Handbags from French label Anna Luchini will now be avaialable in the Indian market via e-commerce platform Fashionara.com, which has also introduced watches for women from another French label, Christian Lacroix.

Keen fashionistas can explore the web platform for the latest spring-summer collection from both brands.

"We are extremely happy to bring such niche and interesting fashion labels to India. We have seen a great appetite for good quality international brands amongst our customers," Arun Sirdeshmukh, co-founder and CEO of Fashionara, said in a statement.

"Customers are bored of seeing the same brands across all the stores and are craving for fashion that is fresh and unique. With our mix of interesting foreign brands, we have been offering contemporary yet unique products, which our customers find extremely appealing. We will continue to bring more such brands to Fashionara going ahead," added Sirdeshmukh.

Anna Luchini is a designer label that offers elegant handbags, and the range at the portal has a wide variety of totes, hobos and satchels plus handy cross-body bags that will keep one's essentials organised.

Meanwhile, Lacroix is offering its collection of designer watches. They are well known for their watches and perfumes and the designs of their watches heavily depict the vintage era.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was moved by Gulshan Devaiah's performance when the actor was shooting for Pooja Bhatt's upcoming film "Cabaret".

Bhatt says that he was moved "to tears" as the actor faced the camera.

The 66-year-old shared a sneak peak of the shoot along with a photograph, in which Pooja is seen staring at the screen while Gulshan was seen enacting his character.

"CABARET: Day 2. Gulshan Devaiah faces the camera and moves us to tears," Bhatt tweeted on Friday.

The film also features Richa Chadha.

Singer Mika Singh, who is having a "great time" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) celebration is taking place, was happy to meet veteran actor Anupam Kher.

He has called the senior actor a "legend".

The "Gandi Baat" singer took to micro-blogging website Twitter, where he shared a post alongside a photograph of himself with the 60-year-old actor.

Mika sported a rough look, while Anupam flaunted a formal demeanour in a white blazer and a blue check shirt.

"Met the #legend and wadde bhaji @AnupamPkher ji... Having a good time in #Malaysia," the "Tu mere agal bagal hai" singer tweeted on Thursday.

Actress Shraddha Kapoor, who is currently very busy promoting her forthcoming film "ABCD2", has landed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to spread more buzz about the movie at the three-day IIFA gala.

The "Ek Villain" actress wants her fans to wish her good luck as she will be doing a "special tribute on the main awards show night" on Sunday.

"Hyderabad to Malaysia, #ABCD2 promotions to #IIFA. Doing a very special tribute on the main awards show night. Fingers crossed, wish me luck," the 26-year-old actress tweeted on Friday.

Directed by Remo D'Souza, "ABCD 2" is a sequel to "ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance", which is releasing on June 19.

"ABCD2" also features Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva.

High school teen film "The Duff", which was earlier slated for release on Friday, has been rescheduled to hit the theatres on June 12.

"With a strong youth population in the subcontinent, the producers saw good business sense to embark on a theatrical release in India on June 12. The movie will now rub shoulders with 'Hamari Adhuri Kahani'," read a statement.

While "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", directed by Mohit Suri and starring Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan and Rajkummar Rao, is about serious grown-up romance, "The Duff" is a light hearted high school rom-com with a lot of nostalgia.

Ahead of the film's India theatrical release, "The Duff" director Ari Sandel said: "India is becoming an increasingly important territory for Hollywood films. High schools are the same everywhere and I am sure so are the problems, even across the world. I hope that the audience will connect with and enjoy our movie."

The film stars Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell and Bella Thorne in the lead.

If you have your eyes on the fashion quotient flaunted by the ladies in "Dil Dhadakne Do", do check out the exclusive merchandise inspired by Zoya Akhtar's film on e-commerce site Amazon.in.

The movie-inspired line, created by Nobel Faith, is exclusively available on Amazon.in, said a statement.

"Dil Dhadakne Do" is set against the backdrop of exotic locations on a luxury liner, and that has inspired the line of merchandise worn by celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Ridhima Sud among others.

From Priyanka’s must-have melon tunic, Ridhima’s gorgeous red tunic and Anushka’s irresistible blue tunic that form the Young Girls collection, the collection also comprises long party outfits, comfortable yet stylish casual wear and dress sets.

Giving a summer holiday feel to the styles, the collection is dominated by bright solids.

Released on Friday, the film talks about a dysfunctional Punjabi family and how they discover love and friendship during a cruise across the Mediterranean. The film also stars Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Shefali Shah.

Mohit Dutta, who made his acting debut with romantic film “Ishqedarriyaan", says he is at present concentrating more on his musical career rather than acting.

"I played a singer in 'Ishqedarriyaan', and that is something I do in real life as well. People are really appreciating the music," Mohit, who portrayed the role of Arjun, a passionate singer in the film, told IANS.

Talking about his upcoming projects, he added: “I am working on my singing right now."

Directed by V.K. Prakash under the banner of Mithun Chakraborty's Chariot Films, “Ishqedarriyaan" stars Mahakshay Chakraborty and Evelyn Sharma in lead roles.

However, the film did not receive good response at box office.

Narmada Ahuja, daughter of versatile actor Govinda, has changed her name to Tina Ahuja for her upcoming movie “Second Hand Husband”.

Talking about her name change, she said: “Tina is my nickname, which my friends gave me. And during the narration of this film, when I told my friends that I am doing a film, that’s when my friends told me, leave this Narmada behind and start with Tina. So that’s the reason behind it.”

In "Second Hand Husband", Tina is paired opposite Punjabi singer-actor Gippy Grewal, who is making his Bollywood debut with the project.

“Two most important things that I look for are the script and the director," she added.

"Second Hand Husband" is slated to release on July 3.

Model-turned-actress Taapsee Pannu, who worked as a software professional before pursuing modelling and acting, advises that newcomers should not take a leap of faith in the industry and have a backup career option.

“Don't take examples of people like Shah Rukh Khan, because he is just one person and now there are thousands of people who try everyday. Many just ruin half of their lives in struggling and don't get anything out of it. Be very practical and have a backup option,” the 27-year-old told IANS on phone from Chennai.

Is Bollywood different from the southern film industry for the newcomers?

Taapsee, who herself debuted with a Telugu film “Jhummandi Naadam”, said: “In south, they give you really good opportunities with directors and actors. Bollywood has indeed opened up to newcomers now, but it isn't that easy.

"The southern film industry is a good platform for a newcomer with zero background,” said Taapsee, who has associated with P&G Shiksha's 'Padhega India, Badhega India' campaign.

On the work front, Taapsee has just wrapped up film “Runningshaadi.com” and will be seen in her next “Agra Ka Daabra”.

Famous dialogues of Yash Raj Films (YRF) like “Zero bhi bade kaam ki cheez hoti hai”, “Ladkiyon ko itna seriously nahi lena chahiye", and "Aaye toh the sharafat se...lekin jayenge toh dhoom machake" can now find their way into your closet through YRFStore on FREECULTR Express.

FREECULTR Express, a premium lifestyle digital platform, announced a partnership with YRF studio. The online tee store went live on Friday.

The YRFStore will feature some of the most popular screenshots, characters and dialogues on tees across eras and genres. From the all-time favourites like “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge” and “Dil Toh Pagal Hai” to recent blockbusters like “Dhoom 3”, the store is a haven for all the movie buffs.

Manan Mehta, vice president of marketing and merchandising, Yash Raj Films, said that with the alliance they are taking YRF films to a wider audience in a fashionable way.

“Our audience loves the movies we make and our attempt as YRF Merchandise is always to give them a complete experience of brand YRF. For the audience, T-shirts are an extension of their personalities and these designs mean different things to different people. And in FreeCultr, we have found that right partner and platform to reach out to our audience and serve them better,” said Mehta.

Sandeep Singh, CEO and co-founder of FREECULTR said: “Bollywood in India has always been larger than life and now FREECULTR through its platform - FREECULTR Express, is offering the fans to wear this attitude”.

The T-shirts have designs for both men and women. They come under two variants - the casual wear and the active wear, both being a blend of cotton and polyester fabrics.

Nestle India will lend support to celebrity endorsers who land in a soup following the Maggi noodles controversy.

The celebrities who endorsed the brands in the past are Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta.

During a press conference here on Friday, the company said "we will support them if there is any problem".

Some state governments have banned Maggi for 15 to 30 days and many called for tests on the popular noodles.

Maggi noodles, a popular snack from the Nestle India 'kitchen', has been in the news following a lab report that samples of the product contained more lead than the permissible limit.

A case has been registered against Nestle India in a local court in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh by food regulator FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration), after they found monosodium glutamate or MSG and lead in excess of the prescribed limit in Maggi samples they tested.

Amitabh has distanced himself from the brand saying “he does not endorse the product anymore”, while Preity was shocked that the she was “being sued for doing the Maggi commercial over 12 years ago”.

Madhuri had taken to Twitter to explain: "Like most of India, I have enjoyed Maggi noodles for years. I was very concerned after recent reports and met with the Nestle team. Nestle explained that they always place the consumer first and have the highest quality standards.

"Nestle has reassured me that they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely."

With its natural beauty and colonial architecture, Malaysia can serve as a perfect destination for Indian filmmakers, says a senior official of Malaysia-based film agency National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS), adding that joining hands would boost the economy of both countries.

Given the cultural similarities and historical background of India and Malaysia, it can be a fruitful partnership, Amir Mutalib, senior director at FINAS, said.

At the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum at the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, which started here on Friday, Mutalib encouraged Indian filmmakers to consider Malaysia, host country of the 16th edition of IIFA gala that celebrates Indian cinema in various parts of the globe annually, as an ideal filming location.

Mutalib shared that around 50 Bollywood films like "Yaadein" and "Don" have been shot in Malaysia so far and he wants more Indian filmmakers to explore the naturally endowed country.

"We have such beautiful islands and are naturally endowed. We also have buildings which were constructed during the British era," Mutalib told IANS when asked why should filmmakers shoot in his home country.

"We have good neighbours. Since we have cultural similarities and historical background, I think countries like India and Japan should work with us instead of going to the West. Our partnership will be good for economic growth," added the official of FINAS, which was established in 1981 and is a statutory agency under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.

Responsible to promote, preserve and facilitate the development of the film industry in Malaysia, FINAS is the first point of contact that provides information, advice, support services and incentives for creative content production in Malaysia.

It is also the agency that facilitates all foreign film production work in Malaysia, which consists of approximately seven percent Indian community.

"It’s not difficult to take permission for shooting here. They need to submit their script to government body PUSPAL, they look into it and issues permits and our agency helps foreign producers to get that,” said Mutalib.

Cash rebate is also given for shooting in Malaysia.

“There is an incentive of 30 percent for any foreign projects in Malaysia. But they need to spend five million ringgit for a particular project,” he said.

“Partner” director David Dhawan, who has shot films on international lands like Switzerland and London, has also given a thumbs up to filming here.

“I have shot in Malaysia before. Back then there were no incentives. Now there is, so yes filmmakers should consider Malaysia for their films. It is relatively cheap here. (But) in Kuala Lumpur, it is difficult. The city’s traffic is amazing. You can’t move. So, you have to be careful in choosing locations,” said Dhawan, who was one of the speakers at the business forum.

Another Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala is set to shoot his next film in the Asian country.

“I am planning to shoot my next production venture ‘Baaghi’ in Malaysia," said the filmmaker, who has given hits like "Kick", "Heropanti" and "Highway".

Actress Madhu Shalini has landed an important role in Kamal Haasan-starrer Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Thoongaavanam", which recently went on floors and stars Trisha Krishnan in the lead role.

"Madhu plays a brief, but pivotal role in the film. Kamal Haasan is seen hugging her in the film's first look poster, which was released recently. She has already started shooting for the film," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Being directed by Haasan's long-time associate Rajesh M. Selva, the film is said to be a thriller that unfolds in a single night.

"It's about events that unfold in a bar in one night. Madhu's role will propel the story forward and she'll be seen in both the versions of the movie," the source said.

The film titled "Cheekati Rajyam" in Telugu also features an ensemble cast of Prakash Raj, Kishore and Sampath Raj in important roles.

Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala is most likely to play Haasan's wife.

Tamil actor Arya, who is an avid cyclist, is all set to participate in international cycling race in Sweden on June 12 and 13 with his newly formed Ryders team.

"It's called VAtternrundan race and it happens every year in Sweden in the town called Motala. This is the 50th year they are doing it. It's a race with a distance of 300 km of mountains and lake side ride with strong winds. You have 15 hours to complete the whole track," Arya said in a statement.

The first VAtternrundan took place in 1966 with just over 300 riders, and since then the ride has grown to be a must for riders world wide.

Arya added that he's been training for the last eight months for this race.

He currently has two Tamil projects up his sleeve.

He comes from New Zealand, but his passion for music transcends boundaries. Mikey McCleary, who has recreated some evergreen Bollywood tracks and infused youthfulness in them, says Indian rhythms tug at his heartstrings and they have now become a part of him.

Now settled in Mumbai, McCleary has brought to the table "Khoya khoya chand", "Hawa hawai", "Dhak Dhak" or the recent "Fifi-- Jata kahan hai deewane", making him quite a master at serving old wine in a new bottle.

"Old recordings are beautiful and I love them. But a lot of people, especially the young generation, terms old recordings as old and passes them off as something not from their generation. So redoing the old melodies is a way to make people listen to them. It is a way to appreciate how wonderful old composers were," McCleary told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.

It was a brief rendezvous with India during his professional trips that urged him to settle down in Mumbai, which, to many creative minds, is the City of Dreams in India.

"Gradually I became a part of India and Indian music became a part of me," he said.

McCleary landed in India with a bag full of several musical influences. Born in Chennai, McCleary did a course at Wellington Conservatorium of Music and Victoria University of Wellington. He then moved to London to work as a music producer at the Trident Studios.

It was a 'lucky' coincidence of stumbling upon singer Lucky Ali in London, and that opened doors for McCleary, who was engrossed in Western music, to try his skills in Hindi music. The collaboration gave hits like "Sunoh" and "O Sanam".

"He (Lucky) came to London to record for some music director, but that didn't work out. So he introduced himself to me. As his recordings could not happen, I told him to come back and make music with me. We did two songs and then we also did some albums.

"After that I started coming to India for concerts. It is because of Lucky that I got to know more about Indian music and started working with other music directors like A.R. Rahman," he said.

He is the man behind catchy advertisement jingles for brands like Vodafone, Titan, Lakme and Levi's.

Bollywood also got a taste of McCleary's music as he started his voyage in the tinsel town by composing the background score for Dibakar Banerjee's "Shanghai", continuing his journey with films like "Shaitan" and "Kahaani". He also doled out two promotional songs for Anurag Kashyap's "Bombay Velvet" -- "Fifi" and "Mohabbat buri bimari".

The music producer asserts that he likes to incorporate live instruments to the old melodies to give them a new lease of life.

"I feel that the beauty of old songs is enhanced by live instruments. I try to keep it as live as possible. I feel it is important to try to enhance the beauty of the original songs," he said.

He may be making music for Bollywood, but McCleary points out that he doesn't take influence from any Hindi films. Instead, he soaks in vibes from the environment.

"I don't like to stick with one style. I don't think my music is influenced by Bollywood. I get influenced by music all around me," he said.

What about folk music?

"It is very important in Bollywood to have some kind of connection to folk music. I have done some sort of traditional and folk influenced songs like 'Gannu rocks', which is a mixture of folk and rock music.

"I want to learn more about Indian folk music to capture the essence of it. It is nice to understand it and give the flavour into your composition," added McCleary, who won the Best Composer Award at the 9th Asian Film Award ceremony for "Margarita With A Straw".

Model Deana Uppal, who was earlier seen in reality shows like "Big Brother" in Britain and Rohit Shetty-hosted "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi" in India, will now be seen as a British girl in "Yeh Hai India".

The Indo-British model told IANS: “Director Lom Harsh approached me for 'Yeh Hai India' and I got fully intrigued by his gripping script. As soon as I heard the narration, I knew I had to be part of this project. I feel the film has serious potential and scope to achieve success. Even people from abroad will love the film.”

Talking about her role, she said: "I play a British girl who goes to India for the first time. She is sceptical about going to India and has several misconceptions about the country. She thinks India is shabby and polluted, but her visit to the country and her interactions with people and situations completely transform her opinion. Eventually, she falls in love with India."

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

Deana, who is born and brought up in England, says the positive aspects of India will be shown in "Yeh Hai India".

"I’ve had amazing four years here since I moved from England to India and I feel privileged to be able to show India’s brilliant achievements in the film," she said.

Actress Anushka Shetty says she didn't seek the help of a body double for the action sequences in upcoming Telugu action-drama "Baahubali" as she wanted the scenes to be as authentic as possible.

"Rajamouli (filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli) sir was very particular about authenticity from the beginning. He wouldn't even compromise on a small scene. Hence, I performed all my stunts on my own and didn't take the help of a body double," Anushka told IANS.

She said that she wasn't apprehensive about doing the stunts on her own.

"All of us were rigorously trained for months. In fact, we were asked to fight in real time as Rajamouli sir felt it would look realistic on screen," she added.

However, Anushka had one minor concern while shooting.

"I laugh a lot, especially between shots and it's tough for me to control. There have been so many instances where my director had to request me to stop laughing and come into the mood of the scene," she said.

Rajamouli-directed "Baahubali" is said to be India's most expensive motion picture. It also stars Prabhas Varma, Rana Daggubati, Tamannah Bhatia, Sathyaraj and Ramya Krishnan in important roles.

The film releases world-wide on July 10 in Tamil and Hindi as well.

Be it from Kenya, Bangladesh or India, die-hard fans of Bollywood stars like Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra flew from their home countries just to get a glimpse of their favourite celebrities who are here for the 16th edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards.

With a bag on his back and curiosity in his eyes, 24-year-old Alamin from Bangladesh stood at the heavily-guarded lobby of JW Marriott here wondering which Bollywood star will greet fans.

"I love Bollywood. The stories are very good. I love Salman Khan, SRK (Shah Rukh Khan), Priyanka Chopra and Sonakshi Sinha," said the fan, who is a student of risk management.

Like the other admirers, he was happy to be able to click a selfie with stars like Hrithik Roshan and Kriti Sanon.

"I've already uploaded photographs on Facebook," Alamin told IANS.

A fan of Bollywood since 2007, he doesn't think that spending "a lot of money" on the travel and accommodation for event as grand as the three-day extravaganza is a waste.

"After all you get an opportunity to meet your favourite stars " he said.

A couple from Kenya was also part of the fans gathered at the venue.

"We have been married for 26 years and watch Bollywood films together. Bollywood shows reality... What's happening in the society, unlike Hollywood. So, we love Bollywood," said Shafique, who has a "passion to meet celebrities".

Graced by stars like Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi, Priyanka and Anil, IIFA is giving a chance to several such fans to meet the stars.

There are fans from India too!

"I have travelled from Hyderabad to meet the stars. I know I'm from India, but you don't easily get to meet them. IIFA lets audiences in," said Nandita, 24, who is here with her family.

Another Indian, New Delhi-based Neeru Aggarwal, 53, agreed with Nandita, and said: "A lot of events take place in Delhi, but it's not possible to meet celebrities. IIFA, on the other hand, is open to the public."

According to http://www.myticket.asia/iifa-awards-malaysia-2015/, the tickets to the main awards night, to be held at the Putra Stadium, are divided in Silver (ringgit 450), Gold (ringgit 690), Platinum (ringgit 890) and Diamond (ringgit 1440) categories. But that's not stopping fans from coming in to watch the shows, or line up the green carpet to spot their favourite stars.

The event, aimed at celebrating the grandeur of Hindi cinema in a new foreign location every year, has treated Bollywood fans to a lot of live glamour, entertainment and fun. This time, it seems no less.

Malayalam film actor and chairman-designate of the National Film Development Corporation ( NFDC) Suresh Gopi says his main focus after taking over would be to sell India as a shooting destination.

The actor, who has been nominated by the Narendra Modi government to head NFDC, shared his views while talking to reporters here on Saturday.

He also noted that union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has set aside a budget of Rs.30 crore for it.

"It's with this money that we have to take care of films from 20 regional languages. My first task would be to see that NFDC raises its own funds and for that promoting India as a shooting location for world cinema industry is the best bet," said Gopi.

The actor has already chalked out a plan for it. He said that he would "get in touch with the Indian embassies in countries where the film industry is popular to promote India as the one-stop shop for film shooting."

"Our embassies would act as a single window clearance point for those who want to shoot their films in India," he said.

This is the first time that NFDC will have a chairman from Kerala. And Gopi denies any political angle in his selection.

"Before the last Lok Sabha elections, I had a long talk with the then Gujarat chief minister (Narendra Modi) and I shared my views on how Doordarshan should be revamped and we talked on various aspects including films. It was Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who offered me this post and after speaking to a few people, I agreed," he said.

Another point in Gopi's mind is to reach the regional film industry.

"My aim is to spread NFDC's tentacles across the country and to ensure that there is a wide regional spread when it comes to supporting regional films," the actor said.

Talking about balancing his acting career with the new role, Gopi said that since there is an administrative machinery in Mumbai that takes care of NFDC he will have time to pursue his acting career.

"See these days, I have become selective when it comes to signing films. It's the quiz ('Ningelukum Akam Kodieshweran', the Malayalam version of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'), that I am putting everything into," he said.

Telugu actress Aarthi Agarwal passed away in a private hospital here on Saturday due to cardiac arrest, her manager said. She was 31.

"Aarthi was battling obesity and pulmonary illness. She was undergoing treatment and due to some complications, she suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away," Aarthi's manager told IANS.

Reportedly, it was due to a failed liposuction surgery that Aarthi suffered a cardiac arrest.

Aarthi made her Telugu cinematic debut with a hit "Nuvvu Naaku Nachav" in 2001.

Since then, she has featured in hits like "Nuvvu Leka Nenu Lenu", "Indra" and "Vasantham".

In 2005, she attempted suicide after her alleged relationship with co-star Tarun turned bitter.

Aarthi starred in nearly 25 films. Her latest release "Ranam 2" released in cinemas on Friday.