Contrary to reports, Umesh Shukla of OMG! fame will not be a part of Girish Joshi's comic thriller starring Arshad Warsi.

Though the script penned by Bhavesh Mandalia ,who had earlier written OMG! did come to Umesh Shukla, the producer and director already had his kitty full with a three film deal with T-Series and another project with a huge production name.

Says Umesh Shukla's spokesperson, " There is no truth to reports of Umesh Shukla co-directing a film with Girish Joshi - Umesh is a thorough professional and though the film did come to him ,he was completely tied up with his prior professional commitments and wanted to give them his complete focus".

Putting an end to speculation says Umesh Shukla, "Girish Joshi is extremely talented and a very dear friend - i wish him luck with his film".

Chitrangda Singh is well on her way to fulfilling her aviation ambitions – The actress is training to fly a two-seater ultralight aircraft in Gurgaon and has already completed three out of seven sessions.

Says a source, “Chitrangda has always had a fascination for aircrafts and has long wanted to learn how to fly one – As soon as time permitted ,she enrolled for a training course in Gurgaon and while its quite challenging ,Chitrangda is completely focused on completing the course successfully and getting her license”.

Confirming the news says Chitrangda, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly an aircraft – Initially it was scary since it was new to me but now that I've done over 3-4 sessions I’m a lot more confident”.

Not many of us know that Multiplexes these days charge a fee to attach the trailer and the promotional materials with the films. However, it seems like the Multiplex owners wish to offer some benefits to Rakesh Roshan. The thrilled director has been receiving calls for a free of cost display of promotional material. Well, seems like the Krrish power is already working.

Effusive in his praise for late actor Pran, leading Bengali actor Prosenjit Tuesday remarked that the Bollywood legend was the trendsetter for villains in the Indian film industry.

"Pran popularised the concept of villains in the film industry. He started the trend of having villains in films," said Prosenjit while launching the West Bengal Film Journalists' Association here.

Prosenjit had co-starred with the stalwart in the 1994 Bengali film "Ajana Path".

Fondly recalling Pran's professional attitude and "finesse", the actor cited an incident during the outdoor shoot of the movie that inspired him to develop a fitness regimen.

"Pran was well known for his physique and the disciplined diet that he mainatined. One day I spotted him having curd and grapes during the shoot. I started following him and having the same thing," said Prosenjit.

As a perfectionist when it came to doing stunts, Prosenjit said Pran had stopped shooting for a month when during a stunt, he found out that his toe had grazed the arms of a colleague.

Pran breathed his last at the Lilavati Hospital following a prolonged illness. He was 93. Bollywood's most loved villain, Pran featured in over 400 movies in a career spanning six decades.

India's fastest runner, the legendary Milkha Singh, is running very fast again, this time at the box office. The bio-pic on his life "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" has created a global stir and the sprinter is bowled over by Farhan Akhtar's depiction of him in the movie.

The simple-hearted legendary athlete cannot hide his glee at the turn of events.

Milkha Singh said: "My phone has not stopped ringing ever since the film released. I am getting hundreds of calls from all over the world. I am on the phone all day receiving congratulatory calls. 'Badhaai pe badhaai aaye jaa rahi hai'."

The most surprising call that Milkha Singh got was from former American sprinter Carl Lewis. "Yes, Carl Lewis called me. He saw my film and was very moved. He couldn't follow the Hindi dialogues, but he saw it with an Indian friend who explained the dialogues to him. He is a world-acknowledged runner and has won gold medals in the Olympics. He is one of the greatest sprinters in the world. He wants to send me a gift of appreciation. I told him there was no need for that. I am just too overwhelmed. There are long queues at cinema halls to see my film. "

The jubilant runner said: "The entire credit for the film's success must go to director Rakeysh Mehra, writer Prasoon Joshi, editor P.S. Bharathi and to Farhan Akhtar for portraying me with such conviction, and to Divya Dutta for bringing my sister's role alive. And to Viacom 18 for co-producing the film with Rakeysh. If it wasn't for the entire team and their belief in the project, my story would not have been told so persuasively. So many athletes have come and gone unsung. I think I am very fortunate."

The fact that "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is serving an inspirational purpose among the youth is what is most heartening to Milkha Singh. "The message that if you try you, can be another Milkha is very strongly put across in the film. I wanted youngsters to be so moved by my story of struggle that they are inspired into doing something worthwhile. And that's exactly what's happening. All those who have seen the film have come out weeping. It's not just sportsmen who are connecting with my story, even businessmen and professionals are... they are getting the message that the only route to success is hard work and willpower. When I saw the film for the first time, I couldn't believe they had done such a fine job of putting my life into a three-hour film."

Milkha Singh is bowled over by Farhan Akhtar's performance. "He is exactly how I wanted to see myself on screen. Full credit to Rakeysh Mehra for seeing me in Farhan. Many actors, including Akshay Kumar, wanted to play Milkha Singh. But the boy (Farhan) has done 'kamaal'. He has replicated me on screen. He even resembles me. The body language and the discipline Farhan adopted to play me... yeh koi maamooli baat nahin hai (it was not easy)."

He admits that the entire story of his life is not represented in "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag". "If they had taken all the incidents from my life the film would have been at least 10 hours long," he said.

He credits his son ace-golfer Jeev Singh for encouraging the project. "I have no idea about movies and the film industry. I haven't seen any film since 1960. My son, who watches a film every day, was impressed by Rakeysh Mehra's 'Rang De Basanti'. Jeev told me if I have to let my story go on film it must be done by Rakeysh Mehra. Before Rakeysh, three to four directors had approached me. They even offered me substantial amounts of money. But I opted to let Rakeysh Mehra tell my story."

Milkha Singh took just a token fee of Re.1 for "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag". However, it was decided that if the film makes profits, some of it would go into the Milkha Singh Charity Trust.

"We distribute medicines to the poor, encourage promising athletes and help retired sportsmen. In our country, sportspersons are given no financial succour. I have seen so much poverty and hardship. Believe me, the film shows only 20 percent of my suffering. They couldn't show all my pain. Prasoon Joshi has suggested another film. I've told him to wait and see how far 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' goes."

Milkha Singh now has one unfulfilled wish. "The gold medal that slipped out of my hand in the Rome Olympics must come to us. Before I leave this world I want one Indian youngster to go get that medal for our country. That's the my last wish."

In the upcoming Telugu biopic on late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR), titled "Jagannayakudu", popular actress Aamani will be seen reprising the role of Y.S. Vijaya Lakshmi, YSR's wife.

"I think Aamani will be a great choice for the role. She was quite hesitant initially, but I convinced her because I believed she can pull it off," the film's director P.C Reddy, told IANS.

"I'm in the process of finalising other cast members as well. I have Suman in mind to play the role of YSR, but we haven't confirmed yet. We are discussing other possibilities as well," he added.

Aamani, meanwhile, will undergo a complete makeover for the role.

"Famous makeup artist Shobha will be transforming Aamani for the role. I think the biggest challenge will be the transformation part. I have asked Shobha to collect everything she needs to make Aamani look like Vijaya Lakshmi," he said.

"This is a biopic and, therefore, it's important to do justice to the real characters we are portraying on screen," said Reddy.

Aamani, mostly known for her roles in family dramas such as "Devasthanam" and "Mr. Pellam", will be essaying a real-life character for the first time.

"We will only start shooting after we rope in the entire cast. It's an ambitious project and lot of work needs to be done in pre-production phase. Lot of research has to be done and facts have to be unearthed to make this project successful," added the director.

Uniting film journalists and critics in West Bengal by providing them with a forum to enhance their research and writing on various aspects of the state's film industry, the West Bengal Film Journalists' Association (WBFJA) was launched here Tuesday.

Mentored by world renowned filmmaker Mrinal Sen and thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, besides others, the platform will strive towards promoting, analysing and studying the well-recognised regional film fraternity and its working by tapping the prowess of film journalists, irrespective of their medium of communication.

"We are with the film journalists. I hope it will help journalists in furthering their cause and showcase the finer aspects of the industry," said Chatterjee while launching the logo of the association.

On the anvil are workshops, seminars and symposiums that will help journalists fine-tune their craft, after obtaining membership for a small amount.

Launched as a trust, the association will provide financial and other aids to budding institutes and organisations for film studies. Similarly, students of film studies, in need of monetary assistance will also be welcomed.

A film library is also a part of the initiative, which will help its members glean information on multimedia. Members will also get to know details about eminent film critics and their work. A comprehensive database related to showbiz will be compiled for the benefit of the writers.

Most importantly, WBFJA, housed at Rotary Sadan in the central part of the city, will honour reporters for their penmanship and service to the film industry, as well as members of the industry.

Till date, the Bengal Film Journalists' Association (BFJA) - the oldest association of film critics - has been according awards in various categories to luminaries of Indian cinema, but of late BFJA has not been actively essaying its role, felt WBFJA secretary Nirmal Dhar.

"Since 2006, BFJA has not been really active. A lot of National Award winning films were made by the Bengali industry, but it has not given them any honour or mention," said Dhar, while maintaining that BFJA will be like a guiding organisation to the new body.

Actor Dhanush, who is busy wrapping up Tamil comedy "Naiyaandi", will team up for the third time with filmmaker Vetri Maaran for an upcoming yet untitled Tamil project, expected to go on floors in November.

"I'm in the process of finalising the female lead. This process should be done in a few weeks. I have also done test shoot on a few actresses, but nothing has been finalised yet. If all goes as planned, then we will start shooting from November," the film's director Vetri Maaran, told IANS.

Dhanush and Vetri Maaran have previously worked in National award-winning Tamil film "Aadukalam" and "Pollathavan".

Meanwhile, Dhanush is awaiting the release of Tamil drama "Mariyaan", which is releasing Friday worldwide.

Dhanush is also likley to work with cinematographer-turned-director K.V. Anand for an untitled Tamil film.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha, who has flaunted a desi, sari-clad look in most of her Bollywood films, says she was fascinated by the six-yard wrap even when she was a kid.

"I was very young when I started wearing my mom's (Poonam Sinha) saris. I always saw her in saris and as a kid, I used to drape her pallu. I've been doing it for a while now and now I do it for my profession. I think the sari is the most graceful garment the Indians have come up with," the 26-year-old said here during a photoshoot for a sari brand.

Sonakshi's debut film "Dabangg" saw her in simple saris too, but she admits she doesn't really know how to drape it.

"I have been wearing a sari since my very first film, but I've never actually done it myself. But I've done it so many times now that I can now imagine the whole process and I believe I can (drape it), even though I haven't tried it yet," she said.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old is glad that she is complimented for carrying off the sari well.

"I carry off a sari very well. That' a good compliment because the misconception is that mature and older women are supposed to wear saris. But being from the younger generation, I believe receiving this compliment is a high," she said.

Sonakshi played a village belle in the 2010 hit "Dabangg" and was later seen as a desi girl again in "Rowdy Rathore."

"Dabangg 2", "Son of Sardaar" and her latest release "Lootera" also featured Sonakshi in an Indian look complete with saris.

Multiple National Award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua detests gimmicks as they make him feel uncomfortable. He prefers making movies in the Assamese language as he is not compelled to include elements like item numbers in his craft, which he feels are a reflection of a filmmaker's weakness.

Barua has made National Award-winning films "And the River Flows", "Aparoopa" and "Bonani" in his mother tongue and even showed his craftsmanship in Hindi movie "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara".

"I don't like gimmicks because I feel uncomfortable. In the 1950s and the 1960s, movies that were commercially successful didn't have item songs. We have started polluting our creation," Barua told IANS.

"If people add spice in films to make them sell, it is a weakness of the filmmakers," he added.

His film "Baandhon", released across India July 5 by PVR Director's Rare, has been inspired by the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and is the first Assamese film to be commercially screened outside the state.

Although he has tried his hand at Hindi movies, Barua is more at ease making Assamese movies as his creativity remains intact.

"I enjoy making Assamese films more as I can concentrate on the content. Nobody disturbs me.

"In the case of Hindi films, people start interfering. For instance, how do you justify an item number in your film if it has nothing to do with the story? But you are asked to include it," said the director, whose another Hindi film "Har Pal", is yet to come out.

"I don't get bothered with all these things while making Assamese movies. These kinds of interferences disturb a director's mind and the film too," said Barua.

A filmmaker should touch various aspects of life in his cinematic offering, he felt.

"When 26/11 happened, I was in Goa. It shook us all. As a filmmaker, I thought that many films would be made in India on the incident, but surprisingly hardly any film was made. As an Indian filmmaker, I was shocked and also felt ashamed about it. So, a few years later I decided to make a simple film on the tragedy," Barua explained.

"Tragedy or comedy is part of life. You shouldn't shy away from tragedy or sorrow. Storytelling includes everything," he added.

"Baandhon", produced by the Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation, was named the best Assamese film at the 60th National Film Awards.

As many directors are now shooting in smaller cities, Barua urged his colleagues to also explore the northeast.

"The whole region is naturally beautiful. The Brahmaputra river is visually very strong. A complete film can be made on it. Filmmakers can also explore hills of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Even the beauty of rains can be captured," he said.

Celebrities like Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif were among those who attended a special screening of "Ship Of Theseus" here, organised by actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan.

Among others who were seen at the event held Tuesday were Parineeti Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ashutosh Gowariker, Rajkumar Yadav, Aditi Rao Hydari and Kunal Kohli.

Aamir's wife Kiran Rao is presenting "Ship Of Theseus", directed by Anand Gandhi. Aamir not only hosted a special screening for the project, but also a party.

"Kiran saw this film earlier. She loved it and asked me to see the film. When I saw it, I loved it too. We thought we should promote these kinds of films, so we invited all our friends from the industry for this screening. I wanted them to see the film and meet the star cast," Aamir told reporters here.

Aamir said he had also invited actor Salman Khan for the screening. But he couldn't make it in time as he was busy shooting in Hyderabad, and his flight back to Mumbai was delayed.

However, Aamir said that Salman had promised to make it to the party, which was organised at the former's residence.

"Ship Of Theseus" is a story about human values, and its narrative surrounds three characters -- an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and a stock broker. The film releases Friday.

Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor is mesmerised by "Ship Of Theseus" and says no other film has moved him as much as this one and that director Anand Gandhi succeeds in connecting with the audience through the movie.

"It was a very wonderful film, very powerful. I don't think any other film has moved me so much as 'Ship Of Theseus'," Ranbir said here Tuesday at the special screening of the film.

"I think Anand has definitely reached the audience," he added.

The screening was organised by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao that was attended by actors Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and Ayushmann Khurrana and filmmakers Kunal Kohli and Rajkumar Hirani, among others.

Kiran is releasing "Ship of Theseus" in collaboration with UTV Motion Pictures. It's a story about human values and features three characters -- an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and a stock broker.

Hirani too is impressed with Gandhi's "Ship of Theseus" and says the film shakes you from the soul.

"This is a film that kind of shakes you from the soul. The film has been made so realistically that I just don't have words ... people have to watch the film to see how it can shake you up," Hirani said here.

"Now it feels that the kind of cinema that we have been making so far is so inconsequential and small," added Hirani, known for films like "Munnabhai" series and "3 Idiots".

Produced by Soham Shah, "Ship Of Theseus" is coming out Friday.

Upcoming Tamil romantic-drama "Ore Nyabagam", being made in 2D High Frame Rate (HFR), promises to elevate visual experience, says its director V. Vignarajan about his directorial debut.

"Ore Nyabagam" is said to be the first film to use 2D HFR technology. Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" used 3D HFR when it released last year.

"Typically, films are made at 24 frames per second, but HFR allows you to shoot at 48 frames per second and even more. HFR helps in reducing the motion blur and elevates the visual experience for the audiences," Vignarajan told IANS.

"HFR is the future. It works like a flip book. If you look at images in a flip book, it's smoother and swifter. That's how the visual output will be when you shoot at 48 frames per second. The output is best experienced on the big screen," he added.

What inspired you to go use the technology?

"We wanted to do something different. That's when our digital cinema designer Balaji Gopal suggested that we shoot in HFR. We did some test shoots and were quite happy with the output," he said.

Of course, HFR technology comes with a set of challenges, but Vignarajan says it's worth it.

"HFR require more light than shooting with normal camera. This is because you lose one stop of exposure while shooting in any light and, therefore, HFR requires a little more light," he said.

He added: "HFR images need high storage space. You need three times more storage space for the images. Its editing and digital intermediate (DI) process is time consuming."

He, however, says HFR guarantees sharp, crystal clear output despite these challenges.

"It's a trade off a filmmaker should make. If your goal is to give the audiences better visual experience, then this is the technology," said Vignarajan, who is hoping to release the film by the year-end.

The film's first-look teaser has garnered a lot of attention.

"We wanted to tease the audiences with an impressive first look. We shot it at 48 frames per second and the feedback has been phenomenal. We are now working towards releasing the trailer soon," he said.

The team has kept the identity of its lead cast under wraps.

"It's a deliberate move not to reveal the identity of the lead cast. Even the first look teaser doesn't reveal their faces. We plan to reveal the identity of the lead cast soon, but until then we want to build curiosity," he added.

Shankar Tucker has been roped in to compose the music for the film, which is being produced by K. Poornachandra.

After crooning super-hit numbers like "Paani da rang", "Saddi gali" and "Tu hi tu" for his films, Ayushmann Khurrana is set to release his first single "O mutiyare".

"I will launch a single soon. The name of the song is 'O mutiyare'. It's a Punjabi soft rock. I will shoot its video soon," said the actor here at the sidelines of the special screening of "Ship of Theseus" hosted by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the actor will be wrapping up the shoot of Yash Raj Film's untitled project with Sonam Kapoor this week.

He describes his fashionista co-star Sonam a "simple girl at heart".

"Four days of the shoot is left. It has been a wonderful experience working with Sonam. She is a more experienced actor than me. She is very down to earth and a simple girl at heart," said Ayushmann, who made his debut with "Vicky Donor" last year.

Directed by Mohit Chaddha, the Yash Raj film is set to release in September this year.

Mourning the death of Bollywood's most loved villain Pran, Bollywood star Aamir Khan says he was the life of all the movies he worked in.

"He was an institution and we have lost one of the legends of Indian cinema," Aamir -- who feels fortunate to have worked with the legend very early in his career -- told reporters Tuesday.

"We have learnt a lot from him. I was fortunate that I got to work with him in the beginning of my career in 'Isi Ka Naam Zindagi'. He was the 'pran' (life) of every film," he added.

Pran died July 12. He was 93. The late actor, who featured in over 400 movies in a career spanning six decades, is know for his negative roles in "Madhumati" and "Ram Aur Shyam".

Aamir recalls how as a kid he used to shiver with fear just on seeing Pran's name in a film's credit roll.

"I remember as a kid when I used to see Pran saab's name in the titles, I used to get scared such was his impact and work. He made a huge contribution to the Indian cinema," said Aamir

He was speaking on the sidelines of the special screening of Anand Gandhi's "Ship of Theseus" hosted by him and his wife Kiran Rao.

The celebrity jury and contestants of dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" paid a tribute to veteran actor Pran, who passed away July 12.

Singer Shaan, currently among the top 10 contestants on the show, even sang Pran's evergreen number "Yaari hai imaan mera" from the 1973 film "Zanjeer".

Pran died July 12. He was 93.

All the contestants and jury came together on the stage, while a picture collage of the late actor, Bollywood's most loved villain, was displayed on the LED screen.

"It was a very emotional moment as the jury and contestants remembered the legend together," said a source from the show's set.

The episode featuring the tribute will be showcased on the weekend.

"Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6" is co-judged by actress Madhuri Dixit, filmmaker Karan Johar and choreographer-director Remo D'Souza.

Besides Shaan, other contestants vying for the winner's title are Karanvir Bohra, Drashti Dhami, Siddharth Shukla, Mukti Mohan, Sana Saeed, RJ Mantra, actor Karan Patel, actress-dancer Lauren Gottlieb, and "India's Got Talent" winners Sonali and Sumant.

Filmmaker Umesh Shukla was offered noted Marathi writer-director-actor Girish Joshi's comic thriller, starring Arshad Warsi, to co-direct but he cannot take it up as his hands are already full with multiple projects.

The script for the new movie is penned by Bhavesh Mandalia, who had earlier written "OMG - Oh My God!", directed by Shukla.

"There is no truth to reports of Umesh Shukla co-directing a film with Girish Joshi," Shukla's spokesperson said in a statement.

"Umesh is a thorough professional and though the film did come to him, he was completely tied up with his prior professional commitments and wanted to give them his complete focus," the spokesperson added.

Shukla has wished the "extremely talented" and "very dear friend" Girish Joshi good luck with the film.

Sai Gokul Ramnath may have signed Tamil cinema's lucky mascot Santhanam for his upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Valiba Raja", but the director says the comedian's films fail too, and therefore, it is important to focus on script as well.

Santhanam has starred in nearly 20 out of 80-odd Tamil films released in the first half of 2013.

"He has been of great support to many films released in the recent past. Audiences have loved him more than any other comedian, but eventually it's the script that decides the fate of a film. There have been films that have bombed despite his presence," Gokul told IANS.

While Tamil films featuring Santhanam such as "Boss Engira Bhaskaran", "Oru Kal Oru Kannadi" and "Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasiya" turned out to be blockbusters, big-budget movies such as "Alex Pandian", "Osthe" and "Settai" bombed.

"Some producers want to cast him because he is popular. But, not every time his popularity saves a film. It's eventually a good script coupled with Santhanam's performance make a film click at the box-office," he added.

In the second half of this year, Santhanam has nearly 30 films lined up for release.

In "Valiba Raja", Santhanam's role promises a lot of fun elements, says Gokul.

"I have cast him in an important role. He is not playing the lead in my film, but I have given him scope for comedy," he added.

The film, which has recently gone on floors, features Sethu and Vishaka Singh in the lead. The director is on the lookout for second heroine.

"We have finished about 12 days of shoot. We are looking for the second heroine. I have Isha Talwar in mind, but nothing has been finalised yet. We are planning to release the film in early October," added Sai.

A statue of late Rajesh Khanna, considered Bollywood's original "superstar", will be unveiled in the country's film capital here Thursday on his first death anniversary.

Channel UTV Stars Wednesday announced that the statue will be unveiled at the Walk of the Stars at Bandra Bandstand Promenade here.

"UTV Stars will commemorate Rajesh Khanna's inimitable style and charismatic smile in a life-size brass statue. The brass statue will immortalise one of his iconic poses from his films and will be unveiled by the actor's family amongst well-known names from the industry," read a statement from the channel.

The installation of the statue, will, however, take place early next month.

It will be placed with statues of other prominent personalities of Bollywood like Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.

Rajesh Khanna, fondly known as Kaka in the film fraternity, began his career with "Aakhri Khat" in 1966 and in a career spanning five decades, he became a superstar like no other with hits like "Aradhana", "Do Raaste", "Safar" and "Anand".

The Walk of the Stars brings fans closer to their favourite Bollywood icons by way of installing their statues and handprints.

Katrina Kaif, who turned 29 Tuesday, has new found admirers in young actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Siddharth Malhotra who hope to share screen space with the actress some day.

"Who doesn't want to work with Katrina! She is awesome, she is a good actor and she is beautiful," Ayushmann said at the screening of "Ship of Theseus".

Katrina is currently shooting for "Dhoom 3" with Aamir Khan and "Bang Bang" with Hrithik Roshan.

"Katrina Kaif is very attractive, very hot and hopefully I will get to work with her in future," Siddharth said when asked if he harbours hopes of working with Katrina.

While Ayushmann has done two films - "Vicky Donor" and "Nautanki Saala" - Siddharth has starred in just "Student of The Year" so far.