Tamil actor Anand Raj, who is making his Bollywood debut with "Action Jackson" in a villain role, says its director Prabhudeva demands what he wants from his actors as he's a perfectionist.

"When Prabhu offered me the role, he explained that I won't be playing a typical villain. He said that I won't be required to exaggerate and be loud with my performance. He's extremely demanding. He wanted me shed weight for the role, and only after I did that he signed me," Anand told IANS.

He lost about 12 kg for his role as the antagonist.

Anand and Prabhu have known each other for a long time, which helped them to understand each other and work.

"Prabhu and I are good friends. Our friendship certainly helped us to bond well while working together. If Prabhu was demanding, I'm sure he did that because he was aware that I can deliver what he wanted from me," he said.

Prabhu had earlier directed Anand in Tamil film "Pokkiri", which he later remade in Hindi as "Wanted".

Most of Bollywood music is often criticised for it's bold lyrics or lack of originality. Admitting the popularity of film music, singer Kailash Kher says there is a wave of "bad product being sold with good marketing" in the industry.

"Bad product with good marketing is being sold. But it's not necessary that the strategy will always work. The song being appreciated or liked by people today may not appeal after a year or so," Kailash told IANS in an interview.

The singer was in the capital recently for the anniversary celebrations of an NGO, The Hans Foundation.

However, Kher also points out that "the music industry is rolling out some good and better songs, but filmy music is more popular" because of marketing strategy.

The "Allah ke bande" crooner has been associated with a slew of social causes and has participated in many charity-based concerts from time to time. Kailash is also one of the nine people nominated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take forward the message of Clean India.

"Working towards a social cause is my passion. I want to devote 25 -30 per cent of my income towards a good cause. I was a nobody and didn't even dream of becoming a star. So it's my way of reciprocating the love, appreciation, and trust I have gained," said the 41-year-old.

For the singer, the main reason behind being a good Samaritan is "people believe in stars and follow them and this can bring a change".

"If I cannot go out and teach, I can at least stand with people associated with a cause and get it in the spotlight. I also believe that the message we spread through music is more powerful," he said.

Kailash is known for his soul-stirring songs like "Teri deewani", "Saiyyan" and "Babam bam", but the singer says people don’t understand the deeper meanings of his songs.

“The intricacies of the songs are still not known. Every song provides a message along with entertainment,” he said.

The singer is working on a new album, for which he has collaborated with a folk singer Prahlad Singh Tipanya.

Veteran actress Tanuja who was hospitalised Monday night after she complained of breathlessness, has been discharged, a doctor said.

"She complained of breathlessness. She has been discharged... she is fine now," Subir Mondal of Belle Vue Hospital told IANS Tuesday.

Tanuja attended the inaugural of the 20th Kolkata International Film Fest Monday.

During her speech she chose to sit down as she felt pain in her limbs.

World renowned musicians Fatoumata Diawara and Vieux Farka Toure are set to perform in the country as part of Blackberrys Sharp Nights-Masters of World Music, a five-city World Music tour.

Diawara will perform in Delhi Nov 19 at Blue Frog, Mehrauli and in Hyderabad Nov 22 at Durgam Cheerayu Park, Jubilee Hills, while Toure will perform in Pune Dec 3, in Bangalore Dec 6 and in Mumbai Dec 10.

Diawara, born in Ivory Coast is a Malian musician currently living in France. She has spent the last year touring the world, culminating in a landmark performance at Glastonbury in 2013.

Toure is also a Malian singer and was invited to perform at the opening celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup along with other performers including Shakira and Alicia Keys.

Organised by menswear brand Blackberrys, Sharp Nights will promote local musical talent also besides showcasing Diawara and Toure. A scholarship fund has also been announced to help conserve traditional Indian music.

Delighted to attend the opening of the 20th Kolkata International Film festival (KIFF) here, actor Irrfan Khan hoped the event would encourage youngsters to narrate stories they believe in, help them find their own voice and engage a global audience through their craft.

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 concludes Nov 17.

"I hope this film festival becomes the biggest film fest of the world. I hope this film festival could inspire the upcoming generation which could find their own voice... which could find courage to tell their own stories because you must have noticed the kind of music which we were listening... as Satyajit Ray's film music came... something happened to all of us," he said.

The actor is in the city to shoot for Shoojit Sircar's "Piku" alongwith megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Deepika Padukone.

"I hope it inspires them... who could engage the universal audience... mainstream universal audience," he added.

Volcanoes, ice flows, fossils and lava are some of the inspirations behind the new collection by fashion brand Lecoanet Hemant.

Inspired by nature in its extreme states, the line is named ‘Wilderness’ and features pencil skirts, peplum tops, dresses, coats, jackets and pants-- all composed of different textile combinations.

Designer duo Didier Lecoanet and Hemant Sagar have experimented with handmade embroidered lace, woven leather and silk cloque for the collection.

The collection highlights the designer's focus on shape especially in their cocoon coats, jackets, skirts and trousers. The collection can be ordered on the designer's website.

The duo has also added a hint of glamour by the cut work and the 3D sequins applique embellishments. The collection offers wearable styles alongside statement looks with pieces which can be transformed from street-chic to evening wear with ease.

“For this season we have integrated technology and craftsmanship to create a collection for the modern woman. We continue to create pieces with clean cuts and flattering silhouettes that can be worn for lunch meetings, and repurposed into looks for an evening,” said Hemant in a statement.

The colour palette includes ice blue, beige, purple, maroon and deep brown; however black and metallic grey dominate the line.

Actor Shreyas Talpade has been named the brand ambassador of the Pune Marathas team for Champions Tennis League (CTL).

The inaugural CTL, to be played Nov 17-26, will take place across six cities in the country - Chandigarh, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi.

The 38-year-old, who became the latest Bollywood celebrity to join the trend of leading actors taking active interest in sports, said that he has always been a fan of tennis and has followed it closely.

“I'm honoured to be associated with Pune Marathas and have always been a fan of tennis. In my growing up days, I always wanted to play the game but at that time it was considered an elitist sport which my family could not afford,” he said in a statement.

“Tennis over the years has seen a dramatic change, not just growing by leaps and bound but has also become very accessible to all in India,” he added.

Apart from Pune Marathas, other CTL teams are Hyderabad Aces, Bengaluru Raptors, Delhi Dreams, Punjab Marshalls and Mumbai's as-yet untitled franchise.

Film buffs can now meet and talk to international delegates - including renowned filmmakers, scriptwriters and producers -at the ongoing 20th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) courtesy a film discussion 'adda' hub at the festival premises, organisers said Tuesday.

KIFF kicked-off Monday.

"The public is curious to find out about the international delegates. So we have decided to reach out to them and let them meet and interact with the delegates at a special 'adda' (discussion or chat in Bengali) hub at the Nandan theatre premises.

"We will request the delegates to interact with the masses at the hub," KIFF director Yadab Mondal told reporters here.

Among them are Australian humanist filmmaker Paul Cox and Iranian actress-director Nikki Karimi.

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 concludes Nov 17.

The first day of the fest also saw the screening of the Green Oscar-winning film "Sirocco - How a Dud became a Stud" in the 'Short films and Documentary' segment.

The 15-minute film centres around a Kakapo parrot named Sirocco. Kakapos are critically endangered bird species native to New Zealand.

Shot by Ashwika Kapur, a 26-year-old science and natural history filmmaker from West Bengal, itAnarrates the "rags-to-riches" story of Sirocco, the Kakapo parrot, so popular that the New Zealand government made it the country's official spokesbird for conservation.

In addition, an exhibition of photographs documenting late Bengali screen legend Suchitra Sen's contribution to the film industry was inaugurated Tuesday by her actress-daughter Moon Moon Sen.

The Delhi High Court Tuesday asked the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) to respond on a plea challenging the refusal to grant certificate to the film "En Dino Muzaffarnagar", on the grounds that the film has the potential of creating communal disharmony.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to CBFC and FCAT and sough their response by Dec 5.

The plea filed by filmmaker Meera Chaudhary through advocate Prashant Bhushan alleged that the film was denied a certificate "arbitrarily" with the panel saying it could create communal disturbances.

The plea challenged the CBFC's June 30 order denying a certificate of unrestricted viewing of the film and the July 19 FCAT order upholding it.

The CBFC or the FCAT fail to provide a cogent reasoning for refusal to grant certification of the film, argued Bhushan.

"The order by the FCAT and CBFC suffers from malafide, non-application of mind and runs counter to the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under article 19(1)(a) of the constitution and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in plethora of cases," he said.

The government, however, defended the case on the grounds that CBFC and FCAT have provided sufficient reasons for refusal to grant certification to the film.

Chaudhary's plea said the main objective of the film is to make people aware of the politics behind the riots and to create the right perception, to create dialogue and debate on the issues to be highlighted in the documentary among journalists, activists and political classes.

"It will help in bringing peace and harmony between Hindu and Muslim community, because the film will clear the doubts and suspicions in the minds of both the communities regarding the real reasons behind the riots," it added.

Whistling Woods - Neeta Lulla's School of Fashion (WWNL) is set to host a workshop for the fashion enthusiasts.

The designer, who has made a name for herself in the fashion world with her elegant and vibrant collections, says the workshop "will serve as a stepping stone for people” planning to enter the fashion industry. The workshop named Fashion Dialogue Series will be held Nov 15 in Mumbai.

“We at Whistling Woods-Neeta Lulla School of Fashion are very happy to announce the Fashion Dialogue Series which will be an interactive session for the budding fashion enthusiasts," she said.

The enthusiasts will even get a chance to clear their doubts and anxieties about the glamour industry by duo Karan Berry and Leon Vaz, who have carved a niche for themselves with their label Karleo.

“It will serve as a stepping stone for those who want to enter the fashion industry. We kick-start the series with Karan Berry and Leon Vaz, the names behind Karleo, who will be interacting with the audience and talking about opportunities and challenges in the fashion industry and their journey so far,” Lulla said in statement.

Bollywood's filmmaker Subhash Ghai has also lent his calibre for the fashion school.

When filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss made Suriya-starrer Tamil actioner "Ghajini", he vehemently denied that his film was adapted from Christopher Nolan's "Memento". Since then, very few southern filmmakers have openly admitted to foreign influences in their films such as "Vidiyum Munn", "Yaamirukka Bayamey" and "Jigarthanda".

Debutant Balaji K. Kumar's Tamil thriller "Vidiyum Munn", about a sex worker's effort to save a young girl, was raved by critics and audiences alike when it released last year. It was lauded as the best staged movie since Mysskin's "Onayum Aatukuttiyum".

But what many didn't know was that the film was heavily inspired by British thriller "London to Brighton". Not only did Balaji lift the plot from the original, but a few scenes as well.

Tamil horror-comedy "Yaamirukka Bayamey", which is one of the biggest hits of the year, revolves around a group of people who turn an abandoned bungalow into a hotel. As customers start trickling in, each one mysteriously winds up dead. The rest of the film's plot is about unraveling the mystery.

This film borrows its plot from 1998 South Korean film "The Quiet Family". The only creative part in the Tamil version is that its director Deekay added a ghost angle to the story, which was not to be found in the original. Otherwise, both the films have a very similar storyline.

Sundeep Kishan's Telugu romantic-drama "Ra Ra Krishnayya" is based on Danny Boyle's "A Life Less Ordinary". After the film's release, Sundeep openly tweeted saying that "Ra Ra Krishnayya" was indeed based on Boyle's film, which was also made in Hindi as "Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya" few years ago.

Filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj left audiences and critics in awe with his "realistic" gangster story "Jigarthanda". About a passionate filmmaker's plight to make a gangster film, it was loosely based on 2006 South Korean film "A Dirty Carnival".

In both the stories, a filmmaker decides to make a gangster film by closely following a real gangster. Subbaraj very smartly makes audiences see "Jigarthanda" as meta cinema, which it is to a large extent. But that doesn't deny the fact how liberally he has taken inspiration for his story from a foreign film.

Tamil thriller "Sarabham" is a blatant copy of 2003 Japanese thriller "Game". Both the films are about a hardworking advertising executive, who after being replaced by someone on a prestigious project, decides to kidnap his boss's daughter (who helps in the kidnapping) as payback.

Venkat Prabhu-directed Tamil thriller "Biriyani" borrows its plot from English comedy "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle". In the English version, two friends go on a road trip in the middle of the night to eat burgers at White Castle, while the Tamil version is about two friends who hit the roads to eat biryani.

But Prabhu deserves to be credited for showing some creativity and making changes to the story. Never do you feel it is a frame-to-frame copy.

Cinematographer-turned-director Ravi K. Chandran's maiden Tamil directorial "Yaan" is largely based on 1978 American film "Midnight Express".

The protagonists in both the films are busted for possession of drugs and are sentenced to life in foreign prisons. There are several scenes that Chandran has straightly lifted from the original.

For instance, during his first night in the holding, Jiiva sneaks out of his cell and steals a blanket and later gets involved in a fight with the guards. This exact scene can also be found in "Midnight Express".

Maybe southern filmmakers have taken filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's quote - "I steal from every single movie ever made" - way too seriously, and hence, don't bother give due credit to the source of inspiration.

Popular southern actress Padmapriya Wednesday married old friend Jasmine at a private ceremony here. She met him while they were pursuing their Masters from New York and Columbia University respectively.

According to a statement, the wedding was attended by family and close friends of the couple.

Padmapriya, who made her debut in Malayalam films with "Kaazhcha", has gone on to do 48 films across all south Indian languages. She is a National Award special jury award winner, two-time Kerala state award winner, Tamil Nadu state award winner and a three-time Filmfare award winner.

A native of Gujarat, Jasmine is a post graduate in mechanical engineering from IIT and also has a Masters in public administration. His interest in the development sector made him shift from a corporate career to the development sector and he first worked on the Jaago Re One Billion Vote campaign.

At present he is policy head for South Asia with Jamal Abdul Latif Poverty Action Lab, headquartered in Massachusetts Institute of Technology( MIT).

Padmapriya, whose latest Malayalam release "Iyobinte Pushthakam" is running in theatres, "will continue to work in films," added the statement.

Ace photographer Jayesh Seth, who is making his direcorial debut with "Roll Sound Camera Action", says the movie is inspired by the strugglers in the Bollywood industry.

"The journey that I came across, I met some passionate people and to see how people gamble in their life, their struggle and their passion was very fascinating. I saw their hard-work and their struggle and how they achieve their goal. This subject inspired me to make this film," Seth told IANS.

"Roll Sound Camera Action" is produced by Jayesh Sheth Productions and co-produced by Shibani Roy. The film stars Amal Sherawat, Aliya Shah, Kaajal Vashisht, Abhishek Patel, Umesh Pherwani, Arun Verma, Jaswant Singh Rathor, Manish Mehta and Vikram Singh.

Seth, who has cast all newcomers in his film, says he was very clear that he wanted fresh faces in his film.

"I was very clear about going with strugglers...Taking stars and showing them as strugglers will never work. The subject demanded strugglers," he said.

The film will realease in 2015.

A new powerful movie reliving the Bhopal gas disaster that still haunts India has hit the US screens ahead of its 30th anniversary and its director says the recent death of then Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson "does not bring any relief to the victims".

Written and directed by Ravi Kumar, "Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain" focusses on the events leading up to the world's biggest industrial disaster as it intersects with the life of rickshaw puller Dilip (played by Rajpal Yadav), who gets a job at the Union Carbide plant to beat poverty.

"We decided to make a tense drama and the audience can now debate and search about the aftermath," said Kumar, who has spun the story of the tragedy that struck Bhopal on the night of Dec 3, 1984, into a fictionalised gripping industrial thriller. The disaster left over 3,000 people dead.

The lead-up and aftermath are "two separate areas and deserve a separate platform", Kumar told IANS in an email interview.
"I believe the aftermath equally tragic, is not dramatic enough to be told in a dramatic fashion."

Kumar, a doctor turned filmmaker who himself grew up as a child near Bhopal, said he chose to focus on the lead-up as "some excellent documentaries have been made on the aftermath and books have been written".

He believes the "time is right to make a film about the Bhopal disaster" as "30 years have gone by and so we have an emotional distance from the tragedy, in order to make an objective assessment of the disaster".

"At the same time, the story is recent enough and relevant enough to engage younger generations who would be interested to learn the lessons" and avoid more such disasters, said Kumar, pointing to the BP oil spill in the US in April 2010.

Veteran Hollywood actor Martin Sheen plays the role of Warren Anderson, the then chairman and CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation, who died in September while living as a fugitive from justice at Vero Beach, Florida.

Sheen, a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner who also featured in the Academy-winning film "Gandhi" with Ben Kingsley, "was our only choice given his political beliefs and his legendary status as an actor", Kumar told IANS.

Rather than portray Anderson as an outright villain, the film comes out showing him as a jovial capitalist more concerned about the company's bottom line and legal liabilities than the safety of the plant taking advantage of India's laxer regulations.

Yet "no one in the audience has come out of cinema feeling sympathetic about Anderson. Everyone thinks Anderson did a wrong thing", said Kumar.

"We did not want to patronise our audience by showing a one-dimensional villain who does bad things for no reason," he said. "We tried to give Anderson's character dimension and depth, so that the audience would get to know what he's thinking."

"In this way we believe the audience gets to make up their own mind," Kumar said. "Martin Sheen's sublime performance made the Anderson character come to life and made the film more believable."

Indian-American actor Kal Penn known for his roles in "Harold and Kumar" trilogy, plays a Bhopal journalist writing about the ticking 'time bomb' that no one wants to hear about as it gives the town a living.

"Kal Penn is an amazing actor who can sincerely play this outrageous character with a straight face," said Kumar. "He's perfect for the role."

London-born and New York-raised actress Mischa Barton, too "has done an amazing job playing a young reporter who's working for a life-style magazine who stumbles upon an impending chemical disaster but chooses to ignore it as she runs late for her deadline", he said.

The recent death of Anderson "does not bring any relief to the victims of Carbide disaster", said Kumar.

"It only proves that Union Carbide as a multinational needs to close this ongoing tragedy by apologising and cleaning up the plant that is still standing in the middle of Bhopal and contaminating the local water supply."

Released Nov 7 in one theatre in New York, the film was sold out on the opening night with New York Times and the New York Daily News giving it good reviews. It will now open in Los Angles Nov 14 plus additional US cities throughout November before releasing in India Dec 5.

After a successful performance in New Delhi, the second edition of the "Las Minas Flamenco Tour" will move to Mumbai Friday.

The show, called "Suite Flamenca" is the latest event in the internationalisation of the "La Unión Minas Flamenco Festival", which was launched in May last year in the cities of Jodhpur and New Delhi and later visited Brussels, Luxembourg and Tokyo.

"The festival began its international adventures in India for one fundamental reason: everything started in India,” Francisco Bernabé, mayor of La Unión and president of the Cante de las Minas Foundation, said at a ceremony in Madrid ahead of the troupe's departure for India.

“It's where the roots of this great phenomenon that is Flamenco lie."

The performers in the show consist of three winners of the Minas Flamenco Festival: two dancers, Eduardo Guerrero and Fuensanta Fresneda "La Moneta" and an instrumentalist, Oscar Manuel.

They are accompanied by two singers, Juan Manzano "El Coco", Gullermo Campos Jiménez "Morenito Illora" and two guitarists, Luis Mariano and Fran Turner.

The India tour started in New Delhi Tuesday.

Actor R.Madhavan is upset because the shooting of his upcoming film “Saala Khadoos” got affected due to his injury.

“Injured on the set today (Tuesday). Lucky escape but hate it when shoot stalls because of me. Crap. Last 4 days of Saala Khadoos,” he tweeted.

He will be seen as a retired boxer-turned-coach in the Tamil-Hindi bilingual, which is being directed by Sudha Kongara, former associate of filmmaker Mani Ratnam.

The film is titled "Irrudhi Suttru" in Tamil and "Saala Khadoos" in Hindi.

The 44-year-old is known for his roles in films such as "Rang De Basanti" and "Tanu Weds Manu".

Eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, who has been in hospital for the past two weeks, is still in the intensive care unit but improving, a family member said Wednesday.

"She is still in ICU but she is improving and her condition is better," Rajesh Mishra, son-in-law of the 94-year-old danseuse, told IANS.

Sitara Devi reportedly had some complications and doctors at the Cumballa Hill Hospital and Heart Institute here were not sure about surgery on her due to her advanced age. However, the surgery went well.

Sitara Devi was born Dhannolakshmi in the family of Brahmin 'kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj in Kolkata in 1920.

When she turned 11, the family moved to Mumbai, where she impressed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a three-hour solo recital.

Over the next six decades, she became a Kathak legend and is known as a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood.

She is the recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman.

Tennis star Sania Mirza, a fan of spy James Bond movies, is set to give lessons on 'The Bond way to a woman’s heart'.

Sania will share secrets during Bond film festival "The PIX School of Bonding" starting Nov 22 on Sony Pix.

Having grown up watching James Bond movies, the star is excited about it.

“Thrilled! Excited! Amazed! To unravel bonds secrets. Watch me give lessons on Bond at#PiXSchoolOfBONDing,'' she tweeted Wednesday.

She is a fan of his looks and more.

''I have grown up watching Bond movies and I can say safely that he can woo any woman. He is good looking, smart and strong. What more could a woman ask for'' ,she said in a statement.

Hollywood stars like Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan have played Bond in the past. Daniel Craig has been associated with the Bond movie franchise since 2006 starting with Casino Royale.

A huge fan of Indian films, award-winning Iranian filmmaker Niki Karimi Wednesday hoped she bumps into Bollywood screen icon Amitabh Bachchan during her stay in the city.

Karimi is participating in the 20th Kolkata International Film Festival that kicked off Monday.

Counting Big B's "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" among her favourites, the actress-turned-director lamented the missed opportunity during the inaugural of the KIFF.

"I heard that Amitabh Bachchan was here at the inaugural, how come I didn't meet him? Is he still in town? I would like to meet him," a keyed-up Karimi said.

Big B is in the city shooting for Shoojit Sircar's "Piku". He and his celebrated family inaugurated the KIFF Monday.

The director of award-winning films like "The Final Whistle" and "One Night" said both countries believe in making "good cinema".

"Many things changed in Iranian films as the society changed. In Iran we make good films like you do in India.

"We do not have as much (big) as audience that you guys have. I always love Indian cinema," said Karimi, adding she follows the work of women filmmakers like Aparna Sen and Mira Nair.

Comparison of Indian cinema with international is common. To discuss the issue, a conclave was held here Wednesday, with actor Anupam Kher calling the comparison unfair and Nawazuddin Siddiqui stressing the need to try out new subjects.

"I don't see the need to compare what we make at home to what is made abroad. I think we are a young country and we have many other important issue to take care of rather than cinema. It is unfair," Anupam Kher said at the event held at Hotel Shangri-La.

The conclave, organised by the commerce and industry ministry and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), saw discussions on three issues.

The first issue was the creative divorce between Indian cinema and the world, the second was if the Indian domestic market was big enough to need not tap in the global market. The third point of discussion was the science behind marketing and distribution of films.

The panellists were award winning actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and CII export committee chairman Sanjay Budhia.

Anupam Kher was seen at his candid best. He praised Bollywood biggies like Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar and questioned the skills of Hollywood stars.

"Shah Rukh and Akshay can do what Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt do in a movie, but I doubt if Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise can do the trademark style of Shah Rukh," he said.

Nawazuddin, who has proved his mettle by several performance-based movies like "The Lunch Box", "Kahaani" and "Miss Lovely", stressed trying out new arenas in India cinema.

"We have so many stories to tell and we can't put such topics in a corner. Hence we should try out new subjects," he said.

"Cinema is in its comfort zone right now. Films are made with a formula comprising some songs, love scenes and emotional scenes. When we go to international festivals people come to us and dance, as they think Bollywood is all about dancing. People don't know us as a country," he added.

Anupam Kher, who has done a lot of international projects including "Silver Linings Playbook", expressed happiness working in crossover projects and the responsibility that comes along with it.

"As an actor, I feel very happy if I get an American film and it does well. When I am working on an international project, I am representing India and feel more responsible. The thing that attracts me about them is their professionalism. They are so well prepared," he said.

With a nip in the air with winter knocking at the door in the capital, the atmosphere at the discussion was quite candid and casual. The actors touched upon several facts from their lives while discussing their views.

Nawazuddin, who has a string of movies which garnered appreciation at international film festivals like "Bombay Talkies", said film festivals help in cracking the market.

Anupam Kher, who has portrayed a variety of characters on screen, praised the coming of corporates in the industry.

"I was not convinced by the idea of coming of corporates in the industry but I feel it is the best thing that has happened in the industry. Cinema is now so organised and transparent," he said.