Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who is also chairman of FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee-South, will lead the Indian delegation to the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which begins Wednesday.

Apex business chamber in India - the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), for the first time this year, is co-ordinating on behalf of the ministry of information and broadcasting for the India Pavilion at the gala.

Kamal will lead the official Indian delegation to Cannes and inaugurate the pavilion along with luminaries such as Arun K. Singh, Indian Ambassador to France; Bimal Julka, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; Jerome Paillard, executive director, Marche du Film (the Cannes Film Market); and actor-producer Uday Chopra.

The India Pavilion will showcase Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural and regional diversity, with the aim of forging an increasing number of international partnerships in the realms of distribution, production, filming in India, script development and technology, and promoting film sales and syndication.

"Indian films - including south Indian ones - have been selected and honoured at the Cannes Film Festival for many years now. I'm happy to be part of the official Indian delegation, which will allow me the chance to speak to the world film community about the Indian film industry today.

"As chairman of the FICCI Media and Entertainment Committee - South, I am delighted to have this opportunity to also speak about the development of the southern industry, which has been a special focus of mine for the last five years," Kamal said in a statement.
The Cannes film gala will conclude May 25.

Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu will soon be seen in 'Baby'. An Action thriller directed by Neeraj Pandey. Shooting has started in Katmandu. This will be the second time when Akshay and Neeraj will be working together after ‘Special 26’ in 2013.

The film is set to hit theatres worldwide on Jan 23rd, 2015.

Bhushan Kumar says, “I am extremely happy to joined hands with Friday Filmworks and Crouching Tiger for Neeraj’s next film that is now titled BABY. At T-Series, we have believed in backing genre-breaking content and films that connect with today’s audiences. We have always loved and respected Neeraj’s work and I look forward to him and Akshay creating magic for their fans yet again”.

He is the son of Bollywood's once reigning star Jackie Shroff. His daredevilry is the talk of the town. But young and raring to go Tiger Shroff says that the fact that he's a "star kid" made him work twice as hard as any newcomer.

His debut film "Heropanti", for which he invested two years of labour and passion to achieve an enviable body frame and a natural fluidity in action scenes, hits the screens May 23.

Initially, Tiger was skeptical of stepping into the Hindi film industry, fearing he would be compared to his father. But good preparation and confidence have helped him through.

In conversation with IANS, the 24-year-old said: "Comparison with my father is one of the reasons why I was skeptical to get into Bollywood."

But obviously, he knew, the expectations from him would be high.

"It might be easier for us to get the first film, but the expectation is twice as much because our father had made it big. But people don't know the amount of hard work that goes into it. A star kid has to work twice as hard to surpass the expectations," he said.

Citing an example, Tiger noted how the current day and age are different from when his father was in his prime.

"I think the actors nowadays make a lot more preparations. There is a different kind of expectation and rule book that actors now follow.

"Earlier, actors used to be more carefree and do four to five films. I remember my father used to do three shifts a day, and now we focus on one film and give everything to that film.

"An actor's journey of one film is much longer than what it was back then."

Nevertheless, Tiger has no qualms when he says that he is not sure if he will ever be able to be as successful as his father Jackie, who was amongst B-Town's most sought-after stars of the 1980s and early 1990s thanks to films like "Karma", "Ram Lakhan", "Parinda" and "Khalnayak".

"He is such a cool personality, such a big personality and I am the total opposite. I am too shy and my dad is 'bindass'! We are poles apart. I don't open up in public unlike my father," he said.

Tiger, who says that his dad doesn't interfere in his career, adds that it is Jackie's goodwill that has "got me a lot of respect".

"I worked too hard for two years and tried not to take advantage of my father's name. I wanted to make my own identity and make him feel proud," said the young athletic actor, who also has a strong spiritual inclination.

Acting was not always on his mind.

"I have always been into sports. I had never thought of coming into Bollywood. I was crazy about dance...I was lost academically. I never paid attention in the class and I didn't have any qualification unfortunately.

"I was also getting a lot of offers and I thought I wanted to do a film which allows me to explore my skills and luckily, 'Heropanti' came my way," he said.

Directed by Sabbir Khan, "Heropanti" also marks the debut of Kriti Sanon.

Union workers resumed work Wednesday morning after observing a day's strike Tuesday at Filmcity here due to issues between Allied Mazdoor Union and Balaji Telefilms.

The workers protested as there was a fight between Allied Mazdoor Union and Balaji Telefilms over working hours. The workers reportedly said that Balaji Telefilms makes them work for 15 to 16 hours a day, which is “unethical”.

"Ideally, each worker is not supposed to work for more than 12 hours but a few producers make us work for 16 to 18 hours. Balaji is one such production house which makes us work for 18 hours which is unethical. So, we all workers decided to protest yesterday (Tuesday),” union leader Gangeshwar Shrivastav told IANS.

"But later, there was a meeting with the Filmcity's managing director and he said we will have a meeting on May 20 with the producers and will speak about the issue and get it sorted. And if it doesn't get sorted we will go on strike from June 5 again. Not just Filmcity, our workers who were shooting in Mehboob Studio also came here to Filmcity to join the protest,” he added.

An official from Filmcity confirmed that shooting resumed from Wednesday morning.

"Yesterday (Tuesday) all the shootings were cancelled because the workers went on strike, but now the issue has been resolved and the shooting began today (Wednesday) morning,” said an official from Filmcity.

The studios have been booked for many serials and films, as well as around 10 projects. These include Karan Johar’s “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone starrer “Happy New Year”, and Kapil Sharma's “Comedy Nights With Kapil”.

Since shooting was not underway, SRK and Karan's films were not affected but Kapil's show got delayed because of the strike.

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, co-producer of "Titli", says the film is actor Ranvir Shorey's career best so far.

"'Titli' is a film that will leave you affected for a long time. It's something to grapple and negotiate with. I also think this is Ranvir Shorey's career's best performance...He has even topped 'Khosla Ka Ghosla!'," Banerjee told reporters at the trailer launch of "Titli" here Tuesday.

Banerjee also said that when he first read the script of "Titli", he felt like directing the film himself.

"When I read the first draft of 'Titli' I wanted to direct it myself. I don't know how to tell Kanu (director Kanu Behl) it's his first film... let me direct it. So, somehow I wasn't shameless or selfish. So, the next best thing to do is to be associated with the film. The script really pushed me to produce it," said Banerjee.

But he made sure not to interfere.

"If a producer interferes, he is probably committing suicide but I am a producer now and I can't be directing someone else's film. My job was to be how could we finish the film in a minimum possible budget and that came from my own experience," said Banerjee, who has directed films like "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and "Khosla Ka Ghosla!".

"Titli" has been chosen for screening in Un Certain Regard section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which will opens Wednesday.

Dibakar Banerjee's co-produced film "Titli" has been chosen for screening at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which opens Wednesday, and the filmmaker says it's important to see the film as an Indian project.

"I am not representing Bollywood in Cannes, neither is 'Titli'. It's been my dream that Indian cinema goes out of India and is presented in the world as Indian cinema and not as Bollywood, which I consider as a sub-genre," Banerjee said.

"Bollywood is a genre that is consumed by a genre market abroad. There is a much larger market for world cinema and in a way world cinema from India," Banerjee told reporters at the trailer launch of "Titli" here Tuesday.

"Market is wide open for any Indian film to go out and present itself in the world as long as we can make to tell a story that is original and that 'Titli' is. It's important that 'Titli' is not seen as a Bollywood film and seen as an Indian film," he added.

"Titli" will be screened in Un Certain Regard section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival and Banerjee feels it's more than a festival.

"Things don't come to an end by going to Cannes. Many good films are showcased there and in that crowd where best films are featured, to make your own identity is a task. Cannes is not just a festival, it's also a market," he said.

He added: "We are going there with so much of excitement because firstly, we have been selected by Cannes. But, we also have international market and audience which gets opened because international producers come to Cannes so that they can find some new voices like Kanu Behl (director of 'Titli'), whom they can showcase for the international audience."

"Titli" features Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and Shashank Arora among others.

Indo-Canadian adult film actress Sunny Leone turned 33 Tuesday with a quiet night with her husband Daniel Weber, who gifted her a diamond and emerald necklace.

"I was tucked into bed by 10 p.m. That's how I brought in my birthday. Boring? What to do? I landed a night before from Los Angeles and was heavily jet-lagged. I shot the whole day on the day before my birthday and then crashed out."

“At midnight, someone was knocking on the door with a huge bouquet of flowers from a friend. So that was nice. Then I woke up to a relaxed session of working-out, after which I left for shooting again. It's an ideal way to spend a special day,” said Sunny, whose recent release “Ragini MMS 2” did well at the box office.

Sunny recalls her childhood birthdays when her mother would bake her a cake.

“For one of my birthdays, she baked me a Barbie cake. That's every girl's dream. I remember my 13th birthday. All my school friends came for a party. I got a tape of music of my favourite music bands and other fun gifts. I had the most loving parents who showered me with love on my birthday. I missed them the most on my birthday. I think of them everyday,” she said.

She considers her husband to be the best gift of her life.

"And he brings me the gifts that I like. He gifted me a diamond and emerald necklace this birthday which he got specially designed for me. I feel blessed to have a husband who heaps me with gifts,” said Sunny, who has been in a relationship with Weber for six years.

Married for three years, she says their love “hasn't diminished”.

“How have we made it last so long? Beyond being my husband and lover, he is my best friend. We've seen the best of times and the worst of times together. I can consult him about anything, any problem. He is always there for me. I can lean on him for anything, no matter how silly,” said Sunny, who met her husband in Las Vegas.

“He was based in New York. I didn't think at that time that anything would come of our relationship because we lived in different cities. But Daniel doesn't give up easily. He bombarded me with flowers, chocolates and gifts all over the world wherever I happened to be. He would fly in from anywhere in the world to meet me,” she said.

"I just want a happy home with my husband. I am not a party girl. I don't have too many friends. I spend all my time in the studios and then I am home. That's why I went to sleep at 10 p.m. on the eve of my birthday,” she added.

Filmmaker Kiran Rao, who released Anand Gandhi's highly acclaimed "Ship of Theseus" in association with UTV Motion Pictures, is overwhelmed with the film's National Award win. But she also feels that for the makers, the best reward is acceptance by the audience.

The makers of "Ship of Theseus" and "Shahid" threw a success party here Tuesday to celebrate the National Award win of both films.

"All filmmakers are greedy. We (filmmakers) want everything. We want box office success, critical acclaim, awards and everything else. But I think when the audience likes a film, that appreciation is far more fulfilling, far more satisfying than any award," Kiran said here Tuesday at the party.

"I think both these films - 'Ship of Theseus' and 'Shahid' - have done that. They have touched the people. That's the biggest reward you can get as a filmmaker," she added.

"Ship of Theseus", directed by Anand Gandhi, won the National Award in the Best Feature film category at the 61st National Awards. The film, which had been to the 12th Toronto International Film Festival as well, explores various aspects of life through three different characters from different walks of life.

Meanwhile, Hansal Mehta's directorial venture "Shahid", won two National Awards -- best actor award for Rajkummar Rao and best director for Hansal Mehta. It is based on the life of murdered human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi.

Bollywood actor-producer Uday Chopra is at the 67th Festival de Cannes with his co-production venture "Grace of Monaco", which will open the prestigious fest Wednesday.

"Grace of Monaco" has been helmed by French director Olivier Dahan.

“Doing the Cannes thing,” Uday posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Rumours are doing the round that the “Dhoom” star will walk the red carpet with Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman and others associated with the film, but nothing official has come out so far.

Jointly produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday (YRF Entertainment) and Arash Amel, the film also features Tim Roth.

Set in the 1950s, "Grace of Monaco" portrays a period in the life of Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III in 1956, in what was dubbed "the marriage of the century".

It's an enriching experience for Randeep Hooda to work in Sajid Nadiadwala's "Kick" as he tried a lot of new stuff in the movie and got an opportunity to collaborate with superstar Salman Khan.

The cast has recently wrapped up the film's shooting in Poland.

"I have enjoyed my experience in 'Kick'. I got to do a lot more stuff which I have never done in all my films. And to be in the company of Bhai (Salman) is very inspiring," Randeep told reporters here at the DVD launch of his last release "Highway", Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Randeep is confident of the film's success.

"I think it's a kick-ass movie. I have a feeling it's going to be a very big one," said the actor.

A remake of 2009 Telugu film with the same name, "Kick" also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Director Sabbir Khan, busy promoting his not-so-lenghty movie "Heopanti", launch pad of Jackie Shroff's son Tiger, feels it's time to reduce the length of films as audiences don't have the patience to sit through long-drawn-out presentations.

"The people's patience level has gone down and they don't have time, and I feel change is the only constant that you must adapt. It's high time that the length of the films should be reduced. We should not ignore it," Sabbir told IANS.

"My film 'Heropanti' is not too long. I saw to it that my film is not too long," added the director who debuted with Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer 2009 romantic comedy "Kambakkht Ishq".

His second film "Heropanti" is coming out May 23. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala it features another newcomer Kriti Sanon in the female lead opposite Tiger. The film is about two hours long, against the two-and-a-half to three hours for an average Hindi film.

Asked what kind of films he enjoys watching, Sabbir said: "As a cinegoer I see all kind of films."

"I am as excited about watching 'Lunchbox' as 'Chennai Express'. If a script comes to me organically, then I would love to make such parallel films as well. I have three scripts in my mind and once 'Heropanti' is out of my system, I will think about it."

"Lahore" fame filmmaker Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan is now busy scripting a film based on India's 1983 cricket World Cup triumph and says he will collaborate with foreign technicians for the saga.

"Since it's a period drama and to create the same era, costumes and everything we need to work hard. So, we are getting foreign technicians, who will help us with that. Many Hollywood technicians will be involved with the project," Chauhan told IANS.

India lifted the World Cup by defeating the West Indies in 1983.

"Since it's a 31-year-old story, we have to recreate the same stadium and we are planning to shoot the film widely in England and Scotland. We have to give our best to the pre-production...the film will go on floors by the end of this year."

As far as the cast is concerned, Chauhan says once he locks the script, he will start hunting for the actors.

"I will lock the script in next two weeks then we will hunt for our cast. We are still figuring out whether to rope in a newcomer or an established star for the film," he added.

Singer Shaan has impressed all with his vocal skills, but his inability to give the right answers to a child host has left him worried. He wonders what his children will think of him for giving incorrect answers on a TV show.

The “Main Aisa Kyon Hoon” hitmaker was interviewed by child star Sadhil Kapoor - host of “Captain Tiao”. During the show, Sadhil’s inquisitiveness and questions left Shaan completely perplexed.

The rapid-fire round didn’t turn out to be a good one for the vocalist. He was stumped with the bevy of questions by Sadhil, who kept giving him a series of comical punishments each time he gave an incorrect answer.

At the end of the quiz, Shaan was all dressed like a clown and admitted that he was concerned what his two sons would think of him, said a statement.

“What will my kids think about me? All this is happening to me because of the innumerous questions asked by Captain Tiao”, he said.

The episode of “Captain Tiao" - a short format talk show conceptualised keeping in mind the curious nature of a child, will be aired May 18 on Disney Channel.

Actor Amit Sadh, an avid sports enthusiast, is not just passionate about cycling but he pursues it at the international level. However, due to his recent leg injury, he was unable to make it to the international cycling season this time.

"I will be missing the upcoming international cycling season. I had a good run in the Indian Tour De India tournament. In the coming month, I had a few races lined up in Sussex and North Yorkshire including an exhibition race with Stefan Vermos in Berlin," Amit said in a statement.

He hopes to be pack in perfect shape soon.

"I will try and make up to see if I can participate in July end races. But for that I will have to wait till July first week for physical assessment and then figure," added the "Kai Po Che" actor.

The actor is said to have been invited by a professional cyclist and champion to participate at an exhibition race in England; and Amit had trained an entire year to take part in the same. But a sudden injury on the set of "Guddu Rangeela" forced Amit to take a sabbatical from the sport.

A source close to him said that Amit has been advised to avoid cycling completely for next few months, but Amit is still certain he will be back in shape soon and will make up for his loss.

Pam Chopra will attend an event dedicated the work and life of her late husband and veteran Hindi filmmaker Yash Chopra at the 16th annual Tongues on Fire London Asian Film Festival.

To be held June 7, Remembering Yash Chopra will see Pam in conversation with Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and an authority on the work of Yash Chopra, having penned a biography on the filmmaker, said a statement.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who appeared in several Yash Chopra productions like "Darr", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Mohabbatein" and "Lamhe", will also make a special appearance during the event, to be held at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London.

The evening promises insight into his cinema and his family.

Writing soon after the director's passing, Dwyer said: "The work of Yash Chopra is one of the glories of Indian film, his career bridging the Hindi cinema of the 1950s and the globalising India of today. Nothing made him happier than making films; then having his family and friends around him for a great meal: Family, films and food. His wife Pamela was the centre of his world and his strength."

Pam's tete-a-tete with Dwyer will be preceded by a documentary short film written and directed by award-winning Delhi-based documentary filmmaker Vinky Singh.

Titled "The Master Stroke", Singh's film delves into the legendary filmmaker's use of the 'Navarasa' - the nine essential emotional themes that are the fundamental building blocks of Indian art - in the unforgettable and timeless music that became the cornerstone of his films.

The evening will also see another documentary charting Yash Chopra's career in Bollywood and a performance by Pam.

"The late Yash Chopra is regarded as the king of romance in Indian cinema who presented the notion of falling in love with a sense of aspiration, escapism and adventure.

"His love for Britain is evident in his iconic films like 'Lamhe' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' as he leaves behind a unique legacy of visual aesthetics that continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers," Pushpinder Chowdhry, organiser of the London Asian Film Festival, said in a statement.

The makers of Kamasutra 3D are at the Cannes this year with a teaser of their next project, a mega venture, ‘36 MM 3D’. A biographical drama on the thread of a reincarnated Marilyn Monroe, the movie is an exhilarating journey into the life of the singer actress.

Director- producer Rupesh Paul says, “ The film chronicles the life of Marilyn Monroe. It will throw light on how she became a star and her life after she achieved success and fame. It is a flashback story and its trailer will be shown at Cannes.”

It is widely speculated at the movie will be shot in Monocrome. If so, this would be
the world’s first monochromatic movie on 3D. The poster of ’36 MM 3D’ would also be unveiled at the Cannes

Indian women have come a long way from being homemakers to being the largest consumers of online food. They are dynamically using the handiness of internet services for satiating the food choices of their families, a survey says.

A comprehensive survey conducted across the metros by a leading online food portal, Tasty Khana, brings forward the online food habits of women in the country.

Sixty-nine percent of women prefer placing food orders and making payments online with Bangalore and Pune receiving the highest online food orders placed by women.

As per the survey, 65 percent like to opt for variety of food and cuisines, 69 percent of customers prefer making online payments and 70 percent find online order placing more convenient over calling up restaurants.

The survey brings out the factor that 'word of mouth' is the most effective tool in attracting women to the brand.

"Being in the food business, we have experienced that a large number of our food orders have been coming in from women customers," said Shachin Bharadwaj, CEO & founder, Tasty Khana.

Today 70 percent of women prefer placing an online food order over phone calling and are more brand loyal, to ensure the quality of food for themselves and their families.

"Besides, in a country like India where food is prepared with love and care by the woman of each family, it was important for us to know the change in behaviour of these women in terms of food choices and preferences. Thus, we felt a need to conduct a survey on our female customers and get a deeper insight," said Bharadwaj.

Producer Boney Kapoor, who was on his way to Wahi where his film "Tevar" is being shot, Wednesday met with a car accident. His manager said Kapoor had a minor injury but was fine.

"Boney was on his way to Wahi where his film 'Tevar' is being shot. His driver was driving the car and suddenly they met with an accident with a tractor. Though Boney has a minor injury in his back, he is absolutely fine... nothing serious at all. The accident took place close to 9 p.m.," Punkej Kharbanda, manager of Sridevi Kapoor, told IANS.

"His driver also had a minor injury and Boney Kapoor's boy who was sitting in the back seat was injured a bit because of the sudden jerk," he said.

The car was damaged in the accident on the Satara highway, "but thankfully all three of them are fine", he added.

Actor-producer John Abraham, also a self-confessed football enthusiast, will promote 2014 FIFA World Cup in India.

With the world’s greatest football tournament just around the corner, sports and entertainment channel Sony Six is set to launch their 2014 FIFA World Cup marketing campaign and they have roped in John Abraham for the same, said a statement Wednesday.

John will be seen donning the persona of Brazil’s striker for the campaign that promises to bring alive the zeal and excitement of the football tournament in India.

The “Madras Cafe” star is also the owner of Indian Super League franchise from Guwahati.

The fact that Bejoy Nambiar's next film "Focus" is a based on a road trip, makes its lead actor Rajkummar Rao all the more excited about it.

"I am doing this film and I'm all the more excited because it's on a road trip. I have not done anything like this earlier," Rajkummar told IANS.

The movie will be widely shot in South India.

"It's a very edgy comedy and in fact, a very sensible comedy. We will start shooting for the film by first week of June," he added.

To be directed by debutant Akarsh Khurana, "Focus" will be produced by Nambiar.

Rajkummar believes Nambiar is one of the most talented filmmakers in Bollywood.