The South Indian Film Artistes' Association (SIFAA) aka Nadigar Sangam said Friday it was "unfair" for the distributors of "Lingaa" to hold superstar Rajinikanth responsible for the film's losses, instead of the producers.

A group of distributors who have decided to go on fast demanding compensation for the losses incurred in Rajinikanth-starrer "Lingaa", clarified Thursday they're doing so to get the attention of the superstar.

"The success of any film lies in the hands of the audience. Just like every other business, loss and gain is also part of film business. 'Lingaa' was one of the highly anticipated films and was expected to do well. But it's unfair to approach the hero of the film for losses," read a statement from SIFAA.

"It's advised to approach the producers for compensation or try and make some adjustments keeping in mind their next project. A hero too witnesses success and failure in his career. We request the distributors to settle the matter with the producers," the statement added.

Most distributors claimed to have suffered losses up to 70 percent on their investment.

Directed by K.S. Ravikumar, "Lingaa" released on Rajinikanth's birthday Dec 12, 2014. It also features Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka Shetty in lead roles.

Most distributors claimed to have suffered heavy losses since they had paid high prices for the film.

Sapna Pabbi, who is making her Bollywood debut with Vishesh Films’s “Khamoshiyan”, will host a midnight chatting session with only men as a promotional plan for the Karan Darra directorial.

As a precautionary measure, the questions will be filtered by the makers so that they don't become obscene.

"It's going to be a chat only for men. This promotion goes with the theme of the film. Sapna plays a mysterious seductress who captures the soul of men, and by putting her on the phone on a midnight chat with men, will get very interesting,” Darra said in a statement.

“We are looking at doing it through radio. Imagine the kind of conversation we will have -- it will be fun, bold and flirtatious without crossing the lines of decency or morality. We are all very excited about this,” he added.

The film, which also stars Gurmeet Choudhary and Ali Fazal, will release Jan 30.

Saqib Saleem has always dreamed of being a cricketer, from his childhood. As a student of Hindu College, in New Delhi, Saqib used to play state level cricket. Fate took a different turn and he became an actor.

So when he got a chance to play for a CCL match before an audience of 40,000 people, he grabbed it enthusiastically! Says Saqib, "I always wanted to play cricket for a living but life took its course and I became an actor. Through CCL I got that opportunity to play in front of thousands of people. I am super kicked about it!! Cant wait to get on the field!! I am living my dream".

Saqib is a part of 'Mumbai Heroes' and is often cheered by sister Huma Querishi at these matches.

Saqib was last seen in Hawaa Hawaai, which released in May last year.

After Farhan Akhtar's 41st birthday, the family is now looking forward to his father Javed Akhtar's grand 70th birthday celebrations Jan 17. Farhan says they've planned a get-together for friends and family.

"We're calling all of my father's friends and colleagues for lunch at the farmhouse in Lonavala," said Farhan.

The actor-filmmaker-singer-activist himself turned a year older Friday. He celebrated it with choreographer-filmmaker Farah Khan, whose birthday falls on the same day.

"She is my cousin, and a very dear friend. This time it was a very special birthday for Farah since she turned 50. Farah had a big party where she invited all her friends from the film industry. I guess that includes my friends as well."

Since Farhan also cut a cake at Farah's party and met all his friends, he felt there was no need for another birthday party.

"I just spent a quiet day on my birthday with my wife and daughters. I think that is a very important part of the celebratory spirit. To spend quality time with the ones who really matter," said Farhan.

Looking back on the year gone by, Farhan said: "There was a lot to do. Whether it was my music, or my two acting assignments -- my sister Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadkane Do' and Bejoy Nambiar's 'Wazir' -- or my work with my social campaign MARD, the plate was full. But I feel there is so much more to do."

Actor Siddharth Shukla, who made a positive movie debut with "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", is bidding goodbye to his ongoing serial "Balika Vadhu". But he says he isn't quiiting television altogether to pursue a film career.

Talking about his exit from the long-running show, he said: "I'm not (really) quitting the serial. My character Shiv has had his innings in the script. I therefore have no choice but to follow him out of the serial.

"But it's certainly not as if I am abandoning the show to do films. I've always shown the highest regard for the television medium. Even when I was doing Karan Johar's film, I continued to shoot for 'Balika Vadhu' .So there is no question of my abandoning the serial."

Siddharth has also slammed rumours that the channel Colors sacked him after the run-in that he had with the law for drunken driving on New Year's.

"Like I said, my character Shiv is run out of time on 'Balika Vadhu', not me. As for the incident that you're referring to, I've nothing to say. It's over and done with. Whatever trouble there was has been sorted out," he said.

Siddharth is now looking at a break before he moves to the new level in his career.

"I've given two years of my life to 'Balika Vadhu'. I've been shooting for the serial every day from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. It's about time I had some 'me-time'.

"I want to take a break, relax and enjoy the things that I have not been able to during the past few years," he said.

Strangely, in spite of being well-received in "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania", Siddharth hasn't signed any films.

"I'm looking at film projects. And there'll be an announcement soon. Right now I'm still shooting for 'Balika Vadhu'. I don't know how I'll feel once it's over. I suppose there will be a sense of emptiness," he said.

Be it on expensive TV commercials, internet space, popular social networking sites, posters, other audio-video mediums or his followers dressed in colourful MSG attire moving around in malls - he is all over.

As his first movie - "Messenger of God" or "MSG" - hits over 4,000 screens across the country January 16, self-styled guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is ready to unveil his new avatar as a filmstar.

The hype over the release of the Hindi action-thriller is already building up, especially among the 47-year-old spiritual leader's followers. And, if the authorities at his Dera Sacha Sauda sect are to be believed, there are over 50 million of them.

"It is for the first time in the history of the music industry that bookings of over 10 lakh (one million) audio CDs were made before the launch by Sony Music. The music is trending on several popular sites globally. It is among the bestsellers on Amazon and Flipkart," Aditya Insan, an adviser and close aide of the sect leader, told IANS.

The sect leader is himself on a tight and hectic promotional tour of the movie country-wide. "MSG' will also be dubbed in other Indian languages for an all-India release.

The idea of making a movie and projecting himself in rockstar fashion, according to Insan, was to "reach out to youth".

"Guruji has been working for a number of social causes like drug de-addiction and preventing prostitution and alcoholism, among others. He said that the present generation of youth was not as inclined towards spirituality and was more into movies, concerts and social media. So he decided to reach out to them through an entertainment package," Insan said.

"Vocals, lyrics, composition and direction by His Holiness Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan" is what the poster of MSG reads with a big photo of the sect leader clad in the figure-hugging clothes of a western rockstar and driving an expensive cruiser bike dominating it.

While "MSG" is releasing next week, the sect leader has "completed 80 percent shooting" of its sequel too, Insan said.

The movies were shot with Bollywood professionals and leading entertainment teams. A live concert, with over 125,000 followers was recorded in a stadium in Sirsa recently and will be part of MSG.

The sect leader, who has been mired in a controversy since 2001 and is facing murder and rape cases in courts, lives in his sprawling sect headquarters near Sirsa town in Haryana, over 250 km from here.

Being on the hit-list of Sikh terrorists, he enjoys Z-plus category security and moves around in a bullet-proof Land Cruiser SUV and other luxury vehicles.

Describing his music as of the "religious" genre and "gospel" in style, the sect leader completed a century of rock shows last year. His latest rock album was "Highway Love Charger". His earlier albums include "Network Tere Love Da", "Thank U for That" and "Insan - one who lives for others".

The sect claims that millions of his music CDs have been sold, most of them being lapped up by his followers. His songs and music encourage youth and other people to keep away from evils like drugs, prostitution and alcohol.

The sect leader's two rock shows last year in New Delhi saw the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and the Ramlila Maidan jampacked. These were rock shows number 101 and 102.

The titles of his songs are equally interesting: "Atom Bomb", "Kya Khoob", "Charge Me", "Bhrashtrachar", "Lov" et al.

Apart from encouraging people to keep away from social evils, the Dera Sacha Sauda sect has featured in the Guinness World Records for orgainising the biggest blood donation camp. The sect has rehabilitated prostitutes, transgenders, alcoholics and drug addicts and has led in disaster relief - from the 2004 Tsumani to last year's flash floods in Uttarakhand.

Before making its way into India, the “Paddington” bear brought smiles on the faces of underprivileged children at a special screening here.

The screening, which was arranged for children from NGO AngelXpress, at Sunny Super Sound in Juhu here Friday, was hosted by Avinaash Jumani (Film Acquisitions, PictureWorks).

Along with the underprivileged children, some celebrity offsprings were also spotted at the venue. However, Jumani asserts that the screening acted as a test to know the movie's impact on children.

“We arranged this screening mainly for children a week prior to the India release as a test screening to see the response from our target audience,” Jumani said in a statement.

Directed by Paul King, the film follows comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British. The bear travels to London in search of a home. It is then the adventure starts as he begins to realise that city life is not all he had imagined -- until he meets a kind Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.

The film is based on internationally adored series of children's stories by British author Michael Bond and is produced by David Heyman of "Gravity” and the "Harry Potter" series fame.

The film is set to release in 120 screens across India Jan 16.

Hrithik Roshan, who turned 41 Saturday, has been wished a year full of happiness, good health and more 'hotness', by his friends from the Hindi film fraternity.

After making his acting debut in 2000 with "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai", Hrithik went on to treat his fans with a variety of roles in films as diverse as “Mission Kashmir”, “Lakshya”, “Dhoom 2", “Koi...Mil Gaya”, “Krrish”, “Jodhaa Akhbar”, "Guzaarish", "Agneepath", "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and "Bang Bang".

The past year has been tumultous on the actor's personal front as he was officially divorced from his wife of 13 years, Sussanne, Nov 1, 2014. Hrithik and Sussanne had ended their end their 17-year-old relationship via an official statement Dec 13, 2013.
On the work front, his "Bang Bang" managed exceptional business at the box office, crossing Rs.150 crore in India, and took the worldwide box office collection to close to Rs.300 crore.

In 2015, he is looking forward to Ashutosh Gowariker's "Mohenjo Daro". He has also reportedly been signed on for Yash Raj Films's next action movie.

Here's what his friends have tweeted for Hrithik's birthday:

Abhishek Bachchan: Bro Braz!!! Happy birthday my friend. Shine on…@iHrithik

Shahid Kapoor: Happy birthday @iHrithik wishing you an amazing year full of all things beautiful.

Sonakshi Sinha: Happy happy birthday @iHrithik!! Heres wishing u Happiness, health, hotness. Ok i take the last one back you have that in surplus ??

Nargis: @iHrithik V got1 life2live&time waits 4no1. So I hope ur out there living it up, enjoying every precious moment life offers u. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Dia Mirza: Happy happy happy Birthday you beautiful soul @iHrithik Enjoy this day to the fullest for you and all that you are is a celebration.

Luv Sinha: Happy Birthday to the actor who redefined the meaning of Stardom 15 years ago, and an inspiration to all of us who came after @iHrithik

Bipasha Basu: Happy happy birthday to our own Greek God @iHrithik !Be the beautiful person u are always and keep shining forever.

Goldie Behl: Happy birthday @iHrithik mere dost wish u all the happiness today and forever

Anaita Adajania: So much, so much soul, and hotness to go with it!! Happy birthday my darling @iHrithik.

Uday Chopra: To my chadi buddy @iHrithik happy birthday mere dost!!! Live like there IS a tomorrow so we can live tomorrow as well.

Vishal Dadlani: Happy Birthday, @iHrithik! Thanks for making #BangBang go BangBang! Have a spectacular year!

The bridal couture collection and cash amounting to close to Rs.60 lakh was stolen from veteran fashion designer Ritu Kumar's flagship store in the capital's South Extension market, a police officer said.

The theft happened in the wee hours of Friday morning.

An FIR has been filed at the Hauz Khas police station, and the investigation is on.

"An estimated loss of Rs.50 lakh to Rs.60 lakh altogether has happened in the theft of the clothes and cash. The theives broke the lock and entered the store," said a police officer.

Her entire bridal couture collection along with a large amount of cash generated from the daily sales and all the IT hardware are currently missing, according to a statement issued on behalf of the designer.

Ritu Kumar is one of the pioneers in the Indian fashion industry. Her bridal wear is considered amongst the best available in the Indian luxury wear market.

Commenting on the "unfortunate" incident, Ritu Kumar said: "Since the computers have been taken away, we are in the process of taking a stock of the inventory physically. What we do know is that the bridal collection along with some hard cash has been missing.

"The police has been very co-operative in the case and we are hoping to get some inroads on the same at the earliest."

Her showroom is located on the main thoroughfare in the South Extension Part II market.

Guneet Monga, one of the producers of "The Lunchbox", says the movie's nomination in the Film Not in the English Language category of the British Academy Film Awards 2015, is a reassurance that quality content always pays off.

"The Lunchbox", directed by Ritesh Batra, is said to have become the first Indian film since the 1990s "Salaam Bombay!" to be nominated at the BAFTA awards. And this, after the movie was snubbed as India's official entry at the Oscars in 2013.

“We are so happy that our faith in Ritesh and 'The Lunchbox' is paying off so beautifully. It’s a film we are very proud of and earning a Foreign Film nomination is yet another reassurance that great content will always go a long way," Monga said in a statement.

The nomination turns out to be extra special for the team, especially as the Film Federation of India (FFI) had, in 2013, chosen Gujarati film "The Good Road" over "The Lunchbox" as India's entry for the best foreign film at the Academy Awards.

"I'd like to say a big thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) jury,” added Monga of the banner Sikhya Entertainment.

Jointly produced by multiple studios like DAR Motion Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions, Sikhya Entertainment, National Film Development Corporation (India), ROH Films (Germany), ASAP Films (France), and the Cine Mosaic (US), "The Lunchbox" features Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur.

It tells the tale of Ila, a young middle class Mumbai housewife, trying to win back her husband's affections through his stomach and how a rare misplaced delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient 'dabbawala' system of lunchboxes, from homes to offices, connects her to an old widower, through notes in the lunch box.

The movie has been screened at several foreign film galas, including those in Cannes, Zurich, Toronto and London.

Its fate at the BAFTA awards will be determined on the day of the award ceremony, which will be held Feb 8 in London.

On the 75th birthday Saturday of singer K.J. Yesudas, members of the Indian music industry wished that the stalwart, known for classical melodies and versatility, keeps up his good work.

“Greetings. It's 75th birthday of classical and playback singer K. J. Yesudas today. I congratulate him on the occasion and pray to god that he has a long life and keeps singing. Here is one of my favourite songs sung by him for you all,” Lata tweeted, along with a link of the Yesudas-crooned number "Gori tera gaon bada pyara".

Singer Sonu Nigam, whose music tracks like “Kal ho naa ho” and “Abhi mujh mein kahin” have become eternal, also wished the classical 'legend' on the micro-blogging site.

“Yesudas ji, the Legend's birthday 2day. He's done great service all his life 2 Music. My love & regards for the stalwart on his special day,” he posted.

The singer has sung more than 60,000 songs (including 40,000 film songs) in 14 languages in a singing career that began 52 years back.

Yesudas has won seven National Film Awards besides being honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan.

According to a source, Ruhanika, who is connected to Deol family, went to their place with her parents this week to meet Sunny.

Sunny gave some tips to Ruhanika, who plays Ruhi in TV show "Yeh Hai Mohabbatein".

The “Gadar - Ek Prem Katha” actor asked her about her role in the Star Plus show, which highlights two Indian cultures -- South Indian and Punjabi. Ruhanika shared that she only knows English and Hindi, which compelled the actor to teach her some basics of the Punjabi language.

“Sunny said 'you should know your mother tongue' and gave her Punjabi lessons. The actor also asked Ruhanika to come again for more information,” the source added.

Most of the stars or directors throng at the doors of shrines or temples before film's release, but filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar paid obeisance at Golden Temple, the holiest of all Sikh shrines, for its divine tranquility in Amritsar.

“Had the most divine darshan amidst peace & serenity at #GoldenTemple. Feeling blessed! #Satnam Shri Waheguru,” Bhandarkar tweeted.

Bhandarkar posted two photographs around the 'sarovar' within the premises of the Golden Temple too.

The National Award winning filmmaker's next project is titled "Calendar Girls".

Film director Umesh Shukla, whose film "OMG - Oh My God!" raised questions on the commercialisation of religion back in 2012, defends "PK", saying any wrong aspects of religion must be condemned. He also says that by doing so, doesn't make filmmakers like him and Rajkumar Hirani "anti-religion".

In an interview, Shukla has spoken about facing protests for "OMG - Oh My God!", which had later won a National Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; his views on "PK" and the similarities between his own film and the Aamir Khan-starrer.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. "PK" has been compared with your film "...Oh My God!". Both seem to have got themselves into trouble with right-wing organisations?

A. Why trouble filmmakers who are trying to do something out of the box? We're trying to make good cinema. And it's not as if audiences have objected to "...Oh My God!" or "PK". Why not protest against films that glorify goondaism? We aren't forcing anyone to watch these films. There should be no attempt to stop a film once it is passed by the censor board.

Q. Your film which also attacked organised religion, didn't get attacked so vehemently?

A. They had protested against my film. In Jalandhar, they had burnt posters and vandalised theatres. But not on this level. The protests against "PK" are far more vehement.

Q. When in fact, "PK" puts its points forward far more gently than your film?

A. That's Rajkumar Hirani's style. He makes feelgood films. His style is very different from mine. Raju Hirani, (writer) Abhijat Joshi and Aamir Khan are among my favourite people in cinema. I hate to see them targeted in this way.

Q. There are many points of similarity between "...Oh My God!" and "PK"?

A. Yes, there are similarities between "PK" and my film. It's the genre. You can't change the basic idea. If you make a love story, "I love you" is bound to show up somewhere. Why such a hue cry over the similarities? "...Oh My God!" came first. To remove the similar plot points from "PK" was very difficult. If I was in their place I wouldn't have known what to do. They've done such a fine job of giving a new twist to the theme.

Q. Your Gujarati play "Kanjilal Versus Kanjilal", about organised religion, has been running for years?

A. That's right. And no one has objected. The play and the film "...Oh My God!" aren't anti-religion. They're against wrong religious practices. We are against some aspects of organised religion. Many religious sectors including the Brahma Kumaris and the Radha Saomis appreciated our film "...Oh My God!". They didn't feel threatened by the film. We had screened "...Oh My God!" for Shankaracharya before release. They had no issues with the film.

Q. But many Hindu organisations have protested against "PK"?

A. I wonder why people have so many issues with "PK"! I don't understand it. Why don't the protesters sit and talk with Raju Hirani and the "PK" team. And it isn't as if we're only against commercialisation of Hinduism. In "...Oh My God!" we had asked why place a 'chaadar' on a dargah, why not on a poor homeless person?

Q. Makes sense.

A. Whether the Hindu religion or any other, the wrong aspects must be condemned. I get so many messages accusing me of being anti-religion.

Actress Radhika Apte has been roped in for an untitled British play, which revolves around an Indian woman striving to make it big in London's Broadway shows.

The actress, who auditioned for the role via Skype, is excited to be a part of the play as it gives an opportunity to cross borders and learn things.

“It was a sudden call I got from the theatre company and I flew off within days and now I'm here in London rehearsing for the play. As an actor, I love the fact that I get such opportunities to work with a variety of people across borders and that's what makes being an actor so incredibly satisfying,” she said in a statement.

The dramedy is currently in it's pre-production and rehearsal stage and is expected to go out on a three-country tour this summer.

The actress, who will be seen in “Badlapur” and “Manjhi - The Mountain Man”, has another connection with London as well. She has studied dance in London.

Veteran playback singer K.J. Yesudas, who has over 45,000 film songs in 14 languages and 22,000 other songs in his kitty, turned 75 Saturday.

As has been his practice, on every birthday, he and his family visits the Kollur Mookambika temple near here and takes part in the musical tribute there.

Dressed in a flowing white kurta and a white dhoti, the seven-time national award winner conducted the customary musical session Saturday morning at the temple where he sang hymns.

Yesudas is a recipient of the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, besides winning 17 state film awards.

He shuttles between Chennai and Florida, and sometimes visits Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram.

Producer Rockline Venkatesh Saturday asserted he did not cheat distributors of Rajinikanth-starrer "Lingaa".

He said if proven guilty, he is ready to give in to the demands of the distributors, who staged a fast here Saturday seeking compensation for the heavy losses incurred by them.

Venkatesh told reporters here that if "proven guilty of cheating the distributors, I'm ready to accept their demands" and had no swindled or cheated them by pocketing the profits.

On Thursday, distributor R. Singaravadivelan, who bought the Trichy and Thanjavur area rights of "Lingaa", moved to Madras High Court seeking permission to go on a fast along with four other distributors.

Venkatesh called the fast a "publicity stunt" aimed at "tarnishing the image of Rajinikanth".

"Some distributors said the film was released during the wrong time of the year. But we had announced the release date on the first day of the shooting. If they had any problems with the release date, they should've requested us to change it in the first place," he said.

On allegations that the film opened to empty houses on release day in some centres, Venkatesh said: "How many of you believe that the first day shows of a Rajinikanth film will ever be empty. They have ruined the prospects of the film with these baseless statements."

Venkatesh requested the distributors to stop their protest

The distributors, who observed a day-long fast, said they're only doing so to draw the "attention of Rajinikanth".

"We suffered losses of over Rs.35 crore distributing 'Lingaa' across Tamil Nadu. Our efforts to get compensation from the producer failed. Hence we are observing the fast to draw the attention of Rajini and persuade him to talk to the producer and help us to overcome the losses," Singaravadivelan told IANS.

In the past, Rajinikanth helped distributors overcome losses when two of his films "Baba" and "Kuselan" bombed at the box-office.

A fan of Satyajit Ray's works, London-based Paul King, says that for his latest directorial "Paddington", he was hugely inspired by the legendary Indian filmmaker's "The Apu Trilogy" and that he's tried to capture Apu's emotions in the movie's bear.

"Paddington", releasing on Indian screens Jan 16, recreates the magic of British author Michael Bond's best-selling series of children's stories. It follows the comic misadventures of a young bear with a passion for all things British.

"My favourite Indian movies are those of Satyajit Ray. 'The Apu Trilogy' are some of the greatest films ever made in any language and the journey of Apu was something that (producer) David (Heyman) and I thought about a great deal when we were making our film," King told IANS in an email interview from London.

"The dream of a bigger world, the journey from the countryside to the city, the struggles of making a family work, the mixture of sadness and joy. All of these things were very important to our bear.

"I had a big picture of Apu over my desk and looked at it every day. I loved his scruffiness, the glint in his eye, and I tried to capture that in our bear," said King.

The director says he enjoys "magical realism and epic storytelling", and that, to him, seems to be India's strength.

Asked if he would like to adapt any Indian book or TV series or film, he said: "I'm a huge fan of Indian literature. I love magical realism and epic storytelling and that seems to pour out of India.

"But what works well in a novel isn't always the same as what works in a film and I'd be very careful before adapting any of my favourites in case I just ended up ruining the book," he added.

The director believes "Paddington" has a "universal story" and hopes Indian audiences will embrace it.

"It's something that anyone can relate to no matter where you're from; so, I hope that it can connect with the Indian audience in the same way it has with other audiences around the world," he said.

He also feels that the film's comic elements too will be enjoyed by the audience.

"It's also a comedy. I was hugely influenced by Charlie Chaplin, especially his film 'The Kid'. It's very funny and incredibly moving -- and all told without words. There's a lot more talking in 'Paddington', but there are also a lot of moments of silent comedy -- and that's probably the most international form of entertainment there is," he said.

But making the film was not easy for King.

"'Paddington' was a very hard film to make. Neither David nor I wanted to make the film unless we were confident we had got the best possible script we could and then the animation process was also very long and time consuming.

"Each Paddington shot went through hundreds of revisions - sometimes nearly 500 - to make his performance as touching and funny and realistic as possible. And all that takes time," said King, who took five years to come out with his second feature film.

To be released in India by PictureWorks, the movie stars Nicole Kidman and Julie Walters.

Actor Rana Daggubati will be seen with Akshay Kumar in the forthcoming film "Baby" and he is all praise for the action star.

"Akshay is very disciplined and it's great to work with such actors. He is certainly an action hero who has experimented with all the roles," Rana told IANS.

Rana Daggubati, who was seen in Ram Gopal Varma's 2012 film "Department", also shared why the movie bombed at the box office.

"For the sake of unnecessary commercials, he made a film that he did not understand. 'Department' was meant to be a film like any of his gangster films. He should have just continued making that," said the actor.

"He is one of my favourite filmmakers of all time. I got an opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt in the film so, I have no complaints," he added.

The shooting of Indian version of Hollywood horror movie "Oculus" will begin from March this year, says its director Prawal Raman.

Bollywood star siblings Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem will be seen together in the remake of the 2013 film, which revolved around a brother and sister trying to fight a spirit.

"The story of the film is about a brother and a sister and I feel both Huma and Saqib are fantastic actors. It was a conscious effort to rope in the real life siblings for the film," Raman told IANS.

"The film will go on floors by March 2015 and we will shoot the film widely in Mumbai and Goa," he added.

The director believes there is "a certain set of audience for horror films".

"But the market for these films is not as much as it is for typical commercial masala films. But yes, these days we certainly have specific audience for horror films," he said.