Luv Sinha is trying his best to make sure that his return to the big screen stuns with some awe-inspiring stunts! The actor recently took a stunt training workshop in Hong Kong, and says the experience was amazing.

Luv made his Bollywood debut with ""Sadiyaan: Boundaries Divide... Love Unites" in 2010. Now he will be seen in a film to be helmed by Umesh Shukla. He is said to be going out of his way to ensure that from the script to the stunts - every aspect of the movie is well etched-out.

That's why he made a 14-day trip to Hong Kong last month and returned to Mumbai in time to ring in the New Year, said a source.

For Luv, it was an enriching experience.

"Hong Kong is a city of action. Everyone is on the move and there is a lot of energy in the air. I was happy to be in a city where some of my favourite movies and actors are from. The opportunity to train there in the action and stunt workshops has been an amazing experience," Luv said in a statement.

"Their stunts, the action techniques are very different and that makes it an enriching experienceto learn all I couldduring my time there," he added.

Luv's role in the new film is said to require a great amount of intensity and action. Hopefully, the workshop works in his favour as he already seems to be beefed up to suit his character in the film.

Taking a leaf out of the latest red carpet looks of Bollywood ladies Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone and Kareena Kapoor, the vintage fashion of high-neck blouses are once again making inroads into the Indian fashion scene, designers say.

From short, traditional koti to a mid-sleeved tailored jacket to a kameez, the fashion runway has seen many a trend emerging. But high-neck blouses are the latest to grab the fashionistas' attention.

They are not only subtle and sexy but also easy to match with any attire - Indian or Western. Also, what better time than the chilly winter to carry off the look?

"High-neck blouses are back in fashion, they are easy to match with any attire, one can team them up with different types of lowers such as cigarette pants or pallazos or one can also wear them under jackets. They easily suit almost all body types," designer Kapil Arora told IANS.

Designer Pria Kataaria Puri said that "such blouses have a very Victorian look and project a very vintage image. Also, they can be worn on formal and informal occasions and they look very sensuous and stylish."

No wonder then that India's celebrities chose the style statement for some high-profile events.

Deepika sported a stylish high-neck blouse and minimal jewellery with an Anamika Khanna sari for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's birthday bash, while Kareena had also opted for a high-neck blouse with a net sari for the inauguration ceremony of an annual business conclave last year.

Who can forget Vidya's look at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2013? She made several heads turn with her Sabyasachi Mukherjee attire - a high-neck brown blouse with an ivory sari.

Nargis Fakhri, Sridevi and Dia Mirza too followed the trend.

The beauty of the six-yard wonder is that its sensuality remains intact whether one wears it with a cleavage-baring blouse - as Vidya did in "The Dirty Picture" - or with a more conservative yet stylish blouse - as at her Cannes appearance.

It's however better to be careful of certain factors before you choose to go for such a blouse.

"If you have short height, then try and go for shorter high neck collars as that will accentuate your height and for tall people, any width is suitable," said Mmonika Arora, who designs with her husband Kapil.

Puri said the choice of material is equally important.

"Blouses which feature high necks look wonderful with an exquisite lace trim and give a hint of romance. High necks look best in light weight, thin, soft and silky material," the veteran designer told IANS.

If you're on the heavier side on the upper portion of your body, nail the look with the right accessories.

"To take the gaze away from your bust, use short pendants that end above the bust. You can wear a good heavy bracelet to perk up the look. Scarves tied in a vertical knot and shawls and stoles are another great idea to cover up," Puri said.

There are other ways to style up the look too.

"One can try a fitted high-neck blouse with full sleeves, three-fourth sleeves or cut sleeves which will look very trendy. Zari embroidery or stone work around neck will always add that something extra to the attire," said designer Poonam Bajaj.

You can reach out to your local tailor to get one as cheap as Rs.500 or go in for an exquisite designer one for much more.

Thespian Tom Alter said that he learnt Urdu from his American Christian missionary father and read the Holy Bible in the language during his childhood days.

Alter recited five verses from the Bible in fluent Urdu in front of a huge and surprised audience, which roared in approval, at the inaugural of the All India Urdu Book Fair held as part of the 10-day Urdu Festival here Saturday night.

"How can Urdu belong to Muslims or any other particular religion when it described God's message with such beauty," Alter said, dismissing wrongly-held contentions that the Urdu language belongs to the Muslim community.

In fact, the Mussoorie-born Alter pointed out that Urdu was born, flourished and enriched in the sub-continent in the pre-Independence era.

Unfortunately, post-Partition in 1947, it faced discrimination in India with a section of people wrongly portraying it as a language of Muslims, Alter added.

"I learnt Urdu from my priest father and there was always an Urdu Bible (translated) on his table. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the Bible in Urdu," Alter said.

The "Aashiqui" actor also declared he had nothing against English, Hindi or any other language.

"While Hindi is the 'Sister language of Urdu', Urdu has a special flavour and power which other languages seem to lack," Alter said amid a huge round of applause.

Referring to fears expressed in some quarters that Urdu was on the decline and had no future, Alter said that on the contrary, Urdu doesn't need our help to survive. He added: "It is we who actually need this language."

During the Urdu Festival, Alter will stage his famous 90-minute solo-play on the late Indian scholar and political leader Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It revolves around the life and ideology of the great Muslim personality and portrays his clear opposition to the division of India and creation of a separate Pakistan.

Incidentally, since it has certain comments critical to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - another historical stalwart and colleague of Azad - the play written and directed by Saeed Alam has been banned in Gujarat.

The 14th Urdu Festival organised by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), was inaugurated Friday in the Muslim-dominated town in Nashik district by union Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan.

Actress Deepika Padukone got her name written in history after giving four back-to-back hits like "Chennai Express" and "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" in 2013. And on her 28th birthday Sunday, Bollywood celebrities wished she keeps ruling the film industry.

Celebrities like Karan Johar, Sonu Sood, Farah Khan and Priyanka Chopra took to Twitter to wish her.

Karan Johar: Happy Birthday Deepika Padukone. More power to you! Have another spectacular year! Loads of love.

Sonu Sood: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone. Keep ruling always. Stay blessed. And don't forget to bring your cake on the sets.

Farah Khan: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone. Stay blessed! Love you lots.

Priyanka Chopra: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone! Lovely to have known an amazing friend like you. Have a super year babe! Love always.

Manish Malhotra: Happy birthday gorgeous Deepika Padukone. Have a super year.

Boman Irani: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone, may you stay blessed. Have a super year.

Nargis Fakhri: Deepika Padukone happy birthday beautiful lady. May god bless you always.

Uday Chopra: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone. Lots of love. Have a great one!

Bipasha Basu: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone! Shine on. Love!

Riteish Deshmukh: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone - have a fantastic day ahead - big hug.

Huma Qureshi: Happy birthday Deepika Padukone. Much love, luck, joy and success.

Actor Arshad Warsi says he is "nervous and excited" to begin shooting for Manish Jha-directed "The legend of Michael Mishra".

"Good morning. Today, I start shooting for 'The Legend of Michael Mishra', nervous and excited," Arshad tweeted Sunday.

The comedy movie also features Boman Irani, Aditi Rao Hydari and Kayoze Irani.

Actress Mallika Sherawat feels there is a strong need to address women's safety and security.

"Right now as we speak, there's a woman suffering abuse! Every minute we don't do something, effects the life of a woman!" Mallika tweeted Sunday.

Mallika, who has featured in movies like "Murder" and "Welcome", was last seen on television in a reality show "The Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika".

After a string of celebrities decided to take the vegan way, Nargis Fakhri also thought of banning animal and dairy products. But soon realised her love for eggs.

"I want to be vegetarian. Actually, I really would like to be vegan but I love cheese cake," the "Rockstar" actress tweeted Sunday.

The 34-year-old also admitted her love for eggs in a series of tweets and is now planning to turn eggetarian.

"From today forward I will attempt to be vegetarian. I have had two cups of coffee so far. Darn can I have egg?" Nargis tweeted.

"Can I be vegetarian and eat egg?"

"Ok let me go start planning my new life as an eggetarian," she tweeted.

Nargis, who was part of John Abraham-starrer "Madras Cafe", will be next seen in David Dhawan directorial "Main Tera Hero", which also features Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz. The movie is scheduled to release April 4.

After wrapping up work, Superstar Shah Rukh Khan wished to spend time with his children. But due to their busy schedule, he couldn't have fun with them.

"Did lots of work today. Meetings, shootings, discussions and back home, but the kids are busy...bah! Guess it’s Jack’s dull day. All work and no play," Shah Rukh tweeted Sunday.

The "Chennai Express" superstar, who is married to Gauri Khan, has son Aryan, daughter Suhana and surrogate son AbRam.

On the work front, 'Badshah' Khan is busy shooting for Farah Khan-directed "Happy New Year", a musical heist, which also stars Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood and Boman Irani.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai believes that in near future the Indian audience will look for good content in a movie rather than the star cast, barring the Khans.

"Indian movie audience is going to demand only good story and narration irrespective of stars except Khans because of long relationship of 25 years," Ghai tweeted Sunday.

He is currently working on his upcoming movie "Kaanchi", a musical drama, which features Mishti, Kartik Tiwari, Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty.

Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh is happy that the shooting of his upcoming film "Villain" is happening near his residence.

"Nothing better than shooting right next to your house - 'Villain'," Riteish tweeted Sunday.

Actor Boman Irani replied to the tweet: "True, in fact I do my best acting at home!"

Iconic Bengali actress Suchitra Sen is "partially responding" to intermittent non-invasive ventilation support, but is not out of danger yet, a doctor said Sunday.

Sen was put on non-invasive ventilator support after her condition deteriorated two days back at the critical care unit of a city nursing home.

Though her oxygen saturation has improved since Friday, it still needs "continuous monitoring", said the latest medical bulletin.

"Because her health condition is fluctuating...we can't say that she is out of danger yet," said Subrata Maitra, member of the team of seven experts monitoring Sen at the Belle Vue Clinic here.

Sen's breathing problem worsened Friday, with her oxygen saturation dipping, thereby necessitating the ventilator support. Though her condition stabilised Saturday, owing to the continuously fluctuating oxygen saturation she was put on intermittent non-invasive ventilation.

"She remains conscious but little weak," said the release.

"Her other vital parameters like heart rate and blood pressure are stable," said the release.

"We are thinking of ending the course of antibiotics. Our aim is to clear the fluids and secretions that have accumulated in the respiratory tract," said Maitra.

The 82-year-old has been on nasal oxygen (through a flexible plastic tube) at her residence for the last few years.

She is receiving chest physiotherapy and her health condition has been reviewed by two chest specialists.

The veteran actress was undergoing treatment for a chest infection at the nursing home since Dec 23 and was taken to the CCU after her condition worsened Dec 28 night.

She is known for her performances in films like "Deep Jwele Jaai" and "Uttar Falguni" in Bengali as well as Hindi movies such as "Devdas", "Bombai Ka Babu" and "Mamta". She won the best actress award for "Saat Paake Bandha" at the Moscow Film Festival in 1963.

The mother of actress Moon Moon Sen quit acting in 1978. Since her retirement, she meets only a few people, including her daughter as well as granddaughters Raima and Riya Sen.

If Madhuri Dixit oozes talent, she is equally good at recognising and praising genius. Vidya Balan is the case in point.

Madhuri, who has replaced Vidya in the “Dedh Ishqiya”, says that she not only likes the latter's body of work, but was also the first one to talk about her talent.

Seen as conniving, scheming and sensual woman, Vidya wowed all and sundry with her performances in Abshishek Chaubey directed dark drama “Ishqiya”.

Praising the actress, Madhuri said: “Vidya is wonderful. She is a lovely actress and I not only liked her in 'Ishqiya', I also liked her in her first movie ('Parineeta')."

“I was the first one who talked about her in an interview, saying she is a good actress. I loved her in 'Dirty Picture' and 'Kahaani'. She is very talented.”

“Dedh Ishqiya” is coming out Jan 10 and it will see Madhuri, 46, in a completely different avatar. Helmed by Chaubey, the film also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, who were there in the original, along with Huma Qureshi.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is in awe of "Sholay 3D" and the stars associated with it.

The 3D version of the cult movie "Sholay" came out Friday.

Director Ramesh Sippy had pulled a casting coup for "Sholay", which starred the big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan.

Produced by G.P. Sippy, it became the biggest hit of 1975.

"'Sholay' - the dada of all movies. Go and see it, Amitji, Dharamji, Sanjeev Kumar, Hemaji, Amjad Khan, Jayaji, Aasraniji and Jagdeepji are superb," Salman, whose father Salim Khan co-scripted it with Javed Akhtar, tweeted Friday.

The 48-year-old has called the movie "a journey", and said that he has never seen such a performance in any movie.

"It's a cult film, experience it, it's a journey. The way the film is written, directed and produced 30 plus years ago," he tweeted.

"Seriously, never seen a better performed, directed, written, photographed, produced, acted, edited, background score, cameo roles are toh standing," Salman added.

The 3D version is the brain-child of Sacha, grandson of G.P. Sippy.

Can you imagine a wedding or a sangeet ceremony complete without a Bollywood song? "London Thumakda", the first song from Kangana Ranaut-starrer "Queen", joins the rich list of wedding songs.

A fun Punjabi number, "London Thumakda" video is live on YouTube. Filled with the electrifying beats of dhol and quirky lyrics, it will make you hit the dance floor instantly.

Set at a typical Indian wedding, the funny moments and onliners create a perfect wedding environment, with a touch of humour and will make everyone dance to its beats.

Composed by Amit Trivedi, the man who weaves magic with music, "London Thumakda" is penned by Anvita Dutt and sung by Labh Janjua, Sonu Kakkad and Neha Kakkad.

Presented by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, "Queen" is a Phantom Films' production. Directed by Vikas Bahl, "Queen" is scheduled for release Feb 28.

Continuous landslides, narrow and perilous roads - the journey of the "Highway" team was full of danger while driving down the road to Tabo in Himachal Pradesh to shoot for director Imtiaz Ali's road movie.

The crew members' perilous journey is captured in the latest episode of "Highway Diaries", a short video snippet.

They drove through the narrow and perilous roads of the northern state with continuous landslides. A big stone fell from the mountains and broke the windscreen of one of their cars, forcing them to halt and wait for the bulldozer machines to clear the road, said a statement.

The video diary ends with actress Alia Bhatt, who features in the film, delivering her lines that rightly describe the breathtaking location - "Tumne kabhi bataya nahi ki duniya aisi bhi hai, unbelievable! (You never told me that world is like this)".

Presented by Sajid Nadiadwala, "Highway", which stars Randeep Hooda in the male lead, captures the landscape of the various regions in the country.

The crew has already shot in Jammu, Delhi and Punjab. The film will hit theatres Feb 21.

A musical performance by singer-composer Palash Sen and his troupe Euphoria set feet tapping at an event organised at the renovated Connaught Place here to mark the centenary celebrations of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

Thousands of people, gathered in the Central Park of Connaught Place, Saturday evening cheered Palash's popular songs "Mai Re..." and "Dhoom - Pichak" which he was asked to repeat many a time by the enthusiastic public.

Mita Srivastava, wife of NDMC chairman Jalaj Srivastava, inaugurated the programme which was organised by the NDMC -- one of India's oldest civic bodies -- as part of its centenary celebrations.

On the occasion, NDMC engineers who were involved in the re-development of Connaught Place were also felicitated by the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA).

Ailing Bengali screen goddess Suchitra Sen, who has been keeping away from public life for the past three decades, Sunday allowed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to meet her at a city nursing home.

Overwhelmed after a 25-minute meeting with the actress, who has often been compared to Hollywood great Greta Garbo for her reclusiveness, Banerjee called herself "fortunate" and urged people to "pray for her early recovery and good health".

"I am undoubtedly fortunate enough to get an opportunity to meet her in person. I am overwhelmed and proud to meet the legendary actress whose films we have seen so many times. It is an emotional moment," Banerjee said on her Facebook page.

"I find she is improving gradually. Let us all pray to God for her early recovery and good health."

According to latest reports, Sen is "partially responding" to intermittent non-invasive ventilation support, and is stable, though not out of danger yet.

Banerjee had Jan 3 visited the Belle Vue Clinic where Sen is undergoing treatment.

However, the Trinamool Congress supremo had then restricted her visit to the doctors and Sen's daughter Moon Moon to respect the actress's well-known insistence on privacy.

"Later on, when she became a little stable, and came to know that I visited the nursing home to enquire about her health, she expressed her desire to meet me. (Subrata) Maitra, the doctor, communicated her desire and accordingly I rushed to the hospital and met her for about 25 minutes today. I also met Moon Moon, Raima, Maitra and others."

The actress, 82, was admitted to the nursing home Dec 23 following a chest infection and taken to the CCU after her condition worsened Dec 28 night.

She is known for her performances in films like "Deep Jele Jai" and "Uttar Falguni" in Bengali as well as Hindi movies such as "Devdas", "Bombai Ka Babu" and "Mamta". She won the best actress award for "Saat Paake Bandha" at the Moscow Film Festival in 1963.

Suchitra quit acting in 1978. Since her retirement, she meets only a few people, including her daughter as well as grand daughters Raima and Riya.

Sen even refused to accept the Dadasaheb Phalke award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, as she would then have had to receive it in person from the president of India.

Malayalam playback singer K.P Udayabhanu, who had been undergoing treatment for Parkinson's disease for several months, passed away here Sunday. He was 77.

"For nearly a year he had been undergoing treatment for Parkinson's disease. He breathed his last this evening at his residence at around 9 p.m.," a family source told IANS.

Born to N.S. Varma and Ammu Nethyaramma at Tharur in Palakkad on June 6, 1936, Bhanu's passion for music was passed on to him by his uncle K.P Appukutta Menon, a scholar in music.

At the age of seven, he learnt music from legends such as Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer, M.D. Ramanathan, Palghat Rama Bhagavathar and Flute Krishna Iyer.

He started his career as an announcer in All India Radio in 1955. Three years later, music director K. Raghavan offered him the opportunity to sing in Malayalam film "Nair Pidicha Pulival".

Udayabhanu had since then crooned over 50 songs. Some of his evergreen hits include "Ponvalayillenkilum", "Thamara Thumbi Vava" and "Vellinakshathrame".

He had also composed music for films such as "Samasya" and "Mayilpeeli". In 2009, Udayabhanu was conferred with the Padmashri award.

His last song was "Kaatu Paranjadum" from the 2010 film "Thanthonni".

He is survived by his son Rajeev.

Divya Khosla Kumar, whose first directorial venture "Yaariyan" is set to hit theatres Friday, has already started working on a new script.

"As a filmmaker, I have a lot of future plans. I have already started working on a new script. But it would be too early to talk about another film now as the release of 'Yaariyan' is just round the corner," Divya said here Sunday while promoting her first movie.

Divya, wife of T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar, is keeping her fingers crossed and hopes that the audience appreciates the film.

"We are going to a lot of TV shows, doing interviews...so definitely promotions are in full swing."

"I'm just hoping that the audience gives our film a good opening Jan 10 and there is a weekend after that. It is a very entertaining film, the audience will enjoy it and it will make you laugh and cry," Divya said.

"Yaariyan" is a college-romance film and marks the debut of Himansh Kohli and Rakul Preet Singh.

It also stars veterans Gulshan Grover and Deepti Naval.

Ace photographer Dabboo Ratnani's annual Bollywood calendar was launched here Sunday night, and Hindi cine stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu have appreciated his talent and creativity.

The calendar features candid and interesting shots of actors like megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh, Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan and Bipasha.

Here's what some of them had to say about Ratnani's new calendar:

Shah Rukh: This is the first time Dabboo has taken a picture of a man (me) in satin sheets. I was very tired as I was coming from work. So, Dabboo said: "It will be easy for you, just lie down, relax and I will take a picture of you".

Bipasha: All the pictures are nice. I especially love Alia Bhatt's picture because I am an animal lover and the cat that she is holding, I think, is her own cat. I saw a mug shot of Salman Khan, he looks extremely handsome. No one can match him. His style and elegance, I don't think anybody has it. At his age, he is such a rockstar, I don't think anybody can be like that.

Sonakshi Sinha: I enjoyed shooting with Dabboo thoroughly. The best part about working with Dabboo is that we always come up with something new. This year, we went into punk and I got a punk hairstyle and wore a cuff on my ear. The result is pretty good.

This is the 15th year of Ratnani's celebrity calendar. Others who feature in his calendar include Parineeti Chopra, Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Katrina Kaif.