Debutante director Soundarya R. Ashwin makes no bones about the fact that her father's presence in her movie "Kochadaiiyaan" is a major pull for the movie. She however hopes people don't underestimate the power of the new technology used in the entertainer.

"Kochadaiiyaan", a period drama, is said to be the country's first 'photo-realistic performance capture' entertainer. Of course, people are curious about experiencing the new technology, but Soundarya knows that a majority of viewers will pour in only because it's a Rajinikanth-starrer.

"There's no doubt about it that people will come to watch my father's performance. That's hundred percent true. But I think anything new requires something that pulls you towards it and as far as 'Kochadaiiyaan' is concerned, it is not just the new technology that attracts you first, but the fact that it is a Rajinikanth film in a new technology," Soundarya, Rajinikanth's younger daughter, told IANS here.

"Dad is shouldering the film totally, and I need to thank him for bringing this technology to the country," she added.

For the film, Soundarya has used the performance capture technology, where the performance of the actors is captured and a virtual image of the character is created. She recently said that she wanted to immortalise her father, and she has done it with "Kochadaiiyaan", which is releasing Friday.

Rajinikanth had earlier said that he hardly knows anything about technology. In that scenario, one wonders how Soundarya convinced the 63-year-old to be part of such a project.

Explaining how she pitched the film to him, she said: "This was during the time when my father was recovering from his illness. We didn't want him to go through any physical strain, and the advantage of this technology is that it's very less physical strain on the actors. But it's a lot of traumatic mental strain on the animators at a later stage because once the actors finish the job, we (animators and technicians) go into the studios and then create the real thing.

"Everything you see in 'Kochadaiiyaan' is created. So when I approached him with the concept, he believed in the story and he believed that this technology could do justice to the story. Also, he believed I could pull it off. That's why he agreed."

After his stint in "Kochadaiiyaan", it seems Rajini has embraced technology. A case in point is his presence on social networking site Twitter, which has fetched him an overwhelming response from the fans.

Soundarya believes that the fact that a film like "Kochadaiiyaan" is releasing in the country is a mark of the growth that Indian cinema has witnessed over its 100 years of existence.

"We have gone from black and white, to colour to stereoscopic, and now Indian cinema has moved to performance capture. We are moving ahead and that is good," added the 29-year-old.

Attempts to pull down Tiger Shroff, son of Ayesha and actor Jackie Shroff, ave left his family unperturbed, if not downright amused.

The star son is being launched into filmdom by producer Sajid Nadiadwala with "Heropanti", is scheduled for a May 23 release. According to a source, once the film's first song and trailer went viral, nasty taunts and barbs started surfacing.

Ayesha doesn't deny that the twitter taunts on Tiger are in all likelihood orchestrated.

"Perhaps these taunts are orchestrated. I can't really say. But in any case these comments are only a drop in the ocean," she said.

"By and large the response to Tiger has been positive, happy and encouraging. Every potentially great personality has faced his share of ridicule at some point in his life and career," she added.

She would rather laugh about the rude comments than brood over them.

"I'd like to take it in a humorous spirit. The tremendous outpouring of love and appreciation Tiger has so far got for his hard work and for being the person that he is, are I think the most befitting reply to all the nasty comments. The naysayers can eat their heart out or get as mean as they like, Tiger is here to stay," she said

Tarun Tahiliani stands tall as one of the country's foremost designers with his unique sensibilities and celebrity clientele. He has now entered the digital space by opening his online shopping store.

"I am excited to have now opened our collection to a global audience. Internet is the affluent shopper's constant companion and we felt the need to be there without compromising on our product quality," the designer said in a statement.

The online store - taruntahiliani.com - will provide shoppers a full experience to know the brand, view all products, zoom into collections and purchase from all over the world with deliveries within two weeks both in India and internationally, depending on country of shipping and easy payment gateways.

“We have been working on economies of scale for our ready to wear and occasion wear, finally we are ready to fulfill the demand and supply chain and introduce our e-commerce avatar - taruntahiliani.com - shortly you will even see a capsule collection that will be for sale online only,” he added.

The Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio divides it’s offerings into different categories like ready-to-wear, occasion wear and couture.

While a customer will have online accessibility to the latest spring-summer 2014 ready-to-wear and occasion wear for both men and women; the bridal and couture collection will have a select showcase and the customers can engage in a dialogue and request for an appointment directly through the website.

Controversy queen Poonam Pandey, who says she was rudely questioned by Mumbai cops for allegedly "misbehaving" with a man in her car here, insists her surname goes against her image.

The incident took place Saturday night quite close to her home on Mira Road and the man, as it turned out, was Poonam's brother.

"This is worse than the Taliban. It was 10:30 p.m. Not even late by metropolitan standards. I was with my brother, my own brother Aditya Pandey, and I wasn't drinking or misbehaving in the car at all when I was questioned by cops."

She alleges that the cops behaved normally until they heard her name.

"The minute I said I was Poonam Pandey their attitude changed. They began to get aggressive. They wanted to know what I was doing in the car with a man. Woh mera sagaa bhai hai. My blood brother."

Poonam feels she was hauled up only because of who she was.

"The cops felt since I was Poonam Pandey, they could create some excitement in their lives. And they got their eight minutes of fame. Suddenly it's all over on the TV channels. All kinds of strange insinuations are being made about my behaviour, my dress and the company I kept. If I can be pulled up for going on a drive with my brother, I shudder to think what would happen to any girl who goes out there with her boyfriend. I see the Talibanism of Mumbai in the hands of the local administration."

Her surname goes against her image, she says.

"Maybe the local law and order machinery feels I am from Uttar Pradesh because my name is Pandey, that I am an outsider. But let me inform them that I am a full blown Mumbai girl born and brought up in the city. And if I wasn't from Mumbai and even if I wasn't with my own brother in the car, and even if I was wearing a skimpy dress, what gives the cops the right to question me and challenge my behaviour? It wasn't as if I was drinking or making out in the car."

Defending her wardrobe, Poonam said the dress was certainly not skimpy.

"It was a normal full length dress. Even college girls wear shorts and tops to the campus which are more revealing. I guess my image has become an uncontrollable beast. Totally out of my control," she said.

Her family is in shock after Saturday night's incident.

"My brother has gone into shock. My parents are blaming me for putting him through this. But you tell me, is it my fault that I am who I am?"

Everything about Amitabh Bachchan may seem likeable to his multitude of fans. But the megastar says he "hates everything" about himself, and hopes that he can be a better observer.

At the behest of one of his fans, IANS asked Big B about the one thing he hates about himself.

He was quick to respond: "I hate everything about me (myself)!"

"There are so many things that are not correct (about me) and an effort is made to correct it," said the 71-year-old, who is an instituition in himself to aspiring actors and performers.

Even after nearly five decades of entertaining audiences via films, he says that even now when he faces the camera, there's a whole lot to learn.

"Everyday that we go in front of the camera is a learning day. We learn new things, we meet new people, listen to them, watch them," said the star, who defies age by grooving and singing in his films still.

He says observation can be an actor's biggest strength, and he feels he lacks it -- even though his intricately descriptive pieces of writing on his blog speak another story.

"As actors, we tend to notice everything around us - while meeting people, somewhere something keeps getting recorded... and then when there's a scene sometime later, it (a reaction or expression) comes out.

"I have had no formal training (in acting), and so observation is what I can rely on. I feel it is a very important aspect (of being an actor). I lack observation," he said.

Well, if you, Big B, lack observation, what do we say?

He smiled, sighed and said: "Aaah... we will never know. As a creative person, we should never be satisfied. Everyday is a new learning graph - the day the 'I know everything' feeling sets in, it is the death of an artist."

No wonder then that even at his age, he is ready to take on new challenges head on!

Bhakti Sangeet, a three-day festival of devotional music, will be held here from May 9 featuring popular singers like Hans Raj Hans and Shubha Mudgal, along with other folk artistes, the event's organisers said Tuesday.

The festival, organised by the Sahitya Kala Parishad and the department of art and culture, will take place at the Nehru Park in South Delhi's Chanakyapuri area.

Singers from different devotional traditions will be singing paeans to man's surrender to the almighty at this confluence of devotional music that will bring together Baul singing of Bengal, Sufiana qawwali, Vedic chantings and bhajans at a single musical soiree.

"When you use the medium of music to express your unconditional love to your creator, the result can easily stir any soul. We are a nation of spirituality and we have different ways of professing our love to the God," Prahlad Singh Tipania, folk singer from Madhya Pradesh who performs in traditional Malwi folk style, said.

The event will also feature Baul singer Parvathy Baul, Mohammad Irshad who will recite Sufi philosopher Bulle Shah's poetry, and Agnihotri Bandhu who specialise in Ram and Hanuman bhakti, among others.

Asshu Trikha's directorial venture "Koyelaanchal" has been cleared with an A-certificate by the censor board and veteran actor Vinod Khanna, who plays a key role in the film on the coal mafia, Tuesday said that he doesn't believe in censorship.

Expressing his views on the certification issue, he said: "I don't believe in censorship until and unless there is something against the nation, then it should be valid. In such extreme cases censorship should come into the picture."

One of the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s, Vinod praised the current scenario saying "filmmaking has progressed" over the years, but added that still there is a dearth of "good scripts".

The film also starring Suniel Shetty is coming out May 9.

The 67-year-old, who has been part of about 150 movies and avoids public platforms, said he attended the "Koyelaanchal" event because the film is good and it should be promoted well.

"I think promoting films is a trend and it's part of your contract. I got a little late as I was in the midst of elections. I feel this is a great film, which needs to be pushed. It's a kind of film which has no A-listers in it," he said at the film's event.

Talking about the theme of the movie, he said: "Not many people are aware that the coal mafia is the oldest mafia of this country and it's been here for 200 years. People didn't talk about it as it was a private sector, but when it got nationalised things came out. Coal scam is the biggest issue in front of our country."

Sky is the limit for actors, he feels.

"This is one field where you can explore as much as you want to. Acting is nothing but a whole experience of coming up," he said.

In "Hawaa Hawaai", young Partho Gupte's roller-skating coach is played by Saqib Saleem. However, the young actor's real-life coach on whom Saqib's character is modelled, is Ajay Shivlani, who runs the skating school Rollfit in Mumbai.

Partho, who learnt roller-skating from scratch for his role as the underprivileged dreamer Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare, is now so adept at the sport of his training that the boy intends to pursue skating long after the film is released and over.

His appreciative coach Shivlani said: "It's very rare that any coach would get such an opportunity to be a part of a full-fledged film that promotes one's sport and gives credibility to his passion.

"We did have someone like Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare in our class. Only he didn't have a past like in the film, was from not so lucky background but was raring to accomplish his dream in the world of speed skating."

"He was our student for more than 12 years and proved his mettle at the district, state and national level competitions. He was a gold medallist and overall state champion in his age group for six years at a stretch."

Shivlani is all praise for Partho's abilities.

"His camaraderie with other skaters during class practice and shooting, or even with Saqib Saleem or the band of boys speaks for his simple and down-to-earth, easy going attitude," Shivlani said.

"I'm absolutely confident about Partho being one of the finest actors in our country. Partho, as Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare, managed to ignite lots of nostalgic and delicate feelings other than holding me tight in my world of skating training."

Partho's father director Amole Gupte cautions against heaping praise on his son.

"My wife Deepa and I are not sure we want Partho to hear all this praise. He is too young for adulation. He is learning. He's passionate about his guitar and about his skating. I want him to be dedicated to every positive experience in life," Gupte said.

"Luckily for us, Partho didn't lose his bearings when he was heaped with recognition for my first film with him 'Stanley Ka Dabba', including a National Award. We are sure Partho will deal with maturity with the recognition he gets for 'Hawaa Hawaai'," Amole said.

Apparently, Amole insists that the other four child actors who play Partho's friends in the film - Ashfaque Bismillah Khan, Salman Chote Khan, Maaman Memon and Thiruptathi Kushnapelli - share the limelight with Partho.

Partho himself shows no signs of vanity.

At a special screening, he surprised, amused and embarrassed Huma Qureshi (Saqib's sister) by touching her feet.

"She is older than me. I am supposed to show respect for everyone who is older," says the wonder-kid.

The release date of the much-awaited Rajinikanth-starrer "Kochadaiiyaan" has been pushed ahead once again. The team was racing against time, says its co-producer Murali Manohar.

The movie was due to release Friday, but it has now been rescheduled to hit the screens May 23.

When asked to explain the unexpected turn of events, Manohar said: "Yes, unfortunately we are not ready to release this Friday. We were racing against time."

The news, though a big blow to eager Rajinikanth fans, comes as welcome respite to the six other Hindi releases this week - "Hawaa Hawaai", "Khwabb", "Mastram", "Koyelaanchal", "Manjunath" and "Yeh Hai Bakrapur".

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has directed only four films in his over 13 years in Bollywood. He believes good movies deserve the "slow cooking" treatment, but says his new project "Mirza Sahibaan" will be his "fastest ever".

"Mirza Sahibaan" is Mehra's ambitious film, via which he is set to launch two newcomers - Anil Kapoor's son Harshvardhan, and Saiyami Kher, the niece of talented actress Tanvi Azmi and granddaughter of yesteryear's leading lady Usha Kiran.

The filmmaker has given his actors ample time to grasp their characters as best as they can for the project, which will go on floors in mid-September. Mehra intends to release the film towards the end of 2015.

That'll be quite a gap since the release of "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", won't it?

"No," he retorted during a conversation with IANS.

He's sort of right - his first feature project "Aks" came in 2001, followed by "Rang De Basanti" in 2006, "Delhi-6" in 2009 and "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" in 2013.

"In fact, 'Mirza Sahibaan' will be my fastest ever film," he said.

"I think the older I'm getting, the faster I'm getting at making films. But I believe movies should be given the time they deserve. The slow cooking formula works in order to tell a good story on screen," added the 50-year-old.

That is why, he says, his projects "Raja and the Legend of the Flute" and "Casual Kamasutra", are long-pending.

"'Raja and the Legend of the Flute' has been with me for over six years, and even 'Casual Kamasutra' has been in the works. I pick them up and leave them until I get more and more clarity on the scripts. I like to go with my pace to give a project everything that it needs," said Mehra, who was recently in the capital.

He was here to collect the National Award for "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" - best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

It was a moment of glory for him.

"It's a hat-trick of sorts," he said as he recalled that "Rang De Basanti" was adjudged the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment at the 53rd National Film Awards ceremony, while his movie "Delhi-6" won the Nargis Dutt award for best feature film on national integration at the 57th edition of the event.

If Mehra had his way, he would have brought former athlete Milkha Singh, on whose life, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is based, to collect the award from President Pranab Mukherjee when the ceremony was held here May 3.

Though that couldn't happen, Mehra said he was "happier for Milkha Singh" when he had first heard that the Farhan Akhtar-starrer was chosen for the honour.

"Milkha Singh's story deserved to be told to the world at large," he said, adding that making movies which "reach out to the masses, and without compromising on values, is a challenging zone" for him to be in.

Film: "Yeh Hai Bakrapur"; Cast: Anshuman Jha, Asif Basra, Suruchi Aulakh, and Yoshika Verma; Writer-Director: Janaki Vishwanathan; Rating: ***

Gone are those days when female directors made films about female protagonists. Janaki Vishwanathan's protagonist is neither man nor woman.

It's a goat!

Weaving a plot in and around the anointment of a goat in a sleepy bigoted Muslim-dominated hamlet, Janaki's film creates a world that seems frozen in a state of incredulous backwardness and poverty. And yet "Yeh Hai Bakrapur" is not a sad film.

The upbeat tongue-in-cheek plot about a goat named, ahem, Shah Rukh who acquires a divine status for no fault of its own, has plenty of bite and brio. Though it finally comes to an inglorious ambiguous end, there is ample meat in the narrative to chew on.

The director keeps the proceedings on a slow-burn, opting for an understatement and subliminal humour where she could have pulled out all stops and given Shyam Benegal's "Welcome To Sajjanpur" a run for its money. By the time the proceedings come to a grinding halt, the narration hasn't moved forward to anywhere close to a nirvana, nor have the characters evolved.

The stagnancy of the milieu interrupted by a silly excitement over a spiritually blessed goat, is staggering in its nullity. Celluloid portraits of rural poverty are generally grim and tragic. This one goes the other way. The world of "Yeh Hai Bakrapur" is flush with fun, not necessarily intentional.

The characters seem to exist on two levels, both as prototypes and individuals typifying the peculiarities of a community grappling with inner prejudices, and trying to balance out personal equations within the context of hugely eccentric circumstance that overtakes the soporific village.

There is also the theme of the urban infiltration in rural India through the character played by Anshuman Jha. A village barber's son and a self-styled hair stylist with an air of deceptive innocence, Jha's Jaffar brings into the story a dash of hurried progressiveness in the dying, decaying village.

And presiding over the fiscal madness that takes over the village is the selflessness of a little boy (Shameem Khan) and the goat. A portrait of innocence in a world governed by manipulation!

The goat's stardom with the two communities claiming its attention can be seen as a metaphor for the kind of heroes we seek in today's times. On the other hand, the entire brouhaha over a suddenly iconised goat can be enjoyed as just a comedy on glorious goof-ups.

Given either option, the film has some delectable performances. Every actor gets a hang of the farce and blends accordingly. But theatre actress Suruchi Aulakh is way ahead of the other in finding her groove in this madcap comedy about a village riddled with humbug and bigotry.

For a film that authenticates its satire by focusing relentlessly on the quirks of its characters, there is quite a lot of polish in the presentation. The music is an interesting mix of the native folk sounds and generic satire.

The topography is tightly articulate. This is a charming scathing irreverent parable on blind faith, poverty and religious hypocrisy that seems satirical sustenance in the authentic rural Muslim milieu where innocent love and manipulative materialism co-exist.

You may not be overwhelmed by Vishwanathan's satire. But you won't come away without a smile and smirk in this sly look-see at rural India where every second citizen is a certifiable attention-seeker.

Director Sabbir Khan, whose movie "Heropanti" is releasing under Sajid Nadiadwala's banner, says he is among the finest movie producers in tinsel town.

"I share a great rapport with Sajid and whatever was required for the film, he was always there for it. (There was) Absolutely no interference...he's one of the finest producers in Bollywood," Khan told IANS.

"Heropanti" features Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon in the lead.

Sabbir, who earlier directed "Kambakkht Ishq", says he is not bothered about the box office.

"As a director, I don't think much about the box office. If the figures are good, then great, but audience appreciation matters a lot. I hope the audience likes the film," he added.

Film: "Hawaa Hawaai"; Cast: Partho Gupte, Saqib Saleem, Makrand Deshpande, and Neha Joshi; Writer-Director: Amole Gupte; Rating: **** 1/2

Very early in this wonderful film we see the extraordinarily talented young hero Partho Gupte in prayer with his screen-father, played by the redoubtable Makarand Deshpande.

Immediately, you sense you are in the midst of an exceptionally serene, nurturing and rewarding work of art.

"Hawaa Hawaai" never lets you down. Sure it has its conclaves of concession to populism, like a sports coach on a wheelchair (very chic!) who seems to have watched too many Hollywood films. But you welcome these very endearing attempts to communicate the film's theme on the right to dream in a language that's accessible to a mass audience.

This is a film that must be seen by every person young or old who has ever dreamt.

Deeply inspirational it picks an easygoing, jaunty, light and supple tone of narration so that the audience never feels the weight of the message.

The journey of little Arjun Harishchandra Waghmare, played with effortless candour by Partho, from rural Maharashtra to the heart of Mumbai city is mapped with astonishing fluidity and conviction.

Writer-director Amole Gupte looks at the life of the fringe people in the city with a huge amount of compassion. Here is an artiste who happens to be a filmmaker. He is not the least fearful of stepping into the streets of the uncaring city looking for empathy and compassion in the unlikeliest of places.

And finding it!

You may feel that little Arjun encounters too many thoughtful people in a city notorious for its brutal insensitivity. But that's Amole Gupte for you. Whether it was the hunger for food in "Stanley Ka Dabba" or the yearning to achieve one's dreams in this film, the child at the centre of the plot is constantly being given a chance to find his identity amidst the turmoil, chaos and bustle of Mumbai.

Arjun's dreams are visualised not as a fairty-tale, but an obtainable reality.

The narration glides forward in the same streamlined movements as little Arjun's big dreams on the roller skates. The director allows the dream to grow on its own volition until Partho's yearnings acquire wings and soar to a splendid culmination where the director intercuts scenes from the boy's past with the present race on roller skates.

No matter how you look at it, life is tough. But finally beautiful.

While the sequences showing Arjun's growing bonding with the wheelchair-bound Lucky Sir, adequately played by Saqib Saleem, are very cinematic, it's in the boy's relationship with his parents and grandmother and with his four street-smart friends that we witness the full force of Gupte's virtuosity.

Gupte understands the mind of a growing children intuitively and naturally. He sneaks into corridors of the impressionable mind with the unquestionable certainty of someone who knows his way around. That he has Partho as his ally in this endeavour to map the innerscape of an innocent heart is just so providential for the film.

Partho has already shown us his ability to comprehend the dynamics of childhood in "Stanley Ka Dabba". Here he moves with age-defying effortlessness from the 'dabba' to the chai-glass. Partho brings an element of deep tragedy to the boy's life without playing for sympathy. Stripped of cute trappings it's a phenomenal performance.

And he isn't alone. The four boys, who plays Partho's pals, namely Ashfaque Bismillah Khan, Salman Chote Khan, Maaman Memon Aand Thiruptathi Kushnapelli are equally adept at portraying the premature wisdom of street children.

Another small hero in the film is Hitesh Soni's background score. Deepa Bhatia's edits down the material to a place where we see right into the soul of humanity.

While the scenes of camaraderie among the five boys and between Partho and screen parents (Makrand, Neha Joshi both brilliant beyond words) puts a clamp around your heart and lump in your throat, the skating coach's Hollywoodian swagger and his "troubled" relationship with his NRI brother (Anuj Sachdeva) didn't quite grip me.

And honestly, the effort to introduce a hint of a romance between the coach and a rich bored girl from South Mumbai was just too strained to be endearing.

Minor aberrations do not take way from the majesty of the larger picture in this film that dares to dream for the dreamer-hero. You will laugh, weep and cheer for this little Milkha on roller skates.

"Hawaa Hawaai" is an extraordinary saga of ordinary lives, the kind we often pass by at traffic signals. Gupte penetrates the heart mind soul and dreams of those unsung lives. This is the most moving film on street kids since Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay".

This is a not-to-be-missed life-changing experience.

The second instalment of the 2011 Bollywood blockbuster "Singham" has now been titled "Singham Returns" instead of "Singham 2".

The movie, currently being shot, is coming from the makers of "Golmaal" series. It is another franchise from the actor and director duo Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty.

The pair, known to offer superhit entertainers, is currently shooting for the film in Mumbai and much excited about the way it’s turning out.

But it is also the ‘return’ of Kareena Kapoor with the macho men after "Golmaal Returns".

The Ajay-Kareena pairing and chemistry has been appreciated in both serious and comedy genre. With "Singham Returns", they are likely to recreate their magic on the big screen.

Together, Ajay and Rohit have delivered comedy and action-packed entertainers like "Golmaal" series, "All The Best" and "Bol Bachchan".

Their new offering "Singham Returns" is scheduled to release in August.

Film: "Manjunath"; Cast: Sasho Satish Saarthy, Seema Biswas, Kishore Kadam, Yashpal Sharma, Anjori Alagh, and Faisal Rashid; Director: Sandeep Varma; Rating: *** 1/2

The bereavement of parents has been done to death in our cinema. And I do see a cruel pun in that. From Om Puri and Revathi mourning so gracefully for their martyred son in "Dhoop" to Farouque Sheikh and Sarika grieving far more openly in "Club 60", the stretch of sorrow for the era of lost parenting has been long and productive.

In "Manjunath", the story of the honest-to-goodness Indian Oil executive Manjunath Shanmugam who was murdered for questioning the oil mafia in Uttar Pradesh, director Sandeep Varma has opted for a dry-eyed, docu-drama freewheeling style of narrative.

We see the protagonist, played by newcomer Sasho Satish Saarthy, talk directly into the camera and to the man who murders him. His angst and his battle with corruption are often voiced in the Indie-rock sounds of the Parikrama band.

These distancing devices in the narrative deliver a dryness to the tone of the storytelling and the texture of the characters.

The murder of Manjunath is a national tragedy of epic proportions. This is not an epic film. It tells Manjunath's story in a direct, documentary dry-eyed style that goes well with the sardonic resignation and the prevalent cynicism with which we look at the death of innocence and idealism in modern times.

The film takes minute interest in the incidents and characters from Manjunath's life. This results in a kind of over-elaborate case-study where the characters appear more interesting for what they represent than what they are actually seen doing on screen. The film's restricted budget is also evident in the film's overall look.

These considerations make little difference to the film's larger picture. The disturbing message of the film, that being honest is a threat not only to the world at large but also to the individual who suffers this malady, runs through the narrative. Seen in the context of a stubborn idealist battling corruption Manjunath makes you forget Athe lack of moistness in the narrative.

There really is no room for tears in a world where corruption is a way of life. Manjunath's straightforward allegiance to the truth is a direct descendant of Dharmendra's character in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's "Satyakam". Not much has changed since that film showed how much one has to suffer for one's idealism.

In "Satyakam", Satyaprakash was killed by cancer. In "Manjunath", it is the cancer of corruption that kills our hero.

Prudently the film casts an absolute newcomer Sasho in the title role. What we see on screen is Manjunath and not an actor playing the part.

Wisely the film selects a strong supporting cast - Seema Biswas as Manjunath's mother is as usual, outstanding. Ditto Divya Dutta and Yashpal Sharma. Do these actors ever deliver sub-standard performances?

Once a while there comes along a man who genuinely wants to change the world we live in. "Manjunath" is the hard hitting conscientious story of one one braveheart who tried to make a difference. And paid with his life. Manjunath's valorous story had to be told. The director pieces together Manjunath's story like Orson Welles'"Citizen Kane".

As every piece of the jigsaw falls into place you want to salute the unsung hero.

Thank god for Manjunath, who is not a man but a metaphor for that rapidly evaporating cult of idealism that we thought died with Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

Actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das says that his stage experience has made him "fearless" and "brave". Now he wishes to be equally bold on the big screen and is keen to play a psychotic villain.

"Actually, I have tried various roles on screen but now I am eagerly waiting to be a villain. I would love to play a crazy psychotic person on screen. A full on psychotic is something I am looking forward to do. Besides, I would also like to do a children's film," said Vir, who was seen in adult comedy "Delhi Belly", zombie movie "Go Goa Gone" and thriller "Revolver Rani".

When it comes to acting, the sky is the limit for the 34-year-old.

He said: "I have done a bachelor's in theatre. I have done a serious acting programme. I have gone naked for a play and I have done all stupid things on the screen. I feel after being a stand-up comedian, where you don't get takes, you become fearless and brave. So I don't have any limitations as an actor."

"Lakshmi" - Nagesh Kukunoor's hard-hitting drama on child trafficking in the country - will open the 2014 edition of the London Asian Film Festival (LAFF).

"Lakshmi" will have its European premiere at LAFF, a celebration of independent South Asian arts and cinema across London as the gala returns for its 16th year June 1-14.

The film is based on the real-life story of an impoverished 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her village in Andra Pradesh and forced into prostitution and who eventually testified in court against her traffickers.

Kukunoor, an acclaimed writer and director, will travel to London for the event, and will be part of a tete-a-tete following the film's screening June 1 at the capital's Tricycle Theatre.

"Lakshmi" stars newcomer Monali Thakur in the central role, with Ram Kapoor and veteran Satish Kaushik in key roles.

The film had its world premiere in January at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2014, where it won the audience award for best narrative feature.

Among the other highlights of this year's LAFF are an appearance by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj; Pam Chopra, the wife of the late filmmaker Yash Chopra; and Indian-American comedian Nadia P Mansoor as well as films from Pakistan, India and Britain.

Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari was Thursday arrested by Mumbai police on charges of allegedly raping his former girlfriend and remanded to police custody till May 12.

"Ankit has been arrested and presented before the court, which remanded him to police custody till May 12," his lawyer Nagesh Mishra told IANS.

Tiwari's brother Ankur was also arrested but it could not be ascertained whether he has also been charged with rape or with threats to assault the victim.

The victim had met Ankit through a common friend and the alleged rape took place late Wednesday (last) night at her home.

Tiwari said the brothers have alleged a conspiracy by their professional rivals to defame Ankit after the singer achieved nationwide fame with his rendering of songs like “Sun raha hai tu” in the recent hit movie “Aashiqui 2”.

"Ankit has not been in touch with the girl since one year and before that he was in a relationship with her for a couple of years,” said Mishra.

“He has been accused of rape and molestation under sections 376 (rape), 417 (cheating) and 493 (cohabitation by a man deceitfully inducing a belief of lawful marriage) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code)," he added.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has started shooting for director R. Balakrishnan’s next and the look test for the film with American make-up expert Dominie Till took a lot of time.

“An arduous sitting for Balki's (Balakrishnan) look test with the lovely Dominie from L.A. that did my prosthetic make-up for 'Paa',” Amitabh posted on Twitter Thursday.

“It took time to be accomplished - the make-up I mean. It’s 3:30 am! What? Off to bed,” he further posted.

The film also features “Raanjhanaa” star Dhanush and southern star Kamal Haasan’s younger daughter Akshara.

Actors Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh are so passionate about paintings that they ensured they got their hands on some of the creations in London while filming their new project “Humshakals”.

The shooting schedule in Mauritius and London gave both the actors quite a lot of time to spend together on and off the sets and paintings was one thing that brought the two closer.

“Saif and Riteish are very passionate about paintings. They would wrap up the shoot in time so that in the evenings the duo could go for shopping for paintings in London. Apart from discussing about the movie scripts and having fun on the sets with the crew, the two were also seen discussing their love for paintings,” a source said.

“Humshakals” also stars Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Tamannaah and Esha Gupta.