Director Pradeep Sarkar's son Ronit has released his music video “Golden” on the Pepsi MTV Indies entertainment channel.

Ronit Sarkar, who has also been the voice behind few tracks of “Lafangey Parindey” and some ad jingles, released "Golden" from his debut album “In The Brightest Corners”, a statement said.

Ronit, who uses the stage name Awkward Bong, follows the style of blending chords on an acoustic guitar. Odd chords, lyrical quality define his style of Organic Pop.

Some of his most heard singles are "Slept through" and "Not today" that has surprises kept for the listener in its occasional distorted crescendo and the schemed string arrangements.

Malayalam film superstar Suresh Gopi was on Saturday asked to leave a venue where a meeting of the Nair Service Society (NSS), a powerful social group, was being held here, about 130 km from the capital city.

NSS, a powerful organisation of the Hindu Nair community which has its headquarters located here, is often visited by leaders from most of the political parties.

Gopi told reporters that since it being his birthday as per the star, he was returning after visiting a temple. When he reached the NSS headquarters, he felt like paying his respects at the Mannam memorial in the NSS headquarters.

"After I paid my respects in the memorial, a few of the NSS leaders asked me to come to meet their leader (Sukumaran Nair, general secretary of the NSS). But his response on seeing me broke my heart and I came out," said Gopi.

Sukumaran Nair, later clarified that Gopi was allowed to only visit the memorial, not the venue where the crucial budget presentation of the NSS was going on.

"I said to him please do not have a show here and his act smacked arrogance. The budget session is currently on. May be he wanted to give a message that the NSS is with the BJP," said Nair.

Incidentally, even though Gopi belongs to the NSS, the NSS leadership took such a step because voting at the crucial Aruvikara by-election is being held on Saturday and Gopi for the first time in his career had campaigned for the BJP candidate O.Rajagopal.

The NSS leadership, which has time and again maintained an equidistant policy with all political fronts, felt that any special treatment given to Gopi would send a wrong message to the Hindu Nair community in Aruvikara.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid homage to Indian music legend R.D. Burman on his 76th birth anniversary on Saturday, saying he was a "magician of melody".

"Homage to magician of melody, Pancham Da (RD Burman) on his 76th birth anniversary. His music touched our souls & filled our hearts with joy," Banerjee posted on Twitter.

Remembering Burman, fondly called Pancham Da, a host of prominent figures from the Bengali film industry also paid rich tributes.

National Award winning actor Prosenjit Chatterjee tweeted about the stylish music composer who passed away in 1994.

"The stylish Pancham da. A very happy birthday to the legend. your songs will always make our day," said Chatterjee.

Burman's vast body of work includes timeless classics like "Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko", "Ek main aur ek tu" and "Tere bina jiya jaaye na".

Bollywood filmmaker Pooja Bhatt, music sensation Udit Narayan, ad-director and cinematographer Mahesh Aney, Malayalam cinema icon Hariharan along with renowned film editor A. Sreekar Prasad are going to judge the sixth edition of the Jagran Film Festival.

The festival, known for its unique and interesting bouquet of films, announced the jury members for the 'Indian showcase' category on Saturday.

After watching the films, the jury will be selecting the winners in the category which has a vast line-up of awards for the best screenplay, best cinematographer, best debut director, best music director, best director, best feature film, best actor, best singer, etc.

The 2015 edition of the Jagran Film Festival will traverse from Delhi on July 1 to the hinterlands of Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Dehradun, Hisar, Ludhiana, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Indore, and Bhopal before culminating in Mumbai in September.

In collaboration with festival partners such as Whistling Woods International (WWI), Film Federation of India (FFI) and Motion Picture Association (MPA) Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), the 2015 edition is all set to surpass its own last benchmarks of presenting over 16 cinema appreciation workshops and 400 screenings in 17 cities.

Asif Kapadia, who has directed "Amy", a documentary based on the much talked about yet mysterious life of Amy Winehouse, says it is an honest portryal of the late musician.

"I sifted through 'thousands of hours of material’ and spent two and a half years making the documentary,” said Kapadia, reports bbc.co.uk.

"The people who have seen it, who knew her, just about everyone says they feel it's an honest portrait of Amy."

“There will be difficult moments in the film, for some. We're not trying to point the finger or blame any single person. But there were lots of people who made decisions which, when you look at them, were probably not great for Amy at that moment in time," added Kapadia, who also made award-winning documentary "Senna".

"Amy" is set to hit the Indian theatres on the July 10. It will be distributed by PVR Pictures.

Music composer Pritam Chakrabarty has created many a chartbuster in the Hindi film world, but he says hit music is not always good.

The man behind the tunes of Salman Khan's upcoming film "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" has seen it all in his career -- flops and even plagiarism charges apart from some successful tracks. But he says quality often tends to take a backseat.

"In the process of finding the 'hit' tag, good things often take a backseat. It is not necessary what is good is instantly successful. In the pressure of trying to create a hit song, good aspects are kept aside," Pritam told IANS.

But he doesn't mind the 'hit' tag associated with him and said that he is "happy" about it.

Pritam said his latest compositions for "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" were challenging for him.

"Composing for films like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' is challenging as it doesn't have a linear music scope. Every song tells a story and it's extremely merged with the script making it difficult to compose," he added.

Popular crooner Mika Singh, who has been in the music industry for over a decade, says Punjabi music is a rage across the globe and has become a necessity in Hindi films ever since he joined Bollywood.

Mika, who has given hit numbers like "Bas ek king", "Mauja hi mauja", "Dil bole hadippa" and "Sawan mein lag haye aag", says Punjabi music has been widely accepted and has become an essential part of all Hindi films.

"Punjabi music has become a global trend for quite a few years now. Since I first entered Bollywood with my Punjabi touch, a Punjabi number in each movie has become a necessity. I definitely feel that this has paved way for other singers to try their hand at Bollywood," Mika, who has roots in Punjab, told IANS in an email interaction.

The 38-year-old, who had performed at Royal Stag MTV Bollyland a series of multi-city music concerts that see the fusion of popular Bollywood soundtracks with heady electronic beats, also believes that electronic dance music (EDM) is getting popular in the country.

"EDM has been a growing trend in India for quite a few years now, especially with the youth of India, but yes, I feel that through Royal Stag MTV Bollyland, Indian artists have understood its increased popularity," he said and added: "2015 is the year for EDM in India".

Over the years, the brother of singer Daler Mehndi has made his fans dance to his fast-paced songs. Asked if he would like to go beyond dance numbers, he said: "Every song that I lend my voice to, by the grace of god and my fans, becomes a hit. In the recent years, these have just happened to be dance numbers. It just so happens that even when I sing a slow or romantic song, my fans are able to dance to my tunes!"

"I believe I have explored and covered all aspects for an international artist during my career span in music. Nevertheless, I will continue to make music and sing songs that please my fans and consider any options that come my way," added the singer.

And he enjoys rapping too!

"I have been rapping since I was a kid and, in fact, I had already collaborated with the likes of Bohemia on 'Dunnali' and Honey Singh on various numbers before rapping was even known in the Indian music scene," said Mika.

Bollywood projects take up most of his time, but he does create his own music as well.

"I am always making new music for my personal satisfaction. Innovation... I believe is the key. But, yes, in recent years my demand in Bollywood has been overwhelming and I thank my blessings for my continued success," said the "Nonsense ki night" hitmaker.

While he is labelled as "Singh Is King" by many, he has also earned the label of being a controversial king.

"Controversies always seem to follow me. They do not faze me in any way. It seems that controversies always hover around those who work hard and have gained popularity. I will just continue to make my fans happy," said Mika, who was in the news for allegedly assaulting a doctor in the capital in April.

Actress Kajal Aggarwal, who last worked with superstar Mahesh Babu in Telugu actioner "Businessman", has teamed up again in forthcoming family drama "Brahmotsavam" in that language.

Kajal told IANS: "Yes, I've signed the film. I can't reveal anything more at the moment."

To be directed by Srikanth Addala, the film also features Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Praneetha Subhash in important roles.

The PVP-produced project is set to go on floors in July, and is slated for release next year during Sankranti festival.

Meanwhile, Mahesh's forthcoming Telugu release "Srimanthudu" will hit the screens on August 7.

Vishal Dadlani of music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, who is on the judging panel of the singing reality show “Indian Idol Junior", says the team ensures the young participants undergo no stress and are guided well.

“In our show, we have Anand Sharmaji (chief vocal coach). He is one of the most experienced and most caring people in the music field. We make sure that the juniors have no stress and no strain,” Dadlani said.

He shares the judges' panel with Sonakshi Sinha, Shalmali Kholgade and Salim Merchant.

Dadlani believes there should be a filter for the kind of songs the children sing.

"This is the age where we should keep the kids away from vulgarity and such songs. It's our responsibility too as judges to do so...At this point, the children need correct guidance and the right kind of training,” he added.

The show airs on Sony Entertainment Television.

Singer Arpita Chakraborty, who has sung songs like “Lori of death” and “Raske bhare tore naina”, is happy with the response to her latest title track for forthcoming romantic film "Bezubaan Ishq".

The film stars Mugdha Godse, Sneha Ullal and Nishant Malkani.

The romantic track, sung by Arpita and Javed Ali, has received a positive response from the audience.

“Music is a universal language of mankind. This song 'Bezubaan Ishq' is really close to my heart as it speaks the language of love with the help of feelings and passes on a lovely message," Arpita said in a statement.

"The response it has received has left me overwhelmed. It's my third song in Bollywood after (numbers in) 'Satyagraha' and 'Ragini MMS 2'," she added.

Directed by Jashwant Gangani, “Bezubaan Ishq” will release on July 3.

He lost his father in a terrorist attack and was brought up by his mother through earnings from a tea stall. Manik Paul, winner of the sixth season of reality TV show "India's Got Talent", says his victory will act as a bridge to the world of Bollywood for him.

His journey from his modest background to being the winner of reality TV show was not easy -- but was exceptional.

With no interest in doing more reality shows, the gymnast also hopes to work with his idol and choreographer Remo D'Souza.

"I can't believe that I have won the show. I always wanted to work in the film industry and now I think that I can attain that dream easily with this win. I don't plan to do any more reality shows. I want to work and train to get better in my art form," Manik, known for his stunning aerial acts, told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

Manik was declared winner of the Colors show on Saturday night. Along with the trophy, he took home Rs.50 lakh and a Maruti Suzuki Celerio hatchback car.

The winner says his mother has always inspired him to fight against all odds and come out as the winner.

"I lost my father in a terrorist attack in Assam's Barpeta Road in 1999. Since then, my mother brought me up with her earning from a tea stall she ran. I always thought that I want to become something and make a mark," he said adding that his interest swayed towards the army -- but fate planned otherwise.

"I wanted to join the army and that is why I started running and training in martial arts and also got enrolled in other sports. But slowly, I entered the world of dance. I joined a dance group and then headed to Mumbai for more training," he said.

Manik's journey in the show was successful as he carved his way to the top spot with accolades after each of his performances.

Hailing from Assam's Barpeta Road, Manik went to West Bengal for studies and then his aspirations brought him to Mumbai -- the city of dreams.

He says his "India's Got Talent" journey has been full of new learnings, and he hopes to use them in future to improve his act.

It was appreciation by actor Varun Dhawan and his idol Remo in one episode of the show that has carved a special place in his heart.

With the prize money, the 22-year-old plans to buy a flat in Mumbai for himself and his mother.

For now, Manik wants to get better and learn more things.

"I'm dong a Terence Lewis's diploma of dance. It will complete in next four-to-five months. I'm learning malkhamb and contemporary dance," he said.

Chandigarh-based Prince Narula, winner of stunt reality show "MTV Roadies X2", is glad the season was without fights, abuses and vulgarity, and focussed on the assigned tasks.

The show, which started its journey with auditions in December last year, witnessed various changes -- starting from the new concept to gang leaders and groups. For the first time, it was shot without Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman, who were judges and mentors in the past editions.

“We all missed Raghu and Rajiv, but this season was different from all previous ones. This time nobody abused or fought with anyone. This season was decent and task-oriented. The whole family could watch the episodes without any hesitation," Prince, a runner-up of 2015 Mr. Punjab contest, told IANS.

The 24-year-old hails from a business family, but he always aimed to make a name in the world of showbiz.

Now, as the winner of a show as popular as "Roadies", he is happy and closer to his dream.

A fitness enthusiast, Prince wants to be an actor, "especially an action hero like Akshay Kumar".

"I never thought of winning the show. I just wanted to be part of it to come into the limelight. However, winning has become an added advantage,” he added.

Extensively shot in cities like Varanasi, Kathmandu and Pokhara, the 12th season of "MTV Roadies" was judged by actors Rannvijay Singh, Karan Kundra, Esha Deol and boxer Vijender Singh.

Prince, who was a member of Rannvijay's gang, said his mentor's experience helped him throughout.

"He guided me every time whenever I needed him desperately. He has been associated with the show since it started. So, his experience was like an added advantage,” he said.

Talking about the finale task, Prince said: “It was the most difficult one as we were shooting in less than zero temperature wearing shorts in Kathmandu, though it was a learning experience. Nepal is a beautiful place... the people there and especially mountains are really nice.”

Asked about his future plans, he said: “I want to become an actor and I've full support of my family. I will continue the image that 'Roadies' has given me... I'm a big fan of Rannvijay and Akshay Kumar. I want to be like them."

Prince will next be seen as a contestant in the eighth season of “MTV Splitsvilla”, which will start on July 4.

The new office-bearers of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) are mulling ways to raise funds to continue their monthly pension scheme for ailing artistes, said its president Innocent on Sunday.

"We provide a monthly pension of Rs.5,000 to about 105 members and we have decided that to sustain this, additional funds should be raised and for that, we have in mind a few schemes," he said after a meeting here.

Innocent, who won the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Chalakudy as a Left-supported independent candidate, has been AMMA president since 2000 and was re-elected unopposed to another three year stint.

"Innocent has been doing a commendable job... he has the knack of carrying all the artistes together without any problem and hence everyone is only glad that he is continuing as the president," said an AMMA member who did not wish to be identified.

Superstar Mammootty took over as the general secretary while his 'arch rival' superstar Mohanlal was nominated as a vice president.

The new committee decided to weigh various options on the way to raise funds and among those discussed were to either act in a film or hold stage shows or produce TV serials.

"Since this was the first meeting of the new committee, issues were just taken up and we did not go into the details. We will have another meeting next month, when we will finalise what we will be doing to raise funds," committee member Maniyanpillai Raju told IANS.

Of the 460 members, Sunday's meeting was attended by 266.

For the first fund-raising event, AMMA members had in 2008 acted free of cost in film "Twenty 20". This turned out to be a blockbuster hit and raked in millions of rupees that were used to fund welfare schemes of AMMA.

In Neeraj Ghaywan's emotional drama "Masaan", actors Sanjay Mishra and Richa Chadha play a father-daughter duo. Despite the intense scenes in the movie, they had an enjoyable time together on the sets while having food and 'paan' together.

Mishra shared: "Neeraj gave me this amazing film and also cast a brilliant actress with me. A beautiful relationship developed between us. I would bring food for her. We also had a great time having 'paan' together."

"Masaan", which won two awards at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, is gearing up for its India release on July 24. It also stars Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal in key roles.

After giving the Indian fashion industry creative names like Rahul Mishra, Nachiket Barve and Masaba Gupta, the Lakme Fashion Week on Monday announced the shortlist of seven names who will be part of the 20th batch of Gen Next category at the fashion event.

Their designs will be seen in the Winter/Festive 2015 edition of the gala, which will start from August 26 at Hotel Palladium here.

"LFW Gen Next is a unique initiative on a global level in fashion industry today. It seeks to reinvent fashion by discovering high potential talent in fashion and textile design and mentor them for a prestigious launch in the industry," Saket Dhankar, vice president and head - Fashion, IMG Reliance Limited, said in a statement.

The seven shortlisted names are Ajay Kumar, Charchit Bafna, Kriti Tula, Jebin Johny, Ishita Mangal, Shivangi Sahni and Siddhartha Bansal.

They will be mentored by the country’s leading fashion consultant and entrepreneur Sabina Chopra.

“The Gen Next designer programme at LFW continues to be a great nurturing platform that helps the new talent showcase their fresh and original ideas to the world. I look forward to an exciting and mutually enriching journey,” said Chopra.

No idea is too small, and no dream too big -- this is what noted names like choreographer Terence Lewis, actor-comedian Vir Das and restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani will teach young entrepreneurs via new show titled “Be Your Own Boss”.

The show brings together some of India’s talented entrepreneurs who have achieved name with their own business acumen.

From restoring vintage bikes, crafting unconventional merchandise to planning a grand wedding -- these are some of the tasks that the entrepreneurs will accomplish in this new series that will air on FOX Life.

Also giving insights will be and Rajat Tull, the man behind the quirky product brand Happily Unmarried, along with fashionista baker Kajal Aggarwal, eccentric maker of customised motorbikes, Akshai Verde, wedding planner Ekta Saigal, and caterer Bhakti Mehta.

In “Be Your Own Boss”, show host Kavi Shastri will follow the entrepreneurs as they discover an unconventional new business idea every week, uncover their road to success and witness their exciting journey as they spare no effort to serve a new clientele.

“We are extremely excited to launch this new show with mavericks who put the cool back into entrepreneurship. The show is sure to delight the young, old and curious minds alike through the encouraging stories of entrepreneurs who dared to dream big.

“With BYOB, we also reiterate our promise to experiment with different show formats and bring more quality local content to the Indian audiences,” Swati Mohan, business head - India, FOX International Channels, said in a statement.

The show will start from July 10.

Actor Amit Sadh, who is awaiting the release of his forthcoming comedy “Guddu Rangeela”, says as an actor he has the fear of outperforming while filming heavy and energetic scenes.

Directed by Subhash Kapoor, “Guddu Rangeela”, releasing on Friday, features Amit as Guddu and Arshad Warsi as Rangeela. The film is about two cousin brothers who are criminals and run an orchestra party. They take on a villain, who is way stronger than themselves which lands them in a soup.

“...I have a fear as an actor -- you know, when you have these great lines and energetic scenes, you can outperform, you would want to become a performer.

“I remember having a chat with Subhash sir that Guddu can be cute and endearing, but he can also turn out to be a loud character because the energy of the script is such. We wanted Guddu to be very internal and with his shenanigans and stuff, and I think we have achieved that,” Amit told IANS in an interview.

Amit said the film has a message, but it isn't a satire like “Jolly LLB”, which was also directed by Kapoor.

“Of course the film has a message, all Subhash Kapoor films have a message. He doesn't make films without message, but they are always coated. 'Jolly LLB' was a satire, but this is not a satire. This has a lot of drama. It's kind of inspired by true incidents that do happen in this part of the world,” he said.

Amit recalls the time when he was cast for the film. He says he liked the script right away.

“When I met him (Kapoor) for the casting of 'Guddu Rangeela' he said, 'You're half Guddu already, so we only have half the work to do'. I read the script, I fell in love with it and that's how I got the role.

“I couldn't read the script in one flow because it's so funny. There was drama, great lines and such an amazing story and so much thrill. So I had a great time reading it. I laughed a lot.”

The character Guddu is like “a young brat. And from childhood, Rangeela, his elder brother, has treated him as a darling. He has a nice soul, he's funny, he's always up to some shenanigans”.

The 32-year-old actor credits Kapoor for helping him understand the character.

“The film is set in Haryana. The people there are often misunderstood. They look like arrogant people but they're actually very beautiful, kind hearted and very sensitive people. I tried bringing that out through Guddu and I hope people like it.

“As actors, we have so much excitement that we just want to do the role and we do research. For me, this information came from Subhash sir. He had all the questions and he had all the answers for me. I understood this world through him,” Amit quipped.

“Guddu Rangeela” also features Aditi Rao Hydari and Ronit Roy in pivotal roles.

"Guddu Rangeela" director Subhash Kapoor, who started out as a journalist before turning director with "Say Salaam India", is happy that Vinod Kapri has also taken the same path.

Present at a special screening of Kapri's debut Bollywood feature film "Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho", Kapoor said: "It's a matter of pride for me that director Vinod Kapri was also a journalist just like me. Seeing a journalist becoming a filmmaker is a pleasing feeling for me."

In the past too, journalists have tried their hand at filmmaking. Bhavna Talwar turned director with the critically acclaimed film "Dharm" after being a journalist, while noted journalist-film critic Khalid Mohamed went on to make films such as "Tehzeeb" and "Fiza".

A norm associated with journalist-tuned-directors is that they make films on various real-life issues concerning India.

Kapoor's "Phas Gaye Re Obama" was itself based on the impact of recession, while his "Jolly LLB" was a courtroom drama.

His forthcoming film "Guddu Rangeela" is also based on a real life honour killing case in Haryana. The film is releasing on July 3 and stars Arshad Warsi, Amit Sadh and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles.

The response to the "Maari" trailer, which has received over a million YouTube views within four day of its release, has left actor Dhanush feeling overwhelmed.

The 31-year-old actor took to Twitter to thank people for viewing the trailer.

"#maari trailer https://youtu.be/W3XFChOz-Z0 reaches 1.5 million views in less than 4 days :) thank you tweeps. Love you all," Dhanush tweeted on Monday.

In the film, Dhanush is said to be playing a local hooligan, who goes with the catchphrase "Will finish you off".

Directed by Balaji Mohan, the film has music by Anirudh Ravichander. "Maari" is jointly produced by R. Sarath Kumar, Radikaa Sarath Kumar and Listin Stephen. The film is slated to hit the theatres on July 17.

Actress Juhi Chawla, who is working with Shabana Azmi in "Chalk n Duster", is in awe of the veteran talent.

At an event here, Juhi was asked about her experience of working with Shabana.

She said: "Watching her, listening to her... I was in awe. I was quite overwhelmed with her...The way she gets herself involved in her work, the way she portrays her character, watching that, I learnt a lot."

"Chalk n Duster" is the directorial of famed Bollywood make-up artist Subhash Singh. It revolves around the business of education.

Juhi said the film is in progress and half of its shooting is complete.

The movie is penned by Ranjeev Varma, has music by Sandesh Shandilya with lyrics penned by Shabana's husband and seasoned writer Javed Akhtar.