Actor Narendra Jha, who shot into the limelight with the film “Haider”, says he is excited to do a cameo role in TV show “Tere Sheher Mein”.

"I don’t do much of TV, but I heard that this show is really popular and has a wonderful young cast. So, I had to say yes. This role is very different from the others I have played and I'm excited about my small TV debut," Narendra said in a statement.

The actor will be seen playing the role of a priest, who will help the show’s female protagonist Amaya, played by Hiba Nawab. His role will clear a love triangle between three characters --- Uma, Mantu and Amaya.

Shot extensively in Paris and Benaras, the Star Plus show also features actress Gautami Kapoor, who is seen playing Amaya's mother.

Sajid Nadiadwala has his kitty full of work for the next two years. He is said to have hired an assistant for each of his seven projects.

Nadiadwala has big ticket projects like "Baaghi", "Dishoom", "Housefull 3", "Tamasha", "Rangoon", "Phantom" and the remake of "Magadheera" in the pipeline. The producer-director is working simultaneously on each of them.

Confirming the news, his spokesperson said: "Considering the quantum of work Sajid has in the next two years, he came up with the idea of having one person simultaneously working on all the seven projects."

Nadiadwala, who sat in the director’s chair for “Kick”, has put each assistant on one project to update him about the progress on a daily bases.

"The Silent Heroes", a film starring 13 deaf children, has all the makings of an international adventurous thriller that will entertain family audiences, according to filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Bhatt says he is "disgusted with the insensitive attitude of the society towards people with special needs".

"It's bizarre that the world looks at deaf people as if they are oppressed, handicapped and helpless. But I have always felt that they are more competent than us, they have superior IQ and sharper senses than us," he said.

"I wanted to show people that they are not helpless or a burden on us. Being silent is not an impediment for them and they are still heroes, which prompted me to name the film 'The Silent Heroes'."

About similar films based on such children, he said: "I think just like 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Stanley Ka Dabba', our film will also touch the hearts of the audiences.

"And like them, our film will modify the mindset towards such kids to show that they are not disabled but are differently abled."

The film's teaser will be unveiled on July 21.

The film is being produced by Kamal Birani and Mahesh Bhatt, presented by Hans Productions and Reality Films and is slated to release in September.

The protest of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students has crossed 35 days now but is not only targeted at chairperson Gajendra Chauhan for "lack of qualifications" but against other crucial appointments too, says director Dibakar Banerjee.

"It's important for media and people to know that the issue is not only about Gajendra Chauhan. Do not personalize this issue. Mr. Chauhan and his appointment as chairman of FTII society is a side issue and only a part of the issue," Banerjee said at a press conference to support the students' viewpoint.

"The bigger concern is that along with Chauhan, there were other names that were added into the FTII society. All these members have something in their bio-data which make you feel that some sort of pressure is being created on an educational institute.

You feel that clearly there are better, more successful film professionals who can easily come into this society. And I think their names were also proposed, but ignoring those names and selecting these four members and chairman, sparks a doubt in our minds," he said.

Banerjee said he is seeking "further transparency" in the institute's working so that more Rajkumar Hiranis and Shatrughan Sinhas among others come out and better quality films are made from the industry.

The five concerned members of the FTII society having contentious links are Anagha Ghaisas, Shailesh Gupta, Narendra Pathak, Pranjal Saikia and Rahul Solapurkar, which students allege have links to BJP and RSS while also lacking the required credentials. Other than these people, Vidya Balan and Rajkumar Hirani are also part of the society.

Filmmaker M. Manikandan of critically acclaimed National Award-winning Tamil drama "Kaaka Muttai" fame will next team up with actor Vijay Sethupathi for a yet-untitled project in the language.

"Vijay really liked the script. He's excited to team up, but he's yet to give us dates as he's busy with multiple projects. If everything goes well, we may start work on this film from December," Manikandan told IANS.

Talking about the film, he said: "It'll be something very quirky and away from regular cinema. Unlike 'Kaaka Muttai', it'll deal with a lighter subject with good scope for humour. But it won't be a full-length comedy".

He also said that the story will be set against the backdrop of Chennai city.

The project will be produced by G.N. Anbu Chezhiyan of Gopuram Films.

Meanwhile, Manikandan's second Tamil directorial "Kutrame Dhandanai" is in its post-production.

The crime-thriller features Vidharth and Pooja Devariya in the lead.

Maestro Illayaraja has been roped in to compose the background score.

"He is currently busy with another project and as soon as he's done with it, he will start working on 'Kutrame Dhandanai'," he said.

Telugu star Allu Arjun and "Mardaani" director Pradeep Sarkar have come together for a music video called "Taazgi ka dhamaka" for a toothpaste brand Colgate MaxFresh. The track has been conceptualised keeping in mind the target audience's love for music and dance.

Singer Anushka Manchanda has lent her voice for the song.

"The brand is all about energising freshness. This year, I had an interesting time as a brand ambassador for Colgate MaxFresh. The music video is something unique for the brand, where I had fun shooting with Anushka and exceptional filmmaker Pradeep," Arjun said in a statement.

The video is vibrant and fresh, featuring a mix of catchy Marathi, Hindi and Telugu lyrics with two-state wedding as a set up.

On directing the video, Sarkar said: "The music first featured in a TVC with a similar backdrop and the music in it was an instant hit among the consumers. So, we decided to extend it into an entire music video. Arjun delivers a visual treat with his dancing, while Anushka lends her powerful vocals".

Colgate has also launched a consumer engagement contest called "Show Me Your MaxFresh Move", which invites the youth to participate, showcase their fresh dance moves with a Colgate MaxFresh pack and stand a chance to win a high-end tablet every day.

Actor Arya, who enjoys cycling more than any fitness regime, has transformed his real-life love for the sport onto reel-life love in the upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Size Zero".

"Arya plays a fitness trainer in the film. He trains actress Anushka Shetty, who plays a character suffering from obesity. Arya has incorporated his love for cycling in a few crucial scenes," read a statement.

For her role, Anushka gained 20 kg.

"A romantic story focusing on the concept of weight loss, the film features Anushka in two distinctly different looks. It's with the help of Arya, she sheds her weight," added the statement.

Directed by Prakash Kovelamudi, the film is titled "Inji Iduppazhagi" in Tamil.

The film has completed its shooting and is currently in its post-production phase.

Ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra is set to present Couture Soiree, an evening reminiscent of the old world charm from the 1950s, at the forthcoming Amazon India Couture Week 2015 here.

“At Amazon India Couture Week, I will bring to you Couture Soiree, an evening reminiscent of the old world charm from the 1950s, when western fashion was being revolutionised and fashion shows had a sense of an intimate experience and luxury," said Malhotra in a statement.

"Guests at the viewing would come to witness iconic moments in fashion. This finale show at the couture week is going to be a departure from what you've seen, with an intimate setting as we are going to present a preview of our limited edition Manish Malhotra London Label."

"It is even more special to me as it also marks the celebration of successful 10 years of my label Manish Malhotra in August 2015,” he said.

Known to be the frontrunner in Bollywood, creating a niche for stylists, he has added unadulterated sparkle to leading actresses' wardrobes with his dazzling collections for over 25 years now.

Best known for his bridal wear, strong sense of colour and revival of the crafts sector, the designer's dedication to his aesthetics has catapulted him to fame.

“We are delighted to announce that India's most popular designer Manish Malhotra, who has the biggest brand recall amongst GenNext, will be adding an interesting third dimension to the Amazon India Couture Week 2015" said Sunil Sethi, president, Fashion Design Council of India. .

"His magical drapes and captivating cuts will add perfection to a week of pure indulgence," Sethi added.

Spanning five days, Amazon India Couture Week 2015, will be held from July 29 to August 2 at the Taj Palace Hotel here.

A group of film buffs has come up with an online site which will enable people to watch the latest Malayalam movies on the digital platform legally at a download cost of Rs.180 for an ordinary print and Rs.300 for a high definition print.

Reelmonk.com, created by Xincoz Labs, is the brainchild of three 22-year-olds from Kochi -- Blaise Crowly, Vivek Paul and Gautham Vyas -- and is promoted by Konglo Ventures. It aims to bring Malayalam cinema to its users' homes the same day the films release in India.

"We are set to launch on July 20 with 15 movies for users to download including 'Nee-Na' by Lal Jose and 'Njan Steve Lopez' by Rajeev Ravi. An idea that originated over a midnight phone call with a friend is today ready to launch after a long and exciting journey that was full of challenges, setbacks, straight-out crashes and amazing moments to cherish", said Crowly, CEO, Reelmonk.com.

"Piracy happens due to non-availability of content. When content is easy to access at a reasonable price, we believe piracy will take a back seat" he added.

Paul, COO, Reelmonk.com, shared that a lot of effort and sacrifice goes into creating a movie and it is "shattering when elements such as piracy, lack of releasing platforms and other issues destroy this work".

"We want to be a platform where all movies can reach viewers with the click of a button. With connected users, our platform enables movie producers to distribute their content in any country they choose on the same day as they release in India," he added.

Paul also said that they have a revenue-sharing model with the producers and it is worked out on a 70:30 sharing basis.

"Through the dashboard on the page, the producer can find out on a daily basis how many people have downloaded the film. Once it's downloaded into a computer hard-disk, it can be seen any number of times, but cannot be copied to a pen drive. Even if one lakh people download a film, the producer gets a decent sum, which probably he would not have got otherwise," Paul told IANS.

The Kerala diaspora is said to be close to 2.5 million and living mostly in the Middle East and Jose, who is releasing "Nee-Na" through Reelmonk.com in the US, Saudi Arabia and other select countries, shared that during his European tour, he met many Malayalis who complained about their inability to watch new Malayalam movies as and when they are released in India.

"They also shared that they were forced to watch pirated versions for want of an option to watch them legally," he added.

Noted director Jayaraj believes that Reelmonk.com will give people "the opportunity to easily access Malayalam movies that they love, especially with features like pay-per-download".

Sharing his name with Vishesh Films' co-owner Mahesh Bhatt, journalist-turned-director Mahesh Bhatt, who is ready with his debut directorial “The Silent Heroes”, says he wants to concentrate on content while making films rather than changing his name.

“I thought I should rather concentrate on my content which would be better for me in the long run rather than changing my name. It would be better if the comparison is on the basis of the films we make rather than the name. Name's no big deal,” the debutant director told IANS.

“The Silent Heroes”, he said, is an “adventurous film” with all ingredients of a thriller, having all ingredients of a taut thriller set against the backdrop of the Himalayas.

"You can draw parallels between this film and any other international adventurous thriller film. And at its core, it is fully a family entertaining film,” he added.

“The Silent Heroes” features 13 deaf children with full grit to look confident on the screen, said the director.

"I wanted to do the film with real deaf children who have actually gone through the pain and hardships of being handicapped because only they could have done justice to the roles... and they have," he added.

”The Silent Heroes” is slated to release in September 2015.

Director Neeraj Ghaywan, whose debut "Masaan" was much appreciated at the Cannes International Film Festival this year, believes the ongoing protest of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students against actor Gajendra Chauhan's appointment as new chairman is being "pointlessly politicised".

Students need someone inspiring and Chauhan is not the right person for the job, Ghaywan told IANS.

"I believe it is pointlessly being politicised from either of the ideologies. It is not about ideologies at all. The bone of contention of the whole matter is that students in an academic background specifically need to be inspired by someone.

"Chauhan is a nice man... he has got his credentials right but he has not got the credentials for that (being inspiring)," he said.

Drawing his own life's parallel with the students' demands, Ghaywan said he was inspired by director Anurag Kashyap to take the plunge into showbiz from a stable corporate career.

"I wouldn't have done it if it was an unknown filmmaker....it (FTII protest) is the same thing," he said.

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.

The protest has been going on for over a month now. Many Bollywood celebrities have expressed their opinion on the issue, with some siding with the students.

Ghaywan was promoting "Masaan" in the city ahead of its pan-India release on July 24.

The film, set in Varanasi, takes audiences to the dark side of Indian society through the lives of two women and how their life coincides at some point. There are ghats, scenic locales with river in the backdrop as the movie moves forward with a holy sense.

The film's lead Richa Chadha, Vicky Kaushal and Ghaywan worked on Kashyap's critically acclaimed "Gangs of Wasseypur".

While Ghaywan and Vicky were assistant directors, Richa was one of the female leads.

"Masaan", which also stars Sanjay Mishra and newcomer Shweta Tripathi, won the Promising Future Prize and the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) Award at Cannes this year.

A bouquet of 18 international films for children will be screened in slums and remote areas of West Bengal during the ongoing 15th International Children's Film festival, organisers said.

The six-day long film festival which began on Friday is being jointly organised by UNICEF Kolkata and Cine Central Calcutta in association with state-run multiplex Nandan.

It will be extended to urban slum areas and remote schools in districts such as Purulia and Malda till September 30, organisers said on Sunday.

Films on diverse topics from the US, Canada, China, Croatia, Estonia, Egypt, France, Germany, Israel, India, Iran, Poland, Russia, The Netherlands will be showcased for children belonging to all sections of society free of cost.

Maestro Illayaraja is said to be organising a concert here on July 27 as a tribute to the late legendary musician M.S. Viswanathan (MSV), who passed away last week.

"MSV has had a very strong influence on Illayaraja's music. As a special tribute to the veteran composer, he will organise a concert titled Ennulle Ulla MSV. Around 30 best songs from Viswanathan's repertoire will be performed at the event," a source close to Illayaraja told IANS.

Illayaraja also plans to bring together all surviving members of MSV's troupe to play at the concert.

"Singers who have sung in MSV's compositions will also be invited," the source added.

MSV, as he was fondly known in the Tamil film fraternity, had over 750 films to his credit in an illustrious career spanning over four decades.

He was 87, and passed away due to geriatric problems.

Actor Harish Uthaman, who rose to fame with his performance in Suseenthiran-directed Tamil actioner "Pandiya Nadu", is busy juggling between interesting projects in the Tamil and Telugu film industries.

First up for Harish is superstar Mahesh Babu-starrer "Srimanthudu", which will hit the screens on August 7.

"This is my fourth film in Telugu. I'm sure this project will be a big boost to my career. It was a treat to work with Mahesh, who was very helpful. He's a very understanding co-star with absolutely no airs of stardom," Harish told IANS.

In Koratala Siva-directed "Srimanthudu", Harish plays one of the baddies. Mahesh and Harish feature in a high-octane action sequence in the interval block.

He also has Sharwanand-starrer "Express Raja" in Telugu.

"This is the quirkiest film I've worked in. I'm still shooting for it. It's going to be something so different from what I've done so far in my career," he said.

In Tamil, Harish has projects such as "Paayum Puli", "Vil Ambu" and "Paisal".

Vishal-starrer "Paayum Puli" reunites Harish with filmmaker Suseenthiran.

"I'm sure this film is going to be much more realistic than 'Pandiya Nadu'. Although I play a brief role, I'm proud to have been associated with the project. My role is very important from the story's perspective," he said.

Harish plays a young policeman, and his role is said to have been inspired by the real life of Sub inspector Alwin Sudhan, who was gunned down by a gang in Tamil Nadu in 2012.

In "Vil Ambu", which is produced by Suseenthiran, and in Prabhu Solomon's production "Paisal", Harish will be essaying the role of the antagonist.

Kannada superstar Shivrajkumar has extended a personal invitation to Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan for his daughter's wedding, set to take place here on August 31.

"Shivrajkumar, along with his wife, personally invited Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan for his daughter's wedding on Sunday. The couple also met other popular Tamil stars and invited them," a source told IANS.

He also met and extended invitations to actors Dhanush, Sivakarthikeyan, Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Nasser and Atharva Murali among others.

DMK party treasurer M.K. Stalin was also invited.

Shivrajkumar's daughter Nirupama, who is a doctor by profession, will wed Dileep, also a doctor. The couple was engaged last August.

Meanwhile, Shivrajkumar is currently is busy shooting for Kannada films "Shivalinga" and "Killing Veerappan".

Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali has joined hands with Indian veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah for a music video titled "Dil dharhaknay ka sabab".

Two of the photographs of the shoot, which took place here earlier this month, were unveiled on Naseeruddin's birthday on Monday, read a statement.

In one of the stills, the singer, dressed in formals, is seen resting his hands on the shoulder of the veteran actor, who has also featured in Pakistani films like "Khuda Kay Liye" and "Zinda Bhaag".

The video, a mesmerising musical and visual treat, will be launched later this month.

A popular ghazal, "Dil dharhaknay ka sabab", has been sung by many before.

The lyrics have always had a special place in Shafqat Amanat's heart. The particular composition that he has sung in the album "Muh Dikhai" has been composed by his legendary father and singer Ustad Amanat Ali Khan.

Though composed by the late legendary singer, it was never recorded which is what inspired his son Shafqat Amanat to record the ghazal with his father's composition in the album, which was released earlier this year by Times Music.

However, Shafqat Amanat has recreated the composition by producing it with minimal music and orchestration with only the piano, cello and oboe as the instruments ornamenting the lyrics and the melody.

Shot by Manu Anand, the director of photography behind movies such as "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Fan", the video of the song captures depth of the music and its timeless power.

Shafqat Amanat, who had always visualised the video with Naseeruddin, felt that the video needed a powerful actor who could convey the strength of such a ghazal with effortless acting and his meeting with the veteran star at an airport last year inspired the idea behind the video.

The video is produced by Color Bar Entertainment.

Director Priyadarshan has assured that his new Tamil film on AIDS awareness is going to be hilarious. He will start shooting from next month.

"All will be leaving the theatres teary-eyed as there is a twist in the end," Priyadarshan told IANS.

His new film will start rolling on August 10, and it will be over in 20 days. It will be shot in and around Chennai.

Priyadarshan said the film is message-based, and given his vast experience, he said he did not want to do a documentary on AIDS.

"No one will come to watch a documentary on AIDS. But what I have done is that I have woven a story around the central plot that is AIDS. The story of the film starts at 9 a.m and ends at 5 p.m.," said the master craftsman.

Elaborating on the film's story, he said that eight characters arrive at a pathology laboratory at 9 a.m. to give their blood for an AIDS test.

"The events between then and till 5 p.m. when they get their result, is the story of the film. Be assured that everyone can have a hearty laugh till almost the end," said Priyadarshan.

Besides directing, the story and screenplay are his own, and a few years back this theme was discussed with Aamir Khan. But Priyadarshan says that for some reason, it did not materialise with the superstar.

"When A.L. Vijay, a director himself (husband of actress Amala Paul), heard the story, he asked me if he could produce it and I agreed," said Priyadarshan.

On the cast, he said upcoming actor Ashok Selvan plays the lead. Other cast members include Prakash Raj, Shreya Reddy, Nassar and several stage artists from Tamil Nadu.

"There will be no songs and the duration of the film is 100 minutes. Once I finish the shoot of the film, I will show it to A.R. Rahman and if he agrees, he will be doing the background score," said Priyadarshan.

Award winning maverick cameraman Santosh Sivan would be wielding the camera for the film, and popular art director Sabu Cyril is on board, along with Beena Paul who would be the editor.

"I will release the film this year, but it would be an international premiere, first," said Priyadarshan.

Comedian and actor Vir Das will be portraying the role of a computer hacker and coder in his upcoming film “Plan B”.

According to a source, Vir will be taking lessons in coding from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) graduates.

"I will be spending some time with some serious coders and hackers. There's a specific mindset and discipline to these people that I want to be able to depict. They are the perfect combination of focus and chill at the same time. (I) Need to be able to handle equipment and the scenes the way they would. We are thinking of having a few on set as well,” Vir said in a statement.

According to imdb.com, the film “Plan B” is based on Singapore-based IT professionals, who get trapped in a conspiracy revolving around a bank robbery. The film also features actress Surveen Chawla.

Actress Jyotii Sethi is the latest actress to make a splash in Telugu filmdom with her recent debut "Where is Vidya Balan". The Punjabi girl says she is extremely happy with the warm reception the industry has given her.

"I was sure that my film won't go unnoticed. But I seriously never expected this kind of a response from the audience. The overwhelming feedback has been very satisfying and I feel the industry has given me a warm welcome," Sethi told IANS.

Jyotii is the latest addition to the list of actresses from Punjab in Telugu filmdom such as Simran Kaur Mundi and Sruthi Sodhi.

"I never wanted to be an actress. After I finished my Master's in English, I had decided to become a lecturer. Somebody told me that I look good and I should consider getting into films. I posted some pictures from a photo-shoot on my Facebook page, and the offers started pouring in," she said.

Realising that her prospects would be limited if she stayed in Punjab, Jyotii shifted base to Mumbai.

"I've already worked in a Punjabi film, but it's yet to release. Two years ago, I was called for an audition in the south. Things didn't work the first time. Two years later, I was called again and this time I landed the opportunity to work in 'Where is Vidya Balan'," she said.

Her journey so far hasn't been as smooth as she expected it to be.

"When I was preparing to get into the industry, I wasn't aware of the struggle and various things that could affect someone's career," she said.

"Just when I was starting to think everything was going so smoothly, my first Punjabi film was shelved due to some financial problems. These initial hiccups bothered me, but I realised there was no going back," she added.

Open to work in all film industries, Jyotii feels the southern cinema world is more competitive than Bollywood.

Asked about the roles she would like to pick going forward, she said: "It's too early to think about the kind of roles I want to pick. Since this is the beginning of my career, I'll concentrate on working as much as possible.

"Of course, I want to be a part of meaningful films. I think it's not wise to aspire to become Kangana Ranaut or Priyanka Chopra so early in my career."

Jyotii has already signed another Telugu project, details of which she chose not to reveal.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave a clearance to Kunal Kohli's “Phir Se...” for release after the movie got embroiled in a plagiarism row. Heaving a sigh of relief, the filmmaker, who is making his acting debut with the movie, says the film's release date will be announced soon.

“Supreme Court clears #PhirSe for release after an appeal was filed. Hon judges asked us to go for a settlement. I agreed, as I do not believe in fighting with members of my fraternity," the filmmaker tweeted on Monday.

“Hon judges felt creative people should settle to promote creativity & culture. Case is finally over. Release date to be announced soon,” he added.

According to reports, writer Jyoti Kapoor alleged that the film is based on her script, which she once discussed with Kohli. She moved the Bombay High Court, demanding a stay on the release of film.

The movie, which has been shot in London, also stars Jennifer Winget of “Saraswatichandra” fame.