Having worked in both Hollywood and Bollywood, Rahul feels the Indian film industry is catching up with the west.

"In the west, budgets are much higher and everything is very disciplined and planned. That said, the Indian industry has changed a lot in the last few years. These days, most Indian films are made quite similar to their western counterparts," said the actor, who had starred in "The Emperor's Club", directed by Michael Hoffman.

"Productions are extremely well organised and everything is meticulously scheduled. Indian technical and creative talent has always been top notch and now, our execution is also catching up to the west," he added.

Rahul, who has even featured in a movie titled "Bollywood Hollywood", has now starred in "Fireflies".

Akshay Kumar has worked with Anupam Kher in various films like “Heyy Babyy” and “Special 26” and the action star says he enjoys shooting with the latter.

The duo first shared screen space in the 1992 film “Deedar”. Then they went on to work together in the 1990s in movies like “Dil Ki Baazi”, “Waqt Hamara Hai” and “Aflatoon”.

Most recently, they acted in “Special 26” in 2013. And now, they will be seen in “The Shaukeens”.

“It is not tough to shoot with Anupam. We have done a lot of films together. ‘Deedar’ was the first one. In the middle, we had stopped acting together, but now again we are doing lots of films. I have fun working with him,” he told reporters here Friday.

“There aren’t many scenes with him in ‘The Shaukeens’, but yes, I worked with him for three-four days,” added Akshay, who plays an alcoholic superstar in the film.

Explaining about his character, Akshay said it is very “colourful”.

“I play an alcoholic superstar. My role is very colourful and someone who gets angry very soon. It’s different from what I’ve played in the past,” he said.

The cast of forthcoming film "Kill Dil" Friday unveiled the song "Nakhriley" from the film and also performed live.

"The song is one of our favourite songs. It's an important and fast song from the film," Parineeti Chopra told reporters at the event organised at YRF Studios here.

She was joined by her co-star Ranveer Singh, who seen wearing a hat to cover his shaven head, and Govinda.

The film is made by Yash Raj Films and Govinda said he feels lucky to be associated with the prestigious banner.

"Today, whatever I am, it's because of the blessings of god. After, working for so long in the industry, I finally got an opportunity to work with Yash Raj Films banner. I have heard a lot about them and I must say it was pleasure and a great experience to work with Yash Raj," said the senior actor known of his fun-filled acts on the big screen.

Directed by Shaad Ali, "Kill Dil" is slated for a Nov 14 release

A music video dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" (Clean India Campaign) has crossed one million hits on YouTube.

Produced and sung by Ravindra Singh, managing director of R-Vision India, the video, titled “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”, lays emphasis on making the country a clean place for its people.

“We have tried to insert the vision and thoughts of our prime minister in this music video,” Singh told mediapersons here.

The lyrics are by Rani Malik and the music is composed by the trio Manek-Satya-Afsar. The video has been directed by Rajeev Khandelwal.

Several celebrities like superstar Amitabh Bachchan and actors Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan from the film industry have already joined the campaign.

M.S. Sathyu's National Award winning movie "Garm Hawa", which was India's entry for the Academy Awards in the best foreign film, will re-release across theatres in select Indian cities Nov 14.

PVR Director’s Rare will release the movie, digitally restored by Indikino Edutainment, in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad.

Sathyu is "touched" by the gesture.

"The film tells a tale of the troubled times when the Partition ran family-deep. Showcasing this film to the people today will help bring about an empathetic connection with those who suffered the plight of the partition," the noted filmmaker said in a statement.

Starring Dinanath Zutshi and Balraj Sahni in the leading roles of the two Mirza brothers, "Garm Hawa" is the story of the Mirza family at the time of the Partition in 1947.

Halim Mirza (Dinanath Zutshi) decides to immigrate to Pakistan as he feels there is no future for Muslims in India while his younger brother Salim (Balraj Sahni) stays back in hope for better time.

The re-release of the film, which also marked the debut of late actor Farooque Sheikh, is an opportunity for the generation of today to once again experience the cinematic brilliance on the big screen, believes Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, joint managing director, PVR Ltd.

Talking about the restoration of the movie, R.D. Deshpanday of Indikino Edutainment, said: “The greatest challenge we faced while restoring the film was to enhance the quality of the picture and sound without touching the content. Tricky as the entire process was, the end result is something we are quite proud of.”

Celebrity hairstylist Hakim Aalim, who boasts of Bollywood clients like Arjun Rampal, Sunil Shetty and Shahid Kapoor, is now set to give a free haircut to all those who want the commando look from Brad Pitt-starrer “Fury”.

Aalim has tied up with PVR pictures for their next film "Fury" where he is giving free haircuts to all the "Fury" fans who wish to copy the look, said a statement.

The new style is called the Undercut and it has reportedly became a huge rage internationally, especially now because of Pitt.

All the fans have to do to get the “Fury” look, is click a selfie and then post it on the social networking site tagging PVR pictures, and they will get free movie tickets from PVR.

It was on the same day last year that he opened his first store in the capital, and now ace designer Manish Malhotra is ecstatic to celebrate the special day here.

“On my way to Delhi. A very special day: My Delhi store is one year old today,” tweeted Malhotra, whose store here is located in Mehrauli.

Malhotra ventured into mainstream designing in the year 1998 with his high-profile couture store Reverie - Manish Malhotra. He received immense appreciation for creating glamorous ensembles with Indian traditional colors, craftsmanship, textures and embroideries at his first fashion show in November 1999.

In over 20 years of his career, he has received nearly 35 awards but his biggest fanbase belongs to Bollywood.

His romance with Bollywood started when he first served as a costume designer for actress Juhi Chawla in the 1989 released film “Swarg” and since then there has been no looking back.

Malhotra is now not only regular in India's major fashion weeks, but has also styled for over 100 Bollywood films, one of them being the 1997 released film “Dil To Pagal Hai”, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor.

The designer, who styled the entire star cast in the film, also tweeted: “Wow 17 years of 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai'. A film close to my heart.”

Versatile actress Tisca Chopra, who has turned 41, is overwhelmed with the love and wishes of her friends and fans. She is determined to continue her superlative work.

"Thank you all so much for the wishes. What more can one want if one has so much love & so many good wishes. I will try even harder to excel," Tisca tweeted Saturday.

Best remembered for her role as Darsheel Safary's onscreen mother in "Taare Zameen Par", Tisca also featured in TV show "24" as Anil Kapoor's wife. Her acting acumen is evident from her performance in the Punjabi film "Qissa", which has been doing the festival rounds for a while.

Tisca has also penned a book titled "Acting Smart", meant for cinegoers and for those who are venturing into the movie industry.

Actress Shazahn Padamsee, set to play a Gujarati girl in "Meet The Patels", says it's going to be a challenge for her.

"I am playing a character called Hetal Gandhi in the film, and I am romancing one of the Patels in the film. Playing a Gujarati girl is going to be a very different experience and it's going to be very challenging," Shazahn told IANS.

But she also believes that being able to do "different roles on screen" is the "best thing about being an actress".

"Meet The Patels" is a "clean comedy" from "Mickey Virus" director Saurabh Varma. The film is based in Mumbai and is about two Gujarati boys Tom Patel and Jerry Patel, who know how to live life to the fullest and would do anything except hard work.

Talking about the movie, Shazahn said: "It's a crazy film and it's a mad, out-and-out comedy film. I am little bit familiar with comedy films now. When I read the script, I was in splits and couldn't stop laughing throughout. I am sure the audience are going to burst out laughing watching this film."

The movie, produced by Krian Media, also features Shiv Pandit and Kettan Singh. Its first schedule is being shot in Mumbai currently.

Shazahn, who has earlier featured in movies like "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year""Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji" and "Housefull 2: The Dirty Dozen", will feature as a "quirky girl who ages from 22 to 50" in the film, which is slated to release April 24, 2015.

She has been cast with Shiv.

Independent filmmakers in the country always face the trouble of getting their movies released. But CineKaravan - a joint venture between Sikhya Entertainment and FilmKaravan - is trying to help such talent.

CineKaravan develops, distributes and promotes high-quality South Asian independent films for a global audience.

The initiative provides a customized release plan for independent filmmakers to release their films worldwide. CineKaravan plays the role of a distributor and marketeer which executes a worldwide digital release across multiple platforms including Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Facebook, BSkyB, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle and a few more.

The first of their projects to go live Saturday is "Fandry", a Navalakha Arts and Holi Basil Production.

Guneet Monga, producer and CEO, Sikhya Entertainment, is amongst the co-founders of CineKaravan along with Apoorva Bakshi.

"The conversation started with the intention to find a solution to our problems. It's a tough job to make a film. I found in Pooja (Pooja Kohli, managing director of FilmKaravan, a San Francisco and Mumbai based company) and Apoorva, partners who understood our journey and struggle.

"Passionate about distributing films across the world, the two create alternative, customised outreach plans which ensure maximum reach and revenue for your film. I am thrilled to see films like 'Fandry', 'Pancham Unmixed-Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai' and 'Club 60' go live and reach audiences across the world," Monga said in a statement.

The idea is to to release the films in maximum number of territories across maximum number of platforms, said Bakshi.

"CineKaravan runs in a simple, fair and transparent manner. The filmmakers have utmost control, retain all rights and exploit the long tail on their own terms and conditions," he added.

Exploiting the power of the world wide web is going to be key for indie filmmakers, who must look at exploiting the digital and mobile platforms to reach audiences -- and especially with the 4G launching in India, said Kohli.

The inclusion of 2014 French drama and experimental 3D film "Goodbye to Language" by renowned French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard in the 20th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) is set to create new benchmarks, organisers said Saturday.

Beginning Nov 10, the fest will have 137 films from 60 countries and 31 Indian films, including 13 Bengali films in action.

Eminent filmmaker Goutam Ghose, part of the film fest committee, said he is looking forward to watching "Goodbye to Language" at the fest.

"It is a very interesting film by Godard," he told media persons during the fest's announcement.

According to state Principal Secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs Atri Bhattacharya, the screening technology was not available earlier.

Hollywood classics such as "Guns of Navarone" and "The Sound of Music" and a section on American director Stanley Kubrick's films have been included.

KIFF turns competitive this year with 15 films by women directors across the globe in the running for the top jury award for the 'International Women Directors' section of films.A

The focus will be on cinema from Arab nations and a special section has been earmarked as a tribute to legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen where seven of her films will be screened. Sen died on Jan 17 this year.

The inaugural film selected is the Italian movie "Italo Barocco" byAAlessia Scarso.

A 'Children Screening' section and 'French Classics' segments are the other highlights, apart from contemporary world films of 2013-2014.

The inaugural ceremony will be presided over by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with the participation of superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his family, and Shah Rukh Khan, also the state's brand ambassador.

The 20th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) beginning Nov 10 will see 15 films by women directors from across the globe competing for the top jury award.

Boasting of a rich oeuvre of 137 films from 60 countries, the fest will see 40 international delegates and 15 segments. There will be 31 Indian films, including 13 Bengali films. It will conclude Nov 17.

"It will be bigger and better. This year onwards we will start competitive segments. For the 20th edition, the award theme is international women directors," said KIFF director Yadab Mandal.

"We received 72 entries from across the world, out of which we have selected 15 which will be screened and will be in running for the Royal Bengal trophy," said Mandal.

Headed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Paul Cox, the jury will comprise Iranian director Nikki Karimi and Indian filmmaker Amol Palekar.

The focus will be on cinema from Arab nations and a special section has been earmarked as a tribute to legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen, where seven of her films will be screened. She died Jan 17 this year in Kolkata.

"Her films like 'Agni Pariksha', 'Chawa Pawa', 'Aandhi' and others will be screened for the retrospective," said Mandal.

Additions include a 'Bengali Panorama' section where five films by Bengali filmmakers will have their world premiere.

"The Satyajit Ray Memorial lecture will be delivered by director Govind Nihalani," said Mandal, adding the screening locations will be spread across 12 venues.

A 'Children Screening' section and 'French Classics' segments are the other highlights.

The inaugural ceremony will be presided over by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his clan, including wife and veteran actress Jaya, son and actor Abhishek and actress-daughter-in-law Aishwarya will dazzle the ceremony with Shah Rukh Khan, also the state's brand ambassador.

Actress Deepika Padukone, veteran actress Tanuja and actor Irrfan Khan will also lend glamour to the opener.

"The closing ceremony will be the award ceremony and we have received confirmation from director Farah Khan and actress Rani Mukerji," he said.

Actor Krip Suri, who is playing Akbar in the "Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap" historical show, will be shwowcasing the negative side of the Mughal emperor and says it's tough.

"The role of Akbar has been played by two phenomenal actors namely Prithviraj Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan in movies. Hence, I feel privileged to essay this role. But unlike them who essayed his positive behaviour, I'm portraying the negative side of Akbar in the show 'Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap'," Krip said in a statement.

"Playing a negative role is tough...an artist should always be ready to take up challenges, I chose to play Akbar," he added.

The show, aired on Sony Entertainment Television, features Ssharad Malhotra and Rachana Parulkar as Maharana Pratap and Ajabde.

When Kurdish filmmaker Mano Khalil came across an apiarist named Ibrahim Gezer, he knew that his was a story that must be told. The result was "The Beekeeper", which was screened at the ongoing Dharamsala International Film Festival (DIFF) here.

The 107 minute-long documentary gives a heart warming illustration of Gezer, a Kurdish apiarist from southeast Turkey, and his atypical integration into conservative Switzerland.

Gezer lost his wife, two of his eleven children and his livelihood -- over 500 bee colonies - in the decades-long dispute between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

"I met Ibrahim on the mountains of Switzerland and I told him that I am going to make a film about you," Khalil said here.

"He knew who I was. At the beginning, Ibrahim thought I was making a film about bees, about the death of bees. After one week of shooting he realised that he is my bee and his story is what interests me and he was very happy," added the Switzerland-based filmmaker, whose works include "My God" (1990), "Kino-ocko" (1995), "David the Tolhildan" (2007) and "Our Garden of Eden" (2010).

Khalil says that what fascinated him most about his subject Ibrahim was "the fact that no matter what happened to him he never gave up fighting for a human quality of life and for his dreams".

"He also does not bear any feelings of hate or revenge against those who destroyed what he loved most in life," he added.

Khalil believes the key to good filmmaking is to love the characters and respect them. He emphasised that it was difficult for him as a person to shoot the documentary as it sometimes put him on the border line of morality.

"When Ibrahim saw the picture of his son in the newspaper and read about his death, he thought we have put it there and we are just making a movie. He asked me 'Why have you put the picture of my son in the newspaper?' and I told him that we haven't put it there.

"It was very difficult for me as a person to shoot the film, I sometimes found myself on the border of morality," said the filmmaker.

Recollecting one of his own experiences, he said: "I once saw a movie at a film festival and it is something I will never forget. It was a film about the Bosnian war and there was a scene of a market where a bomb had been dropped and people were injured.

"The camera was shooting a man who was half burnt and screaming 'help me' and the cameraman was just shooting and did not do anything and it was so sad."

But Khalil was happy that the audience at DIFF responded well to "The Beekeeper".

Ketan Mehta's much-awaited movie "Rang Rasiya" was screened here ahead of a musical concert in aid of an initiative dedicated to the eradication of curable blindness.

The cast members of "Rang Rasiya" -- Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen -- were present at the event, organised by Mahindru Foundation, and they did their bit to raise awareness and funds for eye donations.

"Mahindru Foundation has plans of opening 100 eye banks all over India and I lend them full support for this noble initiative and appeal to all to pledge their eyes to support their endeavour in making India blind-free," Randeep said.

His co-star Nandana said: "We are proud to pitch in for the cause of eye donations. The movie 'Rang Rasiya' is all about a painter (Raja Ravi Verma) and the vibrant colours of life. So it is only natural for us to help someone experience the colours of life."

The film's screening was followed by a live musical concert, featuring Sunidhi Chauhan and Kailash Kher, in association with Gurgaon Police, seeking to raise awareness and funds for eye donations.

Ashok Mahindru, managing trustee, Mahindru Foundation, said: "The cause of the blind is a very moving one. Imagine not experiencing life for a single day...The tragedy is that 80 percent of the blind population can be cured. But because of lack of awareness and poor donation rate, they live in darkness and are deprived of the joys of life."

It is for this cause that the "Rang Rasiya" has intended to raise funds for two upcoming eye-banks - one in association with Lotus Eye Hospital, Mumbai and other in association with Bhuvneshwari Madharai's Ashram, Rishikesh.

His award winning film "Citilights" wowed the movie enthusiasts at the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) and the film's director Hansal Mehta says he got the opportunity to helm the film because of actor Rajkummar Rao, who plays the lead role in the movie about urban-rural migration.

Produced by Fox Studios and Mahesh Bhatt, “Citylights” was screened Saturday and it is Mehta's second film to be screened at DIFF after "Shahid". The film, which released earlier this year, stars Rajkummar and Patralekha in the lead roles.

“I have worked with him and he is an actor who I believe is among the best in his generation. Rajkummar was cast before I was chosen for the film. So they had cast him and then he recommended my name as a director. So actually he chose me," Mehta told IANS in an interview.

Mehta, who had worked with Rajkummar in award-winning biopic "Shahid", "completely believes in the actor's talent".

In the recent past the director, who made his feature film debut with "Jayate" in 1997 followed by the 2000 release "Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar”, impressed with "Shahid", a biopic on slain human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi. The film won him best director National Film Award.

Speaking about "Citylights", the director said: "The film is an adaptation of British film 'Metro Manila' and the rights were acquired by Fox and they also got the script written. I was commissioned to direct it.

“When I read the script, I felt like it was a good tale about urban-rural migration. It had the scope to tell a powerful story. I wanted to do it as the issue of rural-urban migration has always bothered me."

“Citylights” is the story of Deepak Singh, who is forced to migrate to Mumbai from Rajasthan with his wife and child. He soon discovers the complexities of city life and finds himself living on the streets.

Speaking about the festival, the filmmaker said: "The Dharamshala film festival is very special to me because the festival opened with 'Shahid', my previous film. It was the first film to be shown at the first season of DIFF."

"It's a lovely place to interact with other artists and to have an open interaction in the midst of the hills. Great crowds come to watch films here and they are very informed. It's like an educational benefit for the filmmakers. For me, a film festival is like a pilgrimage where we meet so many great people," he added.

Mehta also said that during the festival, he saw Avinash Arun's "Killa" and he thinks it is a "remarkable debut film".

The fest ended Sunday with the screening of Geetu Mohandas's "Liar's Dice", which is India's official entry for the 87th Oscars in the best foreign language film category.

It seems “Zid” trailer, packed with scorching-sex scenes, has had the desired effect - the erotica has crossed over one million views on the YouTube ever since its launch on Oct 29, much to the delight of its co-producer Anubhav Sinha.

Raving about the hits, Sinha, who has co-produced it with Mushtaq Sheikh, tweeted: “For over 30 hours #ZID trailer continues to be the MOST POPULAR video in the country. 1.34 Mil Views in 4 days,” he tweeted.

By Sunday evening the trailer of the "Zid", which also got into a controversy when its director Vivek Agnihotri disassociated himself from the project, had got 1,375,498 hits.

Agnihotri decided to detached himself from the film ever since Sinha started promoting “Zid” as an erotic thriller without taking him into confidence.

Meanwhile, the film also got into the news for Priyanka Chopra's cousin Manaara, also known as Barbie Handa's dare bare act. She has not only shed clothes for the film's poster, but also shot several steamy scenes with her co-star Karanvir Sharma for the psychological thriller about love and obession.

This is Manaara's Bollywood debut.

He may be tweeting regularly on his Twitter handle, but “Kahaani” director Sujoy Ghosh hasn't joined the Facebook frenzy yet.

He clarified it through his tweet.

“Just to clarify i am not on Facebook nor any plans to be.. twitter kaafi hai...,” the director, who loves to spend free time curling up with a book and a cup of coffee, posted Sunday.

“Doors & windows shouldn't open on their own. not after you have closed them & sat down peacefully with a book & a coffee. drenched in coffee,” he wrote in one of his posts.

Director-producer Onir is pleased as punch on seeing his dream project nearing completion - he has wrapped up the third schedule of “Shab The film”.

“Schedule 3 of @ShabTheFilm complete... A 14-year-old dream finally taking shape...A fusion of images, colours n sounds,” he said in his Twitter post Sunday.

The “Shab” team, which includes actors Ashish Bisht , Arpita Pal, Raveena Tandon Thadani, Simon Frenay, and Areesz Ganddi, were in Rishikesh for the third session.

“One more schedule to complete the film in January 2015. Looking forward to an exciting edit and final schedule,” Onir wrote in his Facebook.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday wished Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on his birthday.

"Today (Sunday) is the birthday of our very dear Shah Rukh Khan. We wish him best of happiness, prosperity, good health and success. Our best wishes also to all members of his family. Happy birthday Shah Rukh," Banerjee said on her official Facebook page.

The actor is the West Bengal's brand ambassador and turned 49 Sunday.

The actor, during his visit to Kolkata Oct 29 to celebrate the success of his latest movie "Happy New Year", met Banerjee at the state secretariat.

The actor will also grace the opening ceremony of the 20th Kolkata International Film Festival beginning Nov 10.