Filmmaker Umesh Shukla has roped in actor Paresh Rawal to step into Om Prakash's shoes for the new version of the cult classic "Chupke Chupke".

"So far we have only finalised Paresh Rawal, who will play Om Prakash's role," Shukla, who had directed "Oh My God" with Paresh in the lead role, told IANS.

"Needless to say Pareshji is a wonderful actor and I share a good bonding with him. It will be fun to work with him again," he added.

The 1975 Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed light-hearted drama "Chupke Chupke" saw stellar performances by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bhaduri, Om Prakash and Asrani. And who can forget Dharmendra's antics in the film!

"We have made many changes in the script and it's not a remake it is an adaptation of 'Chupke Chupke'," said Shukla.

The rest of the cast is yet to be decided.

"Writer Sajid and Farhad have written the script and the film is in its final draft stage. It's a fun-filled film. Once we finish the script, we will finalise the other actors as well," he said.

Southern director Susi Ganeshan, who is ready with "Shortcut Romeo", a Hindi remake of his Tamil film "Thiruttu Payale", loves the way Bollywood is promoting movies.

"Nowadays, wherever there is a possibility people try to catch a glimpse of publicity. It's actually good," Ganeshan said here Sunday at a charity art exhibition where Ameesha Patel, who features in the movie, also celebrated her birthday with children as part of the film's promotion strategy.

"If you compare to south, these kind of promotions won't be there. But in Bollywood, wherever people assemble, people go and promote the film. I love this," he added.

"Shortcut Romeo" also stars Puja Gupta and hits theatres June 21.

"Shortcut Romeo" director Susi Ganeshan is so much impressed with Ameesha Patel's work in the romantic crime thriller that he is confident it will give a great boost to her career.

In "Shortcut Romeo", a remake of Ganeshan's hit Tamil film "Thiruttu Payale", Ameesha, who is known for films like "Gadar-Ek Prem Katha" and "Humraaz", plays a negative role.

"It will create a wonderful name for her. Ameesha has done good and successful films, but this will give a great mileage (to her career) as a successful film and for a great performance (by her)," Ganeshan said here in an interview.

"I think she will get a lot of awards for the best supporting actress (for 'Shortcut Romeo')," he added.

Also starring Puja Gupta and Neil Nitin Mukesh, the story will see Ameesha playing a crucial role in taking every scene forward.

"She (Ameesha) is the centre code of the film. She is a driving force for every sequence... she has given a wonderful performance," said the director.

The film is slated for a June 21 release.

Filmmaker Prakash Jha wants to tap the power of digital media and says he will promote his forthcoming political drama "Satyagraha" through social-networking sites, a platform that has witnessed outpourings on some of the major public outrages.

Inspired by the current situation in the country, "Satyagraha" shows the uprising of the middle class against a corrupt system.

Amitabh Bachchan plays an activist and his role is said to be modelled on Anna Hazare, while Kareena Kapoor will be see as a journalist. Ajay Devgn and Arjun Rampal too play pivotal roles in the movie coming out Aug 23.

"In the recent past, any form of public outrage has been (expressed) mainly through the social media space. You cannot ignore the power of the digital medium today," Prakash Jha said in an statement.

"We are a young nation and the digital platform is soon going to become as powerful as print or television, so we want to explore the medium judiciously," he added.

Actress Tanishaa Mukerji has joined the cast of Akshay Kumar's Marathi production venture "Adhantari" and says she has chosen to do it for her mother, Tanuja and grandmother Shobhna Samarth.

"This was something I wanted to do for my mom and my grandmom. Our family history is steeped in Maharashtra and Marathi cinema has been an integral part of my family. So it was something I really wanted to do. It is a part of my heritage," Tanishaa told IANS in an email interview.

One of the reigning actresses of 1950s, Shobhna Samarth started her career with Marathi cinema, but she is best remembered for her portrayal of Sita in "Ram Rajya". Her daughter Tanuja is known for her roles in "Jewel Thief", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Anubhav" and Marathi movie "Zaakol".

A decade ago Tanishaa entered Bollywood with horror thriller "Sssshhh..." and did a handful of films like "Tango Charlie", "Sarkar" and "Neal N Nikki", but she couldn't replicate the success of her sister Kajol.

Daughter of Tanuja and late filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, she also did Tamil movie "Unnale Unnale", Telugu film "Kantri" and even tried her luck in Bengali cinema with "Mukti". Now, she enters Marathi filmdom.

Talking about her role in "Adhantari", she said: "It's a very contemporary role of a working woman of today. She is very clear about her life path and life partner. She is, like any girl today, making her life in a world surrounded by western influences contrasting with an Indian traditional upbringing," she said.

The actress is busy shooting in London at the moment.

Srinivas Mangam's forthcoming Telugu comedy "Pusthakamlo Konni Pageelu Missing" is a remake of Tamil comedy "Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom". He says if remakes use the soul of the original story then creativity is not compromised.

"It's a misconception that remakes kill creativity. There is absolutely nothing like that as long as a remake uses the soul of the original story," Srinivas told IANS

"Our film is not a frame-to-frame copy of its Tamil version. We only picked the soul from the original and made so many changes to it. We even included commercial elements such as songs and comedy tracks," he added.

"Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom" was one of the highly successful low-budget Tamil films of 2012. Made on a budget of under Rs.1 crore, the film reportedly raked in over Rs.7 crore at the box-office.

In the original version, starring Vijay Sethupathi, there were no songs, but it was two hours and 35 minutes long. The Telugu version, however, has been shortened by nearly 20 minutes.

Srinivas, plays a character that suffers from short term memory loss in the film, which is directed by Sajid Qureshi. He didn't see the Tamil version, but his family did.

"I didn't watch the film because I didn't want Vijay's acting style to have an influence on my acting," said Srinivas, who agreed to work in the remake after his family saw the original.

"My family members saw the Tamil version of the film and told me that I would perfectly fit into the role. I was aware of the success of the film in Tamil and, therefore, agreed to do it," he added.

"Pusthakamlo Konni Pageelu Missing", which was completed in 34 days, is currently undergoing post-production work at a brisk pace. It is slated for a July release.

Bollywood celebrities condoled the death of Ashok Chopra, and said to his bereaved actress-daughter Priyanka Chopra “be strong”.

Ashok Chopra, who was hospitalised at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital here two weeks ago, passed away Monday afternoon after battling cancer.

A doctor himself, Chopra had retired from the Indian Army in 1997 as a lieutenant colonel. He is survived by his wife Madhu, also a former army doctor, daughter Priyanka and son Siddharth.

Here is what the celebrities tweeted:

Bipasha Basu: Strength to you Priyanka Chopra and your family.

Anubhav Sinha: Oh no! Priyanka Chopra, may god give you strength. Lots of love. May his soul rest in peace.

Genelia D'souza: Deepest and heartfelt condolences to dear Priyanka Chopra, your mom and your fly...All the strength to you.

Neha Dhupia: So sad to hear about your loss Priyanka Chopra. Condolences to you and your family. Sending you tons of love and energy to get past this.

Prabhudheva: So sorry to hear about Priyanka Chopra's father. I hope god gives strength to her and her family to cope up with this loss. My condolences.

Kunal Kohli: RIP Dr.Chopra. Condolences to Priyanka Chopra. Had a great love for music. Met him in Vancouver last, amazing zest for life.

Sophie Choudry: Love, prayers and strength Priyanka Chopra to you and the family. Your daddy was the sweetest man and he couldn't have asked for a more loving daughter. RIP

Aadesh Shrivastava: I am very sad to hear about your loss Priyanka Chopra. Condolences to you and your family. Love and energy to get past this.

Minissha Lamba: My heartfelt condolences to Priyanka Chopra and Madhuji. Prayers and strength to you.

Known for her classy and elegant sartorial style, Vidya Balan is donning flashy clothes while promoting "Ghanchakkar" and feels her garish looks add a fun element to the promos.

The actress is dressing up as her character for the promotional activities of the film. Directed by Rajkumar Gupta, "Ghanchakkar" hits theatres June 28.

"I love the look because there are so many colours, it's a bit weird also. When people will look at me in these dresses, they will automatically think of 'Ghanchakkar'. Plus, it also adds a fun element to the promotions," the 33-year-old said here Sunday on the sets of reality show "Dance India Dance Super Moms".

In "Ghanchakkar", she plays Neetu who is married to Emraan Hashmi's character.

Explaining her character's dressing sense, Vidya said: "Neetu is a girl who doesn't really has a fashion sense. When she goes to the malls, she doesn't buy anything saying, 'These clothes are so costly, I will get them stitched from my tailor.'"

Her wardrobe in "Ghanchakkar" is the brain child of costume designer Subarna Rai Chaudhuri, who had earlier designed for Vidya for her debut film "Parineeta" and her classy look is still remembered.

"Subarna has designed my look in the film. We did 'Parineeta' together. Initially, she was very scared because there (in 'Parineeta'), she dressed me to look beautiful. But 'Ghanchakkar' was about a weird and colourful girl and she was scared," said the actress.

"Then I told her you are not dressing Vidya, you are dressing Neetu, so stop thinking like this," she added.

Filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya has finalised Salman Khan for his next family drama, but he is yet to choose a leading lady for the movie.

"We have shortlisted few names and Anushka Sharma is in the wish list. But it's too early to comment anything as the film will go on the floors in 2014. Besides Anushka even Sonakshi Sinha is being contemplated for the role," a source from the told IANS,

The film, to be produced under the banner Rajshri Productions, will be widely shot in Rajasthan and Gujarat and it will be prepared for 2015 Diwali release.

Salman has earlier worked with Sooraj in blockbusters "Maine Pyar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun!" and "Hum Saath Saath Hain".

A week after Jiah Khan's suicide, her mother Rabiya Khan Monday opened up about the reason behind her daughter's death, claiming the drastic step was not due to the lack of assignments but due to her troubled relationship with her alleged boyfriend Suraj, son of actor Aditya Pancholi.

"My point is to tell you the truth. It is being said that she was depressed and had no work, but it was not the case, Rabiya, who has three daughters - Jiah, Karishma and Kavita - said at a press conference.

"She was attending atleast three to four events a month. She was making money and was living comfortably in her house with two maids and even had a car and a driver. It was the insecurity that her love was not respected and recognised that was killing her day by day.

Bollywood actress Nafisa alias Jiah Khan, who debuted opposite Amitabh Bachchan in "Nishabd", committed suicide at her residence in Mumbai's Juhu area June 3. She was 25.

"Jiah was a poetess...she had a diary in which she wrote all her poems. I wanted my daughters to recite them at prayer ceremony, but we couldn't find the diary. I couldn't get myself to touch Jiah's things, so I told my daughter (Kavita) to look. She (Jiah) had a Prada wallet box and her sister found the letter in it," said Rabiya.

All Jiah wanted was love, she added.

The letter, where Jiah had penned her troubled relationship with her Suraj, was found by her sister Kavita Saturday and was handed over to the police.

Although the letter doesn't mention any name but is talks about the sorry state of Jiah's relationship.

"After all the pain, the rape, the abuse, the torture I have seen previously I didn't deserve this. I didn't see any love or commitment from you. I just became increasingly scared that you would hurt me mentally or physically....," the letter said.

"I aborted our baby when it hurt me deeply. You promised me once we made it to one year we would get engaged. All you want in life is partying, your women and your selfish motives. All I wanted was you and my happiness you took both away from me," the letter added.

Talking about the letter, Rabiya confessed that there were many things in it that she wasn't aware of.

"I knew about his (Suraj's) abusing her and not respecting her and also about the presents and the Goa trip. But I found out other aspects, which were hurtful," she said.

"The letter does not have a name, so who it is addressed to is something you can only ask Jiah. But because of the incidents in the past and what she told me, all of these things point out to Suraj Pancholi," she said.

Talking about the things Jiah shared with her, she said that they had a detailed discussion about Jiah's relationship with Suraj when she had visited her in London a few months back.

"When she came to London during her birthday, I saw that she always had tears in her eyes. I asked her if this was regarding Suraj and she started crying...she said that he abuses her and shouts at her. When he drinks, he can't handle himself," Rabiya said.

"I asked her to lay off for a while. I told her that in a relationship space is most important... She had tried to cut down, out of his 10 calls she used to answer just two. This was the time when I came to know about the nature of the boy," she added.

Jiah had confided in her mother that Aditya Pancholi was unhappy about his son's relationship with her.

"She said that ever since it came in the paper that Jiah Khan and Suraj are dating, the father created a scene. He told him that Jiah was so much elder to him, but Jiah told me that it was hardly a year. So Suraj was aware that his father didn't like the relationship," Rabiya said.

She also clarified that Aditya Pancholi came to see Jiah's body only after the police had come.

"In my house, only Anju (Mahendru) and her friend came. I called my family members...three to four families came. After three hours, Aditya Pancholi came and Suraj didn't even come. He must have got to know, but he never came," she said.

Actress Vidya Balan will be seen emulating Michael Jackson's moonwalk on the sets of “India's Dancing Superstar” (IDS) while promoting her forthcoming film "Ghanchakkar".

MJ5, a Delhi-based dance group, which is participating in the reality show, is famous for their locking and popping. The group memberes taught the 35-year-old actress how to do moonwalk.

Vidya was impressed by their performance and said: “I wish I could become a part of MJ5 team, then we would be called MJ6."

The episode featuring Vidya will be aired June 16. The show comes on Star Plus Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m.

Hit trio Jaaved Jaffrey, Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl who made hit dance show "Boogie Woogie" are likely to come together on the small screen once again.

The three judges had created a benchmark for reality shows with their dance competition series "Boogie Woogie", which was on air for over a decade and discovered talent from across the nation.

According to sources, the three celebrities are likely to team up for a show for Epic Channel. Although the content of the show is not confirmed, it is expected to be based on Bollywood celebrities and their secrets.

Slipping into a traditional outfit? Keep your make-up light and natural, says make-up artist Neha Khanna.

Khanna, celebrity makeup artist, Avon India, doles out valuable tips:

- If you have dark circles under the eyes, start by applying the concealer to cover them.

- Follow it by applying foundation on your face and neck. Dab loose powder to absorb any oil from skin. Even it out with the help of tissue paper.

- Apply blush (according to skin tone) on your cheeks to get a natural glow.

- For your eyes, use black eye shadow and blend it well.

- Apply kajal along the lash line and blend it using a blending brush.

- Use a light coloured matt lipstick.

- Top it up with a moisturizing balm to prevent your lips from getting dry.

- You can complete this look with a small bindi and sweep your hair in a messy side plait.

Refuting rumours that her next directorial venture is a remake of Hindi blockbuster "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", Telugu director Nandini Reddy said she is currently scripting a romantic-comedy.

After critics panned Nandini's last Telugu film "Jabardasth", an unofficial remake of "Band Baaja Baaraat", she feels that the rumour about "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" remake is being pinned against her.

"I think it's because of 'Jabardasth' these rumours are doing the rounds. My next project is still in scripting stage and it's a rom-com (romantic-comedy). I'm not remaking "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" and neither do I intend to," Nandini told IANS.

"I don't know where these rumours come from. If there is a remake happening then we should wait for the official word, but not spread rumours without verifying facts," she added.

Known for highly successful directorial debut "Ala Modalaindi", which reaped gold at the box-office, Nandini said: "I should be ready to announce the project in a month's time. I'm yet to zero in on the cast, which I will do soon," she said.

A Tamil film actor-cum-director was arrested by Delhi Police for duping a Delhi-based businessman of Rs.5 crore on the pretext of facilitating a Rs.1,000 crore loan to his company, police said Monday.

S. Srinivasan, 52, a resident of Chennai, was taken to Delhi from Chennai where he was lodged in judicial custody in another cheating case.

"Srinivasan is involved in nine cases of cheating using the same modus operandi. He was in judicial custody in Chennai from where he was taken to Delhi on a production warrant," Harendra Kumar Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (Economic Offences Wing), told IANS.

"He duped a Delhi-based businessman in December 2010 on the pretext of helping his company obtain a loan of Rs.1,000 crore," said Singh.

The businessman lodged a complaint with Delhi Police in January.

"In his complaint, the businessman said that Srinivasan's associates approached his Delhi-based company M/s Blue Coast Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd as consultants who could help his company get a loan of Rs.1,000 crore," Singh said.

"The businessman met Srinivasan in Chennai, where he was asked to pay Rs.5 crore," Singh said.

"The victim paid Rs.5 crore to the accused and he was promised the loan before January 31, 2011. The actor, however, neither arranged the loan nor returned the money," said the officer.

"The actor had used the money to fund a film," Singh added.

Srinivasan is a Tamil film actor, director and producer. He is also an acupuncture doctor by profession. He has acted in 12 Tamil films and has produced four films.

He was the kingpin of an organised network of cheats who entice companies and individuals through local contacts on the pretext of giving loans.

On a law suit filed by the manufacturer of squash Rooh Afza, the Delhi High Court has restrained the makers of Hindi film "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (YJHD) from releasing the movie on TV due to some allegedly objectionable dialogues.

Justice Manmohan Singh said, in an order made available Monday, that the curbs were not applicable to the theatre version of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer, which was released in the cinema halls last week.

The court also issued notices to the director, producer and dialogue writers of "YJHD" and posted the matter for hearing July 16.

The court's order came on an injunction suit filed by Hamdard National Foundation, the manufacturer of Rooh Afza.

The manufacturer claimed that the product was a household name in the country and outside India and the film contained some "objectionable" dialogues about the Unani recipe.

Actor Aditya Pancholi's son Sooraj Pancholi, has been arrested by Mumbai police in connection with the suicide of actress Jiah Khan, an official said Monday.

Senior Police inspector Arun Bhagat of Juhu police station, where the case has been registered, told reporters: "Sooraj has been arrested under Section 306 of the IPC - abetment of suicide. He will be presented tomorrow at Andheri court."

"The IPC section pertains to abetment of suicide, and Sooraj Pancholi will be presented before a magistrate Tuesday morning," Bhagat told media.

The arrest came barely two days after Jiah Khan's family handed over a note penned by her to police. The note was recovered by the actress' kin three days after her suicide June 3.

Production house T-Series will be producing the sequel to 2008 movie "Bhootnath".

The sequel is tentatively titled "Bhootnath 2" and megastar Amitabh Bachchan will reprise his role of friendly ghost.

The movie will appeal to all age groups, says Bhushan Kumar, chief managing director, T-Series.

"We are very excited to announce the sequel of 'Bhootnath'. Amitabh and Boman Irani will be part of the film and it will appeal to all age-groups," Kumar said in a statement.

The 2008 movie was produced by Ravi Chopra and this time his son Abhay Chopra will be creatively involved with the sequel.

"My father and I always wanted to do a sequel and Nitesh came with an interesting idea. Bhushan and I fell in love with it and narrated it to Amit uncle and once he agreed we were on," Abhay said.

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the sequel is set to go on floors in November. It is expected to release by summer of 2014.

The previous film also starred child actor Aman Siddiqui, Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan.

It was a classic example of how reality TV can turn commoners into stars. Navneet Rastogi, Doyel Sarangi and Ripudaman Handa finalists of "Masterchef - Kitchen Ke Superstars" had to be guarded by a human chain of 10 security personnel when they visited the dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti here Monday. They ended up eliciting an unexpected response from the locals.

Visitors at the holy shrine followed the ‘Masterchef’ entourage, trying to capture photographs, wave at them or even just manage a glimpse of the finalists.

Ladies, especially, were excited about watching the ‘star TV cooks’ live, and even those who usually cover their faces with a veil, bent rules and lifted it to get a clear view of the 'stars'. The experience made the finalists feel like winners already.

“It was a very satisfying and enjoyable experience,” Doyen, a Bengali housewife, told IANS after her “beautiful darshan”.

For young and raring-to-go Ripudaman, a Delhi-based gym trainer, it was “lovely” to be at one of the holiest places in the country and watch the crowd go ga-ga over the show, and its contestants.

Navneet, who is from Varanasi, said he had heard a lot about the Ajmer Sharif, but never got a chance to visit the place. A religious person at heart, he was delighted at the opportunity to pray here.

The trio, dressed in their white ‘Masterchef’ outfits, was guarded by 10 security men, making it difficult for the several men and women jostling to break through and meet the finalists.

They offered flowers and a chadar each at the dargah, with a hope that their “dreams come true”. They also served some self-made ‘zarda’ or sweet saffron rice.

The finale of “Masterchef - Kitchen Ke Superstars”, a cookery-based competition, will air on Star Plus June 14. The show is judged by popular chefs Sanjeev Kapoor, Kunal Kapur and Vikas Khanna.

Jiah Khan is gone. But she leaves behind a legacy of heartbreak...and now recrimination and accusations. The latest suicidal salvo is a 6-page letter that Jiah’s family has apparently found by her bedside.

The lengthy letter apparently written by Jiah was sent out to the press by her mother on Sunday evening with a hand-written note from Jiah’s mother which openly accuses Suraj and his father Aditya Pancholi of being responsible for Jiah’s suicide.

In the letter written by Jiah mother she states, “Some sections of the media and some film industry people are speculating that my daughter Jiah committed suicide because of the depression related to her career.However the truth is that it only happened because of the trauma and the abuse she suffered in the hands of Sooraj Pancholi and his father Aditya Pancholi.”

Apparently the cops were not in favour of making Jiah’s letter public until the handwriting was verified.

“But Jiah’s mother, for reasons best known to her,acted in haste , wasting no time in releasing the shocking content of the letter to the press,” says the source.

According to a source very close to the Pancholis, the family is now exploring their legal options in the light of the revelations in the letter.But the Pancholi family has absolutely no ill-feeling towards Jiah or her family.

Says the friend, “Aditya and Zarina love Jiah like their own daughter.In fact Aditya wears a cross around his neck gifted to Suraj by Jiah. They respect Jiah’s family’s grief during this time. But now when Jiah’s mother , acting on advice from people close to her, has chosen to declare an unsavoury war on the Pancholis, there’s no way they will take this lying down.But the Pancholis won’t speak a word against Jiah or her family.”

In the coming days a clearer picture of the Pancholis’ line of action would emerge. Aditya Pancholi is worried only for his son’s future . He apparently rang up Suraj’s debut film’s producer Salman Khan and Suraj’s co-star Aathiya’s father Suniel Shetty to figure out how this ugly controversy would affect the aspirant’s future.

“Both Salman and Suniel assured Aditya that the current controversy changes nothing,” says the source. “But no matter what, the Pancholis would not speak against Jiah or her mother. They understand the family needs to make some sense of the horrible tragedy that has befallen them. They need to pin the blame on someone outside the family to rationalize the loss.Suraj’s mother Zarinaji empathizes with Jiah’s mother completely.”

However the Pancholi family fails to understand why Aditya Pancholi has been dragged into the relationship between his son and Jiah.

“Why has Jiah’s mother named Aditya? He knew Jiah as his son’s friend. Aditya hardly met Jiah In fact they met only on three occasions, once in Goa .All he knows about her is what his son has told him. Aditya and Jiah’s mother have known each other for years.What we want to know is, why is Jiah’s family in such a hurry to pass on the entire blame for her suicide on Aditya’s family?” asks the friend of the Pancholis.