Committed to the cause of reviving old weaves of West Bengal, designer Jaya Misra has launched her latest sari collection made with traditional weaves and handlooms from the state.

Misra is reviving old weaves like dhaniakhali, nilamabari, shantipuri, baluchari, jute silk and cotton weaves in her collection, titled Weaves Saris Collection.

"I have mixed yarns of silk and zari together to create elaborate patterns. West Bengal has a rich tradition of weaving richly patterned cotton saris with heavy borders that contrast with a finely textured body," the designer said in a statement.

"I have added my personal touch in the motifs inspired by nature, antique zari bootis and intricately woven zari borders. The colour palette reflects shades like off-white, maroon, midnight black, emerald green, gold and silver," she added.

For the collection, Misra had to travel into the interiors of West Bengal to get in touch with the weavers as she feels "the textile industry in West Bengal is not organised".

She stresses upon keeping alive the traditional weave by providing right infrastructure to the weavers.

"This is one industry that does not require a high investment infrastructure to flourish. With little effort we can convert Bengal into a hub of textile industry. It is very disappointing how the weaver’s community's number is reducing due to lack of work and a proper pay,” she said.

Film: "Singam 2"; Cast: Suriya, Hansika Motwani, Anushka Shetty, Santhanam, Vivek, Radha Ravi, Nasser, K. Vishwanath, Mukesh Rishi, Danny Sapani, Anjali and Rahman; Director: Hari Gopalakrishnan; Rating: **

In "Singam 2", Suriya as Duraisingam spends most of his time running and chasing baddies. This explains why he is trim with a six pack and beefed up biceps, while the rest of the police department is not physically fit.

The reason Suriya is running when he could chase them in his car is because he is in pursuit of international villain Danny, who is the kingpin of a big drug cartel. This is in brief what we get to see in the highly anticipated sequel, which is not even half as good as its prequel.

For those, who had watched "Singam" and walked into cinemas hoping to be entertained, "Singam 2" comes as a blow in the face. It's exactly what you don't want to see in a sequel, especially one which follows a highly entertaining and racy prequel.

The film opens with a quick recap of "Singam", and now Duraisingam, who has resigned from his job, is working as a NCC leader in a private school in Tuticorin, where he moonlights as an undercover cop to bust illegal activities happening on the coast.

Further investigation reveals that under the control of Danny, drugs are being imported into the town and those helping him in this business are Thangaraj, Bhai and Sagayam. It is with the help of the trio that Danny has been importing drugs worth crores of rupees.

How does Duraisingam bring down the empire of Danny, and seal all his illegal activities that he has been doing for years forms the rest of the story.

If you can sit through the 165-minute-long film watching one man running all through Tuticorin in the name of justice and in between grooving to five songs, then you might like "Singam 2". However, if you're expecting a racy, edge-of-the-seat cop flick, this is not your film.

There is plenty of action, but it just gets too much after a point of time. Why would a policeman not shoot at baddies who are ready to ambush his family and instead fight? This is exactly why the film runs for nearly three hours when it could've been easily reduced by a good half an hour.

"Singam 2" is definitely bigger, but it never gets better in the process of entertaining its viewers. It has a storyline that could keep you hooked but what doesn't work in the favour of the film is the presence of too many characters and a weak screenplay.

The initial premise of the film doesn't get converted into a story worth lauding.

Even though Suriya shines in his role, there is hardly any noticeable contribution from the rest of the cast. In fact, most characters hardly have any purpose. One such role is that of the chief minister (CM), played by veteran director K. Vishwanath.

Hari directs "Singam 2" without a soul. He desperately tries to make the sequel a better film than its prequel, but eventually fails in the process. Devi Sri Prasad's music is passe. The background score misses energy.

Hollywood actor Jean Claude Van Damme, who is at Venetian Macao to attend the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, is looking for two Indian faces for his upcoming films.

The actor is currently doing a film being produced by Michel Adams.

"I am very excited to be back at IIFA. I want to see the new lot of actors here. I am looking to pick up two new faces from here," he told the media here.

Van Damme is best known for his martial arts action films like "Bloodsport", "Kickboxer" and "Hard Target" amongst others.

Bollywood actress Sridevi, who will perform with choreographer-director Prabhudheva at the 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards night, is excited to be on the stage again.

"I will be performing on the stage after 20 years. I am very excited," Sridevi told reporters at the Venetian Macao where the award function is taking place. Last year she made a comeback to movies with "English Vinglish".

The actress is accompanied by her two daughters and filmmaker-husband, Boney Kapoor.

Other celebrities who have arrived at the venue include Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Madhuri Dixit among others.

Shah Rukh, who will co-host the awards night with Shahid Kapoor, said: "I am excited to be at IIFA and at Macau. I will also be hosting the awards."

The police Friday arrested popular actress and dancer Shalu Menon in connection with what has come to be termed as the "solar scam".

Shalu Menon, highly connected politically and a popular film personality in the state, had managed to evade the police ever since news of the scam first broke.

However, a Thrissur court Thursday instructed the police to register a case against Shalu Menon for her alleged involvement with a couple against whom many cases of cheating have been filed.

After collecting large sums from investors in the name of a company called Team Solar, the couple -- Saritha S. Nair and her live-in partner Biju Radhakrishnan -- would fail to deliver the solar panels.

On complaints from numerous people of cheating, the couple was arrested by police last month.

Menon's links with the couple became evident after it was found that she had offered Radhakrishnan her car to get out of the state. She had also given the man her mobile phone to use while he was on the run.

Radhakrishnan was arrested from Coimbatore, and Shalu Menon's mobile phone was recovered from him.

The team investigating the case had summoned Menon and her mother, and the actress had claimed that she had no role at all in the scam.

However, a resident of the state capital registered a complaint against Shalu Menon, saying she had accompanied Biju Radhakrishnan when he took Rs.20 lakh from the complainant.

Images of Menon and Radhakrishnan attending a meeting of the solar panel company also appeared in the media. Reports also surfaced that Radhakrishnan had given a good amount of the money to Menon, and also purchased expensive gifts for her.

Meanwhile, the Left opposition was up in arms against state Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, alleging that he had been protecting the actress, as the minister was seen attending the house-warming function of a grand house that Menon had constructed near here.

TV channels showed top political leaders in attendance at the house-warming function.

Alia Bhatt who recently said that she wants to paint Hrithik Roshan's portrait, called him a Greek God. Though Alia was a bit skeptical about her 'portrait painting' skills, Hrithik is apparently more than eager to model for her.

“I shall strike any pose that Alia wishes. However, I think she will find her perfect subject to paint right there in her reflection", said Hrithik, returning the compliment.

Well, Alia is not the only one who thinks Hrithik looks like a Greek God.

Divya Dutta is playing the role of Farhan Akhtar’s elder sister, Isri Kaur, in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s impending release, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The film has Farhan playing the legendary athlete, Milkha Singh.

In real life, Milkha shared a special bond with Isri, who had brought him up after their parents’ early death. Keeping this in mind, the scenes between Divya and Farhan were intense, emotional and moving.

The actress tells us that she did not use glycerine for many scenes. “After a long time, the audience will get to watch a strong and intense relationship between two siblings. While shooting, the affectionate look on Farhan’s face would automatically stimulate an elder sister’s protective instinct in me,” she recalls.

About working with Farhan, Divya says, “Though I’ve always admired Farhan, his performance in this film took me by surprise. On the first day of the shoot, Farhan was standing next to me when Rakeysh said, ‘Aren’t you going to say hi to your on-screen brother?’ The warmth that I witnessed in Farhan since then was overwhelming.”

About the actress, Mehra says, “As a director, I have observed that Divya’s eyes speak a lot. And keeping the story in mind, they convincingly portray the pain of partition and at the same time, also convey hope. So, choosing Divya for Isri’s character came naturally. I did not even have to think about it.”

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures and ROMP Pictures, releases July 12.

After his film debut in Student Of The Year (2012), actor Sidharth Malhotra was billed as the next star. And now, a recent episode proves that the actor is surely getting attention — even if it’s unwarranted. In fact, the actor recently sent a legal notice to a fake portal which was selling merchandise in his name.

Since November 2012, a fake portal has been running in his name where products like shirts, T-shirts and mugs were being sold as his official merchandise. Sidharth confirms the news saying, “Yes, they were running an unofficial portal where they were selling merchandise proclaiming that they have a direct connection with me. In fact, my manager ordered one T-shirt and surprisingly they took the order. It’s a different matter that the order never arrived. So we sent a legal notice to them to shut it down. They can’t do this. It’s a pure form of cheating.”

A notification has been issued to the portal makers and the domain has been shut down. The actor, however, is surprised that someone could actually shell out R1,500 for such a T-shirt. “It’s good business for sure (smiles) but on a serious note, it’s illegal and we can’t cheat people like this.

Now, the domain has shut down,” he says, adding, “It feels odd, but in a way it’s a huge compliment. If I have to meet my fans, I would rather meet them directly and chat with them.”

Singer Sonu Nigam, who has lent his voice to a newcomer Tanuj Veervani for "Luv U Soniyo", says only the song and credibility of the composer matters to him, not the actor on whom the song would be filmed.

Tanuj is actress Rati Agnihotri's son, who is making his debut with the film, being directed by Joe Rajan.

"When I sang in 'Mast', at that time Aftab Shivdasani was also a new-comer and all the songs were hit. So you cannot judge a song's success by its star-cast," said the singer in an interview here.

He added that he gives importance to "song and music composer's credibility".

Why don't current songs have a shelf life?

"Today songs are recorded in a hurry as there are several deadlines to meet. There has to be a catchy word in every song, which is repeated again and again. A hook word has become very important. Songs that are made today are not long-lasting," said Sonu.

"Luv U Soniyo" is set to release July 26 and features Neha Hinge in the female lead.

Actress Shweta Tiwari is reportedly quitting "Parvarrish - Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi" and she may not join the show again.

In the show about parents-children relationship, she plays Sweety, a mother of two children. It took a two-year leap last month.

The actress, who has daughter Palak from her first marriage with actor Raja Chaudhary, is getting married to actor Abhinav Kohli this month and sources said that this could be the reason behind her quitting the show.

In the show, the actress is seen leaving for a wedding for 10 days.

Shweta is also part of the celebrity dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6".

Earlier, she featured in long running soaps "Kasautii Zindagii Kay", "Kaahin Kissi Roz" and "Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat", among others.

Actors John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra, who had teamed up for the hit film "Dostana", will reportedly vie for the top spot at the box office with their respective films "Madras Cafe" and animated movie "Planes". Both are scheduled for an Aug 23 release.

A source confirmed the report and said: "Priyanka's film 'Planes' will be releasing on August 23rd with John's 'Madras Cafe'."

Priyanka has given voiceover for the animated project, while John has produced as well as acted in "Madras Cafe".

After playing a small town ruffian in "Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya", Arhaan Behl will be seen as a simple, honest guy in "Do Dil Bandhe Ek Dori Se" and says it is a welcome contrast to the earlier one.

Unlike "Pratigya", in which Arhaan essayed 'dabang' Krishna, his character Raghu in the Zee TV's new show is demure.

"As an actor I want to do a variety of roles. Until now I was being offered roles which were similar to my earlier character Krishna. I didn’t want to repeat myself," Arhaan said in a statement.

"What attracted me to the show was the simplicity of my character Raghu. Raghu is an average guy. He doesn’t possess any hero-like qualities. I play a simple lower middle-class guy in the show. He is loyal and hard working. My character is very down-to-earth and that is what makes him special," he added.

Raghu is strong, but not aggressive. "The role is quite different from my earlier character. This is my first show on Zee TV and I hope my fans will give me equal love and affection like my earlier show," said the actor.

Produced by Film Farm Productions, the show is slated to go on air soon.

Anurag Basu, whose "Barfi!" did exceedingly well at the box office, says he was initially confused about his lead actress for the film.

While Ranbir Kapoor played the title role, Priyanka Chopra was seen as autistic Jhilmil Chatterjee and her performance won her many awards. Illeana D'Cruz also featured in the romantic-comedy.

"When I went to cast Priyanka Chopra, I realised that I could not see her as my character. I told her that I was not sure and that we should have a three-day workshop," said Basu.

The director was speaking at an acting workshop - 100 years of Indian Cinema: An actor Prepares" - held on the second day of the ongoing 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards and weekend here. It started Thursday.

He further said: "The first day of the workshop was tough as Priyanka was very formal. I asked her to hold my collar and shout abuses at me, this loosened her up a lot."

"I told her to see the world from my character's eyes and everything will fall into place. She just had to be there in the moment," he added.

How do you usually cast for your films?

"I need to have clarity in my mind. As long as there is clarity, I can choose my cast in one go," he said.

The director, who has directed films like "Barfi!", "Life in a ...Metro" and "Gangster - A Love Story", describes the current lot of actors as easy-going.

"All the actors of our generation are easy-going. But all of them are different. Hrithik Roshan is more reserved, while Ranbir and I became great friends as we have the same likes and dislikes. You have to balance everything as a director," he said.

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who runs his acting school Actor Prepares, doesn't believe in the "born actor" theory. He feels that some are gifted, but others can cultivate the craft of acting.

"Anyone who can lie can act... this is my theory. Lying is a form of acting. It is a method of convincing yourself. The whole thing about born actors is rubbish," he said at the acting workshop - 100 years of Indian cinema: An actor Prepares, which was organised Friday as part of ongoing 14th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards and weekend.

The actor conducted a detailed two-hour theatre workshop and spoke about how to cultivate acting skills.

The "Saaransh" actor said that the first lesson for an actor is that "he should be ready to make a fool of himself".

Talking about over-acting, Anupam said: "Actors think if they will do normal acting, then people won't be convinced... this is why they over-act.

He added that Bollywood is known for over the top acting.

"Bollywood has been accused of loud acting. People in the West, including NRIs, feel that the Indian cinema is all about dancing and singing. This is tough as you are trying to do something so unreal, so convincingly on the screen," he said.

However, he feels the period after 2000 has been "the golden era" for the industry as well as the actors.

"The kind of cinema and movies, which are coming out now, are different and they manage to do fantastic business," said Anupam who also shared anecdotes from his childhood and memories of his first play.

The strong association between Bollywood and fashion was amply displayed at the Grey Goose IIFA Rocks - a fashion show on the eve of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards - here Friday with an ode to villains and vamps and 100 years of Indian cinema.

The fashion show was presented by designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil.

Dark and heavy colours like red and navy blue ruled the occasion with anarkali suits and dresses high on the waves and drapes, while the designers added bling to their collection by pairing golden borders and bases with the dresses.

While the woman represented Bollywood vamps with their dark and mysterious looks, the men also flaunted heavier and darker emotions by donning fitted trousers and coats.

However, it was Neil Nitin Mukesh, the show stopper, who took the limelight with dark brown suit with broad-ended trousers, while his stylish moustaches added to his looks.

If fashion was high on quotient, Bollywood made its presence felt by some splendid performances by Arjun Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Arijit Singh and Dia Mirza among others.

The ceremony also witnessed the distribution of IIFA technical awards, where director Anurag Basu's "Barfi!" led the race.

Among the other attractions was actors Vir Sanghavi and Boman Irani tickling the audience's funny bone as they promoted their upcoming film "Santa Banta".

Filmmaker Nikhil Advani has clarified that veteran actor Rishi Kapoor's character in the forthcoming film "D-Day" is not modelled on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

"I completely deny that Rishiji is playing Dawood. He plays an exiled crimelord named Iqbal. If there are similarities to Dawood, it can't be helped. All art basically needs to borrow from real-life headlines. It doesn't mean we are making a feature film on any specific person," Advani said.

A recent report based on Rishi Kapoor's interview to a daily claimed the actor plays Dawood in the film.

The interview triggered a panic attack among the film's team who are now frantically trying to complete the post-production while avoiding trouble from crime syndicates.

One hears that members of the cast, including Rishi Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Irrfan, were summoned a few days back to re-dub some of their more controversial lines.

"Why is so much being made out of one character's resemblance to someone we all know? I'm being asked how a director of such emotional films as 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', 'Salaam-e-Ishq' and 'Patiala House' can handle an action film.

"But there is so much more to 'D-Day' than the action involving the extrication of a wanted criminal from Karachi. The drama and emotions are the mainstay, not just the action scenes," said Advani.

The director admits that the cast was called to do some additional dubbing but said: "The film is in live sync-sound. We have to dub some of the lines because the dialogues were drowned in action. That's all."

Filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia says his new movie "Zanjeer", a remake of the eponymous 1973 production, is different from the original and has more commercial elements.

"I'm very happy with the way the film has shaped up. This project is very close to my heart and it's different from the original. It's a commercial film and I'm eagerly waiting for its release," Lakhia, who has directed the movie, told IANS.

"I am happy with the power-packed performance of Ram Charan (Teja) and Priyanka (Chopra). They have done a fabulous job," he added.

The promotions for the movie will kickstart from August.

"Promotions play a vital role these days. The film will be hitting the screens Sep 6," he added.

Produced by Amit Mehra, the film has southern star Ram Charan Teja reprising megastar Amitabh Bachchan's role from the original. Priyanka will essay the part of Mala, originally played by Jaya Bachchan.

Actor Amit Sadh, who won praise for his performance in "Kai Po Che!", will share screen space with versatile actor Paresh Rawal in a political thriller titled "10 Janpath".

Amit is happy with the project, to be directed by Aditya Datt.

"Twenty minutes into the narration, I knew I wanted to do this film. I have watched Aditya Datt's 'Table No. 21' and liked it, so I know I'm working with a good director," Amit said in a statement.

About working with Paresh, he said: "He is every actor's dream talent to work with. I'm very excited to be in the same frame as him."

Paresh too said he was really excited with the script.

Actor Nishad Vaidya is unaffected by the popularity of his show "Amita Ka Amit". He says he doesn't believe in stardom, and feels one should remain down-to-earth always.

"I think success should not bring any change in the kind of person you are. You may work in a number of reality shows or with superstars like Salman Khan or Aamir Khan but you should remain what you are," the actor said on the sets of the show here Friday.

In the Sony channel show, Nishad plays Amit while actress Chandni Bhagwanani plays Amita.

"We are 'Amit' and 'Amita' because of our fans. So I don't believe in stardom," said Nishad.

Surj and Manj of Punjabi bhangra and hip-hop band RDB, who had been lying low since the death of their brother and third band member Kuly, are back! Their latest composition is the title track of Bollywood movie "Bajatey Raho".

They took a break after they lost Kuly in 2012. Now the brothers are happy to be back in business.

"I was very excited when I was given the chance to work on this song. I have always wanted to work on music that reflects the choice of the youth merged with the sounds of hip-hop along with our desi style," Manjeet aka Manj said in a statement.

"Fusion is the one thing that I loved producing with Kuly and this song has given me a chance to recreate a piece which I can dedicate to him," he added.

The film's director, Shashant Shah says the song "follows the same feel as that of the film 'Bajatey Raho'".

"It's all about 'bajaoing' in the wrong way to get the right thing and I think that the duo has done a fabulous job maintaining this," said Shah.

"The words are easy and one can sing along. This song, I feel can become the anthem of today's youth who themselves believe in fighting crime by using bad to reach the good," he added.

RDB had earlier composed songs like "Shera di kaum", "Om mangalam", "Paisa paisa", "Singh Is Kinng" and "Rafta rafta".