Amit Mehra, one of late filmmaker Prakash Mehra's three sons, died here Saturday morning following cardiac arrest, said a family source.

"He was at his residence when his family found him unconscious and took him to the hospital, where the doctors declared that due to a sudden cardiac arrest, he was no more," the source told IANS.

His cremation will take place in an electric crematorium in Oshiwara here later Saturday, the source said.

Amit, who was in the news in 2013 during the release of the remake of his father's 1973 film "Zanjeer", is said to have been in his late 30s.

His other brothers are Sumeet and Puneet.

Actor Vindu Dara Singh mourned Amit's death on Twitter, posting: "Rip Amit Mehra son of Prakash mehra ji too early to leave at this young age."

The plummeting popularity of pop music as compared to Bollywood music is quite evident from the trending music tracks. But music composer Adnan Sami says he has not forgotten the genre and will continue his work to strengthen it.

"I have composed and sung for many Bollywood films as well. But my commitment towards pop albums is strong," he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

He is credited with giving some soulful tracks with albums like "Tera Chehra", "Kabhi To Nazar Milao".

In Bollywood, 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".

On the occasion of his wedding anniversary Sunday, Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu returned to Twitter nearly a year after his account was hacked and subsequently suspended.

"How wonderful Life is that you are in it @vinimanchu Happy Anniversary. As promised am back on Twitter (sic)," Vishnu tweeted Sunday.

Minutes after Vishnu's return, his handle @iVishnuManchu was trending.

After his account got hacked, Vishnu got busy with back-to-back projects and didn't find the time to return to the Twitter world.

The actor is currently busy shooting for yet-untitled Telugu remake of Tamil actioner "Arima Nambi".

Director Babu Thooyavan says his upcoming Tamil directorial "Katham Katham", which is about ego clash between two police characters, is based on true stories from real life police officers.

"I have a few friends in the Chennai police department. Former additional deputy commissioner Jayanth Murali is a family friend. Some of the key events in my film were inspired from stories that happened in his life," Thooyavan told IANS.

Cinematographer-turned-actor Natraj Subramaniam aka Nutty plays the lead, while Nanda plays the second hero.

"Nutty got trained for a week under Murali, who provided us with lot of reference material for the story. The story is about the rivalry between two police officers," he said.

Also starring Sanam Shetty, the film features former addition deputy commissioner Rajagopal in the role of the antagonist.

Actor-producer Vishnu Manchu's next Telugu outing, a remake of Tamil hit "Arima Nambi", has been titled "Dynamite".

"The title was an irresistible choice. It goes with the story and my character. We promise that this will be a dynamite of an entertainer," Vishnu said in a statement.

Also starring Pranitha Subhash, the film is in its final leg of shooting.

For his role, Vishnu had pierced his ear and got an arm-length tattoo.

He also went through intensive martial arts training to enhance action sequences in the film, which is being directed by Deva Katta.

Filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon's upcoming Tamil romantic-drama with actor Silambarasan aka Simbu has been titled "Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada", inspired by a popular song.

The song originally featured in 1960 Tamil film "Mannadhi Mannan", starring M.G. Ramachandran.

In a statement, Gautham said the title is apt for the story.

The regular shooting of the film starts in a few days.

Also starring Pallavi Subhash, the film marks Gautham's second film with Simbu after the highly successful "Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya" (2010).

A.R. Rahman, who has been roped in to compose the music for the film, has already composed three songs.

Composer-turned-actor G.V. Prakash Kumar, who made his acting debut in Tamil horror-thriller "Darling", said he had shed some inhibitions before donning the actor's hat.

"Despite being a big challenge for me, I had to shed certain inhibitions in order to present myself as an actor. We were not sure whether audiences will accept me as an actor. I am glad they were so pleased with me in 'Darling'," Prakash said in a statement.

Prakash is ready with his next Tamil outing "Pencil", a campus thriller, which is gearing up for release soon.

He is currently shooting for his third film "Trisha Illana Nayantara".

Heaping praise on the film's director Adhik Ravichandran, he said: "He's one of the most interesting narrators I've come across. I play a youngster who suffers in love. I think audiences can easily relate with my character."

Simran Bagga plays an important role in "Trisha Illana Nayantara", while Anandhi plays the female lead.

Headlined by thespians of Bengali cinema and theatre, an eight-day festival, that began here on Sunday, is showcasing diverse forms of comedy as well as evolution of the genre in Bengal's famed theatre culture.

The Kolkata Comedy Carnival began at Sarat Sadan here with a play by acting legend Soumitra Chatterjee's group Mukhomukhi. Veteran theatre director-actor Dwijen Banerjee and actress Paulomi Chatterjee are the other big names.

"In total, eight Bengali theatre groups are participating. They will be staging plays with duration of around two hours. The aim is to bring back independent comedy on stage," a spokesperson of Behala Nutan Dal, the organisers, told IANS.

Apart from family-oriented acts, there will be satires and black humour.

Prior to each play, a 10-minute audio play (shruti natak) will be presented.

On the sidelines, an exhibition of photographs and other artefacts has been put up to show the evolution of comedy in the Bengali theatre circuit.

The fest concludes on March 8 with theatre group Swapnalu's black comedy "Atithi".

The other groups include Purba-Pashchim, Blank Verse, Nandipot, Rangroop, Barasat Anushilan and Charbak.

Choreographer-actor Ganesh Acharya, who is busy promoting his new film "Hey Bro", says review by critics are valuable to him.

"I feel critics are very important. They know if your film is good or bad. This is a family drama entertainer and I hope they like the film. As an actor, their review counts," Ganesh told IANS.

Directed by Ajay Chandhok and produced by his wife Vidhi Acharya, the film features Ganesh in a prominent role.

"My wife is producing the film. She wanted to produce the film, I said okay. When I got the script I liked the film, but it was quite an expensive one. She said we will do it and she has done a great job," he said.

Composer-singer Bappi Lahiri says these days lyrics have no meaning and are bizarre.

"There is no meaning of lyrics these days. It's very disappointing. Listen to songs like 'Chaar botal Vodka'. All these words are bizarre. One has to concentrate on the lyrics," Bappi, who has given the vocals to "Hunterrr 303" from the film "Hunterrr", told IANS.

"Think about the old lyrics. People still remember those songs. There is no sense in today's lyrics like it had in the golden era. Lyrics have double meaning but having said that the young generation likes it," he added.

However, Bappi, who has been in the industry for more than four decades, says he wants to continue working.

"As a singer, it's been 42 years in the industry. I am happy about the fact that my old songs have still not faded. I have achieved a lot, but I still want to work. No matter whatever I have achieved till date, still I want to be in the show business," said Bappi.

Usha Uthup, popular for singing hit songs like "Darling" and "Koi yahaan naache naache", says she love awards.

"I love awards. I think it's truly a recognition and that's what we all are working for. When an award is given to me, it's a recognition. I hope I get an award and I love it," Usha, known for her powerful and unique voice, told IANS.

"At least I am honest about it. Everybody feels it, but not all are willing to say it. My fruit is when the audience reacts and I love that," she added.

However, while many lyricists and singers are of the opinion that the lyrics don't make any sense these days, Usha says it's a trend.

"I am not an authority of any kind to opine about lyrics. There are lot of artists who are saying horrible things about the music, but I have always been a positive thinker and a compulsive optimist. I do believe if given a chance it will become a classic," she said.

"The audience is not a fool... Why feel so bad about it? Let it come. It's a trend," she added.

Manish Gupta, whose latest directorial "Rahasya" was appreciated by the audience, says he is yet to sign any actor for his next film titled "Sinhasan".

"My next film, 'Sinhasan' is based on emperor Aurangzeb's conflict with his father Shah Jahan for the throne. I have adapted the story in a modern-day context and I have set it against the backdrop of politics in the corporate world.

"A film like 'Sinhasan' has never been made in India before," Gupta, who has proved his worth as a writer with 2005 film "Sarkar", told IANS.

Asked about the star cast of the film, he said: "I haven't signed anyone as yet. And I can't reveal the names on my wish list either as actors do not appreciate being named at a preliminary stage. When I officially sign the actors, I'll make an announcement."

He believes that the thin line between an actor and a star has blurred.

"Today, there are stars who are actors and actors who are stars. I can work with an actor who may not be a star. But I can't work with a star who can't act. Such stars may bring in substantial commercial success, but that's not my motive behind making films," he said.

Director Prasath Ramar says forthcoming Tamil psychological thriller "Enakkul Oruvan" will be a milestone in the career of actor Siddharth, who has moved away from the image audiences have had about him through this project.

"Enakkul Oruvan" is the remake of Kannada hit "Lucia".

"Siddharth is a fabulous actor. When he came on board, he knew exactly what was required for the character from him. It's going to be a milestone in his career and audiences are going to remember the film for a long time," Ramar told IANS.

"Contrary to the image of Satish Ninasam of the original, Siddharth has a bigger image. We wanted to break that image and we succeeded, going by the response to the trailer. Everybody in the film plays dual roles, so all had work really hard," he said.

Siddharth will be seen in two contrasting roles of an usher in a theatre and a successful actor.

Prasath says Siddharth chose to be part of this project.

"After he saw 'Lucia', he wanted to buy its remake rights. By then, producer C.V. Kumar had already bought the film. He got in touch with Kumar and expressed his interest to be part of the film," he added.

"We couldn't have asked for a better actor", said Prasath.

"He voluntarily came into the project as he wanted to be part of it. We as a team were happy to have him because we know his calibre. He's done some exceptionally good work across languages. We were eager to work with him and though he could bring different dimension to the film with his performance," he added.

"Enakkul Oruvan" releases in cinemas on Friday. Prasath is a tad nervous.

"When we were shooting, Siddharth's last two critically-acclaimed films - Jigarthanda and Kaaviya Thalaivan had not released. Now that these films have come out and have done well, I should admit I'm nervous about aEnakkul Oruvan'," he said.

He is also nervous because this happens to be his directorial debut.

"It's an important film for everybody involved, including Siddharth, who is playing contrast roles," said Prasath.

It was through composer Santosh Narayanan, Prasath and producer Kumar came to know about aLucia'.

"This project came to our attention when Santosh Narayanan did some part of the background score for aLucia', and it got us wondering. Since Santosh vouched for the project, we were confident and eventually decided to remake it," he said.

"Santosh gave us the kind of music he had envisioned for the film. It has come out very well," he said.

Prasath clarifies "Enakkul Oruvan" is "not a frame-to-frame remake" of "Lucia".

"When I decided to remake the film, I realised I won't be changing much of the scenes but as a director I'd present it differently to suit Tamil sensibilities. It was challenging but I asked how I would present the same story if I were to remake the film," he said.

According to the director, they've remade the script of "Lucia", but not the film on the whole.

While "Lucia" made it to several film festivals, Prasath says audience's reaction in cinemas matters the most to him for "Enakkul Oruvan", which also features Deepa Sannidhi and Srushti Dange in important roles.

Tamil cinema's popular on-and-off screen couple Ajith Kumar and Shalini were Monday blessed with a son, their second child.

"Shalini delivered a boy early this morning. Both the mother and child are doing absolutely fine," a source close to Ajith told IANS on Monday.

Ajith and Shalini first met on the sets of their 1999 Tamil film "Amarkalam" and fell in love.

They tied the knot in 2000 and already have a seven-year-old daughter Anoushka.

Currently basking in the success of his latest film "Yennai Arindhaal", Ajith spent the last few weeks by his wife.

Actress Surabhi will shed her pretty and girl-next-door image when filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma's Telugu actioner "Attack" releases. She will be seen upping the glamour quotient in her role as a mechanic.

"The innocent image I've portrayed so far in my roles will be intact. But at the same time I'm playing the role of a mechanic. The character has some rowdiness in it and I'll mostly be seen sporting a denim outfit and repairing cars in the film," Surabhi told IANS.

"It's a character so different from the ones people have seen me in. I've always believed there are two sides to all of us and what audiences will get to see from me will be my other side, which has never been explored before," she said.

Surabhi landed the opportunity to work with Varma after he was impressed by her performance in her Telugu debut "Beeruva".

The young actress disagrees that Varma exploits his heroines in glamorous roles.

"I think he makes his heroines look sensual as well as beautiful. He loves women and looks at them like a painting. I shot with him for three days and we did a photo shoot. Everybody has been talking about it," she said.

"I'm so happy with the photographs because it showcases me in a way I've been yearning to see myself on screen. Since this is an action film, there won't be any exposing except for the songs," said Surabhi, who will soon shoot a glamorous number.

The song, according to Surabhi, will be shot "beautifully".

She says Varma knows exactly how to portray his heroines on screen.

"We all know 'Rangeela' made Urmila (Matondkar) an overnight sensation. Ramu sir knows what will suit his heroines and he knows how to capture them on screen. When I shot with him, he never tried to make me look beautiful. He captured my natural looks in a beautiful way," she added.

Post "Attack", Surabhi says she'll be ready for glamorous roles as well.

"I don't want be typecast in pretty and homely roles. People shouldn't think I can't do other kinds of roles. I was looking forward for a makeover like this. I think it has come at the right time in my career," she said.

Working with the ace filmmaker has been "wonderful" for her.

"I've been his fan since childhood. The first film I watched in theatre was 'Rangeelaa'. He's very energetic and passionate. Shooting with him was different because he works with multiple cameras. Even the minutest detail is captured and you can't afford to make mistakes," she said.

Surabhi is also happy that she's getting to work with popular actors like Jagapathi Babu and Manchu Manoj. The actress currently has Tamil film "Pugazh" readying for release.

Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan will produce a Telugu film tentatively titled "Sardar" with his nephew Ram Charan, said a source close to the former.

"Pawan will produce the film with Ram Charan under his newly floated banner Pawan Kalyan Creative Works. The project is expected to go on floors," the source told IANS.

Pawan also has plans to produce more films under his banner.

"He plans to make films with smaller heroes as well. As a producer, he wants to create content for other sub-regional markets such as Hyderabadi and Deccani. He has already started discussing about a few projects that he intends to launch soon," the source said.

Pawan, whose last release was Telugu film "Gopala Gopala", is getting ready for "Gabbar Singh 2".

Actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind said the team of upcoming Tamil drama "Uttama Villain" starring Kamal Haasan condensed over 80,000 hours of sweat into the film, slated for worldwide release on April 2.

"As a team, we worked really hard on this film. We condensed 80,000 hours of sweat into a two and half hour film. The two stories, set in 8th century and 20th century, is linked together with a great screenplay," Aravind told reporters here Sunday.

He was speaking at the audio launch of "Uttama Villain".

"The stories have a great mix of comedy and drama. It's a film we can all be proud of. I really need to thank Kamal sir for giving me the opportunity to direct this project," he said.

"Uttama Villain" is the last film of late legendary filmmaker K. Balachander aka KB, who launched the careers of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan.

Balachander plays Kamal's mentor in the film.

"The first scene between Kamal sir and KB sir will be terrific. It will be the clash of two legends," Ramesh said.

Talking about his guru, Haasan said: "Had he not spotted me, my life would've been different. He shaped my career and I will continue his work and carry his legacy forward. I would've remained a fan of cinema without KB sir's support".

"He's a mahaguru for many of us. It was an honour to act with him," Kamal said.

Kamal plays a theatre artist as well as a modern-day superstar in "Uttama Villain", which also features Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Urvashi, K. Vishwanath and Jayaram in important roles.

"Meeruthiya Gangsters", the directorial debut film of Zeishan Quadri -- writer of the critically acclaimed movie "Gangs of Wasseypur" -- will hit the screens June 19 next.

"I'm excited about the release date and I have got an overwhelming review from directors like Anurag Kashyap and Nishikant Kamat after watching 'Meeruthiya Gangsters'. Let's see what the audience feels about the movie once it hits the screens," Quadari told IANS

"Meeruthiya Gangsters" is a quirky tale of six friends from Meerut and their adventures and misadventures in the world of crime. It stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Sanjay Mishra, Mukul Dev, Nusrat Bharucha, Ashish Dahiya, Vansh Bhardwaj, Brijendra Kala, Shadab Kamal, Chandrachoor Rai and Jatin Sarna.

The film is being presented by the Prateek Group and would be produced jointly by Prateek and Prashant Tiwari and Shoeb Ahmed.

Producer Shoeb Ahmed said: "We are sure that the audience would like and appreciate the film which will mark a new genre in filmmaking."

Sunny Leone and Ram Kapoor starrer comedy caper “Kuch Kuch Locha Hai” will be a “sexy comedy”, but it will be devoid of vulgarity, says the film's director Devang Dholakia.

“My film is not a sex comedy, it is a sexy comedy and there is a vast difference between the two. The humour is very tongue-in-cheek and will cut across all age groups,” Dholakia said in a statement.

"Kuch Kuch Locha Hai", releasing in India May 8, will also feature Evelyn Sharma and debutant Navdeep Chhabra.

Apart from "Kuch Kuch Locha Hai", Sunny and Dholakia have previously worked in the film "Tina and Lolo".

Singer Jubin Nautiyal has finished composing and recording a romantic song "Nadaan dil" for Sachin Agarwal's directorial debut "Game Paisa Ladki".

The film will be produced by Atul Patel and Sajan Agarwal under the banner Modern Movie Pvt Ltd, and is slated to hit the screens in April 2015.

"I am almost done with the shoot of my movie and we have a brilliant music score too. Jubin Nautiyal has sung 'Nadaan dil', a beautiful romantic song, which has the true essence of our story. The song is very earthy and soulful. Jubin has done the job splendidly," Agarwal told IANS.

Nautiyal is known for songs like "Meherbani" ("The Shaukeens") and "Ek mulaqat" ("Sonali Cable").

The music album of "Game Paisa Ladki" will have a total of six songs, which are composed by artists like Neha Kakkar, Kunal Ganjawala, Amit and Sonu Kakkar.

"They are all brilliant singers," said the director, adding that "'Nadaan dil' is pretty close to my heart."