Praising Viacom18 and Film Heritage Foundation's initiative to save India's cinematic heritage, veteran writer-lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar says film restoration, which has been neglected for a long time in India, equals preservation of culture.

"Handling old films, restoring them and preserving them is like preserving your culture," Gulzar said.

The Film Heritage Foundation will be setting up a week-long school, focused on film preservation and restoration, starting Feb 22-28 at Films Division here.

The school will consist of lectures, presentations and practical classes on film preservation and restoration that will be conducted by experts in the field. There will also be a daily screening of a restored classic preceded by an introductory talk on the restoration.

This is in line with the vision to create an indigenous resource of film archivists and restorers that will work towards preserving India's legacy of cinema.

Gulzar has words of praise for Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder-director, Film Heritage Foundation.

"I feel very proud of Shivendra for doing this for what he is doing is bigger than my filmmaking. I feel like I should have started preserving films instead of making films. I am proud of him not only because he has involved me in this, but more so, because I believe in this initiative," he said.

Preserving the country's cinematic history is a "a mammoth task", according to Gulzar.

"I feel sorry that traditionally, we Indians have been neglecting it. It hurts me to realise that films made by veterans like Bimalda (Bimal Roy), Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinalda (Mrinal Sen), films that taught us a lot, have not been restored and preserved.

"It is unfortunate if the current generation or the generations to come don't have access to these films. The film veterans have made their mark, but it's a great loss for people like us or people who didn't preserve these films," he added.

The Film Heritage Foundation has collaborated with Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation, Cineteca di Bologna, L'Immagine Ritrovata and FIAF for this course, which is certified by FIAF - the International Federation of Film Archives. Pre-registered participants from across India, Sri Lanka and Nepal will be part of the course.

Dungarpur of Film Heritage Foundation, says "most people are not aware that India has an endangered cinematic legacy".

"We have lost a colossal amount of our cinematic heritage and we continue to lose more every day -- even recent films dating from as late as the 1990s. We need to recognise that cinema is an integral part of our social and cultural heritage that must be preserved and restored like any other art form.

"The idea behind the Film Preservation and Restoration School India was to create awareness about the importance of film preservation and restoration and to take the first step in training future archivists and restorers to save our cinematic heritage," he said.

Hence, he joined forces with Sudhanshu Vats, chairman, CII National Committee on Media and Entertainment and Group CEO, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd.

"He (Sudhanshu) was the first person from the film industry who had the foresight to recognise the importance and urgency of our cause and to offer his support for this pioneering educational initiative," Dungarpur added.

The Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council (TFPC) has strongly condemned the decision of the distributors of "Lingaa" to go on a mass begging protest and hold superstar Rajinikanth accountable for the film's losses.

"Rajini sir's films have always had very high success rate. People who are usually associated with his films have mostly gained. It's unfair to hold him responsible for the losses of his film 'Lingaa'. We strongly condemn the decision of the distributors to beg for compensation," read a statement from TFPC.

A group of distributors of "Lingaa", who suffered heavy losses, had requested a refund of about Rs.35 crore.

When producer Rockline Venkatesh agreed to settle only about 10 percent of the losses, the distributors decided to go on a begging protest outside Rajinikanth's residence here.

"It's unethical to harass Rajinikanth sir and producer Venkatesh. This matter has to be resolved amicably," added the statement.

Directed by K.S. Ravi Kumar, "Lingaa" had released on Rajinikanth's birthday last year Dec 12. It also featured Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka Shetty in important roles.

Veteran actor Randhir Kapoor, who has turned 68, always harboured a wish to make a "good movie". Now he says it may happen "soon".

"I have always wanted to make a good movie which I will be doing hopefully soon," Randhir, the eldest son of the late iconic actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, said in an interview to 92.7 BIG FM.

In the past, Randhir has directed films including "Henna", "Dharam Karam" and "Kal Aaj Aur Kal", and his acting filmography includes movies like "Raampur Ka Lakshman", "Hamrahi" and "Haath Ki Safai".

Randhir, who married actress Babita, has two daughters -- Karisma and Kareena, both of whom are successful actors in the Hindi film industry. He feels thankful for having a beautiful and talented family.

"I'm grateful to have a lovely wife and kids like Kareena and Karisma. They’re wonderful and I’m blessed to have received the opportunity to be a father to them.

"I consider (my nephew) Ranbir as my own too, and I’m so proud of the success and adulation he has received in the industry. Their presence in my life is the best birthday present that I have ever received," he added.

Members of the film fraternity like Riteish Deshmukh, Madhur Bhandarkar and Kailash Kher took to micro-blogging site Twitter to mourn the death of Maharashtra's former deputy chief minister Raosaheb Ramrao Patil.

“Deeply saddened to hear about Shri RR Patil. Heartfelt condolences to the Family, I understand and relate to their pain & loss. RIP Sir,” Riteish, son of late politician Vilasrao Deshmukh, tweeted.

Patil, who was home minister during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, passed away Monday evening after a three-month battle with cancer. He was 57.

Riteish also called Patil a people's leader and remembered him for his “humbleness”.

“Shri RR Patil- a grass root leader who rose to become the Dy CM of Maharashtra. Humble, soft spoken & a people's Man. Rip Sir,” he wrote.

Calling him an inspiration, the “Teri deewani” hitmaker Kher remembered Patil for his leadership traits and love for music.

“RR Patil RIP. Who Lived Life More Meaningful n Inspirational. Set an Example. He personally told me how much he Loved KailasaMusic, Prayers,” the singer tweeted.

Whereas filmmaker Bhandarkar and actor Aftab Shivdasani sent their condolences to Patil's family.

“Saddened to hear about the demise of R R Patilji. May his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to the Patil family,” Bhandarkar tweeted.

Aftab also shared: “RIP Shri R.R.Patil...Prayers for his soul and condolences to his family...Peace and light.”

Film producer Guneet Monga, Universal Music representative Devraj Sanyal and NGO Goonj founder-director Anshu Gupta among others will be part of 'The Coalition 2', a platform to support creative entrepreneurs.

A line-up of speakers, workshops and other activities has been put together for the event, to be held Feb 27 to March 1 at the Buddh International Circuit here.

The entrepreneurs will be able to connect with like-minded people who can help them turn their passion into profitable, scalable and sustainable businesses.

Speakers at the event will share their inspiring stories and expert advice through a series of workshops and discussions, while entrepreneurs will be given a chance to pitch their ideas to investors, mentors and incubators.

Some other speakers that have been finalised are Justin Bolognino, creative director, SFX Entertainment, Satya Raghavan (head of Content Operations, YouTube India, Google), Sameer Pitalwalla (CEO and co-founder, Culture Machine), and Sonal Bhatia (head of Marketing, Koovs.com).

The event will also have workshops, which will mostly be business skills boot camps and industry master classes covering a range of topics relevant to creative entrepreneurs in the present scenario.

Bollywood celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Madhur Bhandarkar have wished their fans and family on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri Tuesday.

The festival is believed to celebrate the wedding of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. Devotees stay awake all night, singing hymns and prayers, to seek Lord Shiva's blessings.

Here's what the celebrities of tinsel town tweeted:

Lata Mangeshkar: Maha Shivratri ke is pavan parva ki aap sab ko mangal kaamanaayein.(I would like to extend my good wishes to all on this auspicious occasion of Maha Shivratri).

Amitabh Bachchan: Jo amrit peete hain unhe dev kehte hain, aur jo vish peete hain unhe devon ke dev mahadev kehte hain...!!! (The one who drinks elixir is called lord and he who drinks poison is called god of all gods).

Hema Malini: May today's Mahashivratri bring blessings & fulfilment to u all! God blesss

Madhuri Dixit: Happy MahaShivratri to all!

Riteish Deshmukh: MahaShivratri ki Shubkaamnayien

Madhur Bhandarkar: May Lord Shiva shower upon you all his choicest blessings on this Maha Shivratri, Om Namah Shivay...

Manoj Bajpayee : Happy shivratri to all of you!

Esha Gupta: Today on MahaShivaratri pls don't waste al the milk on gods statues,rather give it to the animals on the street or kids. ur God will bless u

Kapil Sharma: Happy MahaShivraatri

Mohit Chauhan: Happy Shivratri!! may Lord Shiva bless us all with his divine light, and grant us peace, love and harmony. Bhum Bholenath!!...

Mika Singh: Happy shivratri. Jai Bhole Nath...

Salim Merchant: Wish you all a blessed MAHASHIVRATRI.

Raveena Tandon : Aap Sab ko MahaShivratri Ki Hardik shubhkaamnaye !! Today also happens to be my dads 80 th birthday!! So truly a special day for me

Dhanush: #MahaShivratri ... Jai bholenath .. Har har mahadev .. Aum namashivaya

Rohit Roy: Har har Mahadev.

Esha Deol: Shiv bless

Shekhar Kapur: The Lord of Darkness. Lord of Nothingness. Lord of emptiness. Lord of the Tandav. Lord of the Birth n Death of the Universe #MahaShivratri

Soha Ali Khan: Herath Mubarak to all!! Happy Shivratri - just had a glorious meal of dum aloo, yakni, paneer and haq ... Yummy!

Sidharth Shukla: What is Bhaang called in English.....Shiva's Regal !!! Jai Bholenath ...Happy #Mahashivratri ;-)

Shruti Haasan: Happy mahashivratri to everyone !!!!!

Randeep Hooda: Om namah Shivai...

Actress Gauahar Khan, who has signed a Punjabi movie featuring singer-actor Jassi Gill, says the latter is helping her learn some chaste Punjabi.

Seen in movies like "Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year" and "Ishaqzaade", Gauahar is excited about her first Punjabi movie which is a romantic comedy.

Talking about how she's been preparing for her role, she said: "Jassi is my tutor and has been teaching me certain chaste Punjabi words. Having had Punjabi friends, I am familiar with the language, but I have to work on the fluency.

"In fact, we shot a song recently and everyone in the unit was shocked that I could lip sync so well."

Bollywood songs of today don't sound melodious to veteran actor Randhir Kapoor as he feels old tunes are golden till date.

"I don't understand the songs that are made today but that's because I am from a different generation. My love for the kind of music that played during our era will never cease to exist," the actor, who turned 68 Feb 15, said during a talk on radio channel 92.7 BIG FM.

The actor now hopes to make a "good movie" soon.

Actress Radhika Apte, who has styled up with spunky bangs for her forthcoming release "Badlapur", has chosen to go deglam for her next movie "Hunterrr".

While she will be seen playing an edgy character in "Badlapur", which releases Friday; "Hunterrr", which hits the screen exactly a month after the former, will see Radhika play a non-glam version of herself.

Radhika was briefed during the narration that her character would sport a simple look but was in for a surprise on the first day of the shoot when she arrived to see there wasn't vanity of any kind on the sets. She was amused to see there was no appointed hair or makeup person for her, and then her director explained the character's requirement.

She was apprehensive initially, but she's happy with the result.

"Any actor who is told to go de-glam obviously feels apprehensive for a quick second but I have done this before, so I was convinced sooner. I think my apprehension was that because I have done this earlier I didn't want to be typecast.

"Also, given the plot of the film, I think I went in expecting something slightly glamorous. But the director was really particular about sticking to the look.

"We had to especially craft the looks in a way so as to accommodate a no hair and makeup feel to suit my character's need. Obviously everyone was being nice and tried to talk me into it. But later I realised it wasn't a typecast whatsoever and I was totally on the same wavelength as the director."

"Hunterrr" itself is said to be a coming-of-age film which revolves around an unassuming sex addict and his lustful journey through life. Directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, it also stars Gulshan Devaiah.

Actress Shazahn Padamsee says she enjoys featuring in comedy movies.

"I love doing comedy films...When you do a comedy film, energy level is so high on the sets," Shazahn, who will be seen in Saurabh Verma's directorial "Solid Patels", told IANS.

"Saurabh is quick with his work. He doesn't take more than two takes in a day so... It's a total family comedy," she added.

Also starring Shiv Pandit, Ali Asgar, Vaishali Desai and Kettan Singh, the movie is slated to release April 24.

Shazahn essays the role of Hetal Joshi in the "complete crazy comedy".

"She is today's chic, young and fun loving girl. I am paired opposite Shiv. She is a rich man's daughter in the film," said the "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year" actress.

There's a lot that went behind bringing Bhumi Pednekar from behind the scenes of filmmaking on to the big screen with "Dum Laga Ke Haisha". But her journey will be kept under wraps until the film's release.

In fact, the movie's production banner Yash Raj Films (YRF) has instructed Bhumi, previously part of YRF's casting division, to refrain from talking to the media before the release of the film.

Confirming the same, a spokesperson of the movie emphasised that Bhumi's journey from being behind the camera to the big screen will make more sense after her work and calibre as an actor has been showcased through the movie.

"Bhumi has an endearing personal journey and story. She was assistant to Shanoo, the casting director. Everyone felt her story was better told once every one had seen on the celluloid," the spokesperson said in a statement.

With a message that 'Love comes in all sizes', the movie“"Dum Laga Ke Haisha”" also stars Ayushmann Khurrana, which narrates the journey of a couple who get married due to their family pressure and shows how they move on from finding faults in physical appearances and finding love.

The trailer and songs of the film give a glimpse of the work that one can expect from Bhumi.

Produced by Maneesh Sharma, the film is directed by Sharat Katariya and is slated to release Feb 27.

Actor Arjun Kapoor always keep his fans posted about his life through Twitter. And the actor was delighted as he amassed over 800,000 followers or -- as he calls them -- “Arjunzaade's” on the social networking platform.

“And the Arjunzaade's show their creative side yet again... Big Love to all of u... 800K in no time,” he tweeted.

Son of producer Boney Kapoor, Arjun often takes to Twitter to share his thoughts and updates his fans on the daily happenings in his life.

Arjun was last seen in "Tevar” with Sonakshi Sinha, which fizzled out at the box office.

He has also grabbed headlines for being part of a controversial live event AIB Roast, which faced flak from various quarters for its vulgar content.

There's something that Parineeti Chopra can't get enough of these days. The actress has started her own movie marathon and she is relishing each moment of it.

“Now thatsss what I call a Movie Marathon,” the actress tweeted.

Parineeti went gaga over the movies that kept her hooked to the screen.

“Never before have I watched so many movies. 9 in a week Birdman/Imitation/GoneGirl/Budapest/LoveRosie/boy next door/theory/whiplash/baby,” the actress shared.

The cousin of actress Priyanka Chopra, Parineeti was last seen in "Kill Dil" along with Ranveer Singh and Ali Zafar. The movie turned out to be a damp squib at the box office.

Actress Radhika Apte, who plays one of the leads in forthcoming action-thriller "Badlapur", says the film is content-driven and also has all the elements of a commercially entertaining venture.

"This is a content-driven film, but it's entertaining too with all the commercial elements," Radhika told IANS.

She plays the owner of a restaurant in the film and most of her scenes were with Varun Dhawan.

"I play this role of an independent woman. It's a strong character and that's all I can reveal about it," she said.

Radhika believes it's really brave of Varun to do something "contrary" to his onscreen image.

"I really loved working with Varun. He's a very hardworking actor. It's so brave of him that he took a leap of faith and has done something so contrast and dark to his earlier roles. I think it's really great that he had taken up this project," she added.

Radhika confessed she's a fan of director Sriram Raghavan's work and that she had been waiting for an opportunity to work with him.

"Sriram is very experimental with his ideas and always tries something different. He allows his actors to collaborate and contribute their ideas to the project. He's supremely talented as a director and writer. I think it's great that he writes as well as directs," she said.

"He's a simple human being and I'd love to work with him again," she added.

Also starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautham and Vinay Pathak, "Badlapur" releases in cinemas Friday.

Radhika also has projects such as "Hunterrr", "Manjhi: The Mountain Man", a yet-untitled film with Anurag Kashyap and Telugu film "Lion" in her kitty.

Music composer Adnan Sami, who has undergone incredible weight loss, is now geared up to share fitness tips with all his fans.

“Every Wednesday from now on I will be sharing some tips and info on staying fit! Are you ready? ;) #WeLikeToStayFit,” he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Sami, born in 1969 in London to a former Pakistani diplomat, Arshad Sami Khan and Indian mother Naureen Khan, once weighed more than 200 kgs. He slimmed down after some serious advice from a doctor.

The musician is known for songs like “Tu sirf mera mehboob”, “Aye udi udi udi”, “Ishq hota nahin sabhi ke liye” and “Gela gela gela”.

Karan Johar is a proud man and the reason is actor Varun Dhawan, who has stunned the filmmaker with his performance in “Badlapur”.

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, "Badlapur", releasing Friday, also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Yami Gautam and Huma Qureshi.

Sharing his excitement, Karan tweeted: “#Badlapur is absolutely stunning! @Varun_dvn made me so so proud! He is exceptional!!! And it's doesn't get better than nawaz!! Must watch!”

Varun, who is the son of filmmaker David Dhawan, made his acting debut with "Student Of The Year". He also worked under his father's direction in "Main Tera Hero".

Former Miss India contestant and actress Rakul Preet Singh, who made her Bollywood debut with “Yaariyan”, is excited about her upcoming projects and thanks her family and god for all the support.

“Mornin people! Super excited 2 start my new projects. Cnt wait 4 d ongoin films to release too. Happy phase. Thanku all! Thanku God! Thanku family,” she tweeted.

The Delhi born beauty has starred in various southern films too including “Venkatadri Express”, “Loukyam” and “Current Theega”.

After garnering critical acclaim in West Bengal, Bengali blockbuster "Ebar Shabor" is set to wow audiences in four major Indian cities Feb 20, a statement said.

The Reliance Entertainment and Mundus Service movie is a suspense thriller.

"Taking into consideration the growing demand for regional content across metros, the movie will release in four key markets, namely Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru Feb 20," a statement from Reliance Entertainment said Tuesday.

"Having won rave reviews from critics and viewers alike within the Bengal territory since its release on Jan 2, 'Ebar Shabor' has caught the attention of Bengalis and cinema aficionados across the length and breadth of the nation," it said.

Directed by Arindam Sil, "Ebar Shabor" is a story of love, unrequited and untouched.

The movie will be sub-titled in English for non-Bengalis.

Model-actress Koena Mitra, who has been away from the Hindi film industry for seven years, is back again. She says she has no regrets about keeping away from showbiz.

Her last appearance in a Hindi film was in the 2008 movie "Anamika".

"The offers I was getting were not good. I did not think doing them will be good for me, so I utilised my time. I don't regret it," Koena said here Tuesday at a jewellery store launch.

"I hope whatever work I will do from now people will acknowledge and like it," she added.

Koena is now back from Los Angeles for a film here and she is looking forward to it.

"This year I will do only one film for which I have come back from Los Angeles," the 31-year-old said.

Talking about her stay in Los Angeles, Koena said: "I was training there, completed two films and it was a very good experience as I learnt sports, editing and Acrobats. I learnt many new things."

Renowned Telugu producer D. Ramanaidu, who holds the record of producing films in the maximum number of Indian languages, breathed his last here Wednesday. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner and Padma Bhushan awardee was 79.

“Ramanaidu, who was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, passed away at a private hospital. His body is being shifted to his studio for public to pay their last respects,” the veteran’s publicist told IANS.

Born June 6, 1936, Ramanaidu’s journey as a co-producer started with 1963 Telugu film “Anuragam”. Next year, he made his solo debut as a producer with N.T. Rama Rao-starrer Telugu drama “Ramudu Bheemudu”.

Some of his other popular Telugu films include “Prem Nagar”, “Jeevana Tarangalu”, “Soggadu”, “Kaliyuga Pandavulu”, “Coolie No 1” and “Ganesh” among others.

In 1989, he launched Ramanaidu Studios, followed by Ramanaidu Colour Lab and Cine Village.

In a career lasting over five decades, he produced over 130 films in over 20 Indian languages.

In Hindi, he produced films such as “Prem Nagar”, “Dildaar”, “Maqsad”, “Insaaf”, “Tohfa”, “Anari” and “Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain”.

He had also produced films in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi and English.

Ramanaidu used to produce films under his home banner Suresh Productions, which has now been taken over by his eldest son D. Suresh Babu.

Besides a few Nandi and Filmfare awards, Ramanaidu was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke and Padma Bhushan awards in 2009 and 2012 respectively.

Between 1999 and 2004, he was associated with Telugu Desam Party.

In many of his own productions, he was known for playing cameo roles and mostly frequently appeared in doctor and judge roles.

Ramanaidu is survived by his sons Suresh Babu, Venkatesh Daggubati and grandsons Rana and Naga Chaitanya.