As a new film producer, National Award winning director Hansal Mehta promises to make movies with interesting stories and a mix of talent.

"Successful budgets, unique stories and great talent - promise to deliver that in this new phase as a producer," Mehta, who has named his banner Karma Pictures, tweeted Monday.

The preparation for his first production is on.

"Casting by @CastingChhabra (Mukesh Chhabra) & my dedicated crew in direction and production are killing it. Karma Pictures, my production company begins its innings with a film starring @BajpayeeManoj, @RajkummarRao and written by @Apurvasrani," he added.

The film is reportedly about a case of a homosexual professor.

Filmmaker Karan Johar Monday said the government should help the movie industry by making censorship the final law -- especially for times when some people stage protests even after a film has received the green signal from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for release.

"I wish censorship was the final authority. I am fighting court cases that are ridiculous. I am still fighting a case for 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'. I wish there was a ruling finally and with the current governance being so proactive, I hope this is one of the things they should look into and say that censorship is the final law.

"If it doesn't happen, filmmakers like me will be the soft target," Karan said during a session titled "An afternoon at Film Bazaar with Rajeev Masand" on the final day of Film Bazaar here Monday.

Karan was reportedly charged with insulting the National anthem in his 2001 directorial "Khabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development mantra would work for Kashmir as it did in Gujarat, actor Anupam Kher said Monday.

Kher - who is of Kashmiri ethnicity - addressed an election campaign rally of the newly-formed Jammu Kashmir Peoples Republican Party (JKPRP) here.

He said Modi has visited Kashmir thrice after becoming prime minister which shows the keen interest he was taking in issues affecting the people.

"This is the only state which he (Modi) visited thrice since he took office six months ago. I think he has great interest in Kashmir. His development mantra has worked in Gujarat and he is doing well as prime minister.

"Isn't our Kashmir part of the country? Why shouldn't it witness change as well. Modi wants to do a lot of things for Kashmir," Kher said.

He, however, said he didn't come here to rally for any political party.

"I have come here because my soul is in Kashmir and I am seeing winds of change blowing here. Kashmir is destined to see the change for good," he said.

The actor said nothing has changed in Kashmir in the past 50 years.

"Wherever I go in India, I see growth and development. The entire country has progressed, but in Kashmir only politicians have progressed," he said.

Kher said people here have a chance in the assembly polls "to do away with traditional politics and Kashmiris should not let it go waste".

"Don't get fooled by rhetoric of politicians who have done nothing for you in the past. Dynastic politics in Jammu and Kashmir should end. Vote for those who can bring change.

"Change is a must for the better future of Kashmir and for the youth here. The situation here should change. Quality of life, business, infrastructure, administration should improve.

"The youth should take destiny in their own hands. Promise me you will vote for change, for yourself, for your family, state and country," the actor told the rally.

Kher hoped the JKPRP, which has fielded candidates in 15 constituencies, would do well in the polls.

Kashmiri filmmaker and social activist Ashok Pandit also spoke on the occasion.

"The day isn't far when a smile will be back on the faces of Kashmiris. The ruling elite has looted Kashmir and left unemployed youth high and dry. Change is necessary in Kashmir," Pandit said.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who has produced hit films like "3 Idiots" and "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S", has now extended an interest-free repayable loan to emerging director Shlok Sharma.

Chopra was here Sunday for the eighth annual Film Bazaar, organised by the National Film Development Corporation Ltd.

Apart from being a part of the Film Bazar's session titled "Master Class with Vidhu Vinod Chopra: A dialogue between Filmmakers", he came forward and ensured help to the emerging filmmaker.

Film Bazaar has played a significant role in the growth of cinema in recent years. On seeing that, Chopra, on behalf of Vinod Chopra Films and Rajkumar Hirani, extended an interest-free repayable loan of Rs.10 lakh to Sharma's film "Haraamkhor", produced by Guneet Monga.

The initiative ensures that while funds are made available to deserving filmmakers, they are also responsible for returning the monies.

As neither Sharma nor Monga were present at the function held here Monday, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap received it on their behalf.

"I am proud to receive it on behalf of Shlok," said Kashyap, who was assisted by Sharma in films like "Dev.D" and "No Smoking".

Likewise, Manish Mundra also extended an interest-free repayable loan of Rs.10 lakh to Rinku Kalsy's "For the Love of a Man" and awarded prize money of Rs.10 lakh to Arun Karthick for "The Strange Case of Shiva (Sivapuranam)", both showcased under Film Bazaar Recommends.

The evening also saw other budding filmmakers winning big.

NFDC's Development Award along with the prize money Rs.10 lakh went to Mostafa Sarwar Farooki for producing "No Land's Man" under the co-production market.

Raam Reddy's "Thithi" won the sponsorship for Digital Intermediate process at the facilities of Prasad EFX under the Work In Progress Feature category.

Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla's "Proposition for a Revolution" won under Work In Progress Documentary section for taking their rough-cut documentary to completion.

Punjabi filmmaker Manjeet Mann, who co-produced National Award-winning film "Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Boota Singh", says there are movies from her state that are rich in content too.

During a session titled "Cinemas of India - Punjabi cinema" at the Film Bazaar, which concluded here Monday, she talked about the common misconception when it comes to Punjabi movies.

"Punjabi cinema is not just about 'balle balle'. I like to make films on true stories and most of them are tragedies," said the director of "Sukhmani - Hope for Life".

Anurag Singh, who has directed hit Punjabi films like "Jatt and Juliet" and "Punjab 1984", agreed with her, but said the majority is just "slapstick comedy".

"This year around 42 films released and 80 percent of those films are similar. They are all comedies, that too slapstick. So, the audience will ultimately get bored of it. We need to make more movies with strong content to make the industry grow," he said.

Distributor Munish Sahni, who was also one of the panelists, believes the "technicians need to be more professional".

"The Punjabi film industry is unorganised. Many people assume distribution is just a part time job, but it's not," he said.

The other challenge Punjabi filmmakers face is getting satellite rights.

"There are hardly 4-5 local channels that play more of Punjabi songs than movies. So, there is not much support from satellite. Music companies also don't pay us as they say physical sale of music doesn't take place. That is not true because you can't run a company if you are not earning profit," said Anurag Singh.

They, however, said they get good business from overseas.

"At least 50 percent of the money is recovered from overseas," Sahni said, adding that Canada is a strong market for Punjabi cinema.

The eighth annual Film Bazaar, which concluded Monday, helped many filmmakers connect with producers, distributors and critics from various countries.

It saw participation of over 1000 delegates from over 38 countries including Canada, China and Switzerland.

Organised by the National Film Development Corporation(NFDC), Film Bazaar served as a converging point for film buyers and sellers from all over the world.

"There were 1050 delegates this year," Nina Lath Gupta, managing director, NFDC India, told IANS here.

This year Film Offices was one of the new segments that was introduced at Film Bazaar.

Film offices had state or country tourism boards and country film commissions with a dedicated office which allowed them to introduce and pitch their respective tourism board or film commission to delegates of the film fraternity.

Another section, Investor Pitch had been launched too. There were two sessions -- the first one was on pitching scripts in the romance genre and the second was for pitching films that were looking for completion funds.

There was Romance Screenwriters' Lab too that focused on developing scripts based on romance and women-centric plots.

This time Work-in-Progress (WIP) Labs was divided into WIP Fiction and first WIP Documentary. In each WIP Lab, selected projects in their rough-cut stage were presented to a panel of international film experts for their feedback.

"I come from Bollywood circuit. Here, I met writers, curators, producers who are all passionate about cinema. I learnt a lot by interacting with them. I felt like I was the most important person on planet," Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, whose film "Nil Battey Sannata" was selected for the Work-in-progress lab (fiction), told IANS.

"Everyone gave me feedback on my film. I also got international perspective. People from US, London, Italy watched my film too. Initially, I wondered whether they would like my film or not because it is an Indian drama. I also used sufi music and they liked it. I think if the story is universal, language doesn't matter," added the wife of Bollywood director Nitesh Tiwari.

The NFDC Knowledge Series was another interesting section that focused on industry conversations and panel discussions by renowned film industry experts like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Karan Johar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Shekhar Kapur and Rohan Sippy.

"We didn't invite popular filmmakers for their celebrity status. Success comes after a certain level of achievement," said Gupta.

Asked if NFDC would like to have young successful Bollywood actors-cum-producers like Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor in future editions, she said: "Why not? They will be value addition".

This year, two new sections were introduced in the Viewing Room: World Cinema and Available for Remake.

The other sections at Film bazaar included Co-Production Market, 32 potential projects relating to South Asian stories available for co-productions, Screenwriters' Lab, six original scripts mentored by international mentors, ready to get into production, Industry Screenings, Exhibition Stands, Producers' Lab that focused on sharpening the skill sets of Indian independent producers.

Shiladitya Bora, who hails from Assam and is based in Mumbai, is making his directorial debut with the international project titled "Minefield", a political thriller based on the true accounts of a Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam functionary who was an avid film buff.

It was showcased at the Film Bazaar Co-Production Market. And, Bora, who has been trying to make movies since 2002, considers it as a good platform.

"NFDC gave us a great platform. There is something for everyone. It is good for initiating conversation. I want to premiere my film at top international festivals. I am still doing my research. I am not worried about the release," said Bora, whose film boasts of some heavyweight producers like internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, Deepak Sharma, chief operating officer, PVR Pictures and Manish Mundra.

Actor and politician Vani Tripathi, who was one of the panelists during the Film Bazaar, also had positive words about it. She said: "It is the only platform that allows experienced filmmakers to connect with emerging ones. This year's edition of Film Bazaar was brilliant, vibrant and comprehensive."

Eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi died here early Tuesday after prolonged illness, her son-in-law confirmed. She was 94.

Sitara Devi was on ventilator and her condition was serious Monday while she was admitted to the Jaslok Hospital here, said her son-in-law.

"She is no more," Rajesh Mishra, her son-in-law told IANS. Sitara Devi was earlier admitted to the Cumballa Hill Hospital and Heart Institute.

A recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman, she 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.

The funeral of eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, who died here early Tuesday after prolonged illness, will take place Thursday morning, her son-in-law said.

"Her funeral will take place Thursday morning. We are waiting for her son who has gone abroad for a show," Rajesh Mishra, the son-in-law of the 94-year-old danseuse, told IANS.

Sitara Devi was earlier admitted to the Cumballa Hill Hospital and Heart Institute and was later shifted to Jaslok hospital. She is survived by a son and a daughter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday condoled the death of eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi.

"PM has condoled the passing away of noted Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. PM also recalled her rich contribution to Kathak," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

Sitara Devi, 94, died early Tuesday in Mumbai after prolonged illness. She is survived by a son and a daughter.

A recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman, she was born Dhannolakshmi in the family of Brahmin 'kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj in Kolkata in 1920.

Anup Jalota's ailing wife Medha died in the US Monday due to a liver failure following a second heart and first kidney transplant, the Bhajan singer's official spokesperson confirmed. She was 59.

Medha was admitted to a hospital in New Jersey two months ago. She received a donor and the surgery took place Monday, but she couldn't survive it, Pritam Sharma, the spokesperson, told IANS.

Her last rites will take place in New Jersey Tuesday, he added.

Medha, neice of former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral, is survived by an 18-year-old son Aryaman.

She was earlier married to acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who mourned her death on micro-blogging site Twitter soon after the news of her demise came.

"Probably the bravest person I ever knew. Medha Jalota. Rest in Peace Medha, You showed that life can be lived and loved despite all odds," Kapur posted.

Actress Kunickaa Sadanand wrote: "With a heavy heart n tears in my eyes I regret to inform all. The lovely lady, a beautiful soul, Mrs. Medha Jalota, wife of Shri Anup Jalota is no more walking the path of life with us."

"She has left us and passed over to a more beautiful peaceful n painless horizon. May her soul rest in peace. My sincere condolences with the family -- they fought a battle bravely with grace during her illness. May they continue to have strength."

Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon tweeted: "Woke up to the extremely sad news of a dear friend Medha Jalota passing away in NY. My deepest condolence to @anupjalota. Will miss her."

Medha was "brave and beautiful till the very end", tweeted Shobhaa De, while writer Bharati S. Pradhan, who penned the book "Heartfelt: The Inspirational Story of Medha Anup Jalota", shared her condolences too.

"Condolences 2 friend #anupjalota. Early morning whatsapp from him: Wife Medha passed away after 2 transplant surgeries in US. My motivational book #Heartfelt by @ombooksdelhi ws on #AnupJalota & Medha's brave fite for her lyf. Hw strong mind cured diseased body. RIP," Pradhan wrote.

"In my book #Heartfelt by @ombooksdelhi, how Medha Jalota's spirit & Anup's undying positivity kept her alive for 12 years after heart transplant," she added.

Director Vasanthabalan says double-Oscar winning composer A.R. Rahman's music in forthcoming Tamil period drama "Kaaviya Thalaivan" plays a pivotal role in the film.

He says the project was a challenge for the Mozart of Madras as well.

"Kaaviya Thalaivan", which releases in cinemas Friday, is the story of a group of musical theatre artists in the 1930s and 1940s.

"The reason we approached Rahman sir is because music drives the story in our film. We wanted someone who could promise us great music. Rahman sir spent nearly two years to give the kind of music, which plays a vital role in the story," Vasanthabalan told IANS.

"Even for Rahman sir, this project was challenging as he hasn't worked on something like this before. He even gave us most of the songs even before we went on floors with the film, contrary to how he usually works on a project," he said.

According to Rahman, "Kaaviya Thalaivan" allowed him to innovate with music.

"I haven't got the opportunity to compose folk music for films very often. This project gave me the freedom to innovate with that genre of music. I had to forego a Hollywood project to take out time for this film to compose 20 songs," Rahman had said earlier.

"Since it's a period film, I had to use a lot of folk tunes laced with ragas to do justice to the era in which the film is shot," Rahman said.

The film features Siddharth, Prithviraj, Vedhika Kumar, Anaika, Nassar and Thambi Ramaiah in the lead roles.

The Madras High Court bench here Monday deferred its verdict on a writ petition filed by aspiring filmmaker K.R. Ravi Rathinam who has accused the team of superstar Rajinikanth's "Lingaa" of having stolen his script.

In his petition, Rathinam alleged that the story of "Lingaa" is same as that of his yet-unreleased Tamil film "Mullai Vanam 999". Justifying his claim, he said the entire story was uploaded onto YouTube on Feb 24, 2013.

In defence, "Lingaa" director Ravi Kumar claimed that the petitioner had not published his story anywhere thus far.

"How can someone claim copyright of a story which is unpublished? The Youtube video doesn't constitute the publication of the petitioner's story," Ravi Kumar said in his statement.

Justice M. Venugopal reserved his order on the plea to block the release of "Lingaa", slated to hit the screens Dec 12.

Telugu actor Harshvardhan Rane, who is making his Bollywood debut in John Abraham's home production "Satra Ko Shaadi Ho", has been signed on for two more yet-untitled projects by the banner.

"I signed all the three films long back. I didn't want to jinx it by announcing (it earlier). It was an honour to be launched by John's production in Bollywood, and to be doing two more films under the same banner is even more exciting," Rane told IANS.

While the actor awaits the release of "Satra Ko Shaadi Hai", he's yet to start shooting for the other two projects.

Rane, who is equally busy in Telugu filmdom, says he has no plans of shifting to Mumbai.

"My fans are happy that I'm doing Hindi films. I'm also getting Telugu movie offers. I want to concentrate on both the industries and so I have no plans of shifting (to Mumbai). I enjoy staying in my bachelor pad in Hyderabad," he said.

In Telugu, he's currently awaiting the release of "Avunu 2", the sequel to 2012 sleeper hit "Avunu".

Students of film institutes across India will showcase their talent through 16 films dealing with socio-cultural and environmental issues at the second Woodpecker Film Festival to be held here Dec 11-13.

"It's exciting to see the diversity of films, in terms of their themes as well as the geographical areas they represent," festival director Narender Yadav told IANS.

The movies, by budding filmmakers, are part of a total of at least 58 films selected this year to compete for the Woodpecker awards that include a trophy and a citation as well as a cash honorarium.

"This year we have added another category -- science and technology. There is also a special segment for children. Five such films will be screened," Yadav said.

The three-day festival at the India Habitat Centre will screen a diversity of documentaries from India. Of the 58 films, 27 are from Delhi, 16 from Maharashtra, seven from Uttar Pradesh and three from Haryana.

In addition, one film each comes from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Meghalaya.

The decision to select so many films made by students has struck a warm chord in the hearts of aspiring filmmakers who are yet to graduate from such institutions as the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, the Jamia Milia Islamia and Amity University.

"There is a big difference between being a student and a professional, especially in filmmaking, as one has to struggle a lot before entering the industry. The name of the institute doesn't help you to get a job in this field," Himanshu Prajapati, a second year direction student at FTII, told IANS.

"Film festivals provide us an opportunity to interact with students and faculty members of other institutions. We rely on networking, as placement does not take place for students of film direction. Only scriptwriters get placed from our institute," he said.

His non-fiction film "Daud-Bhag aur Papad" is based on how people are part of a mad race without any concrete aim in life. It has also been shortlisted for the Siliguri International Film Festival.

"Film festivals for students and budding filmmakers should be organised more often as we meet many directors and get to share their experience and expertise," Umang Sabharwal, who graduated from Jamia Millia Islamia this year, told IANS.

Sabharwal's documentary "Songs of the Other Firefly" has been screened at the 2014 International Film Festival of India, Goa, in the student's film category.

The 33-minute documentary is on the life a girl who makes incisive, often humorous, but sometimes sad and touching observations. The film has been selected for the Mumbai Women's International Film Festival.

Amresh Kumar Singh, 26, who studied film technology from Amity University, said it was very important to get the support of the faculty members and parents in such courses.

"They (faculty) are the ones who recommend our projects to be considered for film festivals and other competitions. Money is also a big constraint for budding filmmakers," Singh said.

His short film "Sanwadiya" (fiction) was screened at the Darbhanga International Film Festival 2014.

The Woodpecker Film Festival will screen documentaries like "Candles in the Wind", "Tigress Blood", "Life Force-Western Ghats", "The Pad Piper", "Womb on Rent", "Rainbows are Real", "In Search of Destiny" and "Delhi 16 Dec 2012" to name a few.

The festival is organised by Delhi-based CMSR foundation.

Thespian Dilip Kumar is "perfectly fine", says actor Amitabh Bachchan, quashing rumours of the former's health scare.

Social networking platforms were abuzz with rumours regarding the 91-year-old's health, and so, Big B chose to put all speculation to rest.

"Some baseless rumours being spread about Yusuf Saheb - Dilip Kumar, being ill...Saira-ji just informed me he is perfectly fine," Big B tweeted.

He recently attended Salman Khan's sister Arpita's wedding reception in Mumbai with his wife Saira. The evergreen couple was welcomed with due respect.

Writer-lyricist and ad guru Prasoon Joshi, who has recently penned the anthem for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, initiated a ‘Clean Sweep’ campaign on the lines of Clean India here.

Joshi, along with his colleagues, picked up a broom to clean a lane in Lalbagh area Tuesday, with an aim to sweep away all the dirt so that kids can play in a hygienic surroundings.

“The issue that I focused on was the lack of space for children to play due to the growing level of dirt and grime in the surroundings,” Joshi said in a statement.

The lyricist also wanted to accelerate gully cricket, which is slowly fading away.

“Cricket is a much loved sport but many a times children find a lack of playing spaces. Hence, I decided to clean the gully where cricket finds its ardent followers,” he added.

The campaign initiated by Joshi also involves a cricket tournament for the kids.

He also nominated 10 people including Venu Srinivasan, Kiran Rao, Neerja Birla, Nitish Kapoor, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Irrfan Khan, Jeev Milkha Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, to carry forward the message and aim of his 'Clean Sweep' campaign.

After directing an English language short film "Jamie", Ragni Chandrethia is ready to don the director's hat for her first Bollywood movie titled "Cafe Zindagi", which revolves around the cafe culture popular among youths.

It's a "happening" subject for a film, says Chandrethia.

"I guess no Hindi movie, which revolves around cafe culture, has been made. To my surprise, in India, even if you go to small towns, people are so used to go to cafes for birthday celebration.

"In Mumbai, if you go around Lokhandwala, Andheri and Versova, there are a lot of cafes and a lot of industry people are found there too. It'a happening subject, and I don't know why it has never been touched upon. It's a fresh concepta," she told IANS.

"Cafe Zindagi" has three important characters and as far as the star cast is concerned, she says, "We are thinking about Jackie Shroff and we would be pleased, if Tiger Shroff too loves our script, it would be nice combination.

"We are also in talks with Aditya Pancholi and Anil Kapoor also," she added.

The film will be directed by Chandrethia and will be produced herself under the banner DreamUp Prodcuction. The film will go on floors by January 2015.

Meanwhile, her short film "Jamie", featuring Johnny Lever's daughter, will be screened at the Mumbai Women International Film Festival (MWIFF) Dec 7.

Superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil actioner "Lingaa" has been passed with a 'U' certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), making it suitable to watch for all age groups.

The film will release in cinemas Dec 12 in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.

"'Lingaa' will release on Rajinikanth's birthday. The censors have passed it with 'U' certificate," film's director K.S. Ravi Kumar said in a statement.

According to producer Rockline Venkatesh, the film is likely to release in over 2,000 screens worldwide.

Also starring Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka Shetty, "Lingaa" marks Rajinikanth's third collaboration with Ravi Kumar after "Muthu" and "Padayappa".

Rajinikanth will be seen playing a dual role in the film, which has music by A.R. Rahman.

Late filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh's yet unreleased film "Taak Jhaank" (Sunglass) may see the light of the day in Indian theatres in 2015. Deepti Bhatnagar, who's presenting the movie, says the movie will release when the "right window of opportunity presents itself".

If sources are to be believed, the movie, which was first screened at the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival last year, will be released in 2015 itself.

But when contacted, Deepti of Deepti Bhatnagar Production Pvt Ltd, the company that is presenting the film, said: "Of course it will release. When the right window of opportunity presents itself."

She is confident that the movie will strike the right chords with the audience.

"It's a lovely film that I know Rituparno's fans and other cinema fans alike will enjoy thoroughly. The performances are brilliant, the story is so fresh that you feel as if Rituparno is telling you the story himself. It's like he never went anywhere and but was caught up in completing the film for his audience," she added.

A satirical comedy, "Taak Jhaank" brings together the two veterans of Bollywood - Jaya Bachchan and Naseeruddin Shah for the very first time. It also stars Raima Sen, R. Madhavan and Konkona Sensharma.

The official trailer of the film, produced by Arindam Chaudhuri of Planman Motion Pictures, will release Dec 1.

Based on Ghosh’s own short story "Chaitali Chashma", published in a Bengali magazine, "Taak Jhaank" is the story of a simpleton woman who comes into possession of a pair of magical antique spectacles that allow her to read others' thoughts.

Konkona plays Munni, a simple housewife as the central protagonist while Madhavan plays her husband and Jaya, her mother. Raima will be seen in a cameo.

The film had been completed by Ghosh while he was alive, but it didn't release before his untimely demise in May 2013 following a cardiac arrest.

The multiple award-winning filmmaker shot this film simultaneously in Bengali, with Bengali heartthrob Tota Roy Chowdhury essaying the role of the husband in that version.

After Ghosh’s death, the 19th Kolkata International Film Festival in 2013 decided to honour him by screening the film. The film, like most of Ghosh's other works, was lauded by the critics as well as the audience.

Hindi film celebrities Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal will attend the 11th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) along with international stars like Emily Blunt, Kelsey Grammer, Eva Longoria and Olga Kurylenko.

The festival, which runs Dec 10-17, will feature 118 films from 48 countries in 34 different languages, read a statement.

This year's edition of DIFF will open with the screening of James Marsh's "The Theory Of Everything!". The biographic film is inspired by the book "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen" written by Stephen Hawking's former wife Jane Wilde Hawking.

At the opening ceremony, DIFF will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to prominent Egyptian actor Nour El-Sherif for his work in more than 100 films in a career spanning almost five decades.

Rob Marshall's "Into the Woods" will be the closing film for this year's DIFF and will premiere internationally here. The film, featuring Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine, is a mix of classic stories from "Cinderella", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Rapunzel".

"DIFF has come so far in the past 11 years, introducing new audiences to Arab cinema, fostering talent and welcoming the industry’s greatest directors, producers, writers and actors. I'm proud to say that DIFF has contributed to putting the region’s film industry on the global map,” said Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF chairman.

A panel of renowned directors, including Lee Daniels of Oscar-winning films “Precious” and “The Butler” fame, will comprise the prestigious Muhr Awards jury. The awards aim to recognise talent from the UAE and wider Arab world and have, to date, highlighted over 255 cinematic works.

Daniels will be joined by Dutch cinematographer and film director Leonard Retel Helmrich, acclaimed Algerian director Malik Bensmail, Oscar nominated actress Virginia Madsen and Lebanese director and actress Nadine Labaki.

Arab celebrities like Mervat Amin, Samir Sabri, Daoud Abdel Sayed, Laila Taher, Mohamed Sobhi, Lebleba and Jamal Suliman will also grace the red carpet.