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'Ya Rab'- Strong message on religious fundamentalism

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Film: "Ya Rab"; Cast: Ajaz Khan, Akhilendra Mishra; Director: Hasnain Hyderabadwala; Rating: ***

There is something to be said about a film that speaks out loudly against the religion of intolerance and the culture of violence.

And eye for an eye may be fine for an era gone-by. In today's day and age, just chill, and curb the rage.

That's the message this loud and melodramatic film puts across with a deafening gusto and a blinding sincerity.

While the treatment of the theme of anti-terrorism harks back to the Bollywood potboilers of the 1970s, there is clearly an abundance of passionate integrity in the depiction of the Good Religion and Bad Religion. The characters are seen sighing, bellowing, chortling or wailing....depending on what the background music commands them to do.

The storytelling accommodates dozens of characters , good and bad, all screaming for attentions in accessorised conspicuousness. There is something for every taste here, from a cute little boy who knows his holy scriptures in and out, to a speech-impaired teenager who suddenly discovers his tongue and becomes a human bomb in a terror attack staged in shopping mall.

The plot is a playground of heightened passion. Boutique-purchased costumes, beards and caps play pivotal characters along with the melee of actors who crowd the canvas.

Every sequence ends with an italicized exclamation mark. The grammar of storytelling is exceedingly elemental. But the heart is in the right place.

The characters tend to jump out of the screen with their aggressive moral righteousness, or inversely their religious fanaticism. Ajaz Khan, last seen making a nuisance of himself on "Bigg Boss-Saath 7", is fairly restrained in his cop-act.

Somewhere in the first-quarter of the crowded hectic storytelling, the veteran theatre and film actor S.M. Zaheer shows up to deliver an impassioned and effective monologue against the religion of intolerance. Zaheer makes you listen.

The rest of the cast is purely hammy, as per the need of the hour.

Director Hasnain Hyderabadwala works on an ambitious and volatile subject. The intention is certainly noble. But the vision doesn't quite match.

On the sheer strength of its valorous intention of exposing the pitfalls and sham of religious fundamentalism "Ya Rab" deserves to be seen.

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'Bobby Jasoos' not just a detective film: Vidya Balan

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Vidya Balan is not concerned about the horde of detective films being made currently like "Jagga Jasoos" and "Byomkesh Bakshi". The actress says that her film "Bobby Jasoos" has something more to offer.

Vidya says she is not looking at other films as competition.

"It's a female detective film but it's not just a detective film, it's a human story. I am not thinking of how different we are going to be because I don't think of other films. I am sure each film will be unique," the 34-year-old said here Friday at a radio station where she was present to promote her upcoming film "Shaadi Ke Side Effects."

"I am looking forward to what they do but most importantly I am looking forward to how people receive 'Bobby Jasoos'," she added.

While comedy-mystery "Jagga Jasoos" is a joint venture between director Anurag Basu and actor Ranbir Kapoor starring the latter in the lead, "Detective Byomkesh Bakshi" stars Sushant Singh Rajput and is being directed by Dibakar Banerjee.

"Bobby Jasoos" has been produced under Dia Mirza's as well as businessman Sahil Sangha's banner Born Free Entertainment and Vidya says the producers created a wonderful environment on the sets.

"'Bobby Jasoos' was great fun. We completed the film in 51 days flat in Hyderabad. Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha created an environment where everyone felt like they were contributing, they felt an ownership towards the film and we have all tried to do our best," said Vidya.

Praising new director Samar Shaikh, Vidya said "Samar is a new director but I must say he had us working very hard and I will also say he had us working happily hard."

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'Heartless'- stylish career relaunch for Adhyayan Suman

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Film: "Heartless"; Cast: Adhyayan Suman, Ariana Ayam, Deepti Naval, Om Puri; Director: Shekhar Suman; Rating: ***

You really can't put a good man down. Even when his heart breaks he bounces back stronger than before.

So it is believed. But watching actor-turned-director Shekhar Suman's directorial debut I am not too sure. His vulnerable ailing protagonist Aditya (played by the director's son Adhyayan) goes through a series of life-changing knife-in-the-heart experiences that leave him disenchanted and shattered.

"Heartless" is no ordinary coming-of-age story. It tells the powerful if illogical story of a young heir whose urgent need for a heart transplant puts him in an incredible medical and emotional crisis.

The screenplay by Nina Arora weaves the story of love and betrayal into a tenable if somewhat far-fetched medical condition known as anesthetic awareness.

The film is subtly sleek in appearance. The first half when the romance between the weak-hearted Addy and the girl at the hotel reception (newcomer Ariana Ayam, treacherously sweet and adequate) unfolds has a zipped up classy quality to it. The courtship is cluttered with unwanted songs. And just this once, they are excusable.

How can we have a modern day Devdas without the music flowing in his veins?

The Dubai landscape is glamorized by cinematographer Derrick Fong only to the outer limit of believability. The star son gets to drive sleek sports cars and wear designer suits only because he plays rich. The film's biggest USP is its restrained narrative. Nowhere does the director allow the inherent melodrama of the plot to overpower the characters.

The actors grapple successfully with characters that seem to belong to a daytime soap opera. Adhyayan Suman makes a confident comeback in the author-backed role. His eyes are filled with a pain that seems more existential than physical. He brings to his borderline-ludicrous character a sense of bridled tragedy and a stifled desperation evident in his breathless speech and anguished body language. He plays a life threatened with annihilation, stopping itself from falling apart in the nick of time.

Adhyayan's scenes with his screen mom Deepti Naval ring true even when they go from the real to the surreal to the other worldly. Shekhar Suman plays a kind of mentor-friend to Adhyayan with that jaunty gaiety that comes naturally to him.

Indeed if this week's other release "Hasee Toh Phasee" is at heart a father-daughter story, "Heartless" is a mother-son saga told with a tearful wave of the hand by a director who doesn't weigh down the narrative with excessive characters. The plot restricts its manoeuvres to just a handful of effectively etched designer-characters, in clothes to match.

While Adhyayan's character remains on its feet, the film works effectively and cogently. Once he is horizontal on the operation table the narrative suffers a rush of woozy incredulity requiring herculean amounts of suspension of belief from the audience. Tragically the sort of going-with-the-flow that the film demands from us is not justified by the thinned-out proceedings.

But all said and done "Heartless" works within its ambitious realm of love, betrayal and mortality. It makes an endearing departure from routine romances about broken hearts and mended morale. Director Shekhar Suman doesn't quite manage to hold the audience's attention in that spellbinding grip which the plot suggests. But the drama never sags.

This is a stylish career-relaunch for Adhyayan Suman.

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When crowd went berserk for Brahmanandam

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Telugu comedian Brahmanandam was mobbed by thousands of fans recently when he came here for the idol installation at Pathur Veerabrahmendra Swamy Temple. He left the venue soon after unveiling the idols.

"He was invited to unveil the idols Govindmamba Sametha Veerabrahmendra Swamy, Srimat Kalika Devi and installation of Sri Nandeeswara Dhwaja Stambham. We tried to keep it a low key affair but the public got to know and showed up in thousands," Chandrasekhar, organiser of the event, told IANS.

"He was supposed to address the gathering after unveiling the idols but he was so irked by the behaviour of the crowd that he left very quickly. The police had to intervene and control the mob which tried to approach Brahmanandam," he added.

The 58-year-old actor has appeared in over 1000 films in a career lasting over two decades. Some of his best films include "Aha Naa Pellanta", "Appula Appa Rao", "King", "Ready" and "Balupu".

He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri award.

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Rahman's son floors father with love

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Double Oscar winning composer A.R Rahman was floored by the love showered upon him by his son Ameen, who wanted him to stop recording and catch some sleep at 3 in the morning.

"I was arranging music for my new album, 'Raunaq', and suddenly a young chap comes and tells my sound engineer to shut down everything... He said that I have to sleep at least 7 hours a day and rest well. So, all plugs were to be pulled off and all computers to be shut down," Rahman posted on his official Facebook page, Thursday.

"I was surprised. It was Ameen. It took me 10 minutes to convince him to go and sleep. (I) had to promise him that I will catch up on my sleep for sure, and so I did. (It's) hard to believe that he is not a baby anymore," he further posted.

Rahman's latest album was Imtiaz Ali's "Highway". His work-in-progress albums include "Ai", "Sattendru Maarudhu Vaanilai", "Paani" and "The Hundred-Foot Journey".

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Honey Singh wants limited work now

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Unlike other singers who love to work on multiple songs at a stretch, Rapper and music composer Yo Yo Honey Singh wants to focus on quality over quantity.

"I don't want to work more. I want to do limited but good work," Honey Singh said here Friday at the launch of a book, Top 100 Celebrity Brands.

The singing sensation, who churned out hit Bollywood numbers last year including "Lungi dance", "Party all night" and "Horn okay please", further said he composes for a restricted number of people in Bollywood.

"I compose for very limited people in Bollywood as I am not a playback artist. I compose my songs and sing them," said the rapper, who recently recorded a track "Chaar bottle vodka' for Sunny Leone starrer "Ragini MMS 2".

"However, I also sing for other writers and singers but I have limited choice (of) regarding songs," he added.

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'Pannaiyarum Padminiyum' - heartwarming and heart-tugging

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Film: "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum"; Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Jayaprakash, Thulasi, Aishwarya Rajesh, Sneha, Neelima Rani and Balasaravanan; Director: S.U Arun Kumar; Rating: ****1/2

In a list featuring films that tug at your heart strings, debutant Arun Kumar's "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum" deserves to be right on the top.

An emotionally uplifting work, the film steers away from the commercial zone by constantly rewarding us with characters that not just entertain but stay with us hours after we leave the cinema hall. A slice-of-life story of four characters set against a village backdrop featuring a Padmini car in the centre. Even with a dawdling narrative, the film never ceases to amaze you with heartwarming performances and music, laced with humour at regular intervals.

A village landlord (Jayaprakash) falls in love with a Premier Padmini car at first sight. He gets to look after the car when its owner, his close relative, leaves town to visit his pregnant daughter. Pannaiyar, as the landlord is called by his village folks, hands over the car keys to his driver Murugesan (Vijay Sethupathi), who falls in love with it too.

The car becomes a lifeline of sorts to the villagers, who use it to transport a dead body, pick up stranded people on the road, carry goods from neighbouring village and even compete with a government bus, which happens to be the only motorized vehicle besides the car in the village.

Before you know it, the entire village falls in love with the car. But the rightful owner of the car is Panniyar's relative, who is likely to take away the car sooner or later. It's not the relative who takes the car away from them but a very close family member. Will the car return to Pannaiyar, who has been looking after it like his own son and bring back joy in his life?

Originally made as a short film, "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum" gets wonderfully transformed into a feature film. While the sluggish pace of the narrative may turn off a few, it is backed by probably the best screen performances in Tamil cinema in recent times. Be it Jayapraksh's endearing love for the car, his wife and daughter or Vijay Sethupathi's yearning to always hold the steering of the car or Thulasi's dream to see her husband (Pannaiyar) drive the car, the audience is swept off its feet because of their flawless acting.

The events weaved around the car shows us the importance of the vehicle in the story. We get to understand each character inside out because of the car and the role it plays in their lives. For instance, the car is just a luxury for the Panniyar's daughter, but for Pannaiyar, his wife and Murugesan, it is an important part of their lives. For the little boy, who saves up Rs. 5 for a ride in the front seat of the car, it's about never giving up on dreams.

With tighter editing, the film would have undoubtedly appealed to all sections of the audience. The romance between Vijay and Iyshwarya appears included to please the hero image of the former since every hero needs a heroine in Tamil cinema. It could have been trimmed by good 15-20 minutes, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the highly entertaining films of the year so far. Thankfully, the constant use of humour born out of the character played by Bala, keeps audiences entertained throughout.

Jayaprakash and Thulasi as a couple give career best performances. Their love and camaraderie is adorable, funny and emotional from the get go. Vijay Sethupathi was at his usual best, playing the character of a driver with ease. Bala as the loyal sidekick to the landlord's family evokes laughter with his slapstick presentation.

Justin Prabhakaran's soothing tunes breathe life into the emotional narrative while Gokul Benoy's cinematography aptly presents the rich montage of rural milieu.

Hollywood enthusiasts are likely to compare the film with Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed "Gran Tarino", but "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum" is very much original in many ways. As we celebrate little moments in our lives, here's a film that's reminiscent of one such moment.

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Soha Ali Khan's next to be helmed by Shivaji Patil

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After her last film "Mr Joe B. Carvalho" received mixed reviews from the audience, Soha Ali Khan is all set to embark on her next film which is being helmed by national award winner Shivaji Patil and is a "powerful story", says the actress.

Soha took to Twitter to announce the news Saturday.

"My next film is set in Delhi on October 31 1984 and is a powerful story directed by national award winner Shivaji Patil," the actress posted on the microblogging site.

Patil bagged the national film award for his Marathi film "Dhag".

The actress has been seen in other films like "War Chod Na Yaar", "Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns" and "Tum Mile".

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Chitra, Padma Subrahmanyam to receive Women Achiever awards

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Playback singer K.S Chitra and dancer Padma Subrahmanyam will be honoured with Women Achiever award here on the occasion of Women's Day March 9 by Raindropss, a youth-based social organization.

On the second anniversary of Women Achiever awards, Raindropss will felicitate K.S Chitra and Padma Subrahmanyam on March 9 on the occasion of Women's Day. A.R Reihana will preside over the celebrations," read a statement from Raindropss.

Other women achievers who will also be conferred with the award include singer Nithyashree Mahadevan, lyricist Kutti Revathi, social entrepreneur Girija Raghavan, costume designer Vasuki Bhaskar among many more.

In 2013, the Women Achiever award was conferred upon legendary playback singer P. Susheela and many more.

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Honey Singh sings for Big B's 'Bhootnath Returns'

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The latest flavour of the music industry, rapper and music composer Honey Singh, is all set to have megastar Amitabh Bachchan jive to his tunes in his upcoming film "Bhootnath Returns".

Big B took to Twitter to share his views about the singer and his experience of working with him.

"Yo Yo Honey Singh in the house for a song for 'Bhoothnath Returns'...cool and swag and urban...whatever the lingo meant," the 71-year-old posted on the microblogging site Saturday.

The rapper has also been signed for "Chaar bottle vodka" for the film "Ragini MMS 2" which will feature adult star Sunny Leone.

"Boothnath Returns" has been directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by T-Series.

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'Composers should not always compare work with money'

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National award winning Tamil filmmaker Seenu Ramasamy feels that celebrated music composers should not always compare work with money and also be open to working with low-budget films.

He rued the unavailability of legendary music composers for smaller films at the audio launch of Tamil thriller "Thegidi" Wednesday.

"I did comment about the unavailability of popular composers. I think they are unapproachable because their fee is exorbitant and small filmmakers and producers can't afford it. While legends like Illayaraja and M.S Vishwanathan composed music for star films, they were available for low-budget films as well," he told IANS.

"The fee of some composers is actually the budget of some films. Is money the only factor for these composers to choose projects? When a top composer works on a film, it creates a strong buzz and it will draw audiences to cinemas," he added.

Known for films such as "Neerparavai" and "Thenmerku Paruvakaatru", Ramasamy is currently busy directing Tamil drama "Idam Porul Eval".

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Sonakshi grateful to background dancers

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Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who has been delivering hit performances since her debut in 2010, is grateful to the background dancers who support her when she is dancing.

The actress took to Twitter to convey her feelings to the hard work put in by these dancers.

"Meet the dancers, the driving force of every act! These guys work so hard to make our acts look good! I feed off their energy...Thank you guys," Sonakshi posted on her Twitter Saturday.

The actress was last seen in "R...Rajkumar" along with Shahid Kapoor. The movie was received well with the audience.

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Alia wonders where she gets her energy from

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One movie old ALia Bhatt is gearing up for the release of "Highway". The actress, who is currently promoting the film, wonders where she gets this enthusiasm and energy from.

"Highway promotions starts again! Long day today but super charged! Wonder where this energy is coming from," ALia posted on Twitter Saturday.

The film has been directed by Imtiaz Ali and also stars Randeep Hooda in the lead.

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Lauren Gottlieb grown since debut

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Lauren Gottlieb, who made her debut last year with film "ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance", says that she has grown a lot as an actress and performer since then.

The actress took to Twitter to share her thoughts on her growth this past year.

"A day of reflection. Been one year since 'ABCD' was released. My life has changed so much in 365 days," Lauren posted on the microblogging site Saturday.

Lauren came into prominence after winning American dance reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" and later made her debut with the 3D dnce film.

She was also one of the finalists in Colors' dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa".

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After marriage my priority is family: Fahad Fazil

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Family is the most important for Malayalam actor Fahad Fazil, who Saturday got engaged to teenage sensation Nazriya Nazim.

The two stars got engaged here in the presence of their families and the marriage has been fixed for August.

To a question if Nazriya will continue to act after the marriage, Fahad said: "My priority is family but I have no issues if she acts."

"She understands what I meant. I am not sure if we will act again together," he added.

Fahad is the son of legendary Malayalam filmmaker Fazil, who launched, moulded and gave the career of many stars like superstar Mohanlal, Sobhana and numerous others, a big boost through his film in the eighties and nineties.

But strangely when the master director launched his son in 2001 in the film "Kaiyethum Doorath", it miserably failed and many thought that the career of Fahad in his debut film itself had reached a dead end.

Fahad however returned in 2009 to act in "Kerala Cafe". Then came an offbeat film "Chappa Kurishu" which clicked and since then he has had no reason to look back.

On their relationship, he pointed out that it was their families which took the lead and it ended in them deciding to get married.

Nazriya also seems confident of her new life after marriage.

"I need no preparation for a new life as his family is similar to mine," said Nazriya, who added that Fahad is one of her favourite actors.

Nazriya also denied media reports that she was a minor.

" No, no, I am 19," said the actress who began her career as a child artist in popular director Blessy's "Palunku" in 2006 and has acted in a dozen films.

And when asked if the age difference is going to be a problem, Fahad said: "My parents too have a similar difference and they are happily married for many years."

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Big B 'grooving, shaking' for 'Bhootnath Returns'

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, currently filming for his upcoming movie "Bhootnath Returns", shot a dance sequence for the movie and later said he feels that the choreographers sometimes forget he is "old to be still doing this stuff".

"Grooving and shaking with the young at the shoot for 'Bhootnath Returns', at times the choreographer and the production forget how old I am to be still doing this stuff ... But to be honest I did enjoy myself, despite the buckets of perspiration after each approaching summer heat-filled shot," Amitabh posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com Sunday.

The 71-year-old further said that after so much of dancing he does not regret missing the gym.

"And then, of course, the no regrets of not being able to gym, since, the workout during the song was enough to keep me going for a decade!" he added.

"Bhootnath Returns" is a sequel to the 2008 horror comedy film "Bhootnath" that also featured Juhi Chawla.

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Priyanka off to Delhi to promote 'Gunday'

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Actress Priyanka Chopra, along with her "Gunday" co-stars Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, is all set to take Delhi by storm. The trio is visiting the capital to promote their film.

"Delhi bound... Let's go take the capital by storm... The 'Gunday' on their way," Priyanka posted on Twitter Sunday.

Set in the 1970s, “Gunday” releases Feb 14.

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Arshad addicted to online shopping

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Actor Arshad Warsi says he is an online shopping addict as he ordered 12 pairs of shoes from a shopping portal.

"I am 100 percent convinced that I am a net shopping addict. I just received my order of 12 pairs of shoes that I don't need at all," the 45-year-old posted on Twitter Sunday.

Arshad started 2014 with two movies "Mr Joe B. Carvalho" and "Dedh Ishqiya", and he will next be seen in "The Legend of Michael Mishra".

He also tweeted that he is excited to shoot a promotional video for National Geographic channel.

"Super excited to shoot for one of my favourite channels, NAT GEO. Doing a promo for their new show which will be launched soon," Arshad tweeted.

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Angelic curls, side sweep hairdos for V-Day

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Angelic curls, commonly known as soft curls, is a hit for Valentine’s Day. Hairdos like braids and one side sweep are popular too, says an expert.

Makeover expert Aashmeen Munjaal explains how to get the trendy hairstyles:

* Angelic curls: Wrap your hair in curling barrels in outer upward direction for at least two hours and then open it up. There is a shorter route too: Just wrap up your hair and blow dry them.

* Loose braid: Straighten up your hair, remove all tangles, apply hair mousse and leave it for an hour. Divide your hair in different sections and make a loose french braid. To accessorise, you can go for tiaras, floral clips or pearls keeping in mind your attire.

* One side sweep: Tangle free your hair and give it a clean left side sweep. Accessorise it with cupid tiaras and fancy net hair accessories.

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Sometimes I find awards questionable: Ranveer Singh

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Actor Ranveer Singh, who has been attending numerous award functions of late, says that sometimes he is not so sure about them.

"Sometimes I find awards questionable. At times I get surprised looking at the winners' list... at times it glares out to me as well, but it's all subjective. For me, awards means live performance and I love live performances," Ranveer told IANS.

This year, Ranveer's "Ram-leela" got nominations, but his "Lootera" was snubbed.

Just like his co-star Sonakshi Sinha, he too is disappointed that the period love saga was not nominated despite getting critical acclaim.

He said: "It is very disappointing that the technical team of 'Lootera' didn't get their due credit. 'Lootera' is technically one of the superior films of Hindi cinema.

"I would rate 'Lootera' more than 'Ram-leela' as 'Ram-leela' was easier for me to do, while Lootera was tougher. I am proud of 'Lootera'. It's a timeless film. It's sad that 'Lootera' went unnoticed by many."

After the success of "Ram-leela", Ranveer will be next seen in "Gunday" and currently he is busy promoting the action thriller.

Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the drama, set in 1970s Kolkata, will see Ranveer teaming up with Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

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