Celebrities from the Indian film world have condemned the recent bloodbath in Pakistan's Peshawar city, which has a strong connect to Bollywood. From Prithiviraj Kapoor to Dilip Kumar to Shah Rukh Khan -- they all have their roots in the city that is mourning the death of 148 people, mostly children, slaughtered by the Pakistani Taliban.

For years, Pakistan has loved the glitz and glamour of the Hindi film industry, but Bollywood's relationship with Peshawar as well as some other cities, is far more organic, given the fact that several of its noted icons hail from them.

Prithviraj Kapoor, considered a pioneer of Indian film and theatre world and whose family has continued to entertain global audiences through cinema till date, came to India from Peshawar, which houses the famous Kapoor haveli.

It is there that the actor Prithviraj's son Raj Kapoor, who went on to become of India's youngest and most successful actor-director, was born.

In the same neighbourhood in Peshawar, another Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar, born Yusuf Khan, came into the world and spent his early years.

In his autobiography "Dilip Kumar - The Substance And The Shadow", the 92-year-old recounts: "We were living in undivided India at the time and there was a sizeable Hindu population and the menfolk as well as women mingled freely with Muslims in the market square, wishing each other and exchanging pleasantries ever so cheerfully.

"Aghaji (my father) had many Hindu friends, and one of them was Basheshwarnathji, who held an important job in the civil services. His elder son came to our house with him a few times and he stunned the ladies with his handsome appearances. That was Raj Kapoor's father Prithviraj Kapoor."

Film historian S.M.M. Ausaja says "the greatest of stars in Bollywood" have roots in what is now Pakistan.

"Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor are both Peshawari Pathans. Then, Dev Anand, who was born in a part of Gurdaspur now in Pakistan, studied at Lahore University. Rajesh Khanna's parents belonged to Burewala (of then Multan district) and Amitabh Bachchan's mother Teji Bachchan spent her early years at Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) and Lahore before marrying Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan," Ausaja told IANS.

"Shah Rukh Khan's paternal family also belongs to Peshawar. The Bollywood connect is too pronounced to be ignored," he said.

Bollywood arch villain Pran also started his career in the Lahore film industry before translocating to Bombay in wake of the Partition.

Past reports suggest that the homes of the three legends -- Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan -- are just apart by a few minutes on foot in Peshawar.

SRK's father Taj Mohammad Mir was born and brought up in Peshawar, and they had a business in Qissa Khwani Bazaar, which is still a major market in Peshawar, the latter's close associate Trilochan Singh had once told IANS.

Just about a year back, the superstar had shared fond memories of visiting Peshawar as a teenager with his father, and had said that he harbours a hope to take his three children to visit his family's hometown.

During a conference here, Pakistan's former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar had asked him about visiting her country and SRK responded: "I'd love to! My family is from Peshawar and few of them still live there. I would love to come to Peshawar and bring my children over because my father took me when I was 15 or 16.

"I still have some of the greatest memories of the time I spent with my father in Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore."

But once culturally rich city of Peshawar became a scene of shock and despair when a usual day at an army-run school turned gory with its floor and staircases strewn with the blood of innocent children, the walls left with bullet marks and the glass of the window panes broken -- much like the hopes of the several parents who lost their offspring in the massacre.

Hindi film celebrities outpoured their agony and disgust at the episode in the city, from where more names like Anil Kapoor's father and film producer Surinder Kapoor, Indian cinema's 'Venus' Madhubala, and Bollywood's 'Gabbar Singh' Amjad Khan, belong to.

Bollywood itself has had a lasting impact on the country.

"Indian films have a loyal following since the partition as most Hindi/Urdu films were made in India, specifically then Bombay. Lahore had a film industry too. Since most stars remained in Bombay, the fan following continued to thrive in Pakistan," veteran film writer-filmmaker-lyricist Amit Khanna, told IANS.

"Until recently, Pakistani films were terrible and illicit DVDs and TV channels ensured Bollywood popularity. For a few years now, about 25 Hindi films are released (there) every year. The market is growing and can fetch Rs.2 crore to Rs.3 crore for a big film," Khanna added.

Khanna, who worked closely with the legendary Dev Anand, told IANS that Dev Anand and his elder brother Chetan Anand studied in Government College, Lahore.

"Balraj Sahni, who hailed from Rawalpindi, and B.R. Chopra were also the alumni of the same college."

As Goa's political parties drum up the seasonal tempo over the ills of projecting Goa as a destination for electronic dance music (EDM) festivals, official documents have red-flagged several issues of concern vis-a-vis Sunburn, arguably Asia's biggest EDM festival.

A report submitted by Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Vijay Singh to the North Goa district collector last year suggests that the organisers of Sunburn had used minor children to conduct traffic duties during the three-day event, which sees over hundreds of thousands of music lovers in attendance.

In his report filed last December, Vijay Singh said: "The traffic marshals deployed were mostly minors and higher secondary students who were not mature enough to handle violent Sunburn participants who were mostly under the influence of alcohol." The comments were in reference to an earlier edition of the EDM festival in 2012.

Sunburn's promoters have officially refused to comment on the issue.

The report further says traffic management during the music festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of music lovers from across the country, was worst affected because "no traffic marshals were available on the road after sunset, thereby further worsening the situation".

Goa's EDM festivals in Goa have always stirred up political one-upmanship, with both the Congress and the BJP, during their stints as in the opposition, alleging drug use at such festivals.

But when in power, both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have accorded the necessary permissions to stage the events.

But it's not that the allegations of drug use at music festivals have never been substantiated.

In 2009, a 23-year-old Meha Bahuguna from Bengaluru died due to what police claim was "suspected drug overdose" while she was partying at the Sunburn festival.

Similar allegations made in 2012, forced then chief minister Manohar Parrikar to give a public assurance that the event would be stopped "if Sunburn is found playing loud music after 10 p.m. or if there is any consumption of drugs & hellip".

In fact, a report submitted in 2013 by a senior police officer to the authorities, while referring to Bahuguna's death, said: "This incident invited severe criticism about Sunburn festival in the press and the electronic media. The party atmosphere is fuelled not just by friends and music but also by drugs."

Such controversies had even forced Parrikar to make an official noting on a tourism ministry file: "Sunburn has been a big headache due to complaints of drugs/smoking/traffic jams and allegations of kickbacks/forced free tickets. Unless these issues are sorted out all such festivals need a re-look. May discuss for clarity."

Only last week, the Congress, in a charge-sheet, blamed the state government for promoting "casinos, EDM, drug trade and prostitution" in the name of tourism.

When contacted, Sunburn's promoters responded with "No comments" to a written questionnaire seeking their response on drug-use at the event site, use of minors for chores and other contentious logistical issues related to traffic, security and the like.

Designer Nidhi Munim has come to the rescue of women who shy away from wearing a swimsuit post motherhood.

She believes that women must not miss out on the fun just because they are a mother of a child. Munim has designed a range of swimsuits for mothers of all shapes and sizes.

Her collection includes exotic one-piece swimsuits, monokonis, tankinis and tube swimsuits in a variety of colours, patterns and prints.

“Swimsuits are usually perceived to be for someone of a small size or for model. I want to break this perception, and hence, as a brand we have taken an initiative to specially design a range for mothers who aspire to look equally modern and beautiful,” Munim said in a statement.

“They are specially designed in a way that it accentuates all the curves, and minimises the flaws in one's body. I'm sure all mothers will have a great time wearing it and sprucing up their vacations,” she added.

The collection starts at Rs.2,000.

Omung Kumar, who made a successful directorial debut in Bollywood with "Mary Kom" earlier this year, says he will turn producer with his next movie, which also a sports-based tale.

"I'm turning producer with my next film, which I won't be directing but only be producing.

"As a creative person, I want to encourage young talent and help them. I've almost locked my next film as a producer, but haven't signed the contract yet," Omung told IANS.

Elucidating on the project, he said: "The film that I'm producing is also a sports-based film. It's a medium budget film and I can't reveal more about it."

Meanwhile, Omung is happy that the Priyanka Chopra-starrer "Mary Kom", a biopic on boxer and five-time World Champion M.C. Mary Kom, was among the women-centric films that did well in 2014.

He believes that 2014 changed the dynamics of women- centric films at the Bollywood box office.

"We all thought that post 'Kahaani', things would change, but that didn't happen.

"But this year, with films like 'Mardaani', 'Queen' and 'Mary Kom', things have certainly changed for women-centric films," he added.

Actress Raima Sen, who plays an important role in "Ishq Kabhi Kariyo Na", based on extra marital affair, says it would be unwise to say such illicit love affairs don't exist in society.

Rana Bhatia has directed "Ishq Kabhi Kariyo Na", which also features Prateik Babbar, and the actress is confidant about the film connecting well with viewers.

"Audiences are ready to accept such subjects ... it also happens in reality. It would be stupid to say that extramarital affairs do not exist in our society," she said.

"I feel people will relate to the film and they should come and watch the film."

Raima, who has worked with actors like Sanjay Dutt and Rahul Bose, shares a good rapport with her co-star Prateik.

"I know Prateik personally. We are friends. He is a very good actor and we shared a good chemistry on-screen and it's really good working with Prateik."

Raima is playing a married woman, who is rich and madly in love with her husband and then Prateik's character enters her life.

She says what happens when Prateik enters her life is a mystery.

"It's a romantic thriller," added Raima.

Workshops, quizzes and over 200 films for children from 25 countries, in addition to India, will be the highlights at the fourth edition of Kolkata International Children's Film Festival beginning here Sunday.

As many as 180 films from India will be screened at the fest which concludes Dec 28, said a release attributed to Shishu Kishore Akademi, under the West Bengal government.

The 2013 Golden Lotus recipient, "Kaphal" (Wild Berries), is the inaugural film.

While its director Batul Mukhtiar will be the guest of honour at the inaugual ceremony at Nandan-I premises, five child artists of the film will open the festival.

The focus country is Iran.

There are 26 sections, including a special tribute to 75 years of Walt Disney animation films.

Children will also get to enjoy documentaries on sports and music personalities as well as a special screening of "Silent Heroes", an adventure of deaf and dumb youths.

Other attractions are films by Academy Award-winning Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, including "The Wind Rises".

On the sidelines, there will be an exhibition to commemorate 125 years of Charlie Chaplin.

This apart, three workshops on film appreciation, creation of sets, Asound of cinema will be a learning experience for children.

She is from Denmark and lives in the US, but it does not take much of an effort to get Anita Lerche to sing - 'bhajans' in Hindi, 'shabads' (hymns) in Punjabi, even popular Bollywood numbers and other international compositions - back-to-back - any time, anywhere. She says she might have been a "Punjabi kudi" (girl) in her previous life.

At ease performing in small towns and religious events in Punjab and elsewhere in India or recording in top studios in the US, she quipped "I might have been a Punjabi kudi in a different life."

Anita, who has released two albums of Punjabi songs - "Heer from Denmark" and "Sadke Punjab Ton" - said her first encounter with Punjabi music and songs in 2005 brought out her inner voice of "this is where I belong".

Born and raised in a small town, Herlev, on the outskirts of Copenhagen, Anita had come to India in 2005 with a group of Danish friends. While the group returned, she stayed back and was helped in her pursuit of Punjabi music by the Hoshiarpur-based family of businessman Anurag Sood.

"It was during a nine-hour journey from Kullu (in Himachal Pradesh) that I first heard Punjabi music and songs. I realised that this was the music that I was looking for. It touched my heart," Anita, who has sung in 16 different languages, told IANS here in an interview.

When she sang her first Punjabi song, she had already sung in 13 languages from different parts of the world.

"Before that, I did not even know about the word Punjabi. I had sung in 13 languages till then, but I never felt the same love that I felt for Punjabi music and songs," she said.

Anita says she will always remain indebted to her guru in India, Rattan Singh Rajput (who passed away last year), for teaching her the pronunciation and meaning of Punjabi words.

"I did not want to sing Punjabi songs without knowing their meaning, pronunciation and feeling them. He (Rajput) was a very good teacher who helped me learn a lot," she said.

"Punjab has become my second home (after Denmark). In the last nine-and-a-half years, I have lived in Punjab for almost five-six months every year," said Anita.

When she performs in Punjab and sings hymns, Anita makes it a point to cover her head with a 'chunni' (scarf). Being a foreigner, she becomes the star attraction at religious events where she sings bhajans. "I have been dressed in a red saree and put on a rath (chariot) at Ram Naumi shobha yatra processions," she said.

Be it "Saara jag teri santan, sabko sanmati de bhahgwan", "Tumhi ho mata pita tumhi ho" or the difficult "Heer" (by Waris Shah), Anita is at ease singing anything.

Based in Indianapolis with her husband Soren Hjorth, Anita recently gave a live performance on her latest peppy number "India " (which talks about the greatness of India), with dancers from the US gracefully performing a fusion of ballet and Indian dance forms.

Anita, who had a Punjabi-style wedding with her husband here last month, rendered another latest number, "Chandani" in her Indian wedding dress with her husband recording the video. Posted on social networking sites, the video has recorded nearly 900,000 hits.

The urban development ministry has sanctioned Rs. 500 crores for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), that aims to develop 12 heritage cities, and will be launched shortly, an official statement said Saturday.

"At least 85 percent of the total outlay will be earmarked for project formulation and execution while the remaining 15 percent shall be utilized for other critical components including capacity building, establishment of project management units and preparation of heritage management plan (HMP)," said the statement.

The heritage cities are Amritsar, Ajmer, Mathura, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Varanasi, Puri, Dwarka, Badami, Warrangal and Amrawati.

The decision was made during a national level city stakeholder consultation organised by the urban development ministry to finalize the guidelines for the HRIDAY scheme.

The consultation was presided over by Minister of Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu and his deputy Babul Supriyo.

"The future development of any city must take into consideration its nature, history, and culture, thus capturing its unique heritage," Naidu said during the conference.

He emphasised the four thrust areas for holistic development, namely, physical infrastructure, institutional infrastructure, economic infrastructure and social infrastructure and suggested that they should be included in the guidelines.

Babul Supriyo stressed the significance of developing and incorporating intangible heritage, such as performing arts, local cuisines and craftsmanship into every aspect of the cities' functioning.

The participants at the joint consultation included municipal commissioners, district magistrates and other representatives of the heritage cities.

Eminent filmmaker Subhash Ghai with Bharatiya Janata Party's Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay inaugurated the third edition of the Delhi International Film Festival at the NDMC Convention Centre here.

DIFF organiser Ramkishore Parcha and New Delhi Municipal Corporation chairman Jalaj Shrivastava were also present to flag off the festival, where 250 films from more over 45 countries will be screened at the same venue over eight days.

Ghai, whose contribution to the Hindi film world was lauded with a lifetime achievement award, spoke about how films affect society.

“Films can show the real face of our society and can emerge as solutions to the problems which we face, in a very entertaining manner. I appreciate and support this initiative for screening so many films at one platform from different countries," he said.

Parcha added that if “somebody wants to make any film in Delhi, they can take permission with single letter from NDMC".

Director duo Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi's critically acclaimed film "Zinda Bhaag" from Pakistan, starring Naseeruddin Shah, will be the closing film of the gala.

Other highlights of the festival will be "Infinite Justice", directed by Pakistani filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi, Bangladesh's "Glow of the Firefly" by Khalid Mahmood Mithu and Nepalese film "Talakgunj vs Tulke".

"I got fed up with everything inside there," said actor Praneet Bhat, who was Sunday evicted from the TV reality show “Bigg Boss 8” and describes his 13-week stay as a life-changing experience.

The 34-year-old often touted as the 'Shakuni' inside the house, a character that he played in mythological show "Mahabharat", was evicted after being nominated alongside Sonali Raut, Karishma Tanna and Upen Patel.

Asked about the reason behind his eviction, Praneet told IANS: “In the last few weeks all incidents that were happening inside the house, I had taken a step back from all that. I was fed up with everything inside there. But I'm happy that I was there for 13 weeks.”

He feels that the Bigg Boss is the main villain behind all the fights and complications inside the house.

“According to me, the villain is 'Bigg Boss'," he said.

"They created circumstances like shortage of food, sleepless night and many more due to which we fought with each other. What people suffer in a lifetime, I faced it in 13 weeks. Yet, I feel I have come out of the house as a better human being.”

However, he managed to be friends with Puneet Issar, Pritam Singh and Gautam Gulati. Together they went on to make a group titled 'P3G'.

Although it was alleged that they plotted and planned nominations, Praneet thinks otherwise.

“People have given it (P3G) a name, but what I feel is that we were genuine friends. We never thought of plotting and bitching about any other contestant. Puneet is a very emotional human being. It was just the format of the show that forced him to do what all he did inside there.

“I joined Bigg Boss as Praneet Bhatt not as 'Shakuni'. I got close to everyone inside the house. Pritam is my best friend. I don't feel anybody is fake inside the house. It was a lifetime experience for me and life-changing too,” Praneet said.

Praneet says that the best part about the show was that he got to meet Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is hosting the show.

“Being an actor I do whatever producers ask me to do. I joined 'Bigg Boss' as Praneet Bhatt not as 'Shakuni'.

“The show was a platform for me to meet Salman sir. I'm a huge fan of his, so it feels great that I have finally met him. It's like a dream come true.”

"Bigg Boss", which airs on Colors, draws a huge audience mainly for its controversies and acrimonious fights. Now eight contestants are fighting for the prize money.

Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer David Guetta does not need a magic wand or potion to enchant his fans -- his music does the trick. He got thousands grooving to his music at the Enchanted Valley Carnival at Aamby Valley, Lonavala.

Nestled at the base of a small hillock with lush greenery as the backdrop, the setting for the carnival at the Aamby Township made Guetta's performance at the second edition of the multi-genre music festival all the more mesmerising.

The festival started Friday with guests and attendees trickling down at the venue at relaxed pace, but when Guetta took to the stage Saturday, everyone was charged up.

Just like a wizard, Guetta first demonstrated a few steps and the audience repeated it as he belted out his famous tracks like "Titanium", "Shot me down" and "Love is gone".

Guetta also played new songs like "Dangerous" and his versions of hits like "Numb" from the band Linkin Park, Afrojack's "Ten feet tall" and Oasis'"Wonderwall".

"This is my second visit to the country and I am just loving it. I have came back after around two years and electronic dance music has grown so much, it is unbelievable," the French musician said during his performance.

Guetta's music was so infectious that it made everyone shake a leg to his beats and some fans even took their shirts off. Some shouted "We love you Guetta!" while others cheered till their voice became hoarse.

To boost the spirits of the audience, Guetta urged the crowd to "Give me some more" and the fans went into a frenzy.

If Guetta wowed the crowd, the Indian band Alien Chutney turned out to be a hit too.

Alien Chutney's band member and Bollywood actor-comedian-singer Vir Das rendered some silly songs, but they were different and relaxing as well. He also belted out some new numbers like "Ab ki baar".

Vir's music reminded the audience of their school days. He also played his popular track "Manboob" to an ebullient crowd.

Other performers of the day were DJ Anish Sood, Neev, band Madboy/Mink, and Dualist Inquiry, among others.

Camping, bonfire and barbecue -- the set-up at the fest was mystical. Even the stages were named in sync with the theme.

A party need not be all about loud music, and the fest's 'Silent party' reinforced this sentiment. 'Silent party', where headsets were distributed among the audience who could groove to their own set of tracks, definitely took the guests to a different zone.

Adding to the ambience, there was a tribal themed flea market. Due attention was given to food as well. From burgers, waffles to Italian cuisine to Indian rolls along with beverages, the food stalls had something to woo everyone's taste buds.

"Mary Kom" fame director Omung Kumar says he will start shooting his next film, based on World War II, by mid-October 2015.

Kumar told IANS: "It's a period film and I feel their stories haven't been told on screen. I will shoot in some real locations and also create a set. I will start shooting by mid-October."

The film, which will also touch upon emotions and love, is tentatively titled "War".

Kumar said it will be a multi-starrer film with one lead actor.

"I haven't locked anyone for the film yet. Talks are on. I need good actors for the film. I don't believe in A-listers and B-listers."

Director K.C. Bokadia is planning to remake his 1991 directorial venture "Phool Bane Angaray" with actress Mallika Sherawat. He says just like the original, the new version will also be women-centric.

"I made 'Phool Bane Angaray' with Rekha and again, I hope we are making it with Mallika Sherawat. It will be a completely heroine-oriented film," Bokadia told reporters at the trailer launch of his film "Dirty Politics" here Sunday.

In "Phool Bane Angaray", Rekha had teamed up with Rajinikanth. It was a box office hit.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha has been roped in as the brand ambassador for Relaxo Footwears Limited’s Flite range.

Sonakshi features in a TV commercial which is already on air.

“We could think of no one better than Sonakshi Sinha to be the face of Flite as she has become a style icon for today’s youth," Gaurav Dua, executive director, Relaxo Footwears Limited, said in a statement.

"Her style statement is very relaxed, funky yet chic and Flite perfectly complements that.

"We are happy to have Sonakshi on board to enhance our connect with the youth and masses,” he said about the “Rowdy Rathore" star, who recently made her Tamil debut with "Lingaa".

She will be soon seen in “Tevar”.

Actress Nimrat Kaur, who was last seen in the critically acclaimed film "The Lunchbox", is excited to share screen space with Akshay Kumar in "Airlift".

When asked about the film, Nimrat said: "I've signed a film called 'Airlift' opposite Akshay. It's a very good story and we will shoot in Abu Dhabi. It is based on a real life story and I am very excited to work in this film."

Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, "Airlift" is said to be based on the Indians who were stuck in Kuwait during the Gulf War.

The film is expected to go on floors in March or April next year.

Actress Nargis Fakhri, who loves travelling and clicking selfies, says the country is full of locations worth capturing.

On a recent trip to the capital, Nargis clicked her selfies with the Lodhi tomb in the backdrop as part of the Romancing India with Lumia 535 campaign. She was thrilled to be part of it as it brought together two of her passions -- travel and selfies.

"There is so much to capture across the country, from the historic India Gate and Taj Mahal to evergreen popular haunts such as Leopold café and Koshy's," Nargis said in a statement.

The campaign was announced by Microsoft Mobile Devices, inviting youths across the country to capture the essence of India. It aims at chronicling iconic landmarks and popular spots across the country through selfies and showcasing these to the world.

Nargis will post selfies from popular hangout spots and iconic sites and challenge her fans to post better selfies on Facebook and Twitter. Participants can, in turn, nominate and challenge their own friends to join 'Romancing India with Lumia 535'.

At the end of the campaign, the five selfies with the most shares on Facebook and/or re-tweets on Twitter stand a chance to win a new Lumia 535 and a goodie bag of accessories each. The best 100 selfies will be converted into a photo album on the Microsoft Lumia India Facebook page.

Participants can post their selfies on Facebook and/or Twitter with the hashtags#RomanceUrCity#Lumia535. These selfies can be shot with any smartphone camera.

They have success, they have a fan following, they have stardom and yet Bollywood actors are craving for more. The quest for more led some top-notch actors to film production in 2014 - for a variety of reasons.

If in the past, the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan turned to production business, 2014 saw more A-listers like Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha jumping on to the bandwagon.

Priyanka said that she took up the producer's role to "make small movies and introduce new talent", while for "Dabangg" fame actress Sonakshi Sinha, it's all about family.

For her maiden production venture "Madamji", Priyanka has teamed up with National Award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar.

Sonakshi said that acting is what she knows best and so, she would like to concentrate on "what I know well". But she knew that she would be directly or indirectly involved in film production because of the production house at her home called Shotgun Movies, but she had no immediate plans.

In October, her brother Kussh shared on Twitter: "Sonakshi, Luv and I are happy to announce the formation of our production company - Kratos Entertainment."

Anushka Sharma, on the other hand, started shooting for her maiden production venture "NH10" early this year. The action thriller, directed by Navdeep Singh, revolves round a road trip that goes awry.

While there is still time for their movies to see the light of day, "Dhadkan" star Shilpa Shetty’s first production venture "Dishkiyaaoon", an action-mystery, released in March 2014. It wasn't received well.

The actress said at the time that she always "thought that if ever I make a film it would be a comedy or a love story. But I loved the script of ‘Dishkiyaaoon’ so much that I wanted people to know the story".

Same was the case with Abhay Deol’s debut production "One By Two". It hit the screens early this year, but couldn’t impress moviegoers. But he doesn’t want to quit.

"Better equipped now", the actor wants to produce more films.

"Iqbal" fame actor Shreyas Talpade turned to production in 2008 with Marathi film "Sanai Chougade". He co-produced it with Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts. This year he went solo and produced Marathi film "Poshter Boyz", which struck gold at the box office.

Seeing the trend of actors taking interest in the business of filmmaking, Shreyas told IANS: "It’s about the need to tell a story in your own way. It’s one of the reasons why anyone would want to produce a film and it can be in any language."

Asked if he would like to team up with another actor-producer, he said: "I would be completely game. No harm in doing it".

And if one goes by the rise of actors trying their hand at film production, there will be many out there who want to join hands with the "Golmaal" star.

Former beauty queen Dia Mirza too turned producer in 2011 with "Love Breakups Zindagi", simply because she fell in love with the industry.

"Acting came my way at a very early age in my life. I grabbed the opportunity because it looked lucrative and exciting. But somewhere along the way, I realised how much I loved the craft of cinema and with every passing year my fascination for the craft and my desire to do more kept increasing," the 33-year-old told IANS.

"In early 2011, I decided that it was time for me to make cinema that I believed in, to convey stories that I felt I needed to tell, which is then I set out to make our first film ‘Love Breakups Zindagi’, which is a romantic-comedy," added Dia, who co-owns Born Free Entertainment with her husband Sahil Sangha.

When Saif Ali Khan joined hands with friend Dinesh Vijan to float Illuminati Films and produced "Love Aaj Kal" in 2009, he said that he decided to turn producer because he wanted to "own the work that is done" and that he wanted to be more "creatively involved in a project apart from just acting in it and take the responsibility".

Old players are welcoming the actors with open arms.

Tanuj Garg, CEO of Balaji Motion Pictures, which has produced films like "Shootout at Lokhandwala" and "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai", said that there’s no need to feel insecure.

"The trend shows that there is growth in the industry. There is space for everyone. In fact, we would even like to partner with actor-turned producers. If there is any actor with a good script, we can work with him," Garg told IANS.

In a nutshell, the reasons why actors turn to production:

* Love for the craft of cinema.

* Urge to tell stories in their own way irrespective of language.

* Promote new talent.

* Take ownership of their own work.

"Theory of Everything", a biopic on theoretical physicist professor Stephen Hawking, will hit Indian screens Feb 6, 2015.

Universal Pictures International India will release the Golden Globe nominated film across Indian theatres, said a statement.

Starring Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and Felicity Jones, the movie has received four Golden Globe nominations, including those for Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, and the Best Original Score - Motion Picture.

"The Theory of Everything" begins in the 1960s where Cambridge University student Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) falls in love with fellow collegian Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones).

At 21, Hawking learns that he has motor neuron disease. Despite this -- and with Jane at his side -- he begins an ambitious study of time, of which he has very little left, according to his doctor. He and Jane defy terrible odds and break new ground in the fields of medicine and science, achieving more than either could hope to imagine.

According to Redmayne, the Golden Globe nomination he received for the impeccable portrayal of Hawking did not come easy.

"It was the most challenging thing I've ever done," Redmayne said.

Actress Taapsee Pannu is planning to travel to Agra to do research work for her role in the upcoming movie “Agra Ka Daabra”.

She will be seen playing a young Muslim girl in the film, which also stars Ayushmann Khurrana.

“I was recently chatting up with a friend to whom I mentioned about 'Agra ka Daabra'. Interestingly, she happened to be originally from Agra. She was visiting her family and invited me to go with her to the city.

"I thought it would be a great opportunity to research and learn more about the place for my character in the movie,” Taapsee said in a statement.

Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the movie is expected to go on floors February 2015.

Actress Tina Desai is elated that her Hollywood project "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" has been chosen to be screened at a gala for Britain's Royal Family next year.

The entire cast, including Dev Patel and Tina Desai, will be in attendance at the London gala Feb 17.

"It is fantastic to know that the Royal Family liked the first part 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' enough to host the premiere of the sequel. I am deeply honoured and ecstatic, and looking forward to meeting them and hope that they like the sequel as much," Tina said in a statement.

"It showcases the big fat Indian wedding and Indian culture, and the stellar cast has thrown themselves into it with an exuberance that the audience will love," she added.

Directed by John Madden, "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" also features Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere and Lillete Dubey in important roles.