Rajkumar Hirani, director of successful films "Munnabhai M.B.B.S.", "Lage Raho Munna Bhai" and "3 Idiots", is not trying to outdo his contemporaries and says his endeavour is to tell good stories.

Currently, he is busy shooting "P.K.", starring Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma in the lead.

"I don't think any of us is running a race. I don't think I am running a race with any other director or his films... I don't think we are in a race at all," Hirani told reporters Saturday at the launch of a CD on positive thinking - "Raageshwari Narrates Daily Affirmations by Louise Hay".

"All of us are saying stories, which are completely different. If we say good stories, if it connects with audiences, all the films will work. So there is no race," he added.

According to Hirani, there is no formula to make a successful film.

"I don't think any of us can make a formula. If we could, then every film would work. So the best thing is not to worry about whether your film will work or not. Try and make what will work for you. So my effort is to try and tell a story that works for me, I connect with, and which I believe in," said the 50-year-old filmmaker.

"D-Day" director Nikhil Advani asserts that his film is not a regular underworld or 'bhaigiri' film, but a serious espionage thriller based on the country's intelligence agency RAW and its operations.

Actors Arjun Rampal, Irrfan and Huma Qureshi are playing RAW agents in the film.

"There is no connection to the underworld. It is about terrorism, it is about bringing back India's most wanted man. It is an espionage thriller. All three of them and Aakash Dahiya, they are spies, they are RAW agents," said the director here at the music launch of the film Sunday.

"There is no 'bhaigiri' in the film. It is about India, it is about four patriots," he added.

The film is slated for a July 19 release and it stars Rishi Kapoor in the role of an antagonist. Shruti Haasan too features in it.

Action hero Vidyut Jammwal was slated to perform live stunts on the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards stage in Macau Saturday, but he has pulled out at the last minute due to an urgent family situation.

"Vidyut has had to travel urgently out of the country to attend to a certain urgent family situation. Due to this, he will unfortunately not be seen performing his action and stunt based act at IIFA awards 2013 in Macau this year," his spokesperson said in an official statement.

The actor has gained popularity with films such as "Force" and "Commando", and his daredevilry will next be seen in "Bullett Raja".

At the IIFA extravaganza, which kicks off Thursday at The Venetian Macao, stars like Madhuri Dixit and Deepika Padukone will set the stage on fire with their perfect moves and grooves. The awards night will be co-hosted by Shah Rukh Khan and Shahid Kapoor.

Boman Irani's friends may be jealous of him as he gets to work with young actresses, but the actor feels sad for himself as he just gets to play their father on screen.

"They (friends) are jealous of me because I get to work with the most beautiful women in the country. They ask me what's Kareena (Kapoor) like, what's Deepika (Padukone) like and I feel very happy. But inside, I also feel very sad because I only play their father," the 53-year-old said here Sunday at St. Mary's School, where he studied. He was there to attend a function.

His two sons also studied in the same school.

"Both my sons also studied in this school and it was an amazing feeling to be a parent in the school where we used to be so naughty... It's quite a wonderful feeling to be back," said Boman, recently seen in legal satire "Jolly LLB".

He will soon start shooting for Farah Khan's "Happy New Year".

Small screen actress Ekta Kaul, who was voted out of "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6", confesses that she was scared of choreographer Remo D'Souza, one of the judges on the celebrity dance reality show.

"I liked all the three judges but I was scared of Remo as he would pick out even the smallest mistakes made on the floor," Ekta told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

"Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" went on air June 1 and the show's judges panel also includes actress Madhuri Dixit and filmmaker Karan Johar.

Ekta was eliminated Saturday and is already missing the show.

"I am feeling bad, but not because I got eliminated. It's a competition and it was supposed to happen. I am feeling bad because I was injured and couldn't perform well because of physical restrictions," said the actress, who made her debut on the small screen with the show "Rab Se Sohna Isshq".

"I really wanted to perform and do so many things on the stage," she added.

Despite being a non-dancer, she accepted the offer to participate in the show "without giving it any second thought".

Talking about her co-contestants, she said: "Everyone is a very good dancer... It was a tough competition."

When asked about her biggest competitor on the show, the actress said it was her choreographer Tushar Kalia.

“Tushar was my biggest competitor on the show. The amount of hard work and efforts he used to put in for the show was just amazing. His expressions and the way he danced was mind-blowing,” she added.

As far as the future is concerned, Ekta said: "I am just going to chill at home for some time and then come back and look for some work."

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi is nursing a fractured left wrist, and she admits it is giving her a tough time.

"Have fractured my left wrist! Quite a task to do everything with just one hand! Need your good wishes for my recovery," Shabana posted on Twitter.

The actress is quite regular on the social networking site, and had recently shared that she had "placed a note of solidarity for (Nelson) Mandela on the wall outside his hospital in Pretoria" on a visit to South Africa.

It’s no secret that the leading filmmaker Karan Johar will play an antagonist in his foe-turned-friend Anurag Kashyap's much awaited next, Bombay Velvet. However, not many know about the gay twist in the tale.

Reportedly, Karan will essay the role of a rich businessman in the film. A well placed source reveals that Karan’s character in the movie will have homosexual overtones. “The villain was originally conceived as a straight character but when Karan came on board Anurag decided to rewrite the role and changed the sexual orientation to gay” reveals the source. The role was initially offered to the veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah.

Some of KJO's earlier films Kal Ho Na Ho, Dostana and recent films Student Of The Year and Bombay Talkies have had homosexual characters or references .

The director's first movie appearance was over a decade-and-half ago in the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol-starrer Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge followed by cameos in Om Shanti Om and Luck By Chance.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma as a lead pair. The duo will play lovers whose lives intermingle with the evolution of the city of Bombay, through the 50s to early 70s.

The first film of a trilogy, as planned by Anurag Kashyap, Bombay Velvet is the story of how the city became a metropolis, set against the backdrop of love, greed, violence and Jazz.

Bombay Velvet which is expected to go on floors in July 2013 will be shot in Sri Lanka.

After giving the audience a stupendous hit, Aashiqui2, at the box office this year, Bhushan Kumar and Vishesh Films decide to come together yet again to announce their next venture. T-Series – Vishesh Films’ announce to take forward their 1991 hit love story Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin. Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin released in 1991 was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and starred Pooja Bhatt and Aamir Khan.

With the same enthusiasm they had during the making of Aashiqui 2, T-Series and Vishesh Films are quite excited with their next project together.

Bhushan Kumar ecstatic with the new movie expresses, "We were confident that Aashiqui 2 will do well, so I went to Bhatt saab asking him to revive my father’s and his other hit Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin. That’s how we have joined hands in making another love story. While discussing on prospective actors and script, we thought of Emraan Hashmi. He is a very fine actor. We think Emraan will do complete justice to the role.”

Says Mahesh Bhatt, “The film I directed was modeled on It Happened One Night by Frank Capra, but didn’t do justice to the hero’s character. With this remake, we seek to do justice to the character. Emi fits this character like a glove. With this film, women who have secretly lusted for him so far will now fall in love with him.”

While the lead actor is finalized as Emraan Hashmi, the producers are still looking out for the female lead.

Aditya Pacholi and his wife Zarina Wahab’s 20-day ordeal of watching their only son Suraj Pancholi imprisoned for allegedly abetting actress Jiah Khan’s death, has ended .

Suraj was arrested June 10.He was granted bail by the honourable judge on Monday afternoon. The papers and bail proceedings were expected to take some hours. Suraj was expected to be home by Tuesday morning.

Unable to control his emotions Aditya Pancholi sobbed his relief and joy minutes after hearing the good news. “It’s finally happened. My boy is coming out.I am just so grateful to the honourable Judge for being fair to us.We had begun to lose hope.”

This is all he could say.

Zarina Wahab who has been going through an agonizing wait for her son’s return said, “We knew Suraj would be out because he has done no wrong.We just didn’t know why it was taking so long. My son has gone through so much. We’ve suffered outside. But we can’t begin to imagine what he must have gone through.The honourable judge has been so fair, so just in her pronouncements.Aditya and I had begun to despair. We have finally found our hope and faith again.Right now we’re only waiting for him to come home , eat ghar ka khana and sleep in his own bed. Nothing else matters.”

Zarina has nothing but kind words for Jiah Khan. “Her soul must have finally rested in peace .Jiah loved my son.She couldn’t have been happy with what was happening to Suraj. It is ironical that Jiah’s mother says she wanted Suraj in jail because of Jiah when the last thing Jiah would have ever wanted was to see my son in distress.”

Barely able to contain her relief and joy Zarina says, “I have been connecting with Jiah in my prayers.We love that girl. She deserved a far more pleasant send-off than this ugly vendetta spree.”

With his new release Police-giri around the corner Sanjay Dutt’s friends and family miss his presence in their midst more than ever.

This is a very trying time for Dutt’s family specially his wife Maanyata.Apparently she has been unable to watch Police-giri .Although several attempts have been made to arrange screenings for her Maanyata has been too emotionally overwrought to watch the entire film.

“It is too overhelming for her to see her husband on screen at a time when he is not with her,” says a source.

Says the Police-giri producer T.P. Aggarwal, “This is very tough on all of us specially Maanyataji and Sanjay’s immediate family who would have liked nothing better than to have him stand up for the film. In his absence we’re doing our best.Not to have Sanjay with us is a blow that we feel more strong now when the film is on release.”

A charity premiere of Police-giri is being organized, apparently at Sanjay Dutt’s behest.

Says Aggarwal, “Instead of hosting a lavish premiere of Police-giri in Dubai as we had planned we will give the proceeds from the first show all over Maharashtra for flood relief in Uttarakhand. This is our gesture for the suffering and loss in Uttarkhand. It is the least we can do.”

T.P.Aggarwal says he wants the film to be a success for Sanjay’s sake more than his own. “Sanjay’s willpower is Herculean.At a time when he was preparing to return to jail he shot two songs and many action scenes with us. Which other actor would think of work at a time like that? If I was in his place I’d have kicked the work aside. How can any humanbeing focus on work when he has a jail sentence staring at him? But Sanjay Dutt did. We salute him. We want Police-giri to be a success for his sake.”

It looks like someone’s publicity machinery is working overtime. Reports that Madhuri Dixit would be performing an item song with Ranveer Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela are not only far-fetched they seem suspiciously like an attempt to be one-up on Ranbir Kapoor.

Ranbir, for those who came in late for the screening of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani kicks off the film’s narration with an item song with Madhuri Dixit which, by the way, made no sense in the plot.

But then, when are item songs ever meant to make sense?!

Even more senseless are carefully-planted reports of Ranveer Singh encoring Ranbir Kapoor’s itemized dhamaka with Ms Dixit.These stories are completely baseless.

Says a source close to Ram Leela, “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. 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 chede mohe dance numbers in Devdas.”

We can tell you without losing time that Deepika Padukone would be performing the most dazzling garba dance number in Ram Leela. It will project her as sensuously as Aishwarya Rai’s Nimbooda number in Hum...Dil De Chuke Sanam.”

Participants of singing reality show “Indian Idol Junior” have impressed Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar so much that she feels it would be unfair to choose just one winner.

Anmol Jaswal, Nirvesh Sudhanshubhai Dave, Debanjana Karmakar, Sonakshi Kar, Akash Sharma, Anjana Padmanabhan, Aryan Das, Priyam Borpatra Gohain, Sankalp Yaduwanshi, Eman Chaudhar and Sugandha Amol Date are vying for the title.

The 83-year-old shared her views through her tweets on the microblogging site Twitter.

She posted: “I am watching 'Indian Idol Junior' and the kids are singing really well, especially Anmol. It's very unfair that only one winner is selected in such shows. I request the team of 'Indian Idol Junior' to give away awards to the top five, this will make them happy and interested to pursue singing as a career.”

Even actors Salman Khan and Farhan Akhtar have praised the children participating in the show.

Salman tweeted: “ 'Indian Idol Junior', 13-year-old Akash was superb. So happy for him and his father.”

The singing reality show started June 1 and it gave platform to children between the age group of 5 to 15. The Sony Entertainment Channel's show is judged by singer Shreya Ghoshal, composer-singer Shekhar Ravjiani and Vishal Dadlani.

Farhan, who recently appeared as a guest on the show to promote his film "Bhag Milkha Bhag", wrote: "What a treat the 'Indian Idol Junior' is... Pure talent. So lucky to have heard them live. Best wishes to them all."

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has squashed reports that he is making any movie titled "Calendar Girl", and that he has approached model-turned-actress Deepika Padukone for the lead role.

The project reportedly surrounds the life of a supermodel.

"Just to set the record straight I am NOT making any film called 'Calendar Girl'. So there's no question of approaching any actor or actress," Bhandarkar clarified via a post on Twitter.

"Currently I am busy scripting my next film. Casting will come later. When the time is right, I'll make an official announcement," he added.

Lip conditioner, hand sanitiser and eyelash curlers are some of the essential beauty proudcts that a woman must carry with her.

Keeping a few essential beauty items is the perfect way to ensure one feels and looks good throughout the day, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Following items can help women:

Herbal tonic mist: It instantly hydrates the skin and energises you. It’s perfect if your office keeps the air conditioning on all through the summer as this dehydrates the skin massively.

Hand sanitiser and cream: Use a hand sanitiser to keep your hands clean.

Eyelash curlers: Wake up your eyes instantly with a squeeze of your eyelash curlers. Keep them in your desk to whip out at a moment’s notice and you’ll look a lot more awake with curled lashes.

Perfumed body lotion: Just dab a little on your wrists and behind your ears and it’s like you’ve spritzed yourself with perfume. Save the perfume for the evening when you want something stronger.

Cream cheek colour: They can be applied with clean fingers on-the-go, but can be used on the lips too for a subtle flush of colour.

Dry shampoo: If you’re heading straight out after work and your hair is not looking it’s best, then spray some dry shampoo for an instant lift. It’ll look cleaner, smell nicer and add some body to your looks too.

Lip conditioner: If you’re keeping the rest of your body supple and moisturised, you don’t want to forget your lips too.

The going has not been great so far for the Tamil film industry, especially with big-budget, star-studded films falling like nine pins at the box office. But offbeat films with out-of-the-box content such as "Soodhu Kavvum" made by aspiring, mostly first-time filmmakers, kept the footfalls going in theatres.

Out of the almost 100 Tamil films, including dubbed ones, IANS lists five that stood out and kept audiences entertained:

"Soodhu Kavvum": Made by debutant Nalan Kumarasamy, the low-budget dark comedy is undoubtedly the best caper film in the history of Tamil cinema. Crudely funny and creative are words that one can associate with this film, which revolves around four aimless, unemployed individuals who end up in a botched up kidnapping plot. It's one of those films that's not made keeping in mind any particular section of the audiences.

"Neram": A race-against-time type of film, "Neram" scores brownie points for bringing forth a simple story about the role of time in our lives in the most engaging fashion. What differentiates this film from others is its brilliant non-linear screenplay backed by the flawless performances of debutants Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nizam. The use of subtle comedy never allows the audience to slip into boredom, and instead gives them occasional laughs.

"Haridas": Like "Taare Zameen Par", "Haridas" deals with autism. Kishore as a police shootout specialist turns in a highly emotional performance while trying to unleash the runner in his autistic son. Without making it preachy, director Kumaravelan makes this film easily one of the best in recent times in this genre.

"Vathikuchi": It may not have been a commercial blockbuster, but this story of a common man against the social evils in society stands out because of its swift screenplay. Featuring debutant Dhileban in a tailormade role, "Vathikuchi" presents a cliched story in the most entertaining way possible bereft of criticism.

"Udhayam NH4": One of the first road films in Tamil, "Udhayam NH4" deserves your time and money for two reasons - deft presentation and Kay Kay Menon. A fleeing couple is chased by a shootout specialist, played by Menon, who in the process learns about love in the most unexpected manner. Here is another example of how a simple story can be handled intelligently. Menon in his Tamil debut is simply outstanding.

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez will begin shooting for Salman Khan-starrer "Kick" towards the end of this month and is excited about it.

"Jacqueline will start shooting for 'Kick' by the end of this month. The first schedule will be shot in Britain and she is very excited about this project," said a source close to the actress.

"Kick", slated to release in 2014, is the remake of a 2009 Telugu blockbuster movie of the same name. The film is being directed and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.

Actress Pooja Chopra has been asked to prepare herself well for "Commando 2" by watching a variety of film genres.

The film's producer, Vipul Shah, has reportedly given the former Miss India a list of 150 movies to watch and learn from.

"Vipul sir wants me to see all kinds of films and understand acting in depth, because if the choice is left to me, I only land up watching romantic comedies," said Pooja.

"I've already started doing my homework and watched films like 'Milk' and 'The Help'," she added.

Pooja made her Bollywood debut with the action-packed "Commando", which featured Vidyut Jammwal in the lead. Its sequel too has Vidyut.

Dance institutes across India are laughing all the way to the bank - thanks to parents' new-found fascination for TV reality shows.

"There is a big boom in the industry for the past two years. It is amazing to see how the mindset of parents has changed towards dance. They no more frown if their child wants to join a dance class," Atul Jindal, one of the founders of Delhi-based Big Dance Centre, told IANS.

A qualified dancer from a New York institute, the 29-year-old was initially disappointed with the lukewarm response when he decided to make dance his bread and butter.

"It was extremely difficult for them (students) or us to convince parents that dance isn't a waste of time. Today, the tables have turned," he said, adding the response now is overwhelming enough to keep the staff busy from morning till evening.

In the not too distant past, dance was confined to the "big, bad Bollywood" - every parent's nightmare. The only possible job profile one could think of was that of a choreographer. Hence, the taboo of dance continued.

Till a flurry of dance reality shows changed the equation.

India's pioneering dance reality show, "Boogie Woogie", which went on air in 1995, laid the foundation for others like "Dance India Dance", "Just Dance", "India's Got Talent", "Dancing Queen", "Dance Premier League","Chak Dhoom Dhoom", "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa" and "Nachle Ve" that set the stage for the big leap.

Even cities like Meerut in Uttar Pradesh are not left untouched.

"The mentality towards dance is changing thanks to the reality shows," said Yasmani Shakya, a choreographer who teaches at the Imagine Dance Academy.

"Earlier people didn't know about different dance forms. They just knew Bollywood. But the push these shows have given to dance is manifold," said Shakya, adding people have moved on from the salsa and the tango and are now adding hip-hop, ballet and other forms to their repertoire.

Lured by the idea of fame and money, seeing their children on television, and meeting celebrities, is driving many parents blind. This herd mentality, at times, can be dangerous.

"The middle-class aspirations for glamour can be dangerous. The taboo associated with dance is no more there, but not everyone can be a choreographer. You can pursue a passion as long as it feeds you," Lourd Vijay, founder of Lourd Vijay's Dance Studio in Bangalore, told IANS.

"If you are good, reality shows are an excellent platform. But competition has become extremely stiff. So one has to use one's imagination, be observant and learn something every day to be successful," he added.

Shambhu Kumar from Patna felt similarly.

"It is a matter of pride for parents among the community if their child is on a dance show. Be it a small town or a big city, glamour sells and everyone wants to be associated with it," said Shambu Kumar who founded his Music, Arts and Dance Academy in 2008.

From 15 students per class to 50 in a class, the enrolments are growing. But there's a flip side.

"When you see small children on these shows pouting and making vulgar gestures, you just wonder what their parents are thinking. There has to be an age limit. Isn't it cruel? Where is the innocence left?" Shambu Kumar asked.

Many like Amit Jain balance their passion and studies.

"These platforms do come with temporary fame but no life-time guarantee. Anyone can be a dancer after a few classes, but not everyone is born to dance," said Jain who is in his second year of college and is taking dance classes.

In an attempt to treat dance as a "serious profession", Jindal started a three-month professional dance course, Professional Dance Study Programme, in 2009.

"We really want people to take it (dance) seriously. Dance is not about just knowing a few steps of a particular dance. It's about mastering the technicalities," he said.

"In our course, we also speak about injury prevention and exercises for strengthening muscles. There are also yoga sessions and diet-sessions. It is important to listen to your body and understand it," Jindal added.

From nine students to 120 students now, Jindal's institute charges Rs. 20,000 for the course.

Aren't western influences corrupting Indian classical dance forms?

"It is a cycle, I believe. Just like the 70s and 80s have come back in Bollywood and fashion, we too will be going back to our roots," Jindal said.

"After all, this is where we belong," he added.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput is looking forward to a "different" experience of performing at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) extravaganza, where he will take centrestage this year instead of being a background dancer.

"I'm really excited to be a part of IIFA this year and I will be performing at the IIFA awards for the first time. Not exactly the first time... I have been a background dancer at IIFA for many years," the 27-year-old said here Monday at an event held for IIFA weekend.

"This is going to be slightly different, so I'm looking forward to it," added Sushant, who will soon be heading to Macau for the event.

Sushant made a roaring Bollywood debut with "Kai Po Che!", and he has been on a roll ever since.

IIFA kick starts Thursday at at the Venetian Macao. The weekend is organised by Wizcraft International Entertainment.

Sonakshi Sinha has refuted reports that her mother Poonam Sinha was skeptical about her intimate scenes with her co-star Ranveer Singh in "Lootera".

"All these reports are quite rubbish. Mom knows what kind of work I am doing and she knows what is in the loop," the 25-year-old said here Monday at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet where she was present to promote "Lootera".

"So she would not interfere in my work and I won't do anything that they would be embarrassed about," she added.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, "Lootera" is a period romance and hits the theatres Friday.