Popular Telugu writer Kona Venkat and producer D.V.V Danayya were robbed at knifepoint here when they were returning home from a party late at night.

The incident happened at Shadnagar on Thursday.

"A very shocking moment for me & our producer Danayya garu, when we got looted at knife point by some highway robbers last night at Shadnagar. This incident happened as we are returning from Prakash Raj's birthday party at his farm house last night (sic)," Venkat tweeted on Friday.

"The robbers cut one tree and blocked the road and as we stopped the vehicle, with an axe they broke the driver's window and opened the doors and put a large knife on my throat and demanded to give everything we had. Took everything from us and left," he posted.

Venkat and Danayya have filed a police complaint.

Tamil superstar Suriya, who was delighted with his fraternity bagging eight honours at the 62nd National Film Awards, congratulated and surprised the winners with bouquets.

"Suriya sir sent each winner a bouquet of flowers. He personally met and congratulated them on their victory," a source close to the actor told IANS.

This year, Tamil drama "Kutram Kadithal" bagged the Best Film Award in the language, while children's drama "Kaaka Muttai" pocketed three awards for Best Children's Film and for child actors Ramesh and Vignesh.

Director Vijay's "Saivam" bagged two awards for Best Lyricist and Best Playback Singer, while gangster drama "Jigarthanda" won Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Editing awards.

Suriya is currently busy shooting for Tamil films "Masss" and "Haiku". He will soon start working on action-thriller "24" in the language.

Malayalam play "Mathi" won the top honours, including best director, best actor and best original script at the prestigious Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards(META), the organisers said on Saturday.

Ten shortlisted plays were staged in the capital and the name of the winners in various categories was announced at an event on Friday evening.

Kerala-based director Jino Joseph had traced the social and political changes of the state in early 70s and 80s through the perspective of a Muslim youth who sells Saradine, a type of fish, known as 'Mathi' in Malayalam.

With the changed social situation, how big fish started to arrive from markets and started gobbling the smaller ones. And how this change devoid the protagonist of his livelihood and love.

This story fetched Joseph two awards -- best director and best original script. Where as the protagonist of the play, Renji Kankol took home the best actor in lead role award and the best production also went to this play.

The award for best actor in a lead role(female) was shared by Sanjukta Wagh for English play "Rage and Beyond: Irawati's Gandhari" and Swetha Shrinivas for Kannada play "Chitrapata".

Sharing the award for best actor in supporting role were Gopal Dutt and Shubrojyoti Barat for Hindi play "Kaumudi" and Sowmya Jain received the award for best actress in a supporting role for "Chitrapata".

Apart from this, noted Manipuri actor Heisnam Kanhailal was conferred Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian theatre.

Italian designer Marta Santambrogio, the new creative director of Shingora's luxury division, says that there was whole lot of research involving Indian cinema, books and markets that went behind making the brand's latest line of shawls, scarves and stoles.

She says the aesthetics of Bollywood is something that's very popular in her home country, and she is mesmerised by its aura.

Focussing on the vital role that scarves, shawls and stoles play during winters, Shingora presented 'Indian Pioneers', the autumn-winter 2015 luxury collection of accessories at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW). This collection is the brain child of Santambrogio, who is in India since a year now.

Asked about the research that went behind making this collection, she told IANS: "I did the same research what I do back in Italy. I went through books, markets, fairs, exhibitions, I went through cinema, and then things started happen."

Did it include researching Bollywood films too?

"Yes. I looked at Bollywood movies and vintage Bollywood films. I was mesmerised with it. It's not much for the costumes, but believe it or not, the whole aesthetic of Bollywood is something very popular even in Europe," she told IANS by referring the story line of RajKummar Rao's film 'Citylights', which was the last film that she saw.

"That was a very sad film but," she added.

Santambrogio has a strong background in Italian luxury industry. The designer is an expert in textile design and her works range from creative direction to artwork, research to technical and industrial support.

She has previously worked at Italian fashion house Etro. With that legacy behind, she is here to enhance and complement her design aesthetics to the emerging design house of Shingora.

So what made her associate with Indian brand?

"One thing is that Shingora is one company where you manufacture pretty much everything in a scarf. You can die the yarn, make the embroidery, you can weave, loom and also tie-and-dye. So in short, you can combine all these different techniques in one single garment. So for me, it was like playground.

"The other point was that as a designer, I feel that you can affect people's life too," she told IANS.

Santambrogio, who holds a masters degree from University of the Arts, London, also feels that having been exposed to trends globally, she can give a fresh take to Indian textile and embroideries.

"We are using Indian technique, but I am approaching them with a different angle because I am exposed to global trends, and I am lucky enough to have worked in different environments. I can come up with something fresh, and look at that same very techniques which have been here since ages, in a different and new way," she said.

The Indian fashion industry looks very "exciting" to her.

"It's been one year that I am in India and it has never stopped me from finding a possibility. I find opportunities every time. I'm in a privileged situation where I get to work with such a pioneer company.

"Whatever I say, they never give me a 'no', and this is something that is completely lost in the west. It feels like a new pages can be written here and this is why I love being in India," she said.

So has she ever thought of participating in any fashion weeks here in days to come?

"I'm an Italian so if I have to do my collection, I would want to do it in my own country. Here, I'm collaborating with an Indian brand, so I am here just to serve the purpose," said the designer.

"High Heels" hitmaker Jaz Dhami, who is all set to make his Bollywood singing debut after the launch of his latest single "Beparwaiyan", says his father -- Viccar Dhami, lead vocalist of the bhangra band Sangam -- has been his "biggest inspiration" and is "living his dream" through Jaz.

Born and brought up in Birmingham, Britain, Jaz shot to fame after his collaboration with rapper-singer Yo Yo Honey Singh for "High Heels", which gained tremendous popularity among youth.

"My family has been really supportive towards me. Because my dad has a passion for music, he always wanted me to become a singer. So, basically he is living his dream through me... And he has been the biggest inspiration for me. Also, Mohammed Rafi sir, A.R. Rahman sir, they're my favourite artists," Jaz told IANS in an interview.

Jaz, whose real name is Jaswinder Singh Dhami, says although he was raised in Britain, being brought up in a Punjabi family helped him grasp Punjabi.

"I come from a Punjabi background, so obviously we spoke Punjabi in the house. I came to India when I was 16, after my education, and I spend a lot of time in India. I guess that's how I grasped the language," said the singer, who turned 29 earlier this month.

His new single "Beparwaiyan" released on March 12, and now the singer is all set for his Bollywood debut with music director Himesh Reshammiya and singer Dr. Zeus in a yet-untitled Abhishek Bachchan film.

Speaking of his experience working for the song, Jaz gushed: "It was crazy, I was in Mumbai and I got a call from T-series saying that we'd like you to do a song for Bollywood and the next moment, I was recording in the studio with Himesh and Dr. Zeus."

A lover of Bollywood music, he said: "It has always been on top of my list to make an entry into Bollywood and work in Bollywood. I am excited about the song in Abhishek's film and I am excited about the fact that I'm finally getting my feet into Bollywood."

Although the "High Heels" video features Jaz as a stylish hunk, he says acting "is just not in my cards". But he may consider it if he's offered screen space with Bollywood superstars Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar.

"I'm not an actor, so that's something I wouldn't want to do. My passion is music, I always wanted to become a successful singer. Being an actor is just not my cup of tea at all, but, if it happens and Salman Khan or Akshay Kumar are in the film, maybe I'll consider it," said Jaz.

"The Lunchbox" fame director Ritesh Batra is trying to revive Mumbai's Irani cafes with a series of events at select spots in the city.

The first two sessions were held at Koolar Cafe and Kyani Bakery, while the third session - a candid chat with casting directors Atul Mongia and Seher Latif - was held on Friday at Excelsior Cafe.

"My objective is to reinvent these cafes as cultural spaces to exchange ideas. It's very heartening to see full house at these events," Batra said in a statement.

In the one-hour interactive session, Mongia and Latif shared their thoughts on the casting process, while Batra moderated the talk.

In his endeavour to promote the Irani cafes, Batra even requested the enthusiastic audience of young and aspiring actors to order eatables or drinks worth Rs.50 from the cafe and come back to these cafes again.

Starring in "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" itself was a privilege for actress Tina Desai, but getting praised by its director John Madden has made her Hollywood stint even sweeter for her.

“I am honoured that John had faith in me and gave me a central part in the second film. Working with him is a huge privilege, obviously. But when he's happy with the outcome and proud of you, it gives you a terrific boost to keep going," Tina said in a statement.

"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", a sequel to the 2012 film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", featured a cast including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Richard Gere, Lillete Dubey and British actor of Indian descent Dev Patel, apart from Tina.

Gurgaon girl Aditi Arya was crowned Femina Miss India 2015 at the 52nd edition of the beauty pageant here at Yash Raj Studio.

Reigning Miss India Koyal Rana, on Saturday, enthroned her successor Aditi with the crown made by PC Jewellers. The first and second runners-up were Aafreen Rachel Vaz and Vartika Singh respectively.

The trio was selected from the top five finalists of the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 that also included Tanya Hope and Deeksha Kaushal.

This year, 21 contestants from across the country participated in the beauty contest.

The coronation night saw contestants walking the ramp for the final time. Out of the 21 contestants, only five made it to the final question and answer round. The top five finalists were selected on the basis of judges' score.

As a result of securing the top three spots, Aditi would represent India at Miss World 2015, Aafreen would participate at Miss International 2015, while Vartika would take part at the Miss Grand International beauty pageants.

Actors Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez and Shahid Kapoor performed at the grand finale. Along with them, “Balam pichkari” hitmaker Shalmali Kholgade and Meet Bros Anjjan also performed live.

"Welcome Back" team, including Anil Kapoor, John Abraham and producer Firoz A Nadiadwala, were on the judging panel for the finale. The film's director, Anees Bazmee also attended the coronation night along with stars Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal and Shruti Haasan.

The beauty pageant, which will be telecast on April 5, also saw the attendance of actresses Shilpa Shetty, Manisha Koirala, Neha Dhupia, Sonali Bendre, dancer Shiamak Davar and designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosala.

Actress Chandini, who was last seen in Telugu action-drama "Kaalicharan", is busy with four projects in her kitty and is happy with the way her career is shaping.

"I'm busy with two projects each in Tamil and Telugu. Work is keeping me extremely busy. I'm happy with the way my career is shaping," Chandini told IANS.

In Tamil, the dusky actress has "Vil Ambu" and filmmaker Anjana Ali Khan's yet-untitled project with Rahul Ravindran.

She also has two yet-untitled Telugu projects, a horror-comedy and a romantic-drama with debutant Naveen, grandson of yesteryear superstar G. Krishna.

Over the course of the next few months, actress Taapsee Pannu, who was last seen in "Baby", will be busy hopping between Mumbai and Chennai to accommodate dates for two new projects that she has signed.

"Taapsee, who earlier had commitments in Bollywood has finally freed her schedule to accommodate offers from South, which have been plenty of late, especially post the success of 'Baby'."

"However, the actress has already committed her dates for the coming months to a few projects and thus taking on too many offers from south wasn't an option," a source close to Taapsee told IANS.

She is said to have taken up two offers and for this she'll be shuttling between Mumbai and Chennai in the coming three months, the source said. "Her schedule is so packed that she will literally be in each city for no longer than four days at a time."

Taapsee is expected to shoot for two projects simultaneously, while also juggling her rehearsals for "Agra Ka Daabra" alongside other work-related commitments.

The actress is eagerly looking forward to her Tamil release "Kanchana 2".

Basking in the success of Tamil comedy "Kappal", which was a sleeper hit, actor Vaibhav Reddy has signed yet another comedy in that language. This project will be produced by yesteryear actress-turned-politician Khushbu Sundar.

"The success of 'Kappal' has given me lot of confidence. I'm doing another comedy film as I feel audiences like me more in this genre. The film will be directed by debutant Bhaskar, while Khushbu ma'am will be producing it," Vaibhav told IANS.

Vaibhav has also signed another yet-untitled project in the language to be directed by S.S. Stanley. This film will be produced by A.R. Murugadoss.

"I'm not supposed to talk about this project. I'm excited about both the films," he said.

For three days starting Sunday, Udaipur - Rajasthan's City of Lakes - will see the screening of children's 27 live action and animation films.

The Children's Film Society India (CFSI) and the district administration of Udaipur are jointly organising the National Children's Film Festival (NCFF) here.

The gala was inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of Arvind Poshwal, deputy director of integrated child development services (ICDS), Udaipur; C.R. Devashi, additional district magistrate city, Udaipur; and Bharat Kumar Mehta, deputy director of education department, Rajasthan, among others.

Actor Faisal Khan, popular for his role in TV show "Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap” was the guest of honour for the event. He is also likely to take an acting workshop for children in Udaipur.

All shows, which have been arranged in all leading cinemas of the city daily - three shows a day - are free for the children. However, the entry will be regulated through the Office of the district education officer of Udaipur on a first come first serve basis.

Shravan Kumar, CEO, CFSI, talking to IANS, said: "We had an international festival in November 1993 in Udaipur. It was very popular. We are hoping the same with this festival. After Udaipur, we will host the festival throughout the country."

"The idea is to make children understand art of filmmaking. So, we plan to make a long-lasting impact on children's mind by providing a carnival type of atmosphere, followed by screening of festival movies, leading to an exposure to art of filmmaking through workshop hosted by eminent filmmakers," Kumar said.

He said that various initiatives driven by the CFSI and workshop being organised at NCFF will encourage the children in learning about films and filmmaking.

"Keeping in mind the interest of children of rural areas, we, with the co-ordination of education department are also making special arrangements for the children living in these areas to conduct shows of CFSI's latest films through LCD projectors in school premises itself," said Kumar.

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia is most likely to replace Shruti Haasan, who recently walked out of a yet-untitled Tamil-Telugu bilingual being produced by PVP Cinema. The film also features actors Karthi and Akkineni Nagarjuna.

Shruti pulled out of the project citing dates issue.

"After Shruti walked out of the project, the makers approached Tamannaah, and she's almost confirmed. The official confirmation should be out very soon," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Shruti, who is currently busy with four projects in her kitty, was paired with Karthi in the movie.

On Friday, the makers sent a legal notice to Shruti for exiting from the project.

If Tamannaah comes on board, it will be her third project with Karthi after Tamil actioner “Paiyya” and "Siruthai".

Being directed by Vamsi Paidipally, the film is set to be the remake of French drama "The Intouchables".

According to sources, Nagarjuna is essaying the role of a patient, and Karthi as his caretaker.

Meanwhile, Tamannaah will soon starting shooting for Telugu project "Bengal Tiger" with Ravi Teja.

Big budget documentaries showcasing Himachal Pradesh's prized wildlife, including the highly endangered pheasant, by Green Oscar winning filmmaker Mike Pandey may hit a roadblock.

The wildlife department has decided to give one last chance to the acclaimed filmmaker to seek his view over the inordinate three-year delay in completing four sets of documentaries of 30 minutes each, a senior official told IANS.

The government has made a partial payment of Rs.40 lakh to the filmmaker out of the total mutually agreed amount of Rs.69 lakh. IANS repeatedly tried to reach Pandey on email and telephone but could not get to him.

The government has also decided to initiate departmental proceedings against the officials responsible for allocating the documentaries to the filmmaker, the official told IANS.

"The government has decided to have one last negotiation with Pandey to seek his views on shortcomings pointed out by the wildlife department," said the official who did not want to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Upset over the delay in completing the state's first big-budget documentaries on wildlife, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri last month ordered that disciplinary action may be initiated against then Chief Conservator Forests Sanjeeva Pandey, now the additional principal chief conservator.

Official sources said Sanjeeva Pandey roped in the filmmaker, who is known for documentaries like "The Last Migration - Wild Elephant Capture in Sarguja" and "Shores of Silence - Whale Sharks in India". He has also won over 300 awards.

The Rs.69-lakh budgeted documentaries was given to Pandey in 2010 by the then Bharatiya Janata Party government. As per the memorandum of understanding (MoU), they was to be completed within two years.

Bharmouri told IANS that disciplinary action for the delay in completion of documentaries would be initiated against the erring government officials. He said he had already put a note on the file.

Official sources said the inquiry was conducted by Indian Forest Service officer C.S. Singh because of alleged largescale financial irregularities in the allocation of documentaries.

Interestingly, after the forest minister's directive, Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Tarun Shridhar asked Chief Wildlife Warden J.S. Walia to conduct a fresh inquiry.

Besides the highly-endangered pheasant species, the filmmaker is to showcase Pong Dam wetlands, one of the largest man-made wetlands in northern India; the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, India's richest biodiversity spot in the western Himalayas; and the high-altitude glacial-fed Chandertal in Lahaul-Spiti district.

Himachal Pradesh is known as a store house of biodiversity. Its lush green valleys and snow-capped mountains nest 36 percent of India's bird species.

According to a Forest Survey of India report of 2011, out of the state's geographical area of 55,673 sq km, 3,224 sq km is under very dense forests, 6,381 sq km under moderately dense forests and 5,074 sq km under open forests.

With no blockbusters, and a majority of debacles, the first quarter of 2015 has been disappointing for Bollywood box office, say trade gurus, who believe that small fries like "NH10" and "Badlapur" have managed to earn plaudits and profits.

It's been an average year so far -- none of the Khans' films released, and the only A-list starrer "Baby", featuring Akshay Kumar, was among the four movies that performed well.

"It has not been a great period. The first quarter has not been fruitful, especially when you compare it with the previous year, it has been quite bad. We had a major release like 'Jai Ho' last year. This year, there was was no such major film," trade analyst Taran Adarsh told IANS.

Komal Nahta, another film trade expert, said: "Only three or four films have worked."

"I would say the first quarter has not been good at all, and that doesn't mean any film that deserves to do well, has flopped. All the films that have flopped, deserved to flop. It has been a below average year," Nahta said.

It was only movies like "Baby", "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", "Badlapur" and "NH10", which performed well.

While Neeraj Pandey's "Baby" collected close to Rs.80 crore, Sharat Katariya's "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" collected around Rs.27 crore and still seems to be going steady at the box office. Sriram Raghavan's "Badlapur" managed Rs.50 crore, and Anushka Sharma's debut production "NH10" drew crowds and garnered around Rs.27 crore so far.

Adarsh said: "'PK' was released last year and its business did well in the beginning of this year, but it was a 2014 release. As far as this year's hit films are concerned, 'Dum Laga Ke Haisha', 'NH10', 'Badlapur' and 'Baby' - these films have done well. However, it's not an encouraging ratio at all."

Rajasthan-based distributor Sunil Bansal says this year has put distributors in loss.

Bansal told IANS: "Small budget films have done fairly well this year, but their performance has not been exceptionally great. Many distributors have faced a huge loss this year as shows were going empty and we had to pull down many shows. However, films these four films (mentioned earlier) have been saviours."

Analysing what went wrong this year, Adarsh said: "The examination period, and most importantly, the Cricket World Cup (which began February 14) was going on. I do feel all these factors have affected the business drastically. We also need to pull up our socks in terms of content."

What's dismal is that the second quarter also doesn't seem to be positive, say the trade gurus.

Nahta said: "There aren't too many promising films on the horizon. Good times will begin from June and July. Having said that, there is a film like 'Gabbar Is Back' which could do well. It's not that we are flooded with promising films."

Adding to this, Adarsh said: "I am a born optimist, so I expect a lot and vacations will begin from April, so that will be a benefit for the films. Unfortunately, we don't have a single film so far that has hit the Rs.100 crore so far. So, fingers crossed."

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the country's apex fashion body on Sunday announced dates for the Amazon India Fashion Week spring-summer and autumn-winter 2016 seasons.

The AIFW SS'16 is scheduled for October 14-18, 2015, while the AIFW AW'16 will be held from March 16-20 next year, said a statement.

The bi-annual events, organised by the FDCI, serve as platforms for fresh talent as well as established designers to showcase their ingenuity to the fashion-conscious audience, design fraternity and national and international buyers.

Talking about the upcoming seasons, FDCI president Sunil Sethi said: "We are delighted to announce the dates for the next two seasons of the AIFW. We have established a landmark completing more than a decade-and-a-half in creating a global handprint for the Indian fashion industry and we aspire to take progressive and lucrative strides in the coming years."

Vikas Purohit, head, Amazon Fashion, India said: "We look forward to the upcoming two seasons. We aim to bring the very latest in fashion to our consumers, right at their doorstep.

"We will continue to Awork with the fashion fraternity closely to help them take advantage of the digital economy and remain committed towards our goal of transforming the way India shops and sells fashion."

Playback singer Darshana describes the experience of sharing vocal space with double Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman as equivalent to bagging the Oscar, Grammy and many such coveted awards.

In Rahman's upcoming Tamil soundtrack "Ok Kanmani", Darshana has crooned five tracks, including a duet.

"To see your name right next to A.R. Rahman is a feeling I can't explain. It's beyond my dream. It's like winning the Oscar, Grammy and National Award all at the same time. To share the vocal space with him is a special feeling," Darshana told IANS.

"Even though my contribution to this movie is very minuscule, it's still special to sing three songs in Tamil and two in Telugu from the same album. And one of songs happens to be a duet with Rahman sir. It was only after I saw the track credits, I realised it was a duet," she said.

According to Darshana, the album of "Ok Kanmani", which is scheduled for release on Wednesday, is "very fresh and young".

In the album, Darshana has sung "Kaara Aattakkaara", "Theera Ula" and its Telugu versions. She also sang the female version of "Mental Manadhil" song in Telugu.

Darshana's collaboration with Rahman started way back in 2007 with Rajinikanth-starrer "Sivaji".

She sang the opening lines of the hit number "Balleilakka" from the film. In the same year, she also crooned "Maduraikki Pogathadi" from Tamil film "Azhagiya Thamizh Magan" and some portion of "Mayya Mayya" from Mani Ratnam's "Guru".

Her other Rahman songs include "Pappu can't dance saala" and "Nazrein milaana" from "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Naa, "Chinamma" from "Sakkarakatti".

Darshana says singing for Rahman is special because he knows "how to get the best of a vocalist".

"It has worked in my case really well because he's given me different kinds of songs. While 'Balleilakka' was folk; 'Maduraikki' was complete folk with a western touch; 'Mayya mayya' was Arabic. 'Pappu can't dance saala' was hip-hop and 'Nazrein milaana' was a melody. He has given me the opportunity to work on my vocals and showcase the best of what I can," she said.

She adds one can't realise how Rahman gets the best from his singers.

"I think that's where the magic lies. I have not worked with many composers, but with the few I've worked, they say what's expected from me and I deliver. With Rahman sir, he gives you the space to experiment with your own voice and at the same time, he guides you as well. So you learn how to own the song and he knows how to get what he wants from his singers," she said.

"In 'Ok Kanmani', I've sung in three different genres. When you hear the songs, both in Tamil and Telugu, you know that he's used my voice in a completely different way and for me, to get the opportunity in one album to sing in three different genres, I consider myself very lucky," said Darshana, who stays in Chicago with her husband.

"I'm studying Jazz vocals at Berkeley. I teach Carnatic music to kids. I'm looking to take more vocal workshops. And if there are local bands where I feel I can perform, I do go and participate," said Darshana, who is currently working on two singles that she plans to release by this year end.

Actor Harshvardhan Rane says the thrills and chills in forthcoming Telugu horror "Avunu 2" will be many notches higher than what audiences experienced in the prequel, which released in 2012.

Ravi Babu-directed "Avunu" was one of the biggest low-budget hits in recent times.

"Everything about 'Avunu 2' will be many notches higher than its prequel. The sequel is scarier, and there'll be more thrills and chills. I myself felt it when I was shooting. Ravi sir has added a lot of layers to the film and some new elements too," Harshvardhan told IANS.

"Avunu 2", which releases in cinemas on Friday, starts where the prequel ended.

"In the end of 'Avunu', I go into an operation theatre and you see some footsteps following me inside. The sequel starts from that point. It's because of the overwhelming feedback of the prequel that Ravi sir decided to work on 'Avunu 2'," he said.

Said to be the continuation of "Avunu", its sequel also features most of the cast from the first part, except a few new additions.

The film is jointly produced by Suresh Productions, a prestigious banner, that was also associated with the first part.

Harshvardhan feels extremely lucky to be associated with the production house.

"There's a misconception that actors with no background don't get any exposure from big production houses. I think people should start rethinking about it. Suresh Productions had also backed my earlier film 'Prema Ishq Kadhal'," he said.

He says the industry is willing to bet on good talent.

"Just like how you find players from different backgrounds in Indian cricket team; our Telugu industry is looking for talent and it doesn't matter where it comes from," he added.

Meanwhile, Rane is awaiting the release of his Hindi debut "Satra Ko Shaadi Hain", which is produced by John Abraham.

Talking about the working experience in Bollywood, he said: "I've learnt that there's absolutely no difference in Telugu and Hindi industries. Everything is almost identical. The only difference is that Hindi films have a wider release."

He also said there isn't much difference in the working style of these industries.

"Both the industries are on par with each other. Bollywood is hiring technicians from south and we're hiring actors. There's so much of talent exchange happening in these industries. I think that's very healthy," he added.

Harshvardhan, who has signed two more Hindi films under John's production banner, has no plans of shifting base to Bollywood.

"I haven't really chalked out a plan yet. I'm indebted to Telugu industry for my life because it has given me so many films and a fan following. And I'm recognised today through my Telugu films," he said.

Southern composer Yuvan Shankar Raja says his father Illayaraja was never against his decision to convert to Islam, and subsequently marry a Muslim. He says the music maestro was neutral towards his conversion and marriage.

In 2014, Yuvan converted to Islam for unexplained reasons and married Jaffrunnisha earlier this year.

"My father was neutral towards my decision to convert to Islam and my third marriage. He couldn't attend my wedding owing to the short notice and his work commitments. We were welcomed with open arms when I returned home after marriage," Yuvan told IANS.

He still prefers to be called Yuvan, and hasn't changed his name.

"Yuvan is my identity. I don't want to change that. Nothing about me changed except that I've embraced Islam," he said.

The composer is gearing up for a concert.

"The last few years were tough. I wrapped myself in a shell and stayed away from all sorts of rumours and gossips. I've finally come out and I intend to concentrate on my work. I'm looking forward to perform live in Thirunelveli on May 9," he added.

Actor Vidyut Jammwal, who is most popular for his work in "Commando", has confirmed he won't be part of filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh's next project, which will be based on the novel "The Devotion of Suspect X", also featuring Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut.

"I didn't see myself in a film of this genre. I'd met Sujoy a few times but I hadn't signed any contract or committed myself to the film. It (the story) sounded interesting, but it just wasn't for me. Sujoy is a great director with an amazing sensibility and I'd like to work with him in the future," Vidyut said in a statement.

The actor has two films in the pipeline for release - "Yaara", directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia opposite Shruti Haasan, the shoot of which is almost complete; and "Commando 2", which will be produced by Vipul Shah and will start soon.

Talking about "Yaara", he said: "I'm really excited about it. It's been a tremendous experience playing characters that span age groups across every aspect.

"The vibe on the sets is so positive and everyone is very upbeat about the film. Working with Tishu sir again has been a phenomenal experience and I've gained such nuanced learnings from him are hard to explain in words".

Vidyut hopes the sequel to "Commando" takes the franchise forward.

"'Commando' was very special to me and will always be. I'm hoping the sequel takes the franchise forward on an even larger and grander scale. Vipul Shah is at the helm of the project, so he is the only person who can speak about the finer details," he said.