Bollywood actress and cancer survivor Manisha Koirala Thursday unveiled the 7th anniversary cover of health magazine Prevention.

The 43-year-old, star of films like "Saudagar", "Bombay" and "Dil Se" who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late 2012, successfully battled the disease and says that she now values life much more.

"Now I value my time much more and try to do things that are true to my spirit and soul," Manisha told reporters at the event.

She added that while going through treatment in New York she got ample support from her family and added: "My mother, my dad and brother were always with me."

She now plans to become a crusader for cancer awareness by setting up an NGO that will work for cancer prevention. She is also penning a book on how she conquered the fear and fatigue of the disease.

She said: "I don't want to reveal my plans but in two years span I would like to do something for people who don't have the access (to medical facilities)."

"Happy" with her current regime, she said: "I eat right, go for yoga, and writing a book. These things are keeping me busy."

British actress of Indian origin, Archie Panjabi, best known for her role in “The Good Wife”, has been cast in the upcoming disaster movie “San Andreas”.

The action thriller, slated for a 2015 release, is to be directed by Brad Peyton and will see Panjabi playing a reporter.

Panjabi made her film debut in the hit British film “East Is East” in 1999 and went on to star in international blockbusters like “Bend It Like Beckham” in 2002.

In 2010, she bagged the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in “The Good Wife” at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards in London.

The actress starred in 2005 in “The Constant Gardener” and played a part in critically acclaimed films like “A Mighty Heart” in 2007 and “Yasmin”, written by Simon Beaufoy, who also scripted the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Panjabi won the Best Actress award for her role in “Yasmin” in 2004 at the Reims Festival in 2006 and was awarded the Shooting Star Award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.

Panjabi, whose family immigrated to London from India before she was born, is among only a handful of Sikh performers ever to have won an Emmy.

The award-winning actress graduated from Brunel University with a degree in management studies.

Directed by Brad Peyton, “San Andreas” stars Dwayne Johnson in the lead role as a man who must rescue his daughter when the ground in California starts shaking.

Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo, the BJP candidate from Asansol who was accused of entering a temple in a drunken state, Thursday said he was mulling legal action after the complainants approached the administration seeking his medical examination.

A police complaint was filed earlier this week by the Asansol Citizens' Forum accusing Supriyo of hurting religious sentiments by entering a temple in a drunken state during his campaign.

With the singer rubbishing the allegations, claiming it was a malicious campaign against him by political rivals, the complainants have now written to the district administration seeking a probe into the matter.

"We have written to the additional district magistrate (Asansol) seeking medical examination of Supriyo which will establish whether he was in a drunken state or not," said Jitendra Tiwari, Trinamool Congress leader and chairman of the Asansol Municipal Corporation.

"If he is innocent, then why is he afraid of the examination?" Tiwari asked, after Supriyo said he will be filing a defamation suit against him and others for maligning his name.

"I am a teetotaller. Filing a false case accusing me of being drunk tantamounts to maligning my name. I am discussing the matter with my lawyers and will be filing a case of defamation before the Calcutta High Court against Tiwari and others," said Supriyo.

Post illness, actress Manisha Koirala is eagerly waiting to wear the grease paint and face the camera, but is not ready to do small roles.

"I want to see myself on the screen but it has to be with good script, good actors, and director. I have been getting lot of offers, but they say it's an important role with two scenes. I will not do that and I am not interested."

Manisha, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, has been cured.

After debuting with "Saudagar" in 1991, the 43-year-old went on to do films like "1942: A Love Story", “Criminal”, “Bombay”, “Akele Hum Akele Tum”, “Gupt: The Hidden Truth”, “Dil Se..”, “Kachche Dhaage” and “Company”.

Bollywood actress and BJP candidate Hema Malini Thursday filed her nomination papers from the Mathura Lok Sabha constituency, and said she would clean up the Yamuna river and make the region with its many temples a model of development.

Hema Malini is pitted against Jayant Choudhary, the incumbent Rashtriya Lok Dal MP, Chandan Singh of the Samajwadi Party and Yogesh Dwivedi of the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The Aam Aadmi Party's Anuj Garg is also in the fray.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukesh Keshav said she filed two sets of papers.

BJP sources said the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is likely to address a meeting in Mathura to mobilise support for Hema Malini after April 10. Mathura goes to the polls April 24.

Hema Malini, a Vaishanavite, has been a frequent visitor to Mathura and Vrindavan.

She told the media she wants to clean up the Yamuna and make the Braj region with its numerous Radha Krishna shrines a model of development.

Dimple Yadav, Hema Malini and Salman Khurshid were among the high-profile political leaders who filed their nomination papers from the Lok Sabha in Uttar Pradesh Thursday.

Dimple Yadav, wife of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, filed her nomination papers from Kannauj, from where she is the incumbent MP. She arrived with husband to the district magistrate's office to file her papers.

Speaking to reporters waiting outside the office, she said Kannauj has always stood by the Samajwadi Party and she hoped that the voters will send her to the Lok Sabha again.

Promising more development if elected, she also warned the people against "false and tall promises" being made by certain political parties.

Cine star Hema Malini also filed her nomination papers from Mathura as the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. She was however handed over a notice by the election commission after her supporters raised slogans in her favour in the collector's office, while the nomination process was on. Sloganeering in the premises is against the model code of conduct.

Filed his nomination papers as a Congress candidate from Farrukhabad, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid asserted that his party was the best bet for all-round development.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" hit as many a 1,200 screens in over 200 cities in India Friday, backed by tie-ups with 16 brands - touted to be the highest for any Hollywood release in the country.

It is a day and date release in India and the US, and to bring the theatrical experience alive and to give fans an opportunity to own products of the Marvel superhero Captain America, Disney India's consumer products business has collaborated with 16 brands across categories including apparel, accessories, toys, home and more.

The brands include Cottonworld, Celio, Bioworld, Vox Pop, Myntra, Max, Zovi, Be for Bags, Macmerise, Spring Onion, D'décor, Sassoon, Nayasa, JOYO Plastics, Hasbro (distributed by Funskool) and Portronics.

The number surpasses the 2013 film "Iron Man 3", which had 15 brand tie-ups to its credit.

For Indian audiences, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has been dubbed in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, while the Hindi dub will also be available in Dolby Atmos. It can be viewed in 2D or 3D.

It is the widest English release by Disney India studios yet, said Amrita Pandey, vice president and head (Theatrical, Television and Digital Distribution), Studio, Disney India.

"Action as a genre works well with our audiences when it comes to Hollywood films and we are confident that the film will be enjoyed thoroughly by all," said Pandey.

The idea behind the brand tie-ups is "to give fans in India an opportunity to own products inspired by their favourite Marvel superhero", according to Roshini Bakshi, vice president and head (Consumer Products, Retail, Publishing and Franchise Marketing), Disney India.

Veteran writer-lyricist Gulzar, the presenter of Vijay Raaz's directorial debut "Kya Dilli Kya Lahore", will also feature in the first promo of the film.

As part of the promo, he will introduce the film, says producer Karan Arora.

"Gulzar saab has been supporting us in every way he can. He will be part of the first promo, introducing the film. We are grateful to him for this gesture and for lending his prestigious name as the presenter of the film," said Arora.

Gulzar has been mentoring the film from its script level and he came on board as its official presenter after seeing the complete film.

The film, which features actors like Manu Rishi, Raj Zutshi and Vishwajeet Pradhan, is a satire on Indo-Pak relationship and narrates a humorous yet emotional story of a bond formed between an Indian and a Pakistani soldier stationed at the border.

"Kya Dilli Kya Lahore" is slated to release May 2.

In Subhash Kapoor's "Guddu Rangeela", Ronit Roy plays an out-and-out villain, a man so despicable that he makes Gabbar Singh look like a cartoon character. He says he has to beef up considerbly for the part.

"I'd be a far more powerful villain than the one I played in 'Boss'. He is much larger much more powerful," said Ronit.

In the movie, he plays the head of a Khap panchayat, and there's a lot that needs to be done to perfect the Haryanvi character.

"There is a lot of preparation required since I play a head of the Khap panchayat. I've tried to understand why he behaves the way he does. I like to create a back history even for villainous characters," Ronit said.

"In 'Boss', I built this past history for my character where, as a child, he might have burnt his parents alive because they deprived him of a particular toy.

For "Guddu Rangeela", Ronit is working on his accent and on a beefed-up physique.

Since actor Amit Sadh, who is also a part of the movie, is home-bound with a fractured leg, Ronit has two extra weeks to prepare.

The actor says he's game for a villainous role only when it's something out of the ordinary.

"In Vikramaditya Motwane's 'Udaan', the father seemed like a drunken brute. But he had his own reason for behaving the way he did with his son. He wanted to make something out of his life. Sometimes people who appear overly aggressive are actually trying to do the right thing," says Ronit.

Indian filmmakers are targeting global audiences and Gurinder Chaddha, the British film director of Sikh origin, says it's time they understood that merely cutting down on songs won't catapult them into the international league. Rather, they need to master the "mechanisms of storytelling".

Her films on the Indian diaspora - "Bend It Like Beckham" and "Bride and Prejudice" - had desi masala, songs and drama all packaged with a global appeal and she also praised Indian filmmakers for making potboilers.

As a viewer, she loved new-age Hindi films like "Dev D" and "Vicky Donor". However, when she looked at them with a critical eye, she felt the latter work on sperm donation "would very easily have been equivalent to an international movie".

"I saw 'Vicky Donor' - it's a great film, has great production values, a great script and has great performances - but if I was allowed in the edit room, I would have been able to cut it out in a way that it would very easily have been equivalent to an international movie," Gurinder told IANS during a tete-a-tete on a bright sunny afternoon here.

She also emphasised on the storytelling technique.

"The storytelling is the key. It's about the story and not that you just had to cut out on the songs. That's not what global storytelling is about...it's about the mechanisms of storytelling. The French do it - why can't people in India do it?... it is just a skill," she said.

Nevertheless, she also said that making commercial potboilers the way Indians do is a skill in itself!

"It is just as much a skill as it takes to make a commercial masala movie. It takes a skill to do that. And that, people in the West can't do," she said, flashing her infectious smile.

Gurinder, who has been awarded the Order of the British Empire, is as cool as she looked while dancing on "Feeling hot, hot, hot" with her cast and crew in the end credits of "Bend It Like Beckham".

She was in the capital to give an insight into the Bend It Media Fund (BIMF), an enterprise for which she has collaborated with AVT Shankardass, an entertainment financier and producer.

Their vision is to create high quality creative and commercial diaspora content via the fund's four subsidiaries - Bend It Motion Pictures, Bend It Live, Bend It TV and Bend It Digital.

Talking about the project, Gurinder said: "I thought it would be great if we could have a vehicle to encourage people to make films that appeal to a broad, mainstream, international or global audience as well as niche audiences."

The fund, as Gurinder said, is looking out to support filmmakers who find it hard to raise money because "like me, they want to make a particular kind of movie that is personal to them and not necessarily a commercial studio fare".

Being a part of the Indian diaspora, the filmmaker was more interested in stories about the grouping as she can "read those and understand them better".

"But I am also very interested in the other diaspora. I would love to see a teenage comedy about girls in Saudi Arabia. I'd even like to see a film about the Indian community in Sydney. From India, I'd like to see films by women that may not deal with the issues that my films do, but with the same light-heartedness...

"It's a sensibility that has to be imparted and taught - it doesn't come naturally and so I want to encourage this kind of sensibility," added the filmmaker, whose last directorial venture was "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" (2010).

Her next is about the sub-continent's partition in 1947. She has been working on it for a long time, but a project of that scale tends to take time, she said.

The script underwent a lot of reworking, but she said "it's fantastic" and "much better" now. Once the script is finally locked, Gurinder will start locking in the cast, which will include a mix of Indian and British actors.

While she hopes to make the movie this year, her hands are also tied up with taking entertainment on Indian diaspora a step further with a live production of "Bend It Like Beckham" for the West End stage.

Gurinder has even been approached for a stage production based on "Bride and Prejudice".

If only time permits, she'd love to "fit in" her partition movie in between all the other work.

Superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya says people create jokes on her father as they believe he can do the "impossible". That's why the family takes the humour in a lighter vein.

Jokes on the southern icon are a rage online. Sample these - "Rajinikanth can eat dosa with chopsticks"; "Rajinikanth can cure cancer with his first aid box"; "Rajinikanth can sneeze with open eyes".

Soundarya finds the jokes okay "because everybody feels that he can do the impossible, and I personally feel there is a lot of respect (for him). So, we take it positively", she said.

"He is the ultimate, he is the best, he can do the impossible and he is the superstar," added the proud daughter, who has directed her father in her debut film "Kochadaiiyan".

She says he was always confident about the film, which is touted to be the country's first motion capture photorealistic 3D animated film.

"He believed in it...Technology is something I know and he was confident that I could handle this project. He was aware of my dream to be a director and he has seen my creativity since my childhood," said Soundarya.

Jokes on Indian cinema icon Rajinikanth are a rage on social networking sites, but his daughter Soundarya doesn't mind. Read on, enjoy and laugh a little.

* Once Rajinikanth's leg fell on banana skin and the earth slipped from below.

* Rajinikanth's cricket team beat Australia by an innings and 44 runs in a One-Day International.

* The world experienced tsunami Dec 26, 2004 because Rajinikanth sneezed.

* When Graham Bell invented the telephone, he found two missed calls from Rajinikanth!

* Only Rajini sir knows the exact number of stars in the sky.

* Rajinikanth once raced with Light. Light came third. Rajini's shadow was second.

* Once a farmer put Rajinikanth's picture as a scarecrow in his field, and guess what...the birds even brought back the grain they stole last year.

* Rajinikanth's Class 6 notes are now known as Wikipedia.

* The ice age ended when Rajinikanth lost his cool.

* Only Rajinijanth has 32 wisdom teeth.

Vikram Bhatt is set to take forward his hit "Raaz" franchise with "Raaz 4". He will go behind the camera to direct the film.

Bhatt, who directed the original and the third instalment of the franchise, says the cast is yet to be finalised.

At the promo launch of "Happy Journey", when asked if he is directing "Raaz 4", Vikram said, "Yes, I am. We are still working on the script and the cast is also not decided yet."

While the first "Raaz" featured Dino Morea, the second and the third films had Emraan Hashmi in the lead role. In terms of female leads, Bipasah Basu featured in the original and the third part, while Kangana Ranaut joined the cast of "Raaz 2".

Vikram is an ace when it comes to horror genre with films like "Raaz", "Raaz 3D", "1920", and "Haunted 3D" to his credit.

When asked about the combination of horror and sex in the latest horror flick "Ragini MMS 2", Vikram said: "Horror and sex have always gone together as a genre. It has always been, even 'Raaz' was that."

However, more than the lead actress Sunny Leone, Vikram credits director Bhushan Patel and producer Ekta Kapoor for the success of the film.

"I would like to give the credit to the director and the producer here. But of course, Sunny Leone is a part of it, her sexuality does help... didn't help 'Jackpot' though," he added.

Bhatt is currently busy "Creature 3D", said to be a monster science fiction film.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha has unveiled the latest edition of Women's Health magazine, displaying her slender figure on its cover. The actress admits achieving the slim and trim look wasn't easy for somebody like her who hates the gym.

The actress, whose weight has been the point of concern for many in showbiz, is happy with her makeover.

"It was not easy at all for somebody like me. I am the kind of person who hates the gym. I am allergic to the gym. I want to run away from it," Sonakshi said Thursday at the unveiling event here.

"But I think once I put my mind to something, I go out and achieve it and I guess I did that," she added.

The 26-year-old emphasised that her determination and hard work yielded desired results.

"I decided I want to do it (shed weight) and I took a step to achieve that...tried to achieve my goal rather than being pressurised from people and telling, 'O look at her, she is so fat, she is this...she is that.'"

"If it hadn't come from within, I didn't want to do it," Sonakshi said.

Before foraying into films in 2010, Sonakshi had to shed many extra kilos to get into a perfect shape. She lost almost 30 kgs before signing her debut film "Dabangg" (2010) opposite Salman Khan.

Sonakshi, who feels "she has succeeded in closing critics mouth, who criticised her for being overweight", further shared her experience of growing up as a rotund teenager.

"I was over-confident while growing up. I think when you look a certain way, you try and compensate by something else. I was always a strong child, was always confident, but looks never mattered to me," Sonakshi, daughter of actors Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha, said.

"That was (looks) not that important to me as there were a lot of other things going on, like I used to play a lot of sports...and a lot of other stuff," she added.

For Sonakshi, "Self esteem was not a problem at all" and she added: "I am one of the few lucky ones because I have had friends who have self-esteem problems. Even though they are not really fat, but will put themselves down".

For some he is an "outsider" and for some he is a popular figure, but to Manoj Tiwari, BJP candidate for North East Delhi constituency, these people are his "own". The Bhojpuri actor-turned politician is confident of writing a new chapter of development in this "neglected" constituency that has the highest concentration of migrants from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Needless to say, the singer and superstar of Bhojpuri cinema doesn't need an introduction in this area where huge hoardings of Tiwari, wearing lime green shirt, along with BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi announce his candidature from the constituency that was carved out of east Delhi in 2008, post the delimitation exercise.

In the absence of any motorcade or cavalcade swarming around the 41-year-old Tiwari, his star power is enough to attract local residents who smile, try to shake hands, shout and hoot the moment his BJP-poster adorned car passes by, and the actor reciprocates with equal warmth.

"They are my own people and unfortunately this constituency has been getting step-motherly treatment from the previous government. I want to connect with them directly and not have any air of being a star while I campaign," a visibly-tired looking Tiwari told IANS en route to Timarpur Mandal where he had a road show scheduled.

"There is no government hospital, recreational park, school or colleges in North East Delhi. I would first like to focus on these issues and then take on issues like traffic jams, sewerage problem, public transportation and water and electricity," he added, saying he was ready to wear the "crown of thorns" to make their lives better.

Tiwari, clad in a turquoise cotton kurta and jeans, started the road show by walking through narrow alleys of Timarpur area where an army of men and boys surrounded him, and women and girls cheered from their balconies and perched upon planks of grocery shops.

With heavy drum beats absorbing all other sounds, the only thing one could hear amid this celebration was "Manoj Tiwari ki jai ho" and the actor assured his supporters to have faith in him for a better future.

"I want to write a new story. People believe that actors can't think and there have been some actors who haven't done credible work. But, I have always felt miserable to see the apathy of leaders towards people, and I thought if I had to bring change, I have to be a part of politics," Tiwari said to his supporters, who are mostly factory workers and labourers.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, Tiwari was associated with Samajwadi Party and had lost miserably from the Gorakphur seat.

Even though there is 25-27 percent of Muslim population in this seventh Lok Sabha constituency, the high concentration of poorvanchali (migrants from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) would have been a factor in the BJP fielding him from here to cash in on his "stardom" and "popularity".

"I will vote for him because he too is from Bihar just like me," Lalita Kalu, a housewife who is now settled in Dayalpur, told IANS.

"I watch his movies on a Bhojpuri channel. I don't know if he can bring in some change or not, but the fact that he comes from my state is a good reason for me to vote for him," she added.

Though, there are many who think he stands very little chance over Congress' Jai Prakash Aggarwal and AAP's Anand Kumar.

"He is an outsider. Why should I vote for him?" asked Anil Kumar, who runs a mobile repairing shop in one of the dingy lanes of this area.

"We want someone who is a local and who is approachable. When we need to discuss any issue and problem where will we find the star hero? I have been living in Delhi since 70's and I have seen very little change in this area," he added.

As the sound of beating drums fade into oblivion, Rajpal Sharma, a dry cleaner breaks the silence.

"We want BJP to win, and I don't care who is the candidate. We have had Congress for 10 years and it is time for change," Sharma told IANS.

Danish badminton player Mathias Boe, who won a men's doubles match at the India Open, is always eager to play in India. And why not, especially if his girlfriend, Indian actress Taapsee Pannu comes to cheer for him during his matches here.

The "Chashme Baddoor" star came to support the Olympic silver medallist during his match with partner Carsten Mogensen Thursday.

Sitting quietly court side late in the evening in an almost empty Siri Fort Sports Complex, as Boe’s match was the last of the day, the 26-year-old actress was clapping for each point Boe won.

Asked by IANS after his match if the Dane was ready to comment on his relationship, a broadly grinning Boe evaded the question saying, “I don’t have any comments on that one," and left as soon as he could.

It is a well-known secret in the badminton circles that Boe is dating Taapsee. They met during the inaugural Indian Badminton League last year where Boe was part of the Lucknow-based team Awadhe Warriors while the Taapsee was the brand ambassador of champions Hyderabad Hotshots.

Though Tapsee hasn’t admitted the relationship, the 33-year-old Dane had posted a photograph of the two together a few months back on Twitter, with the line: “My beautiful gf@tapsee”.

It was also rumoured that Boe had come to visit Taapsee, who has mostly acted in Telugu films, on the sets of another Hindi film - "Running Shaadi.com".

The duo is regularly in touch on online microblogging platform Twitter.

National Award-winning actress Priyanka Chopra, who is yet to devote 15 days to complete shooting of the biopic on India's champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom, says every scene in the film is inspirational.

"'Mary Kom' is the story of every woman who wants to be larger than she is meant to be. Inspiring to do every scene...can't believe only 15 days left to complete the film. It's been so tumultuous yet wonderful," Priyanka posted on her Twitter page.

The actress is currently busy shooting for the film, based on Olympic medal-winner and world champion Mary Kom's life. Directed by Omung Kumar, the movie is slated to release on Gandhi Jayanti Oct 2.

Priyanka has gone out of her way to be physically fit for the role, and she has spent long time with the sports icon herself to get right the nuances of the character.

Actress Sonam Kapoor attracted many fans in Nashik when she came to the city to shoot "Dolly Ki Doli". She loved the experience.

The shooting of "Dolly Ki Doli", Arbaaz Khan's new production, began on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, a New Year festival celebrated in Maharashtra.

A source from the film's unit said: "To flag off the shoot, the entire unit decided to visit the famous Infant Jesus shrine in Nashik to seek blessings. On hearing this, lots of fans gathered at the spot and refused to leave without seeing the fashionista."

Sonam gracefully agreed to meet and interact with them, and said: "I was quite overwhelmed to see the large number of people who turned up to meet us. The locals really cooperated with us and gave us a warm Nashik-style welcome".

Actor Purab Kohli has a special "request" - he wants movie buffs to flock to theatres this weekend to watch his latest release "Jal" for its longevity.

"Request: if you want to see 'Jal' please try and see it during the weekend. It makes a big difference to our longevity in theatres #jal (sic)," he posted on Twitter Friday.

Starring Tannishtha Chatterjee, Kirti Kulhari and Mukul Dev, apart from Purab, the film is directed by debutant Girish Malik.

David Dhawan's commercial potboiler "Main Tera Hero", featuring Varun Dhawan, Nargis Fakhri and Ileana D'Cruz too released Friday.

Veteran actor and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mithun Chakraborty Friday accused the BJP of trying to cut into the votes of his party to defeat its candidates in West Bengal and said the state will suffer if such a ploy succeeds.

Campaigning for Trinamool candidate from Asansol, Dola Sen, Mithun - in his inimitable style of dialogue delivery - raised the slogan "Har Ghar Didi, Baar Baar Didi" eulogising party chief Mamata Banerjee.

The National Film Award winner spoke partly in Hindi and partly in Bengali at a largely attended public meeting in Kulti under Asansol sub-division of Burdwan district, as he mocked the prospects of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has fielded Bollywood crooner Babul Supriyo from the seat.

"What kind of politics is cross-voting? The motive behind this attempt to cut into the (Trinamool) votes is to defeat Trinamool anyhow," he said to thunderous applause as he shared the dais with Banerjee.

"But will this help Bengal? So why are you putting so much effort in cutting into (Trinamool) votes?

"You are the most powerful as you have the right to vote. So why is your right being mocked? So why are people wrongly advising you to indulge in cross-voting and defeat Trinamool? You should first think about what benefit Bengal will have."

Urging people not to fall into the trap, Mithun pointed out the "scales are in favour in Trinamool".

He refered to a recent opinion poll done by an electronic channel and said as per its predictions, the Trinamool will bag 28 of the state's 42 seats, with the Left Front getting ten, the Congress three and the BJP 1.

"But tell me which seat will the BJP win? I am not belittling anyone. Why will you waste the votes? What good will you (BJP) do for the state with just one seat?

"The scales are in favour of Trinamool. If you can increase its seats from 28 to 38 then Bengal's voice will heard faster," he said.

Asserting that he understands the nuances of politics, Mithun said: "The government in Delhi is a game of numbers. If Bengal has to get its due, we have to send majority of Trinamool MPs from Bengal."

He exhorted the people to "think carefully and not let the votes go to waste".

Responding to a demand from the masses, Mithun parodied a famous dialogue from one of his Bengali films.

"Tipbo botam ekhane sorkar godbo okhane (Will press the button here and will elect government there in Delhi). Our slogan here is not 'Har Ghar Modi', it is 'Har Ghar Didi baar baar Didi'," he said while vouching to fight "shoulder-to-shoulder" with Banerjee.

Vivek Sharma, who directed the 2008 film "Bhootnath", has penned a tribute song in support of Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Sharma has even directed the video of the song "Naro mein Indra hai", which has music by Ricky Mishra, and is sung by Priyanka Bhattacharya and Rahul Mukherjee, said a statement.

The video explores the various advancements and progress that Modi has facilitated in Gujarat over the years, and the song focusses on the changes that he can bring about as the nation's prime minister.