The One Billion Rising campaign (OBR), which will see over a billion people rising to protest against violence against women, started here Thursday with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and former Miss India Gul Panag lending their support to the campaign.

In the capital, the OBR campaign will focus on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence and the apparent impunity with which the perpetrators get away all over the world.

The main protest will take place Feb 14.

Aamir and Gul sent video messages to show their support and they were played at the press conference organised here.

Aamir, who has touched upon the issue of women's emanicipation in his show "Satyamev Jayate", says its high time men should learn to be sensitive towards women.

"I believe that to combat violence against women we men will have to change. Hitting a woman does not exhibit a man's bravery. Instead, it shows how cowardly he really is. If we truly want to be real men, I believe, we will have to learn how to be sensitive," said Aamir in the video message.

Gul said: "When patriarchy is tied together with capitalism, imperialism and various social, economic and racial forces, violence against women is intensified. It gives men, who are the perpetrators of the violence, a sense of impunity to go ahead and inflict this violence."

OBR focuses on "love" and "justice" for women and girls, says Kamla Bhasin, South Asia coordinator of the One Billion Rising campaign.

"It is the love of power that leads to violence and domination. Over a billion women and girls are victims of various forms of violence in the world. It has in fact been described as the biggest war ever against any community; one that goes on within our homes and communities," she said and added that the campaign looks forward to "peaceful homes".

The campaign has drawn support from people from all walks of life.

Samarthyam, an NGO that works with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), will be highlighting the need to make public spaces and the transit infrastructure, including the Delhi Metro, more accessible and safe for girls and women through audio announcements at all metro stations.

Delhi NGO Manas will organise training sessions for one lakh auto drivers to teach them the importance of the safety of women.

Organisations working on section 377 are also participating in the campaign, which will also be raising its voice against homophobia, racism and discrimination against people from the northeast or Africa.

Similar programmes are being held in all the states in the country and in neighbouring countries in South Asia.

Actor Ranveer Singh, who will be seen with Govinda in his next film "Kill Dil", says he is excited to do a dance number with the latter in the film.

"I am very excited to work with Govinda and he is playing a negative role and its my dream come true to work with him. We also have a dance number together in the film and I am thrilled about it," Ranveer told IANS.

The actor is very fond of Govinda and also paid tribute to him at an awards function.

Directed by Shaad Ali, "Kill Dil" also stars Rani Mukerji, Parineeti Chopra and Ali Zafar.

Many Bollywood actresses gave up studies to act and actress Chitrangada Singh says sometimes circumstances make people take the step but she won't propagate it.

"There are different circumstances...not something that I would propagate or set as an example...education is extremely important. It's your buffer for the rest of your life...

"Sometimes, things happen and you don't get the time to do what you should do otherwise. It's not just the (acting) industry, you see a lot of industrialists too," the "Inkaar" star told IANS in a telephonic interview from Jaipur, where she paid a visit to teach children at the P&G Shiksha School.

"Education gives you another perspective and opens up your mind. You become intellectually more stimulated more than anything else. It makes you more eager and anxious to learn and grow. And that is something you bring as an actor on screen as well," added the alumnus of Lady Irwin College.

The mother of five-year-old boy Zorawar with golfer-husband Jyoti Randhawa, says it is important to set good examples in front of children as well.

"You can teach by example. If parents are not sitting and watching TV all day or working on computers and go out and do something, kids will follow. We go fishing, sky diving, swimming or indulge in different kinds of sports," said Chitrangada.

The decks were cleared for the release of the Bollywood movie "Ya Rab" Friday after its producers told the Bombay High Court that certain objectionable scenes and dialogues have been deleted.

The Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (JUeM) had filed a public interest litigation before the court Wednesday challenging the release of the movie on grounds that it portrayed madrassas as schools of terror.

The matter came up before a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M. S. Sanklecha Thursday, said petitioner and JUeM spokesman Gulzar Azmi.

At the hearing, counsel for the movie producers informed the court that the objectionable portions have been replaced and hence there is no material at present calling for a stay on the release.

Accordingly, the court declined to grant a stay on the release of the film.

However, the matter has been adjourned till Feb 13 to enable the JUeM approach the court afresh after suitably amending the petition if any objectionable material is found in the movie, said Azmi.

Besides the depiction of madrassas as schools of terror, the JUeM questioned the portrayal of madrassa 'aalims' (teachers) allegedly brainwashing their students to prepare them for Jihadi activities, Azmi had said in the petition.

He said are upset by this "blatant, fictitious and wrongful depiction of 'madrassas' and the teachers" who impart teachings to the Muslim students there.

"In fact, a 'madrassa' not only imparts quality education, but also gives shelter to orphans. They are not centres of any such anti-national activity. There are no incidents anywhere in the state where any terror act or anti-national activities are associated with a madrassa," Azmi argued.

"The exhibition of such gross untruths on the big screen can create general disturbances and also lead to communal disharmony," he maintained.

His lawyer Ansar Tamboli said that the censor board has already rejected the film by not issuing it a certificate for exhibition. Later, the film-makers went to the review board where it was rejected.

"It was only after they appealed to the Film Certificate Appellate Tribunal that they finally secured permission to release the movie with a U/A certificate. But we shall oppose the release in the present form," said Tamboli.

Directed by Hasnain Hyderabadwala, "Ya Rab" is being promoted and released through veteran film personality Mahesh Bhatt's company, Vishesh Films.

Actress Madhuri Dixit says that she has shared some "electric" scenes with Juhi Chawla in the forthcoming movie "Gulaab Gang".

"There are many scenes where we are giving exchanges (eye stares) to each other, (there are) very crackling scenes and give-and-take sequences which are like electricity," the 46-year-old said here Thursday at a radio station.

Madhuri also talked about the action and stunts she has done in the film.

"First time I have done strong and real action. I have done everything myself, there is no stunt double. I enjoyed and hope the audience also does. But nowhere do they look forced, it's comes very naturally in the film, be it action or even the songs," said Madhuri.

Directed by Soumik Sen, "Gulaab Gang" hits the theatres March 7.

Abhinav Kashyap admits he's always lived under the tutelage of his elder brother and acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, but his record-breaking directorial debut "Dabangg" helped him come into his own.

Considering himself fortunate to have a gifted sibling like Anurag, he also admitted learning the nuances of filmmaking from his brother.

"I have always been compared to him and I have always lived under his shadow. But with 'Dabangg' I was able to come out of it," Abhinav told IANS in a telephonic interview from Lucknow.

"We both make different kinds of films and we have both created a name for ourselves. I have learnt my work from him; so his shadow is a good one," he added.

Asked if the brothers take advice from each other, the 39-year-old said: "We don't discuss before accepting a project, but we do discuss after that. We value each other's opinion. I give him a mass entertaining opinion and he gives me a very cinema-literate opinion."

Abhinav's second film "Besharam", which featured Ranbir Kapoor and newcomer Pallavi Sharda, did not do well at the box office and he says the reason was the "mixed reviews".

"After 'Dabangg' people had an expectation from me, and I guess I was not able to meet up their expectation. That's what went wrong with 'Besharam'. People who love me were expecting something different from it. But the outcome was not as expected; so they were harsh with the movie," he said.

Did Ranbir's presence assure him of the movie's success?

"There was a sense of comfort. Ranbir is a young rising star. But we were aware he is not that popular in the masses market. If you look at 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', it did well in A-list cities, but not in the other parts. But, yes, I was expecting more from the movie because of Ranbir."

Recently, even Salman Khan-starrer "Jai Ho" failed to lure audiences and the director feels that the public has finally reached a "saturation" level where Bollywood masala movies are concerned.

"That's the message that is coming. I guess the audience now wants more than masala films. It might have saturated. Cinema is growing at a faster pace and things are changing every day. So it's difficult to judge," he said.

Anurag, known for making off-beat films like "Black Friday" and "That Girl in Yellow Boots", recently gave hits like "Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 and Part 2" as well.

Making films like his brother might be a good "opportunity", says Abhinav after his recent experience with "Besharam", which will premiere on Zee Cinema Saturday.

"Now is the opportunity. I had immense pressure after 'Dabangg', but the pressure is off now. So, I think it's the right time to make more serious cinema. I am still exploring the possibilities," the filmmaker said.

Abhinav is also into writing - he penned the script for "Dabangg" and "Besharam" as well as Telugu action film "Gabbar Singh".

Talking about his next project, he said that he has just started writing it.

"I can't reveal much about my next project. I have just started writing it. But I can tell you that it will be a romantic drama," Abhinav said.

Film: "Hasee Toh Phasee"; Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Siddharth Malhotra, Adah Sharma; Director: Vinil Mathew; Rating: ****

She is certifiably wacko, eats toothpaste, hobnobs with foreign powers, steals from her father, talks Mandarin and bluntly asks her sister's fiance to marry her.

"I promise I won't run away...Life-time guarantee," Parineeti Chopra, as the zany fey and mad Meeta tells Siddharth Malhotra in a beautifully written and directed sequence in an empty bus.

Ab bus bhi karo! How many more commercial Indian films are going to be set in the Great Big Fat Indian Wedding? And really, after Kareena Kapoor in Imtiaz Ali's "Jab We Met", Kangna Ranaut in Aanand Rai's "Tanu Weds Manu" and Katrina Kaif in "Mere Brother Ki Shaadi" , there's nothing runaway brides can do to shock us any more...

So wait, don't go away. The good news is, there is no runaway bride in "Hasee Toh Phasee". But don't break into a Bhangra as yet. Because there is a runaway bridegroom.

Set during a Gujarati wedding between two souls who are not meant to be together, the film at heart is not a comedy at all...unless you think a grown-up girl who is locked up for hours in a room peeing in her pants is funny....so I wonder why it was promoted as one!

Though the surface mood of the film is skittish and cheeky, "Hasee Toh Phasee" is an unmistakably somber study of dysfunctionality as seen during a time of tremendous festivity.

So here's the the all-too-familiar scenario. Nikhil(Siddharth Malhotra) is about to marry Ms Money. Luckily for Nikhil and for the audience Karishma, as played by the sweetly believable Adah Sharma, is not a rich bitch like the hero's embarrassing fiancee in this weeks other release Babloo Happy Hai. She is rich. But not a bitch. Got that?

The characters in this darkly humorous tale of misfits and other adventurers steadily remain within the realm of the believable even the situations handed over to them by the uneven but effective script wobble dangerously out of control.

Many sequences such as the one where Parineeti takes a brood of old wedding guests through a wild walk through the bustling lanes of Delhi , lose their warmth in translation. They must have sounded engaging on paper, though.

Nonetheless there is so much here that just warms up the inner-most spaces in our hearts.

The longish sequence where Nikhil takes Parineeti outside her home so she can get a glimpse of her estranged father, or that moment when Nikhil picks her up from a dingy guest house...these are bravely written scenes.

The director is not afraid of silences. Several episodes are done without the prop of a background score. While there are too many songs popping up here there and every-wail, the "Zehnaseeb" track that shows up at the climax adds just the right flavour and fervor to the proceedings.

There are many sluggish moments in the storytelling. You wish the editing would have been tighter. You wish the film's setting and festive mood had been less cliched. And you wish there wasn't so much stress on catching the characters in a constant condition of quirkiness. It's like watching decent people on pot and on the potty all the time.

But then there is Parineeti Chopra, so wonderfully articulate even as she grapples to command the gibberish grammarof her character's screwed-up personality. It's definitely not easy to play a wacko with such steadfast empathy. Parineeti again proves herself one of the finest actresses of our times.

Siddharth Malhotra seems more taken up with putting his best profile forward on screen. He struggles to subjugate his innate vanity and look sincere in his space. But it's a losing battle. One doesn't see the actor identify with his character's wayward entrepreneurship and his sudden discovery of a protective warmth towards the zany girl who jumps in to his life.

Mohan Joshi as the bride Adah Sharma and the bride's sister Parineeti Chopra's father gives a first-rate performance. To me this is more a father-daughter drama than a loverboy-wackogirl rom-com.

No matter how you look at it, the film and every rich resplendent moment in it, belongs to Parineeti Chopra. She irons out all the rough spots in the storytelling, hides all the wrinkles in the jaded plot and makes her character seem far more empathetic than it would have been in a lesser actress' hands.

Yup, if the film gets your undivided attention it's because Parineeti won't let us look away.

Parineeti Chopra and Alia Bhatt will soon be seen together on filmmaker Karan Johar's "Koffee with Karan" show and the former says that they have agreed to come together to bury all rumours of a tiff between them.

"We actually went on the show to tell everyone that there is no problem between us. She has been my friend even before (her) 'Student of the Year' released and nothing has changed between us," the 25-year-old Parineeti said at a press meet Thursday for her film "Hasee Toh Phasee" that released Friday.

Alia had earlier came on the show with actors Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan where she adviced Parineeti to take some help for her dressing style.

Parineeti has no problems with her suggestion.

"She had genuinely like a friend said that Parineeti should be careful about her dressing style. We wanted to tell everyone there is no problem between us and that's why we went on that couch," she added.

Filmmaker Farah Khan is thrilled to have Shah Rukh Khan back on the sets of "Happy New Year" and is trying to whip up some "one-legged moves" for the superstar.

Farah took to Twitter to share her excitement for the day.

"Exciting day ahead! Entire star cast of 'Happy new Year' in a song starting today...will figure out some one-legged moves for Shah Rukh Khan. It may just start a trend," Farah posted on the microblogging site Friday.

The film also features Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah and Deepika Padukone.

Huma Qureshi, who is busy with the special screening of "Dedh Ishqiya" at the Berlin Film Festival Friday, is missing the rest of the cast - Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, as well as director Abhishek Chaubey.

"In a few hours a special screening of 'Dedh Ishqiya' in Berlin...missing Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Naseer sir and director Abhishek Chaubey," she posted on Twitter Friday.

The film was a comeback for Madhuri Dixit and received mixed reviews at the box office.

Mandira seems to be torn between her craving to gorge on sweets and her desire to loose weight. After giving up chocolates, Mandira is on to red velvet cake, which she says will bring her "downfall".

"First it was chocolate. Which I grudgingly gave up completely. And now it is red velvet, that will bring about my downfall," Mandira posted on Twitter Friday.

Mandira was last seen in TV show "24", which required her to stay fit as a fiddle.

Actor Amit Sadh, who made a successful Bollywood debut with director Abhishek Kapoor's "Kai Po Che!" last year, says that he is waiting for his chance to work with acclaimed filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

"I am eagerly waiting to work with Anurag sir. I am sure I will definitely become a part of his canvas someday," Amit Sadh said here Thursday at the launch party of LG G Flex smartphone.

"It is one of my biggest wishes. He is one of the best filmmakers this country has. I am just waiting for my chance to work with him," he added.

In his upcoming films like "Running Shaadi.com" and "Guddu Rangeela", Amit is working with filmmakers like Shoojit Sircar and Subhash Kapoor.

Celebrate this Valentine's Day with love, of course, but oodles of style. Try sheer maxi, coral outfits and more.

Designer Anita Dongre, who is also the creative director of western wear brand AND, has picked few style infused looks to flaunt this Valentine's Day:

* Coral is the new red: Coral is the season's hottest hue. The shade can be worn for a leisurely brunch or even for a night out.

* Cropped tops and jackets: You can flaunt your mid riff in a fitted cropped jacket or top. Pair your crop top with flowy palazzos or even shorts.

* Slit Maxi Skirts: It is the best way to show off those hot legs. Team with a short tailored jacket for an effortlessly chic look.

* Sheer Maxis: Opt for full length dresses with sheer panels. Glam up your look with high heels and bright lips.

Upcoming production house Mystic Wanderer Innovative Media, in association with Skorpen Productions, will be be producing Hollywood film "Saffron Skies" after signing a deal with SAI Multidimensional Services Private Limited.

"We found the concept of 'Saffron Skies' by Mystic Wanderer Innovative Media very motivating and interesting, hence we decided to invest in the venture," R.D. Sharma, CEO, SAI Multidimensional Services, said in a statement.

"Saffron Skies" is a travel journey of a cancer survivor who discovers himself by travelling and absorbing the beauty, diversity and culture of this country. Hollywood action director, Joe Skorpen, has written the script and will also be directing it.

"It is our dream project. and we are glad to have got financial backing from Sai Multidimensional Services," said Sumeet Kumar, CEO, Mystic Wanderer Innovative Media.

The co-producers of "Hasee Toh Phasee" - Karan Johar, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl - have done cameos in the film and Parineeti Chopra, who has a lead role in it, says it was all in fun.

"He (Karan Johar) has done a cameo. In fact, producers Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena have also done small roles. It was just out of fun and play and they were sweet enough to say yes," the 25-year-old said here Thursday in an interview.

Meanwhile, Sidharth Malhotra, the male lead in the film, says although Karan and producer Anurag Kashyap knew the content of the film beforehand, they were amazed to see the final product.

"Both of them knew the content but they were still surprised to see the kind of film that has come out. Vinil has created a new world in his film and the comic scenes are such which invoke laughter on things that no one could have thought off. All this has surprised anurag and karan. So it's good when two big filmmakers like your work," Sidharth said in the interview.

"Hasee Toh Phasee", released Friday also features Adah Sharma.

Known to be a game-changer when it comes to pushing the envelope with films that are unique, John Abraham is now gearing up to produce a biopic on the Indian wrestler ‘The Great Gama’, in which he will play the titular role.

Born in 1880 in Punjab, Gama, who remained undefeated his entire career spanning more than 50 years, was awarded
the Indian version of the World Heavyweight Championship on 15 October 1910.

Produced by JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films, the biopic on Gama will be directed by Parmeet Sethi. Sources close to the actor reveal that the script of the film has been finalized and the pre-production of the film has already started 3 months ago. Considering that John will be playing one of the world’s greatest wrestler, it is understandable that the famous Abraham physique will be on display for his fans in the film.

Actor Arjun Kapoor's sculpted muscles have surely helped him to gain women's attentions. His trainer Kyle Arthur says the secret lies in fitness programme called RAW28.

"I have developed a programme to sculpt, shape and develop Arjun's physique into something truly impressive. I call this plan, RAW28. We have used this plan in recent weeks to ‘shock' the body, to produce a new stimulus and force the body to adapt," Arthur told IANS.

"RAW28 is the complete mixture of strength, endurance, and functional training to ensure the body is always guessing what's next, and that's the key to adaptation," he added.

Arthur said he and the "Ishaqzaade" star set objectives that would allow them to train effectively, but also to ensure the training being endured was enjoyable and would provide the mental stimulation enough to allow for 12-hour work days and remain motivated to exercise.

The trainer has introduced high intensity interval training (HIIT), which consists of sets of 100 percent output followed by timed rest periods.

"This has allowed for much greater fat loss than the use of conventional ‘cardio' paired with increased testosterone levels and a rapid increase in his metabolism. I have Arjun training with weights four times a week entwined with our personalised HIIT sessions, cross-fit inspired sessions, and functional sessions."

"The training, specifically the combination of training, is taken from a system of my creation; the RAW28 programme," he said.

Diet is also important, so the nutrition plan on the RAW28 programme has been designed to support significant fat loss, build lean muscle tissue, and even gain strength.

"It starts with a breakdown of ‘macro-nutrients' - carbohydratess, proteins and fats. Once these are broken down we accumulate the necessary ratios and then we are ready to choose the most appropriate foods to fit these ratios - for example, a diet of 2500 kilocalories may consist of 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fats."

Arthur says sports supplements will never replace food and a good nutrition plan. However, they are crucial for anyone wanting to push their bodies to the max, which Arjun has certainly been doing while on the RAW28 plan.

Actor Ranveer Singh is famous for his gimmicks and the actor himself says that he finds it difficult to stay serious for a long time.

The 28-year-old was seen essaying a very serious character in the movie "Lootera" and he had a very difficult time shooting for it.

"I find it very difficult to stay serious for a long time," Ranveer said during the shooting of UTV Stars' show "Breakfast To Dinner".

The episode of "Breakfast To Dinner" featuring Ranveer will air Sunday.

Actor-producer Ajay Devgn, who has a very reserved image in the industry, has been signed as a brand ambassador of hosiery brand Sirtex Eazy.

The actor launched the brand in Goa Friday, and said that the location has always been lucky for him.

"I have shot for many films in Goa. I love Goa and I feel Goa has always been lucky for me. I hope it is lucky for the Sertex association as well" Ajay told reporters.

The actor, who will be seen in upcoming action film "Action Jackson", added that he was very satisfied with the inner wear after trying it.

"I really liked the brand. I tried the inner wear and it's very good and comfortable ... I also liked the way it (the commercial) has been shot with some humour," said Ajay.

The iconic Gateway of India has always been a symbol of huge pride for all Mumbaikars, including Sidharth Malhotra, Abhay Deol and Parineeti Chopra, who all have some memories attached with the place.

As a part of an initiative to honour the monument, HISTORY TV18 will be showcasing a special episode on the history on Gateway of India in the show "Mumbai in a New Light".

The monument was lit up Jan 24 as a part of a collaboration between Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and Philips.

The episode will also feature actors Sidharth, Abhay and Parineeti who find themselves attached with the iconic tourist spot in one way or the other.

"Gateway of India is one of the most iconic monuments of India and of course in Bombay, we have seen it in many Bollywood films where they show establishing shot of Bombay there with the pigeons flying off. The first time when I went there, I tried the same thing to get pigeons and shoo them away and try and imagine that shot in my head," Sidharth said in a statement.

Parineeti also visited the monument when she came to Mumbai for the first time.

"When I came to Mumbai for the first time, within a few days I remember, as a tourist, I went to the Gateway of India and in fact I went on the ferry for a small round, so it was a great thing to do at that time," she said.

Abhay's connection is a bit different. The actor remembers it as a part of a movie schedule.

"I remember during the shoot of 'Zindagi's' ('Zinadagi Na Milegi Dubara') last number, 'sooraj ki baahon mein' I think...it was shot in Alibaug and to go to Alibaug you have to catch the boat, so the Gateway of India is always your one point to alight," he said.

The special episode will provide an insight into what went into the making of this historical monument with interesting anecdotes from the great grandson of the builder of the Gateway. The show also features never before seen footage of events that have taken place at this historic location.

The episode will be telecast Saturday.