Actress Anushka Sharma, who is being talked about for her fuller lips, denies going under the knife for the new look. She attributes her changed looks to a temporary lip enhancing tool for her role in the upcoming movie "Bombay Velvet".

The speculation started after Anushka, who made her Bollywood debut with "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", appeared on "Koffee With Karan".

The 25-year-old took to microblogging website Twitter to deny reports of having undergone cosmetic surgery.

"...Lately there has been a lot of talk about me in this particular episode of 'Koffee with Karan'. Mainly regarding my lips. I am here to just convey what I have to say regarding the same. I am talking about it only because this story has taken a scary direction and things have been 'blown out of proportion' (pun intended)," Anushka tweeted Monday night.

"For a short while now, I have been using a temporary lip enhancing tool and that along with make-up techniques (I have learnt over the years) is the reason why there might be a change in the appearance of my lips.

"...Let me assure everyone that I have by no means gone 'under the knife' or done any kind of 'plastic surgery' or undergone any intrusive procedure. This was my decision and was done for the sake of my look in my upcoming film 'Bombay Velvet', a period drama where I play a jazz singer in the 1960s-1970s. And it was taken from the referencing of that time," she added.

The "Band Baaja Baaraat" star further said that her changed looks on the show "is due to lot of factors put together" and not just her lips, and she doesn't think that she was at her best in terms of her looks.

She said that she is setting the record straight once and for all.

"To put the current conjecture and reportage straight once and for all - I do not believe in plastic surgery or any other means of unnatural permanent changes to the body. I do not support it or stand for it or recommend it," she posted.

The actress gets support from her contemporaries Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

Sonam tweeted: "Kudos to Anushka Sharma for addressing unfair criticism head on... have always admired her as an actor and now I definitely admire her as a person."

Alia posted: "Way to go Anushka Sharma. People are dealing with a strong girl here so say what you want... nothing is bringing her down."

Karan Johar, host of "Koffee With Karan", also praised her.

"Anushka Sharma is a powerhouse of talent and the downside of social media cannot and will not take away the core of her creative existence," he tweeted.

Be it her flawless skin or well worked-out body, Katrina Kaif has always been known for her beauty. But the actress feels "there is more to beauty than just the physical appearance".

"I feel it is important not to get overly obsessed and overly carried away with just the physical aspect. There is more to beauty than just the physical appearance. You are also a complete person and a woman should have an identity beyond just the way she looks," Katrina told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

Media appearances and film shoots are regular in the actress' life, which require her to look perfect at all times. This can be "tough", said Katrina.

"It is tough in a way. You are a human being at the end of the day and everyone has his or her good days and bad days," she said.

Hair and make-up can be challenging for the actress, but the people who she works with often make the "time consuming" job into fun.

"I think the hardest thing is the hours spent in hair and make-up every day. It is time-consuming, but it can be fun when you are working with a new team," said the 30-year-old.

She also says that keeping skin healthy and hair shiny is a tough job. You have to "keep at it", says the actress, even doling out tips for this purpose.

"Start with a good diet and healthy food. This is important for the body. You need to see that the products that you use are of the best quality...you have to make sure you are protecting your skin with a sun screen, using good shampoo and conditioner on your hair because that is something that we don't take seriously," said Katrina, who recently launched hair care range "6 Oil Nourish Hair care" by beauty brand L'Oréal Paris.

The five must-haves in her daily routine are also equally practical and easy to follow.

"Sun block, lip balm, a good shampoo and conditioner and a leave-in serum after you wash your hair, to apply," she said.

For someone, who is often seen in formal gowns and extravagant saris at public events, Katrina's personal style statement is simple.

"It is very casual, simple... basic jeans and t-shirt, maybe summer dresses...I am very simple outside of my work," she said and added that her public appearance is an "extension" of how she really is.

"I think that is an extension of me. I don't think I go overboard when I go out or dress up," she said.

On the movie front, the actress was last seen in "Dhoom 3", which did extremely well at the box office. Katrina played a gymnast in the action drama.

"For me every film is special. In 'Dhoom', whether it was the acrobats or songs, they interested me at that time," she said.

She added: "The kind of roles which I am doing is what I am happy with...you go through different phases where you are looking for different things."

Actress Alia Bhatt says she would love to be directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt, but she doesn't think it is going to be possible.

Alia made her Bollywood debut with "Student Of The Year", which also marked the launch of actors Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.

While Varun's second film "Main Tera Hero" is directed by his father David Dhawan, Alia doubts she will ever get a chance to work under her father's direction, no matter how much she wants it.

"I would love to be directed by my father, but I think he won't return to direction for anybody. That's not possible," Alia said here.

Mahesh Bhatt, who is credited with movies like "Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin", "Aashiqui", "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" and "Zakhm", last directed the Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt starrer "Kartoos" in 1999.

Alia is awaiting the release of her next film "Highway", helmed by Imtiaz Ali.

The 20-year-old believes she is "very competitive", but said: "I am not competitive in a negative way...competitive in a way to outshine myself."

"Gulaab Gang" director Soumik Sen, who has penned the biopic on legendary actor-singer Kishore Kumar, says while writing the movie, he felt like going behind the camera for it as well.

The biopic, which will feature Ranbir Kapoor, will be helmed by Anurag Basu.

"I've written the Kishore Kumar biopic. I write films for friends. There are certain films you feel I want to direct when you write them. When I was writing Kishore Kumar's biopic, I felt the same and Anurag knows about it," Sen told IANS.

However, he is happy that he got a chance to write the movie at least.

"His (Anurag's) understanding is superior than mine. I don't think anyone else would have trusted me to write such a massive film. I understand there are certain commercial aspects as well," he added.

Meanwhile, Sen is busy promoting his debut directorial "Gulaab Gang", which stars Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla.

He says he would not have directed the film if Madhuri was not on board.

"I would not have made this film if Madhuri had said no. Nobody would have put in money for a project where there are no saleable lead actors for a film by a debutant director. I did go around with the script and Madhuri agreed to it. If Madhuri was not in it, this film wouldn't have been made," said Sen.

Actress Juhi Chawla, who has worked with stars like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in her prime, hopes that someday she is paired with Salman Khan in a movie.

"I hope I get to work with Salman...he will not work with me because he hasn't in all these years," Juhi told IANS even as she laughed.

"I don't see that happening. But I never thought I will be working with Madhuri (Dixit)... so you never know. I would love to do anything which is justified on papers," she added.

Juhi and Madhuri are working together for the first time in "Gulaab Gang".

Juhi and Salman have been a part of a few common films, but they never got to play a pair.

Actress-turned-businesswoman Preity Zinta has rubbished reports suggesting that she is looking to "lease out" her flat in Khar locality here to pay off her debts, saying "it's thousand percent untrue".

"Where did this come from? I am amazed at how off-the-mark the report is. It is a thousand percent untrue," said the 39-year-old.

"By the grace of god, I'm most comfortably able to look after myself financially. It is not only untrue it's extremely irritating to read such fabrications about oneself," added the actress of hits like "Dil Chahta Hai" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho".

Preity, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab IPL team, doesn't know whether to be amused or annoyed by the reports.

"There is so much drama in that story. 'Bechari' (poor) Preity. She has to vacate her 'mahal' (palace) and live in a 'jhopdi' (shanty) because the cruel creditors are breaking down her door. I wish people would look for their afternoon soap opera scripts somewhere else. There is no such drama happening in my life," she said.

To her embarrassment, Preity's friends from the film industry have been making discreet inquiries about her financial status.

"I am not going bankrupt, guys. If anything, I see a bankruptcy of another kind in desperate news like reports like these," said Preity.

Mawi Keivom, Britain-based Indian origin accessory designer, will debut at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer-Resort 2014.

She will present creations from her latest collection Indian Odyssey during the five-day fashion extravaganza, starting March 11 here.

"I am very excited to showcase my collection in my home country for the first time. It's an honour to be a part of Lakme Fashion Week," Keivom said in a statement.

The Manipur born accessory designer will team up with Gaurav Gupta for the March 13 show.

Gupta said he has created garments that perfectly accentuate her accessories collection and added: "I'm eagerly looking forward to presenting my collection adorned with her beautiful jewellery and accessories."

It's a known fact that Alia Bhatt's forthcoming film "Highway" will be premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, but very few know that the actress' grandmother was born in the city.

Alia's father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt took to Twitter to share his family's connection with Berlin.

"Alia Bhatt has a unique connection with Berlin. It's just incredible that her film 'Highway' is premiering in Berlin," he posted on the microblogging site Wednesday.

"Many years ago, in 1929, Alia's grandmother was born in Berlin. Yes, she's German. Sadly, she had to leave Berlin in 1937," he added.

Not only was Alia's grandmother born in Berlin, but the family also owned a newspaper against Adolf Hitler.

"Alia's great-grandfather was running an underground newspaper against Hitler. He was found out and imprisoned for two years," Mahesh wrote, adding that the actress' grandmonther and great-grandmother "walked across the border to Czechoslovakia" and sought refuge in England.

This spirit of "rebellion" will be reflected in Alia's performance in her film "Highway", a film which promises to bring out Alia's acting abilities through her portrayal of a girl, who is kidnapped.

"The spirit of rebellion, embedded in 'Highway', is a part of Alia's legacy. It comes from her great-grandfather," he said.

Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film also stars Randeep Hooda and will hit screens Feb 21.

From the last week of February to the first week of April, the ever-prolific Anupam Kher has one release lined up nearly every week.

"I didn't plan it that way. But unfortunately a bottleneck of my releases is coming up," said the actor who has been seen in a mix of art-house and commercial films like "Saraansh", "Daddy", ""Darr", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" and "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" in Bollywood.

"On 7 March I have E Niwas's 'Total Siyappa'. This I am very excited about because I get to be in the same film with my wife (Kiron Kher) for the first time," he added.

It will be followed by Atul Agnihotri's production "O Teri" on March 21.

"The following week (March 28) my dear friend Satish Kaushik's 'Gangs Of Ghosts' is being released. And then on April 4 I have David Dhawan's 'Main Tera Hero'. A month after 'Main Tera Hero' is Habib Faisal's 'Daawat-e-Ishq'. So you see, it's Anupam Kher everywhere," he said.

Anupam is not shaken by the overdose of his presence at the turnstiles.

"I've been through these theatre traffic jams before. The advantage of being the actor that I am is I am not the same person in any of the five releases that are coming in March-April and May," he said.

When asked to stick out his neck and select his favourite among the crowd of releases in the coming months, Anupam said: "I enjoyed them all. But working with Habib Faisal, Aditya Roy Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in 'Daawat-e-Ishq' was a very special experience. They are so talented.

"But I am not saying it's my favourite among my forthcoming releases. I liked all of them for different reasons."

Akshay Kumar, who will be seen as a Defence Intelligence Agent (DIA) in his forthcoming film "Holiday: A Soldier Never Off Duty", says he enjoyed the role "more than I ever imagined".

The film's trailer released online Wednesday and gave a sneak peek into the action packed thriller that also stars Sonakshi Sinha.

"...It's the first time that I'm playing a DIA, a role I've enjoyed portraying more than I ever imagined," Akshay said in a statement.

“The next time someone asks me what I'd have done if I weren't an actor, I'd say that being a DIA is on the top of my list,” he added

The action-thriller has been directed by A.R. Murugadoss and produced by Vipul Shah.

"To work alongside my long time friend Vipul after so many extraordinary films together, on a project that is helmed by Murugadoss, is of course something I couldn't wait to get my hands on," said Akshay, who teamed up with Shah for super hits like "Waqt - Race against Time" and "Namastey London" in the past.

Murugadoss, who has also directed southern films like "Thuppakki" and "Stalin", was a little apprehensive before he took on the film.

"I was a little reserved initially, but Akshay made me feel comfortable. Now, I can say that I've got a close friend in the Hindi film industry," said Murugadoss.

The director also praised Shah for his support and added: "Being a filmmaker, Vipul sir lends his directors great support."

Being presented by Reliance Entertainment, the film will hit theatres June 6.

National Award winning actress Meera Jasmine married engineer Anil John in a church in the state capital Wednesday.

Their marriage was formally registered as per law in front of a sub-registrar at the Kochi home of the actress Feb 9, but the wedding ceremony took place Wednesday.

The two are said to have met through a matrimonial site. Their respective families then took the lead.

Meera told reporters here that her first priority would be the family but if good roles come her way she will don the grease paint.

John works as a computer engineer in the Middle East and the two are shortly flying out to an undisclosed destination for their honeymoon.

Their nuptials took place amid tight security at John's behest, and the ceremony was attended by known names in society.

During a career that began in 2001 with the film "Soothradharan", Meera went on to win a best actress National award in 2004 for "Paadam Onnu: Oru Vilapam". She has since emerged as a sought after name in the industry here.

In her over a decade long career in the movie world, she has starred with all the top stars in the industry here and has acted in more than 65 films.

Actress-turned-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt is not happy with the title of Akshay Kumar starrer "Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty", as she too released a film titled "Holiday" in 2006.

She says that she had refused to share the title with producer Vipul Shah.

"Vipul Shah approached me for 'Holiday' and I refused. He approached (the) Guild (Film and Television Producers Guild Of India) - Rejected. Next stop? IMPPA (Indian Motion Pictures' Producers Association) where he registered 'Holiday' with a tag line," Pooja posted on Twitter Wednesday.

"Holiday - A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" also stars Sonakshi Sinha.

Pooja had problems with another Akshay starrer - "Thank You". She had registered the title for a remake of her father Mahesh Bhatt's film "Arth". However, it was used by Anees Bazmee.

"First 'Thank You' and then 'Holiday'! Akshay Kumar's producers have an affinity for the titles of my films. Gentle Reminder - 'Karma can be a bitch'," she posted.

Alia Bhatt will be seen sans make-up in her second film "Highway" and she says it was like a blessing for her.

"I didn't really have any problem shooting without make-up. In fact, there was no stress about touch-up, the more crumpled the clothes, the better it was," the 20-year-old said here Tuesday in an interview.

"So the dirtier I looked in appearance, the better it was. So I didn't have to think much and that was actually very comfortable," she added.

While shooting, one-film-old Alia had a few moments when she crossed her own expectations.

"There were couple of moments where I surprised myself. But they were more physical strength moments, not really acting as such. I felt I was very weak in terms of pushing myself but I managed to do it," Alia said.

The actress has even sung a song in the film.

Directed by Imtiaz Ali, "Highway" stars Randeep Hooda opposite Alia and it will hit theatres Feb 21.

Actor Ranveer Singh lauds his "Gunday" co-star Priyanka Chopra for being professional and efficient on the set.

"What I love about Priyanka is that she makes everyone's job easy," Ranveer told reporters here Tuesday during the promotion of the film at a college.

"She is actor-friendly, director-friendly, and producer-friendly. She makes everyone's task easier by tapping-in her experience. She is a one-take artist," he added.

"Gunday" is Ranveer's first film with Priyanka.

The actor, who bagged best actor Filmfare award for his work in "Goliyon Ki Raasleela-Ram-leela", worked with Priyanka's cousin Parineeti Chopra in "Ladies vs Ricky Bahl".

On being asked the difference between them, he said: "The major difference between the two is the experience."

"Gunday" also features Arjun Kapoor and it will hit the theatres Friday.

Mahie Gill, who plays the ghost of an actress in "Gang of Ghosts", says she loved shooting for the movie as she got proper dance numbers in it.

The actress, who shook a leg in films like "Gulaal" and "Bullett Raja", said: "I have been very fond of dancing, but I never got to dance in any of my films. Music was always in the background."

"But in this film we have four to five songs. I have danced a lot in it and I have also done lip sync. It was fun," the 38-year-old told reporters Tuesday at the promo launch of the film.

Directed by Satish Kaushik, "Gang of Ghosts" is a remake of Bengali film "Bhooter Bhabishyat".

"I am playing Manoranjana Kumari, who was an actress in the 1950s, and she talks with nasal twang. Because she is an actress and a dancer, she always has that style of walking and talking," Mahie said.

Scheduled for a March 12 release, the film's impressive cast has names like Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Sharman Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Saurabh Shukla and newcomer Meera Chopra.

"Dhoom:3 The Game", the official game launched in conjunction with Yash Raj Films' production "Dhoom:3", has crossed the 10 million downloads mark since its release.

While "Dhoom:3" hit the screens Dec 20, 2013, "Dhoom:3 The Game" was released exclusively for Windows Phone 8 Oct 25. Within just three days of its release, it was featured on the Windows Phone Store.

The game is published by mobile game development studio 99Games under a multi-year, multi-title license from Yash Raj Films Private Limited.

“We are excited about the remarkable achievement of the 'Dhoom:3' mobile game surpassing 10 million downloads in only three months since its release,” Rohit Sobti, vice president (Licensing and Merchandising), Yash Raj Films, said in a statement.

The film "Dhoom:3" stars Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra. It was the last big release of 2013 and turned out to be a blockbuster by reportedly earning Rs.530 crore.

With a stellar run on WP8 and Nokia feature phones, the game was then officially launched on Google Play, iTunes App Store, Samsung Apps and BlackBerry App World.

Ritesh Batra, who has been on an awards winning spree for his film "The Lunchbox", has been missing from the events. He says he was busy promoting the film in the US.

Sources close to the film aver that Batra was miffed at being largely ignored in the popular categories in favour of the critics' awards, but the director has an entirely different take on his absence from the awards functions.

"I was committed to doing publicity for the US release so was sad to not make it for the awards. But I'm very honoured by the appreciation. Glad that we were well represented by the cast, and also by my mom," he said.

After wowing movie buffs in Europe, "The Lunchbox" releases Feb 28 in the US.

"So far the reviews have been very positive. It feels good to see the film reach out to non-traditional audiences who normally don't want Hindi films," said Batra whose "The Lunchbox" opened in November in many European cities.

"We opened in Italy where the numbers of screens were doubled within a week," he said adding that in Germany the film is being shown on 100 screens.

"And in Switzerland, 'The Lunchbox' is in the Top 10 films of the country. It now opens in other countries like the Netherlands, Turkey and Poland," said the director.

Quite a unique space for an Indian film to occupy.

Ritesh agreed and said: "It's been an amazing journey for the film. The European audience has understood the film's context completely. The French media asked me amazing questions about the 'dabbawala culture' in Mumbai around which the film's love story is woven."

"The foreigners seem to have connected with the film's emotional epicentre wholeheartedly. I've to confess I never thought the film would go this far."

The director's most memorable moment during his European sojourn was at the premiere when a middle-aged lady came up to him after the film's screening and spoke to him.

"I didn't follow what she was saying in French. But she was obviously very moved. At the end of her emotional outburst she gifted me her scarf. And quietly walked away," he said.

Writing his next film seems burdensome with all the travelling.

"It's a slow process. I am not at any one place long enough to let the plot develop. Right now all I have is two characters, a man and a woman and a love story set in Mumbai," says Batra.

Parineeti Chopra doesn't feel that she is being typecast as the out-of-the-box bindaas rabble-rouser and contends instead that she has portrayed different characters in her films.

She said: "To say that I am only playing bindaas characters is I think a very limited way of looking at the characters I've played. I mean, just because my character in 'Ladies Vs Ricky Behl', 'Ishaqzaade', 'Shuddh Desi Romance', and 'Hasee Toh Phasee' were unconventional, does it mean they are all the same?"

"Of course, no matter who the actor is, his or her personality is bound to seep into the character. But to me my characters in 'Ishaaqzaade', 'Shuddh Desi Romance' and 'Hasee Toh Phasee' are entirely different. No similarity at all.

"In the first, I was shooting guns all over the place. In the second, I was a small-town girl smoking, drinking and living in with her boyfriend. And now in 'Hasee Toh Phasee', I am almost a child in a grownup girl's body. It's very easy and simplistic to slot me," she added.

Her new release "Hasee Toh Phasee" has not exactly set the box-office on fire. But Parineeti's performance has been unanimously hailed as a tour de force.

And she is over the moon with the praise.

"I was playing a borderline whacked-out character. When people had seen the promos, they thought I was doing one more vibrant bindaas character. But this one is completely different," she said.

Parineeti is excited about working with director Habib Faisal a second time in "Daawat-e-Ishq".

"Habib will always be special. He gave me 'Ishaqzaade'. When I did 'Ishaqzaade' with Habib sir, I was new and raw. This time while doing Daawat-e-Ishq with him I understand his craft much better. I think I am much better able to understand what he wants from me as an actor. I don't have to struggle to understand him. So the work atmosphere is far smoother and we get the scenes done far quicker."

Parineeti enjoyed working with Aditya Roy Kapoor and Anupam Kher in "Daawat-e-Ishq".

"We've become really close. Anupam Sir is like Aditya's and my age. We quickly finish our shots and rush to his van. I am already depressed because the shooting is nearly over. I want to do more films with Anupam sir," she said.

Actress Kareena Kapoor has replaced Genelia D'Souza as the brand ambassador of Naturals hair and beauty salon chain.

“Genelia helped us to move business from 80 salons to 340 salons. Now Kareena will take forward from 341 to 3000. She will be the face of Naturals. We have a two-year contract,” C.K. Kumaravel, CEO and co-Founder Naturals hair and beauty salon chain, told IANS.

“We have thought of bringing her for events like Durga Puja or Valentine’s Day.. the latter is around the corner, so maybe next year. Greet and meet contest is another thought,” he added.

The salon, which has a strong foothold down south, is keen to expand in places like Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

“We are present in areas like Ghaziabad, Janakpuri and Dwarka in Delhi. Work is happening in Rajouri Garden, Punjabi Bagh. Delhi will see 20 to 25 salons by year end. We are also looking at other opportunities too,” he said.

Actress Sunny Leone, who stars in "Ragini MMS 2", says the movie is more commercial in nature than the first film.

"There is a huge difference (between 'Ragini MMS' and 'Ragini MMS 2')," Sunny said here Wednesday at the launch of the song "Babydoll".

"The first part looks real, it's like someone grabbed a handycam and it's a real couple and the boyfriend has a different reason for bringing his girlfriend there."

"This one is a lot more commercial, there is a lot more back story. There is a lot more going on in this one that explains everything about 'Ragini MMS'," added the 33-year-old.

Director Bhushan Patel agreed and said that "Ragini MMS 2" is bolder and scarier. Also, the songs make it different.

"It's bigger, better and bolder. It's a lot more scarier. There is a lot more sex and scares. There is a lot of glamour with the songs. We have a song by Honey Singh, 'Babydoll' song with Meet Brothers and we have a romantic one also," Patel said here.

"Ragini MMS 2", which hits theatres March 21, also stars Divya Dutta, Parvin Dabas and Sandhya Mridul.