A musical concert dedicated to the life and times of iconic Bollywood composer, the late R.D. Burman regaled his fans with his hit songs.

Keeping in mind his contribution to the world of Hindi film music, channel Zee Classic, known to entertain its viewers with a vast library of movies from Hindi cinema's 'golden era', organised the musical night here Tuesday.

Singers Babul Supriyo, Sudesh Bhosle with his son Siddhanta Bhosle, Javed Ali, Madhushree, Anvesha Dutta Gupta, set the mood with some mesmerising tracks of ace composer, leading the audience to revisit the era of Pancham-Da, as he was called lovingly called.

The singers not only chose to perform some of his best tracks, but also shared their love and respect towards him at the event, which has been captured for TV and will be beamed on the small screen soon.

"Pancham-Da's music can't be defined as he was someone who inspired generations with his soulful tracks. He was my favourite and will always be," Supriyo told IANS, following it up by humming one of Burman's composition.

Ruchir Tiwari, Deputy Business Head, Hindi Movie Channels, ZEEL, says it's a wonder how Burman's songs find a connect with people in all age groups.

"R.D. Burman is a legendary music composer and holds a special place in our hearts. His musical journey is imprinted in the minds of music lovers and continues to inspire today's generation," he said.

The event here was also marked by a photo exhibition illustrating memoirs of Panchm-Da. Some unseen photographs, original letters written by him, his kurta, glasses, mouth organ and guitar among others, were on display during the inauguration.

During his career, Burman, who would've turned 76 Jan 4, gave innumerable chartbusters like "Aaja aaja main hun pyar tera", "Piya tu ab toh aaja", "Tera bina zindagi se shikwa" and ‘Tujhse naraaz nahi".

Born in 1939, he debuted as a composer with comedian Mehmood’s 1961 movie “Chhote Nawab”.

Before his death in 1994 at the age of 54, Burman had composed for “1942: A Love Story”.

Actress Rani Mukerji will grace the red carpet premiere of her film "Mardaani" here Jan 28, two days before its release in Poland.

The premiere will be held at the iconic arthouse cinema Kino Cinema Muranow here, and Rani will be joined by the film's Polish director of photography, Artur Zurawski.

A packed press show kicked off the first viewing of the film Tuesday.

The film will release for audiences Jan 30 with Polish subtitles, read a statement from the film's production banner Yash Raj Films (YRF).

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, "Mardaani" features unswerving and invincible Mumbai police crime branch senior inspector Shivani Shivaji Roy, embodied by Rani.

The protagonist sets out to confront the mastermind behind a child trafficking mafia, who makes the mistake of kidnapping and smuggling a teenaged girl who is like a daughter to her. What follows is a cat and mouse game between an audacious police officer and a ruthless mafia kingpin.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film had its worldwide release Aug 22, 2014.

It's been a decade since Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Page 3” hit the screens, and the filmmaker says it's a chapter he truly cherishes.

“Page 3”, which released Jan 21, 2005, gives audiences a look at Indian celebrities’ lifestyles through the eyes of a female entertainment journalist.

“There are many pages and chapters in the journey of my life which I truly cherish. Today it is 10 years of #Page3. Feeling blessed,” Bhandarkar tweeted Wednesday.

The movie, which won the Best Film National Award features Konkona Sen Sharma, Atul Kulkarni and Tara Sharma.

Internationally renowned filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has hailed Sushant Singh Rajput as one of the best newcomers in the industry on the actor’s 29th birthday Wednesday.

“@itsSSR Happy Birthday to one our best young actors today. Have a great day, Sushant,” Kapur tweeted.

Sushant, who has starred in movies like “Kai Po Che!” and “PK”, will soon be seen in crime thriller “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!”.

A special screening of comedy film "Crazy Cukkad Family" was organised for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community here.

A Prakash Jha production, the film touches upon the sensitive topic of sexual orientation, in a small way. The screening was held for The Humsafar Trust at a PVR Cinema hall in Andheri West here Tuesday.

In the film, a family is shown accepting their son's sexual preference. Though the film failed to create ripples at the box office, Ritesh Menon, director of the film, feels that the film can act as a ray of hope for the LGBT community of India, which is still fighting for their rights.

“It was such a wonderful experience watching 'Crazy Cukkad Family' with our LGBT friends. The laughs throughout and the applause during the gay marriage sequence was priceless. If our film can give hope and happiness we have won," Menon said in a statement.

The film features Swanand Kirkire, Shilpa Shukla, Ninad Kamat, Kushal Punjabi and Siddharth Sharma. It was released Jan 16.

As the new chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, producer Pahlaj Nihalani says he will try to facilitate a healthy relationship with the film industry to "hold up a mirror to societal maladies and ensure that our society is free of undesirable values".

In an interview, Nihalani spoke of his thoughts on his new role, his past experience with the CBFC, his vision for the body, and his thoughts on Leela Samson's recent resignation as the CBFC chairperson:

Q. How did you react to the news of taking over from Leela Samson?

A. It came as a complete surprise to me. I had no clue I was being considered for the job. I had been busy with the wedding and reception of Shatruji's (Shatrughan Sinha) son. They're like family to me. So when the news came, I couldn't really follow it up. I heard about the appointment through the media. Initially I had no official intimation from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I finally got a call on Tuesday morning (Jan 20).

Q. The job comes with a lot of controversy, what with Leela Samson's abrupt resignation hovering over your head?

A. But wasn't her tenure over? I wouldn't like to comment on her conduct. As far as I am concerned, I've never shunned challenges. What is life without challenges? I've always worked for the welfare of the film industry. I see my new responsibility as the CBFC's chairperson as an extension of the work that I was always doing.

Q. It seems like a thankless job?

A. I don't see the job as being as difficult as it is made out to be. I have my differences regarding a lot of these so-called difficulties that have been put forward by the earlier members of the CBFC.

Q. Do you think the position of the CBFC chairperson has been politicised?

A. If you ask me, the Censor Board (during Leela Samson's tenure) didn't do its job the way they should've done it. When their tenure was over, they suddenly woke up to all these corruption charges. After their tenure was over, the outgoing members of the CBFC seem to have planned a malign campaign against the central government.

Q. Are you saying they lied about political intervention?

A. What were they doing during all these years? Why didn't they step down in protest against the supposed corruption when they were still in power? By raising a hue and cry when they were on the way out, they did wrong to themselves and to the CBFC.

Q. In your opinion what should the earlier chairperson done?

A. Nothing was done to bridge the gap between the film industry and the Censor Board, in their perception of how far censorship must go, and why.

Q. According to you, how far must the Censor Board go?

A. Look, according to me the film industry and the Censor Board have the same responsibility. They are both supposed to hold up a mirror to societal maladies and ensure that our society is free of undesirable values. If both cinema and the censor board are supposed to uphold the same values, then why should they be at loggerheads?

Q. There have been a lot of corruption charges against the CBFC?

A. I don't think there was any corruption in the CBFC. I am a producer. I was never demanded any money nor asked for a bribe to clear my movies. When I was dissatisfied with some censorial decisions about my films, I went to the revising committee and my film was cleared.

Q. There are accusations of filmmakers paying to jump the queue to get their censor certificates?

A. I think it was the middlemen who benefited from these. Accountability is a problem. I, as the chairperson of the CBFC, will eliminate all the go-betweens that divide the film industry from the Censor Board. Right now I am still to find my bearings. Once I settle down in the post, I will take concrete steps to cement relations between the film industry and the Censor Board.

Q. Your closing thoughts?

A. I don't want to be critical of what the Censor Board did earlier. I want to start on a clean slate and ensure that a healthy and positive relationship exists between the film industry and the CBFC.

British film director of Sikh origin Gurinder Chadha is planning to visit India soon to recce locations for her movie on partition.

Chadha is currently tied up with “Bend It Like Beckham The Musical” and “Desi Rascals”, a British Asian reality drama.

“Break from @DesiRascals today working on @BendItMusical and planning recce trip to india for my big film on Partition shooting later this yr,” Chadha tweeted Wednesday.

"Bend It Like Beckham The Musical" is stage version of the 2002 British comedy film that explores the world of women's football.

The play, which will feature Natalie Dew as football crazy Jess, opens in London May 2015.

After the success of “Baby doll” last year, the trio of music directors Meet Brothers Anjjan have made a splendid start to 2015 with three of their tracks “Chittiyaan kaliyaan”, “Selfiyaan” and "Beparwah” topping the charts and gaining popularity on video-sharing website Youtube.

The trio includes Harmeet Singh, Manmeet Singh and Anjjan Bhattacharya.

Harmeet is happy with the response.

"We feel happy that we are able to introduce new talents in this industry. We can't thank god enough to put us in a position to make this possible," he said.

“Chittiyaan kaliyaan” from the upcoming film "Roy", featuring Jacqueline Fernandez has already earned over three million views on Youtube so far. Apart from being a wedding song, it is also becoming popular in clubs.

The second hit track “Selfiyaan” from the comedy thriller “Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene”, is ruling the club parties and is doing well over the internet making more than one million views over Youtube. The song is made on the trending word ‘selfie’.

“Beparwah” from the forthcoming action espionage action thriller "Baby", is another big hit, and has over 300,000 likes since it went online last week.

Actress Tisca Chopra, who has proved her versatility as an actress and whose debut book "Acting Smart" is much talked about, says she is co-writing two films of different genres.

After being a success as an author of a book for Bollywood aspirants, one wondered if the "Taare Zameen Par" and "Qissa" actress is contemplating using her writing skills for movies.

When asked about it, she told IANS: "Yes. There are talks going on a few things...it takes time. Along with my acting, I am also working on that (writing). Hopefully, soon things will fall into place."

She added: "I'm not writing them completely, I'm co-writing them."

Tisca feels the Indian audience needs to be fed with intelligent content.

"Audiences are not dumb. If you make an intelligent film, people do watch it. But the problem is that we look for formulas. I am working on it," she said, adding that one of her writing projects will be a courtroom drama, and the other will be a children's story.

What about directing them?

"I'm not capable of that. But I am co-writing them. I'm very keen on these projects. I'm also thankful to the industry people who have immensely supported me -- be it Boman Irani, Anil Kapoor, Rajkumar Hirani, Shabana Azmi...everybody is supporting me. There is so much of love in this industry," she said.

Filmmaker K.C. Bokadia believes that his upcoming film "Dirty Politics" will bring a new trend in Hindi cinema.

"We all tried hard to make this a good film and I'm very confident that 'Dirty Politics' will create the same sensation as my first film 'Pyaar Jhukta Nahin' did in 1985," Bokadia said during the music launch of his new film here Tuesday.

"I'm also very confident that after this film there will be a trend change in Hindi cinema. People will become more serious about making films," he added.

Said to be based on the Bhanwari Devi scandal, "Dirty Politics" stars Mallika Sherawat, Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher in key roles. The film will hit the theatres Feb 13.

Filmmaker Shankar hasn't tried to offend the transgender community in his Tamil magnum opus "I", says popular makeup artist Ojas M. Rajani, who essayed an important role in the film.

Shankar's portrayal of Ojas, a transgender, in his film attracted the wrath of a group of transgenders who have demanded a "public apology" from the filmmaker after protesting in front of his residence Monday.

"Shankar didn't try to demean my character of a transgender. In fact, he shot it so aesthetically that it doesn't offend anybody, including the transgender community. It's just part of a story of the film and I requested everybody to not get offended," Ojas said in a statement.

In the film, Ojas lusts over actor Vikram. This had not gone down too well with many people.

"I" also stars Amy Jackson and Upen Patel.

It was not merely for his acting prowess that the Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah got his first role in "Nishant". Not being a good-looking actor had instantly struck a chord with the film's director, Shyam Benegal, who cast him for a pivotal role.

"I had lost a girl friend for not being a good looking man who would make it to the movies, but I got the job because I wasn't good looking," Shah said.

The 65-year-old actor was in conversation with writer and actor Girish Karnad at the "And Then One Day" session on the opening day of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Interestingly, there is a long history behind the camaraderie between the two.

Karnad was the director of prestigious Film and Television Institute of India when Nasser was a student there and it was he who had suggested Shah's name to Benegal, who was sure that he didn't want a "conventional chocolaty boy" for the role.

"Once Naseer had come to me and asked if him being a Muslim would be an obstacle to his acting career? I had told him that Dilip Kumar too was a Muslim who was loved by many and all," said Karnad.

But even after making a powerful debut, Shah recollected how "instant fame" was difficult to come by and how he had to go through a period of struggle when he was relatively "jobless".

However, Benegal's "Manthan", which also featured Karnad, changed the course of his career and Shah was seen in a slew of films like "Sparsh""Aakrosh" and "Mandi" that required a method actor and not a star.

Yet, the lament of not-being a star has disappointed Shah, who admitted that he hadn't joined the industry to do "art movies", but slowly came in terms with his ordinary looks.

"I never became a star and I have to admit that it was disappointing," said Shah.

"But then I started examining my face and realised I could alter it. Even from my early years, when I was 15 or 16, I had this habit of growing beard and my greatest achievement was when my mother couldn't recognise me," he added.

Even if the seasoned actor thought he wasn't a star, the reception he received from the crowd was overwhelming as they shouted and clapped at his arrival on the stage.

This response reconfirmed how people loved him for his acting and ordinary looks that have become unconventional in their own way.

The Delhi Court Wednesday issued notice to the central government and the censor board on two separate pleas challenging the refusal of certificate for screening of two films.

Filmmaker Pankaj Butalia challenged the censor board's refusal to clear his documentary "Textures of Loss" based on the violence in Jammu and Kashmir, while production house Sai Cine Productions moved the court against denial of certificate to Punjabi film "Kaum De Heere".

Justice Rajiv Shakdher sought response from the information and broadcasting ministry, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) on Butalia's plea by Feb 26.

On Sai Cine Production's plea, response from parties was sought by March 12.

"Textures of Loss" features interviews of people who lost their kin because of the conflict and violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Some of them condemned India and the army, while others spoke about jihad.

The censor board sought some cuts in the documentary, but Butalia maintained he was merely depicting opinions.

"Kaum De Heere" allegedly glorifies assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by Satwant Singh, Beant Singh and Kehar Singh.

Director Damien Chazelle's Oscar-nominated drama film “Whiplash” will release in India Feb 20, ahead of the 87th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

The film, which stars Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons and Paul Reiser has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Motion Picture and Best Supporting Actor.

The story of the film revolves around Andrew (Teller), who enrols himself to a music conservatory to become a phenomenal musician and drummer. The school, which is run by Fletcher (Simmons); a gentleman who knows no boundaries to push his students to achieve greatness and uses extreme measures towards them to make them perform their ultimate best.

The film will be released in India by Pictureworks and distributed by PVR Pictures, said a statement.

“Whiplash” will hit the theatres ahead of the Oscar weekend.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles Feb 22, and it will be aired in India Feb 23 morning.

Actor Suriya, who has not joined any social networking platform, has lodged a complaint with the cyber cell against a fake Facebook page that was floated in his name Wednesday.

"A fake Facebook page of Suriya has been reported. It is an affirmation that he is neither on Facebook nor Twitter. If any such plans are happening in future, the authentic details and news would be officially made available to all," a statement said.

Suriya is currently shooting for Tamil thriller "Masss". He will soon work on another film titled "24" with "Manam" director Vikram Kumar.

Indian German actress Evelyn Sharma, who has starred in Hindi films such as "Nautanki Saala" and "Yaariyaan", says she's keen to expand her base in Tamil cinema as she wants explore a "new side" of herself.

"Evelyn is believed to be in Chennai for work purpose and has meetings lined up with a few leading producers. She will spend two days in the city meeting a couple of actors and producers to discuss probable work opportunities and if all goes well, she'll make her Tamil film debut real soon," a source close to Evelyn told IANS.

"Evelyn has in the past auditioned for roles but never did the movie considering the language barriers. However, after having faced the camera in Bollywood, she now feels she is ready to take on a challenge," added the source.

Evelyn has also starred in films such as "Issaq" and "Main Tera Hero".

Several distributors of Rajinikanth-starrer "Lingaa" are planning to again go on an indefinite hunger strike from Jan 27 since no "amicable agreement" has been reached yet between them and the film's producer over compensation of the film's failure.

Seven distributors are likely to participate in the fast.

"It's been over ten days since our first fast and we still haven't heard from producer Rockline Venkatesh. We were assured an amicable agreement will be reached upon soon but there seems to be no sign of it. Hence we've decided to go on fast again," distributor Singaravadivelan told IANS.

"We plan to fast from Jan 27 until this issue is resolved. Several distributors from other regions will also join us this time," he said.

Singaravadivelan, who distributed the film in Trichy and Thanjavur regions, said he recovered only 40 percent of the down-payment.

"A Rajinikanth-starrer film usually reaps profits in the opening weekend itself but even after a month since its release, most distributors didn't even recover half of what they had invested," he said.

K.S. Ravi Kumar-directed "Lingaa", according to trade sources, is said to have done business worth nearly Rs.100 crore, but since the distributors bought the film at exorbitant rates, most of them suffered heavy losses.

Also starring Anushka Shetty and Sonakshi Sinha, "Lingaa" released last year on Rajinikanth's birthday Dec 12.

Popular orchestra troupe Lakshman Sruthi will pay tribute to legendary singer K.J. Yesudas, 75, here Sunday to commemorate his 50 glorious years in the field of music. He will also be felicitated at the event.

"We are very happy and proud to inform you all that a grand musical night has been planned by Tharangini, V Records and Raj Events to felicitate Padma Bhushan K.J. Yesudas, who has completed 50 plus years of successful singing career with more than 50,000 songs to his credit," read a statement.

The event will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

"Leading Indian film actors, actresses, prominent music directors, singers, directors, producers, technicians and personalities from various fields will decorate the show and honour Yesudas," added the statement.

Some of Yesudas's best songs include "Theivam Thandha Veedu", "Athisaya Raagam", "Vizhiye Kathai Ezhuthu" and "En Iniya Pon Nilavae".

Actor Shiv Pandit says "Mantra" has given him a chance to reconnect with his "Shaitaan" co-star Kalki Koechlin after a long time.

"Kalki is great and she is an amazing person to work with. I have reconnected with her after a longAtime. I have worked with her before. She is very chilled out...I like her temperament as she is very calm," Shiv told IANS.

While the actor couldn't stop raving about Kalki, he did all he could to conceal the plot of "Mantra" and their roles in it.

"I can't reveal the plot of the film, and so I can't reveal much about our role in the film," he said.

Helmed by debutant director Nicholas Khargonkor, "Mantra" also features Adil Hussain and Rajat Kapoor.

All that Shiv said about the film is that "it's a drama which shows the social and political changes in the county since 1991.

"It is seen from the eyes of a big business man. It's an entertaining drama, but the underlying subject is the changes that the country has gone through."

Besides "Mantra", Shiv will also be seen in a comedy film "Solid Patels", directed by Saurabh Verma.

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who plays the title role in upcoming film "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!", says he didn't watch any detective series to prepare himself for the character.

The film, based on detective Byomkesh Bakshi created by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, is directed by Dibakar Banerjee.

"Dibakar (Dibakar Banerjee) very categorically told me not to watch any films or TV series that have been already made on Byomkesh Bakshi. Whatever I had was the script....whatever inputs Dibakar gave to me, I worked on that," Sushant said at the film's trailer launch here Wednesday.

However, once they completed the movie, both Sushant and Dibakar sat down together and saw all the content that had been done on the character in the past.

"We thought whenever we appreciate something, we subconsciously GET affected by that and unknowingly we start aping it. I think that was the reason why he told me not to watch anything," added the "Kai Po Che!" actor.

Sushant says they are satisfied with the final cut of the film.

"Whatever we did was new. It was our own interpretation. And after completing the film, we both felt satisfied," he said.

The film is set in the 1940s and is scheduled for a worldwide release April 3. It marks the Bollywood debut of Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee.