Singer Sona Mohapatra, famous for tracks like "Ambarsariya" and "Bedardi raja", says she loves to perform on stage and there is nothing else that fuels her like a live audience.

"A live audience fuels me like nothing else and I really live to be on stage. It is as important as oxygen. It's a very emotional thing to be on stage and to make people happy and to get them to give you that love in return. It's like the most incredible high...you don't have to ever drink alcohol if you can go on stage," Mohapatra told IANS.

She says she doesn't consider herself as just a singer but a storyteller.

"I don't see myself as a mere singer, I never have. I see myself as a storyteller. I will always interpret a song and tell a story. I will find an emotion, a mood and a whole colour palette in which to say it in," said the songstress, who crooned the songs "Mujhe kya bechega rupaiya" and "Ghar yaad aata hai mujhe" for Aamir Khan's "Satyamev Jayate".

Asked if she is close to classical and folk music, she said: "Absolutely, that's where my roots are, that's the kind of music that I like. While growing up, I barely listened to any English music. Thumri was the genre (of Hindustani classical music) that I loved the most. Folk music made me dance more than anything.

"It's a deep-rooted love for these forms, yet I'm someone who loves dance music too, like electronica in the right space, is amazing."

Mohapatra, who launched the first track "Neher vale pul" of her new album "Punjab Project - Volume 1" earlier this month, said the new album introduces old legends of Punjabi music to the new generation.

"There is a whole lot of music and poetry to be explored in Punjab. The 'Punjab Project' is about paying a tribute to that and yet we're taking a risk in saying that we want to put it in a electronica sounsdscape to reach out to a brand new audience to let the new generation discover those legends and try and do something from our side and innovate," she said.

Music composer Pritam Chakraborty, who is searching for 'WebSingers', says the digital world is now the best platform for hunting talent.

Live video entertainment platform #fame has launched "Closeup WebSinger" in association with toothpaste brand Closeup, and Pritam has come on board as the chief judge and mentor who will spot the next two singing sensations of India on the web.

“There is a whole new generation of artists waiting to be recognised and digital is now the best platform for discovery," Pritam said in a statement.

"Closeup WebSinger" consists of six seasons spread across a year. The show will also bring together names like Raghu Dixit, Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh Sharma and Monali Thakur, all in pursuit to find the music stars of tomorrow.

“India has a large amount of talented singers. Digital is the best platform for them to connect with audiences directly, in a manner unmatched by television. 'Closeup WebSinger' has been designed to offer many of the benefits from digital to showcase their skills," said Saket Saurabh, CEO, #fame.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif to watch his movie "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", which delves into India-Pakistan ties and is releasing just a day ahead of Eid.

The 49-year-old, one of Hindi cinema's most popular and loved actors, has thanked Pakistan's censor board for allowing his film to be released there on Friday.

“Thanku Pakistan censor board for your generosity (sic),” Salman posted on Twitter, and added: “Wld lv n respect if the leaders of Indo-Pak see Bajrangi Bhaijaan bcoz lv for children is above all boundaries @narendramodi #nawazsharif(sic).”

The superstar's request comes just days after Modi and Sharif held bilateral talks at Ufa in Russia. This movie also comes amidst cross-border firing between the two countries.

Directed by Kabir Khan, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", which also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, will release in Pakistan with some cuts.

“'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' has been approved for Eid release by the CBFC but with several cuts (to the film),” the Express Tribune quoted the chairman of Pakistan's Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) Mobashir Hasan as saying.

The film narrates the story of a Hindu man on a mission to take a young Pakistani girl, who is dumb and mute, back to her country. It chronicles his adventures and experiences faced during his road trip.

Besides India and Pakistan, the film will release in more than 5,000 screens across 50 countries, including the US, Britain and Australia.

Given the lacklustre journey of Bollywood in the first half of 2015, "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" is expected to be a remunerative miracle at the box office, especially as an Eid release has always worked wonders for Salman.

Trade experts believe it would be no surprise if the film even crosses the Rs.300 crore mark.

Actress Huma Qureshi, who will be seen in upcoming Marathi film "Highway", says she loves "wearing make-up".

"Like every girl, I love wearing make-up. I love looking glamorous and pretty. I like pop colours, I like happy bright fresh colours," the "Gangs of Wasseypur" actress said.

The "Dedh Ishqiya" actress, who has been roped in by cosmetics brand Blue Heaven as its brand ambassador, also says that she is "fascinated" with make-up.

"The first time I used make-up was for the first ad film I did. It wasn't very glamorous, but I was so fascinated with all those colours and brushes, and I was like, 'Wow, this is art'," she said.

Huma comes from a humble background, who while growing up, like any other normal girl, played with her mother's vanity box.

"I was like every other girl while growing up. I was so fascinated with my mother's vanity counter and little products like lipstick, kajal, mascara, lotion and everything," she added.

Known for experimenting with her roles across genres, Huma is also doing a project with her brother Saqib Saleem.

Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma, who has been advised bed rest following a slipped disc, has assured his fans and well-wishers that he is recovering well, and has thanked them for their wishes.

The 34-year-old comedian, popular for "Comedy Nights With Kapil", has taken a break from his show to fully recover.

"No medicine can heal like your love is healing me...Feeling much better...thanks for your love and best wishes," Kapil tweeted.

In the absence of Kapil, who is making his Bollywood debut with Abbas-Mustan's "Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon", some actors, including Arshad Warsi are taking over as hosts of each episode of "Comedy Nights With Kapil".

Ace designer Rohit Bal is set to create a world of fantasy through an off-site show during the Amazon India Couture Week (AICW) 2015, at which Rahul Mishra, the first Indian to win the coveted International Woolmark Prize (IWP), will debut.

“We are excited that Rohit Bal will be presenting his exquisite collection on the ramp at the Amazon India Couture Week 2015 in a very unique style.

“We are also proud to present one of the finest new design talents Rahul Mishra for his maiden showcase at the Couture Week. We are confident that this will further raise the bar of excellence in couture fashion,” Sunil Sethi, president of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), India's apex fashion body, said in a statement.

Bal is famous for his suave cuts and beautiful fabrics, while Mishra is a staunch believer in integrating the rich heritage of Indian craft with the constantly varying pulse of global fashion. His forte is to blend the rusticness of Indian art and craft, and the earthiness of Indian handloom textiles with the fineness of urban fashion.

Spanning five days, AICW 2015 will start on July 29 at Taj Palace Hotel.

Superstar Mahesh Babu says he never expected a Telugu film such as "Baahubali - The Beginning" to shatter all box office records worldwide and added that he is proud of its creator, S.S. Rajamouli.

"Just got back from Switzerland and caught the phenomenon 'Baahubali'. Goosebumps. Never did I imagine that a Telugu film would smash all BO records in our country and across the globe (sic), Mahesh posted on his Twitter page.

He added that he is proud that Rajamouli is from the Telugu film industry.

Mahesh also congratulated the whole team on the film's success.

The multi-lingual film, about two brothers at war for an ancient kingdom, stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannah Bhatia in the lead roles.

Made on a budget of Rs.250 crore, the film is inching closer to the Rs.300 crore mark at the ticket windows.

Rapper Badshah has used the new-age mobile app Velfie social platform to promote his latest single “DJ waley babu” from his upcoming music album “ONE”.

In the eight-second clip, Badshah can be seen lip-syncing to the song.

"Super excited" about using the app, he feels that Velfie, "being a 'Desi App', has a great interface".

"Fans are going to have a lot of fun creating these Velfies because the song is naughty and earthy at the same time,” Badshah said in a statement.

The rapper has also announced a contest on his social media page through which he has invited his fans to share a Velfie on his new song, and the best five of the lot will get to meet him.

Badshah, a Sony Music artist, is known for party hits such as “Abhi toh party shuru hui hai” and “Saturday Saturday”.

His Velfie video comes after Indian acting legend Anupam Kher's video tribute to Hollywood actor Marlon Brando; and cricketer Yuvraj Singh's tributes to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and actor Amitabh Bachchan.

He has done theatre, TV shows, films and more. Now, back with "Our Last Week", a fortnightly podcast, Kunaal Roy Kapur says "podcast is really the least painful" of all the mediums that he experiments with.

"I like experimenting while sitting down. I wouldn't try so many things if it involved any real work. I hate all of them for different reasons. Now everyone is a photographer, and some not too bad either, the self-portrait has really caught on..."

"Acting involves too much waiting. Direction, people keep asking you 'What you want?'... very stressful. This podcast thing is really the least painful," Kunaal, who was an assistant photographer under photographer-turned-actor Boman Irani, told IANS.

The "Delhi Belly" actor is now hosting a podcast show "Our Last Week" with Anuvab Pal on Audiomatic.in, which is a platform for narrative podcasts.

"Our Last Week" is a fortnightly podcast where they magnify their unique human life theories for people's entertainment.

Is podcast -- a digital medium -- the next big thing or is it just for the niche segment?

"I really don't know. I'm a bad judge of these things. But people will have ears for many more years, the market potential is tremendous," he said.

Acting might involve "too much waiting", but he is not alien to the world of films or television.

How did acting happen?

"It was a big misunderstanding. I thought that just because I like it, I'm good at it. The same way I play cricket. I started on stage, got bitten by the bug and have been at it for 20 years now," said the brother of "Aashiqui 2" fame actor Aditya.

While he likes to experiment, he isn't considering producing films like his other brother Siddharth.

"Too many skills required to produce. It's probably the hardest in the process," said Kunaal, who has helmed "The President Is Coming".

It took S.S. Rajamouli's magnum opus "Baahubali - The Beginning" just five days to enter the Rs.200 crore club worldwide, making it the fastest Indian film to achieve the rare feat. It has set several new records, has proved that a film need not always require a superstar to become a blockbuster and has successfully blurred the line between southern cinema and Bollywood.

One of the biggest achievements of the Rs.250 crore film is that it's being celebrated unanimously across the country. No other south Indian film before has received the kind of reception "Baahubali" has been getting.

"Nobody is asked whether they watched the Tamil, Telugu or Hindi version of the film. Irrespective of the language, 'Baahubali' is being watched and that in itself is an accomplishment for the makers," Karthik Kumar, a Bangalore-based techie, told IANS.

"I've already watched the film in Tamil and Telugu. I'm planning to watch it in Hindi as well. It didn't feel like it's a dubbed film, thanks to the effort the team has put into to make it look authentic," Karthik said.

"Baahubali", about two brothers at war for an ancient kingdom, and which stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannah Bhatia in the lead roles, is one of those highly successful rare dubbed films. It came out on July 10 in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi parallelly.

The Hindi dubbed version of the film has netted a whopping Rs.46.77 crore, trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared on Friday.

"It's not just the Hindi version. The film has done extremely well in Tamil as well as Malayalam too. In Tamil Nadu, where the film has released in Tamil and Telugu, it netted nearly Rs.15 crore from first five days, while in Kerala, it has netted over Rs.3 crore," said trade analyst Trinath.

According to Alok Tandon, CEO, INOX Leisure, different versions of the film have done well in different locations.

"In the whole of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Bangalore for example, the Telugu version has witnessed tremendous footfalls, whereas in Chennai, the Tamil version is doing extremely well. The Hindi version is attracting huge audience in other parts of the country," Tandon told IANS.

In INOX properties, "Baahubali" is one of the highest grossing non-Hindi language films, according to Tandon.

It is every essential for any big film to sustain the first Monday after release and continue its strong run during the weekdays. "Baahubali" passed that test with flying colours.

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who distributed the Hindi version of the film, posted on his Twitter page on July 13: "When the Monday exceeds the Friday you know the film has won the hearts of all!!!!! #BaahubaliA(sic)."

Monday numbers are very crucial for any big film's success, said Trinath, and added: "When the Monday numbers didn't even show slight dip, 'Baahubali' was on its way to become a blockbuster."

In Bangalore, Urvashi Cinemas, one of the biggest theatres in the city, has decided to continue playing "Baahubali", snubbing superstar Salman Khan's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".

"Even on weekdays, we're witnessing occupancy of nearly 90 percent. We're playing the Telugu version, and the response has been exceptional. We've decided to continue playing 'Baahubali' for this week instead of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'," a theatre representative told IANS.

"Baahubali" has also turned out to be one of the biggest grossing non-Hindi films overseas, especially in US, a market that belonged to the stars.

As on Wednesday, the Telugu version of the film minted over Rs.30 crore from US market.

The film registered the highest opening and opening weekend for an Indian film at the US box office, with a per screen average collections of $17,000, second only to "Minions" with $27,000 over the weekend.

The film has achieved appreciation from all quarters. From industrialist Anand Mahindra to Indian cricketer Ashwin Ravichandran, everybody has heaped praise on the movie.

Andhra chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote: "I congratulate @ssrajamouli & team for creating a masterpiece like #Baahubali. He has showcased might & pride of Telugu Cinema to the world (sic)"

As the title goes, this is just 'The Beginning' for "Baahubali".

Actress Taapsee Pannu, who has her own wedding planning company, feels that being a public figure, there are a few moments that celebrities only want to enjoy with their close family and friends. And if given a choice, she will also opt for a low-key wedding a la Shahid Kapoor.

“I do understand why few stars go for low-key affairs because our entire life is so much into public that there are certain events we want to keep it to ourselves and not make it public.

“Some years down the line, if I decide to get married, I will also go for a low-key affair. It will be well-done, well-decorated and planned, but a low-key affair,” Taapsee told IANS.

Taapsee, along with her younger sister and close friend Farah, started a wedding planning company. The thought of starting this came to Taapsee while working in Bollywood movie “RunningShadi.Com”.

The brand also participated in The Bridal Show organised by Lakme Absolute Salon that took place on July 15 in Mumbai. Other designers who participated at the event were Anisha Shetty, Natasha Lalwani and Sanchita Julka.

Senior Indian Information Service officer Prashant Pathrabe, currently director of Press Information Bureau, Pune region, was on Friday given additional charge as director of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

"Patharbe has been given only the additional charge as the Director of the premiere institute (FTII). As far as I know, in spite of the ministry order, he has not joined his new office today. May be he will do it on Monday," FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan told IANS over the phone from Mumbai.

The appointment comes after FTII students went on strike over Chauhan's selection as the institute's chairman.

A meeting between the students' representative body and the information and broadcasting ministry was held early this month over the issue. However, the ministry refused to change its decision about the appointment.

Pathrabe, a 1992 batch officer, takes over from D.J. Narain whose term is ending this week.

A senior teacher at FTII told IANS that Pathrabe had visited the institute on Friday after receiving the order, but did not join work.

Muzaffar Ali's "Jaanisaar", whose release was slated for August 21, will now release on August 7, marking the first film of the maker of cult films like "Gaman" and "Umrao Jaan" in 20 years.

A musical love story cum historic drama with the theme of the fight for independence in post 1857 India, the film also marks the entry of Pernia Qureshi, one of India's leading style icons and fashion entrepreneurs with Pakistani major heartthrob Imran Abbas.

The makers always wanted to release the film in the week in which Independence Day falls but as Dharma Productions'"Brothers", releasing on August 14, will take away almost all the single screen cinemas and a large chunk of multiplex shows, it has been now decided to release the film a week before Independence Day.

On the studio culture and big corporates ruling the film industry, Ali said: "Hum to fakeer log hain, jo apne funn pe jaan lagate hain (We are poor people who stake our lives on our art). I didn't know it's so difficult for independent cinema to survive in this country.

"Nobody supports independent cinema, so I am releasing my film on my own without any studio support - after a lot of deliberations we have now chosen August 7 and hopefully the trade / multiplexes and single screen cinemas will give my audience a chance to see this film with their support."

Singer Rekha Bhardwaj has displayed her soulful and distinctive style of singing in songs of different genres in Hindi films but hasn't yet sung a ghazal in a film, despite being extremely familiar with the form with which she had her "first love affair".

"My first passion and love affair has been with ghazals. And I'm returning to ghazals after a long time. This is a very good opportunity because it is like a joint family. In the music fraternity, ghazals have a family of its own, just like playback singing has a distinct family. And these two kinds of families combine to form one big family," she told media persons here.

Bhardwaj is joining hands with other renowned singers including Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota, Javed Ali among others to raise funds for cancer and thalassemic patients in a special ghazal show titled "Khazana".

"The organizers are working for this cause for 14 years, which itself deserves praise. The more number of people come forward and support this initiative, the better it would be. Hope this 'Khazana' moves on and on. Along with renowned singers, kids of a very young age are also going to participate in the event," she said.

One of the talented singers associated with the event is Sudeep Banerjee with whom Bhardwaj had previously collaborated for a ghazal album "Irshaad'.

Her first big hit was her husband Vishal Bhardwaj's composition "Namak" from "Omkara". From there, she has also received Filmfare best singer award for songs like "Darling" and "Sasural Genda Phool". She has recently recorded "Dum Ghutta Hai" for Ajay Devgn's "Drishyam" along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

National Award winning Tamil actor Bobby Simhaa and Reshmi Menon, who have been secretly seeing other over the last few months, are said to be planning to get married in January 2016.

“Both their families have agreed for the wedding. They will get engaged in August and marry in January next year,” a source close to Simhaa told IANS.

Simhaa and Reshmi have been dating ever since they started working on upcoming Tamil film “Urumeen”.

“Initially, Reshmi’s parents were not happy with the match. But they eventually gave in because both of them were quite serious about settling down as quickly as possible,” the source said.

When contacted, both Simhaa and Reshmi didn’t respond.

Actor Imran Abbas, who has been busy dubbing and promoting Muzzafar Ali’s “Jaanisaar” in India, has gone back home to Pakistan to celebrate Eid on Saturday with his family.

“I was very reluctant to ask Muzzafar saab if I can go home as there was a lot of dubbing to be done, but somehow I managed to ask him and to my surprise he immediately said 'yes'," Imran said in a statement.

"I'm very happy as Eid is something very special for me and I like to spend it with my family back home in Pakistan,” he added.

Imran made his Bollywood debut with Bipasha Basu-starrer “Creature 3D” in 2014. In “Jaanisaar”, he is working with fashion entrepreneur and stylist Pernia Qureshi, who is debuting with the project.

Away from fancy foreign locales, this small but culturally rich town in Rajasthan is attracting Bollywood filmmakers with its rustic essence, quaint surroundings, havelis exuding old-world charm and intriguing maze-like bylanes. For Salman Khan's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", parts of Mandawa were used to give a 'look' of Pakistan.

The movie is about how a man discovers love during his journey from India to Pakistan, and to add to its visual appeal, director Kabir Khan panned his cameras in the Kashmir Valley, Delhi and Mandawa.

Remember the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Paheli", the journey song "Hum jo chalne lage hai" from "Jab We Met" and the "Tharki chokro" track from "PK"? Those were also filmed in the little town, which is part of the Shekhawati region and is dotted with forts, havelis and museums.

It is this bucolic essence of life in Mandawa, 270 km from the national capital, which is making filmmakers ditch fancy foreign locations.

Sandeep Singh, who helps filmmakers scout locations and arrange shootings in Mandawa, told IANS: "Mandawa is becoming popular among directors for its natural locale, cheap production cost, no star-struck crowd, calm life with people emphasising on their day-to-day work rather than crowding around vanity vans."

The town's beauty - which lies in appealing elements like golden yellow mustard fields, long winding roads, and gentle wind whistling in the ears - mesmerised the "Dabangg" star too.

"I was shooting in Mandawa...it is such a beautiful city. When we were shooting there and wanted to watch a movie, Arbaaz's (Khan) movie 'Dolly Ki Doli', the entire unit had to travel for 1 hour and 15 minutes because there was just one theatre," said Salman, who attracted fans galore outside the theatre when he went there.

Salman's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui also feels Rajasthan is full of "shooting-friendly destinations", as the "locales are very beautiful and good".

For the film, one of the village's havelis became a Pakistani jail to lodge Salman's character and an open field with long grass turned into the Indo-Pak border area. Sand dunes also added to the film's visual background.

Mandawa is however not a newfound shooting destination for Bollywood filmmakers. Movies like "Zed Plus", "Sooper Se Ooper", "Kachche Dhaage", "Love Aaj Kal", "Shuddh Desi Romance" and "Manorama Six Feet Under" were also filmed there.

Even Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra chose Mandawa for parts of his yet-to-release "Mirzya".

But, largely, the locals seemed ignorant of the stardom of Bollywood stars.

On a visit this IANS correspondent met a 'chaiwala' (tea-seller), who narrated how he had failed to recognise Aamir and his wife Kiran Rao and treated them as any other tourists, only to be stumped by the actor himself. Now, he has a memory for a lifetime and a selfie with the star, hanging at his shop. And he flaunts it with pride.

Singh notes that people's life is not hindered by the influx of stars and film crews as locals are "enjoying the spotlight". But outsiders and fans from other places thronging the area to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars do create chaos.

With filmmakers increasingly looking towards the small town, it's turning out to be profitable for villagers. "There is a boost in income for people as they get more work on the set with film crews, and even more hotels have cropped up with time," Singh said.

Who aids filmmakers is a middleman, who knows the language and has a personal rapport with people in authority.

Sandip Singh described that once from his end, the photographs of the locations are sent to the movie's crew, the director and cameraman come for a recce. After finalising the spots, all formalities are taken care of.

"The owners of havelis and other properties are supportive, but have just one condition : that no damage should be caused," said Singh.

Also, most shootings here are mainly held in February and March when the weather is pleasant. Otherwise, the scorching sun keeps the stars away!

Superstar Vijay and Shruti Haasan, the lead pair of upcoming Tamil fantasy drama "Puli", have crooned a peppy duet.

"We had recorded Vijay sir's portion of the song last month. Later, we got Shruti Haasan to sing her part and then merged both their voices together. The duet has come out very well," the film's director Chimbu Deven told IANS.

It has become a routine for Vijay to sing at least one song in his films lately. In his last four outings, Vijay has crooned chartbusters such as "Google Google" and "Selfie pulla".

"It's also the first time in a long time the lead pair of a film have crooned a duet," Deven added.

"Puli", which is said to be made on a lavish budget, also features Sridevi, Hansika Motwani and Sudeep in important roles.

The film is slated for theatrical release in September.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, whose autobiographical play will be staged for the 325th time in Mumbai on Saturday, says the stage production liberated him from his fear of failure and made him comfortable with himself.

"Today is 325th show of my autobiographical play #KucchBhiHoSaktaHai. This play liberated me from d fear of failure. My play #KucchBhiHoSaktaHai started 10yrs back when I was going through tough times. I decided to do a play where I laugh at my failures.

"Laughing at my failures, setbacks, disasters, wrong decisions made me stronger & peaceful. I became ME. Comfortable with who I am," the 60-year-old shared on Twitter.

He thanked Feroz Khan for directing it, Ashok Patole for writing it and the technical team for always being there. He, also expressed gratitude to "audiences worldwide" for watching it.

"Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai" narrates the journey of a man from failure to success.

It features Anupam narrating and dramatising the important events in his life -- and so, it tracks the story of a man who experiences constant failures in the Mumbai film industry, yet never loses hope. It's a story that resonates with every struggler.

Singer Palash Sen, lead vocalist of music band Euphoria, is returning to acting with "Aisa Yeh Jahaan", and says he hopes to carve a niche for himself as an actor.

He feels "embarrassed and humbled at the same time" when his choice of roles and style of acting is compared to that of acclaimed Bollywood actors like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

"It feels embarrassing and humbling at the same time to be compared to such renowned actors like Irrfan and Nawazuddin. I would like to make a humble request not to compare me with them as they are great actors while I'm still taking my initial steps as an actor. Also, I have my own identity and style and I'm trying to carve a niche for myself in the industry," Palash told IANS.

"Aisa Yeh Jahaan" marks the "Maaeri" singer's return to acting after "Mumbai Cutting". He had made his Bollywood debut with “Filhaal...”.

"Aisa Yeh Jahaan" deals with human emotions and relationships coming into play in an urban middle class family. The discrimination meted to people from the North-East, issues of urbanisation and the need to protect the environment are also addressed in the film.

Directed by Biswajeet Bora, the emotional drama also stars Ira Dubey and Kymsleen Kholie in lead roles and is slated to hit the screens on July 24.