Actress Rani Mukerji, who was felicitated by the National Institute of Gender Justice for creating awareness about child trafficking through her movie "Mardaani", says she's glad her work has gone beyond just entertainment for audiences.

Rani, who played a rough and tough police officer named Shivani Shivaji Roy, who tracks down a child trafficking racket in "Mardaani", was honoured in the capital on Tuesday.

Talking about it in a statement, she said: "It is really heartening to see that not only has the film been loved by audiences worldwide but it has transcended the realm of filmmaking and become something that inspires the people who have been tirelessly working for years for the cause of child trafficking and are the real heroes.

"I feel humbled to meet these people and I'm glad that I'm able to contribute in a small way. This award is special as it recognises my contribution to cinema in a different manner," said the hazel-eyed Rani on receiving the award.

Lauding Rani for her role in the movie, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, chairperson, National Institute for Gender Justice, said: "The powerful and fearless performance of Rani Mukerji in 'Mardaani' idealises the role of police in prevention of crime against women, especially trafficking of girl child for commercial sexual exploitation.

"I feel she symbolises the pride of uniform and inspire change. That's the reason we decided to felicitate her for excellence in artistic performance."

Rani has played strong roles off and on during her film career. These have included "Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat", "Mehendi" and "No One Killed Jessica".

His brief visits to India for shooting his international movies help British actor of Indian descent Dev Patel connect to the "astounding" and "inspiring" country as well as revisit his cultural roots.

"It is a wonderful way to get in touch with your culture and with your roots. I'm constantly astounded whenever I go to India. I feel so inspired by the people I interact with and with the things that I see," Dev, who sprang to global stardom with the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire", told IANS over phone from Berlin.

"I really hope I can continue to do that all my life," said the Gujarati lad, adding that he finds Indian food "great".

Just a cursory glance on the work done by Dev -- be it a Mumbai slum dweller in "Slumdog Millionaire", Neal Sampat of TV series "The Newsroom" or a manager of a hotel in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" -- shows that despite spending his growing up days in Britain, the actor has traced the journey of an Indian man in most of his films.

Another movie, "The Man Who Knew Infinity", a biopic on Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, brought Dev to India. The 24-year-old actor says entering the world of complex mathematics was not easy for him.

"I spent a lot of time in southern India and did a lot of rehearsal with the director (Matthew Brown). A mathematician introduced us to the world of complex mathematics (on the set), and I'd be lying if I said I learned it, as it is so complex, that it went over my head."

Now, Dev is gearing up for his movie "Chappie", set to release in India on March 13.

For "Chappie", Dev teamed up with Hugh Jackman and Sigourney Weaver, while he shared screen space with Hollywood legends like Richard Gere and Judi Dench in "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", which also brought him to shoot in India.

Asked about Bollywood legends, Dev was quick to share his long list of favourites.

"There are a couple. I would start with Shah Rukh Khan. He is my absolute favourite. And then...I have already worked with him but I would die to work with him again -- Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin, these are my top favourites," the actor said.

The silver screen has literally captured the transformation in Dev from being a lanky teenager to a young man with a scruffy and rugged look, which is garnering a lot of attention. The actor says his "new look is for a movie".

Dev had also mentioned that when he started his career in showbiz with British TV show "Skins", he was not sure where he was getting into. Now after seven years in the glamorous industry with a number of critically appreciated films to his credit, Dev is not in a mood to let success get to his head.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who will be seen in K.C. Bokadia's "Dirty Politics", says his character in the film is somewhat like Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"I play an idolised version of Delhi's Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal)...like him, this character also stands for right things and succeeds thereafter," the actor said here Tuesday during a press conference to promote the film.

Kejriwal, who has become Delhi's chief minister for the second time, was a team member of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement. He then took the political route and formed the Aam Aadmi Party. He first became the chief minister after the 2013 Delhi assembly polls but stepped down after 49 days. He made a historic comeback in the assembly polls this year.

Like Kejriwal, Naseeruddin's character in "Dirty Politics" is a "political activist and always believes in taking action against wrong doings".

"Somewhere he is a witness of everything that happens in the story and at last he is the one who decides to take the positive action," he added.

"Dirty Politics" also features Mallika Sherawat, Jackky Shroff, Anupam Kher, Ashutosh Rana and Om Puri in key roles.

Actor Darshan Kumar, who played Priyanka Chopra's husband in "Mary Kom", will now be seen in "NH10". He hopes to win an Academy Award for his acting talent someday.

"As an actor I want to win all the awards. Winning an Oscar is my dream," Darshan told IANS.

Alas, the actor did not bag any award for his debut venture "Mary Kom".

"I was nominated for 'Mary Kom', but I did not get an award. I failed to impress the jury with my debut film but, hope to impress them with 'NH10'.

"Naseeruddin Shah loved my performance in 'Mary Kom', and as an actor, getting appreciated by him is very satisfying," he added.

He says "NH10" is an "unusual film and my role is very different".

"I'm extremely happy to be a part of this project," added Darshan, whose character in "NH10" will reportedly have shades of grey. He will be seen playing the love interest of Anushka Sharma.

Directed by Navdeep Singh, "NH10" is a thriller which is co-produced by Phantom Productions and Eros International. This movie marks Anushka's debut as a film producer.

Filmmaker Anurag Basu is said to have been approached by the makers of dance-based reality show "Nach Baliye" to join the judges panel for the next season.

If the deal is sealed, Basu will be replacing filmmaker Sajid Khan on the show.

According to a source, the makers are approaching big names from the film fraternity to widen the frame of the show.

"Sajid Khan as a judge will be replaced this season and the makers have approached Anurag Basu to judge the show," the source said.

The seventh season of "Nach Baliye" is expected to be aired on Star Plus in May. Last season of the show was judged by Sajid, actress Shilpa Shetty and ace choreographer Terence Lewis.

The "Barfi!" director has earlier judged an acting reality show "India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj" and made a fiction show named "Love Story" for the small screen.

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has invited his fans to suggest the title of a "docu-feature" based on his life.

"Proud to announce the ‘Docu-Feature’, which would be based on my life. This is in association with @ravi0404 and @200NOTOUTFIILMS. Would love to involve you all.. Suggest what should be the name for this movie. Send me your thoughts here: http://Bit.ly/NameMyMovie," Tendulkar tweeted on Wednesday.

He has also promised a treat for those who suggest the best names.

"There is something very special in store for the ones who come up with the most ideal title for my movie. I am waiting to hear from you," he added.

Tendulkar too will star as himself in the biopic, conceived by Mumbai-based production company 200 Not Out in co-ordination with World Sports Group, the firm that manages Brand Sachin.

The movie, to be directed by London-based writer-filmmaker James Erskine, promises “never seen before facets and footage” on the cricket legend,

Apart from his presence in the movie, Tendulkar is said to be making a lot of contribution to the project, which will capture his phenomenal rise in the world of cricket.

In his career spanning 24 years, the cricketer scored 15,921 runs from 200 matches at an average of 53.78. He also has most batting records under his belt in Tests as also in the 50-over format.

Having started as a 16-year-old, the ‘Little Master’, at five feet five inch, holds the record for the maximum number of appearances and is the highest run-getter and century maker in both versions.

Delhi-based ace couturier Varun Bahl will showcase his latest collection for the first time here. He will be closing the Mercedes Benz Signature Couture Show 2015 on Thursday.

Organised by Oman's luxury lifestyle magazine Signature, the fashion event will see the designer showcasing a collection of some of his signature styles in exotic motifs and luminous tones.

Bahl will showcase an array of about 30 couture pieces in the women’s wear segment and 12 menswear outfits from the Karan Johar + Varun Bahl (KJ+VB) label.

A mix of Bahl’s masterpieces created with liberal use of his trademark rose motifs and modern silhouettes, along with his latest French Floral Story Collection will make their way to the ramp here.

The show is divided into three segments, starting with a range of outfits in black and transitioning towards the royal ivory, lastly giving way to a burst of colours on the runway with the French Floral Story in shades of old rose, pink, gold, peach and more, read a statement.

The collection consists of anarkalis, saris, sari gowns, gowns and lehengas, and a capsule collection of sherwanis and Indian men's wear.

The show will be followed by a trunk show on Friday and Saturday at Mrunal’s Boutique here.

Director Suman Ganguly says Ranvir Shorey, who plays a prominent part in "Blue Mountains", agreed to the movie for his son Haroon.

Ranvir married his longtime ladylove Bollywood actress Konkana Sen Sharma in 2010 and Haroon was born the same year.

"When I narrated the script to Ranvir, he got very emotional and told me, 'Suman-da, I will do this film for my son Haroon and for the dreams he will have and fully support him in pursuing them," Suman told IANS.

"Ranvir has elevated the whole presence of the film to a different level. His precision and detailing shaped 'Blue Mountains'," he added.

"Blue Mountains" deals with issues that are relevant and very crucial for today's adolescents and their parents. It also highlights the importance of developing emotional stamina during the teenage years and emphasises on parenting styles and family values.

Talking about the film, Ganguly said: "My film deals with the life of a teenager and how a mother forces her own aspirations on her son which emotionally breaks him."

Ranvir plays the protagonist's father, who helps his son regain confidence.

The first look of the film has already released in Cannes. Now "Blue Mountains" is expected to tour some international film festivals before being released in India during summer.

The film also features Gracy Singh, Rajpal Yadav, Arif Zakaria and Mahesh Thakur.

A day after it stayed the release of Bollywood film "Dirty Politics" in cinema halls, the Patna High Court Wednesday lifted the order, a government lawyer said.

After K.C. Bokadia, the director and producer of the film, submitted a written petition informing the court that there was no objectionable scene in the movie and that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has given it a certificate without a cut, a division bench of the court lifted its earlier order, Anil Kumar Sinha, who is Bokadia's lawyer, told media here.

Bokadia, who arrived here from Mumbai, said that he was thankful to the court that it lifted the order following his written submission.

"I have informed the court that my film has no objectionable scenes," Bokadia said.

Sinha said that after the court lifted its earlier order, the film would be released as scheduled on Friday.

The movie features actress Mallika Sherawat.

Pepsi MTV Indies and Viacom 18 have come together to give an indie experience through 'SPIRO - An MTV Indies Takeover' from April 1 to 4 to people here.

Pepsi MTV Indies that launched in February last year, today reaches about 25 million homes and 10 million weekly viewers across the country through its TV channel, and has also launched a specially designed app and website that facilitates music discovery.

'SPIRO - An MTV Indies Takeover' promises to be an indie experience like never before where fans will now get to celebrate the world of subcultures through music, comedy and cinema.

It will feature various indie musical acts including the Grammy-nominated electronica producer Pretty Lights.

"The first year has been so heartening that we are ready to take our next big leap with the announcement of our landmark live experience. Our goal is to connect all our platforms seamlessly and this is an opportunity for us to do just that.

"The world of subcultures is exploding and we are excited to be right at the heart of it, firing up this revolution. Set Up. Discover," Aditya Swamy, Business Head, MTV and Indies, said in a statement.

Pepsi MTV Indies seeks to bring alive experiences with the aim of bridging the gap between artists and the audience.

Jaideep Singh, senior vice president and business head, Integrated Network Solutions said: "Live Viacom18 has over the last two years built iconic music properties in genres of EDM, rock, Bollywood, comedy, alternate music and always aimed to hit the right note amongst the youth".

"With the launch of SPIRO, we have moved into the indie music space which is coming of age with huge interest amongst youth and it aims to connect our audience from across diverse music and cultural genres," he added.

Actor-producer Vishal Krishna Reddy, who has teamed up with filmmaker Suseenthiran for the second time in a yet-untitled Tamil actioner, says they have the responsibility of outperforming the success of their last film "Pandiya Naadu".

The project was officially launched here on Wednesday.

"It is going to be a special film for everyone. This is my second project with 'Pandiya Nadu' team and we have lots of responsibilities to outperform our previous success. The same team from our last film has been retained and we have a new member - cinematographer Velraj joining us," Vishal said in a statement.

Vishal plays an undercover policeman in the film, which also stars Kajal Aggarwal.

This is the third time Vishal will be donning khaki after films such as "Vedi" and "Satyam".

The film, which will be produced by Vendhar Movies, also features Anand Raj and Murali Sharma in important roles.

If sources are to be believed, actors Daggubati Venkatesh and Ravi Teja are likely to team up for the Telugu remake of last year's Tamil blockbuster "Jilla", which featured Mohan Lal and Vijay in the lead roles.

"The remake idea was discussed with another popular hero, but he was not happy with the story. So eventually the idea had to be dropped. Now, Venkatesh and Ravi Teja have been approached for the same project and they've expressed interest to be part of it," a source told IANS.

The remake rights have been acquired by actor Pawan Kalyan's close friend Sharat Marar, who had produced "Gopala Gopala", a remake of Hindi film "OMG: Oh My God", featuring Venkatesh in one of the leads.

"It was post the release of 'Gopala Gopala', the remake idea was discussed with Venkatesh. He liked it and also didn't show any qualms of teaming up with Ravi," he said.

Director Veeru Potla is likely to direct the project, which is expected to go on floors from April.

Film: "Coffee Bloom"; Cast: Arjun Mathur, Sugandha Garg, Mohan Kapoor; Director: Manu Warrier; Rating: **

Debutant director Manu Warrier's feature is a baffling bewildering exasperating mound of undecipherable drama, built into a triangle that on paper, must have seemed very mean, clean and ummmm...David Lean.

A young couple torn apart by an aborted suicide bid meet many years later in a coffee plantation owned by the woman's husband...epic in design and echoing Kalpana Lajmi's underrated masterpiece "Ek Pal" in its thematic thrust towards connecting Nature to human betrayal in a green-carpeted landscape.

Tragically the execution of the triangular saga with another woman - self-appointed "keep" (mistress) played by Ishwari Bose-Bhattacharya who plays a very unlikely Chandramukhi in the coffee-plantation version of Warrier's "Devdas", pitching in to complete a quadrangle - is heavy-handed and most incredibly unconvincing.

The very talented Arjun Mathur struggles to portray a man struggling with inner demons. Poor guy! If only he had better lines to expresses his angst. Nothing in the narrative or the character's attitude suggests a 13-year time passage that separates Dev from Ankita.

During her husband's absence he grabs hold of Ankita, kisses her and urges her to leave her husband to start a life again with him and not feel guilty about it.

"Morals are flexible," says Mathur to Sugandha Garg.

Ok then.

Hats off to the actor for making this unbelievably vain and stupid man look dignified. Mathur's Dev Anand is a Dev with no Anand. He is a man who has forgotten to enjoy the gifts of life and Nature.He is a bloke with a capacity for immense self-deception. He has sold off his family property, a sprawling stunning coffee plantation, and now he has returned to claim the same.

Coincidentally the new owner(Mohan Kapoor, struggling to instill a semblance of mystery to his opaque character ) is now married to Dev's sweetheart. Rather than respect her space as a married woman Dev crowds and growls at Anika for attention, demands that he give her marriage/property/dignity, whatever he can lay his hands on.

You wish someone would tell this chap to shut up and smell the coffee.

It's all so clumsily executed, one feels sorry for the characters trapped in this leaky passion-play. A less pedantic treatment of the script would have provided the characters some desperately needed breathing space.Every time the people in Warrier's film open their mouth you hold your breath to hear what new levels of stupidity they will achieve through their spoken lines.

When Mohan Kapoor's character comes on screen the background changes to a playful wink-wink interlude elephant-march music to suggest this guy is not to be taken seriously.

Lurking in the haze of confounding debility is some stunning Nature shots. The Coorg landscape in the coffee season is captured by Yogesh Jania's camera with picture-postcard precision.

Instead of trying so desperately to weave the landscape into a plot, the director should have made a documentary on the coffee plantations of Coorg.

For now, I am off coffee.

Film: "Badmaashiyan"; Cast: Suzanna Mukherjee, Sidhant Gupta, Karan Mehra, Sharib Hashmi; Director: Amit Khanna; Rating: ***

A well-intended sawach-aur-saaf-suthri comedy "Badmaashiyan" is a curiously content-driven rom-com with one of the most consistently wicked female protagonists I've seen in recent cinema from Bollywood or Hollywood.

Unlike the over-praised "Dolly Ki Doli" where Sonam Kapoor was hailed as a new-age heroine for conning her way through multiple marriages, newcomer Suzanna Mukherjee ironically named Naari in "Badmaashiyaan" ,is unabashedly moral, money-minded to the point of being vulgar in her avarice. Suzanna plays the character with just the right doses of devilish cuteness to make Naari seductive and palatable. It is quite a debut. The actress' insouciant materialism holds the clever inventive plot together.

The men are hopelessly hooked to the deceitful damsel. The plot divides Naari's con games into three unmarked sections, the first when an unsuspecting well-meaning dude from Chandigarh Dev(Sidhant Gupta, confident and screen-friendly) falls head-over-hells for the con-woman.

In a rolicking relay race of romantic renewal the baton of romancing Naari is then passed to a quirky detective named Pinkesh (played with precocious panache by Karan Mehra).

It is really in the third romantic interlude that the plot tickles the funny bones the most when a dreaded don Jazzy (Sharib Hashmi, a delight to watch) becomes putty in the pretty con woman's hands.

The three besotted lovers' characters are intersected into unlikely junctions . The smartly written comedy(Kushal Ved Bakshi) manages to stay a few baby-steps ahead of audiences. The writing sparkles when Naari does her eyelash-batting coquettish act with her men who choose to get fooled becauseawell, because some believe men think with a body part other than brains when they are in love.

This premise is brought into play with immense vibrancy and surprisingly no vulgarity. Think of it. A rom-com about three guys with healthy appetites lusting after a sexy young tease. And no double meaning? The censor board must have swooned in delight.

I specially liked the sequence where Naari tries to feed a sob story about her mother stricken with cancer to Pinkesh who reminds Naari not too gently that he saw the "ill' mother dancing vigorously.

It's all done in the spirit of a buoyant but clean bordello humour. Not all of it works. At the start there is a horribly mis-constructed bank-robbery sequence with a female actor hamming so hard you fear for the narrative's wellbeing. After a false start director Amit Khanna picks up the threads of the plot and weaves them nimbly into the lives of his characters, all of whom are much less acool' than they'd like to believe.

"Badmaashiyan" conveys a pleasant in-through-the-out-door feeling. The film is set in Chandigarh and delivers some priceless barbs at the city's expensive. A wannabe groom wants to know why so many girls from Chandigarh are named Pooja or Neha , why they are fans of Shah Rukh Khan and why they end up becoming dress designers.

"Badmaashiyan" revels in an innocuous irreverence. It's an original and frequently funny comedy of ongoing errors where various characters including a wholesome conscience-stricken girl (Gunjan Malhotra), a hilariously over-the-top Sardarji and a clueless gangster's right-hand-man (played with fantastic fervor by Nitin Goswami) meet and collide creative a crackling hissing humour. Most of all, the female protagonist is wickedly duplicitous to the last. Talented new actors who know how to juice funny scenes for all they are worth make this a warmly welcome comedy.

Actress Kalki Koechlin, who essays the role of a cerebral palsy effected girl in Shonali Bose's directorial "Margarita With A Straw", says the audition for this film was toughest for her and she took it as a test for herself.

"I loved the script. Shonali (Bose) e-mailed it to me and immediately I wrote back to her that I loved the script. It scared the hell out of me that she could even think that I could do this," Kalki told reporters here Wednesday at the trailer launch of the film.

"The audition for this film was toughest for me," she added.

"Margarita With A Straw" is a gentle coming-of-age story of a young Indian woman effected with cerebral palsy (played by Kalki Koechlin) and it also explores the sexuality of disabled people.

Kalki's performance was appreciated on the international arena and she bagged Best Actress Award for Kalki at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival held last year.

In India, "Margarita With A Straw" is expected to release on March 13.

The sordid tale of unfairness to the fair sex in rural India is all set to hit the screen on Friday, ahead of the International Women's Day.

The two-hour bilingual movie in Hindi and Punjabi, "Kudessan" or "Woman from the East", depicts the plight of poor women from Bihar who are being purchased by rich landlords of Punjab.

"The movie is basically based on true human trafficking stories and tries to narrate the plight of women, especially the teenagers, who have to face sexual exploitation and abuse just for a few thousand rupees," director-cum-actor Jeet Matharru told IANS Thursday.

The film is based on a Punjabi play, "The Namesake", written by Jatinder Brar, the man behind Punjab Naatshala, a theatre in Amritsar.

"It took six years for me to make this social drama which will definitely leave questions for society," Matharru, whose maiden Punjabi movie "Adi Tapa" was quite hit.

"Kudessan" is the story of a rural girl from Bihar, who is sold by her father to a 65-year-old farmer from Punjab under the grab of a domestic help. There she is a "Kudessan" or "Woman from the East" and suffered atrocities and abused. She finally decided to fight it out.

"It's just an attempt to portray the real life into reel life," Matharru said.

He said in eastern India the practice of selling girls is still prevalent. The prosperous people in rural areas of Punjab and Haryana, which are infamous for skewed sex ratio, still prefer to buy girls from Bihar in lust of bearing boys. Such girls often face humiliation and torture throughout their life.

According to Matharru, the idea of depicting the tale of trafficked women came in the mind of Brar, Punjabi play 'Kudessan' writer, during his visit to Bihar 25 years back.

"During his visit to Bihar, Brar was curious when a dhaba (roadside eatery) owner offered him a girl for Rs.1,000, Rs.2,000 and Rs.5,000," he said.

"Even one of his friend bought a girl for Rs.2,000. When Brar sahib asked his friend that what will he do with this girl? He replied: 'Nothing. We will have fun and leave her," said Matharru.

Noted Bhojpuri actor Pakkhi Hegde will in the role of Ganga, who is sold by her father. This is her maiden Punjabi film.

Singer Kailash Kher sang a promotional song for the movie titled "Beti", which narrates the tale of girls and women in the country.

The movie will be released simultaneously in India and Canada.

American erotic romantic drama “Fifty Shades of Grey” has been banned in India.

The country's film censors decided the raunchy film was too explicit for India's film-hungry audiences, even after all nudity was edited out of the film, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Kenya have also banned the controversial film, which is an adaptation of the E.L. James book.

Malaysian censors said the film was "more like pornography than a movie" and contained "scenes that are not of a natural sexual content".

The film, starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steel, is the highest grossing 18-rated film in British box office history, bringing in at least 262 million pounds worldwide since it premiered last month.

With the festival of colours Holi right around the corner, Bollywood actresses Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Kriti Sanon share their plans for the fiesta and give out tips for having a colourful blast without damaging one's skin and hair.

Although the festival, which falls on Friday this year, is about colours, taking care of one's skin and hair cannot be ignored.

Vidya, who will play Holi "with friends" this year, says her "fondest memory" of the festival dates back to the time when she used to fill up balloons with her father.

"My fondest memory is that of my father filling balloons with water early in the morning. We'd go up to the terrace and throw balloons at each other," Vidya said in a statement.

The "Dirty Picture" actress's favourite Holi song is "Rang barse" and "Ab ke saawan".

Talking about her modus operandi on the day of Holi, she said: "Before Holi I make it a point to oil religiously and protect my hair from the colours and the dust. Even for skin I apply oil so that there are less chances of the colour staying back on my skin."

While Vidya is religious about oiling her hair and skin, Deepika isn't much different either as she too uses coconut-based oil for protection against colours and dust.

"I usually massage my hair with coconut-based hair oil. It not only protects my hair from the harsh colours and chemicals but also provides nourishment," Deepika said.

"For my skin, I moisturise well and use sun screen before I set out to play Holi. This helps me in removing the colour from my skin more easily and protection from the sun," she added.

The festival has been one of Deepika's favourite since childhood but due to commitments to her films, it'll be a "working Holi" for her.

"I am shooting for 'Tamasha' and 'Bajirao Mastani' so we may play Holi on the sets. This year will be a working Holi for me," she said.

Speaking about her favourite Holi song, the actress said: "I know they are my own songs but I have to admit that "Balam pichkari" and "Lahu muh lag gaya" are my current favourite."

Shraddha, whose favourite Holi memory used to be joining the mega-bash at Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan's house on the festival, will celebrate this Holi with her upcoming film "ABCD2" crew.

Like Deepika, Shraddha also considers "Balam pichkari" as her favourite Holi song.

Speaking about hair and skin care for the festival, she said: "A ritual I have been following since years is applying adequate oil on my hair -- given that colours are bound to damage my hair. Pre-Holi, I make sure to moisturise my skin well."

"Heropanti" actress Kriti Sanon, who is set to celebrate her first Holi after her Bollywood debut, will be celebrating the occasion with her family and considers "Rang barse" as her "universal Holi anthem".

Hemant and Nandita’s collection “The Knot” that signifies the exquisite knot that the designer duo has tied between traditional layouts and contemporary silhouettes has been launched here.

Kitsch, the multi-brand concept store and its e-commerce vertical Rocknshop.com (powered by Kitsch) offered fashion aficionados here a sneak peek into the spring-summer collection 2015 of designer duo Hemant & Nandita to mark the beginning of their retail with the store.

“We are pleased to offer a dekko to fashion enthusiasts in the city of what is one of the most exciting collections this season, Hemant and Nandita’s label. Not only do our patrons get an exclusive preview of these ultra luxurious brands, they also get a good idea of what’s going to be in vogue for the upcoming fashion season,” Priya, CEO Rocknshop (powered by Kitsch), said in a statement.

The designs are created for young, free-spirited, sporty yet sensuous women who love to embrace their true selves with comfortable, trendy and luxurious designs.

Hemant said: “We are very excited to launch our collection at Kitsch and Rock N Shop. It’s an honour for us to be stocked amidst the extremely inspiring International designer collections that we have always loved.”

Nandita is equally excited.

“Our label has always been synonymous with prints however, there is so much more that our garments represent. Now that the garments will be easily accessible across the Kitsch stores, people will be able to physically experience all the elements that constitute our garments,” she said.

After garnering kudos for his acting prowess, British actor of Indian descent Dev Patel is ready to take the next step in the world of filmmaking. He's working on his own projects to narrate stories revolving around India and even has plans to introduce an Indian superhero to the world with his movie.

“One of them is a gangster film based in Mumbai. Another one is basically like kind of a superhero film with a very unlikely hero in it. The hero will be an Indian,” Dev told IANS over phone from Berlin.

What aspect of filmmaking is he trailing into with the projects?

“I will be producing and acting in the projects,” added the 24-year-old actor, who catapulted to global recognition with the Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire".

After "Slumdog Millionaire", in which he traced the life of a Mumbai slum dweller, Dev went on to do projects like "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and “The Last Airbender”.

His latest release in the US is "Chappie", a film about a robot that can feel and think. The film will hit Indian screens on March 13.

Talking about India and films around it, one can't help but ask Dev about what can bring him to Bollywood.

“Script! I just look for stuff that can challenge me. So if the script is challenging, then I will absolutely do the movie,” he said.

A Bollywood film, without a dance sequence, seems incomplete. But Dev has no qualms about admitting that dancing is not his forte -- despite having grooved to A.R. Rahman's Oscar winning number "Jai ho" at the end of "Slumdog Millionaire".

“I'm really bad at dancing,” Dev confessed.