Actress Trisha Krishnan, known for southern films such as "Ghilli" and "Okkadu", has been chosen as the star ambassador of the Chennai Rhinos team for the upcoming fourth edition of the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL).

"Trisha will be the ambassador of our team. We are happy to bring her on board. Since she is from Chennai, we thought it would make sense to rope her in...we are glad it finally materialised," an official spokesperson of the Chennai Rhinos team told IANS.

The official announcement of the fourth season of CCL will be held Friday by former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Bollywood actor Salman Khan and with members of all teams from other industries are expected to be present on the occasion.

Tamil actor Vishal Krishna will lead Chennai Rhinos, which had won the first two editions of CCL, while Karnataka Bulldozers captained by actor Kiccha Sudeep, won the third edition.

This year, the matches will be in places such as Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Dubai.

Actor-producer Abhishek Bachchan, whose career graph witnessed several ups and downs in the last 13 years and who plays a supercop now in "Dhoom 3", says he fears the day when he would wake up in the morning but his phone won't ring and he wouldn't have a job.

Looking forward to the release of "Dhoom 3", for which Aamir Khan has been hogging the limelight, he said: "The only fear I have is that I will wake up one day and nobody will allow me to do films."

"This is a fear every actor has. This is a fear we have every Friday. God forbid, tomorrow if 'Dhoom 3' doesn't work, people will stop asking me to do films. The phone calls that keep coming will reduce.

"You need to prove your work every Friday and every actor's bigger fear is that you wake up in the morning, the phone doesn't ring and you don't have a job," he added.

For now, he is just hoping that "Dhoom 3" strikes gold when it releases Friday. Having been a part of both the previous instalments of the hit action-adventure franchise, the 37-year-old actor says he has an emotional connect with the film.

"'Dhoom' was my first successful film, my first hit. It's a special for me. I hope it remains that way," said Abhishek, whose last outing was multi-starrer "Bol Bachchan", which did well at the box office.

Abhishek made his Bollywood debut with "Refugee" in 2000. He tried to cement his standing in the industry with movies like "Dhoom", "Yuva", "Bluffmaster", "Dhoom 2", "Bunty Aur Babli", "Sarkar", "Guru" and "Dostana". He acted in and produced "Paa".

"An actor is as good as his last film, you are as good as your last Friday. There are no two ways about that," he said.

He however finds himself lucky in the sense that he has his most honest critics sitting at home - father Amitabh Bachchan, mother Jaya and wife Aishwarya Rai.

"I have three great actors at home, and they are very forthcoming with their opinions and that's the way it should be. You have some great actors from the nation in your house, who are willing to give their advice, so why not take it," asked Abhishek, who likes to deal with criticism "positively".

"I have taken all negative criticism in a positive way and tried to improve myself," he added.

Abhishek's bonding with his 71-year-old father is especially unique.

"He is my friend. My father once told me that the day I was born, he had decided that 'I am not going to treat him as my son, I will treat him like my friend'. Till date, he treats me like a friend."

Talking about the many 'firsts' he has shared with the nation's Big B, Abhishek said: "He is my buddy. The first time I went for clubbing was with my father, the first time I drove a car, he took me out and told me how to drive.

"I have the liberty to go out and talk to him about everything, discuss anything with him. He has always been available to me. That's the kind of bonding we have always had. He has never shouted at me or raised his hand at me."

Abhishek's camaraderie with his mother is different.

"Mom is a discipliner, my mother was the one who was there to discipline us, but dad never (did so)," said the actor, whose daughter Aaradhya is now over two years old.

In his heydays, yesteryears' cinestar Jeetendra used to take on as much work as possible at a time to avoid feeling insecure at any point. The scenario, he says, has changed for today's actors.

The 71-year-old, who claims to have featured in about 200 films, was honoured with a tile of his hand impression here Wednesday. It will be placed at the UTV Walk of the Stars here.

Talking about his journey, he said: "I am from a very middle-class background and I found security in taking on more and more work and I just didn't want to say no to any thing. Those days we used to sign 30 to 40 films and we never knew when will a film get over."

"Sometimes we used to shoot from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then again from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. If somehow the third shift got cancelled, we used to become insecure," he added.

Jeetendra, whose son Tusshar is an actor and daughter Ekta a successful producer, says "today's time is different".

"Actors do one film in a year, choose it carefully and if they start, they end it first," said the actor, who made his debut in 1964 with "Geet Gaya Patharon Ne".

He went on to do films like "Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti", "Mere Humsafar", "Humjoli", "Caravan", "Parichay", "Khandaan", "The Burning Train", "Aasha", "Himmatwala" among others.

Hollywood actress Kristen Wiig, who will next be seen in Ben Stiller's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", says she took off for an adventure trip in India once.

The 40-year-old confessed that she did something very similar to what's happening in the movie and says the adventure was life-changing.

"I went to India for three months and travelled around. I was up North in Dharamsala, in a Tibetan village and I did some volunteer work," Wiig said in a statement.

"I just needed to get out of my everyday life for a little bit and explore other things and think about what I wanted to do with my life, all the sort of stuff you think about in your early twenties I guess. I subsequently scared my parents. They were basically nervous for about three months and I feel bad about that," she added.

The "Bridesmaids" star finds it liberating to just get a backpack and see new places.

"There is something really freeing about having a backpack and everything that you need in it to survive and going to see new places and travelling. It is exciting to do it by yourself.

"For me, travelling by myself was difficult because it can be lonely at times, but just like it is in the movie, you meet amazing people. I did it at a time in my life when I was a lot younger. I was in my early twenties and yes it was very life- changing," she said.

"The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty" is the story of Walter Mitty (essayed by Stiller), who finds that his real life is about to blow his wildly over-active imagination out of the water.

Directed by Stiller, the movie also features Sean Pean, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott and Kathryn Hahn. It will release in India Jan 3, next year.

It's true that Madhuri Dixit took a break from acting following her marriage in 1999, but the dancing diva is back and how! She says it's a myth that married women don't get roles in the film industry.

"I think married women always got roles. Sharmilaji (Sharmila Tagore) worked after marriage, Meena Kumari also worked and Rakhi worked after marriage. These are just myths and not true all the time," Madhuri said here in an interaction.

"There are some heroines who took a sabbatical, but they themselves decided that they didn't want to work after marriage," added the mother of two sons - Arin and Raayan.

Madhuri had shifted base to Denver when she married US-based doctor Sriram Nene in 1999. The actress came back to India in 2011, and she hasn't had to 'hunt' for work.

After wowing her fans in the "Ghagra" song in "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", she will now be seen on the big screen in movies like "Dedh Ishqiya" and "Gulaab Gang".

Rustic drama "Dedh Ishqiya", directed by Abhishek Chaubey, will see her share the frame with Naseeruddin Shah. The actress has sort of stepped out of her comfort zone for her character as Begum Para in the film.

"It's different cinema," she agreed, but said: "I remember when I did 'Mrityudand', people were like, 'Why are you doing this movie?' But I wanted to do it. It's a strong character.

"Similarly, when this film was offered to me, I thought I will be comfortable with Begum Para."

"Dedh Ishqiya" releases Jan 10, next year.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who is awaiting the release of his forthcoming film "Dhoom 3", will Saturday launch the Kingfisher Calendar 2014.

Abhishek will unveil the special calendar -- in its 12th edition -- along with the six girls -- Nicole Faria, Rochelle Rao, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sahar Biniaz, Rikee Chatterjee and yet-to-be announced winner of the Hunt for the Kingfisher Supermodels 2014 -- who feature in it, read a statement.

Ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, who has been associated with the Kingfisher Calendar since its inception in 2003, will be present during the unveiling.

The event is scheduled to be held at Anantha, Mandwa near Mumbai and the guests will be ferried across the sea for an intimate afternoon.

Think Supriya Pathak and you think of monstrous talent and pedigree. The actress says her two children with Pankaj Kapur are now gearing up for a career in filmdom.

"My daughter Sanaah is 23. She has studied acting at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She is gearing up for a career in acting. My son Ruhaan is 20. He is a trained chef. But he's going abroad to learn acting and direction," said Supriya.

Daughter to female theatre stalwart Dina Pathak, Supriya has in her spouse the incredibly gifted Pankaj Kapur. Supriya's sister is the enormously talented Ratna Shah and brother-in-law is the indomitable Naseeruddin Shah. That's quite a family tree.

"I never thought of it that way," laughs Supriya. Her rare screen appearance in a very powerful role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela", has fetched her rave reviews.

"I guess we've all been doing what we believed in," said Supriya, whose two children are also set for a film career.

Supriya, who started her career with a supporting role in Shyam Benegal's "Kalyug" in 1981, has largely been cast in sweet angelic roles. For the first time in Bhansali's "...Ram-Leela", she was seen as a dark sinister character .

"When he offered me the role, the first thing I asked Sanjayji was how he thought of me in such a role. But he told me he had always seen something very evil in my eyes. I didn't argue with that," she said.

The actress says she did the film "because of Sanjay Leela Bhansali".

"I had my apprehensions about carrying off the role. But when Sanjayji narrated the script to me, I was completely swept away. Though it is something far removed from what I'm generally seen doing, it is a challenge I gladly took up to go beyond my comfort zone," she added.

She loved filming the Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh-starrer as "it didn't feel like work at all".

"We were all in the mood for celebration. Otherwise, as you can see I don't accept too much work. Rather, I don't get the kind of work for which I'd like to leave my home to the care of domestic help.

"Though the children are now grown up, I still like to be around for them and my husband unless there is a proper and valid incentive to go out and work," she said.

Next up, Supriya would also be seen in Danis Tonovic's "White Lies". Supriya plays Vidya Balan's mother in "Bobby Jasoos".

"The over-selectiveness that you have noticed in my career is not something I've wished for my career. It just happened. I didn't feel the need to work that much. Sometimes you do something and it doesn't come out the way you think it would.

"That happened with a television serial that I did recently called 'Chhanchhan'. But no complaints. God has been very kind."

Filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli will soon start shooting the battle scenes for upcoming Telugu-Tamil period-drama "Baahubali" and he has roped in over 500 artisans to prepare the props for the same.

"500 plus artisans are working round the clock to mass produce weapons, armour, props and more as we prepare for The Battle," the film's producer Shobu Yarlagadda, posted on his Twitter page.

Rajamouli is expected to shoot the battle scenes in about a week's time.

Starring Rana Daggubati, Prabhas Varma and Anushka Shetty, the film is titled "Mahabali" in Tamil. It is slated to release in 2015.

The film, which also features Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar and Adivi Sesh, is touted to be the first Rs.100 crore budget project in Telugu.

Indian film production giant Yash Raj Films (YRF) Thursday announced the launch of its official e-commerce store www.yrfstore.com. For starters, it is offering a range of merchandise related to its forthcoming release "Dhoom 3", releasing Friday.

The website is said to be a first ever e-retail site launched by any Indian film studio, and it will feature an array of products including men’s fashion, bike accessories, phones, tablets, toys, apparels, home decor and more, said a statement.

Through www.yrfstore.com, fans worldwide will have an opportunity to experience "Dhoom 3" on a personal level by purchasing products that replicate various elements from the film, such as the bowler hat worn by Aamir Khan’s character Sahir in the film.

In addition to offering official "Dhoom 3" merchandise, the e-store will shortly begin to provide consumers the opportunity to experience other YRF classics and forthcoming films through the purchase of the official merchandise.

The YRF Store will also feature limited edition merchandise to be developed exclusively, which will be available only online at the web portal.

Attending party after party this festive season? Make sure you wear your make-up and your tresses in the right way to make a style statement.

Aakriti Kochar, beauty and make-up expert at Oriflame India, suggests some trends that you can follow to put your best foot forward at parties:

- Shimmer it out: For the festive season, the best way to bring a glow to your face is by adding a dash of shimmer. Add gold or silver shimmer on top of your eyes in the evenings.

- Get a festive glow: Using bronzers and highlighters will make your skin glow, making it as wonderful as the glow of Christmas. Bronzers not only add colour but also define your cheeks to highlight your best features.

- Be bold: Defining brows is an essential part of grooming you face. It helps in framing the face well and it automatically adds boldness.

- Line up eyes well: Playing with eyeliners is a good idea this season. Wear from very sleek to thick black and interestingly shaped eyeliners and pick the colour red for your lips to relate to the festive colour. Bronzed skin, groomed brows with these do justice to this look.

- Playing with shadows: If you like to experiment with eye shadows, wear gold or silver eye shadow in combination with purple, blue or green in horizontal or vertical stripes and blend it well. Wear a thin eyeliner and lots of mascara to make your eyes stand out. Neutral skin and nude lips with gloss will complete the look.

- Spellbinding lashes: Someone who wants to dramatize their look can wear false lashes. There is a wide variety available - coloured, studded, gold or silver, long or volumised.

- Go slick and sleek: When going dramatic with the make-up, wearing a sleek high ponytail gives an amazingly glamorous and slick look.

- Go bold and the beautiful: One can also wear a signature bold eyeliner and open the hair with soft wavy curls to look mesmerisingly beautiful.

- A bun for everyone: Tie your hair into a chic bun at the back or on the side with a bold lip colour to look fabulous for those elegant dinners and parties.

- A part of Christmas: For an even more glamorous look, part the hair to the side in open wavy curls and let it fall on one shoulder. The look is complete with a bright red lipstick.

- Bouncing with joy: When opting for subtle make-up, blow dry your hair and give it bouncy layers. The key is to still make the face glow. One can also play with different kinds of blushes. Creamy and gel based blushes are a hit for this weather as they add the needed gloss and shine.

- Get creative: Paint your nails in bright tones of reds or get interesting nail arts with graphics and studs as per your choice.

Actress Kareena Kapoor says her "sister-in-law" comment regarding Katrina Kaif on chat show "Koffee With Karan" was in fun, and that it shouldn't be taken seriously.

Kareena caused a flutter when she referred to Katrina as her sister-in-law, and even said that she would dance to Katrina's hit songs on her cousin Ranbir Kapoor's wedding. Ranbir and Katrina are rumoured to be dating, and Kareena's comment only fuelled those rumours.

Now Kareena has spoken out about it.

At the Big Star Entertainment Awards red carpet here Wednesday, when Kareena was asked about calling Katrina her sister-in-law, she said: "It ('Koffee With Karan') is a fun show and it is meant to be like that and that (Katrina as my sister-in-law) is not meant to be taken too seriously. It is not such a big deal."

"I am his (Ranbir Kapoor) elder sister and being that, I can say whatever I want to," she added.

Kareena's father Randhir and Ranbir's father Rishi are siblings.

A bouquet of 186 films spanning 22 countries will entertain youngsters at the third Kolkata International Children's Film Festival here beginning Friday.

The eight-day fest will focus on films from the US and include a segment on special children, a statement said.

According to Shishu Kishore Akademi, organisers of the festival, celebrated theatre actor Mohan Agashe will be the chief guest.

The festival will open and conclude with Marathi movies and it will be inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Oscar-nominated "Shwaas" kicks off the event and Nagraj Manjule's forthcoming film "Fandry" will conclude it.

Classics like "Extra-Terrestrial", "Pather Panchali", "Bicycle Thieves", contemporary Dutch films and animations will lure children to six locations across Kolkata where the films will be screened.

To celebrate 60 years of conquest of Mt. Everest, a segment has been dedicated to films on mountain expeditions.

Besides showcasing Bengali classics, a special section has been planned as a tribute to Charlie Chaplin and cartoonist Narayan Debnath.

A variety of sections including a showing on world cinema have been incorporated in the fest that ends Dec 28.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is happy that his father, veteran writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has been chosen to receive the coveted Sahitya Akademi award for his Urdu poetry. He says it is a proud moment for the entire family.

Javed, who has scripted many successful films like "Zanjeer, "Sholay" and "Deewar", among others, has been chosen for his book "Lava", a compilation of 55 Urdu poems.

"Our entire family is very happy. We are very proud of him and we always have been," Farhan told reporters here Wednesday at the red carpet of Big Star Entertainment Awards.

"This Sahitya Akademi award that he has got is very well deserved and I would like to congratulate all the recipients of the awards in various fields," he added.

Besides Javed, Hindi poet Mridula Garg and Bengali poet Subodh Sarkar have also been selected for this year's Sahitya Akademi award.

This literary honour is conferred upon writers for their outstanding work in the field of literature.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place March 11, next year during the annual Akademi's Festival of Letters organised by the Sahitya Akademi in New Delhi.

Yash Raj Films’ will be releasing a tub-thumping new version of their iconic Dhoom Machaale anthem song by the very talented actor, singer, dancer, theatre producer – Saba Azad. The song is backed by a cool new music video that features a mash-up of imagery from the entire Dhoom series, all the way from the first part. So in a first, viewers will get to see Aamir, Katrina, Hrithik, Aishwarya, John, Bipasha, Abhishek & Uday together in one video.

Saba represents the multi-faceted new age Indian woman who can rock whatever she chooses to take on. Added Saba, “I’m super excited to take a crack at such a huge hit that amazing singers like Sunidhi and Vishal Dadlani have sung before, it’s a privilege to feature in the video alongside Bollywood’s biggest names.”

While Kangana Ranaut has wowed audiences and critics alike with her performances over the years, the actress stepped into the dialogue writer’s seat as she penned a couple of dialogues for Viacom Motion Pictures & Phantom Films’ Queen directed by Vikas Bahl.

Given that Kangana plays a small town girl in the film , there was a reel life-real life connect which inspired the actress to contribute towards the dialogues.

Confirming the news says director Vikas Bahl, “I like it when characters find their own language in the film. That’s why, as Kangana got more into the character, I wanted her to have lines that came naturally to her”.

Says Kangana, “I have to talk like a real person and I have to be candid because I play the part of a shy, sheltered and submissive girl, who is very protected by her family”.

Says Rudrarup Dutta, Head of Marketing and Creative , Viacom 18 Motion Pictures , "When Kangna heard the script she just feel in love with the character of Rani, she could relate completely to her world, emotions and innocence. Kangana’s inputs on the dialogues have really enhanced the impact of the story and made Rani’s personality come alive ."

Viacom Motion Pictures & Phantom Films’ Queen directed by Vikas Bahl is scheduled to release 28th February 2014.

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who is also creating waves in the field of singing, will stage a livewire performance on New Year's Eve here. Energies will be on a high, says the "desi girl".

She will perform at the Park Hyatt hotel where percussionist Sivamani and DJ Dave Zobhaa will also raise the excitement level to ring in the New Year.

"The New Year is about new beginnings and I'm excited to collaborate with Park Hyatt Chennai, Sivamani and DJ Dave Zobhaa to create a perfect start to 2014! Energies will be at an all-time high as we move into 2014," Priyanka said in a statement.

"As an entertainer, my aim is to create an experience that engages, excites and inspires the audience. We collectively will make this a night to remember," she added.

In 2013, the actress did movies like "Zanjeer" and "Krrish 3". She was also part of movies like "Shootout At Wadala" and "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela", in which she performed on item numbers like "Babli" and "Ram chahe leela" respectively.

Priyanka also released her second international single "Exotic", featuring rapper Pitbull, this year.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Star of the Millennium award at the Big Star Entertainment Awards 2013 here. He says he was "embarrassed" when the audience stood for him as he received the award.

The 71-year-old received the award for his movie "Satyagraha" at the event held at the Andheri Sports Complex here Wednesday.

"The audience stands for me...So embarrassing to be in front of them. I quickly gesticulate to them to be seated...some did, others did not...still embarrassing," Amitabh posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com Wednesday.

The gala also saw some sizzling performances by actors Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sunny Leone, Elli Aavram, Nakuul Mehta and Mukti Mohan.

The fourth edition of Big Star Entertainment Awards was co-hosted by funnyman Sunil Grover and actor Shreyas Talpade. The duo had the audience in splits with their entertaining on-stage camaraderie.

Other celebrities in attendance included Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Siddharth Roy Kapur, Rakesh Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Ayan Mukerji, Rohit Shetty and Tigmanshu Dhulia.

The Big Star Entertainment Awards 2013 will air Dec 31 on Star Plus.

Tamil films "Thangameengal" and "Haridas" Thursday won the best film and the second-best film awards in the competition section of the 11th Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF).

Thursday's closing ceremony was graced by Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

The eight-day extravaganza concluded after screening 163 films from 58 countries.

Actress-filmmaker Sripriya, director R.V. Udayakumar and writer S. Ramakrishnan constituted the jury.

Filmmaker Ramsubramaniam's "Thangameengal" was lauded by the jury for portraying the sensitive relationship between a father and his daughter with a special focus on primary school education.

The director and the producer J. Satish Kumar received a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh each along with a trophy.

"I dedicate this award to all the fathers who have daughters because only they can understand the pain of the protagonist in the film," Ramsubramaniam said.

"I was touched when some people told me that they changed the school of their children after watching my film."

Ramsubramaniam also played the lead role in the film, which featured child artiste Sadhana in the role of the daughter.

The second-best film was awarded to G.N.R. Kumaravelan's "Haridas", a touching story of a father (Kishore) and his autistic son (Prithviraj Das).

A cash prize of Rs.1 lakh was presented to the director and producer V. Ramadoss.

"The true hero of my film is my producer because it's easy to find someone to fund a project like this. But my producer believed in me and encouraged me to complete the film. He was all along with us through the shooting for 60 days. I dedicate this award to him," Kumaravelan said while receiving the award.

Child actors Sadhana and Prithviraj Das were presented the special mention award for their outstanding performances.

The special jury award was given to actor Atharva Murali for his performance in Tamil period-drama "Paradesi", a story of tea plantation workers in pre-independent India.

This year, CIFF instituted a new award as a tribute to Amitabh Bachchan called "Amitabh Bachchan Youth Icon Award" following his presence at the closing ceremony of the festival last year.

This award along with a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh was presented to composer Anirudh Ravichander, who received the award from chief guest Rakeysh Mehra.

Mehra lauded the efforts of the organisers and said all of them were emotionally involved.

"Looking at the response to the festival, the cheer from the audience I can feel that everyone was emotionally involved in this. I believe audiences invest emotions and get connected with a film. I felt that connection with the audience as well as the organisers of this festival today," Mehra said.

Critically-acclaimed Italian drama "Great Beauty", French romantic-drama "Young and the Beautiful" and Japanese drama "Like Father Like Son" were showcased as part of the fest, along with several award-winning films from international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and Venice.

In the Indian panorama section, 17 films such as "Ship of Theseus", "Lucia" and "Sala Budha" were screened.

A special section on documentaries featured Hindi-Tamil "An American in Madras", veteran actor Gemini Ganeshan's Tamil romantic-drama "Kadhal Mannan" and a Tamil documentary on poet K. Subramanyam.

Apart from the films, the organisers this year also held several recreational activities like flash mob dances and musical performances.

Indian audiences are "hungry for good documentaries" and an increasing number of filmmakers here are showing a keen interest towards the genre. But a cohesive network to produce and promote documentaries is missing in the country, says filmmaker Pan Nalin.

"Indian filmmakers are waking up to documentary filmmaking, but we don't have network to produce and promote documentaries. Making documentaries is a thriving business and more successful than fiction filmmaking abroad," Nalin told IANS in an email interview.

"In the US and Europe, documentaries are often major theatrical releases. TV often broadcasts them at prime time," added the Gujarat-born filmmaker, whose movies "Samsara" and "Valley of Flowers" have been showcased at various foreign film festivals.

Currently busy promoting his latest documentary "Faith Connections", about five moving stories set against the backdrop of Kumbh Mela, Nalin said: "I'm very optimistic that the change will happen as I can see that the Indian spectators are beginning to get hungry for good documentaries".

"Faith Connections" was conceived from Nalin's trip to the Kumbh on the request of his father. At that place, he was curious to find the status of faith.

"It all started with a simple wish from my father; he wanted me to travel to Kumbh and fetch a bottle of holy Gangajal (water from the Ganges) for him. I myself was curious about status of faith in the 21st century.

"With all the modernity, science and technology that surround us - where does the belief in supreme force stand today? And above all, what is it like to be in the middle of a crowd of 60 million people?" he asked.

Nalin shot for a little over a month in the Kumbh Mela, knowing that this religious festival occurs only every 12 years.

"The film took about 40 days of shoot within the Kumbh Mela. We had about 80 hours of audio-visual footage. However, the real film was constructed while editing and it was not about hours or footage, but all about emotions and flow of information," said the filmmaker, who was born and raised in Umbreli, Gujarat.

Since funding models available for documentaries are "non-existent" in India, Nalin self-produced "Faith Connections".

"Even abroad, if you do not make a documentary within the norms of TV formats, it is nearly impossible to finance it. So, we started all on our own through our company Jungle Book Entertainment. Soon, Raphael Berdugo of Cite Films from France joined us," Nalin told IANS.

"Raphael really liked our approach and cinematic vision with which we wanted to show the Kumbh Mela. Thus, it became an India-France co-production," he added.

Even though the film, which is slated for theatrical release in 2014, received a thumbs up from critics and audiences alike at the Toronto International Film Festival, Nalin's dream is to see the film release in India.

"At the Toronto film festival, our film played to packed houses. People and press started loving it. But the real proof came when we started selling it to important international territories like France, Germany and Australia. We are now talking to the US.

"However, our dream will really be fulfilled when we will have a proper release date in India," he wished.

Nalin also finds the online space conducive.

"It is so encouraging to see people willing to pay and watch our film online. People are writing to us through social media across India. We are trying for a theatrical release and I face the same challenges, as any non-star movies would face - be it fiction or non-fiction," he said.

He is currently working on a Hindi-English bilingual titled "Angry Indian Goddesses", about modern-day Indian women.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who graced the music release of Adhyayan Suman-starrer "Heartless" here earlier this week, also gave the young actor a gift he is unlikely to ever forget - an autographed cricket bat.

For Adhyayan, it was a special moment.

"I idolise only two people in my life, my dad and Sachin Tendulkar. I felt numbed with joy when Sachin sir surprised me with his autographed bat. I couldn't stop kissing the bat," he said.

"I can't get over his presence at the music release (held here Wednesday). It will remain a dream that I'll cherish forever. I've sent the bat to be framed in a glass box which will be with me forever," he added.

Adhyayan's father Shekhar Suman, who has made his directorial debut with "Heartless", said: "Very honestly, Sachin's presence at our music release was an event that we cannot hope to better. For me, no promotion and no event can get bigger than this."