Actress Navya Nair, who was last seen in 2012 Malayalam film "Scene Onnu Nammude Veedu", has returned to face the arc lights in forthcoming Kannada film "Drishya". She says marriage and motherhood kept her away from films for a while.

P. Vasu-directed "Drishya", which releases Friday, is the Kannada remake of Malayalam blockbuster "Drishyam".

"Ever since I got married, my acting career has taken a backseat. I have been busy with my three-year old kid and life has been wonderful. I had no intention of returning to films but when I was offered 'Drishya', I felt it was a good project to be associated with," Navya told IANS.

Navya, who is paired with Ravichandran in the movie, says she didn't mind playing the mother to a 13-year old.

"Even my director felt I was too young to play the mother, but I didn't have any problem because the story demanded it. I quite enjoyed playing the role and was not apprehensive about how audiences will react to it," she added.

Navya got married to Mumbai-based businessman Santosh Menon in 2010.

Ahead of the release of his forthcoming movie "Ek Villain", actor Sidharth Malhotra is excited to make his TV debut as the host of "Ek Villain Ek Daastan", where he'll take viewers through the lives of some of Bollywood's most loved bad boys.

The show will be aired on Bollywood entertainment channel ZoOm starting Monday.

Sidharth is excited about his first venture on the small screen.

But "more than that", he is "honoured to be part of discovering Bollywood's iconic villains and 'Ek Villain Ek Daastan' is so much more than just a show to me."

"We as actors draw inspiration from our seniors and veterans and I am lucky I have received this opportunity to learn more about their journey hands-on," the actor, who made his Bollywood debut with "Student Of The Year", said in a statement.

Villains have been an integral part of Bollywood. From their unique looks to amusing dialogues, these villains have etched an image in the minds of film buffs.

Sidharth will take the viewers through the journey of some of the unforgettable anti-heroes like Amrish Puri, Amjad Khan, Gulshan Grover, Shakti Kapoor, Ranjeet, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Sanjay Dutt, Danny Danzongapa, Prem Chopra, Ajit, and Pran.

In honour of such iconic Bollywood baddies, zoOm has collated their individual filmography, on-screen memories, behind-the-scene happenings and some interesting stories about them.

John Abraham is currently living and loving the 2014 FIFA World Cup fever, but the actor-producer, who is also a co-owner of Indian Super League (ISL) Guwahati franchise North East United FC, may just rope in some real football players for his movie production "1911".

The film, he says, is a "truly inspirational" story of late Indian footballer Sibdas Bhaduri, who captained Mohun Bagan in the historic 1911 IFA Shield final when they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment to become the maiden Asian team to emerge victorious in the competition.

John, a football fan himself, is upbeat about the project, which he is not just producing but also acting in. But how about getting some real players out of the IPL-style ISL football league to kick the ball as well?

"Great idea! Yeah, I think it's great, but unfortunately the league starts now, and the shooting of the film starts later...Maybe the people who are playing in the league, we can ask them if they want to shoot for the film (later)," John told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.

While that could be a plan John seemed to keen to work on, he's quite confident that "1911", his project with the maverick Shoojit Sircar of "Vicky Donor" and "Madras Cafe" fame, will draw positive feedback.

The cameras will start rolling in early 2015 for the project.

"It's a truly inspirational football story or rather sport story. We are very proud to make this film. If 'Vicky Donor' and 'Madras Cafe' are any indications to go by, we'll give the audience an extremely good film," John said.

He says the movie will turn out to be as "different" as his past two productions, both of which pocketed National Film Awards in different categories.

"When people asked me about 'Vicky Donor' and 'Madras Cafe', I always said, 'They are different films', but people never really understood what it meant until they saw the films. I say '1911' will be the first Indian international film.

"I expect it to do good business not just in India, but if presented well by a forward thinking studio overseas, then we'd get huge results from this film overseas. It's got that flavour, very international and yet very Indian," he added of the project.

John earlier told IANS that he would have loved to play football for India, but perhaps he's living his passion by playing a footballer on the big screen. He had earlier played one in the 2007 film "Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal".

Produced by the actor's banner JA Entertainment in collaboration with Sunir Kheterpal's Azure Entertainment, "1911" happened on Sircar's insistence.

"Shoojit said, 'John, let's do this together. You're the only guy (in Bollywood) who understands football and really knows how to play football.' I felt good about it, and I think it's a wonderful script.

"Shoojit and I have a great working relationship," said the 41-year-old, who, for now is busy juggling between his "Rocky Handsome" production as well as as his duties as the 2014 FIFA World Cup brand ambassador in India, as appointed by sports and entertainment channel Sony SIX.

Saif Ali Khan played a double role in the beginning of his career, but he is doing a triple role for the first time in forthcoming comedy drama "Humshakals". The actor believes his over two decades of experience in acting gave him the confidence to accept the role which a novice cannot handle.

Son of actress Sharmila Tagore and late India cricket legend Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Saif has come a long way as an actor.

"It's not easy to experiment and I think I can do more than one title role with confidence, so I was enjoying that. I took a bit long to learn about my craft, but it's an actor's duty to entertain people... so this film is a commercial comedy," said Saif who started his career with duds like "Aashik Aawara" (1993) and "Parampara" (1992).

"An inexperienced actor couldn't have worked in the film. Because if you can't perform, it shows on the screen. I couldn't have done this role 10 years back," Saif, who played double role in 1997 film "Hameshaa", told reporters in a group interview.

From "Main Khiladi Tu Anari" to "Dil Chahta Hai", from "Hum Tum" to "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - the 43-year-old proved his mettle in comedy at every juncture of his career.

And now he lets his hair down for "Humshakals" and will be seen in three different avatars - a cool billionaire, the man-child and a woman.

It is not only Saif, even his co-actors Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor have donned the garb of a woman for their respective roles in the movie.

"We all were trying, but Riteish was looking amazing," he said.

But no competition, he clarified.

"I didn't mind looking bad because I feel it's okay for a guy not to look elegant as a woman but little muscles with a bikini look funny. I was working out more because it should be like a boy trying to look like a girl. I have worn nylon swimming costume," he said

Everything was fine, but for Saif "it's difficult to dance in heels. It's not easy."

"Humshakals" is Saif and director Sajid Khan's first film together and the actor describes the latter as an encyclopaedia on movies.

"Sajid is great fun. It was wonderful working with him - he is either laughing or not happy at all. He laughs a lot and he laughs more than anyone else, which is a nice thing. He doesn't take himself seriously.

"It was very tiring because normal things don't interest Sajid. He is an encyclopaedia on films. He feels his safest genre with the audience is comedy and this ('Humshakals') is his type of comedy. So far it's looking positive," he said.

Tamannaah Bhatia, Esha Gupta and Bipasha Basu are playing the female leads in the film coming out Friday.

This is Saif's first release of this year and he is looking forward to the film as his much-talked about "Bullet Raja" with director Tigmanshu Dhulia didn't work well at the box office.

Talking about box office debacle of "Bullett Raja", Saif said: "It was a Tigmanshu Dhulia kind of film. He was hoping that if he would take me, the numbers will change, but I think people know what to expect from a film."

In a film's success producers and publicity plans play a key role, according to Saif who also produces film under his banner, Illuminati Films.

"Producers are very important, and I think Sajid Khan is producing 'Humshakals and he is very driven. See the way he has taken control of the publicity - that's the most important thing. They know how to release the film. It's not just the money. Rahul Mitra (producer of 'Bullett Raja') is a nice guy but he doesn't know how to do it," said Saif.

Finally, the Bengali project that Sushmita Sen has been craving to do, has materialised. Srijit Mukherjee, who started his career with the hugely successful Bangla film "Autograph" and then went on to make other milestones like "Hemlock Society" and "Jaatishwar", has signed the former beauty queen for his next film.

Srijit said: "It's a film called 'Nirbaak' (speechless). It compresses together four love stories connected by the theme of silence. The stories are intertwined and connected by Sushmita's character."

Besides Sushmita, who features in all four stories, "Nirbaak" stars Jisshu Sengupta and Ritwick Chakraborty.

Sushmita has been wanting to do a Bengali film for a very long time.

She did a Bengali film, Mahesh Manjrekar's "It Was Raining That Night" in 2005, a remake of the director's "Astitva", but it never got released.

More recently, Sushmita was all set to star in Rupali Chatterjee's "Jodi Emon Hoto". That project is now as good as shelved.

American rapper Armando Christian Pérez, popular by his stage name Pitbull, shook a leg with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan during the opening ceremony of Indian Premier League (IPL) in Kolkata last year. SRK even taught him a few Bollywood moves but the musician wants more than that.

Remembering his performance in India, he said: "I had an amazing time during my IPL visit to India. The kind of love and affection that I received was overwhelming. The people of India are really warm. I really enjoyed performing in front of such a huge and welcoming audience," Pitbull told IANS in an email interaction.

He shared the stage with King Khan and says he would like to team up with him someday.

"I got to learn a few Bollywood footsteps, thanks to Shah Rukh. He is an amazing performer, full of energy. There is nothing as of now, but I would definitely love to work with him in the future," Pitbull said.

If he gets a chance to associate with Shah Rukh, it will be his second collaboration with a Bollywood celebrity after recording "Exotic" with "Barfi!" star Priyanka Chopra in 2013.

He has no project with her as of now, but he didn't stop himself from praising her.

"She has got a wonderful voice and is an extremely talented artist," he said.

The rapper, who has recorded with singers like Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Kesha, says he enjoys collaborating with different artists.

"I have always loved working in collaboration with various artists. It gives me a chance to work with all beautiful and talented women," said the "Rain Over Me" hitmaker.

And when asked if he has any Hollywood actress on mind, he said: "I would like to team up with all of them. There are all such gorgeous ladies. It will be a dream coming true!"

Filmmaker Arbaaz Khan was "blown away" after watching the trailer of "Kick" and predicts that the film will turn out to his superstar brother Salman Khan's biggest hit.

"The trailer of 'Kick' is outstanding. After watching it I was blown away," Arbaaz told reporters here Tuesday at the Gillette initiative - Because You Are A Role Model.

"I am pretty sure that the film will be Salman's biggest hit, inshallah," he added.

Salman's last release was "Jai Ho", which got mixed response at the box office. However, he looks impressive in the promos of "Kick" packed with his different avatars, including a mask appearance and daredevil stunts on s bike and a cycle.

The film is also important for producer Sajid Nadiadwala, who is making his directorial debut with it.

Meanwhile, Arbaaz, 46, is looking forward to the film and is very much impressed with Salman's look and character in the film.

"Right from the film's look to the way it has been shot, the way his character is looking in the film, I personally feel this film will be a 'dhamaka'. A big blockbuster is awaiting us," Arbaaz said.

"Lets see how much audience will appreciate it but I personally feel 'Kick' should be a very big hit," he added.

Slated to release this Eid, "Kick" also features Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Filmmaker Arbaaz Khan, son of legendary writer Salim Khan, says his father has always been his "role model" and he wishes to pass on some of his qualities, which he has also imbibed, to his son.

"My father has been inspirational and he has also been a role model for me. I kind of try to emulate him in every possible way and try to walk along his foot steps," Arbaaz said.

He was speaking here Tuesday at a Gillette initiative - Because You Are A Role Model.

"There are so many things that I have imbibed from him, learned from him. I wish some of the qualities that he has and I have, I can pass them on to my son," said the filmmaker, who is married to Malaika Arora Khan and they have a son together.

Arbaaz is currently busy with his upcoming production "Dolly Ki Doli" that features Sonam Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao.

When it comes to genre, actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh feels that he has nothing more to offer to sex comedies post the grand success of "Grand Masti", and therefore he won't accept an offer with a similar script.

"I enjoyed doing 'Grand Masti' and before its release I said that I don't think I can offer anything more as an actor in this genre. It was a bold film and I am glad the film worked and crossed Rs.100 crore mark," said Riteish in a group interview.

"Now I don't have any such script, but if I get a similar script, I will not do it. We have crossed all the boundaries with the film," he added.

Right now Riteish has two releases within a week - comedy drama "Humshakals" and thriller "Ek Villain".

"Humshakals", directed by Sajid Khan is coming out Friday, while Mohit Suri's directorial venture "Ek Villain" will be released June 27.

The actor says there's a risk involved when two films from two different genres come out at a very short interval, but smart marketing sorted it out.

"As an actor it's exciting. In 'Ek Villain', it is a very different role. The biggest fear was this film is coming with 'Humshakals', so will the audience accept me? But the publicity has been done smartly,” Riteish said.

"To pull off 'Humshakals' was more difficult than pulling off 'Ek Villain' because physically it's more challenging. Mentally 'Ek Villain' was hard work because there are lots of layers in it. It has been a great experience," he added

Remembering "Lakshya", which released a decade ago on this day, filmmaker Farhan Akhtar Wednesday thanked his crew for keeping the film's "memory and message" alive.

"10 years since Lakshya... an experience that will always remain close to my heart & a big shout out to all collaborators who worked as hard as any film crew possibly can," Farhan tweeted.

"We all scaled our own personal peak 5179's that year. And to all of you out there for keeping it's memory and message alive and relevant," he added.

Farhan specifically mentioned the names of Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan, Sushant Singh, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Javed Akhtar, Ayesha Sood, Ritesh Sidhwani and Reema Kagti for working on the project.

The film narrated a fictionalised tale against the backdrop of the Kargil war.

The trailer of Marathi film "Poshter Boys" received over 125,000 views on YouTube, leaving actor Shreyas Talpade overwhelmed.

"Honoured & humbled by the overwhelming response to the trailer of @Poshter_Boyz ...v crossed 1,25,000 views in 3 days. Thanks so much," Shreyas posted on Twitter Wednesday.

The movie is based on a news piece that director Sameer Patil had come across about three men who find themselves on a poster advocating vasectomy and how their 'manliness' comes under the scanner. The movie has a humourous touch while it deals with a serious issue.

Produced by Shreyas, it also stars veteran actor Dilip Prabhavalkar, writer-actor Hrishikesh Joshi and Aniket Vishwasrao along with 48 other actors.

Acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee, who recently saw bits of "Saat Uchakkey", says he is proud of being part of such a movie.

"Just saw few scenes of #saatuchakkey!so proud to be part of it," Manoj posted on Twitter.

The actor had shot for the movie in the capital with talented actors, including Kay Kay Menon, whom he greatly admires.

Produced by Neeraj Pandey, “Saat Uchakkey” is being made under the banner Friday Film Works. Sanjeev Sharma has directed it.

The new kid on the block Armaan Jain "loves" his grandfather's body of work and says that one day he would love to play a joker on the big screen the way legendary Raj Kapoor did in "Mera Naam Joker".

"I love my nana's (Raj Kapoor) work. My nana was outstanding. I was a child when I saw 'Mera Naam Joker', and I thought my nana is really a joker. Then I realised it was just a film. I would also love to become a Joker like my nana someday," said Armaan, who is Raj Kapoor's daughter Rima's son.

Armaan's cousins - Karisma, Kareena and Ranbir are active in filmdom, but he says when they meet they never talk about movies.

"People feel that we are a filmy family and we only discuss films at home but that's not true at all. We talk about every other thing other than films," said Armaan who is making his Bollywood debut with "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil".

"We never talk about films or our work at home. Many a times we don't get time to watch each other's films, so we don't think about it at all. So there are no filmy talks when we cousins meet. We spend quality time with each other whenever we meet," he added.

Directed by Arif Ali, "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" also featuring Deeksha Seth is coming out July 4.

Bollywood and electronic dance music fusion property MTV Bollyland, which started off last year, is set to enthrall music buffs in 12 cities across the country via multiple club nights and concerts.

The MTV Bollyland property by LIVE Viacom18 has been specially conceptualised to ensure that music aficionados across the nation can experience the thrill of a live concert. The expansion plans are aimed at reaching out to tier-II markets.

"In alignment with our growth plan, we have created extensions for our flagship IPs to widen the reach to tier-II markets, thus contributing to the spread of music pan India and enhancing consumer experience," Jaideep Singh, senior vice president and business head - INS, Viacom18 Pvt. Ltd., said in a statement.

So, get ready to sample a fusion of Bollywood music with EDM beats at MTV Bollyland Club Nights, a series of 12 gigs that will be held across the country from June onwards; and at MTV Bollyland City Tour, comprising 12 consecutive city concerts.

Additionally, it also provides an apt platform for popular Indian artists to experiment with EDM beats and establish a connect with their audience.

MTV Bollyland Club Nights will begin with the preliminary gig at Royalty in Mumbai Friday.

Bipasha Basu, who remained conspicuous by her absence during the promotions of her forthcoming Bollywood film "Humshakals", finally broke her silence on the issue saying she is "extremely disturbed" by the film's end result.

The actress took to Twitter to "put an end to all the discussions around my absence for 'Humshakals' promotions."

"I take full responsibility of getting into a film only on the basis of trust. But after dubbing for my character in the film, as I had professionally committed to do so, I'm extremely disturbed by the end result of the same," she posted Tuesday.

Bipasha hasn't blamed anyone for it.

"Sometimes, certain journeys cannot be completed and this is one of them - no one to be blamed, combination of things that made me disrupt my journey," she added.

The film, directed by Sajid Khan and co-produced by Fox Star Studios and Vashu Bhagnani's Pooja Entertainment, has an ensemble cast comprising Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Tammannaah Bhatia, Esha Gupta and Bipasha.

But the Bengali beauty has not attended any promotional event on ground or on the small screen for the movie.

"I didn't know how to promote a film with all honesty and that's why I thought it was better to stay away. I am confident that the film will be true to it's genre and will be a full entertainer because of the people involved.

"I wish Fox Star Studios who I have had my biggest hit with 'Raaz 3' and Vashu-ji, who is a fantastic producer all the best. Wish all my co-stars Saif, Riteish, Tamannah, Esha and the technicians best of luck," she added.

If one goes by her tweets, she also harbours no ill-will against the team.

"Movies are our life. They are made by efforts of lots of ppl!I can never be against a film! As an actor ur role can disappoint u at times," she said.

The film is slated to release Friday.

The 61st Idea Filmfare awards, south edition, will take place here July 12 in the presence of luminaries from Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam industries.

To be held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the event will celebrate and honour the best talent from all the four southern film industries.

"The Idea Filmfare awards South gives us a unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs," Rajat Mukarji, chief corporate affairs officer, Idea Cellular, said in a statement.

The first ever Filmfare awards (South) were held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam here and the venue was then shifted to the distinctive Music Academy.

Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969, respectively.

The Mumbai police Crime Branch is probing a complaint about alleged mafia threats to well-known industrialist Nusli Wadia related to a complaint filed against his son Ness by Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, officials said here Wednesday.

An aide to the 70-year-old Nusli Wadia Monday received calls and a message purportedly from absconding gangster Ravi Pujari, following which a complaint was lodged with the N.M. Joshi March Police Tuesday.

The message warned the industrialist that his "business will be in trouble" if the actress was harassed.

"Don't run around Preity Zinta. Give my message to Wadia, otherwise his business will be in trouble," said the message to the aide, which was given to police in the complaint.

However, the aide's name has not been revealed by the police, nor the fact whether the phone belonged to him or to a member of the Wadia clan.

The crime branch sleuths are now investigating the genuineness of the caller's claim that he was gangster Pujari or his henchman, and the source of the call.

Bombay Dyeing Group chairman Nusli Wadia is a grandson of M.A. Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who lived and worked in Mumbai before Independence.

The fresh twist in the case came barely a week after Preity lodged a complaint last Thursday alleging molestation, abuse and threats, against her former boyfriend and co-owner of her IPL cricket team Kings XI Punjab, with Mumbai police.

However, Ness Wadia said he was "shocked at the complaint and allegations which are totally false and baseless".

Ajay Devgn’s aka Singham's brave and fearless attitude goes back all the way to his childhood!!

The Bollywood superstar had accompanied his father, action-director Veeru Devgan, to the Big B film Mr Natwarlal's set and the entire unit couldn't keep him away from a leopard cub on the sets. Even during his childhood years and long before he decided to become an actor, he was always drawn to wild cats, looking at this photograph!

We guess this memorable incident must have sparked off the actor’s concern towards the conservation of tigers and the preservation of endangered cat species which is common knowledge in the industry.

Richa Chadda was recently stopped and interrogated at the airport here on her way back to Mumbai as the security and airport officials found something suspicious in her luggage. It turned out that the 'powder' they found questionable was part of the Ayurveda beauty and skincare products that the actress uses.

Richa believes in the power of Ayurveda and she has been following the traditional method of beauty and skincare for over the last six months. Considering that it has helped her greatly, she follows the Ayurveda ritual daily, and that means the powder is carried even when she is travelling.

It turned out to be problematic this one time as the security and airport officials thought that the powder was not what Richa was claiming it to be. A source close to the "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and "Gangs Of Wasseypur" actress said that she was questioned for nearly two hours before she was allowed to go.

Confirming the same, Richa said in a statement: "I am a big believer in Ayurveda and was recently carrying my Ayurvedic supplements to Mumbai. However, the security found the powders suspicious. I didn't want them to confiscate my Ayurvedic things because they are tough to procure... and are made for me personally by the ved.

"I had to literally convince them for two hours that it's nothing wrong or suspicious at all. I know they are doing their job and hence I was more than willing to co-operate. Thankfully I didn't miss my flight."

Actress Preity Zinta has slammed media speculation that she's selling off her stake in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kings XI Punjab, which she co-owns with former beau and industrialist Ness Wadia; and that she is planning to settle in US. She has asked people not to believe in "hearsay".

"A big Thank U 2all the people 4the support. Amazed at how much speculation in the media. No I'm not selling my stake or settling in the US. SO called sources says anything & its getting reported. Pls No hearsay. There are many IMP Issues in India which are much more news worthy," Preity posted on Twitter late Wednesday night.

The actress recently lodged a complaint against the Bombay Dyeing scion, accusing him of alleged molestation, abuse and threats, with Mumbai police. She left for the US after filing the complaint.

The duo had dated for five years till 2009. But things have now turned sour as Preity accused Ness of grabbing her hand and abusing her during a cricket match at Wankhede Stadium here.

Ness has denied Preity's stand, and said he was "shocked at the complaint and allegations which are totally false and baseless"