tribute to all the ladies" from her family.

"It was a fabulous day and I strongly believe in the cause. I generally don't perform. I am quite choosy about it, but today I performed and paid tribute to all the Kapoor ladies, including (late grandmother) Geeta Bali, (aunt) Neetu Singh, and my mom Babita and sister Kareena supporting the cause," Karisma, known for her powerpacked performances in "Fiza" and "Zubeidaa", told IANS.

"My contribution was to spread the awareness," added the actress.

Her performance was part of a unique programming initiative of NDTV, which in association with Vedanta and campaign ambassador and actress Priyanka Chopra, dedicated Dec 1 to honour the country's girls on its network channels with a LIVE telecast from 10 a.m. onwards Sunday.

The campaign's aim is to create awareness about issues related to the girl child and fight for HER rights.

The actress, also a mother, says her life completely changed after the birth of her daughter Samaira.

"My life has become more beautiful after giving birth to a daughter. It's great to have a daughter," she said and added: "I am blessed to have a daughter and a son."

Supporting the cause and joining campaign ambassador Priyanka in raising funds also include actress Kajol, entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, and tennis Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza, among others.

"Where are the soft, slightly unsure men with doubt and longing in their hearts?" asks filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, who feels men are not portrayed appropriately in Indian cinema.

Mishra, known for directing movies like "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi", "Chameli", and "Yeh Saali Zindagi", took to micro-blogging site Twitter to express his views on Indian cinema's portrayla of men.

"Indian cinema can reflect on violence in society, but they need to also reflect that many films show violent men as cool. Of course, strong roles should be written for women, but what kind of male morons are we portraying in our cinema?" Mishra tweeted Sunday.

"What is happening to the portrayal of men in our cinema? Where are the soft, slightly unsure men with doubt and longing in their hearts?"

Talking about actresses, he pointed out that more emphasis is on their beauty than talent.

"What kind of women are we portraying in our cinema? Advertisements for the fashion and cosmetic industry! Mostly," wrote Mishra.

"Where do we look for the Bollywood heroine mostly? Not in drama schools, theatre groups or in auditions but in beauty pageants."

"40 percent of Indian cinema is soft porn. The other 40 pure corn! Thank god for the twenty percent," he added.

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia's latest offering "Bullett Raja" may have missed the target at the box office, but it did decent business by earning approximately Rs.12 crore to Rs.13 crore in two days of its release, say trade pundits.

The Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha-starrer came out Friday.

Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines told IANS: "'Bullett Raja' is doing a decent business at the box office, but nothing great. The film has approximately collected Rs.12 crore to Rs.13 crore on Friday and Saturday."

Based in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, "Bullett Raja" is described as a fest of guns, grime, and glory and it has just a week to utilise its potential.

"The film will go steady just for a week because next Friday 'R...Rajkumar' will release. It looks very impressive and considering the fact that it's a Prabhudheva film, there is a lot of hope from the film. His record has been very strong so far," said Thadani.

Shahid Kapoor-starrer "R...Raajkumar" too is a crime thriller and another common thread between the two films is Sonakshi, who is playing the female lead in this one too.

However, in Rajasthan, "Bullett Raja" has got an encouraging response.

Sunil Bansal of Yash Raj Jai Pictures Pvt Ltd in Rajasthan said the film collected "around Rs.52 lakh on Friday and around Rs.50 lakh on Saturday".

"So the film has garnered over Rs.1 crore in Rajasthan, which is great," he said and added that they are now looking forward to Aamir Khan-starrer action thriller "Dhoom 3".

Coming out Dec 20, it will see Aamir in a negative role.

"But now we are looking forward to 'Dhoom 3', which will certainly do great business," said Bansal.

The second edition of Sound Awake music festival, held here Sunday, left thousands of youngsters grooving to electronic dance music by Indian and international artists like DJ Ajit Pai and US Electro House DJ-producer Steve Aoki. The bi-annual festival's fans said the latest edition is better than the previous one.

Organised by DNA Networks, the multi-stage format was appreciated by the party hoppers. The stages namely DNA Live featured headliners Aoki, Italian Electro-House and Dance-Punk Producer Congo Rock and Jacob Plant. There were also the Ministry of Sound, Hedkandi and the Indi stages.

"It is better than first edition, which was held here in August. The stage is really long this time and I like the setup," 17-year-old Emma, who bought the tickets to catch Aoki play, told IANS.

Another fan of EDM festivals had similar opinion about the event.

"The tracks are wonderful and arrangements are also good this time. There is medical facility and also proper toilets," said Chinmay.

As many as 11 artists performed but it was Aoki who stole the show. With his long and straight locks open, he used music to interact with the crowd, which mostly consisted of localites in their twenties.

Known for throwing cakes at his fans, he did the same here too and his fans just loved it.

Sudden rainfall didn't make anyone leave their spot, with raincoats sold at official merchandise stalls coming to the rescue. Many in the audience were seen in transparent raincoats with designs of Sound Awake. There were also belts, neon hats, sunglasses and more.

Adding to the ambience, there was Goa themed flea market offering products like clothes, accessories and beach chappals too.

There was due attention to food too. From caramelised popcorn to Italian cuisine to Indian rolls along with beverages, the food stalls also had something for everybody.

After completing the shoot of the first season of TV series "24," Anil Kapoor is set to soon start with the second season. The aim is to create a better product, says the actor-producer.

"The second season will start very soon. We will work even harder and will try to create an even better product," the 56-year-old said here Saturday at the success party of the show.

Anil says he hasn't received as much appreciation before, but he believes the best thing about "24" is that the work of all actors has been applauded.

"It has been good, I have never been appreciated this much. People have liked the show. The best thing is that everyone has been appreciated.

"Sometimes in films only you (one actor) are appreciated and people say the film ran because of you. But in this show everyone has done really well," he added.

"24" is an adpatation of the hit American TV series by the same name. The show is based on a 24-hour format where one season spans over 24 episodes chronicling 24 hours.

Anil plays the head of Anti-Terrorist Unit, Jai Singh Rathod.

Upcoming Telugu biopic "Swami Vivekananda", slated to release later this month, features only child actors, says its director Suresh Bujji, who hopes to strike a chord with thes audience with his unique effort.

"I remember watching the kids' version of 'Ramayana' many years ago. I liked how the makers treated the same story from the perspective of youngsters. By doing so, they managed to draw the attention of youngsters as well to watch and appreciate the film. I've done something similar with my film," Bujji told IANS.

"My film features Prabhath, grandson of politician P. Janardhan Reddy, in the title role of Vivekananda. The rest of the cast also features child actors with a little or no cinematic experience. This film will appeal to adults as well as kids," he added.

He hopes the film on the philosopher-cum-saint is received well.

"It's very unlikely for biopics in India to make money. Even earlier films on Vivekananda have not been successful at the box office. I hope my film doesn't face the same fate as I have put in over a year of hard work in it," he said.

The film, which has been majorly shot in places such as Kanyakumari, Madurai and many other places, was recently passed by the Central Board of Film Certification with a clean 'U' certificate.

"Everybody at the censor board loved the film. I had already screened it at the Ramakrishna Mission in Hyderabad and received an equally good response. All this has made me very confident about my film," he added.

This will be a busy month for southern actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu. She will be juggling between three films and will have to forgo the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Sam, as she is popularly called, is busy shooting for two yet-untitled Telugu projects with actor Junior NT Rama Rao and filmmaker V.V Vinayak. She will soon start shooting for an untitled Tamil project with Suriya.

"(I'm) headed for a super busy December. (There will be) no Christmas no New Year (but) just work. Shooting for Jr. NTR's film and VV Vinayak's film till Dec 20 (and) then from Dec 23 till Jan 4 for the Lingusamy-Suriya film," posted Samantha on her Twitter page.

Known for films such as "Ye Maaya Chesave" and "Eega", Samantha has had two blockbusters such as "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu" and "Attarintiki Daaredhi" this year.