Popular stunt master Peter Hein, who was worked on high-budget southern films such as "Enthiran", "7 am Arivu" and "Kochadaiiyaan", has choreographed some amazing stunt scenes for upcoming Kannada action-drama "Ranna".

Starring Kiccha Sudeep, "Ranna" is the remake of Telugu blockbuster "Attarintiki Daaredhi".

"Although the original is predominantly a family drama, we've put focus on some high-octane action to give the film a commercial touch. Peter Hein has choreographed some heavy stunts featuring fighters from Vietnam and Indonesia," the film's director Nanda Kishore told IANS.

Kishore said they couldn't think of anyone else besides Hein for the stunts.

"All of us are familiar with Peter's work. Since we decided to have some amazing stunts, we didn't want to compromise on the output. We've also used local stunt masters as well for some scenes," he said.

Gearing up for release in February, the film also features Rachita Ram, Hariprriya and Madhoo in important roles.

Tamil superstar Vijay, who is currently busy shooting for Tamil fantasy drama "Puli", surprised an ailing ardent fan Archana by visiting her residence last week.

Archana suffers from speech impediment and has been restricted to a chair for the last five years due to a rare disease.

"When Vijay sir came to know about Archana and her wish to meet him, he immediately made arrangements to meet her. It was on Archana's birthday last Thursday (Jan 1) that he paid her a surprise visit. She was extremely happy to meet him," a source close to Vijay told IANS.

Vijay spent a few hours with Archana, and even clicked photographs with her and her family.

Actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is currently wrapping up work on his 98th Telugu film "Lion", is said to have finalised the script for his next project, which has been penned by successful writers Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan.

According to a source close to the actor, "Balakrishna is on the verge of choosing a director to helm his next project".

"Last week he okayed the script, which has been written by Kona Venkat and Gopi Mohan. The film will only go on floors after he completes 'Lion'. Meanwhile, he plans to zero in on a director to start the pre-production work," the source told IANS.

One of the reasons Balakrishna is working at breakneck speed is said to be his desire to complete his 100th film to concentrate on his political career with Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

"Lion", which is being directed debutant Satyadev, also features Trisha Krishnan and Radhika Apte in important roles.

Superstar Mohanlal appears to have pipped arch on-screen rival Mammootty as he figures in the UDF-led Congress government's wishlist of Padma Bhushan awardees, a top government source said Monday.

Mohanlal and one other person are included in the Padma Bhushan list that has been forwarded by the state government, the source told IANS.

Mammootty had received the Padma Shri in 1998 and Mohanlal in 2001.

A senior film actor who did not wish to be identified told IANS that while Mammootty has been 'branded' as he continues to be the chairman of the CPI-M backed Kairali TV channel Mohanlal is yet to obtain that tag.

"Mohanlal, does not fall into any 'political branding', even after the Congress did their best to woo him by making him a honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. But the Congress is still hoping against hope, that one day he will toe the party line," said the film actor.

The film actor goes on to add that, with his name being cleared by the state government, the ball is now in the court of BJP government at the centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The actor's close buddy and veteran film director Priyadarshan, all set to play a key role in the upcoming 'Janam TV' channel here has the backing of the RSS and the BJP, feels, if the superstar is 'placated', he can be roped in to promote their channel. In today's world it's mostly give and take," said the actor, who for obvious reasons did not wish to be identified.

On the other hand, superstar Suresh Gopi, who till recently kept away from being tagged made it clear that he has become a fan of Narendra Modi after he felt deeply wounded when Youth Congress activists, here, burnt his effigy.

"Even though no offer has come, I will certainly accept an offer if it comes from the BJP to join the government," said Gopi, who was personally invited by Modi to attend his swearing in and Gopi did attend it.

Umesh Shukla's "All Is Well" seems to be back on track. Veteran actress Supriya Pathak will soon start shooting for the movie, the director has said.

"Supriya Pathak is on board, and she will start shooting for the film soon," Shukla told IANS.

The movie had been left in the lurch when actress Smriti Irani, the union human resource development minister, decided to step out of the project after shooting for over half the movie, to devote her time full-fledgedly to her cabinet duties.

Now, Supriya has stepped in for the role of Abhishek Bachchan's onscreen mother.

However, Supriya said that while "it's an interesting role and talks are on, we have not signed the papers yet".

Smriti had reportedly shot for 30 to 40 per cent of the film. It will be reshot with Supriya.

The makers were earlier also in talks with Tanvi Azmi and Shefali Shah for the role, but things didn't materialise.

Now that all's well, the shoot of "All Is Well", which also stars Asin and Rishi Kapoor, will resume Jan 15.

Variety has been the key in the career of actress Deepika Padukone, who turned 29 Monday. The New Year will be no different with three movies as different as "Piku", "Tamasha" and "Bajirao Mastani" slated for release.

In Shoojit Sircar's "Piku", she will be seen teaming up with megastar Amitabh Bachchan. She will play his onscreen daughter in the movie which is said to be about the father-daughter relationship.

Then in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic period drama "Bajirao Mastani", Deepika will share screen space with her rumoured boyfriend Ranveer Singh.

This apart, she will also scorch the screen with her former beau Ranbir Kapoor in "Tamasha".

Deepika's film career started off with a bang in Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Om Shanti Om” in 2007.

She consolidated her spot among the top rung Hindi film actresses when she gave four back-to-back hits in 2013. In the year gone by too, Deepika continued to rule the hearts of many.

She came together with King Khan once again for musical heist drama “Happy New Year”, which had a bumper opening. The movie, which featured the actress as an enthusiastic dancer named Mohini, earned a record Rs.44.97 crore on the first day of its release.

Deepika also experimented with Homi Adajania's English language Bollywood entertainer "Finding Fanny", and she was also seen with megastar Rajinikanth in “Kochadaiyaan", touted as India's first motion capture photo-realistic 3D animated film.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday met Hollywood actor Richard Gere here.

"Mr. Richard Gere met Prime Minister @narendramodi," read a post from the @PMOIndia Twitter handle.

The 65-year-old star of films like "American Gigolo" and "Pretty Woman", is an ardent devotee of the Dalai Lama.

Noted singer S.P. Balasubramaniam Monday sang a song highlighting the importance of cleanliness as part of his efforts to promote the Swachh Bharat campaign.

Backing the 'clean India' campaign, Balasubramaniam sang a song in Telugu and offered to record it in other Indian languages.

Popularly known as S.P., he mesmerised the audience at a ceremony where Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu nominated 18 Telugu icons, including the singer, as ambassadors for Swachh Bharat in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

S.P. said he was elated to be nominated as ambassador, and said he would do justice to the responsibility entrusted to him.

He said lyricist V. Rajendra Prasad wrote the song, which highlights the importance of cleanliness.

Naidu said he would speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the song recorded in various languages.

Lyricist Suddala Ashok Teja, who was also nominated as ambassador, also sang a song to back the 'clean India' campaign.

Author Chetan Bhagat, who tried his hand at screenplay writing with Salman Khan-starrer "Kick", is all set to motivate and inspire people to be 'Fit for Life' through a fitness challenge.

The bestselling novelist has associated with fitness brand Reebok for the challenge, titled 'Reeboot 100', to undergo a physical transformation with the help of Reebok experts and trainers.

"The decision to take up a fitness challenge was difficult, but also exciting at the same time. Being a writer, my profession does not require me to be fit, or have a perfectly sculpted body and physique. However, fitness is beyond just that, and is about the complete wellness of mind and body," Bhagat said in a statement.

He believes that "embracing fitness as a part of our daily lifestyle can definitely make us feel and look better".

"In addition to achieving my fitness goal, the 'Reeboot 100’ challenge also aims to motivate people from all walks of life to lead a fit lifestyle,” he added.

'Reeboot 100' fitness challenge includes a range of fitness activities such as cardio training, functional movement training including running, crossfit and yoga.

Designed by Reebok master trainer Vinata Shetty, the workout plan also focuses on diet and nutrition to help Bhagat achieve his fitness goals despite his busy schedule and current lifestyle, in 100 days.

Apart from the challenge, Bhagat will also update his fans and fellow fitness enthusiasts with posts on his social media pages, and encourage citizens to join the fitness bandwagon.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's tradition of greeting his fans at his doorstep almost every Sunday morning has survived yet another year. The actor says now he has increased security to stop "mischief makers" from entering inside.

"The police contingent has been increased. Mischief makers too find their way inside and have been the cause of embarrassment to those that come, as also the cause for the loss of some of their personal belongings. So dear all, do be careful," the 72-year-old posted on his official blog srbachchan.tumblr.com Monday.

The actor, who lives with his family in a bungalow named Jalsa here, also pointed out how women and children in the crowd were brought inside his premises for their safety.

"Those in the front crushed by the pressure of those at the back, women and children, who often are brought into the premises to safety and calm. Mostly the little children that, overwhelmed by the scare of the crowds, cry out helplessly. They are looked after first.

"Brought in and assured that their parents and elders are fine and shall get to see them soon. Poor little ones. They are so oblivious to the situation. Really… the elders should not subject them to this torture but what can one say.

"They have come out for a Sunday breather on the beach at Juhu and this visit to Jalsa happens because it comes in the route of the evening," he added.

Meanwhile, the actor is all set for a bevy of upcoming films like "Piku", "Wazir" and "Shamitabh" in the New Year.

At 39, Preity Zinta is fit and glowing. She says it's easy to be healthy as long as one checks portions of food, drinks water and controls carbohydrate intake.

The actress took to Twitter to share that it was last year that she sat up and took notice of the fact that she suffered back ache due to a lack of Vitamin D.

“I then found out that most Indians have this deficiency,” she tweeted Monday.

Now she wants her Twitter followers to be fit too. Here’s what she shared:

* Eat smaller portions of food and at least six to seven small meals.

* Drink lots of water.

* Avoid too much starch and carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and rice. Go for whole wheat or whole grains and brown bread.

* Avoid fruit juices and eat a whole fruit instead. Fruit juices have too much sugar in them. Too much sugar and salt are terrible for you.

* Try exercising in the morning on an empty stomach. If you cannot do any exercise then at least go for a walk. Brisk walk is amazing for you.

* Eat whatever you want in one day so it's ur cheat day. This helps you to maintain your diet for the week.

* Be happy and smile a lot. Nothing can give you better health than being happy and appreciating all the things and people you have around you.

* Eat slowly and chew a lot. Also sit down and enjoy your meal. Eating fast means eating a lot with very little satisfaction.

* Try dancing to your favourite song five times in a row...If you can bounce up and down five times in a row your cardio for the day is done.

* Drink at least two glasses of water when you wake up and eat something within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Best thing for your body.

Actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das will tickle people's funny bone through Weirdass Pajama Festival 2015 here Feb 1.

The capital will see two acts “The Weirdass Tandoor of Suhel Seth” and “Vir Das and The American Invasion”, being staged for fun and entertainment at Siri Fort Auditorium on the same day.

For “The Weirdass Tandoor of Suhel Seth”, comedians will come together with Vir to take on the country’s 'most opinionated man', while “Vir Das and The American Invasion” will include artists from the US apart from Vir, said a statement.

Actors Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Manoj Bajpayee, stars of the forthcoming action thriller "Tevar", were Monday named brand ambassadors of NGO Prayas, which provides unprivileged children basic needs including food, shelter and education.

The “Tevar” cast also visited the Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre (JAC) Society to promote their film and they spent some time with the children, who looked anxious to meet and greet their favourite stars.

Commenting on her association with the NGO, Sonakshi said: “My father used to tell me what Prayas is about. Although I never got a chance to visit them earlier, now I have witnessed it myself and I'm really happy that there are such people who are working for a noble cause.”

Sonakshi's father Shatrughan Sinha is currently serving as the president of Prayas and has been associated with it for the last 20 years.

Manoj said: "I respect the effort that they are putting into the welfare of the young Indian generation. I would love to help them in any way."

During their visit, the trio strolled around the NGO campus and posed for the shutterbugs with the children.

Arjun, who donned a casual outfit for the event, looked happy throughout his visit and said since his profession takes up a lot of his time, he's hardly able to devote time to the country's social concerns. However, his experience at Prayas left him overwhelmed.

“All the people who are working with Prayas are the unsung heroes of India. Everybody should try to take some time out from their personal lives and spend it with these unprivileged ones, who need it desperately,” he said.

Talking about the trio's association with the NGO, Amod Kanth, general secretary of Prayas, said: “All of them share a good relationship with Prayas. Sonakshi is the daughter of this organisation. Manoj has been visiting our organisation since it was formed. As of Arjun, his uncle Anil Kapoor has also visited here. So all three of them know everything about us very well.”

“Tevar” will hit the theatres across India Jan 9.

Actor Ashish Chowdhry has named his twin daughters Salara and Sammah.

The 36-year-old, who became a father to twin girls Nov 3 last year, took to social media Tuesday to announce the names of the little ones.

"Yes, it's official..'Salara' n 'Sammah' are the latest Chowdhrys..Took a while coz I was not here..Even tho d names were always in my heart (sic)," Ashish tweeted.

The actor missed being with his twins as he was away shooting for “Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi” just a couple of weeks after they were born.

Ashish's first child with wife Samita is a son named Agastya.

In another tweet, the “Dhamaal” actor said that his son will be the protector to his sisters.

He wrote: “Lil' August played an active part in namin his baby sisters. Proudly says he's gonna b d protector of 'Sally & Sammy' as he calls em. #touché (sic)”

Actress Taapsee Pannu considers herself "lucky" to have been unanimously accepted in southern filmdom as well as Bollywood in a short span of four years since her cinematic debut in Telugu film "Jhummandi Naadam".

Currently, Taapsee has four films - two each in Hindi and Tamil - in her kitty.

"I just feel I've been wholeheartedly accepted in both the industries. Sometimes when you're popular in the south, Bollywood may not work out and vice versa. But I think I've been lucky," Taapsee told IANS.

She admits her Bollywood career took off quickly, but she "never expected it".

"I also never expected my first Tamil film 'Aadukalam' to win six National awards. Bollywood has responded as well as the south did when I debuted four years ago. Post my Tamil film debut, I was flooded with offers. I think the same fate is repeating with Bollywood," she said.

Taapsee made her Hindi debut with 2013 hit "Chashme Baddoor". She currently has "Baby" and "Agra Ka Daabra" in her kitty. In Tamil filmdom, she's awaiting the release of "Vai Raja Vai" and "Muni 3".

The actress was busy working on four projects in 2014, but she didn't even manage to have a single release.

"The release of a film lies in the hands of a producer," she said, adding that the work she did last year was "creatively satisfying".

"I may not have had a release in 2014, but it was an eventful year because of the kind of work that was offered to me. That's precisely why I didn't worry too much about the release of these films because I knew I had the best in hand. I also learnt that you need a lot of perseverance and patience in this profession," she added.

For Neeraj Pandey-directed "Baby", Taapsee underwent special training in the Krav Maga Israeli form of martial arts, while for "Agra Ka Daabra", she plans to visit Uttar Pradesh to research her character.

With such diverse roles in her Hindi films, Taapsee agrees Bollywood has offered her meatier characters.

"Since I know Hindi, I've realised how easy and interesting it is to work in Bollywood. Not knowing the language becomes a bigger challenge and that's what I face in the south. This is one of the limitations why we (Hindi film actresses) don't get interesting characters there. But all that is slowly changing. The roles I play in 'Vai Raja Vai' and 'Muni 3' are proof to it," she said.

Although she plays a brief role in "Vai Raja Vai", it has shades of grey, quite contrary to the bubbly roles she's played so far.

"Muni 3" took a toll on Taapsee, "physically as well as mentally".

"To spend nearly two years of my life on this project itself was very challenging. The role I play in the film required a lot of physical strength. And it doesn't necessarily have to be action, but the conditions we shot in and everything I had to do for this character," she said.

"I've done a lot of underwater sequences. During peak summer time, I was dragged along the sand and we shot under very strenuous conditions," she added.

But it's "Baby" that Taapsee is really excited about for it has given her an opportunity "to step into the shoes of a man".

"It's a privilege for female actors to perform stunts in a male-dominated industry, and to be doing it in a full-length action film is very special. I consider myself as one of the 'guys' in 'Baby'.

"This role made me do all that's expected out of a hero. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to be part of this project because it's not going to sideline me as a heroine," she said.

Acclaimed lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, who along with noted writer Salim Khan penned stories like "Zanjeer", "Sholay" and "Deewar", has said that he is planning to pen down "some good scripts" this year.

"I would like to write some good scripts again, hopefully this year," Javed said here Monday at a book launch.

"Besides, there is lot more I want to do...more poetry, more lyrics, better poetry, better lyrics, better scripts...there is so much to do," he added.

Javed's last screenplay writer was for son Farhan Akhtar's 2006 directorial "Don: The Chase Begins Again". It was a remake of 1978 film "Don", the screenplay of which was written by the indomitable Salim-Javed duo.

The 69-year-old, who clocked 50 years in Hindi cinema last year, feels there is much to achieve and feels "50 years don't mean that I have achieved everything".

"There is so much to do in life," he said.

Further, he lauded the kind of work today's filmmakers are doing.

"When I see the work of other people (filmmakers, writers) and how wonderfully they are doing...for example 'PK'...the kind of scripts they are writing, I get very impressed and inspired," the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee said.

Artistes from Braj region are looking forward to the Jan 9 release of Bollywood film "Tevar", shot extensively in Gokul, Mathura, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra.

More than a dozen local artistes have got the opportunity to play bit roles in the movie, which features popular Hindi film actors Sonakshi Sinha, Arjun Kapoor and Manoj Bajpayee.

Lucky Tomar of Mathura plays a sidekick of Manoj, who plays a villain in the movie. Other artistes are Thakur Durg Singh, Vishnu Choudhary and Ashok Yadav.

Agra's Deepak Sharma has also essayed a small role in the movie directed by Amit Sharma and produced by Boney and Sanjay Kapoor.

Bollywood bigwigs like Naseeruddin Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Waheeda Rehman and Javed Akhtar will be present at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival that will begin here Jan 21, said the organisers.

These luminaries will gather to discuss the processes and challenges involved in adapting books into cinemas, the organisers said.

There are several instances of Bollywood finding inspiration in the literary world and some of the finest examples in this regard are yesteryear's movies like Satyajit Ray's "Pather Panchali" and Dev Anand's "Guide".

This tradition can be seen continuing in contemporary Indian cinema also with Bhardwaj's "Haider", adapted from "Hamlet", and "Omkaraa", adapted from "Othello", Deepa Mehta's film "Midnight's Children" based on Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name and "Three Idiots" -- based on Chetan Bhagat's "Five Point Someone".

The five-day literary festival will also host playwright and actor Girish Karnad, writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, film critic Anupama Chopra and actress Shabana Azmi, who will discuss poetry, poems, films and autobiographies in detail.

Bhardwaj will elaborate on his film "Haider" which highlighted the recent political history of the conflicted Kashmir valley in the context of Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet". He will be discussing it with journalist, author and scriptwriter Basharat Peer and theatre director Tim Supple.

Naseeruddin Shah will be discussing his autobiography, "And Then One Day," with Karnad. Waheeda Rehman will be in conversation with her biographer and film historian Nasreen Munni Kabir and writer and mythologist Arshia Sattar.

Along with the discussion on Rehman's landmark films and roles, the veteran actor will also share her views on the changing face of Indian cinema.

Prasoon Joshi, along with poet and musicologist Yatindra Mishra, will discuss the Indian traditions of popular poetry, music, screenplays, advertising, Bollywood and the secret life of words.

Amitabh Bachchan has many followers around the globe but it was a moment of pride for the megastar when he got the chance to hear Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi during the annual day celebration of ICICI bank, the organisation that is endorsed by the Bollywood megastar.

The bank has clocked 60 years of existence, and on the occasion Big B alongwith Satyarthi and K.V. Kamath, former managing director of the bank, were part of a panel discussion on the topic “Quest for Leadership”. The discussion was part of the annual day celebrations.

Big B shared his views on being a part of the discussion, on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

The 72-year-old was glad to share the stage with social activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Satyarthi who fought against child labour.

"(I) was given the privilege to be on the panel of a discussion on the ‘Quest for Leadership’…me! Leadership? I was the wrong person especially when you have the Nobel Prize winner this year for the Peace prize, Shri Kailash Satyarthi, who fought against child labour, their sale and their degradation, on the same board along with the past managing director of the Bank, Mr. Kamath.

“But quite obviously the icing was listening to the Nobel winner Shri Kailash Satyarthi and his views and impressions on the work he does for children who get sold in various societies to do labour in factories, in menial jobs and frighteningly, as child armies given guns and weapons to fight, not necessarily for the right cause.”

The Nobel prizes are presented every year Dec 10, the death anniversary of Alfred Nobel, and Satyarthi shared the prize with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.

Satyarthi has worked for child rights for over 30 years through the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO which is credited with freeing over 80,000 children from bonded labour across India.

Popular TV actor Gurmeet Choudhary, who is making his big screen debut with erotic supernatural thriller "Khamoshiyan", says he is lucky that he is being launched by Vishesh Films.

"Khamoshiyan", which also marks the debut of actress Sapna Pabbi, is being produced by Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt under their Vishesh Films banner.

"It's a big thing to be launched under this banner (Vishesh Films). I've been a fan of this banner. When I was working for TV, people kept on saying, 'Gurmeet, if you would do a film then you have to do it with Vishesh Films'," Gurmeet said at the launch of the film's song "Bheeg Lun" in Mumbai, Monday.

"I'm lucky that I am doing my first film with Vishesh Films," he added.

The film is slated to release Jan 30, and also stars Ali Fazal in an important role.