Bollywood's style icon Sonam Kapoor is single, and she would like to maintain that relationship status publicly until she makes a final decision about a person in her life. Besides, her father Anil Kapoor has "trained" her to say "just friends" when anyone asks her if she's dating someone or not.

The father-daughter duo came together for a tete-a-tete with filmmaker Karan Johar on his celebrity chat show "Koffee With Karan".

Karan asked the "I Hate Luv Storys" actress - "Currently apparently there is some boyfriend...is that not true?"

She retorted: "No boyfriends! I am very single."

Karan immediately turned to her celebrity father to ask: "She has no boyfriends?"

Anil smartly said: "She has friends...that I have trained her...kuch bhi ho bolo friends (whatever it is, say friends)! Just friends.

A startled Karan then asked for a reassurance: "This is your training?"

"Yeah my training," said the doting father.

However, Sonam, who was earlier reportedly in a relationship with "I Hate Luv Storys" director Punit Malhotra, clarified her stance.

She said: "Honestly, I don’t feel it, like till I don’t decide I want to be with someone for the rest of my life, I don’t want to talk about it, I don’t want to commit anything to media anything because eventually 10 years down the line when I have kids I don’t want them to look back in the papers...because what is in the paper never goes away."

The episode of "Koffee With Karan" featuring Sonam and Anil will be aired on the show Sunday.

Director Ashutosh Gowariker, who was assisted by Saad Khan in 2010, has tagged his protégé's debut film “Station” as “gritty” and “very high on energy”.

“I am proud that Saad, who was my assistant in direction on ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’, is now making his debut with ‘Station’! I found the film very exciting. It is gritty, stylishly shot and very high on energy! And the performances are extremely nuanced and natural. I surely want to visit the ‘Station’ again,” Gowariker said in a statement.

The crime thriller, which features Sameer Kevin Roy, Siddhanth K.S. and Kanika Batra, among others, is about three psychotic assassins sent to carry out a job at a waiting room on a deserted railway station.

It will release in cinemas across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Ranchi Friday.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher is thrilled about shooting for Rohit Shetty’s “Singham 2”.

“And the shoot for ‘Singham 2’ begins. Looking forward to it. Jai Ho,” Anupam tweeted Thursday.

The actioner is a sequel to "Singham", which released in 2011.

The film also stars Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor.

Actor Shreyas Talpade unveiled the teaser poster of his Marathi film “Poshter Boyj” on the grand finale of Sony TV’s reality dance show “Boogie Woogie”.

Produced under Shreyas' banner Affluence Movies Private Limited and co-produced by Hadi Ali Abrar, the film is directed by Sameer Patil and is slated to release on July 4.

Shreyas, along with judges of the show Jaaved Jaaferi, Naved Jafri, and Ravi Behl unveiled the quirky poster featuring Dilip Prabhavalkar, Hrishikesh Joshi and Aniket Vishwasrao.

“Having done many films together, Javed and I have been friends for a long time and when I told him about the teaser poster he instantaneously said that we need to unveil it on his show. The poster is a perfect balance of quirk and leaves the audience wondering what to expect from this family entertainer,” Shreyas said in a statement.

Javed, who has worked with Shreyas in films like “Paying Guests”, said Shreyas is a “great artist”.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Shreyas on multiple occasions. He is a great artist. The most important thing is whatever I have seen him do, he does it with heart and passion. I am more than sure that if Shreyas puts in all his heart and soul into a film, it will definitely do well,” he said.

The episode will be aired Sunday

A social activist from Pune has accused megastar Amitabh Bachchan of promoting superstitious beliefs, and filed a complaint before a court seeking action against the Bollywood actor.

Hemant Patil has demanded a police complaint against Bachchan and others under the stringent new Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifices and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

The immediate provocation for the complaint was Bachchan's portrayal of a ghost in a TV commercial for a children's health drink.

Mumbai magistrate Sita Kulkarni has placed the matter for hearing April 18.

Bachchan earlier played a friendly ghost in Bollywood movie "Bhootnath", whose sequel "Bhootnath Returns" is due for release soon.

"The advertisement promotes belief in the existence of ghosts and spirits and consequently the need for magic to ward them off. This is promoting false beliefs and promoting superstitions," Patil said.

He said when he tried to file a complaint with police in Bandra, they refused, compelling him to move the court.

Patil also said the health drink company released the TV commercial without adding an appropriate disclaimer before or after the broadcast.

Amitabh Bachchan who will next be seen in Bhoothnath Returns, shot a special promo with comedian Kapil Sharma for his Comedy Nights with Kapil show at a suburban hotel in Mumbai. The episode will be shot on 2nd April and it will be telecasted on 6th April, Sunday.

Also joining Mr. Bachchan on the show will be his Bhootnath Returns co-star Boman Irani and the kid Parth Bhalerao.

Bhoothnath Returns will hit the theatre screens on 11th April, 2014!!

Heropanti will mark one of the biggest launches year with Tiger Shroff making his debut in the film. The film which is set to release in the 23rd of May will have its first look launch in the 1st week of April.

To make the launch even bigger the makers approached Aamir Khan to be a part of the first look. When the idea of the launch was being discussed, the makers and Jackie Shroff both thought of Aamir Khan to share their happy moment. Aamir Khan, who shares a great bond with Jackie Shroff, has not only worked with him but also shares a good friendship with the veteran actor.

When the actor was approached, he was keen to be a part of Tiger’s launch, as he is very fond of Tiger. Not only will Aamir announce the trailer of the film, he will also for the first time introduce Tiger Shroff to the media and audience. This will be the young actor's first ever appearance in front of the media.

A total of 15 women from different walks of life, including actress Usha Jadhav and former police officer Kiran Bedi were honoured as beauty brand L'Oreal Paris and women's magazine Femina Thursday came together to celebrate Indian women achievers.

The third edition of the L'Oreal Paris Femina Women Awards 2014 also brought together three brand ambassadors of L'Oreal - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Katrina Kaif - under one roof for this unique award function.

"Women who are being awarded today are very special as they have worked selflessly. They have a huge contribution in making a difference. It's an unique award in itself and I am proud to be associated with it," Katrina told IANS.

The awards honoured women who have worked selflessly for their communities across 14 categories, including social impact, community causes, science and innovation and education among others.

Aishwarya, Sonam, Katrina along with Akshay Kumar, Neha Dhupia, Anupam Kher, Swati Piramal, Sabyasachi, and Zarina Screwvala were part of the jury.

Fashion designer Malini Ramani, best known for creating resort wear, chose to go the Indian way for her autumn-winter collection, which she presented at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week here Thursday.

With a stylish title - Glamourette, her collection consisted of saris in abundance, though there were thigh-high slit, figure-hugging dresses too.

What added to the Indian look was the use of big and bold bindis on forehead of all the models. The winged eye make-up further reminded the audience of yesteryear Bollywood actresses like Asha Parekh and Helen.

"The theme was glamourette. It's the first time I have done Indian," Malini told reporters after the show.

True to the theme, she made use of gold on black outfits. While black remained the dominant colour of the collection, she also played with pink.

"All of us love black...I love using gold. My collection had a little bit of transparency too. I just wanted it to be sexy and Indian. I like stretch so, I used lycra. Other fabrics were chiffon and silk jersey," she said.

Film: "Youngistaan"; Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, late Farooque Sheikh; Director: Syed Ahmed Afzal; Rating: ****

You have to hand it to this film for making an effort to be 'headline-ish' without toppling over with the temperament of topicality. This is a genre never really cracked in Hindi cinema. A political drama about a young foreign-educated NRI who is forced to take over his country's reigns after his father's sudden death.

Unlike Prakash Jha's "Raajneeti", "Youngistaan" doesn't take itself too seriously. There is no attempt here to mythicize or demonize the politicians.

Think Rajiv Gandhi. Think Rahul...Jackky Bhagnani plays an amalgamation of many political dreams. Never mind if some of them turn into nightmares in real life (think Arvind Kejriwal). Cinema is about hope and redemption. In a nation hurling towards damnation, the thought of some political wisdom, clarity and far-sightedness in this season of the election, is eminently welcomed. Young Bhagnani brings a temperance and sensitivity to his character. This is a guy who can think straight, even when he isn't thinking straight.

"Youngistaan" is a smartly-written political parable about a young smart foreign-bred Indian who has the audacity to sing "Japan Love In Tokyo" on a drunken night in Tokyo, and who is thrust the thankless job of India's prime ministership. Wisely, the narrative never takes itself so seriously as to careen over under the weight of its conscientiousness.

There is a sense of mischief underlining the very powerful message about the young shouldering the governance of the country without resorting to the stereotypical morality and dress code of neta-giri in Hindustan.

Jackky's Abhimanyu Kaul is the need of the hour. He is young, enterprising and modern in thought and ready to take on the political humbug headlong. He is also a considerate, generous boyfriend trying to make his somewhat-overbearing sometime-annoying life-mate understand the complexities of the responsibility suddenly thrust upon him.

"Youngistaan" is as much a political drama as a romantic comedy about a young prime minister and his fun-loving outgoing girlfriend who suddenly finds herself under house curfew just because her lover has a rather important job to perform.

Writer-director Syed Ahmad Afzal has told a story that seems destined to be put on screen. The politics of our disembodied democracy is sexily sketched. In this season of the Lok Sabha election, "Youngistaan" raises pertinent questions on the quality of leadership in our country. While it gets its political fundas right, the plot also accommodates the central romantic conflict into its structure.

Every character, big or small, is effectively cast. Jackky as the prime ministerial candidate, conveys a whole lot of sincerity in his performance. His scenes with his dead father (Boman Irani) are emotionally resplendent. They play off well against the stark, sometime funny and outrageous reality of Indian politics.

Neha Sharma as his untameable girlfriend plays her character with intelligence and grace. This girl deserves more than what Hindi cinema has so far offered her. But it is the Farooque Sheikh as Bhagnani's quietly efficient personal assistant who brings a twinkle-eyed wisdom to the table.

The film tells us - it's okay to have dynastic rule as long as the job gets done. It also tells us that there's no need to get hysterical if our prime minister is in a live-in relationship. It may not be cool for a prime minister to get his girlfriend pregnant at a time when he has a responsibility towards the nation, but if it happens, there's no need to get righteous and holier-than-thou.

On the minus side, the film tends lose steam whenever Jackky's character is not in the company of his girlfriend or personal assistant. This is a measure of how well the characters are written and played. The material is judiciously edited. The camerawork is delightfully plush. As though to remind us that politics need not be a drab colourless vocation. It can be a bastion for the young. And it can be a great deal of fun!

Actor Anupam Kher, whose wife Kirron Kher is contesting the general election from Chandigarh as a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) candidate, believes Narendra Modi can take the nation to another level as the prime minister.

Clarifying that his wife Kirron is not the reason for his supporting Modi, he said: "My vote goes to Narendra Modi-ji because I can see in his speeches that he has a plan, from the point of administration and getting the nation together."

"I think he will take this country to another level. I would have voted for him even if he belonged to some other party," the 59-year-old said here Thursday at the L'Oreal Paris Femina Women Awards 2014.

Anupam believes that Modi's views show that he feels a sense of responsibility towards the nation.

"He is incorruptible. I have gone to Gujarat and have seen the kind of work he has done. I think if he comes to power, he will raise the bar of our country," he said.

Modi is the chief minister of Gujarat and is contesting the general election from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif says her "date issues" may keep her away from her debut at the upcoming edition of the Cannes International Film Festival, where she was likely to walk the red carpet as the face of L'Oreal of global beauty brand L'Oreal Paris.

On the sidelines of the L'Oreal Paris Women Achievers awards Thursday, Katrina said that since she is embroiled with three of her films, she might be unable to make it to the prestigious movie extravaganza, which is scheduled to begin May 14.

When asked if she will be sharing the red carpet with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor at the Cannes gala, Katrina said: "That is still to be seen if we can, but it seems a little unlikely because of 'Bang Bang' being a little delayed."

"There is a little too much of date problems between 'Bang Bang', 'Phantom' and Anurag Basu's film. So it (my Cannes appearance) may not be this year, but next year."

Sonam and Aishwarya have been associated with the beauty brand for a long time and have been making appearances at Cannes since sometime now.

Katrina became the fourth Indian to join the list of L'Oreal Paris's spokespersons after Aishwarya, Sonam and Freida Pinto, only earlier this year.

Actor Varun Dhawan has five kissing scenes in his forthcoming film "Main Tera Hero", directed by his father David Dhawan. The young actor finds nothing wrong in locking lips onscreen "in the 21st century".

In the promos of the film, the "Student Of The Year" fame actor can be seen locking lips with his co-star Ileana D'Cruz.

"I was okay kissing in front of my father," Varun told reporters here Thursday at the cover launch of Stardust magazine, featuring him with his second co-star in the film, Nargis Fakhri.

"It's an important part of the climax. There are five kisses in the film," he added.

The 26-year-old does further said that "it's high time" people stop creating hype over a kiss in a film.

"I think in today's age, in the 21st century, it's fine. What's the big deal in it," he asked.

"It is just a kiss. It is just an expression of love that the two characters are feeling at that time," he added.

The film is slated to release April 4.

Actress Kirti Kulhari, who is busy promoting her forthcoming movie "Jal", says it's not an art film but a complete Bollywood masala entertainer.

The movie, directed by first-timer Girish Malik, has done its rounds at various film extravaganzas, including the Busan International Film Festival. This, Kirti believes, must not paint a wrong picture of the movie.

"It's a myth that once a film goes for festivals, it doesn't do well commercially. I think some recent films have changed that notion. As far as 'Jal' is concerned, it's not an art film. It's a complete Bollywood masala film, but it's not a no-brainer," Kirti told IANS.

The movie is said to have taken around three years to get a commercial release, but Kirti says the wait has been worth it.

"I used to get nervous thinking why it's taking so long for the release, but this film has been shot on a large canvas and it has to do with lot of graphics.

"This film needed that much of time, but its looking very fresh and fits in today's film. It was worth the wait," she added.

"Jal" also features Purab Kohli and Tannishtha Chatterjee. The film is slated to release April 4.

Lauding the number and nature of women-centric films in the country, Katrina Kaif however laments that there is no change in the remuneration for them in Bollywood ever since she joined the industry in 2003.

"Since the time I entered the industry, the growth (of women-centric movies in Bollywood) has been phenomenal. The kind of roles being written is great...Kangana Ranaut has done queen, Vidya Balan did 'Kahaani'...now it has more layers. Our cinema has come a long way.

"But one thing which has not changed is the remuneration for women. There is still a huge disparity. Let's see what happens with that," she added.

Earlier, Kangana and Kareena Kapoor have been vocal about the financial compensation of actresses in tinsel town.

Katrina Kaif is unfazed by rumours that she has plans to tie the knot with actor Ranbir Kapoor, and says she will continue keeping quiet about her private life.

At an event here Thursday, the actress was asked to comment on the latest rumours.

She said: "This has come in some newspaper, but there is no such thing. If there is something as such, I will let you know."

Katrina, who was earlier dating Salman, has been guarded about her personal life.

"As far as I am concerned, I have always been the same...I don't speak about my personal life. Now it (any rumour) doesn't bother me. With time, you get used to it...such small things don't affect," she added.

Meanwhile, Katrina us busy working with her rumoured current beau Ranbir in "Jagga Jasoos".

Having co-starred with him in movies like "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" and "Raajneeti", the actress said: "The films that we have done (together) have been extremely special films...not just successful. It's exciting for me as he is a great actor."

"The most exciting thing for me (in 'Jagga Jasoos') is to work with Anurag Basu as it's important for me to learn from him."

For its tenth edition, the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) has welcomed India as its New World View section guest. The fest will screen ten new feature and documentary films by emerging Indian filmmakers and a short film block.

Away from the country's "mass cinema tradition" known as Bollywood, the fest will instead focus on the young, independent scene where productions are approaching new themes with fresh narrative styles.

"In doing so, ZFF highlights a country with a tradition spanning more than 100 years of cinematic history and a production output - between 800 and 1,000 films annually," read a statement on the official ZFF website.

"The movement from mainstream to independent cinema is unmistakable. This development is incredibly exciting," the fest's co-directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri, said in a statement.

M.K. Lokesh, Indian ambassador to Switzerland, is delighted by the festival's choice.

“Over the years, the Indian film industry has achieved a very high level of technical standards and directional skills. In the Indo-Swiss context, the Indian cinema, by capturing the natural beauty of Switzerland in many films, contributed to Swiss popularity among Indian tourists.

"It is befitting that the Zurich Film Festival is showcasing India as the guest country this year," Lokesh said.

The film extravaganza will be held Sep 24-Oct 5.

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan was handed over the trophy for best actor at the eighth edition of Asian Film Awards (AFA) held here.

Irrfan, who has displayed his acting prowess in films like “Maqbool”, “Life Of Pi” and “Paan Singh Tomar”, won the best actor award for his role in “The Lunchbox” at the ceremony held Thursday.

He was up against Song Kang-ho, Lee Kang Sheng, Fukuyama Masaharu and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai.

“It's a great honour to be nominated alongside an actor like Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (‘The Grandmaster’) and winning,” the Indian actor said in a statement.

“The Lunchbox” director Ritesh Batra also received an award for best screenwriter.

The movie was nominated in the best film category as well but lost to “The Grandmaster”.

Inaugurated in 2007, AFA honours filmmakers with outstanding achievements in the field of Asian cinema. It brings together the best cinematic talents of Asia, film fans and professionals from all across the globe.

It pains veteran actress Waheeda Rehman to talk about her "soul sister" Nanda in the past tense. She says she will always remember her friend of 55 years as a "thoughtful, caring and loyal" person, who loved to cook and never let "an iota of professional insecurity" come in the way of their unique friendship.

Nanda died Tuesday morning following a heart attack at her residence here. She was 72 and was leading a reclusive life except for meeting her close ones.

"On Saturday, Nanda and I had lunch together. She was not the least unwell. If she had felt even a little uneasy, she would not have stepped out of the house. We were together till 5 p.m. on Saturday. She had her favourite coffee," said Waheeda.

"We were friends for 55 years, from the time when we worked together in Vijay Anand's 'Kala Bazaar'. After marriage, friends, specially women friends, tend to drift away as they've their husband and children to look after. But Nanda and I remained close friends even after my marriage," she added.

Waheeda shared that she and Nanda were very different individuals.

"Quite a study in contrasts, and yet we were very close friends. Or maybe we were close friends because we were so different...so we found those personality traits lacking in ourselves within each other.

"I've remained active in the public with various activities including the occasional film. She gave it all up, cut herself away completely from the limelight. The last films she did were 'Mazdoor', 'Ahista Ahista' and 'Prem Rog'.

"She was....it hurts to talk about her in the past tense.....an extremely sensitive person, very thoughtful and caring. And she was a very loyal friend. She never visited anyone or anywhere. But she'd regularly visit me and my husband in Bangalore.

"Both Nanda and I were fond of cooking. Whenever she visited me, she'd be in the kitchen cooking up a fun meal and asking me to cook up something. She was like my soul sister."

Waheeda, 77, says people used to wonder how two heroines could be so friendly. So what was the secret?

"There was not an iota of professional insecurity between us. Both of us believed in destiny and that whatever work was meant to come our way, would come.

"We were both very secure about our careers. And we were both firm believers in god and destiny. It happened many times in the past that producers who came to me with roles went to Nanda because we didn't agree on certain issues.

"Nanda and I never discussed work. Our work never came into our friendship. We were both down-to-earth and very Indian. We didn't quite fit into the glamorous image on screen. We both attempted glamorous roles, but we realized it's better to do roles close to our personalities.

"To take an example, I'd look so odd if I played Zeenat Aman's role in 'Manoranjan'. Luckily for me, I could do something a little more adventurous than Nanda because I could dance. But Nanda was as sweet and innocent in person as she was on screen."

Nanda was a different person altogether.

"She was an introvert. Basically she was a loner. She was nervous of crowds. I am a little more outgoing. But like I said, we were like-minded people. We shared the same values. She went suddenly. She deserved a lot more than she got."

Film: "O Teri"; Actors: Pulkit Samrat, Bilal Amrohi, Anupam Kher and Sara Jane Dias; Director: Umesh Bist; Rating: **

Luckily, this is not an official remake of Kundan Shah's classic "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron". If it was, the makers of the original could have sued for defamation.

"O Teri" borrows the concept of two bumbling, very unprofessional professionals who chance upon a scam from Kundan Shah's film and turn it into an extended Santa-Banta joke. It was Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani in the original. It is Pulkit Samrat and Bilal Amrohi in this re(ek)make, designed to give ulcers to a civilization doped on the hope that cinema can shake the corrupt through satire.

Satire, armed with a tiring amount of excessive baggage, is as good as drugs that have passed the expiry date. "O Teri" is like a stretched-out political joke where the raconteur forgot the punchline and is hoping he would rediscover the punchline in the process of undertaking his aimless ramble.

Samrat and Amrohi are given lines that sound like bulk SMS messages. They try to enjoy the banter. But they, poor freshers, can't really savour the unpalatable. If television anchoring was meant to be as brainless as shown in this film, then our tainted politicians would safely find alternative employment.

And really, Sarah Jane Dias doing a Bhakti Bharve from "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron"??? That is funnier than anything this film has to offer.

Anupam Kher doing Pankaj Kapoor's role from Kundan Shah's original, is cast as a Suresh Kalmadi kind of brazenly corrupt politician who cannot be amusing unless given some kind of a humour platform beyond the ordinary rites of laughter.

Tragically, the intended satire is so frumpy and baggy that it collapses under its own weight.

Debutant director Umesh Bist would have done well to study Kundan Shah's cult classic for its contoured, sly comicality. Bist attacks the material with wolfish relish, making a hash of the political satire, much in the way that the Kalmadis of politics are doing of our nation.

Save yourself the agony of watching this masala-mix version of "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron". Just watch the original again.