The trailer of the Indian epic film "Baahubali" is scheduled to be launched on June 1.

The official Twitter handle of Dharma Productions shared the news about the S.S. Rajamouli directorial.

The two-part Indian epic film which is being made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages. The film will also be dubbed into English, French, Hindi, Malayalam and in several foreign languages.

Featuring actors Prabhas Varma, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah in the lead roles, "Baahubali" is scheduled to release on July 10.

A detailed account on musical influences of double Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman found its way inside the White House in Washington through a special screening of "Jai Ho", a documentary on his work.

The 60-minute documentary was screened on Friday.

The "Mozart of Madras", who has hit the right notes with each of his compositions with examples like “O rey chhori” and “Tum tak”, became a part of the special moment.

“On the way to the White House for a screening of 'Jai Ho',” Rahman tweeted on Friday night as per Indian Standard Time.

Directed by Umesh Aggarwal, the film celebrates Rahman's achievements through his career, which spans two decades.

Considered one of the world's most influential people by Time magazine, the music maestro's work includes over 120 film scores worldwide.

Rahman is a name to reckon in the international circuit and has also done India proud by getting two Oscars for his music in "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2009 -- Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song, which he shares with lyricist Gulzar.

The documentary explores the evolution of his style of music -- a fusion of eastern sensibilities and western technology.

After showcasing his film "Sita" in the 'Short Film Corner' at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, budding Assamese filmmaker Kangkan Deka plans to send his regional work to more fests as he believes such platforms are beneficial for independent filmmakers.

The 31-year-old couldn’t attend the prestigious festival that concluded on May 24, but he is glad his film got some attention.

“I was supposed to go, but didn’t get my visa. A few people from Malaysia have shown interest in ‘Sita’,” Deka told IANS in a telephonic interview from Guwahati.

“I am sending it to more festivals... both international and India. A lot of new Indian film festivals have been launched too, like Goa Short Film Carnival. Film festivals are always good to get spotlight, especially for independent filmmakers,” he added.

The former drilling engineer says film festivals help to connect with producers, which is otherwise difficult.

“People don’t directly put money on you. A film fest is like a testing for us,” said the director, who has made two short films since 2014.

The alumnus of ZEE Institute of Media Arts, Mumbai is now working on his first feature film.

“I am working on a script of a feature film. It needs a lot of money and I can’t produce it myself. I am planning to do it in Assamese only,” said Deka, who made “Sita” at a budget of over Rs.100,000.

He isn’t too keen to enter Bollywood as it’s a “lengthy process”.

“You need to work as an assistant director first for a few years, but I am not against it. I want to do good films, but not masala ones,” he said.

The filmmaker, who has made “Bhagna Xapun” (Shattered Dream) -- a touching story of relationship between a father and his daughter -- and “Sita” -- based on a nine-year-old boy who gets emotionally connected with his goat -- wants that people should be able to connect with his work.

“I want to make films related to human lives. I like those type of stories. Someone should connect with my films,” said Deka.

He wants to tell stories through documentaries too.

“I want to make good films...short films, documentary or feature... I wish to explore every section of filmmaking,” he said.

He says making documentaries and short films have become easier, thanks to the digital era.

“It has become easier to make short films and documentaries because of the digital era. You just need good content to make an impressive film. Audiences’ taste is also changing. Low budget films or different genre films are getting highlighted too. A few weeks back, I saw ‘Margarita with a Straw’ in Mumbai and it was houseful,” he shared.

If things don’t go well in the film industry, he has a backup plan too.

“Sometimes, when you are working, you are not satisfied. There are times when you work just for money. In 2012, I quit my job as an engineer and decided to try my hand at filmmaking. I did a six-month course in filmmaking then made my first short film in 2014.

“If it doesn’t work out, I can always go back to my previous profession as I have seven to eight years of experience in the field,” he said.

Film buffs are in for a treat next month courtesy a festival that brings to the city a bouquet of 21 films from as many European countries.

At the 20th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) that begins in Kolkata on June 2, some of the latest and award-winning ventures from the EU member states will be screened.

Organised by the Delegation of the European Union and embassies of member states, the festival is being held in Kolkata in partnership with Cine Central till June 9 at Nandan.

"Go, Eddy!" (Belgium), "The Foreigner" (Bulgaria), aceVis-A-Vis" (Croatia) are some of the movies that will be shown, Aorganisers said on Saturday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday remembered filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh on his second death anniversary, saying his passing away was a "huge loss" for the state.

"On this day two years ago, we lost Rituparno Ghosh. His passing away was a huge loss for Bengal. He is our pride. We miss you Ritu," Banerjee tweeted.

Maker of several acclaimed and award-winning films, Ghosh died on May 30, 2013, following a heart attack. He was 49.

The National Film Award winner's critically acclaimed films include "Raincoat", "Antar Mahal", "Shob Choritro Kalponik" and "Chokher Bali".

The versatile genius acted in films like "Chitrangada", "Arekti Premer Golpo" and "Memories in March."

Vinod Kapri, whose debut feature film "Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho", which he has directed as well as produced, says it's a tough job to sell a movie and get support from big banners. But he has been lucky.

He says he is "over the moon" to get support from Fox Star Studios, which is presenting his project with Crossword Films Production.

"It's a very tough job to sell a film... to take it to the big production house as well as the audiences," Kapri said.

"At times I felt that it is impossible because I am a first-time director and producer, but actors are very good... they have performed well. But whenever I used to go to people with my film, they used to say 'You don't have stars in your film'.

"At that point I used to convince them by saying 'See our story, see our script as it's the biggest star of our film'. But they didn't understand," he added.

When he approached Fox Star Studios and asked officials there to watch the film, "they organised a screening and film got good response". That's when the banner came on board.

The film, which stars Annu Kapoor, Rahul Bagga, Ravi Kishen and Hrishita Bhatt, is a political satire running along a perilous love story based in Tanakpur, a village in Haryana. It is set to release on June 29.

Meanwhile, Kapri, who has been a journalist and documentary filmmaker, is happy that his film is being appreciated by celebrities like megastar Amitabh Bachchan and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani.

"It feels good when such big celebrities, who are in the industry for so many years, appreciate your work. There was a time when I was in doubt about the film's release, but Hirani sahab and Anurag Kashyap helped me a lot," Kapri said.

"They watched my film and showed confidence it. They were of the view that my work will be recognised," he added.

Actress Priya Anand, known for her work in "English Vinglish" and "Arima Nambi", has been roped in for a special cameo in the upcoming Tamil romantic-comedy "Trisha Illana Nayantara".

"We were actually looking for a beautiful and versatile artist to play this role. Our unanimous choice was Priya Anand, and she had brought gallons of energy into our vibrant unit," the film's director Adhik Ravichandran told IANS.

The film stars composer-turned-actor G.V. Prakash Kumar, Manisha Yadav and Anandhi in lead roles. Veteran actress Simran Bagga will be seen essaying an important role.

Ravichandran also said that Priya will not be grooving to an item number, but will feature in a few crucial scenes in the movie.

In his illustrious career of over two decades, filmmaker Mani Ratnam, who turns 60 on Tuesday, has not only touched and entertained thousands of lives with his movies, he has also inspired a whole generation of directors, writers, editors, music composers and several others from different crafts of cinema. And he continues to do so.

For filmmaker R.S. Prasanna, Ratnam's "Iruvar", which was about the relationship between cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu, is his 'Bhagwad Gita' on filmmaking.

"I think the kind of filmmaking that was done in the movie was world-class, and it was a biopic that was very different from 'Nayagan' in terms of the narrative style. In 'Iruvar', there was a lot of international influence in terms of shots and angles," Prasanna told IANS.

"It was one movie where everything came together so brilliantly. It's such an underrated movie and sadly. it didn't do well at the box office.," he said, and added that it was "Iruvar" that brought him and his debut film's cinematographer Krishnan Vasant together.

Mani Ratnam's tryst as film director began with the 1983 project "Pallavi AnuPallavi", and there has been no looking back ever since. He produces most of his films, and has surprisingly, not assisted anyone.

Recalling his memorable experience of a Mani Ratnam film, actor Rahul Ravindran said it was his "Nayagan" that sowed his acting seeds.

"My earliest memory of falling in love with the medium and actually being conscious and aware that I was falling in love and fascinated with the movies, was when I watched 'Nayagan' as a child," Rahul said.

"A part of me changed irrevocably the day I watched it. I didn't realise what it was that fascinated me, but just remember experiencing a sense of heightened excitement... The realization was more subliminal. Now I know that it was perhaps because the film was so searingly original in tone, so unique and new in execution compared to any film I had seen till that point," he added.

It was that day, Rahul said, the seeds were sown. He eventually quit a corporate job and came to cinema to try his luck.

Sound designer Kunal Rajan said it was Mani Ratnam's "Aayutha Ezhuthu", which had music by A.R. Rahman, which left a lasting impact on him.

"It was such a rich soundtrack with so many layers.... it had a new sound and that got me inspired," Kunal said.

For composer K, two Mani Ratnam films that changed his perspective of music were "Nayagan" and "Mounaragam".

"'Nayagan' had the most unbelievable music, especially its theme music, and it changed a whole lot of things for me. Even if I heard one line from the album, I could remember the whole scene with the music. Both 'Mounaragam' and 'Nayagan' have influenced my work," K said.

He added that the theme music of his Tamil thriller "Yuddham Sei" had a tinge of "Mounaragam".

Writer-filmmaker Nandhini says it's tough to pick one film of the auteur as all his films are like textbooks in different genres of filmmaking.

"For a commercial entertainer, I'd say 'Agni Natchathiram' and 'Dhalapathy'. As a romantic drama, 'Roja' blew my mind. For crime or gangster movie, there's 'Nayagan'. And 'Iruvar' for political drama, while 'Anjali' for children and family audiences," Nandhini said.

National Award winning editor K.L. Praveen admits it was "Iruvar" that showed him how a film could be cut in a lot of ways.

"I liked his work in collaboration with editor Sreekar Prasad. In 'Alaipayuthey', I loved the way 'Kadhal sadugudu' song was shot in reverse. It was cut so well," Praveen said.

"I haven't watched his latest film 'O Kadhal Kanmani'. But I loved the way its promos were cut with city lights in the backdrop. Although it's an old style, but the way Mani sir presents it, it looks really good," he said.

Cinematographer Murali says he learnt the art of wide angle shots from "Iruvar".

"In this film, Mani sir uses the faces of his characters to express most of the story. He achieved that using close-ups captured through wide lens and everything was shot in 4:3 compositions. It was an experiment, but it worked so well," said Murali, and added that Ratnam's "Mounaragam" was one film that he felt was complete from all perspectives.

Filmmaker Mysskin admires Mani Ratnam film's for his "aesthetic writing and visual skills".

Actor Puri Akash, who is making his acting debut in the forthcoming Telugu teenage love story "Andhra Pori", says he always wished to be launched by his filmmaker-father Puri Jagannath, who didn't quite agree with his son.

"I've always wished to be launched by my father. I wanted to be launched as a hero in one of his films. But he suggested that I do 'Andhra Pori' as he felt it suited my age and wanted me to experience everything on my own," Akash told IANS.

Without much hesitation, Akash took his father's advice.

In "Andhra Pori", a Telugu remake of Marathi hit "Time Pass", Akash plays a Class 10 dropout.

"I had to pick up on Telangana accent. I essay a massy village dweller. To get my dialect right, I underwent a week-long workshop and it really helped me to champion the language," he said.

Calling his film an "audience-friendly" teenage love story, Akash said the romance in the film is "clean".

"The story is about two teenagers and their first crush. There's romance but it's not portrayed the way our cinema usually does. There's innocence in the romance between the lead characters in the movie," he said.

Akash says he's not in a hurry to sign more films.

"Post 'Andhra Pori', I'll take a few years break and complete my formal education; go to college and earn a degree. Then, I'll decide on my future. I'll take it slow," he said.

Debutant director Ridhun Sagar says his upcoming Tamil film "Thudi", which revolves around five key characters, is an edge-of-the-seat thriller that doesn't feature a hero. Actress Abhinaya plays one of the leads.

"The story takes place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day. It takes place inside a five-star hotel and it doesn't feature a hero per se. There are five important characters and the plot revolves around them," Sagar said in a statement.

Abhinaya will be seen as a receptionist in the movie.

"Her character is very important and she moves the story forward. She's not paired with anyone and carries most of the film on her shoulders," he said.

The team is in talks with a popular actor to play an important character.

An online casting portal bombaycasting.com, which gives young artists a platform to represent themselves to the film fraternity with the least risk possible, has been unveiled.

The portal, which was launched on Saturday, provides actors a platform where they can register themselves by sending their profiles along with photographs and show reel free of cost at bombaycasting1@gmail.com, read a statement.

An eminent panel sifts through the entries and shortlists candidates for being signed on specified terms and conditions. After this the actor’s profile is posted on the portal. Talent managers at the portal take over from here to pitch the actors to talent seekers.

Graduates from institutes such as Film and Television Institute of India, National School of Drama along with reputed and experienced names like Jisshu Sengupta, Sharad Kelkar, Pooja Batra and Mona Wasu are some of the celebrities already attached with the portal.

bombaycasting.com proposes free of cost workshop for its registered members by big names from the film fraternity like Vipin Sharma and Hansal Mehta. Locations and dates for these workshops are in advanced stages of finalisation.

Also artists, who could not brace through the registration process, will be offered casting calls of various assignments that will be posted on the portal through which the talent can apply for the same free of cost.

The makers are planning to appoint representatives in various places like Chandigarh, Kolkata and south India with an eye to regional markets as well.

Gauransh Chauhan, who wowed the audience with his Michael Jackson moves on the reality show "Dance India Dance", will exhibit his MJ skills in the forthcoming Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer "ABCD 2".

"I've been fascinated with dance since the age of three. I started with school performances, then performed for the show 'India's Got Talent'. Then I showcased my skills on 'Dance India Dance' season two where the judges Remo D'Souza, Terence Lewis and Geeta Kapoor got extremely impressed with my Michael Jackson style of dancing," Gauransh told IANS.

"On 'DID', Remo sir was so impressed with my moves, that he promised me that if any suitable opportunity came up, he would definitely inform me. He fulfilled his promise and gave me the opportunity to dance in his film 'ABCD 2' as they required me for an MJ sequence. He has been the decisive factor in my success.

"Both 'DID' and 'ABCD 2' have been distinct turning points in my career," added the former reality show participant, who "learnt these dance moves and tricks all on my own".

"ABCD 2", directed by D'Souza, will release later this month.

The entire star cast of "Shajarur Kanta", a Byomkesh Bakshi film which has national award-winning actress Konkona Sen Sharma in the lead, reached Mumbai on Sunday for a special visit.

"'Shajarur Kanta' was a big challenge for me because it is a detective film, plus a love story," Konkona Sen Sharma told IANS.

"Byomkesh Bakshi stories are historic and every Bengali knows them very well, and they have been waiting for screen adaptation. It is a popular short love story, plus Byomkesh Bakshi is the flavour of the season. Our Byomkesh Bakshi is different from others as he is older," she said.

The film, which released on March 20, has garnered praise all over.

Directed by Saibal Mitra and produced by Pradip Churiwal and Saikat Mitra, the film features Konkona Sen Sharma as Deepa Bhatto and Dhritiman Chatterjee as Byomkesh Bakshi.

It also stars Indraneil Sengupta, Kaushik Sen, Dwijen Bandopadhyay and Biswajit Chakraborty.

"Shajarur Kanta" is based on the novel of the same name by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay.

Disney-Pixar's "Inside Out" is all set to release across India on June 26, and Oscar-winning director Pete Docter says the whole story sparked from watching his daughter grow up.

"Inside Out" was inspired by Docter's daughter Ellie, who incidentally was also the voice behind Ellie , one of the characters in "Up".

"The whole story sparked from watching my daughter grow up. My daughter did the voice of young Ellie in 'Up', that spirited, spunky kid with hair out to there, and she was a lot like the character at the time," Docter said in a statement.

"But by the time we started 'Inside Out', Ellie was older, about 11, and she had become quiet and withdrawn. It made me think what's going on in her head and why is she changing?

"The innocent bubble of childhood bursts and you feel like you're thrust into an adult world where you're judged and expected to behave in a certain way. You want to be cool, but you're not really sure what that means," he said.

The film premiered in the 'Out of Competition' section at the Cannes film festival and received a standing ovation, with film critics raving about it.

Veteran actor Mohan Agashe, who has enacted pivotal roles in "Rang De Basanti", "Gangaajal" and "Ab Tak Chhappan", says he will play the country's Prime Minister in "Yeh Hai India", co-directed by first-timer Lom Harsh.

Agashe told IANS: "There is invariably a certain amount of risk involved with first-time directors. But Lom Harsh's honesty and sincerity struck me instantly. The makers have put in a lot of effort to develop the script, especially to mould the characters brilliantly."

He says the film's story made him curious.

“I’m playing the character of a Prime Minister in ‘Yeh Hai India’. The character I am playing sounded extremely interesting, so I decided to give it a try. The director's intention and motivation has led to a good story and I'm sure they will succeed at translating this story into a good film,” added the actor.

"Yeh Hai India" touches upon patriotism.

Harsh, the film’s co-director, says “the entire image of the nation relies on the shoulders of the Prime Minister and the image he wants to showcase to the world is what they (the others) believe”.

“As PM, Agashe employs his powers for the betterment of the country. His role is very prominent with every twist and turn of the story, controlled by the skills of the PM."

"Yeh Hai India" will be jointly directed by Harsh and G.K. Yogesh, and jointly produced by Harsh and Sandeep Choudhary under the banner of DLB Films Pvt Ltd.

“Miss Tanakpur Hazir Ho” was scheduled to release on June 19, but it has been postponed by a week as director Vinod Kapri wanted the movie to have a good showing.

On June 19, the much talked-about “ABCD 2”, starring popular actors Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor, is hitting the screens.

Kapri told IANS: "Making a film is one thing, but selling a film is a tougher job. My film is based on a real incident with some fiction and comedy added to it. I want this good content to reach the maximum audience and, hence, we pushed the release date to June 26.”

Kapri, a journalist-turned-director, is making his feature film debut with “Miss Tanakpur...”. He is very happy with the response his film’s trailer has garnered from biggies like megastar Amitabh Bachchan and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani.

“Miss Tanakpur...” stars Annu Kapoor, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Rahul Bagga, Sanjay Mishra, Om Puri and Ravi Kissen. It is being distributed by Fox Star Studios.

Actor Ronit Roy, who plays a gun-wielding Haryanvi local leader who knows no boundaries when it comes to getting what he wants in “Guddu Rangeela”, actually went to a shooting range and got a trainer to get his posture perfect for the scenes.

The film will see Ronit using his gun multiple times and in order to make those shots look extremely authentic, Ronit trained for three months at a shooting range.

Director Subhash Kapoor, who is returning with “Guddu Rangeela” post his National Award winning directorial “Jolly LLB”, says “Ronit is just a supremely dedicated actor”.

“He gets into the finer things of acting that not many people would look into. That's because he wants to deliver the best shot everytime he faces the camera. And that's why he has received so much acclaim.

“In ‘Guddu Rangeela’, his acting as Biloo Pehalwan -- the notorious villain -- will shock audiences. This is his best villainous performance to date and he will give the chills to audiences," Kapoor added.

“Guddu Rangeela” also stars Arshad Warsi and Amit Sadh, who play two small time crooks who take on a villain way too powerful for them to handle. The film, featuring Aditi Rao Hydari, releases on July 3.

Director Mischa Kamp's Dutch film “Boys” won the Best Narrative Feature Film award, while transgender actor Kristina Hernandez won the award for the Best Performance in a Lead Role for the film “Stealth” at the sixth edition of the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, India’s only mainstream LGBT film festival.

The Best Film won a cash award of Rs 30,000 and the Best Actor won a cash prize of Rs 20,000 -- both sponsored by Anupam Kher’s acting school Actor Prepares.

The Best Indian Short Narrative Film award was shared by two films -- the Marathi film “Sundar” directed by Rohan Kanawade and the Tamil film “A Full Stop That Searches For Its End”, helmed by Vivek Vishwanathan. The award carried a cash prize of Rs. 20,000.

The Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Filmmaker went to Vaibhav Hatkar for his Marathi short film “Ek Maaya Ashi Hi” (A Love Such as This). The cash award of Rs. 15,000 was sponsored by Wadia Movietone.

The Best Documentary Award went to “Do I Sound Gay?”, directed by David Thorpe. He received a cash prize of Rs.20,000.

Designer-politician Shaina NC was the chief guest for the event and she also gave away the Kashish Rainbow Warrior 2015 Award posthumously to lesbian rights activist late Betu Singh. The award was received by Betu Singh’s partner and co-worker Maya Shanker.

“The leadership of this country needs to come to events like these to realise what being progressive and being inclusive really mean. To the Kashish family, I would like to say that the road ahead will not be easy. You will meet resistance. But on my part I will assure you that I will stand for you, I will stand with you whether we may succeed or not.

“More than proving a point, it is about expressing to society that genuine unity starts when we accept each other with all our differences,” Shaina NC said in a statement.

Actor Dalip Tahil was the guest of honour and he gave away the Best Narrative Feature Film award.

Festival director Sridhar Rangayan said: “Kashish has become not just a film festival but a major force to propel LGBT visibility in the mainstream across several platforms. It has become the biggest pride event in India, but most importantly a safe space for LGBT community and mainstream society to mingle with no tags.

"Kashish reached greater heights this year with more films, more interactive discussions, more attendance and more glamorous performances than previous years. Kashish is here to stay.”

Superstar Salman Khan is offering his fans a chance to feature in a remixed version of a song titled “Selfie le le” from his forthcoming film “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”.

The first song of Salman’s highly awaited film features the actor “clicking a lot of selfies”. Now there is a remixed version of the song being made and Salman is giving his fans a chance to star in it.

“Salman wants fans to click selfies and send it to him. He will then personally go through the pictures and select a few. However, he wants fans to watch the original version of the song and accordingly click the selfies.

The chosen few will get the opportunity to feature in the remixed version of ‘Selfie le le,” said a source.

The teaser of “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” has created a huge buzz and the first song will be out with “Dil Dhadakne Do”, which releases in theatres on June 5.

Indraneil Sengupta, who has shared screen space with actress Konkona Sen Sharma in Bengali film “Sajarur Kanta", says it really helps if you work with an accomplished artist like her.

"It was a wonderful experience working with her. I have known Konkona's mother Aparna Sen for a long time, but never had the opportunity to work with Konkona. She is very down to earth and very friendly. We had a great time working together. And it really helps if you work with such a well accomplished actress," Indraneil told IANS.

“Sajarur Kanta" director Saibal Mitra says it was his privilege to work with them.

"Dhritiman, Konkona and Indraneil... they all are great artists, and they have performed tremendously and it was my privilege to work with them,” Mitra said.

Co-produced by Pradip Churiwal and Saikat Mitra, the film also features Kaushik Sen, Dwijen Bandopadhyay and Biswajit Chakraborty.