Actor Raj Yadav, who forayed into Bollywood with “Sabki Bajegi Band”, has now been roped in for a horror film.

"After 'Sabki Bajegi Band', I'm doing a horror film and I am honoured to do this film. I can't reveal anything more about the film as the makers will make an official announcement," Raj told IANS.

Raj was seen playing a character called Randy in “Sabki Bajegi Band”. And he asserted that the “character will be completely different” to his previous role.

Meanwhile, the actor is still basking in all the appreciation that came his way after his debut.

"The film managed an excellent opening. And for my character Randy, the appreciation has come from everywhere. People call me Randy instead of my actual name and are repeating my dialogues from the film which is so flattering," he said.

Actress Shruti Haasan, who is presently in Thailand, found the experience of shooting for her Tamil fantasy-drama "Puli" in front of the Tiger Temple very auspicious.

"And it's a wrap on Puli!!!! So auspicious that we wrapped right in front of the Thai tiger temple (sic), Shruti posted on her Twitter page on Friday.

With the Thailand schedule, the film, starring superstar Vijay in the lead, has been successfully completed.

Directed by Chimbu Devan, the movie also features Sridevi, Hansika Motwani and Sudeep in important roles.

The film is slated for release on September 17 worldwide.

Shruti currently has a yet-untitled Tamil film with Ajith Kumar and Telugu drama "Srimanthudu" with Mahesh Babu in her kitty.

Actress Neha Dhupia is set to host the Fashion Extravaganza, an event dedicated to fashion, at the 16th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards in Kuala Lumpur in June.

The event will be held on June 6.

"In addition to films and music, there will be fashion too. It’s an important part of everyone’s lives. I am looking forward to it,” Neha told reporters here.

Hosted by Ayushmann Khurrana and Parineeti Chopra, IIFA Rocks, an exclusive music extravaganza, will see a host of musical performances by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Mika, Ankit Tiwari, Kanika Kapoor, Javed Ali and the Nooran sisters.

Actresses Jacqueline Fernandez, Aditi Rao Hydari, Lisa Haydon and Lauren Gottlieb will also perform at IIFA Rocks on June 5.

Anil Kapoor-starrer "Dil Dhadakne Do", which brings together a talented ensemble of actors, including Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Shefali Shah, Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma, will be screened here a day after its scheduled release on June 5.

“Together, we have created a gem and people will be proud that the film is from India. It will be the first screening of the film. We won’t be having another screening for the film in Mumbai,” said Anil, who has been in the industry for almost four decades.

Other stars, who will attend the gala, are Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor -- the hosts of IIFA Awards to be held on June 7.

Legendary Blues singer and guitarist B.B. King's death has left singer Adnan Sami, an ardent fan of the musician, feeling "blue". He describes the former's "music" as "water to a thirsty soul" and says that with King, the "thrill is gone".

The "Sweet black angel" singer died in his sleep in Las Vegas on Thursday after prolonged illness. Sami took to social networking website Facebook to share his thoughts on the death of the 89-year-old.

"Today is the day to truly feel the 'blues' as the 'king of the blues' is no more. B.B. King has bid us farewell leaving us his legendary legacy that will live on forever in our hearts.

"His works are the quintessential definition of what the genre of the 'blues' is as we know it today. He used to make his beloved guitar, whom he lovingly called 'Lucille' weep, but now she weeps alone and is forever silenced," Sami wrote.

Born in Mississippi, King began performing in the 1940s. He went on to influence a generation of musicians, working with Eric Clapton and U2.

Once considered the third greatest guitarist of all time, King was awarded his 15th Grammy award in 2009 for his album “One kind favour”.

Sami said of King's music: "His Voice was like the grumbling of thunder and his hands on the guitar could melt mountains. His music was like water to a thirsty soul."

"With a heavy heart we bid you farewell Maestro King. Bon voyage for your onwards journey. You leave us with an irreplaceable void in our lives and hearts. We can never thank god enough for blessing us with you. Surely with you gone away from us, 'The thrill is gone'," he added.

National Award winning Tamil movie "Kaakkaa Muttai" (The Crow's Egg) is all set to release on June 5.

The Fox Star Studios' film, which has already won the Best Children’s film and the Best Child Actor awards at the 62nd National Film Awards, has impressed many at various fests like Toronto International Film Festival and Dubai International Film Festival.

"Kaakkaa Muttai", jointly produced by Dhanush and Vetrimaaran, has been directed by Manikandan.

“This movie will be reminiscent of all your childhood memories; the innocence, adventure, unsuspecting nature and all the fun associated therewith. An enriching ride down memory lane that will be captured in two hours that you will invest in watching this movie and which will reward you with a memory of a lifetime," Manikandan said in a statement.

The film's story goes like this -- When a pizza parlour opens on their old playground, two carefree slum boys are consumed by the desire to taste this dish called ‘pizza’.

Realising that one pizza costs more than their family’s monthly income, they begin to plan ways to earn more money - inadvertently setting in motion an adventure that will involve the entire city.

Actor-politician Balakrishna's 99th Telugu film "Dictator" will be launched here on May 29 and its regular shooting will start from June 12.

"We're starting shoot from June 12. The plan is to release the film during Dussehra. The film will be shot in Hyderabad, Delhi and Europe on a lavish budget of about Rs.40 crore," the film's director Sriwass told IANS.

Nayantara has been paired with Balakrishna. This is the third time they have come together after "Simhaa" and "Sri Rama Rajyam".

Sriwass, who has two back-to-back hits such as "Lakshyam" and "Loukyam", will be eyeing a hat trick.

The film will be produced by Eros International and S.S. Thaman has been roped in to compose the tunes.

Actress Shruti Haasan has reportedly been roped in for the third instalment of the "Singam" franchise. The film, which will be helmed by Hari Gopalakrishnan, also features Suriya and Anushka Shetty in the lead roles.

"Shruti is most likely to play the second lead. While she agreed to be part of the project, the paperwork is still pending. She's expected to sign on the dotted line soon," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Director Hari had planned to include Shruti in "Singam 3" after he was impressed with her work in their last Tamil outing "Poojai".

"The film is expected to go on the floors in September. Anirudh Ravichander will be composing tunes, while comedian Soori has been cast in an important role," the source said.

Suriya, who is currently busy with Tamil thriller "24", will join the sets from September onwards.

Just like arranged marriages in India, a new film on the subject uses a new more "democratic" way of distributing films to match niche South Asian audiences with select theatres in America.

Theatrical-on-Demand (ToD) puts the power in the hands of the audience, says Rohena Gera, director of "What's Love Got To Do With It?" described as an unscripted micro budget film that explores arranged marriages in Indian society.

"So a film that may not have the marketing muscle or money to release across the country but has a niche audience that would love to see it on screen can access this audience," Gera told IANS.

Anybody anywhere in the US can request a film at a theatre near them, and even choose the date and preferred time and the distributor will assign a cinema for the show at no cost, Gera said explaining the concept

The only obligation the person has is to try to get people to commit to purchasing tickets in advance so that the show can be confirmed, she said

"If you get the requisite number you reach the tipping point, the screening is confirmed, and people are billed." Gera said.

"If you don't, the show gets automatically cancelled and nobody is billed for anything."

She chose to go the TOD way because her film has only come this far because of audience support, said the Pune based filmmaker who did an independent release in her home city "after a fantastic premiere at the Mumbai film festival."

Gera said she "saw that this film connects with audiences. So TOD seemed to be a good way to go as it is low cost and audience-centric."

"Plus the good thing with TOD is that you are not restricted to cinemas that show South Asian or Bollywood films... you can screen anywhere."

The film currently has 8 live requests for screenings in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Washington DC and California.

She is even getting inquiries from distributors who want to release through the traditional distribution channels too.

But Gera is not aiming at just the South Asians. "My target is anybody who has ever wondered what makes a marriage work... or anybody who has ever wished they could find Mr/Ms. Right ASAP!"

"Although right now we are reaching out primarily through South Asian channels, I do believe the wider American public would connect with the film as it asks real questions about love, loneliness, and compromise and explores the choices we all face."

Working as she is with no marketing budget at all, Gera is also relying on social media to reach the wider public. But she does not think social media works as well for arranged marriages.

The concept of arranged marriage "involves quickly 'getting to know' someone, and to that end, Facebook and Twitter are perhaps useful as we all have these personas on social media through which we express our likes, dislikes and so on," she said.

"So in terms of quickly browsing through another's life I am sure it is useful," Gera said.

"However I personally feel that sometimes these are carefully constructed identities, and what works between two people is much less tangible."

Most people she interviewed, "even for arranged marriages, spoke about clicking or chemistry or some version of it."

In Gera's view the way arranged marriage works for Indians and NRIs is "quite similar."

"My film is about urban well-travelled, well-educated Indians, so in many ways they have the same struggles as NRI's or the diaspora. They have extensive exposure to the west and many have even studied in the US."

"So they are in many ways grappling with two cultures just like Indian Americans or British Asians: that of their parents, and that of the west or popular media," she said.

"They want love, equality and so on, but their parents advice isn't always consistent with that."

After exploring arranged marriage, Gera plans to "an impossible love story", a fiction feature set in Mumbai.

"It is, and is neither Bollywood nor Hollywood... It would be an indie film, so to speak" like "The Lunchbox" or "Monsoon Wedding."

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan on Saturday announced the title of his upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual film is "Thoongaavanam" and it will go on floors in Hyderabad on May 24.

In a video, Haasan said "Thoongaavanam", which means a jungle that doesn't sleep, will simultaneously be shot in Telugu and Tamil.

He added that his long-time associate Rajesh M. Selva will direct the project, which will be produced by his home production Rajkamal Films.

Over the course of next three months, the film, a fast-paced thriller, will be shot predominantly in Hyderabad and Chennai.

Although Kamal didn't reveal the cast members but admitted it features "stars", it is learnt from reliable sources that popular actors Trisha Krishnan and Prakash Raj have been roped in to essay important roles.

Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala has been approached to play Kamal's wife in the movie.

Actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan-starrer Tamil period-drama "Uttama Villain" has failed to create ripples at the box office due to its delayed release, says a trade pundit.

"Two weeks since its release, the film is yet to break even. The reason for poor show at the box office is the delayed release. Had the film released as initially planned on May 1, it would've opened to record collections," trade analyst Trinath told IANS.

Ramesh Aravind-directed "Uttama Villain", which was a highly anticipated release, was to hit the screens on May 1 worldwide.

Due to some financial issues between the film's makers and financiers, the release of the movie was stalled on first day. It released on May 2.

"Big budget star vehicles rely heavily on the collections of the opening weekend. For 'Uttama Villain', an opening day collection of nearly Rs.10 crore was expected going by the pre-release buzz. But since the release got delayed, the numbers were affected," he said.

The film is said to be loosely inspired by several events in Kamal's life. It narrates the story of a superstar on the brink of extinction.

While the film was received well by the multiplex audiences, it was welcomed to lukewarm response in B and C centres due to its semi auto-biographical narrative tone.

Trinath says Aishwarya Dhanush-directed Tamil film "Vai Raja Vai", which released along with "Uttama Villain", ate into the business of the latter due to its delayed release.

"People who had come to the cinemas to watch Kamal's film on the first day ended up watching 'Vai Raja Vai'. Even the screens that were originally booked for 'Uttama Villain' had to screen Aishwarya's film to accommodate the crowd," Trinath said.

"Due to the delayed release of Kamal's film, 'Vai Raja Vai' collected a whopping Rs.3.3 crore on the first day in Tamil Nadu. It was a small film and was received reasonably well by the audience," he added.

Kamal has already moved on to his next Tamil-Telugu bilingual film titled "Thoongaavanam", which is set to go on floors on May 24 in Hyderabad.

Actor Vadivelu, who will next be seen in Tamil comedy "Eli", says he's still interested in a career in politics and may return to it sooner or later.

"There's ample time for 2016 assembly elections and anything could happen before that. I haven't ruled out a career in politics yet," Vadivelu told IANS.

In 2011, Vadivelu campaigned for the DMK party in the assembly elections. When the party fared poorly, he was forced to stay out of the industry for a few years.

"Whatever happened in the past was a learning experience. I should've been a little cautious," he said.

In 2014, he made a comeback with period-drama "Thenali Raman".

Vadivelu says he is interested in working in a political comedy.

"I'm planning to do a film in which I play a chief minister. It'll be an out-and-out political satire," he said.

In "Eli", he plays a spy, and the story is set in the 1960s.

"It's about a spy who infiltrates a criminal gang. I had so much fun working in this film," he added.

Directed by Yuvaraj Dhayalan, "Eli" features Sada in the lead role.

Saurabh Varma's directorial "Solid Patels", which was slated for May release, has now been pushed. The new release date of the film is not yet decided, says the director.

"'Solid Patels' is in its post-production stage and I feel the release date of the film is very important. This year, I have two films coming up. One is 'Solid Patels' and the other is '7 Hours to Go' so, I am busy handling both the films so we decided to push the release date of 'Solid Patels'," Varma told IANS.

"Solid Patels" was earlier set for May 22 release.

When is he planning to release the Shiv Pandit and Shazahn Padamsee-starrer?

"The most important thing is that there are so many releases in a week so, we are looking forward to get a week where there are not too many big releases. We don't want to get crushed between the monsters," he said.

"Solid Patels", produced by Krian Media, also features Ali Asgar and Kettan Singh.

Actress Aksha Pardasany, who has landed a special cameo in the upcoming Telugu actioner "Bengal Tiger", says she's really excited to be sharing screen space with actor Ravi Teja in the movie.

"I'm not at the liberty to talk about my role. It's a cameo and all my scenes are with Ravi Teja. I'm so excited to be working with him. He's a great entertainer," Aksha told IANS.

"I'm also excited because I've known the director for long and the producer since my first Telugu film. It's a great project and they've offered me a role I couldn't resist," she added.

Aksha will join the sets shortly to shoot for her portions.

Being directed by Sampath Nandi, the film features Tamannah Bhatia and Raashi Khanna in the lead roles.

Aksha, popular for her 2011 Telugu hit film "Kandireega", says she wasn't seen around much in the industry because nothing exciting came her way since then.

"Post 'Kandireega', I started getting similar offers. I didn't want to do the same thing because you get typecast," she said.

"I did a Telugu film called 'Shatruvu' because it was women-centric and that was something I did for myself. Five years later, when I look back I'll be proud of this film. In Tamil, my first project 'Salim' turned out to be a hit," she added.

Aksha has two yet-untitled Tamil projects in her kitty with the co-producers of "Salim".

Shalini Pandey, who will make her debut as casting director with the forthcoming film "Gun Pe Done" -- which has 42 characters, says casting for the film wasn't easy.

"Casting for 'Gun Pe Done' was extremely challenging for me. When director Abhik Bhanu narrated the script with 42 characters and 10 major characters, I knew I had a difficult task on my hands to cast apt actors for each and every character," Pandey told IANS.

"I had to do justice to every character as there wouldn't be proper justice to the film without giving justice to the characters," she added.

After listening to the script and characters, the first name that came to her mind was Jimmy Sheirgill.

"He has never exactly done comedy and I wanted to tap this untested facet in Jimmy. I was confident that he could bring distinct flavour to the role. He's not resorting to over-the-top comedy but portraying subtle comedy delivering silent punches.

"His character will definitely make people revisit memories of Jai from 'Sholay'. His performance will surprise you," said Pandey.

"Gun Pe Done", which also features Vijay Raj, Tara Alisha Berry and Sanjay Mishra, is produced by Asif Kazi and Manoj Menon under the banner Pioneer Films and Entertainment LLP.

Musician-actor Himesh Reshammiya, who will play a coach in the forthcoming “The Voice India”, will be seen in a whole new lean avatar in the singing-based reality show.

“I've hit the gym full on since 18 months and I am very happy with the results. My diet is very healthy yet controlled and I don't eat from 8.30 p.m. to 8.30 a.m,” Himesh, who has lost weight for his upcoming love story "Heeriye", said in a statement.

“I am getting a fantastic feedback for my new tattoo look and toned physique, and I am very excited to reveal this look in 'The Voice',” he added.

Apart from Himesh, the Indian version of the internationally acclaimed singing reality show "The Voice" will also see popular musicians like Mika Singh, Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan playing the coaches.

The &TV show will be hosted by actor Karan Tacker.

His romantic compositions like "Tere bin" and "Tum hi ho" are often played on loop. Back with another heart-touching number titled "Hum nava", composer Mithoon says his music is a tribute to "mankind for all its weaknesses and vulnerability".

"I cherish human life a lot and the very fact that we, as human beings, are vulnerable... we are fragile. We are sensitive. We are not superheroes and not made of steel. The fact that we are made like that makes us weak but also special. My music is a tribute to mankind for all its weaknesses and vulnerability," Mithoon told IANS.

"...How easily we get offended and how easily we smile or cry or laugh and these things are what I want to celebrate through my music. I don't think I'm the right person to compose music for a superhero film that way. I won't be able to do justice to that kind of a character.

"My music is rather celebrating the struggles and victory of common man on the road... that's full of emotion and human side of us. My songs are basically dedication to the human heart," added the musuician.

But the composer -- who dwells in the romantic genre -- says he hasn't closed the doors on any other category.

"As a composer, I shouldn't restrict myself right now. I'm also doing music for Ajay Devgn's 'Shivaay'. That is a very powerful character, but again it's a powerful character with a soft heart. I like to celebrate human weakness more than human strength," said the 'Banjaara" hitmaker.

Right now, he is excited about "Hum nava", sung by Papon, for Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan-starrer "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", set for a June release.

"I've done a single for the film. It's a mature love story and not a breezy romance. The song is about two people who have a very dark past and have seen a lot in life. For such people to fall in love... it's not very easy. It can't be love at first sight," he said.

Having worked with Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's Vishesh Films for movies like "Zeher", "Kalyug" and "Aashiqui 2", Mithoon says he likes to work for the banner.

"It's more of professional and creative flow between myself and Mukeshji, Maheshji and Mohit (Suri) -- especially between Mohit and me because we started our careers together in 2005 with 'Zeher'.

"The best part about Vishesh Films is that they allow me to be myself. They don't impose their ideas on a composer and they are open to what the composer wants to do. They give support. That's why some of my best work comes out from them," he said.

In 2007, Mithoon also lent his voice to "The Train", but singing is not what he wants to do.

"I don't see singing as my primary calling. It's always been composing
music. It's a great honour to provide music, arrange and to direct
singers and musicians," he said.

Acting or reality shows also don't excite Mithoon, who comes from a family of musicians (father Naresh Sharma, an acclaimed music arranger and uncle Pyarelal of legendary composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal).

"My calling is not acting because I can't act. Reality shows... I'm an introvert and not very good at communication. I was offered some roles in the past though," he said.

In a move to widen its reach among the audience, film production house Yash Raj Films has teamed up with Twitter India.

Via its Twitter handle @YRF, the banner aims to connect with every Indian film fan with a mobile phone.

"We are on the cusp of widespread growth across mobile, web and social media. This syndicated mobility program will aim to reach mobile-friendly audiences and analyse consumption patterns and trends across web and mobile. Moreover, the move is aligned to the company's 'mobile-first' approach," Anand Gurnani, vice president (Digital), Yash Raj Films, said in a statement.

Pratiksha Rao, head of TV and entertainment partnerships, Twitter India said that in India, Twitter is focused on reaching every person with a mobile phone and "this product is in service of that goal".

@YRF will send selective Tweets (driven by #YRFBuzz) as SMS to users who subscribe to the service by giving a missed call to 0-75054-75054. This feature works on any phone or network, and is free of charge for online as well as offline users.

Veteran actress-social activist Shabana Azmi is heading to Amsterdam for a meeting of the International Board of BRAC and says that she is “proud” to be a member of it.

The 64-year-old took to micro-blogging website Twitter to share the news.

"Off to Amsterdam for meeting of International Board of #BRAC of which Im proud to be a member. BRACs developmental work is truly amazing," Shabana tweeted on Monday.

BRAC International, officially registered as a foundation, aims to engage in charitable purposes and social welfare activities and includes development programmes like health, education, agriculture, livelihoods, targeting the ultra poor, human rights and legal services programmes.

Sadly, the actress missed her first flight to her destination.

"Missed my flight 2 Amsterdam bcoz i stupidly forgot 2 carry the passport! KLM most helpful and have put me on next flight. Full Dementia," she added.

She utilised the free time by watching her own movie.

"Watched Aparna Sens 15 Park Avenue again after a long time n was deeply moved. Konkona is terrific and my character is closest 2 my real self."

Actress Nargis Fakhri is yearning to go on a long vacation.

The “Rockstar” actress took to micro-blogging website Twitter to share her thoughts with her fans and followers.

“I just need a 3 month vacation what's wrong with that,” Nargis tweeted on Monday.

On the big screen, Nargis was last seen in David Dhawan's "Main Tera Hero" starring opposite actor Varun Dhawan and Ileana D'Cruz.

Model-turned-actress Shikha Joshi, who reportedly committed suicide, was a "happy-go-lucky" girl who never looked "depressed" even if she did not get much work, says Ajay Bahl, who directed her in "B.A. Pass".

Shikha was found dead at her residence here on Saturday evening, the police has said.

Bahl, who was shocked to hear the news, told IANS: "I must say she was quite a cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of a girl. She never looked depressed. It's just that she was not getting too much of work that she deserved. She was very photogenic and confident about her work."

The actress, said to be 40, reportedly slashed her neck open with a knife.

Bahl revealed that Shikha had a failed marriage behind her.

"I remember one of the conversations with her, where she said she had a failed marriage behind her. However, she was always in good spirits and moved on in her life. She never threw any tantrums during the shoot as well she was very co-operative," he said.

Bahl said he had offered her a bigger role than "B.A. Pass" in his next film, a murder mystery tentatively titled "Informer".

"She was thrilled about this project, but it's just that this project got delayed a bit. We had finalised her long back for this new film. It's (her death is) certainly a huge loss."