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Kamal Haasan discharged from hospital

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Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who was admitted to a private hospital here following a bout of food poisoning, was discharged Wednesday. He will resume shooting from Thursday, said his manager.

He was admitted to Apollo hospital Tuesday.

"Kamal sir has been discharged. He's perfectly fit and will start shooting from tomorrow (Thursday)," Kamal's manager told IANS.

Kamal said that while shooting in Kerala recently he "ate at roadside 'dhabas', probably drank infected water. One of those makeshift food places did not agree with me. So here I am."

Kamal will join the sets of Tamil film "Papanasam", a remake of Malayalam blockbuster "Drishyam".

He's also awaiting the releases of Tamil films "Uttama Villain" and "Vishwaroopam 2".A

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Will Bachchan attend film fest, Javadekar evades query

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar Wednesday neither confirmed nor denied the possibility of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan as the chief guest at the 45th edition of the IFFI.

In response to a media query about Bachchan's presence at the the 11-day International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to begin here Nov 20, Javadekar said: "We don't believe in untouchability and boycott. You will soon know who is our chief guest."

The minister was in Goa to oversee the preparations for the festival.

Bachchan, arguably India's biggest filmstar, has never graced the IFFI as the chief guest, ever since the festival found a permanent home in Goa.

In 2004, he had attended the film festival as a brand ambassador for a mass media campaign on HIV/AIDS.

Organisers over the years claimed off the record that a rivalry between Bachchan and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had resulted in the black-listing of the actor from the festival.

The organisers have this year extended an invitation to Bachchan to attend the festival as chief guest.

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Mukesh Ambani, Priyanka Chopra get Priyadarshni Awards

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Industrialist Mukesh Ambani, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra and religious leader Dada J.P. Vaswani are among a galaxy of personalities named for the Priyadarshni Academy's Global Awards, an official said here Wednesday.

Ambani has been selected for the Harish Mahindra Memorial Award for Business Leadership, Chopra for Smita Patil Memorial Award and Vaswani for the Spiritual Leadership Award.

Other celebrities who will get the award include businesswoman Rajshree Birla for the Ramakrishna Bajaj Award for Contributions to CSR, Miss World Organisation CEO Julia Morley for Save the Children Award, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh for Alleviation of Poverty & Empowerment of the Poor and economist Jeffrey Sachs for Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development.

The NGO Chairman Niranjan Hiranandani said through the awards, the Priyadarshni Academy has been paying tribute to achievers from around the world, who inspire leaders of the current and future generations.

The awards will be given at a ceremony Friday to be attended by union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, former union minister Suresh Prabhu and others.

The Priyadarshni Academy was founded in 1984 and launched the biennial Global Awards in 1985.

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IFFI moves to Goa permanently

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The International Film Festival of India, the country's biggest government-hosted film event, has now permanently moved to Goa, union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Prakash Javadekar said Wednesday.

Javadekar, who was in Goa to oversee the arrangements for the 11-day festival which begins Nov 20, was addressing a press conference at the state Secretariat along with Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and other officials of the I&B ministry and the state government.

"With Goa's peculiar culture and the very hospitable atmosphere here, Goa will soon become an international film festival venue like Cannes and other venues... Though this is a young venue, this (state) will achieve the desired results very soon," Javadekar said.

He was speaking after officials from the Directorate of Film Festivals, which functions under the central I&B ministry and the Entertainment Society of Goa, a state government agency which partners in organising the festival, signed a memorandum of understanding vis a vis the event.

"The MoU signed between government of India's I&B minister and Goa government is about according permanent status to Goa as a permanent destination of IFFI in Goa. It will not be an ad-hoc arrangement now... This is a major announcement," Javadekar said.

The festival was first shifted to Goa during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in 2004.

While the festival has been held in Goa every successive year after 2004, it was only an ad-hoc arrangement between the state and the central authorities renewed every year, before being formalised Wednesday.

Javadekar further said that the move to make the festival a permanent affair in Goa, would result in a lot of onus being put on the state as far as organisation and deciding on film festival content is concerned.

"They (Goa) will get a say, not only in organising (organisational affairs) but also in film festival, themes everything. It is your baby, we are here to help you out. It is a Goa product. And as we have seen all Goa products are great success," the minister said.

He said that a co-production treaty had been signed with nine countries and China would be added to the list Thursday.

"We are calling representatives from all the 10 countries to the film festival and they will add value to it. There will special classes about co-production treaties because that presents new opportunities for Indian co-production. It is an arrangement of mutual benefit and experience also will get enriched," he said.

He said that a new section of Konkani and Marathi cinema will be included this year, along with a separate section on northeastern cinema.

Asked about whether efforts were being made to control nudity in films screened at the film festivals, Javadekar said: "We will look into it later".

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Kajal Agarwal now face of Giving Back - NGO India 2014

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Actress Kajal Agarwal, popular for her work in southern cinema and Bollywood, has been chosen as the brand ambassador of Giving Back - NGO India 2014, a unique corporate social responsibility initiative conceptualised by UBM India.

The third edition of the initiative, which will be held here Sep 25 and Sep 26, will aim to provide free exhibit space, promotion and exposure to over 120 NGOs from all over the world.

"Today, there is a considerable amount of awareness and attempt towards building a sustainable India, amongst various sections of society including the film industry. What Giving Back - NGO India does, is bring these sections of society together and consolidate the attempts into a concrete and collective course of action," Kajal said in a statement.

"Being a member of the Indian film fraternity, I am happy to draw people's attention and sensitise them towards the social issues faced by the Indian society," she said.

Actors Vivek Oberoi and Kunal Kapoor will also be present at the inaugural session.

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I'm at peace with my age, says Shabana Azmi, 64

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Actress and social activist Shabana Azmi, who turns 64 Thursday, would co-incidentally spend the day rehearsing for her play "Happy Birthday Sunita". She adds that age is no bar for her as she has embraced life at all stages and advises everyone to do the same.

Excerpts:

Q. You have turned 64! What plans this year?
A. My play "Happy Birthday Sunita" opens in London on Sep 19. On my birthday I will be in technical rehearsal till 10 p.m.! Javed has come to be with me and I'm thrilled. No other plans needed!

Q: Do you enjoy the cake cutting and the gifts?
A: The cake cutting is a practice I do not like. When did it start in India and why, I do not know. In school, we were only allowed to give two sweets each to the entire class. It was a great leveller because it prevented the richer girls from being lavish and shows the not-so-rich ones in poor light! I'm not a great stickler for giving or receiving presents on birthdays, anniversaries, etc. as a 'must do'. I prefer giving a gift without occasion if I feel it's something a friend will like.

Q: But surely you like something?
A: I must confess that flowers are my weakness and I love receiving them, especially Indian fragrant flowers - Mogra, Rajnigandha, Sontakka etc.

Q: Which is the most memorable birthday you ever had?
A: My 50th birthday. All my friends came from various corners and Abba (father poet Kaifi Azmi) sat quietly through the noisy celebrations in a sherwani and 'topi' looking like the birthday person himself!! Javed was wonderful too, but it's too personal to share the details.

Q: 64... is it just a number or does it really mean a coming of age?
A: I'm at peace with my age. I've embraced life at all stages. I remember people were horrified when I celebrated my 50th! 'Don't announce your age', I was advised! How stupid is that.

Q: As an Indian actress, do you feel restricted by your age?
A: This is the best time to be an actor. There are many parts available for all age groups. It's no longer the stereotypical mother in a white sari and terrible wig sacrificing all for her family!

Q: Any unfulfilled dreams?
A: I would have loved to play the piano! Alas! It's too late now.

Q: If you had to change one thing in your life, what would that be?
A: It's too personal to answer.

Q: Generations of actors consider you a role model. What advice do you have for them?
A: Never become complacent, work hard. Embrace life!

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Nadiadwala, Eros join hands for 'Housefull 3'

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After collaborating with Eros International Media Limited on "Housefull" and "Housefull 2", Sajid Nadiadwala has once again partnered with the entertainment conglomerate to release "Housefull 3", the third instalment of his hit comedy franchise.

"I'm happy to team up with Eros once more for this very popular series. 'Housefull 3' will be bigger and funnier and we are confident that together, we will once again successfully present some wholesome entertainment to audiences worldwide," Nadiadwala said in a statement.

Directed by writer-turned-director duo Sajid-Farhad, the film is slated to release in 2015.

Commenting on the association, Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO, Eros International Media Ltd said: “We share a special relationship with Sajid that goes back several decades and are excited to have Sajid back with us. What better film to start with than the third instalment of the hit franchise 'Housefull'. It promises to be a star-studded laugh riot shot lavishly in the UK, Sajid Nadiadwala style.”

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Tamil film 'Kalyana Samayal Saadham' to be remade in Hindi

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The super hit Tamil film "Kalyana Samayal Saadham", which released in December 2013, is all set to be remade in Hindi.

"The makers are planning to remake the film in Hindi... the film was well received in South and now they want to make the film as per the sensibilities of the Hindi audience," said a source close to the project.

"The film is in its pre-production stage and it will take some time to go on floors. They are also hunting for the right actors for this film," added the source.

Directed by R.S. Prasanna Kalyana, "Kalyana Samayal Saadham", which featured Prasanna and Lekha Washington in the lead roles, was about a big fat Indian wedding with a quirky twist.

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Hot tools - tresses' foes?

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Blow drying your hair or going for flat ironing might give your locks the style you want, but don’t raise your brows if you end up with brittle tresses, says an expert.

“Our hair is made of protein complex bound by many bonds between the hair proteins. The heat application of blow-drying and ironing makes the water soluble hydrogen bonds of hair break and reform again," Snehal Sriram, medical director, Trica Hair Clinic, said in a statement.

"This is what makes the hair set the way we make them during blow drying or ironing,” she said.

She says that when the bond-breaking happens frequently, the reforming of the hair bonds get affected and the result is “brittle and breakage prone hair”.

The expert adds this damage can be prevented.

“Use the cold mode of hair dryer rather than hot mode. This may increase the time taken to dry the hair, but it will not damage the hair as much. If you do need to iron your hair, use a heat protective serum. This helps to some extent, not 100 percent."

“Use the right hair care products based on your hair and scalp type, this prevents further roughening of hair structure. If your hair is healthy, it can withstand the damage much better,” Sriram said.

There are ways to repair the damage and strengthen hair too.

“Use a hair mask containing high molecular weight proteins to repair the hair bonds. Avoid any shampoos containing lauryl sulphate, betaines are gentler for your hair. Go for hair strengthening and energising treatments. These treatments stimulate regeneration, and promote hair growth," she said.

Sriram suggests to eat right too and advises to include “essential fatty acids like walnuts, almonds, grilled fish, flax seeds in your diet everyday along with two to three litres of water. Hair nutrient supplements containing amino acids and minerals help too’.

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For an actor, life must be the resource-base: Shabana

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Known for her realistic portrayal of characters on the screen, seasoned actress Shabana Azmi says and actor can enrich the character they play by drawing upon all the depth of their own experience.

When asked who are the people who have most influenced your thought processes and your over all personality, she said: "My parents Kaifi and Shaukat, my husband Javed, Shyam Benegal, Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor."

"Then there are all the women I work with in the slums from whom I learned resilience... imagine living under the threat of your home being demolished any day and yet being able to function! Also, the women in Mijwan," said the actress who wowed with her performances in "Mandi", "Masoom", "Godmother" and "Fire".

Excerpts:

Q: As you look back what do you feel about your achievements so far?

A: I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time! But the best is yet to come. Of all the things I do acting is what I enjoy the most. I'm blessed to be in a profession I love.

Q: If I ask you to name 5 incidents that were turning points in your life what would they be?

A: 1. When I joined FTII. 2. "Ankur" 3. "Arth". 4. Watching Anand Patwardhan's documentary "Bombay Our City" 5. When I protested against the killing of theatre activist Safdar Hashmi at the International Film Festival of India in Delhi, where my film John Schlesinger's "Madam Sousatzka" was premiering.

Q: Who are the people who have most influenced your thought processes and your over all personality?

A: My parents Kaifi and Shaukat, my husband Javed, Shyam Benegal, Shashi Kapoor and Jennifer Kapoor. Then there are all the women I work with in the slums from whom I learned resilience... imagine living under the threat of your home being demolished any day and yet being able to function! Also, the women in Mijwan.

Q: How do you allocate so many varied roles to yourself in life?

A: For an actor, life must be your resource-base because you can enrich the character you play by drawing upon all the depth of your own experience. In the process of becoming a star you get isolated from life because you are so surrounded by a concentric circle of people around you that you start living almost in a bubble.

Q: How do you stay do grounded in spite of all the adulation?

A: Kevin Spacey told me it's a choice he has made to travel by tube, buy his groceries etc. Can you imagine what would happen in India if Shah Rukh Khan decided to do that? I wanted to travel by metro to my play while I'm in London. But I was advised against it.

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Now, Pakistani film industry on a revival course: Fawad Khan

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Fawad Khan, one of the most popular actors in Pakistan, says the film industry in his homeland has evolved since the release of his debut film "Khuda Kay Liye" in 2007. Things are looking up now.

The actor forayed into movies at a time when Pakistan's film industry was in absolute doldrums.

"When I did 'Khuda Kay Liye', it was one of the few films being made in the country. The fact that it went on to earn itself so much recognition across the world was totally unforeseen,” said the actor.

“It is only now that the Pakistani film industry is on a revival course. There is some quality work happening and I am glad to be part of it," he added.

It was the very evolved television industry in Pakistan, which helped him make up his mind about acting career.

"I got some wonderful opportunities on television and they helped me discover the actor within me. It was because I did television that I knew I wanted to be an actor.

“Even Shoaib Mansoor with whom I made my movie debut in 'Khuda Kay Liye' has his roots in television. And it shows in his writing," said Fawad.

The star of hit TV shows like “Zindagi Gulzar Hai” makes his Bollywood debut alongside the very spirited Sonam Kapoor in "Khoobsurat", coming out Friday.

And he looks forward to a career in Bollywood, but admits he is new to the entire concept of promoting a film.

"In Pakistan promoting films is yet to become a trend. I would shoot a film and be done with it. It's only now after doing 'Khoobsurat' in India that I realise how important the promotion of a film is. And I'm trying to get a grip on the whole process. Film promotion is an entirely new science for me," he said.

So is he planning to balance out a career in Pakistan and India?

"I was never much of a planner. So, I really can't say what the future holds for me. Yes, I do hope to do other Bollywood films after 'Khoobsurat'," said Fawad who has been a singer and actor for about 14 years.

"Yes! It has been that long. I was just a youngster in college trying to escape the drudgery of studies when I drifted into music and acting. At that time I wasn't sure I was interested in acting. I was only sure that I was disinterested in studies,” he said.

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Waadi Animations spearheads Pakistan filmdom into animation space

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After unearthing the horrors of acid attacks and recruitment of child terrorists, Pakistan's Oscar and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has put her creative forces behind "3 Bahadur", said to be the country's first animated feature film in Urdu.

She says her homeland has a pool of animation talent.

Obaid-Chinoy is the chief executive at Waadi Animations, a joint venture by ARY Films and SOC Films, which will produce animated content that would include feature films, short films, animated TV series and commercials.

As part of her role, the filmmaker of "Saving Face" and "Children Of The Taliban" fame, heads the overall creative spectrum of the different projects pursued by the company.

"We have such a talented group of animators in Pakistan, I am excited to share their creativity with the rest of the world. This partnership will allow us to create animated super heroes and heroines that will no doubt make us laugh and cry and most importantly entertain us all," Obaid-Chinoy said in a statement.

"We all have an inner child and at Waadi Animations we will endeavor to always nurture the imaginations of that child," added the filmmaker, who became the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award courtesy her hard-hitting documentary "Saving Face" in 2012.

Waadi Animations's first film "3 Bahadur" is already in production phase and is targeted for release in summer 2015.

Replete with unlikely heroes, menacing villains, fumbling thugs, dark horses, moments of triumph and bouts of despair, the film promises to be packed with action, comedy and heart-rendering moments.

Based in a fictional town in Pakistan, 11 years old Amna, Saadi and Kamil set out to save their community from the many evils that plague it. The film is a journey of fighting back, taking charge, and finding support and love in the most improbable of places.

Salman Iqbal, founder and president, ARY Digital Network, is glad that in the past couple of years, Pakistan has shown immense talent as far as movie making is concerned. But he believes they have an "equally strong and resilient animation development resource".

"We have to bring them in the mainstream movie circuit and deliver the goods to a huge population of young cinema enthusiasts still hooked on to international animated movies because we don't make our own. I am pretty confident that this will start a new era of animated films in Pakistan and help in expanding the market here," Iqbal added.

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Despite problems, 'Bang Bang' was the easiest film: Hrithik

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Hrithik Roshan battled health and personal problems during the filming of "Bang Bang", but says despite all that it has been the easiest film he has ever done.

As soon as the film went on the floors, health problems snowed Hrithik under - he had a brain surgery, followed by a knee injury. On personal front, his wife Sussanne Khan decided to part ways, but the 40-year-old says, "Once I overcame my challenges, everything became easy."

"In deep contrast to what I was going through, the film has been the easiest film I have done," he said here Wednesday at the launch of the title track of the film.

Hrithik sustained a brain injury while shooting a stunt for the film and had to undergo a surgery in July 2013. In December, he separated from Sussanne. In August this year, he had ligament tears in both his knees.

The actor is known to intensely prepare for every role he does, but for Siddharth Anand's "Bang Bang", he says, he already felt like he was Rajveer and so needed no preparation at all.

"There are a few things I have discovered during this film. I am normally known as the kind of actor who locks himself inside a room and gets into the character. But the opposite happened in this film. I discovered that Rajveer is me," Hrithik said.

"When I started preparations, I was like 'What do I prepare? I feel this, it's just me.' So it was a discovery that I am actually Rajveer. In this film, I have done zero preparation. So it's the first film where I have been surprised in that sense," he added.

Hrithik teams up with Katrina Kaif in "Bang Bang", which is coming out Oct 2.

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What is Big B’s ‘impossible’ act?

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan can play romantic roles, emote feelings of a child on the big screen or be the angry young man. But he says that for any actor, including him, it’s impossible to replicate the expression on the face of a poor, starving child given food - or when this child helps someone less fortunate.

He took to his official blog srbachchan.tumblr.com to share about his experience at the traffic signal lights where he comes across children, who “are of poor means, of limited resource or none at all”.

"Two young ones huddled in the middle of the night outside the platform of the local station, tired and hungry after working at getting that meal from those that travel on trains, the entire day - fruitless and without any result!” the 71-year-old shared Wednesday night.

“I once drove up to them and shook one of them up from his slumber as he lay without any covering off the pavement of the street, and gave him a packet to eat and a hundred rupee note!

"If ever I were to be capable of recreating that expression on the face of the little one, shaken up from his drowse, I would consider myself the greatest actor in the world!” wrote Big B, who was seen playing an underprivileged in films like "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar", "Amar Akbar Anthony" and "Lawaaris".

The moment was “indescribable” for him. What happened next further touched him.

“The little fellow did not look at me, nor where or who was giving him this ‘gift’, he merely shook himself up in a frenzy and ran … ran as fast as he could to another little fellow curled up in another section of the pavement, and placed the ‘goods’ in his hand … with an expression of an achievement that I shall never be able to forget my entire life.

“The other little one I discovered later was his younger brother … they had been begging for food for two days without any results! It will be impossible for anyone creatively inclined, to relive that moment on celluloid or any other ‘loid’,” posted the National Award-winning actor.

He said that his hand trembles as he recounts the incident and "eyes fill up voluntarily with what is commonly known as tears”.

He shared another similar experience.

“And … as I drive home after work tonight and entertain that young little girl on the street by my window, expectantly seeking my attention to buy those ball pens in her hand, I cannot - try as much as I can to keep away - resist asking her to hand me a few of her prized goods, pay her some money without asking what the price is, only to witness that smile, the smile of a million Mona Lisa’s, lighting up her face.

“I may never use those ball pens I bought … but I shall keep them close in sight ... just to be reminded of that wondrous smile on the face of that innocent beautiful little girl by the pavement,” he added.

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'Bang Bang' turned down 'Bigg Boss' offer?

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TV shows are considered an important platform to promote a film before its release, thanks to its wider reach. However, it seems that the "Bang Bang" team reportedly doesn't agree with the theory and turned down an invitation to promote the Hrithik Roshan-starrer on "Bigg Boss 8".

If sources are to be believed, Hrithik has decided to skip reality TV show platforms to market his film.

A source close to the industry said: "'Bigg Boss' team had approached the team of 'Bang Bang' to promote their film during the launch of 'Bigg Boss' show, but 'Bang Bang' team politely refused it.

"The 'Bang Bang' team has decided not to promote their film on any TV shows as they feel they can't recreate the scale of 'Bang Bang' on any reality show."

Directed by Siddarth Anand, "Bang Bang", also featuring Katrina Kaif, is slated for an Oct 2 release.

Another source said that Hrithik is following Aamir Khan's footsteps, as the latter didn't promote his "Dhoom 3" on any reality show.

" The highlight of 'Bang Bang' is action sequences and Hrithik's chemistry with Katrina. He is confident that it will draw the audience to the theatres," added the source.

To be hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, the eighth season of "Bigg Boss" will go live Sep 21 on Colors channel.

When contacted the channel, they refused to comment on it.

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Want to act with Hrithik Roshan?

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Are you a fan of Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan? Here is your chance to share the screen with him.

Beverage brand Mountain Dew is on the look out for heroes who live by the philosophy of "Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai". To find them, it has launched a campaign in association with Hrithik's upcoming movie "Bang Bang", said a statement.

Titled Mountain Dew Heroes Wanted, the campaign will select three winners and they will get an opportunity to feature in a short action film with Hrithik.

Lauding the initiative, Hrithik said it gives him an opportunity "to be with the youth of the country who aspire to rise above the ordinary and become heroes."

"Everyone has a hero inside and one doesn't need any superpower to be one. For me, whoever has the courage to conquer his inner fears and move ahead with self-belief can become a hero.

"So don't wait, just grab a Dew and live up to your dream," he added.

To participate, one can buy a Mountain Dew bottle and SMS the unique code printed on the back of the label to number provided there.

The Mountain Dew 'Heroes Wanted' promotion is valid between Sep 16 to Oct 30 and the last date for participation is Oct 15

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'Khubsoorat': This one would make Hrishida smile (IANS Movie Review, Rating: ****)

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Film: "Khubsoorat"; Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Kirron Kher, Ratna Pathak Shah; Director: Shashanka Ghosh; Rating: ****

Meet Mili Chakravarty, the doughty bindaas physiotherapist daughter of a Bengali father (played by an aptly nondescript actor) and a loudmouthed Punjabi mother (Kirron Kher), you know the kind Amrita Singh played in "Two States" recently?

"Everyone in my family has gone after my mother... even my father," Mili happily informs her open-mouthed royal hosts. She has come to treat the patriarch's inert limps. But here's the thing. It's the spirit she wants to massage into awakening.

So while busybody Mili takes care of the wheelchair-bound patriarch's legs, she also has her eyes set on what lies between the royal heir-apparent's legs... if you'll pardon the bit of crassness, refreshingly missing from the film.

Though Mili does confess she gets dirty thoughts about the prince, we can't guess what those thoughts must be.

"Khubsoorat", Shashanka Ghosh's revisionist version of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 1980 comedy, is a decorous yet devilish take on the original material, while the Rathod family, where Mili storms in, is nothing like the upper middleclass parivaar in Hrishida's family.

In the earlier film, the family suffered from a case of matriarchal tyranny. Here the problems in the royal family are a bit more dense and deep.

Ghosh weaves across the royal pastiche tenderly cutting through Hrishida's arcadian concept of tyrannical discipline as was represented by the very wonderful Dina Pathak.

Here the stiff-upper-lipped mother, interestingly played by Dina's daughter Ratna Pathak Shah, has a serious problem with happiness. To laugh and enjoy makes her feel guilty for reasons that I'd rather not reveal.

In the original, Ashok Kumar was emotionally cramped by his wife's autocratic attitude. In the new "Khubsoorat", the very skilled theatre actor Aamir Raza Hussain is a helpless hedonistic slob on a wheelchair. He probably stopped using his legs so he could stop 'adaaoing his taang' in his decrous wife's governance.

Wisely, Ghosh has done away with the large joint family of brothers and their wives in the royal clan. The focus in the royal family is on the heir-apparent Vikram Rathod played with a jaunty flair by Fawad Khan.

Khan is unmistakably a prized discovery of the year. He plays a guy encumbered by his affinity to his mother's brand of royal posturing but dying to get out of it.

Sonam Kapoor's Mili provides just the excuse he's looking for. Their scenes together are written in a rush of a mushy romance and sly sitcom.

The writing strives to be smart and slick and succeeds to a large degree. Very often the couple's spoken words are accompanied by voiceovers suggesting lines that are left unspoken between them.

The texture of the togetherness between the Bengali-Punjabi girl and the Rajput royal prince is constantly perky. The wafer-thin storyline is kept vigilantly vibrant by the couple's growing fondness. Class differences are brought out in handsomely mounted sensibly written scenes that are not over-anxious to involve us.

If Hrishikesh Mukherjee were alive, he would have surely chuckled at this winking wacky wallop of a homage.

Shashanka Ghosh is reverent of the original without being slavishly faithful. The end result is a hugely engaging melange of a classic's rebirth and sassy mirth.

Sonam sheds all her inhibitions to deliver an unselfconscious performance as the rebel with a domestic cause. She seems to have so much fun with her part we just can't stop partaking of her delight.

The pace is often languid, though. While Sonam Kapoor does very well in her romantic scenes, the moments where she takes on matriarchal tyranny don't work as effectively as Rekha's mutinous moments with Dina Pathak in the original.

The dinner-table tension is undermined by the absence of a dramatic density in the conflict between an unrelenting woman and a girl determined to break her rules.

At the end of the film, I found myself smiling and rooting for the couple's inevitable reunion.

While Sonam comes into her own with a role that demands high-octane involvement from her on every level, Fawad is an ample royal foil. Kirron Kher as Sonam's boisterous Punjabi mother is laugh-out-loud comfortable as the aggressive middleclass matriarchal bully.

Royalty or middleclass, this "Khubsoorat" is easily and serenely ensconced in worlds that are not only dissimilar but also irreconcilable.

Opposites don't only attract they also attack the status quo. This remake tells us it's okay to oppose draconian discipline. But we better ensure we have an alternative reality ready to take over our universe.

Hrishida won't recognise this as his "Khubsoorat". But he won't disapprove of what has been done to his work.

Really, can anyone be miffed with Sonam Kapoor for too long?

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Mandolin Srinivas passes away

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Famous mandolin player and musician Uppalapu Srinivas, popularly known as Mandolin Srinivas, died here Friday in a private hospital due to illness. He was 45.

He was admitted to Apollo Hospital here some days back due to liver problem and breathed his last Friday morning around 9.30, hospital officials said.

Born Feb 28, 1969, in Palakolu, Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas as a mandolin player of Carnatic music discipline was a child prodigy.

As a six-year-old boy, Srinivas would play his father Satyanarayana's mandolin. His brother U. Rajesh is also a noted mandolin player.

A world renowned musician, Srinivas gave his first public performance in 1978 in Andhra Pradesh. Three years later he performed at the Madras Music Season for the Indian Fine Arts Society.

Soon he started trotting the globe. In 1983, Srinivas performed at the JazzFest Berlin and later toured Canada, Australia and many other countries.

In 1988, he was awarded Padma Shri. Later in 2010, he was honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy Award.

He was also the recipient of the prestigious Sangeeta Ratna award.

He rendered performances with Western artist like Michael Brook, John McLaughlin, Nigel Kennedy, Trey Gunn, Michael Nyman and others.

Srinivas also performed with Hindustani classical musicians like Hariprasad Chaurasia and Zakir Hussain.

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FM phase 3 rollout on track, says Javadekar

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Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar Friday said that the rollout of FM radio phase three is "on track".

"It is on track and on time," Javadekar told IANS when queried about the much-awaited announcement. He spoke on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the CII Big Picture Summit 2014.

The phase three auction, which approved for 839 new stations in 294 cities, is expected to be completed before December 2014.

At the session, Javadekar said that private FM channels would be allowed to transmit news.

"As far as our practical experience is concerned, they are already allowed to transmit all types of information, government announcements and necessary information as there is no ban on dissemination of information," he said.

He also clarified on the use of All India Radio (AIR) content, saying the FM channels can take the information and use it the way they want to.

"To start with, we are saying use AIR news. But people thought that we are saying use only AIR clips as it is," he said. "Whoever wants to use AIR news, can use that free. We won't charge for it."

"And those (FM channels) who just want the news and have their RJs to give it out, they can also do that. AIR gives a lot of news... We will work like a news agency where we will provide more news. That's a beginning point," he said.

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I don't make tacky films: Farah Khan

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Her films have dances, songs, melodrama, romance, dollops of emotions, colour, star power and all of what make a typical Bollywood potboiler. If they manage to entertain the mass audiences in her homeland and the classy abroad, it gives the effervescent Farah Khan the joy of making the impossible possible.

"'Happy New Year' is genre-bending," retorts Farah in an interview to IANS, at the very mention that her films are always topped with "typical" elements.

Closely associated with the creation of grand song and dance sequences during her filmography as a choreographer before turning to filmmaking, Farah likes the setting of her movies to be grand, and she says she ensures to offer a "twist" to a "formula".

"I like to entertain all kinds of audiences with my films. Let me tell you, it is very difficult for a filmmaker to have a story which runs well and appeals to the B-class audience in India as well as to viewers in Britain and the US.

"I make aesthetic movies which are grand and with some of the biggest stars. It's not fair to run them down. I don't make tacky films," added the 49-year-old, whose last directorial was "Tees Maar Khan".

Her upcoming film - "Happy New Year", a musical heist drama - boasts of a star cast that comprise of Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah. Apart from Jackie Shroff too features in it as a villain.

The central theme of the movie may be the heist - a formula used often in Hollywood and Bollywood - but Farah says there are things that set her movie apart from what the audience has already seen in the genre.

"Several films on reincarnation were done in the past, but I added a retro twist to 'Om Shanti Om'...so there will always be a twist. A dance film has been done to death, but here in 'Happy New Year', the twist is in the fact that a group of worst dancers come together to participate in a dance competition and we've mixed it with a heist.

"Heist is a genre, it's a formula, just like love story and romance is a formula...the obstacle lies in how you make it and how you add your own twist to it," said the filmmaker, who's currently on a US tour with her "Happy New Year" team to make all the right noises about the film.

Needless to say, but she's hoping the movie, which will be Bollywood's big Diwali release this year, opens in several screens across the globe, courtesy its worldwide distributor Yash Raj Films.

"It's one of the most awaited films of the year. It brings back Shah Rukh seven years after we did 'Om Shanti Om'...the buzz that the songs have created, it's all nice only," she said.

The shooting of "Happy New Year" started in October 2013 and it was recently wrapped up after 170 days of shooting. Farah admits it's been the "most exhausting and exhilarating" of all her films' shoots - and so, there's no wonder that she has already made up her mind to take a six-month holiday once it reaches the audiences.

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