Eros International & R.Balki’s Shamitabh is fast becoming the most sought after film of next year with some of the biggest names in the industry making special cameos in the film. What’s more is that actress Shruti Haasan will now be lending her voice for a song in the film , for her younger sister Akshara Haasan who will make her big Bollywood debut with Shamitabh.

Sources reveal that Shruti will be singing a romantic song in the film ,whose music has been composed by veteran Ilaiyaraaja, possibly the greatest music composer this country has seen.

Written and directed by R.Balki, with cinematography by the legendary PC Sreeram who shot Nayakan, Agni Nakshstram, Alaipayuthe(original of Saathiya)besides Balki's Paa and Cheeni Kum,Shamitabh starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Haasan will release 6th February 2015.

Adult movie star and actress Sunny Leone, who is making her Telugu debut with "Current Theega", has impressed everybody with her professionalism, says the film's director G. Nageshwar Reddy.

"She was extremely punctual and professional. We were all surprised that she maintained professional attitude on sets throughout the course of the shoot," Reddy told IANS.

Sunny plays a cameo of a school teacher in the film, which is the official remake of Tamil hit "Varutha Padatha Valibar Sangam".

While Sunny will be essaying her role in a traditional avatar, the makers have, however, included a special song featuring the Indo-Canadian actress.

Paired with actor Manchu Manoj, "Current Theega" also stars Jagapathi Babu and Rakul Preet Singh in important roles.

The film is slated for Oct 31 release.

Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi wished good health, peace and more on the occasion of Dhanteras Tuesday, when people traditionally buy gold and utensils.

The stars took to Twitter to wish family, friends and fans:

Amitabh Bachchan: DHANTERAS! a day when new utensils, machine goods are bought...may we buy peace and prosperity and well being among us all! (sic)

Satish Kaushik: Wishing everyone a Happy Dhanteras.

Sridevi Boney Kapoor: Wish you all a very Happy Dhanteras.

Bipasha Basu: Happy Dhanteras to all

Richa Chadha: Happy Dhanteras All!

Aftab Shivdasani: Happy Dhanteras to everyone.. may Godess Lakshmi bless all with health, wellbeing and prosperity.

Divya Dutta: Happy dhanteras you lovely ones.

Ameesha Patel: Wissing all my tweethearts all over the world a desi magical dhanteras...lots of love n loads of dhan to all.

Bhagyashree: Happy Dhanteras to all.

Tanishaa Mukerji: Happy happy Dhanteras

He was known as the 'King of Romance’ and on Yash Chopra’s second death anniversary Tuesday, his son Uday Chopra said the filmmaker had a passion for life that was unequalled.

“Remembering my father today (Tuesday) on his death anniversary - he had a passion for life that was unequaled #LoveYouDad,” the “Dhoom” star tweeted.

Yash Chopra helmed romantic films like "Daag", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Silsila", "Chandni", "Dil Toh Pagal Hai" and "Lamhe".

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who has sung in several Yash Raj Films’ movies like “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Veer-Zaara”, also paid tribute to the filmmaker on Twitter.

She posted: “Aaj Yash Chopra Ji ki Punyatithi hai. hum sab ko unki kami mehesoos ho rahi hai. Meri unko bhavpurna Shraddhanjali” (Today is Yash Chopraji's death anniversary and we all miss him. My heartfelt tributes to him.).

He was 80 when he died of multi-organ failure after suffering from dengue.

If the masses loved her in movies like “Highway” and “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”, Alia Bhatt has again won many a heart. Her latest short film “Going Home”, based on women’s safety, has gone viral on social networking site. The actress says the film is close to her.

The video was put on YouTube Oct 17 and it was accompanied by a post from its director Vikas Bahl that read: "I pledge to create a short film titled 'Going Home', in which we visualise a utopia for women, where, unlike today, mistrust and fear don’t dictate actions and decisions."

The over five-minute long film shows Alia driving all by herself in the middle of the night and telling her mother over the phone that she will reach home soon.

But her car breaks down.

With no soul on the street, she wonders what to do next. Soon, she spots a car with a bunch of guys smoking and staring at her from across the street.

Seeing her alone, they drive next to her car. One imagines the obvious - Alia, dressed in a short skirt with a top, getting attacked by the men. But instead they try to help fix her car and when that doesn’t work out, they drop her safely till her house.

The video is now trending on Facebook and she is delighted.

“Wohooo !!! #GoingHome top trend on Facebook :D this was a really special short film.. THANK YOU !!!! Loveeeee,” she tweeted Tuesday.

TV anchor Maria Goretti had also tweeted the link with a post saying:”Please can my country give me this ..Going Home: A film by Vikas Bahl feat. Alia Bhatt for #VogueEmpower’”.

Actor-producer Saif Ali Khan was caught and clicked with his pants down while shooting for his new film "Happy Ending".

As directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK shot "Happy Ending" at various locations in California, so to save time, Saif started changing at the shooting spot instead of going back to his vanity van.

"Saif got so comfortable changing at the shooting spot that it almost became a familiar sight of him with his pants down, so I couldn’t resist taking a pic and Saif happily posed,” Nidimoru said in a statement.

The movie also stars Govinda, Ileana D'Cruz, Ranvir Shorey and Kalki Koechlin.

Amitabh Bachchan thanked superstar Rajinikanth for cheering for the megastar’s son Abhishek Bachchan’s Indian Super League (ISL) team Chennaiyin FC.

Co-owned by Abhishek, Chennaiyin FC beat Kerala Blasters FC in an ISL match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai Tuesday.

“WE WON ...!! Thank you Chennai... you were marvellous! And the team excellent! Thank you Rajnikanth for coming to cheer our team,” Amitabh tweeted.

The movie stars were also joined by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, co-owner of Kerala Blasters FC.

Amitabh had shared on his official blog srbachchan.tumblr.com: “In distinguished company - Rajnikanth and Sachin - and the glory of victory by our team ChennaiyinFC has added that extra zing in our moods and in our steps.”

Parineeti Chopra, who turned 26 Wednesday, marked the day by debuting on photo-sharing website Instagram.

"Birthdays are about doing something fun and interesting. This year I've decided to join Instagram, something I've been contemplating for a while now," Parineeti said in a statement.

After joining the celebrity bandwagon on Instagram, the actress went a step further and chose a collage of fan's selfies to be the first image on her account instead of her photograph with a caption that read "As promised!! You all and me :) #bday".

She took to Twitter on Oct 15 to share the news and asked her fans to submit their selfies in association with Fluence, a celebrity digital network. She also posted a series of tweets urging her fans to submit wacky selfies.

In one of her Twitter posts on Oct 17, she wrote: "My 1st picture on Instagram HAS TO BE with you guys!! Send me some crazy selfies - the best ones will inaugurate my acc :) #ParineetionInsta."

"So many lovely selfies already!! Get your friends along ..

"Lets see how many people you can fit in one selfie!!!! The more people in the picture, the better it is!!! :)," she posted further.

With her upcoming movie "Kill Dil" grabbing attention with it's catchy music, the actress has picked the right time to add spunk to the photo-sharing site.

Weeks ahead of the 2014 Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), the West Bengal government has decided that the annual event will not have any private sponsorship from this year, an official said Wednesday.

The 20th edition of KIFF, scheduled to begin Nov 10, will introduce competitive segments.

"There will be no private sponsorship this year and it has been notified officially," the official told IANS.

While officials have not divulged the reason, speculation is rife that the move is to steer clear of any controversy arising due to allegations of involvement of chit fund money in the festival following the Saradha scam.

Last year the fest had a budget of around Rs.5 crore and it was inaugurated by Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and southern star Kamal Haasan.

Actor Ali Fazal will be "home away from home" on Diwali Thursday as he is busy filming "Khamoshiyaan" for Vishesh Films.

"I am shooting in Cape Town with Bhatt’s for ‘Khamoshiyaan’ so, I will be having a working Diwali this year. I am having a great time working with them, it’s like a home away from home,” Ali said in a statement.

Directed by Karan Dara, "Khamoshiyaan" also features Sapna Pabbi and Gurmeet Chaudhary.

He had earlier mentioned that he is in awe of the banner’s co-owner Mahesh Bhatt and that it is the best thing to have happened to him.

Those looking for unforgettable music experience, will surely vouch for Kingfisher Premium - The Great Indian Octoberfest. A confluence of Indian ragas, folk music and hard metal rock band, EDM and hip hop from the west, the 10th edition concluded on a high note here.

The three-day of musical extravaganza, which started Oct 17 at E-Zone club at the outskirts of the city, witnessed some of the world's most celebrated music artists from various genres setting the right tempo with their gigs.

Although first day witnessed an average turnout at the venue, gradually it picked up, especially when singer Benny Dayal took the stage to wow music aficionados.

Described as livewire at open-air gigs as well as inside a compact studio, Dayal belted out his English tracks followed by his popular Bollywood tracks, including title track from Hrithik Roshan-starrer “Bang Bang” and had the crowd started screaming with excitement.

A heady cocktail of metal, blues, indie, soft rock and electronic music, the second day of TGIOF 2014 had something special in store for music lovers.

Heavy metal rockers Bhoomi left the crowd awestruck when they presented their original compositions in their distinctive vocal harmonies.

Others who struck the right chord with the audience include Space Behind the Yellow Wall band, which treated music lovers with trance and punk rock, while One Nite Stand crooned popular soft rock numbers.

International band Bassclef enthralled the audience with bass tunes influenced by hip-hop, dubstep and bhangra.

The third day of the fest was dedicated to the country's diverse music culture.

Fusion band Maati Baani kicked it off with their distinctive music, which combines Hindustani Classical elements with folk music and new age sounds.

But the scene-stealer was singer-composer Lucky Ali who won Bangalorean's heart when he performed some of his hit songs like “Anjaani rahein” and “O Sanam”.

Bangalore's very own Raghu Dixit's spectacular act took everyone's breath away. In collaboration with Nrityarutya Dance Company, Dixit raised the bar for the fest with elaborate props and breathtaking visuals.

Though he connected wonderfully well with the audience, there was something that he was not satisfied with.

Dixit says he was happy with the audience's response and enjoyed playing for them, but added that the organiser need's to provide better infrastructure for the participants.

“There was no safety for our equipment, but we were here to perform and the audiences were very lively,” Dixit told IANS.

The Manganiyar Seduction brought the Rajasthani folk flavour. Created and directed by theatre-person Royston Abel, the performance with awesome lighting effects was truly exceptional.

The TGIOF Cafe stage, the newest addition to the festival, saw the city's most melodious "Kroakers".

It wasn't just about music, the fest also had organised a flea market at the venue. Ranging from small home accents to quirky fashion accessories, the market had something special for everyone. Not to forget an interesting spread of mouth-watering snacks at the stalls.

Then there was a fashion show by designer Robert Naorem and ace Manoviraj Khosla.

Barring some logistic problems, all in all the festival had enough to satiate the music lovers.

The sixteenth edition of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), hit by a financial crunch, has been wrapped up thanks to movie lovers. Now the big question: what is the future of the festival?

The fest, organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI), fell short of Rs.2.25 crore this year, and needs approximately Rs.5 crore to keep the ball rolling every year.

“What we should do is that instead of relying on one big supporter, we need to bring in all the studios to support and each can probably give Rs.25 lakh. So if one person backs out, others will be there and the show will go on without any hassle,” Srinivasan Narayanan, Festival Director MFF, told IANS.

The 16th edition, which managed to screen over 185 films from more than 65 countries, was wrapped up Oct 21 and now begins the battle to make it financially independent.

“As the festival is over, we will sit together and decide and take a firm decision how we can grow to the next level and have a strategy in place.

“We have started giving huge cash awards and the festival has earned a certain amount of respect in the international market,” said Narayanan.

Anupama Chopra, Creative Director MFF, too feels that a proper strategy needs to be put in place to secure the future of the fest.

“There is no other way. There has to be a strategy,” she said and added the strategy will be built on the success of the latest edition.

“When we have something that we can show to the people -- look this is what we have done with the limited budget, can you put money into us? Can you have faith in us?” she said.

This year people may have got together to raise funds to save the festival, but it is not possible always.

“You can't do this again as nobody is going to raise funds each year. So either we have someone who gives us the money or we shut it out,” said Chopra.

Also, organisation needs to be upgraded.

“We need to programme and make the organisation better so that the producers get associated with us and big films and big stars come to support us.

“We have to analyse what the festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Toronto are doing because they are boosting the commercial possibility for all the films possible.

“So everything boils down to the business aspect - are we able to promote the business of films or are we not able to promote?”

Chopra admits the festival's future would have been gloomy if they had missed this year's edition.

She said: “It's still far from what I wanted it to be, but things have happened and that's a huge thing. If it would not have happened, we would have missed a year and it would have been hard for us to rework.

“It happened because people love movies, so they supported us. It takes courage to do this because none of us over here are being paid. We are here because of the passion of cinema,” she added.

They may have to tackle various roadblocks, but Chopra is still hopeful.

“I am very hopeful. Given our shortcomings, we managed to put together everything, so I am hoping people will value it and something happens,” she said.

Mumbai, the entertainment capital of the country, thrives with the moviemaking industry. But ironically there is no resource to keep the fest going.

“If a city like Mumbai can't then who can? It really hurts. It will shut down if we don't find anyone to support us.

“The festival needs at least Rs.5 crore to run it. I have begged every possible person I know for help, but this can't happen every year,” said Chopra.

Ranveer Singh has shaved his head for his role in "Bajirao Mastani" and his "Kill Dil" co-star Parineeti Chopra is raving about his bald look.

"He is looking hot in his new look. There are very few men who look good when they are bald. I saw him after he shaved his head and he is looking awesome. I think 'Bajirao...' is going to be one of his best films," said Parineeti.

As far as Parineeti's own look is concerned, she is mostly seen as a girl-next-door in her films. She has yet to don a bikini.

When asked about the same, she said: "When I have the body for it and when I am in my right shape, then I will wear a bikini. Right now I am not the fittest. I am getting on to it."

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal's forthcoming movie “Nightcrawler” will release here Oct 31

The movie, which marks Dan Gilroy's directorial debut, revolves around a young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of Los Angles crime journalism.

The film is being released here by PVR Director's Rare and TOP Entertainment, said a statement.

Gilroy, who penned the story, teamed up with Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton for “Nightcrawler”.

It's family time for Bollywood celebrities like Ayushmann Khurrana, Kalki Koechlin and Sushant Singh Rajput this Diwali.

Here's how they and other stars are celebrating the festival of lights Thursday:

Sushant Singh Rajput: I am with my family in Delhi for Diwali. Spending time with my niece and nephew after a long time.

Ayushmann Khurrana: Last year I performed at the Diwali mela in the US. This time I am lucky enough to spend Diwali with family and friends.

Kalki Koechlin: My mom has come to Mumbai to be with me for Diwali. I am planning a small get-together for her with close friends.

Sooraj Pancholi: I'll be home with my parents tucking into my mom's most amazing Diwali spread. Every son thinks his mother is the best cook in the world. In my case it's actually true.

Armaan Jain: Nothing flamboyant or fancy this Diwali. We'll have our usual pooja at home. After the pooja my mom, dad, my brother and I visit our paternal and maternal grandparents. After that I may hang around with a few friends.

Rajkummar Rao: Will miss Diwali at home since I am in Cape Town shooting.

Prabhudheva: I am in Chennai to be with my parents and my kids. For me, any time with family is Diwali.

Taapsee Pannu: Since I shifted to Mumbai this year, I'll be celebrating my first Diwali in this city. I want to celebrate it in my new home with no crackers. Just want beautiful lights and close friends and yummy food.

Tahir Bhasin: For me, Diwali is a time to be grateful for the glittering year that this has been. It's time to light up and cherish friends and family.

Sudhish Kamath is "honoured" that "experimental" film "X", co-directed by 10 more independent filmmakers, has been selected to open the forthcoming 11th South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF).

The SAIFF will kick off Nov 18 and will continue till Nov 23.

"It means a lot for a small film to be given the honour of the opening film when there are much bigger films like the deliciously promising 'Happy Ending', the Cannes acclaimed 'Titli' or one of my favourite films of this year 'Jigarthanda'," Kamath told IANS.

"Just to be in the company of films as diverse as these is very encouraging for an experimental collaborative film like 'X' that hopes to build bridges between the various cinemas of India," he added.

"X", produced by Manish Mundra, is a filmmaker's journey through his past encounters with his 10 ex-girlfriends as he spends one surreal unforgettable night at a film festival after he meets a mysterious girl who intriguingly seems to have something to do with every woman in his life.

"It takes a lot of generosity and selflessness for a producer to fly down this big a team for the US premiere. We owe it to Manish Mundra and SAIFF for giving us an international platform and the best launch we could have got," he said.

Kamath along with 10 other filmmakers that include Q ("Gandu"), Nalan Kumarasamy ("Soodhu Kavvum"), Suparn Verma ("Aatma", "Ek Haseena Ek Khiladi"), Raja Sen, Sandeep Mohan ("Love Wrinkle Free"), Pratim Gupta ("Paanch Adhyay"), Hemant Gaba ("Shuttlecock Boys"), Abhinav Shiv Tiwari ("Oass"), Anu Menon ("London Paris New York") and Rajshree Ojha ("Aisha", "Chaurahen") will be in attendance for the premiere.

Starring Rajat Kapoor in the lead, the film also features 11 heroines - Aditi Chengappa, Bidita Baig, Gabriella Schmidt, Huma Qureshi, Neha Mahajan, Parno Mitra, Pia Bajpai, Pooja Ruparel, Radhika Apte, Richa Shukla, Rii Sen and Swara Bhaskar.

Anshuman Jha has also played an important role.

Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi and Karan Johar wish for prosperity, luck and happiness on Diwali Thursday.

Here’s what the celebrities tweeted:

Amitabh Bachchan: Many thank you's first for all those that send me their wishes for Deepawali... may there be prosperity, & the brightness of light.

Sridevi: Wish all of you a Happy Vappy Diwali. May this day bring prosperity, luck, and happiness into your lives. #ItsNotDiwaliUnless Happy Diwali.

Karan Johar: Make it about love...peace and inner strength...Erase the wrong and enhance the right! Happy Diwali to my twitter family!!!

Hrithik Roshan: Happy Diwali 2 all. May d Lights inspire us 2b d source of all brightness dat v seek, light up people's lives whrevr v go,n c d magic unfold.

Shahid Kapoor: A very happy diwali to all.

Arjun Rampal: Happy Diwali to everyone, love and light, peace and clarity, success and prosperity. I wish for you.

Madhur Bhandarkar: May millions of lamps illuminate ur life with endless joy, prosperity, health & wealth forever. Wishing u and ur family a very "HAPPY DIWALI".

Shekhar Kapur: Lighting a lamp is a reminder of our inner pursuit. The light within ourselves must be kept alight to see us through darkness #HappyDiwali

Anupam Kher: A Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful Diwali to All. May you all have wonderful celebrations today and clean your streets tomorrow. Love.

Abhishek Bachchan: Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali.

Pooja Bhatt: Light... Magical light... From my world to your's... Happy Diwali all! Much, much love!

Dia Mirza: Happy Diwali! Spread your light and share your love. lots of love and good wishes to you!

Farhan Akhtar: Wish you all and your families a happy, prosperous Diwali. Love & luck.

Preity Zinta: HAPPY DIWALI

Bipasha Basu: Happy Diwali. Wish all love happiness prosperity and success.

Punit Malhotra: Happy Diwali all u beautiful people. Wish you'll all the possible love and positivity. Light up your faces with a big smile all yr round.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan amassed a massive following of 11 million fans on Diwali Thursday.

“HAPPY DIWALI!! ... and today (Thursday) followers reach 11 MILLION!! SHUBHKAMANAYEIN! SHUBH DIN pe shubh SHAGUN - 11 (Good omen on auspicious day)!!!,” the 72-year-old tweeted Thursday.

Followed by celebrities like Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, the “Paa” star keeps his fans entertained by frequently tweeting about his personal and professional lives, and connecting with his fans personally by replying to them directly on Twitter.

The actor, who has been in the industry for over 40 years, is currently busy with TV show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”. He also has a few films like “Shamitabh” and “Piku” in his kitty.

After putting statutory warnings over smoking scenes, the Censor Board has now introduced anti-drinking warnings in scenes where actors are depicted consuming alcohol. However, actor Aamir Khan says there are other ways of conveying this message.

"I feel the creativity of the film should not be affected. I don't think this is the solution as it spoils the creativity of the film.

"The audience are paying money and coming to watch the film, so they should not get disturbed. Either put out a message before or after the film, that's fine. I don't think this is the correct way of going about it. There are other ways to convey this message," Aamir Khan said.

Adding to this, Vidhu Vinod Chopra said: "I feel attention gets more attraction and it has a reverse effect. Youngsters can get more rebellious as it will be counter-productive."

The first Hindi film to get such an insertion will be "Happy New Year" starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, which releases Friday.

Sharman Joshi doesn't take up "any work that comes" his way and says as an actor it is important to select projects carefully.

"You need to be choosy. You can't do any work that comes your way...I choose the work that I like to do. There are times you just need to relax," Sharman told reporters here in a group interview.

His last two outings "Gang of Ghosts" and "War Chhod Na Yaar" bombed at the box office.

Talking about the debacle of his films, Sharman said: "The intention was perfect. Everyone felt that we had a great script in hand, but I think we didn't quite translate it on screen the way we should have."

"Sometimes things don't work out and this too didn't work out, but the film will always remain dear to me, it's my baby. It's sad that it didn't get the love and reception which I was hoping it will get," he said.

"But that's the way it is. We learn from our mistakes and put those learnings to make our next film better. I am extremely upbeat about 'Super Nani'. I play a pivotal role in the movie and the story is a winner here," he added.

Sharman is currently busy promoting "Super Nani". Directed by Indra Kumar, the film also features Rekha.

He says it was an "honour" to work with "living legend".

"She is a super fine actor, absolutely breathtaking and a gorgeous woman. The discipline that she has put in her personal life reflects in the way she looks at the age of 60. The same discipline she puts in her work. She works on every minute detail... I got to learn a lot from her," he said.