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Blessed to be part of 'Shaukeen' remake: Lisa Haydon

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Model-turned-actress Lisa Haydon is excited to be part of the "Shaukeen" remake and says that working in the film has been a learning experience for her.

Seasoned actors like Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Paresh Rawal along with Bollywood action star Akshay Kumar will be seen in the film, which revolves around three lecherous old men.

"I am extremely excited about 'Shaukeen'. Working with all the veterans like Anupam Kher, Piyushji, Annu Kapoor was super fun. It was a learning experience for me and I feel blessed to be part of 'Shaukeen' remake," Lisa told IANS.

"I have almost finished shooting for the film... I used to feel so fresh working for the film. It's like an absolute fun time," she added.

Basu Chatterjee directed the original, which came out in 1982 featuring Ashok Kumar, A.K. Hangal, Utpal Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty and Rati Agnihotri, while Abhishek Sharma helms the new version.

Lisa, who started her acting journey with "Aisha", also featured in "Rascals", but she won appreciation for her work in "Queen", which had Kangana Ranaut in the lead role.

For the "Shaukeen" remake Lisa has dubbed herself and added: "I will not let anyone dub for me."

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'Mohenjo Daro' to release ahead of Republic Day 2016

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Ashutosh Gowariker's mega project "Mohenjo Daro", starring Hrithik Roshan, will be Bollywood's big ticket offering Jan 22, just before Republic Day in 2016.

"'Mohenjo Daro' starring Hrithik and introducing Pooja Hegde to release on 22nd Jan 2016 @agppl_tweets," read a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the film's co-producers UTV Motion Pictures Monday.

The announcement of the film's release date comes just a day after it was known that Gowariker has roped in Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning international costume designer April Ferry to put her creative forces together for the film.

A love story set during the Indus Valley civilisation, "Mohenjo Daro" is jointly produced by Disney India's Studio business and Ashutosh Gowariker Production Pvt. Ltd. (AGPPL).

It is due to go on the floors in October 2014 and its first schedule will take place in South Africa.

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'Mohenjo Daro' to release ahead of Republic Day 2016

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Ashutosh Gowariker's mega project "Mohenjo Daro", starring Hrithik Roshan, will be Bollywood's big ticket offering Jan 22, just before Republic Day in 2016.

"'Mohenjo Daro' starring Hrithik and introducing Pooja Hegde to release on 22nd Jan 2016 @agppl_tweets," read a tweet from the official Twitter handle of the film's co-producers UTV Motion Pictures Monday.

The announcement of the film's release date comes just a day after it was known that Gowariker has roped in Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning international costume designer April Ferry to put her creative forces together for the film.

A love story set during the Indus Valley civilisation, "Mohenjo Daro" is jointly produced by Disney India's Studio business and Ashutosh Gowariker Production Pvt. Ltd. (AGPPL).

It is due to go on the floors in October 2014 and its first schedule will take place in South Africa.

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'Decoding Bollywood' decodes lives of 15 filmmakers

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"Decoding Bollywood", a new book by author Sonia Golani, takes readers through the unusual lives of 15 Hindi movie makers, including Mahesh Bhatt, R. Balakrishnan and Anurag Basu, who have created benchmarks in their respective genres.

The book is due to be launched here Thursday in the presence of Farah Khan and Kunal Kohli, whose lives have also been 'decoded' for the literary offering.

Among the 15 names are also Ashutosh Gowariker, Kabir Khan, Nagesh Kukunoor, Nandita Das, Prakash Jha, Rohit Shetty, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Sudhir Mishra, Vipul Shah and Zoya Akhtar.

"Decoding Bollywood" will unravel some interesting facts about the lives of these filmmakers, who have steered the Hindi film industry to new heights by giving different creative dimensions.

They have spoken about their experiences, battles, observations and learning during their journey in the film world.

For example, Kabir Khan who made "Kabul Express", produced by Yash Raj Films, has revealed he never approached the banner due to "stereotypes" regarding it.

"The only studio I didn't approach was Yash Raj Films because of the stereotypes that we have in our minds. I though Yash Raj Films only made chiffon romance and love stories, and why would they be interested in a film like 'Kabul Express'! If at all they did, they would make sure to add an item number in it, and so on and so forth," Khan has shared.

The outspoken choreographer-filmmaker Farah has shared her observation of a new trend.

“I see a new trend now, a breed of young 20 something women managers accompanying actresses. Earlier there used to be the quintessential star mommies who would chaperone their daughters but in retrospect I feel they were better than these new age managers who brainwash actresses," she has said.

Bhatt, whose production banner Vishesh Films backs new talent in the industry and churns out hit movies off and on, has also recounted how he began his journey in filmdom.

Priced at Rs. 250, the book is published by Westland Limited.

Its author, Golani, holds a bachelor's degree in history from Lady Shri Ram College and a master's degree from the University of Delhi.

She is also an entrepreneur and her second book, "My Life, My Rules: Stories of 18 Unconventional Careers" was published in 2013. Her first book was titled "Corporate Divas".

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Attenborough's 'Gandhi' changed lives of all of us: Om Puri

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Om Puri, who had a miniscule role in British filmmaker Richard Attenborough's Oscar winning film "Gandhi", says the film changed the life of everyone who has been associated with it.

"Richard Attenborough's Gandhi changed the lives of all those who were associated with the film. Most of all, it changed Ben Kingsley's life. Thereafter each time Gandhi's picture flashed across our mind, we saw Ben's face along with Gandhiji," said Puri.

"I had barely one-and-a-half-minute screen-time in Gandhi. But what an impact my cameo made! I believe it was shown as the footage during the Oscar nominations, a huge honour in a film that starred the most distinguished cast possible...," he added.

Oscar winning filmmaker Attenborough died Sunday. He was 90.

Puri says that his going away is sad, "but then death is inevitable".

"However the pain of his going away is diminished when we consider the fact that an artiste and a visionary like Sir Richard has gone away after using his creative powers to the maximum. Such people become a part of history and a source of inspiration for many generations to come.

"He was an accomplished actor and a filmmaker. With Gandhi he achieved the pinnacle of success. With the film he changed India's image abroad. A very large section of the Western world did not know our values, culture and ethics, our struggles and triumphs as a nation. Because 'Gandhi' was such a success, it reached into the recesses of hearts all over the world...," he said.

The actor, who has worked in several international films in lead roles, the recent one being "The Hundred Foot Journey", had just a cameo in "Gandhi". Puri played a man who had lost his son.

"I played a cameo as Nahari. Sir Richard had seen me in 'Aakrosh' and had decided to give me the role of 'Nahari in 'Gandhi'. I shot for just one night. I had screen time of barely 90 seconds. But my scene came at a very important point in the narrative and it was so well written. But it was a memorable night," he said.

The purpose of the multiple-Oscar winning film was to highlight the humanism of Gandhi.

"Sir Richard made Gandhi with complete passion. He was not so much interested in the politics of Mahatma Gandhi as he was in his humanism. The film focused on the non-violence and the freedom struggle of the Mahatama. Sir Richard deliberately didn't feature Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the script. If he had been present, 'Gandhi' would've become a political film, which Sir Richard didn't want it to be.

"Where do I place Sir Richard among my international directors? He was certainly among the greats. No doubt about it."

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Attenborough's 'Gandhi' changed lives of all of us: Om Puri

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Om Puri, who had a miniscule role in British filmmaker Richard Attenborough's Oscar winning film "Gandhi", says the film changed the life of everyone who has been associated with it.

"Richard Attenborough's Gandhi changed the lives of all those who were associated with the film. Most of all, it changed Ben Kingsley's life. Thereafter each time Gandhi's picture flashed across our mind, we saw Ben's face along with Gandhiji," said Puri.

"I had barely one-and-a-half-minute screen-time in Gandhi. But what an impact my cameo made! I believe it was shown as the footage during the Oscar nominations, a huge honour in a film that starred the most distinguished cast possible...," he added.

Oscar winning filmmaker Attenborough died Sunday. He was 90.

Puri says that his going away is sad, "but then death is inevitable".

"However the pain of his going away is diminished when we consider the fact that an artiste and a visionary like Sir Richard has gone away after using his creative powers to the maximum. Such people become a part of history and a source of inspiration for many generations to come.

"He was an accomplished actor and a filmmaker. With Gandhi he achieved the pinnacle of success. With the film he changed India's image abroad. A very large section of the Western world did not know our values, culture and ethics, our struggles and triumphs as a nation. Because 'Gandhi' was such a success, it reached into the recesses of hearts all over the world...," he said.

The actor, who has worked in several international films in lead roles, the recent one being "The Hundred Foot Journey", had just a cameo in "Gandhi". Puri played a man who had lost his son.

"I played a cameo as Nahari. Sir Richard had seen me in 'Aakrosh' and had decided to give me the role of 'Nahari in 'Gandhi'. I shot for just one night. I had screen time of barely 90 seconds. But my scene came at a very important point in the narrative and it was so well written. But it was a memorable night," he said.

The purpose of the multiple-Oscar winning film was to highlight the humanism of Gandhi.

"Sir Richard made Gandhi with complete passion. He was not so much interested in the politics of Mahatma Gandhi as he was in his humanism. The film focused on the non-violence and the freedom struggle of the Mahatama. Sir Richard deliberately didn't feature Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the script. If he had been present, 'Gandhi' would've become a political film, which Sir Richard didn't want it to be.

"Where do I place Sir Richard among my international directors? He was certainly among the greats. No doubt about it."

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I eat right to stay fit: Priyanka Chopra

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Actress Priyanka Chopra is not only known for her powerful acting capabilities but also for her hour-glass figure. She credits her healthy diet chart for her body.

Priyanka was on the sets of Zee TV’s “Cinestars Ki Khoj” to promote her upcoming movie “Mary Kom” where she revealed the secret of her healthy body.

When quizzed about how she maintains herself, she said: “I believe that in order to stay fit and lose weight in a right manner, one needs to eat and not starve themselves. I eat right and ensure that I burn it all by working out equally as much as I eat.”

She reunited with her “Barfi” director Anurag Basu, one of the judges of the talent hunt show, briefly to judge with him.

While the two shared anecdotes from their “Barfi” days, Basu told the unit about Priyanka having an elephant’s diet.

He spoke about her gulping down two to three parathas for breakfast and a 12 inch pizza for lunch all by herself.

The episode will air Sunday.

"Mary Kom", based on Olympic bronze medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom's life, is directed by Omung Kumar. It is slated for a Sep 5 release.

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Rani Mukerji's 'Mardaani' is tax-free in UP

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Rani Mukerji-starrer "Mardaani" has been exempted from entertainment tax in Uttar Pradesh, an official said Tuesday.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav owing to the theme of the film which portrays the battle of a woman against sexual offenders and crimes against women, a state government spokesman said.

The spokesman said the film depicted serious social evils like crimes and sexual offences against women and gave a positive message to society.

The film shows a woman's fight against such evils and it was therefore decided by the government to make it tax-free, he added.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, "Mardaani" stars Rani as police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy, who fights the girl trafficking mafia.

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Remembering Debaki Bose's pioneering efforts in Indian cinema

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Eight decades after "Seeta" became the first Indian film to win a global award, the achievements of the film's legendary director Debaki Kumar Bose will be celebrated at a festival beginning here Wednesday.

Credited with many firsts in Indian cinema, Bose's film "Seeta" (Hindi) won the gold medal at the third International Exhibition of Cinematic Art at Venice in Aug 1934.

His legacy will be revisited during a two-day festival at the Nandan theatre.

"Produced under the East India Film Company's banner, it was for the first time an Indian film had won a prize abroad. He became the first Indian director to win a prize abroad.

"Similarly, there are many firsts associated with him. It is time we remember the right facts in Indian cinema's history," Debashish Bose, the filmmaker's grandson, told IANS Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, there are no prints of "Seeta". They were destroyed in a fire a few years ago in the Pune Film Archives. There are only a few clippings that remain. He was a versatile genius. Many of his films have influences of nationalism and reflect his philosophies," he added.

Titled "80 Years Of Sita", the event has been jointly organised by Nandan, Films Division, Tapan Sinha Foundation and Debaki Bose Memorial Committee. As many as seven films (four short films and three full length features) will be shown in the fest.

The inaugural ceremony will be marked by a screening of the documentary "The Film Maker and The Philosopher" by Films Division and Bose's 1951 film "Ratnadeep".

On Aug 28, the 1954 Suchitra Sen-starrer "Bhagaban Shrikrishna Chaitanya", the maiden Indian film to have a woman as its assistant director, will be screened.

"In 1932, he made 'Chandidas', which was the first Indian movie to have background music. Prior to that in 1931, his film 'Aparadhi' was the first Indian film to use artificial lighting.

"We want the present generation to learn about his contributions through the festival," Debashish said.

In a career spanning thirty years, the Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and National Film Award recipient's films were released in Hindi and even in Marathi and Tamil.

Born in Bengal's Burdwan district in 1898, Bose also participated in Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement.

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A-certificate obstructs 'Mardaani', Rani wants to re-certify it

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Actress Rani Mukerji, who is enjoying the success of "Mardaani", Tuesday said that on behest of viewers and NGOs she will send the film to the censor board for re-certification.

Despite being awarded an A-certificate, "Mardaani", which earned Rs.15 crore in the opening weekend, has been made tax free in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The actress is keen to show the film on female trafficking to children who are above 12 years.

"I am so happy with the response to 'Mardaani'. Many people have asked me why the film has been given an A-certificate? I am going to put in all my effort to re-certify 'Mardaani', which will make a huge difference," Rani told reporters here.

The actress wonders what the censor board is trying to protect the young viewers from?

"...this is very sad and disappointing. So many people have called me and said it's so sad that they can't show the film to their children and that they are waiting for the film's DVDs so that their children can also watch it," she said.

Rani campaigns for a new category that allows children above 12 years to watch a film like "Mardaani", which has been directed by Pradeep Sarkar and produced by Yash Raj Films.

She said: "I have people from NGOs who want to show the film to the children. So I will take a letter from them to the censor board. We have made the film for kids to spread awareness.

"I don't know why we are shying away from reality. Had we wanted a U/A certificate, we could have easily got that by chopping a few scenes, but that's not the point. We want 12 years and above kids to watch the film."

Meanwhile Rani urged the Maharashtra government to make "Mardaani" tax free.

She said: "I am so happy that the film has been made tax free in UP (Uttar Pradesh) today and that shows the relevance of the film. I also want Maharashtra government to make it tax free."

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End of an era: Bollywood on Richard Attenboroug

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Bollywood pays tribute to late Oscar winning filmmaker Richard Attenborough and says that the demise of the "ultimate creator of celluloid biographies" marks the end of an era.

Attenborough died Sunday at the age of 90.

This is what members of the Hindi film fraternity have to say about him:

Annu Kapoor: My first earning in the city of Mumbai was on August 25, 1982 when I dubbed for a small role in 'Gandhi' in the presence of the great Richard Attenborough exactly 32 years back. We've now lost him. May god rest his soul in peace.

Kamal Haasan: He had the greatest respect for Satyajit Ray. In an interview, he said Satyajit Ray sent him a script to read. He said even if Ray had sent him an Indian telephone directory, he would have read it."

Rakesyh Omprakash Mehra: One of the greats of our cinema Sir Richard is no more. From "Brighton Rock" to "A Bridge Too Far" to "Gandhi" - he has given us so much. He lives forever in his work.

Nagesh Kukunoor: It's a loss! 32 years later, "Gandhi" still remains the greatest film made on India. Period.

R. Balki: He was god. He reincarnated Gandhi.

Nishikant Kamat: Great actor and an even greater director. His "A Bridge Too Far" was the greatest war film of its times. His sense of filming real lives was incredible. He lived his dreams to the fullest. One of the most accomplished filmmakers, his sense of mega-shots and their execution was simply astounding. He had a macro vision of shot-taking, which very few filmmakers are blessed with. May his soul rest in peace.

Lillete Dubey: And with this an era ends. He will always be remembered as one who belonged to that rare breed which strode both stage and cinema equally effortlessly. Before any prominent Indian filmmaker dared, he made a film on 'Gandhi' and turned it into an imperishable classic. Fearlessly braving the carping of historians and critics, he took the spirit of Gandhi to the world. He will be forever remembered for that.

Onir: It's sad that one more beautiful artiste is lost to the world. Sir Richard's work specially "Gandhi", has immortalised him forever.

Hansal Mehta: What a life! And what a legacy!! Sir Richard Attenborough lives on.

Rensil d'Silva: There should be a biopic made on the ultimate creator of celluloid biographies.

Santosh Sivan: I think he was a filmmaker who spread hope and positivity through his documentaries and feature films. He was a true artiste. He loved nature. And we could see his closeness to nature in his cinema. "Gandhi" is timeless.

Shoojit Sircar: No other biopic on the Mahatma has elicited such a worldwide acceptance as Sir Richard's "Gandhi". One has the highest respect for what he has achieved.

Gurinder Chadha: I met him a few times, he was always the epitome of charm. He was a formidable stalwart of our industry with an amazing career as an actor and filmmaker. He struggled for many years to make his masterpiece "Gandhi", no one wanted to back him but he never gave up."

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Deputy Prime Minister Of Great Britain Does Mahurat Shot Of Onir’s Hamlet

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On Tuesday afternoon the Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, Nick Clegg gave the Mahurat shot of Onir’s Hamlet adaptation Veda .
Curiously the event , attended by Onir dear friends Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri, was held at the Taj hotel in Colaba where the dastardly 26/11 attacks had happened. In fact the Mahurat shot was taken in one of the rooms that was under terror attack.

Nick Clegg had never before attended any Bollywood event and was quite fascinated by the proceedings.
Says Veda’s producer Bhavna Talwar, “It was an exceptional honour to have the honourable Deputy Prime Minister of the UK at our Mahurat. I suppose the fact that we are doing an adaptation of Shakespeare must have influenced his decision to be at the event.”

Clegg who hobnobbed with Veda director Onir , producer Bhavna Talwar and Juhi Chawla said, “Amid the colour, the drama and the spectacle of Bollywood, it is easy to forget how important it is to the Indian economy, generating hundreds of millions of pounds in Mumbai and the rest of India. As we have seen with American co-productions on a grand scale, Britain is one of the world’s top destinations for film makers. I hope Indian producers will follow their counterparts in the US and take advantage of the UK’s facilities, expertise and glorious locations to create the next Indian Star Wars or Game of Thrones.”

Onir Veda would star newcomer Ashish Bisht as Hamlet, now re-christened Veda.

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Tanovic's Tigers with Emraan set to roar at Toronto

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Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic's much-awaited film with Emraan Hashmi in the lead titled Tigers, has been selected for its World Premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. Based on a true story, this hard-hitting thriller drama, produced by Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic and Guneet Monga of Sikhya Entertainment, features Hashmi in his first international project and will premiere at 9:45 pm on September 8th, Scotiabank Theatre, Toronto.

Indian moviegoers first knew of Danis Tanovic as the man who beat Lagaan to the Oscars held in 2002. The Bosnian filmmaker's breakthrough film, No Man's Land, not only picked up the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, it also established Tanovic as one of the most exciting filmmakers in the world. His last film An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker won the Jury Grand Prix at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival last year.

Tigers, revolves around the story of a salesman Ayan, played by Emraan Hashmi, who after a lot of struggle secures a job with a prestigious multi-national corporation marketing infant formula milk, the artificial substitute for breast milk. Soon he discovers a big racket...The narrative then turns into a David versus Goliath story but will this underdog even get a chance to fight?

Says Danis: "Tigers is a project that I have been nurturing for many years. We started research on the film way back in 2006 and despite the challenges we never gave up. I believed that this story needed to be told and I'm very glad that in Emraan, Prashita and Guneet, I found partners who share the same thought and emotion." Adds Producer Prashita Chaudhary, who has earlier co-produced Ari Folman's festival favourite The Congress and continues to back the best of world cinema: " I believe in world cinema and working with some of the best minds from across the globe. The story of Tigers really attracted me for its universal appeal. It is incredible how a complete foreigner like Danis has directed a film in Hindi bringing out the nuances of a completely different socio-economic milieu so beautifully. It's a special film and I am glad we are premiering it at Toronto."

For Producer Guneet Monga, Tigers is the latest success story, as she continues to be the face of alternative Indian cinema abroad. "It has been an arduous journey but this particular film is one that you cannot let go. It came to us at a critical juncture and we worked very hard to put together a team that Danis wanted. I'd like to thank him for his trust in us and Emraan for taking on this challenging yet extremely important role. The story is extraordinary and I'm elated that our collective effort is bearing fruit and that Tigers is now ready to travel the world."

Tigers would see a very different Emraan Hashmi and the Bollywood superstar is well aware of it. "I am extremely happy that I could do this high concept film with a very strong connect to the larger world audience. Working with someone like Danis on my first international venture has been very exciting and now I have my fingers crossed on how the film will be received."

Tigers will soon release in Indian theatres and worldwide.

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Never thought I'll play an athlete: Priyanka Chopra

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She's played glamorous roles and a girl-next-door in several of her past films. But Priyanka Chopra, who will be seen playing boxing champion M.C. Mary Kom in a biopic, says essaying an athlete in a film was almost unthinkable for her.

"Mary Kom" has thus, taught her a valuable lesson.

"I never thought I will play an athlete or I can become an athlete. I didn't know anything about sports. Besides, who would have thought that a girl can develop muscles and biceps, but that happened with me," the 32-year-old said here Tuesday in an interview.

"I learnt that if you are adamant to achieve something, anything can happen and you can do anything. This was a very inspiring thing for me," added the National Award winning.

"Mary Kom" marks the directorial debut of Omung Kumar and it hits theatres Sep 5.

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Parineeti Chopra is a fan of Shakti Mohan

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Shakti Mohan's svelte moves have made Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra a fan of the professional dancer, who is seen grooving on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" these days.

Parineeti recently visited the sets of "Jhalak..." to promote her upcoming film "Daawat-e-Ishq".

A source said that during her appearance, the actress said: “Shakti, I have to tell you this - I am a big fan of yours. Whenever the song ‘Aa Re Pritam Pyaare’ plays on television, I stop and watch it only for you. What stunning moves!"

For Shakti, Parineeti's compliment came as a pleasant surprise.

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Evelyn finds Vijender 'sweet'

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Actress Evelyn Sharma recently met Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh and she got knocked out by his sweetness.

If sources are to be believed, both of them clicked very well after the first meeting at an event.

And the Indo-German beauty only has kind words for the boxing champion.

"I never expected a tough boxer to be so sweet,” she said in a statement.

While the boxer made his Bollywood debut with "Fugly" this year, the actress has done small roles in movies like "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" and “Main Tera Hero".

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Help us grow, northeast film industry urges government

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With less than 70 cinema halls in the northeastern region serving a population of 40 million - a little more than that of Poland - shoestring budgets and a handful of productions in most states, the film industry in the region is struggling for survival. Filmmakers are looking to the central government to bail them out and help them enter the mainstream.

Of the eight states, only Assam and Manipur churn out movies on a regular basis, but only Assamese filmmakers can afford to make a film worth Rs.70 lakh to Rs.80 lakh, sometimes the budget of a costume of a Bollywood actress.

"It's only in Assam and Manipur where there is a regular filmmaking culture," Assam-born capital-based filmmaker Utpal Borpujari told IANS.

"The big budget Assamese feature films are about Rs.70 to Rs.80 lakh. They make approximately 15 to 20 films in a year. In Manipur, around 60 to 70 films are made in a year, but the budget varies between Rs.7 lakh and Rs.8 lakh," he added.

Another problem is less screening facilities in the region. Due to lack of infrastructure, temporary screenings are organised in community halls.

"Some of the halls are in a bad shape and some are not operational. There are approximately 70 functional halls in the northeast and most of them are in Assam.

"There are community halls where movies are shown. Some filmmakers also go to different villages to screen their films," said Borpujari.

The central government is taking the initiative for uplifting the filmmaking culture in the region and Meghalaya-based director Pradip Kurbah, who directed the National Award winning Khasi film "Ri - Homeland of Uncertainty" has welcomed this.

"The government is suggesting film schools in the northeast and that will be good. But there should also be more theatres," Kurbah told IANS.

"We should also start a system that allows us to screen movies in different parts of the region. For instance, films from Mizoram or Manipur should be shown in Meghalaya and vice-versa.

"This will open the market for everyone. We can't depend on other parts of the country only. If this happens, there will be chances of positive growth," he added.

Recently, the directorate of film festivals, ministry of information and broadcasting, in coordination with the northeast division of the home ministry and the ministry of culture, organised a film festival titled "Fragrances from the North East".

While the filmmakers from the region made up of eight states - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim - are happy about the maiden film festival dedicated to movies from there, they expect more from the government.

"We get to interact with people and rectify our mistakes. By just making films in Meghalaya, we don't get to know whether we are on the right track or not," said Kurbah.

In terms of business, Kurbah is unsure but is hopeful that "something might come" post screening at the festival.

Meanwhile, to reach out to the wider audience, he will resort to the conventional screening method and travel to remote areas of Meghalaya to show "Ri".

"From September onwards, we will go on a village tour. We also go where there is no electricity and we carry our own generators. If every district has a hall, it will be good," he said.

Borpujari says that a lot of northeast students go to the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute in Kolkata, but if the government can set up its branch or a new film school in the northeast, it will help youngsters.

Also, government aid can augment film production in the region.

However, the challenges notwithstanding, filmmakers like Meghalaya's Steven Ao, who graduated from the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, wants to pursue his dream and make movies.

"My short film 'Bamboo Shoots' has been shown at various festivals like the International Film Festival of India, Goa; the Kolkata Film Festival and the Lago Film Fest, Italy. The exposure was good, but I need to do a lot more to get funds for my projects.

"I have a passion for the medium. But to earn my bread and butter, I don't want to change my profession. I am putting all my energy into it and I hope it works," said Ao.

If people like him continue to show passion towards the craft and get a little help from the government, the world will be their oyster.

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Excited Tahir Raj couldn't sleep after Aamir's praise

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New actor Tahir Raj Bhasin, seen as a child trafficker in "Mardaani", is over the moon after being praised by none other than Aamir Khan.

The film has impressed Aamir and he took to Twitter to share his views and in his tweet he had also mentioned Tahir as being superb in the film, which has been made tax-free in two states.

"That was huge, I didn't sleep the whole night. I was forwarding it (tweet) to family and friends. I don't think there can be a bigger praise. So it's big," Tahir said here Tuesday at a press meet of "Mardaani."

"I was very sceptical about the way people were going to respond to the character... But critics liked it and then to hear it from Aamir Khan, it's huge. I cannot thank him enough," he added.

"Mardaani" stars Rani Mukerji in the role of senior inspector Shivani Shivaji Roy who fights the child trafficking mafia.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, "Mardaani" hit theatres Friday and collected Rs.15 crore in the first weekend.

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Paresh Rawal has no plans to spend crores to launch sons

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Paresh Rawal, a self-made actor, wants his sons to learn the ropes and find a place for themselves in filmdom. He has no plans to launch them.

His eldest son is being mentored by Naseeruddin Shah, said Paresh and added: "My second son is into screenplay... he is into writing."

"I never had any launching pad. I can give them advice, but if you think I will invest Rs.10 to Rs.15 crore and launch my kids, then I will not do that. Besides I don't even have that much money," he said.

"Let them struggle and find their own way," added the actor who entered filmdom in the early 1980s and found a foothold after his hair-raising performance as a ruthless smuggler in "Naam".

In his over three-decade career, he has played all kind of roles - from villainous to character to comedy.

One of his recent noteworthy performances was in "Special 26". He also impressed in "OMG - Oh My God!".

Paresh's next is "Raja Natwarlal", coming out Friday, and he said: "It's a believable film and we have worked a lot on the script. I have worked with Emraan earlier and he is an underrated actor. He is extremely hardworking."

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Shankar Mahadevan's son sings for animation movie

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Musician Shankar Mahadevan's son Siddharth has crooned the title track of Hungama TV’s special animated movie “Manav”, set to premiere Saturday. He says he had a "fabulous time".

“I had a fabulous time recording for ‘Manav’. For the first time I have given my voice for an animated movie meant for kids. The lyrics and the music truly capture the spirit of the show,” the singer, who sang “Zinda” and “Malang malang”, said in a statement.

The film revolves around the protagonist Manav, who vows to embark upon a quest to free the world from the wrath of the demonic Mahasur and his army of ruthless Asuras.

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