The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday announced that Aamir Khan's movie "PK" will be exempted from tax, as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said it was a "very nice" film.

Yadav announced the government's decision before the media at his official residence, and said he watched the film Tuesday night.

He said the film "was a very nice one" and urged the media persons to go and watch it.

Yadav criticised people and organisations for protesting against the film, saying they were doing it without any valid reason.

He said the protesters would also laud the film's story after they watch it.

"I regret not watching the film earlier as I was busy with other engagements," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at Yadav, and said he was trying to incite certain groups by his announcement.

"Any government should try and douse protests. Here, the chief minister himself is becoming a party to the controversy," BJP state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak told IANS.

He said that when some Hindu groups were opposing the film for hurting Hindu sentiments, the chief minister should have avoided the decision.

Some groups Wednesday protested against the tax free status to "PK" in Lucknow, Rae Bareli and Kanpur.

Actress Ayesha TakiaÂ’s sister-in-law Rushda Azmi Shaikh has ventured into restaurant business.

It seems AyeshaÂ’s husband Farhan Azmi, who successfully manages popular restaurants like Koyla, Chai Coffi and Cafe Basilico, is not the only one in the family with hospitality expertise.

Her sister-in-law opened a cafe-cum-patisserie called Sugar Rush here Tuesday and the outlet is said to be perfect for every coffee and dessert lover.

Rushda said in a statement: “My love for desserts and bakery originated from our in-house bakery - Bakers Vault and I always wanted to start something of my own.”

“It would not have been possible without my brother Farhan,” she added.

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan, who paid tributes to his late mentor and veteran K. Balachander Wednesday, said the auteur donated talent to Tamil filmdom and that nobody can equal him.

Haasan missed bidding adieu to Balachander, who passed away last week. He was busy with the post-production of upcoming Tamil film "Uttama Villain" at the time of his guru's demise.

"Balachander donated talent to Tamil film industry. It's because of him several actors including myself are successful today. No other filmmaker is equal to him," Kamal told reporters here after meeting the family of Balachander.

Balachander was known for introducing nearly 60 actors, including popular stars such as Rajinikanth, Prakash Raj, Jayaprada, Saritha and Sujatha.A

Even as protests continued over Aamir Khan's film "PK", Hindu groups Wednesday urged the censor board not to clear upcoming Telugu movie "Gopala Gopala" saying it also hurts religious sentiments of Hindus.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) have urged the Central Board of Film Certification not to clear the film which had "objectionable" scenes.

In a representation to the CBFC regional director, the groups said some scenes from a teaser of the film were objectionable. They said Hindu gods and goddesses were shown in an inappropriate manner.

"Gopala Gopala" is the remake of Bollywood hit "Oh My God". Produced by Suresh Babu, the Telugu version stars actors Pawan Kalyan and Venkatesh.

BGUS secretary R. Shashidhar told IANS they sought action before the release of the movie as any protest after its release may not yield any result.

"It has become a habit of some filmmakers to hurt religious sentiments to get some publicity for their movies," he said.

Former Bihar chief minster Nitish Kumar Wednesday gave "full 10 marks out of 10" to Aamir Khan's film "PK", saying it is not only entertaining but also creates awareness.

"Aamir Khan's 'PK' deserves full 10 marks because it is giving a positive message to the society," the Janata-Dal United leader told the media here.

Criticising those opposing and protesting "PK", Nitish Kumar said the film was already a hit across the country and was helping people gain knowledge.

Asked about the countrywide protest against 'PK' by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, he said: "All those opposing 'PK' are hypocrites."

An aide to yoga guru Ramdev says there is nothing wrong with Aamir Khan-starrer "PK" and that it only exposes those who misuse religion.

Ved Pratap Vaidik told IANS that he was amazed at the kind of people denouncing the movie. He said Ramdev might revise his critical views if he sees the Bollywood hit.

"Whatever Ramdev was told by people, on that basis he issued a statement (critical of the movie). But now perhaps he will see the film and form his own opinion," Vaidik said.

"The film is against hypocrites, against fraudulent people, against those who in the name of god or in the name of religion are setting up their own 'dhanda' (business).

"I was amazed why people are protesting against this film.

"The film should be watched before opposing it. (Critics) will stop opposing it if they watch it. The people are opposing the film because of a misunderstanding, there is no other reason," Vaidik said.

"PK" portrays Aamir Khan as an alien who is fascinated by India. The film released Dec 19 and also stars Anushka Sharma, Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani and Sushant Singh Rajput.

Vaidik said filmmakers should not fear such protests.

Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who is currently vacationing in Goa, is likely to be paired with Ram Charan in his yet-untitled Telugu movie with filmmaker Srinu Vaitla.

"Samantha has been finalised for the project. The paperwork would be completed very soon. The plan is to go on floors from second week of January," a source from the filma¿s unit told IANS.

If confirmed, Samantha will be pairing up for the first time with Ram Charan.

Meanwhile, Srinu Vaitla is also on the lookout for a second heroine.

"He has plans to pick a second heroine. He will take a call on it soon," the source added.

Theatrical trailers of Tamil films "Aambala" and "Yennai Arindhaal", which are scheduled for release during the festive occasion of Pongal, were unveiled online Thursday on vido-sharing site Youtube on the occasion of New Year.

Of the two trailers, Ajith Kumar-starrer "Yennai Arindhaal", an actioner, received overwhelming response with over three lakhs views in just a few hours.

Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, the film also features Trisha Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Arun Vijay in important roles.

Ajith and Gautham have teamed for the first time in "Yennai Arindhaal", which has cinematography by Dan MacArthur.

Vishal Krishna Reddy-starrer "Aambala" trailer received over 70,000 views so far.

An out-and-out commercial entertainer, the film features Vishal as a policeman. He has teamed up with director Sundar C for the second time after "Madha Gaja Rajaa.

Hansika Motwani, Ramya Krishnan, Kiran Rathod, Vaibhav Reddy and Madhuurima also play important roles in the film.

Southern actress Hansika Motwani, who was on a career high with four hits last year, hopes to continue her success streak in 2015 as well while remaining as busy as she was in 2014.

"(It) was a fulfilling year with the success of films such as 'Maan Karate', 'Power', 'Aranmanai' and 'Meaghamann'. I just hope to keep myself busier in 2015 and continue to be as successful as I was last year," Hansika said in a statement.

"I need to thank my director, producers, and artists as well crew members of all my projects. Without their support, I wouldn't have had all this. Finally, my heartiest thanks to my fans as well for continuing to support me," she added.

This year, Hansika already has films such as "Vaalu", "Romeo Juliet", "Aambala", "Vijay 58" and "Vettai Mannan" queued up for release.

She's also expected to be doing a couple of Telugu projects this year.

Aamir Khan's movie "PK" will be exempted from tax in Bihar so that the poor can watch the film that exposes the fraud taking place in the name of religion, Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi announced Thursday.

Bihar became the second state after neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to take this step, ignoring continued protests by right-wing Hindu organisations that claim the movie hurt religious sentiments of Hindus.

Manjhi said the government took the decision after former chief minister Nitish Kumar advised it.

"Our leader Nitish Kumar advised us to exempt 'PK' from tax. We have decided to make it tax free to ensure that the poorest of the poor can watch the film that exposes the superstition and fraud taking place in the name of religion," Manjhi told the media at his official residence here.

Manjhi also expressed his desire to watch "PK".

"I would love to watch 'PK' after Nitish Kumar watched it Wednesday and praised the film," he said.

Manjhi also termed "PK" a "must watch film".

"It should be watched by all, particularly the poor and illiterate who have been victims of blind faith, superstition and fraud by so-called godmen in the name of religion," he said.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar gave "full 10 marks out of 10" to Aamir Khan's film, saying it was not only entertaining but also created awareness.

"Aamir Khan's 'PK' deserves full 10 marks because it is giving a positive message to the society," the Janata-Dal United leader told the media here.

Criticising those opposing "PK", Nitish Kumar said the film was already a hit across the country and was helping people gain knowledge.

"All those opposing 'PK' are hypocrites," he said.

From Sonakshi Sinha, Akshay Kumar to Anupam Kher, Bollywood celebrities have reached out to fans via the online medium to wish them happy New Year.

With someone urging for a "super-hit year" to someone asking people to smile more, here's what they tweeted:

Lata Mangeshkar: Greetings. Wish you all a very happy New Year. I hope the year brings in a lot of happiness. Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year. God bless u all.

Ranveer Singh: Happy new year, everyone! May your year be blessed with happiness and fulfillment. Peace, love & joy <3

Akshay Kumar: Happy new year everyone! Hope you are ready to challenge this new year with new goals. Wishing you a year full of love, peace and prosperity

Sonakshi Sinha: Happy new year you guys! Thank you for believing in me, standing by me and for all the love. This 2015 hoping to give u back lots more

Anushka Sharma: Happy new year everyone !! Thank you for being part of an amazing year ! Have the best year. Stay happy. Be nice . Smile more...

Arjun Rampal: Happy New Year...2015 is gonna be a super year for all. This is my prediction. Love and Luck to all.

Anupam Kher: Happy New Year. May all your dreams come true. Love, Peace & Happiness Always.:) #2015

Shekhar Kapur: Let 2015 be the year of Screaming. Scream for justice for all. Scream for equality for all. Scream for protection of women. Scream for good

Sanjay Gupta: HAPPY NEW YEAR. Mine just took off to a great start. It rained here in Goa. Lovely nippy morning.

Aditi Rao Hydari: It's going to be a happy new year, I can feel it! So 2015 pl be kind,warm,loving,generous,gentle and joyous.Love you#Maska PositiveProjection

Sunidhi Chauhan: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY LOVELY PEOPLE!!!!! Have a SUPERHIT one!!

Hindutva groups in Agra continued their protest against the Aamir Khan starrer movie "PK".

Activists of the Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch and Vishwa Hindu Parishad held demonstrations at several places, burnt posters of the film and shouted slogans.

Dharmendra Gola, Madan Sharma, Avinash Rana and other activists questioned the logic behind giving the film tax exemption in Uttar Pradesh.

They criticized Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for insulting the sentiments of the Hindus by making the film tax free in the state.

Bajrang Dal leader Premendra Jain said tax exemption to "PK" should be immediately withdrawn.

Leaders of the Samajwadi Party and social activists have welcomed the tax exemption to "PK". Subhash Jain, former corporator, Usha Jain and other SP activists said it was a bold move and the message of the film would get across loud and clear.

Telugu actor-politician Pawan Kalyan joined social networking site Twitter Thursday on the occasion of New Year.A

"Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Peace and Good Health," he tweeted.

Brother of actor Chiranjeevi, and one of the stars of Telugu cinema, Pawan Kalyan founded the Jana Sena party last year.

He is currently awaiting the release of his Telugu film "Gopala Gopala", a remake of Hindi hit "OMG: Oh My God".

Yuvan Shankar Raja aka Abdul Haliq, son of music maestro Illayaraja, Friday got married -- for a third time. He tied the knot with Malaysia-based designer Jaffrunnisha, said a family source.

The wedding took place amid close friends and relatives of the bride at a resort in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu. "It was a low key affair and no one from the film industry was present," the source told IANS.

The twice separated Yuvan, who has over 100 albums to his credit, has composed music for Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films.

Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who spent New Year's Day in Agra visiting the Taj Mahal and meeting his family friends, says greed and a penchant to make quick money are the guiding principles of filmmaking nowadays.

He said that his "films like "Vidhaata", "Ram Lakhan" or "Karz" were not only entertaining and artistically crafted with catchy music but also conveyed messages.

"They were Indian. Today the commercial concerns and the overall approach to filmmaking had changed", he said in a media interaction.

On the recent controversy related to Aamir Khan-starrer "PK", he said "tax exemption should have come right in the beginning. Now there was a political angle to this move".

The film has been exempted from entertainment tax in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and this added fuel to the fire. Activists of the Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch and Vishwa Hindu Parishad held demonstrations at several places, burnt posters of the film and shouted slogans to stop the screening of the film as they feel it hurst the sentiments of Hindus.

Ghai also had some suggestions for movie industry.

"There is a need to make films on Prem Chand's literary heritage. (Also) acting could be introduced as a course in universities," he suggested.

Ghai's films like "Pardesh" and "Vidhaata" have been extensively shot in Agra and now it is said that sequel to his 1989 released film "Ram Lakhan" could be shot in Agra.

The Delhi High Court has barred a lounge bar in the national capital from playing recorded music without first obtaining a license from a body formed to protect the rights of artistes, an order that has been welcomed by a clutch of eminent playback singers.

"The law has been in force since 2012 but people felt it is not yet operative. The enforcement of the law is important and that is what we have now obtained from the court," Sanjay Tandon, who heads the Indian Singers' Rights Association (ISRA), told IANS of the ruling earlier this week against the Night Fever Club & Lounge.

"We would, thus appeal to all users to now obtain an ISRA License and respect the contribution of the singers," Tandon added of the association's first legal victory after the Copyright Act was amended in 2012.

Under the Act, singers are now entitled to royalties if their works are played for commercial purposes. In line with this, ISRA has served notice on leading radio stations, TV channels and mobile networks, among others, asking them to obtain its license.

Quite naturally, the music fraternity is happy.

"I am glad that finally an important issue has taken shape and all singers will finally get their dues," singing legand Lata Mangeshkar said.

"We were fighting for our royalties and I am happy that ISRA has progressed in this direction," ghazal guru Pankaj Udhas said.

"I am sure many singers will now be able to run their houses with these royalties," the multifaceted Sonu Nigam said.

The association was formed as a not-for-profit campnay on May 3, 2013 thanks to the effort of veterans like Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar, Gurdaas Mann, Pankaj Udhas, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, and Sonu Nigam, with support from Asha Bhosle, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mahalaxmi Iyer and many others.

The association today controls 95 percent of the rights of performers and counts among its members the Who's Who of singers from the four corners of the country. It is also affiliated to similar societies overseas.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will launch the trailer of Bollywood romantic comedy "Thoda Lutf, Thoda Ishq" Jan 8, 2015.

The movie’s cast including Hiten Tejwani and Raajpal Yadav, along with the film’s director Sachin Gupta will be present at the launch, which will take place during the ongoing annual Saifai Mahotsav.

About 90 percent of the film has been shot in Uttar Pradesh’s cities including Etawah, Noida and Meerut.

The story revolves around two Delhi men who are depicted as best examples of fools who are good for nothing.

"The shooting of the film is expected to be completed January and is slated to be released in February 2015,” Gupta, who has also produced the film, said in a statement.

With Aamir Khan-starrer "PK" facing protests from Hindu rightwing groups alleging that it defames Hindu religion, a religious leader Friday said one must first examine the context of the film before making accusations

"We must be very sensitive anyway in a right way, first of all, to not give any cause for such a controversy.

"Secondly, we must understand the context... maybe it wasn't an insult at all. In what context those words were used... these must be clarified," Archbishop of Calcutta Thomas D'Souza told IANS here but added he has not himself watched the film yet.

Producers, directors and actors as well as movie buffs were unanimous that the Hindi film no way hurt Hindu interests and that the protests were unacceptable as it had cleared the censors.

But the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) reiterated its demand that the film, one of the biggest hits from Bollywood, be banned or at least what it said were the offending parts be deleted immediately.

D'Souza was attending the "Sab Dharm Sammelan" at the Muslim Institute here where representatives of all major religions gathered to discuss the formation of a "Religion Parliament" that would deal with religious matters and controversies.

Quizzed on the debate surrounding "PK", Shamim Ahmed, national president (India) and international convener, Human Rights Protection Association said religious leaders could watch the movie and decide for themselves.

"Let the religious leaders watch it and if they feel it is wrong then there should be prohibitions and if it is all right then it should be allowed to run," said Ahmed.

Ahmed said controversies like 'ghar wapsi' should be ignored.

"We are not giving it any importance. Isko uchaalne ki zarurat nahi hai (there is no need to discuss it)... those who feel they are Hindus or Muslims in their heart will follow that religion," he said.

Leaders of Nepal's two largest communist parties watched Aamir Khan's movie "PK" here as part of efforts to mend ties within the Left camp.

The event took place in a theatre ahead of the Jan 22 deadline to draft the country's new constitution, it was reported Sunday.

Those who watched the film, which has sparked controversy in India, included CPN-UML's vice chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal as well as Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'.

The event was kept low key. The reports said that before heading to view "PK", the three leaders had a breakfast meeting. Gautam bought tickets for the Bollywood movie.

Earlier, former prime minister and Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai also watched the film, one of the biggest hits from Bollywood.

The New Delhi-educated Bhattarai then said: "'PK' is a successful movie in terms of striking at social evils like superstition, hypocrisy and exploitation.

"It promotes social justice. It comes with a lot of message," he said.

The bonding over "PK" is being seen here as significant as the CPN-Maoist led by Prachanda and the CPN-UML have different stands on state restructuring.

Relations between the two parties - and personal ties between their top leaders - hit a new low over the constitution drafting process.

Well-known Telugu playwright and dialogue writer Ganesh Patro passed away Monday at a private hospital here, actor-politician Chiranjeevi said. He was 69.

Patro, who wrote dialogues for Chiranjeevi's acclaimed film "Rudraveena", passed away while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Mourning his loss, Chiranjeevi told reporters: "It's extremely sad that we've lost another member of our industry to cancer. Ganesh Patro was a prolific writer and his dialogues for my film 'Rudraveena' will stay in my memory forever."

Born in 1945, Patro started his career as a playwright. He debuted as a writer in 1976 Telugu drama "Athavarillu".

Known for his long association with late filmmaker K. Balachander, he wrote dialogues for some of the auteur's best films such as "Marocharitra", "Idhi Katha Kadu" and "Rudraveena".

Patro also penned dialogues for over 20 Telugu films of filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna.

The prolific writer has over 50 films to his credit, his last being 2013 Telugu drama "Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu".