Remo D'Souza, whose latest directorial venture "ABCD 2" is ready for release, says he was able to make the original 2013 film "ABCD: AnyBody Can Dance" because of his team.

Present at the "Nach Baliye" sets were actor Varun Dhawan, Remo and the dancing trio, Sushant, Raghav and Dharmesh. At this promotional, event Remo gave the entire credit to his team for the success of "ABCD".

"This is my team: Sushant, Raghav and Dharmesh. It is because of these guys, I was able to make 'ABCD'. When I first met them, I thought, we got some talented dancers in India, so why can’t we make a dance movie," he said.

“Before meeting Dharmesh, I was only Remo, but after him, I got the title “sir”, now people call me Remo Sir. So he helped me get my 'sir' title,” Remo said.

“ABCD 2” is a sequel to "ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance" and it is releasing on June 19. The film has made headlines from the point of its conception. Everything about the film, which stars Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudheva, screams youth, fun, love and one of the oldest Indian traditions - dancing. The film also stars foreign talent Lauren Gottlieb.

It was a dream come true for child actors Ramesh and Vignesh from national award-winning Tamil drama "Kaaka Muttai" to meet their cricketing idol M.S Dhoni.

"It was super meeting Dhoni sir. He was very friendly and warm to us. He congratulated us and gave us a big hug. It was a dream come true for us," Ramesh said.

Vignesh said he had to pinch himself to believe that it was Dhoni who was talking to them.

When Fox Star Studios, who presented "Kaaka Muttai", learnt about the children's adoration for Dhoni, they instantly made arrangements for their meeting.

The children along with the film's director M. Manikandan were taken to the D.Y. Patil stadium here to meet Dhoni recently.

"Kaaka Muttai" is about the adventures of two street urchins in their quest for their first bite of pizza.

After evergreen beauty Rekha and former beauty queen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Neetu Chandra is another actress who has portrayed Umrao Jaan in her own distinct style in a play. She has completed 30 shows of the stage production.

At the inaugural event of Puncham Bazaar, an exhibit here, Neetu said: "I have been busy with my play 'Umrao Jaan', and I've completed 30 shows of the play."

Neetu had to polish her Kathak skills and Urdu diction to portray the character convincingly. She also focussed on improving her moves to create the desired impact.

The play has been directed by Hidayat Sami and its music is composed by Rekha Bhardwaj.

He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth but managed to secure a National Film Award within five years of joining the film industry. The talented and versatile actor Rajkumar Rao thanks god for this and says there's still "a long way to go".

"I think god has been really kind to me. I've been lucky to be a part of some really wonderful films and to get to work with some really talented filmmakers. I think it's a good start and there's still a long way to go," Rajkumar told IANS in an interview.

Having forayed into Bollywood with "LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha" in 2010, Rajkumar went on to do films like "Shaitan", "Kai Po Che", "Queen" and "Citylights". His emotive and intense performance in Hansal Mehta's "Shahid" won Rajkumar the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2014.

His forthcoming film "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", with Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan, is slated to hit theatres on Friday.

Talking about his character Hari, Rajkumar said he considers the part to be rather grey than outrightly negative.

"Hari is representing a lot of Indian men, how a lot of Indian men think that women are their property. Once they're married, the woman has to do what they ask them to do.

"As an actor, I don't consider it a negative role... But the viewers will decide whether it's a negative character or not. I think the character is somewhere in the grey region," he said.

At first, the 30-year-old actor was apprehensive to play the part, but the film's producer, Mahesh Bhatt, convinced him to go ahead.

"I was a little scared when I heard the script. I told Bhatt sahab that this part is quite mature and I don't know if I have that kind of understanding right now. But he was quite sure about it. He was very confident that only I could play this part," said Rajkumar.

Shooting for the Mohit Suri-directorial was an "amazing" experience for the actor.

"The shooting experience was amazing... Unfortunately, I didn't have many scenes with Emraan but working with Vidya and Mohit is something I'll always remember. We all know what an amazing and brilliant actress she is, but on top of that she is an amazing human being... She fills you up with so much positive energy and warmth.

"Mohit is so passionate and there is so much fire in him as a director which inspires you as an actor to work even harder," he said.

Talking about how he chooses a script, the actor said: "I just listen to my heart when I'm selecting a film. I go with my gut feeling. I read so many scripts in a month and whatever touches my heart or whatever I feel is something that I should devote three to four months of my life to, I just say 'yes' to it."

The actor is proud of his latest film with Mehta, "Aligarh". The film is based on the real life story of Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, a doctor who was terminated from his job because of his sexuality.

"'Aligarh' is a really strong film. I'm really proud of it. I've seen bits of it and I think it has shaped up quite well. My character is very different in the film. I'm playing a journalist. He's somebody who is very enthusiastic and peppy," he said.

Apart from "Aligarh" and "Hamari Adhuri Kahani", Rajkummar has just finished shooting for Ramesh Sippy's "Shimla Mirchi", which also stars Hema Malini and Rakul Preet Singh. If reports are to be believed, the film revolves around a mother and daughter who fall in love with the same guy.

Punjabi singer Dharampreet, known in rural Punjab for sad songs, committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence in Bathinda town, his family said on Tuesday.

He was under depression for quite sometime, as his career was on a decline and he was upset about it.

The 38-year-old singer, who made name for singing in traditional style, will be cremated in Bathinda later Tuesday, his family said.

"He had been saying to his mother for the past few days that this fan will take his life," his friend said.

Just a few hours before committing the suicide, the singer had returned home after performing at a show in Amritsar.

"Emotions of Heart" was his last album released in 2010.

Actress Ananya Khare, who essayed the role of a conniving and wicked sister-in-law in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Devdas", says she has mostly been offered negative parts since the movie released back in 2002.

“Before 'Devdas', I had all positive roles, and after 'Devdas'... all negative. I have been categorised like that, but it's not that I do not get positive roles. I do get them, but it just happens that every time I cannot take it because of some or the other situation cropping up,” Ananya told IANS.

The actress, who won a Best Supporting Actress National Award for "Chandni Bar", will now be seen on a new show on the small screen. She will essay a character with "double shades" in Star Plus'“Mere Angne Mein”.

That apart, she is not filming any movie currently.

“I can't commit to anything else because this serial needs a lot of time,” she added.

“Mere Angne Mein” is based on clash of ideologies and opinions. It features Krutika Desai, Varun Badola, Suchita Trivedi, Ekta Kaul and Karan Rajpal.

The show will air starting June 15.

A common string ties together songs like “Main yahan tu wahan”, “Neela aasman so gaya”, “Mere angane mein” and “Piddly si baatein” - megastar Amitabh Bachchan's voice. As his film “Mr. Natwarlal” clocked 36 years, the megastar said that the 1979 film introduced him to the world of music.

The 72-year-old took to his official blog to turn the clock back in time when he was hesitant to sing the song “Mere paas aao”, but the film's team gave him a boost to get in front of the mic.

“It's 36 years of ‘Mr. Natwarlal’ and it's difficult to imagine that time has gone by so rapidly. As rapidly as we shot this film. Rakesh Kumar the director, who’s son assists on ‘Wazir’ now, had been assistant to Prakash Mehra on ‘Zanjeer’.

“But ‘Mr. Natwarlal’...dear me…so many memories of the film. The songs given by Rajesh Roshan... were quite exemplary. I remember the sitting we had at his music room, where I was given the sudden news that I was to sing for the first time my own background song...'mere paas aao’...and terrified with the proposition, had battled long hours with the director and the music director that I would not do it because I simply could not. But then that is another story,” Big B posted on his blog.

The film, featuring Rekha as the female lead, was directed by Rakesh Kumar and presented a perfect mix of action and romance.

Amitabh, who has been a part of the film industry for over four decades, didn't stop singing for films. He used his baritone for tracks like “Hori khele raghuveera” and "Rang barse bhige chunar wali", and also sang the national anthem for his film “Shamitabh”.

The 'Shahenshah of Bollywood' is surprised that his relationship with the tunes and rhythms still continue.

“A nightmare it was. But when it got over, the eminent sound recordist Ghosh babu telling me I should sing more often, and how I had accepted that with a large pinch of salt! Not realising how years later and even now the singing continues, giving pain to all its listeners,” he added.

On the professional front, the actor is prepping for “Wazir”, which also stars Farhan Akhtar.

Fifty years after it first captivated audiences globally, iconic Hollywood film "The Sound of Music" has remained evergreen. To celebrate its golden jubilee, school children across the city will celebrate various aspects of the movie in 'The Edelweiss Festival'.

To commemorate the film, 17 Kolkata schools will participate in the festival highlighting various sides of the movie in an innovative manner during June 16-17 at the Kala Mandir auditorium.

Winner of five Oscars, "The Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer released to internal acclaim in 1965.

Based on the real life story of the famed von Trapp family singers of Austria, the cult film gave the world memorable melodies like "My Favourite Things", "Do Re Mi" and "Edelweiss" to hum for decades to come.

Organised by the Ashok Hall Group of Schools, in association with the Austrian embassy in India, the event will begin with a choral presentation by performers from Vienna and a pageant depicting characters from the movie.

Students will celebrate the essence of the musical through an inter-school competition on instrumental music based on the film's compositions and speech contests on the scenes and human values portrayed in the classic.

School-goers will tap into their acting skills for a skit competition and put their thinking caps on to create a video montage of films in other languages that have been influenced by the "The Sound of Music".

Songs from the film will also be performed by the participants.

Austrian Ambassador Bernhardh Wrabetz, and Michael Heinz, director of the Austrian Cultural Forum, are scheduled to attend the gala, organisers said.

London-based Aashni + Co will be presenting India’s premier luxury fashion brand Anamika Khanna as the opening design house at the prestigious and much awaited Fashion Parade in the British capital on Thursday.

Aashni + Co will be presenting Anamika Khanna as the opening design house at Fashion Parade for the second consecutive year.

Founded by former filmmaker Aashni Shah in 2012, Aashni + Co is one of London’s leading destinations for the latest luxury Indian fashion.

“Anamika Khanna represents one of the most avant garde designers in Indian high fashion," Shah said in a statement.

“Her philosophy and collections perfectly fit the Fashion Parade curation of designers that push the boundaries of South Asian design. Fashion Parade reflects pioneers that are truly international in their work and for Aashni + Co there was no designer more suitable to reflect this than Anamika - a true maverick of the Indian fashion scene and a true forward-thinking designer that parallels the Pakistani talent that will be showcased at this year’s event,” Shah added.

Launched in 2013, Fashion Parade is the brainchild of Sadia Siddiqui, founder of Mustang Productions, which is responsible for organising the event in London.

Film and retail entertainment company PVR Limited on Tuesday announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire the cinema exhibition business of DLF Utilities Limited, which is operated under the brand name of DT Cinemas.

The company has got into the agreement on a slump sale basis for an aggregate consideration of approximately Rs.500 crore, a statement said.

Ajay Bijli, chairman and managing director of PVR, noted that the deal will add to the cinema-going experience.

"It has been our strategy to expand our film exhibition business both organically and inorganically over the years. This acquisition is in pursuance of our core strategy to offer a world class cinema experience to the discerning Indian consumer," Bijli said.

DT Cinemas currently operates 29 screens with approximately 6,000 seats across eight properties in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Chandigarh.

In the next 12 months, DT proposes to add ten new screens at two properties in the NCR. Currently, PVR has 467 screens across 105 locations in 43 cities. As a result of the proposed acquisition, PVR will have a presence in 44 cities with 115 multiplexes and 506 screens.

Sriram Khattar, CEO of DLF Rental Business said: "We are pleased to sell DT Cinemas to PVR which is a high quality provider of cinema experience. Combining our unrelenting focus on providing a wholesome experience at our malls with PVR's deep knowledge of the cinema business, we look forward to continue enhancing our best in class offerings for the customers."

The proposed transaction will be subject to approval of applicable statutory and regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary conditions precedent.

"Can't Take This Shit Any More", a documentary by Vinod Kapri, will be screened at the 12th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart.

The film gala, where the documentary will be aiming to win awards in two important categories -- Best Documentary Film and Audience Award -- will be held between July 15-19 in Stuttgart, Germany.

"Can't Take This Shit Anymore" deals with the serious issue of deprived women in society, who have to defecate openly in the fields due to lack of toilets at home. The plot of the film revolves around six women in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh who left their husbands' homes due to lack of toilets.

Kapri said: "It is something not very unusual and uncommon in India so it might not sound very tragic to many. But on seeing the documentary, every person watching it got upset and shocked since one could never imagine what women actually go through because of this."

Talking about getting the opportunity to showcase his documentary on an international platform, the journalist-turned-director said: "Travelling to international film festivals make us read a variety of reactions of people from different cultures and language background. It helps us to understand the kind of flavour, colour, acting, characters that they like the most."

Meanwhile, Kapri is awaiting the release of his feature film "Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho", the trailer of which has earned praise from industry members like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajkumar Hirani, as well as viewers.

Singer-composer Bappi Lahiri will be conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Francisco Global Movie Fest. He says this "adulation" keeps veterans like him "alive and going".

"It feels great when the audiences love you. It is this adulation that keeps us alive and going. (I am) Eagerly looking forward to the San Francisco Global Movie Fest this August," Lahiri, known for songs like "Tamma tamma loge" and "Oh la la la", said in a statement.

The event is scheduled to be held from August 7-14.

Also, Lahiri will create a buzz for his latest album "Slumstars".

"I have been in Mumbai for 36 years and 'Slumstars' is my tribute to little children with fire in their heart and melody on their lips," he added.

The immense success of "PK" in India and overseas has given a reason to the cast and crew of the movie to party on Wednesday.

The film, which features Aamir Khan in the role of an alien who questions the existence of godmen and differences due to religion, has gone on to mint Rs.620 crore globally -- said to be the highest ever by any Bollywood film.

While in India, the movie is said to have made Rs.340 crore, it has managed a business of Rs.280 crore overseas. The collections, of course, are continuing to grow.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film was released in China just last month, and it managed to cross the Rs.100 crore mark there too.

The success bash is a toast to each and every member of the "PK" team who has contributed towards this astronomical success.

He comes from a noted film family and may be a star down south, but Rana Daggubati says his innings in the Hindi film world has not turned out to be exceptionally great. So, the tall and handsome actor is using his acting talent judiciously now by choosing content that transcends languages.

"It has been an extremely big learning," the actor told IANS when asked to recount his Bollywood journey.

"I'm not exceptionally happy about how I'm moving in Hindi (films), and it's also what made me realise that I can't be everywhere at once. Now, I'm focussing on content that can travel across languages. It will take time and won't be easy, but I will be at it," added the 30-year-old, who has in the past featured in Bollywood films like "Dum Maaro Dum", "Department" and "Baby".

Rana's forthcoming release "Baahubali" -- a mega multilingual project directed by S.S. Rai -- is an example of his motive.

The epic film, the Hindi theatrical rights of which have been bought by Bollywood's hit filmmaker Karan Johar, will be released in multiple languages including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, English, French and several foreign languages.

It was Rana who enticed Karan into being a part of "Baahubali".

"Right from the time we started the film, I knew we needed a right presenter for it in Hindi. And the first person that came into my mind was Karan Johar, as I knew him. I went to him not with any footage, but with images of stuff that we shot, and told him the story. Then he stepped in and everything fell in place," he told IANS.

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

Talking about how they recreated an era that's almost 1,000 years old and how the film is going to attract audience in times when more realistic stories are resonating with the audience, Rana said: "Well, cinema is a larger than life experience and we can say this with the success of Hollywood films like '300' and 'Gladiator', and others, which were dubbed and did so well in India."

"Audiences always want this larger than life visual and it needed the right filmmaker to make it," he added, referring to Rajamouli.

Rana, the grandson of late filmmaker D. Ramanaidu and son of filmmaker Suresh Babu, says there were some parts of the film which were difficult to shoot.

"The problem was not Telugu, but the ancient Tamil that I had no idea about. The first day I couldn't get past reading even a line. But then Madan Karky, the dialogue writer, used to write it, tape it and then send it to me... that's how I got it," he said.

With three "extensive years" spent on "Baahubali", the actor feels that it will affect him whether the film is a success or failure.

"But whatever the result will be, I would always be proud that I was part of this epic," said the actor, who found fame in the southern film industry with hits like "Leader" and "Krishnam Vande Jagathgurum".

Annu Kapoor, who will be seen in Vinod Kapri's "Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho", an upcoming political satire, has thanked megastar Amitabh Bachchan for praising the film's trailer.

"We are very grateful on behalf of production, director and personally from my side, to Amitabh Bachchan and Raju Hirani (Rajkumar Hirani), for endorsing and retweeting about the film," Annu said.

While promoting the film, the veteran gave a sneak peek into his role and said: "I play a wannabe politician, who struggles with broken English. He is muscle man, powerful man, and he is corrupt.

"With power, money and corruption, I try to twist and manipulate the system, administration, police and judiciary system."

Inspired by true events, the film centres on a love story set in a village of Haryana. The movie is slated to hit the screens on June 26.

Suneet Varma has been announced as the grand finale designer of the seventh edition of BMW India Bridal Fashion Week starting from July 15.

The five-day fashion extravaganza will take place at DLF Emporio here.

Known for creating elegant looks and a unique style statement with innovative accessories like the headgears, Varma is excited to close the forthcoming edition in the capital.

“I am super excited to be doing the finale at the BMW India Bridal Fashion Week. It promises to be the most important and extravagant Bridal couture event for the Indian Wedding market. The very fact that international brands are backing Indian couture tells the relevance of the bridal market for India," Varma said in a statement.

“As the finale designer I wish to create something extravagant, surprising and lavish, very much in tune with the Suneet Varma experience our shows usually bring,” added Varma, who has showcased his designs at the platform in the past too.

BMW India Bridal Fashion Week will be held in seven cities this year. Apart from Delhi, it will also take place in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad.

Choreographer-director Remo D'Souza, who started his career by opening a dance school Super Brats here, says he owes his success in filmmaking to choreography.

“It is because of choreography that I stepped into direction. I want to do more choreography and I will never leave it,” D'Souza, who is awaiting the release of "ABCD 2", told IANS.

The 43-year-old choreographer, who is an ardent fan of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson, aces in dance forms like breakdancing, hip-hop and b-boying and is popularly known for exhibiting Jackson's dance moves. He says it was his love for dance that made him direct movies as then he could choreograph in the songs the way he wants it.

“(I took up) direction because I love choreography and I want to do songs which I love the way I want it... so if I am directing my films, I can do songs the way I want to,” he added.

D'Souza, who is just two movies old in tinsel town, is currently waiting for the release of his film “ABCD 2”, a sequel to the 2013 film “ABCD: AnyBody Can Dance”. He feels that there should be more dance-based movies.

“They (filmmakers) should start making dance films now and it's good that there is a new genre now. I don't know why they are not making it,” D'Souza told IANS.

"Thank god, they didn't make it earlier also so that I could be the first one to make a dance based film. I see it trending and I see people liking it," added the star choreographer, who was also serving as a judge in celebrity dance show “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” and a mentor in the show “Dance India Dance”.

Bollywood actor Ali Fazal is planning to get himself inked soon and says the tattoo is a "devotion to someone close" to him.

“Yes, I'm getting a tattoo. It's just something I designed. No symbol, no name... just a puzzle. It is my devotion to someone close to me…the other parts will be revealed in due time,” Ali said in a statement.

According to a source, the concept of the tattoo is half and half.

Ali ventured into Bollywood in 2009 with the film "3 Idiots", directed by Rajkumar Hirani, but shot to fame with the 2013 film "Fukrey". The actor ventured into Hollywood with the seventh instalment of the "Fast And Furious" franchise.

Actor Rana Daggubati says the southern film industry is yet to experiment with movies of specific genres.

Sharing the difference between Hindi and southern films, Rana told IANS: "South Indian cinema is usually made to cater to a larger auditorium and specific genre films are fewer."

Among the Hindi movies, his "recent favourite" is Shoojit Sircar's "Piku", starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan.

"I called Shoojit and Deepika after I saw the film and congratulated them for such a fine film. It was truly touching and Mr, Bachchan was at his best... outstanding in every way," he added.

Universal Pictures India has entered into a partnership with e-commerce site Snapdeal for all its upcoming releases for the year 2015.

The line-up of movies includes "Jurassic World" this June followed by "Everest" and others.

“We are excited to partner with Universal Pictures India to drive their box office returns and quality user engagement for our buyers. Universal has a superb line-up of movies for this year and we are happy to be associated with them," a Snapdeal spokesperson said in a statement.

The collaboration between the two companies will enable Universal to leverage Snapdeal’s strength through cross-promotional activities, creating awareness and contributing towards boosting the box office collections.

The online portal that engages up to 5.5 million users daily, will come on board to promote the upcoming movies through its digital assets running exclusive trailers.

The tie-up will also bring on board Snapdeal as an exclusive platform for merchandisers of these movies to reach out to their target consumers.