Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts and that it would be wonderful to get back to it.

The thought came to the 70-year-old after he came back from watching a play at the Prithviraj Theatre at the weekend. He says the experience reminded him of work in school and college.

"It would be wonderful to get back to it, but now it is frightening to get up there... a controlled environment is suitable to us today," Big B posted on his blog.

"We can make countless mistakes not so on the platform of the stage ... not so also the immediate reaction of the audience, not so also the immediate reaction and applause of the people sitting in front of you. That attraction is something only those that experience it can say," (sic) he added.

Acting on stage is tough job.

"The stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts, a wonderful place to learn to get initiated of what may follow some of the greats have migrated from the stage to greatness of their own elsewhere, but have never forgotten the days of the smell of the wood work," he wrote.

Bollywood actors Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher are often seen entertaining live audiences with their plays.

"Issaq" is director Manish Tiwary's version of Shakespeare's tragic drama "Romeo And Juliet" and he says he wanted to give it a unique twist thus he thought about having more antagonists to oppose the two lovers in his film.

"One of the initial twists to my film was to attempt something, which I can give a unique angle to. This happened at the scripting level. We started adapting that angle on love," Tiwary told IANS.

In "Issaq", Prateik and Amyra Dastur play the two tragic lovers, but the entire focus is not just on them.

"To make it novel, you have to start from the basics - how you treat the meaning of love and the treatment of the surrounding cast. We realised that the film needed more antagonists to oppose the love, which the lovers have," he said.

The filmmaker has set this tragic love story in Benaras, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and has valid reasons for doing so.

"You cannot make Romeo and Juliet in a contemporary context in Europe anymore... where the feudal system has been destroyed, but if I go to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it still exists. We found this in Benaras. You keep finding a context where your story can be set in a youthful character," said the director who earlier made "Dil Dosti Etc" and is currently scripting his gangster movie "Mohabbat Miyan".

Talking about the cast, Tiwary said: "Prateik drew my attention from his first film ('Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na') and 'Dhobi Ghat'. I approached him and then I had to wait for a couple of films, which he had signed, to complete. He has a presence on screen," he said.

"Amyra was a long search. When I saw Amyra, a Parsi girl, she was still in school and could not speak Hindi properly, but there was something about her. It was more of a director's instinct. She had this head-strong character, which Bachi (the character) needed," he said.

The audience approval and critic ratings are equally important for Tiwary.

"One cannot forget that we are in a medium seen by all. Like many others and most of the directors, I also look for an audience, which likes my film. I don't see a divide here - critics are a part of the film's audience... one hopes that critics and audiences like the film. I will be happy if it is seen widely and discussed," he said.

The 19th annual general body meeting of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) met Sunday and decided to undertake a feasibility study on the construction of a shooting floor here, an office bearer said.

Speaking to IANS, Edavela Babu, AMMA secretary, said such a facility would find many takers since the state's film industry had a large presence in Kochi.

"We have found that about Rs.5 crore would be required for the construction of a shooting floor, and are looking for two acres of land. Kochi is the focal point of our industry and we know its potential. The shooting floor would come up on the city's outskirts, considering the huge cost of land," Babu said.

Of the 442 AMMA members, 275 took part in the general body meeting. One notable absentee was superstar Mohanlal, who is in Europe in connection with his daughter's admission to a college.

Another significant decision taken at the meeting was a hike in the monthly pension given to aging artistes.

"Currently there are 79 artistes on the pension scheme, today (Sunday) we added another 25, and hiked the pension from Rs.4,000 to Rs.5,000. Another decision taken today was to introduce a scheme under which the initial sum of Rs.12,000 would be given to the state to run the pension scheme of artistes who are not members of the AMMA. Through this, from next month onwards, 50 artistes from various fields who are above age 60 will get a monthly pension of Rs.1,000," said Babu.

The AMMA secretary said the organisation president's speech Sunday was the highlight of the meeting, Babu said.

AMMA president and ace comedian and character artiste Innocent, who successfully underwent treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma recently after being diagnosed with the condition a year ago, said: "The fever raging in the state appears to have taken a toll on our members too, as many could not take part because of being down with fever."

Religion is the central theme of the new film by Mexican director and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, in which a group of outstanding filmmakers, including Mira Nair, took part along with Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa and British musician Peter Gabriel.

Arriaga's short is one of several segments that make up the feature-length film "Words with Gods", which explores the religious views held by a group of directors that includes Serbian Emir Kusturica, Argentina's Hector Babenco, Australian Warwick Thorntonel, Bahman Ghobadi from Iran, India's Mira Nair, Japan's Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai of France, Spaniard Alex de la Iglesia, and Arriaga himself.

The music was created by Peter Gabriel, about whom Arriaga told a press conference Friday that he "never imagined he was such a charming person", while Peru's Vargas Llosa was in charge of arranging the shorts that make up the film.

"The idea of the film is to present different beliefs in the most respectful possible way," the scriptwriter of such films as "Amores Perros", "21 Gramos" and "Babel" said.

Religion is a subject that has divided societies, so the film seeks to show that we can talk in terms of understanding, he said.

"Hablar con Dioses" ("Words with Gods") is made up of 12-minute shorts that explore aboriginal spirituality, atheism, Afro-Brazilian religion, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Orthodox Catholicism, Hinduism and Judaism.

The movie is an element of "The Heartbeat Of The World", a Mexican cinema project comprising four feature films studying the themes of religion, sexuality, politics and drug addiction.

"I wanted to undertake the subject of religion first because it's something I'm interested in exploring. Next will come the film about sex," the director said of this ambitious project that deals with subjects "people can't talk about".

If all had gone well ,Jiah Khan would have played one of the Jiahs in a new girl-bonding road flick called Jiah Aur Jiah.

Alas, that was not meant to be. Though Richa Chadha is a Punjabi, and Kalki Kochelin a South Indian , for a girl-bonding film that they will be shooting in September the two spunky actresses are swapping cultural identities.

Richa plays a Tamilian named Jiah Venakatraman, and Kalki, who in real life is from Pudiuherry, will play a Punjaban named Jiah Garewal.

And did we tell you? The film is called Jiah Aur Jiah. Bizarre, that this announcement comes just days after the actress Jiah Khan’s tragic death

A case of tapping the collective tear ducts of an emotional nation?

Filmmaker Mudassar Aziz who co-produces the film along with Sunil Bohra vehemently denies his double-heroines’ Jiah connection with the real life Jiah. “My film and its concept of two girls named Jiah from different cultural background coming together in unexpected ways for a road-travel movie,materialized long before the tragic death of Jiah Khan.”

Mudassar admits Jiah Khan had approached him for a role. “Regrettably she didn’t fit the bill. I needed two actresses with very specific cultural backgrounds. It had to be Richa and Kalki. And I was sure I wanted them to swap their cultural identities. I wanted Richa to play the Tamilian and Kalki in the Punjaban. They are such deviously accomplished actresses. This is their chance to take another unexpected route.”

Interestingly Richa would be spending time in Kalki’s home space in Pudicherry and Kalki would be visiting Richa’s environment in Delhi, so that both actresses can get a feel of each other’s culture before plunging into their parts.

The film to be directed by choreographer Howard Rosemeyer will be shot on Sweden.

Says Mudassar, “Why a girl-bonding film shot in Sweden? You may well ask. Well,my counter-question is, why not? Why do we have to have only films about guys bonding? Don’t girls have fun when they get together?”

Film: "Issaq"; Music composers: Sachin-Jigar; Singers: Mohit Chauhan, Prathiba Bhagel, Rashid Khan, Rahul Ram, Sachinn Gupta, Ankit Tiwari, Tarun Sagar, Mamta Sharma, Papon, Kirti Sagathia, Raghubir Yadav, Malini Awasthi and Smriti Jain; Rating: ***

The music of director Manish Tiwary's forthcoming movie "Issaq" boasts of an intelligent blend of instruments and singer's voices. The film is said to be a contemporary take on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and the composers have taken special care to bring out the passion loud and clear.

The first track "Issaq tera" is an out-and-out winner, with singer Mohit Chauhan spinning magic with his voice. This soft number, where the sound of the flute is very soothing to the ears, talks about a simple and sweet love story. It has good lyrics and once you warm up to it, you're left asking for more.

"Issaq tera" has a duet version as well. Singer Smriti Jain joins Mohit behind the mike for the number, which begins with a grand instrumental piece. The singers complement each other very well in this short, but beautiful number.

The next album on the list is "Jheeni re jheeni". Do not make the mistake of writing it off as a slow-paced track based on its beginning. Singer Rashid Khan takes the number to sky soaring notes after the first few seconds. Sung with a tinge of regional flavour with the sound of classical instruments like sarangi, it is difficult to classify the genre of the song. But this one's definitely very passionate.

There's a duet for this one too! Singer Pratibha adds her soothing vocals to the high energy sound of Rashid's voice. The introduction of the table beats takes the song to very different level. This is like a rare combination of classical singing and music fused with a contemporary touch. An excellent composition! The beauty of lyrics here, are not be missed.

The third track "Bhole chale" talks about the journey of Lord Shiva with an entourage to wed Parvati. Sung by Rahul Ram and Sachinn Gupta, the fast-paced song is full of mischief. It slows down a bit in between to reflect a soothing and melodious sound, but eventually picks up pace. A touch of rock music makes its presence felt, but it does not take away the attention from the singer's impressive energy.

Next up is "Aag ka dariya", sung by Ankit Tiwary. Aggression is the keyword here. With alternative rock backing the song, this one reiterates the line - "Ek aag ka dariya hai aur doob ke jana hai". The tempo of the song changes from time to time as the singer talks about beauty of the female protagonist in the movie.

The unplugged version of "Aag ka dariya" changes the soul of the song completely, and for good. Ankit's vocals are better sounding here. There is also an ear-catching jugalbandi of sorts between the flute and the guitar.

You know it when an item song is added just for the heck of it! And the track "Enne unne" is just that! It may not be a hardcore item track, but serves the same purpose. It is sung by Tarun Sagar, Mamta Sharma, Papon and Kirti Sagathia. The listener struggles to find the reason and logic behind the song.

The next track is "Bhagan Ke rekhan ki". It is tough to slot it, but it has a 'wedding song' kind of a feel to it. It kickstars with a shehnai, and Malini sings the song well. Raghubir Yadav's voice brings a change for the listener.

Overall, the "Issaq" soundtrack scores well. The composers have tuned the singers and the music in an almost impeccable manner. Love, revenge, passion and sadness - what else can one require for a complete musical experience!

Like any other new filmmaker, she struggled to direct a film. Kiran Rao says her experience has taught her that filmmakers, who are swimming against the tide, should stay true to themselves to get recognition.

The 39-year-old started her work as an assistant director in Oscar nominated 2001 movie "Lagaan" and continued the learning process in films like "Monsoon Wedding", "Saathiya" and "Swades", before directing her first film "Dhobi Ghat" in 2010.

"The struggle is the same for any new filmmaker in the world and I don't think India is any different. All first-time filmmakers who are doing something different and against the tide are going to struggle. There is no one way to fix that struggle. The best way to do it is to retain your identity and be true to yourself," Rao told IANS.

"Let the project speak for itself because if you are excited about it, the excitement will communicate on its own. Then the merit of the project attracts people. Whatever you do, the project has to be of a certain quality and then it will get the support," she added.

Rao, who married Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan eight years ago , is involved in projects made under the Aamir Khan Productions Pvt. Ltd.

Even though typical masala movies do not interest her, box-office successes make her happy.

"When a film does well, it is good for the whole industry. I always feel good when films are doing well but get annoyed when a bad film does very good business. That becomes a little disappointing for a filmmaker.

"You feel that the film did not have anything in it to do that great business, but you never know what the audience likes," she said, and added that she is "never against commercial success".

"It is nice and encouraging even for a smallest filmmaker and indicative of a healthy environment for a film," she explained.

Recently, the Bollywood box office saw a heady mix of hits. If potboilers like "The Dirty Picture", "Student Of The Year" and "Khiladi 786" did well, offbeat and unconventional films like "Kahaani", "Vicky Donor", "Gangs Of Wasseypur" and "Paan Singh Tomar" too enjoyed commercial success.

The existence of short films, biopics and masala movies under one umbrella give audience the luxury to explore, feels Rao.

"There is a greater understanding now between the industry and the audience. They are not limited to movies being shown in theatres; they have access to television shows, music, literature and art from around the world... the audience can now go out and watch a film that they want to see," Rao said.

Describing the new trend as a "great thing", she said it allows filmmakers to produce different material.

"Now we have access to different kinds of films. And that is a fair thing. We have to allow diversity and provide different and interesting material which excites the audience," she added.

Will you direct a full on masala entertainer?

"I just want to make films, which I know how to make and I am attracted to. I will not say that it will always be one kind of film. I have only made one film and I want to explore my abilities and see what I can do. If it is commercially successful, I will be very happy. But I don't write thinking about commercial success or that this is a super hit concept... But more power to people who make big commercial films," she said.

She is currently working on a new project, which she hasn't completed writing.

Acclaimed composer Ilayaraja's son Yuvan is ready to debut in Bollywood as a music director for actor Emraan Hashmi's next film, to be helmed by Kunal Deshmukh.

Yuvan's talent has been compared with that of Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman.

"Yuvan is one of those music directors, whose music has universal appeal. A bit like A.R. Rahman, who did great in Tamil movies, then other southern languages, then Bollywood music and then Hollywood. Yuvan is a similar talent," Manish Hariprasad, creative director, Studios, Disney UTV, said in a statement.

"Well, not every 26-year-old music director can boast of 100 films under his belt," added Hariprasad.

Yuvan is said to have been looking for a good film to launch himself in Hindi films, revealed Hariprasad, adding: "It feels great that Disney UTV is the studio launching him".

Behind the beauty of Goa as a destination for film shooting, a beast in the form of extortion to use a locale has begun to rear its head, film production experts say. In fact, such is the brazenness with which money is demanded that one worthy said what was being asked for was a donation to preserve culture!

To shoot a sequence at Campal, a quaint Portuguese architecture-influenced neighbourhood in the capital where several blockbusters, including part of the Rajnikanth-starrer "Robot" was shot, one has to cough out Rs 50,000 to a local councillor who fronts for a local resident association, line producer Dilip Borkar alleged.

"This is in excess of the fees we pay the state government for the shooting-related permissions," Borkar said, showing a receipt to prove a point.

The civil society-extortion trend tumbled out in the open after a city doctor, Oscar Rebello, was beaten up by bouncers, who were "laying down the law" at a shooting location in Campal for Abbas Tyrewala's upcoming film "Mango".

While the All-Goa Line Producers Association (AGLPA) apologized to the doctor, it claimed that councillors and legislators, as well as NGOs located in tourism-friendly areas were demanding "fees" to ensure the smooth passage of the shooting.

"In Calangute or the beach nearby, it's not just the police; we have to pay protection money to the panchayat and even local gangs. The same is the case with other areas like Morjim, where politician after politician and even journalists harass us," a line producer, one of the dozen-odd empanelled by the state government, told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Local line producers are used by film production houses to liaison with the authorities and get permissions as well as the logistics sorted out before the crew and film shooting equipment worth crores of rupees lands on-site.

Ever since Goa was made the permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the state has been vying to promote itself as a film shooting destination.

Popular Bollywood films like Shyam Benegal's "Trikal", Amitabh Bachchan-starrer "Pukar" and Rishi Kapoor-starrer "Saagar" have been shot in Goa, but the effort now was to seriously monetize the state's popularity as a global tourism destination.

And the efforts did appear to be paying off.

In 2011, there were 600 film shoots in Goa, with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), nodal agency, charging Rs 10,000 per day for shooting rights.

The spin-offs for the state government are even bigger, Borkar said.

"Almost every shoot has a crew of several hundred, including artistes, helpers, technicians and others. They too spend money when they land here," he explained.

But Borkar's extortion barb has triggered a sharp reaction from the Campal Residents Association (CRA) which has demanded an apology from the line producers for calling them extortionists who demand protection money.

CRA member Patricia Pinto prefers to call the money demanded as a "donation".

"The donations are used for the upkeep and beautification of facades of heritage houses in Campal. We find this fair," Pinto said. The area comprises an entire block of Portuguese-styled villas that date back to the colonial era.

Beautified houses benefit film shoots too, she said.

"We have not invited them here to film. It is they who want to derive benefits from the facades of houses in this heritage area that are maintained by the residents themselves who receive no help whatsoever from the government," Pinto claimed - a charge Mayor Surendra Furtado rejected outright.

"If they are charging money like this, then the municipal corporation will stop sending sweepers to the area," Furtado told IANS.

"This has to be sorted out. We need to know who is taking money and chai pani for these shoots. Until the city corporation gets to the bottom of this and streamlines procedures, we have decided to ban film shooting here," Furtado added.

Popular playwright and actor S. Ve Shekher, known for films such as "Varumayin Niram Sivappu" and "Payanangal Mudivathillai", will be seen in a prominent role in his comeback Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Win".

Shekher was last seen in 2008 Tamil comedy "Yenga Rasi Nalla Rasi" with late actor Murali.

"He was totally bowled by the script and instantly agreed to be part of the project. He was keen to work with us because he was convinced that we have a winning team," the film's director, Vinod Kumar, said in a statement.

Known best for his work as a comedian, Shekher is a renowned stage actor in Tamil Nadu. Some of his prominent plays include "Crazy Thieves in Pallavakkam", "Mahabharathill Mangaatha" and "Kaadhula Poo".

Shekher will share the screen space with Jai Akash, Angel Jitendra, Subas, Kavya, Nikita, Kousalya, Dinesh Nair, Ganja Karuppu, Manobala and Nasser in "Win", which is currently in post-production phase.

"Win" will be released under the banner of Rahmath Productions in Telugu and by Jai Balaji Movie Makers in Tamil.

The southern film industry will come together here Sep 1-3 to celebrate Indian cinema's centenary year. Chennai has been chosen as it is the birthplace of southern cinema.

"The celebrations of 100 years of Indian cinema will kickstart in Chennai starting Sep 1. Since Chennai is the birthplace of south cinema, we unanimously chose it," C. Kalyan, president of South Indian Film Chambers of Commerce (SIFCC), told IANS.

It will be a three-day event, and all four southern (film) industries will come together to make it a grand success," he said.

Noted personalities from the Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries will be a part of the event, which will be conducted at an indoor stadium here.

"All the four industries will remain closed starting Aug 28 to Sep 3 in view of the function. The first day will have programs associated with Tamil and Malayalam industries; the second day is reserved for Telugu and Kannada industries, while the last day will honour industry legends," added Kalyan.

"Besides film personalities, we have sent invites to the Chief Ministers of all the four states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka). A special invite has also been sent to the President," said Kalyan.

As many as 1,500 artists and technicians from the Telugu industry will felicitated at the event.

A committee has been formed and members from each industry have been appointed to supervise arrangements in their respective cities.

"It will be one of the biggest events ever. We are in the process of finalising the program list and will soon announce complete details. The event will focus on the evolution of Indian cinema from silent to digital era," he added.

Actor Ranveer Singh hopes his forthcoming movie "Lootera" gives the audiences a taste of his versatility.

"When I signed this film ('Lootera'), I thought the audience will get to see something different from me. I play an intense lover. Hopefully, people will get to see that I can act, there is intensity and depth and a range of emotions," the 27-year-old said here Sunday at a special screening of "Lootera".

He believes it's different from his past movies.

"In 'Band Baaja Baarat' my character was uninhibited, loud and vivacious, and 'Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl' was a glamorous film... I just had to look good. It was not necessarily a performance film, but 'Lootera' is," he added.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, "Lootera" is a period romance and stars Sonakshi Sinha opposite Ranveer. It hits theatres Friday.

Ranveer, who is awaiting four releases in the near future, hopes each one will take him a step forward as an actor.

"A big year for me is coming up with four releases. 'Lootera' this week, 'Ram Leela' in November, 'Gunday' in February and 'Kill Dill' mid next year. So it's a very big year coming up for me. I am quite aware of it, and I hope I move forward with each release. I think I'll be quite happy if that happens," Ranveer said.

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, "Ram Leela" also stars Deepika Padukone, while "Gunday" also features Arjun Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

Amitabh Bachchan greets hundreds of his well-wishers outside his residence Jalsa here every Sunday but it was a little different this time! His little granddaughter Aaradhya, along with her parents Aishwarya and Abhishek, also joined the megastar.

Big B posted a photograph on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com, showcasing the 18-month-old zapped by the attention of the crowd. Aaradhya was, like most times, in her mother's arms.

Meanwhile, Amitabh and Abhishek waved at the fans with a smile on their faces.

"Sunday well wishers, lots of dear Ef ..'little one' came out too... concern on her face - why are these people waving and screaming," the 70-year-old tweeted.

Aaradhya will turn 2 this November.

The fan frenzy at Big B's house is a phenomenon that has not changed over the years.

The grapevine is abuzz that Madhuri Dixit will perform yet another item number, this time with Ranveer Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Ram Leela". But sources reveal there are no such plans and no space in the movie for an item song.

"We don't know where these stories of an item song with Madhuri and Ranveer Singh started. The truth is, there is no truth to these rumours," said the source.

Madhuri was recently seen gyrating to "Ghagra" with Ranbir Kapoor in "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", but if the source is to be believed, there's no scope of such a number in "Ram Leela".

"Firstly, there is no situation for an item song in 'Ram Leela'. Secondly, why would Sanjay sir repeat the Madhuri-younger hero format in an item song? This is nothing but someone's wishful thinking.

"Sanjay sir will call Madhuri to dance for his film only when there's a situation to better what he did in the 'Maar daala' and 'Kahe chede mohe' dance numbers in 'Devdas'," the source added.

However, it will be Deepika Padukone, the lead actress of "Ram Leela" who will be perform a dazzling garba dance number in the movie.

The Bombay High Court Monday granted bail to Sooraj Pancholi accused of abetting the suicide of Bollywood actress Nafisa alias Jiah Khan.

Sooraj, son of actor Aditya Pancholi, has been ordered to pay a surety of Rs.50,000, surrender his passport and report to police whenever required for investigations. He was arrested June 11.

He was charged with abetting Jiah's suicide after the actress' family recovered a letter penned by her a few days after her death last month.

A sessions court earlier rejected Sooraj's bail plea June 21 following which he moved the high court.

The New York-born Jiah - who acted in blockbusters like "Ghajini" - was found hanging at her home here shortly before midnight of June 3.

Gul Panag, mostly seen in off-beat films, feels that the scripts of Hindi movies lack story and structure.

The former Miss India started her acting journey with critically acclaimed off-beat film "Dhoop", based on a true story, and was appreciated for her work in films like "Dor", "Manorama Six Feet Under", and "Turning 30".

The actress, not seen in Hindi movies for a while, launched Atulya Mahajan's book "Amreeka Desi".

When asked whether the book could provide a good plot for a movie, she said: "I don't know because Hindi movies don't normally have good plots."

"I do hope there are people out there who understand that films need to have a beginning, an end and a story, which doesn't seem to be the case, unfortunately," added the 34-year-old.

Having said that, Gul feels content-wise "Amreeka Desi" is apt for film adaptation.

"So, if there were any takers who really want to make a film that was tight, that had an interesting structure, which was telling a compelling story, I think they would buy the rights to this book. I think it has the potential to make a good film," Gul said.

She will soon be seen in Punjabi film "Sarsa".

Pakistani actress Humaima Malick, acclaimed for her role in "Bol", has reportedly been approached for Kunal Deshmukh's next directorial venture that features Emraan Hashmi in the lead.

Deshmukh's yet untitled film will go on floors by the end of July.

A source close to the team said: "Humaima has been approached, but nothing is official right now. A screen test has been conducted, UTV and Kunal are looking at a fresh pairing for Emraan and if things would fall in place, in all probability she will step into the project."

Deshmukh had earlier directed Emraan in "Jannat" and "Jannat 2".

Tanuj Virwani says the plot of his debut film "Love U Soniyo" is akin to his mother Rati Agnihotri's 1981 blockbuster "Ek Duuje Ke Liye" -- both films revolve around lovers who belong to different regions.

"Ek Duuje Ke Liye" saw Rati as a North Indian girl who falls in love with a Tamil guy, played by Kamal Haasan. Director Joe Rajan's "Love U Soniyo" revolves around Mark, a Catholic, and Punjabi girl Soniyo, played by former Miss India Neha Hinge, and how they are brought together by fate only to be drawn apart.

Tanuj said: "Yes, quite a coincidence. It wasn't planned and funnily enough we didn't even realise it until midway through the shoot."

"One night after pack up, Joe and I were sitting in our hotel verandah and talking when 'Ek Duuje Ke Liye' songs started playing and after a few moments it hit me, that it's a coincidence that I am also doing the same kind of film, which mom did. Even Joe was stunned," he added.

Distributed by Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd, and produced by Harvey India Productions and Odyssey Corporation India Limited, "Luv U Soniyo" is all set to hit the screens July 26.

Actor Ranveer Singh thanks director Vikramaditya Motwane for making him and his fellow actor Sonakshi Sinha comfortable while canning an intimate scene on them in "Lootera".

Giving details about the scene, the "Band Baaja Baaraat" actor said: "Sonakshi is so cool that I never felt awkward. We all are professional actors and this is our work.

"Vikramaditya made a closed set for our comfort where there was only cameraman, Vikram, me and Sonakshi. He gave us our own space and was very supportive."

The actor said the director made it clear that if an actor is doing an emotional scene "then respect him or her so that they can perform".

"It's a private emotion, it is difficult and the credit goes to the director who was very supportive. I am thankful to him," added Ranveer.

Meanwhile, the actor, who was in the news for his linkup with his co-stars, now takes such things in his stride.

He said: "Earlier, when I used to read such stories it used to bother me and I used to think how can they write such things about me, this is my private life. Then I realised such things will happen in the industry, so now I don't even read these stories."

"If you are an actor, such speculations keep coming," added the actor who has "many releases" in future and would "want to be in the news for my work and not about my private life".

"Lootera", co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, will open July 5.

Poonam Sinha is in awe of her daughter Sonakshi's performance in her forthcoming film "Lootera" and says now, even her father, veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, will think twice before advising her on anything after the film.

"After the film, I think her father will also think twice before advising her or teaching her something because she has given a brilliant performance," Poonam said here at a special screening of the film.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, "Lootera" is a period romance set in the 1950s. She is all praise for lead actor Ranveer Singh's performance in "Lootera", coming out July 5.

"Ranveer and Sonakshi, both, have done brilliantly well. A mother doesn't consider her children that talented, but when outsiders say, she agrees. But I think I have to bow down to Ranveer and Sonakshi's work in the film," she said.

Poonam believes "Lootera" will be remembered as a classic film in Indian cinema.

"It is a classic film. I think it will go down in the history as a very well-made film by a very young and talented director who actually has brought out such brilliant work from both his artists, in fact, everybody if you ask me," she said.