Bollywood actress-producer and entrepreneur Shilpa Shetty says she can't step out without a piece of jewellery or accessory, especially a solitaire.

“I love jewellery and I can't step out without having one on my body," she told IANS.

"I am a big solitaire fan and I feel that goes with every look of mine. Whether it's western wear or Indian wear, a solitaire with earrings is good to go,” added the actress. She was talking on the sidelines of the launch of Anmol jewellery store in the capital Tuesday.

Looking pretty in a pre-stitched sari and full sleeves black blouse by designer Masaba Gupta, she accentuated her look with an elegant neck piece.

Wife of businessman Raj Kundra and mother of two-year-old son Viaan, Shilpa looked like a diva in her hourglass figure and inimitable smile.

The actress doled out tips on how to choose the right jewellery for the festive season.

“Make sure that the piece is not heavy, but still oozes out glamour. Choose jewellery according to your body type rather than going with other's opinions,” she said.

Anmol Jewellers newly opened store is located in Greater Kailash market.

Cricket maestro and Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood danseuse Helen are among this year's Giants International awardees, according to an announcement here Tuesday.

Tendulkar will get the award for lifetime achievement in sports while Helen Salim Khan will be honoured for her lifetime contribution to films.

The awards shall be given away by the Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah at a function Wednesday.

The other awardees include Urvi Piramal (Business & Industry), Hemant Thacker (Medicine), Kulinkant Luthia (Social Service), Bahubali Shah (Journalism), Anu Malik (Music) and Patangrao Kadam (Education).

Giants International was founded Sep 17, 1972 by Nana Chudasama who is now its world chairman, with a purpose to serve humanity, promote unity, harmony and homogeneity among its members.

For the past 35 years, it has worked for family planning, disaster management, flood relief, rainwater harvesting, low-cost housing, AIDS, drugs abuse awareness, academics, medicine, environment and saving the girl child.

According to Giants International Executive World Chairperson Shaina NC, the organisation has 600 branches in India and abroad in countries like the US, Britain, Africa, Ukraine and Mauritius.

Women power is all set to get the magical and evergreen ‘Rekha’ touch with her much awaited Super Nani releasing this Diwali on 24th October 2014! Bharat Shah Presents a Maruti International Production; Super Nani is produced by Indra Kumar and Ashok Thakeria, directed by Indra Kumar.

And in what’s great news for all Rekha fans out there, the first theatrical trailer will be attached to none other Sonam Kapoor’s Khoobsurat releasing this Friday 19th September!!

Rekha had acted in the original hit classic Khubsoorat of 1980 and now, her trailer will be attached to the modern day Khoobsurat, a true circle of life indeed!!

Touted as Rekha’s long awaited ‘comeback’ mainstream venture, Super Nani stars Rekha, Sharman Joshi, Shweta Kumar, Anupam Kher and Randhir Kapoor.

Baa, maa, mummy, ammi, aayi, maata, mother… various names of the same dame. She is the one who brings us to this world, the one who brings us up, the one who feeds us, and the one who teaches us to live life. But as we grow up, we are the ones who start teaching her the ways of life. Super Nani’ gives a strong message to all the women that their power lies within themselves; all they need to do is discover and use it.

The journey of Rekha aka Bharti Bhatia and her grandson played by Sharman Joshi is definitely a one to be experienced, as the fun, laughter, tickles, and tears of happiness will leave you with a light heart and a changed mind!

With this cinema ode for all the women out there on 24th October, looks like this Diwali there are sure to be a lot more fireworks than usual, especially at the cinema!!

Vishal Bhardwaj's attraction for Shakespeare is undeniable and we all know how he has adapted three of his plays into films.

Maqbool was an adaptation of Macbeth, Omkara of Othello and Shakespeare's toughest play, Hamlet, is being adapted into Haider.

Ever since filmmakers of the world are working towards period cinema, good books and bestsellers have been the favourite source for film scripts.
However with Vishal the turnaround is doubly commendable because, filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's three film scripts adapted from Shakespeare are going to be published as books themselves.

The prestigious Harper Collins Publishers will publish the script of the trilogy of Maqbool, Omkara and Haider.

If Shakespeare had to be alive today, we are sure he would have been proud of his extremely talented admirer and follower, Vishal Bhardwaj.

One of the most awaited film of 2014, Happy New Year, music was launched today admist some fun and magic. The most surprising part of the music launch was the missing music CDs.

As a part of the music launch Shah Rukh Khan and Bhushan Kumar, T-Series, who has acquired the music of HNY, launched the music of the album not in music CDs but in a ‘key’ shaped pendrive. Unlock the music of Happy New Year using the key that has the entire album of the movie composed by Vishal and Shekhar. The action comedy drama starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah.

T-Series who always have a different and unique approach of promoting music came up with this idea with the production house to launch the music and make the music available in pendrives.

Bhushan Kumar says, “This was the entire team who decided to make a key shaped pendrives keeping in mind the concept of the film and share the music of HNY to the media present in this manner. It was quite innovative and fit the bill. We will also release the music CDs in few days.”

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan, who was admitted to hospital following a bout of food poisoning, says he's fine and that there's no "cause for alarm".

“I know a lot of people would like to make a drama out of this. Sorry to disappoint them. I am fine. It’s just a simple case of food poisoning. No cause for alarm," Kamal said over phone from a private hospital in Chennai.

After Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s flash-visit to Chennai Monday, on Tuesday, Chennai was abuzz with reports of Kamal's hospitalisation.

Talking about the reason, he said: “I am here because of food poisoning and dehydration. Nothing more serious than that.”

The stomach infection happened while shooting.

“We were shooting in the interiors of Kerala where there were no proper restaurants. We ate at roadside dhabas, probably drank infected water. One of those makeshift food places did not agree with me. So here I am.”

He will be discharged Wednesday.

Actor Vikram's character of a bodybuilder in upcoming film "I", is inspired from how Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger looked in his prime days, says Shankar, the director of the Tamil magnum opus.

"In the film, Vikram plays a bodybuilder vying for the 'Mr.Tamil Nadu'. When we were looking for inspiration for his character, we could only think of Arnold as he's a bodybuilding legend. That's how we designed Vikram's character," Shankar told IANS.

"Vikram worked extremely hard for the role. We even managed to give him the curls Arnold sported as a young bodybuilder," Shankar said.

While Vikram gained weight to play the bodybuilder, he lost considerable amount to play another important character in "I".

Also starring Amy Jackson and Upen Patel in important roles, "I" is slated to release during the Diwali festive season.

Schwarzenegger was recently in the city for the film's grand audio launch.

Actor Vikram's character of a bodybuilder in upcoming film "I", is inspired from how Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger looked in his prime days, says Shankar, the director of the Tamil magnum opus.

"In the film, Vikram plays a bodybuilder vying for the 'Mr.Tamil Nadu'. When we were looking for inspiration for his character, we could only think of Arnold as he's a bodybuilding legend. That's how we designed Vikram's character," Shankar told IANS.

"Vikram worked extremely hard for the role. We even managed to give him the curls Arnold sported as a young bodybuilder," Shankar said.

While Vikram gained weight to play the bodybuilder, he lost considerable amount to play another important character in "I".

Also starring Amy Jackson and Upen Patel in important roles, "I" is slated to release during the Diwali festive season.

Schwarzenegger was recently in the city for the film's grand audio launch.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who has not been keeping well for the past few days, says he is on the road to recovery.

The 71-year-old shared the update on his health via his blog, thanking his fans for outpouring their wishes and support on the medium.

“Thank you all for inquiring after my health...it's improving gradually,” the megastar posted Tuesday.

The actor was under the weather and he says the cough persists, and it is acting as a hindrance during recordings sessions.

“There is a cough that keeps disturbing me during the recording, but it is being managed...love you all for this concern and the many home remedies that you suggest,” he added.

Amitabh is one of the most active star on social media platform. And declaring his love for the medium, he wrote: "My love and my devotion to this medium remains as ever in the best of the best”.

Seasoned actor Naseeruddin Shah, who quietly released his autobiography, says he hasn't chronicled his entire life in the book and is unsure if he would pen the second half or not!

One can read about his first marriage, daughter Sheeba, professional ups and downs and how he wooed and wed his present wife Ratna in his autobiography titled "And Then One Day", which took him four years to complete.

"I didn't keep it as a secret. I just thought I will never complete it," Naseer told IANS in an interview.

"And Then One Day", which hit the stands in the first week of September, didn't happened just like that.

His journey has been vast, experiences have been varied and accolades and appreciations have been aplenty, but the book is the result of his boredom.

"I began to write it because I was bored. I have written some articles in the past for few magazines and I enjoyed writing. But I didn't think I will complete a book," said the 64-year-old who has done about 200 films in a career spanning over four decades.

He wrote it as long as he could stand it.

"Then I gave it up. Then I thought what the hell is the point of writing this. Later after a gap of a year or two, I wrote my experiences with people who influenced me, so Ratna said why don't you put this all together in sequence. So I did that," said the actor.

From theatre to parallel cinema to mainstream movies, from crossover cinema to international film, Naseer's oeuvre boast of variety and quality. Thanks to that, he was honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, India's third and fourth highest civilian awards, for his contribution to Indian cinema.

However, the autobiography doesn't chronicle every stage of his life.

"I have completed the story up to my second wedding. But I don't know whether I will write the second half or not...it will take another 12 years at least, but I am not sure about that," said Naseer won prestigious National Awards of "Sparsh", "Paar" and "Iqbal".

Was your wife Ratna the driving force behind the autobiography?

"No, it was not Ratna. Ratna was curious about it, but the driving force was Ramchandra Guha, who read one of my articles on (former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan) Pataudi and said he liked it and I was very kicked about that.

"He asked me have you written anything else, so I gave him these (first) 100 pages (of the book). He liked it and said you have to finish this because don't wait too long life is uncertain and don't wait to write about your entire life. He was my unofficial editor before I found a publisher," said Naseer.

For the title track of the forthcoming film "Bang Bang", Hrithik Roshan has grooved a la his dance idol, the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. But the Bollywood actor says he's added a dash of his own style to the number.

Hrithik has idolised Michael Jackson since the time he first moved to a dance beat, and he used to learn the moves through play and pause mode for hours.

"I love his style and energy! So, when Bosco (choreographer) and Sid (director Siddharth Anand) said 'Michael Jackson', at first I thought there's no way I could match up, but then I reframed that and did it for my love for him in my own style, my own way," Hrithik said in a statement.

The experience was "fun" for Hrithik, who said: "It's my ode to the inspiration he (Michael Jackson) has been."

The video of the song also features Katrina Kaif.

"This is an out-an-out dance and party track. It's high on glamour, scale and Katrina and I have danced our hearts out," he added.

Produced by Fox Star Studios, "Bang Bang" releases Oct 2. The film is directed by Siddharth Anand.

Former Miss India Neha Dhupia, who created a stir in Bollywood with the bold film "Julie" in 2004, has refused to star in its sequel.

Neha played a prostitute in the film.

"Yes, I was offered 'Julie 2'. But I refused it because that's not something I want to do right now," the 34-year-old said here Tuesday in an interview.

Neha, who will soon be seen in the comedy-drama "Ikkis Topon Ki Salami", wants to experiment with differents kind of cinema.

"I'm very interested in doing different kind of cinema. When I did 'Julie', I wanted to do it, but right now I am not interested (in it)," she said.

Neha also tried her hand at Punjabi films in 2013, making her debut with Jimmy Shergill-starrer "Rangeelay".

In Hindi filmdom, she is awaiting the release of Karan Johar's production "Ungli."

Superstar Rajinikanth Wednesday petitioned the Madras High Court seeking a stay on the release of Hindi film "Main Hoon Rajinikanth". He said the film might defame him and upset his large fan base.

In his petition, Rajinikanth said he has "never endorsed" any film or product using his name as it might "mislead his fans".

Justice S. Tamilvanan, before whom the case came up for hearing, issued interim stay on the release of the film with the title and content.

"Rajinikanth's acting, style and distinct personality have contributed to his mass popularity, which he has attained over the years through his larger-than-life appearances, signature dialogue delivery and age-defying stunts in his films," read the petition.

"Rajinikanth's popularity is likely to mislead his fans into believing that 'Main Hoon Rajinikanth' has been approved by him. It is to prevent such hysteria and confusion among public, he has always chosen to stay away from endorsing any film or product," said the petition.

Directed by Faisal Saif, "Main Hoon Rajinikanth" features southern actor Adithya Menon in the lead as a CBI officer-cum-contract killer Rajinikanth Rao.

The film, produced by Varsha Production House, also features Kavita Radheshyam, Smita Gondkar, Reema Lagoo, Sunil Pal, Ganesh Yadav and Shakti Kapoor in important roles.

Rajini also contended that a film based on his "name or image" is a violation of his "privacy" and accused the producer of cashing on his "super hero image".

The Tamil superstar also said that neither the film's producer nor director had approached him seeking "written" or "oral" permission to use his name in the film.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday turned 64 and Bollywood celebrities like Ajay Devgn, Anupam Kher and Madhur Bhandarkar wished him "strength", "health" and a "long life" to serve the country.

On the ocassion, the prime minister met his mother in Gandhinagar and sought her blessings.

Meanwhile, B-twon took to Twitter to wish him. Here is what they had to say:

* Ajay Devgn: Wishing strength and my best wishes to @narendramodi on his b’day to meet the expectations of millions of ppl looking up to him.

* Madhur Bhandarkar: Many happy returns of the day to our PM Shri @narendramodi ji Wish u health & happiness. Under your leadership, a progressive India beckons.

* Anupam Kher: Happy birthday Prime Minister @narendramodi. May god give you long life to serve our country. Love, Happiness & Peace Always (sic).

* Shekhar Kapur: Not sure you will get time to celebrate Sir, but #happybirthdaynarendramodi anyway. Hope you stay healthy and strong. @narendramodi

* Shreyas Talpade: For the first time in my life I've felt like wishing a prime minister of our country a very very happy birthday. HB sir @narendramodi

* Mallika Sherawat: Happy Birthday to our beloved Prime Minister @narendramodi.

* Sangeeth Sivan: Wish u a very happy b day @narendramodi ji... more power and vision to you.

* Tusshar Kapoor: A very happy birthday to honourable PM Shri @narendramodi ji!! A million more to the #gamechanger!

* Randeep Hooda: Mr @narendramodi:A hope to a country taken over by people full of nepotism and hunger for power nt the betterment of a nation #happybirthday.

The much-awaited 16th edition of Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), which was hit by a fund crunch, is set to roll out from Oct 14 here. It will showcase over 185 films from more than 65 countries.

"I have to pinch myself to believe that it's really happening. 15 days back we were about to set out a release that it's not happening. Later many people came forward to support it," a visibly emotional MFF director Srinivasan Narayanan told reporters referring to the financial problems that the fest faced.

This year the future was in trouble due to the lack of fund, but finally things have been sorted and now it has been announced that $200,000 will be awarded as cash prizes to the winners.

Organised by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the eight-day fest will be held at PVR Cinemas, which will be the main venue, while Liberty Cinemas at Marine Lines will be used as the satellite venue.

Various dignitaries from the Indian entertainment industry attended the press conference, including trustees of MAMI Kiran Rao, Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, and Vikramaditya Motwane.

This year's line up include Xavier Dolans'"Mommy", Mike Leighs'"Mr Turner", Ken Loachs'"Jimmy Hall", "Boyhood" by Richard Linklater, Dardenn brothers'"Two Days One Night", Kim Ki Duks'"One on One", Yoji Yamadas'"The Little House", Jean Luc Godards'"Goodbye to Language" and "Party Girl" by Marie Amachoukeli Barsacq.

Aslo, the fest will put spotlight on Arab films and 25 movies will be presented from the region.

A series of restored films will also be screened and special master classes by internationally acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle and director writer Mahamat Saleh Haroun will be organised.

Whether a film has a big or small budget does not decide its fate at the box office, says actress Rhea Chakraborty, who believes that her new movie "Sonali Cable" is "strong on content".

Rhea stars along with Ali Fazal and Anupam Kher in the film, which is produced under the banner of Ramesh Sippy Entertainment in association with Bombay Mania Production Pvt. Ltd. and is directed by Charudutt Acharya.

“'Sonali Cable' is not a low budget film, it’s a normal budget film. I don’t think of any movie as big or small, after all what matters is content of the film. I have seen many times in Rs.100 crore films, there is no content. In short, only money is wasted,” Rhea said in a statement.

The movie is about the corporate world and revolves around a small internet broadband company.

Rhea loves masala entertainers herself, but feels "films like 'Sonali Cable' also should be made".

"In our film, there is everything what audience wants to see. According to me, films like 'Sonali Cable' are career-changing films and only few get such a chance. I'm happy that I did this film," she added.

Last seen in "Mere Dad Ki Maruti", the actress is also due to star in Yash Raj Films'"Bank Chor".

Helen, the dancing queen of Hindi cinema, will be honoured with the lifetime achievement award for her contribution towards Indian cinema at the 16th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), starting here Oct 14. In the international category, French actor Catherine Deneuve will receive the honour.

The film festival is being organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI).

"This year we are giving the lifetime achievement award of Indian cinema to Helen. She is a deserving candidate who was overlooked," Amit Khanna, trustee MAMI, told reporters here.

The 75-year-old entertained the movie buffs for over three decades and featured in some of the best songs of her time such as "Mera naam Chin Chin Chu", "Ooi maa ooi maa yeh kya ho gaya", "O haseena zulfowali", "Aa jaane jaan" and "Piya tu ab to aaja".

Post early 1980s, Helen, who is married to scriptwriter Salim Khan, cut down her assignments and stayed away from the limelight. But in between she appeared on the big screen for films like "Khamoshi: The Musical" and "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam".

Among the international celebrities, globally acclaimed French actor Catherine Deneuve, known for her iconic roles in films such as "Repulsion", "Belle de Jour" and "Tristana" and more recently in "Dancer in the dark and 8 women", will be conferred with lifetime achievement award for her remarkable contribution to the world cinema.

The sixteenth edition Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), which was hit by a financial crunch, has managed to collect funds for the gala, but it is still falling short of Rs.2.25 crore, festival director Srinivasan Narayanan said.

Organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), the eight-day fest will begin Oct 14.

"We hope to get the support from the movie-lovers. We are still falling short of Rs.2.25 crore," Narayanan told reporters here.

Paucity of funds was making it difficult for the organisers to continue with the festival this year. However, when this became known, several members from the fraternity come forward bail out the festival and they have succeeded in their endeavour.

Anurag Kashyap, a huge patron of the festival, is urging everyone to set the ball rolling for the fest.

He said: "I think a city like Mumbai deserves a good film festival. We must see to it that this must go on and it doesn't matter how and why! We are still falling short of funds, we need more money, so please support us."

However, MAMI trustee Amit Khanna said that this problem would not arise in the future.

"I think there was a generation gap and it's time for us to go out and involve the younger generation. It's a big change and we will not have this problem in the future."

Kiran Rao, who is also one of the trustees, said: "The festival has come a long way, so please spread the word and come for our support. The festival is back and it is our responsibility that we maintain its high standard."

"Vartak Nagar - The Story Of Four Crows", starring Jimmy Sheirgill as a powerful underworld don, is a gritty film that offers a "unique universal appeal", says its producer Amit Agarwal.

Agarwal is from the Adarsh Telemedia banner, which has jointly produced "Vartak Nagar..." with Kunal Kohli Productions and Dione Entertainment.

The film, directed by Atul Taishete, deals with the lives of four lower middle-class, school going friends and their lives as impacted by the Great Bombay Textile Strike, their loss of innocence, and their journey that takes them through the highs of friendship, the lows of betrayal and eventually, redemption.

Asked why he chose a film like "Vartak Nagar" for his debut, Agarwal said in a statement: "We explored many scripts from varying genres before deciding on Vartak Nagar. The film is a gritty, hard-hitting film and for Kunal too this has been a step away from the romantic films that he is usually associated with."

"We were hunting for a film that mixed content with entertainment, and as a story, one which had a unique universal appeal."

Agarwal says they are "currently locking down on more Bollywood films".

"What we can promise is that each one of our future projects will be as content driven, as exciting and will be as universally appealing as 'Vartak Nagar'," he said.

With a change in release date, makers of "Sonali Cable" are facing a crisis over getting adequate time from the movie's lead actress Rhea Chakraborty for the promotions.

"Sonali Cable", directed by Charudutt Acharya and produced under the banner of Ramesh Sippy Entertainment in association with Bombay Mania Production Pvt. Ltd., will now hit the screens Oct 17 - a week after it was initially scheduled for release.

Filmmaker Rohan Sippy of Ramesh Sippy Entertainment says they had been talking about changing the film's release date since a few weeks back.

"We had intimated the talents (actors) about the same. They had been told we'd be needing time, especially in the last one week before the film's release. But it's strange now that Rhea's management is not reverting to us with her time. She plays the title character and we are unable to fix the promotion schedule," Sippy told IANS.

He said that when a superstar like Shah Rukh Khan is going all out to promote his films on different mediums, "younger actors" should make themselves available to help their films' producers in creating a visibility for them.

Now they are awaiting a thumbs up from Rhea, who will reportedly be busy shooting for Yash Raj Films' (YRF) "Bank Chor" on the dates that she's required to be available for "Sonali Cable" promotions.

However, she will do her very best to promote "Sonali Cable" and do all that is required of her, Rhea's spokesperson from Yash Raj Films said in a statement.

"Yes, 'Sonali Cable' has shifted to a new date and while it is a very big and important film for Rhea, there are several contractual commitments that she has, which were finalised months in advance. 'Bank Chor', where she plays the lead opposite Riteish Deshmukh is just one of them," the spokesperson added.