Yesteryear actress-singer Salma Agha thinks that comedy films like films "Dostana" are easy to make, but it is a "challenging job" to make a serious film on a sensitive issue like homosexuality.

Salma, who lent her poignant voice in classic songs like "Dil ke armaan" and "Fiza bhi hai", has sang for Indo-Norwegian collaboration film "Dunno Y 2... Life Is a Moment".

"Anybody can make a comedy movie like 'Dostana'. If you make a serious film on subject it's a hard job," Salma said at a music interaction here.

"It's a challenging job for both the actor and director to make a film on such a sensitive issue. You have to be a fine director. Just anybody can't do that. Portraying a character like this for a normal man is not an easy task to do," she added.

Salma, who is extremely choosy in singing for films, agreed to sing in this project only on the condition that the music and the lyrics of the song should touch her heart.

Talking about her song in the film, she said: "This song is a Sufi Ghazal, 'Aaina haseen hua hai, ishq hai ahsaah mein, tere hone ki aas mein'. When I heard the song, I instantly felt as if it touched my soul."

Another song in the film "Jeena kya hai, jaana maine, jabse tumko jaana" is performed by legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Salma, who last sang for a Bollywood film in 1994, said she stayed away from the industry for long for her family and children's education.

"It was the situation that time I went abroad for my family and children's education but now I am back," she said.

"Dunno Y 2...Life Is A Moment" is a sequel of "Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyun". The film is set in Norway, where same sex marriage is legal.

A court here on Wednesday began trial in a rape case against Mahmood Farooqui, the director of Bollywood movie "Peepli Live" who is accused of sexually assaulting an American woman.

Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain recorded the statement of Delhi Police official Ram Singh, who recorded the details of the first information report in the record diary. The trial will continue on Thursday.

The court framed rape charges on September 2 against Farooqui, who is in judicial custody since June 20.

In July, Delhi Police charge-sheeted Farooqui for allegedly raping the 35-year-old American woman.

The woman, who is pursuing PhD from Columbia University, was in India for research work.

Actress Shruti Haasan has reportedly opted out of Milan Luthria's "Baadshaho" opposite Ajay Devgn due to changes in how her character has shaped up post the narration.

"Shruti and Milan had quite a few meetings. Shruti seemed happy about the film's story and how her role was described in those meetings. Hence she agreed verbally but also requested to see a final script before signing the dotted line, as it is standard norm today," a source close to Shruti told IANS.

The source also said that later, the character didn't seem like how it was narrated initially.

"However, once the latest narration of the revised script draft was shared with her, her character didn't seem like how it was narrated to her initially as it didn't quite add as much to the story anymore. She didn't feel like this character cut it for her even though she was really looking forward to working with Milan Luthria," the source added.

In addition, the schedule of the film's shoot has also now been pushed forward by a few months which coincide with the shoot of Shruti's two southern projects.

"Hence bearing all these factors in mind, she had to politely decline being part of 'Baadshaho' with the hope that she gets another opportunity to work with Milan and Ajay," the source added.

Shruti currently awaits the release of Tamil film "Puli".

She also has a yet-untitled project with Ajith Kumar on the floors and "Singam 3" in the offing.

With his film “Beeba Boys” having its North America premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), actor Randeep Hooda can't stop sharing his excitement on the social media.

Randeep shared his excitement about his stay in the city by taking to Twitter, posting photographs of the scenic view and himself from his appartment there.

“Spotted the first #BeebaBoys poster on the highway.. #TorontoDiaries #TIFF”, “Toronto from the sky #TorontoDiaries #BeebaBoys #TIFF”, “Apartment with a view.. #TorontoDiaries #BeebaBoys #TIFF,” he Tweeted.

The Meera Nair directorial,“Beeba Boys” is a crime thriller which is inspired from real incidents and characters. Randeep will be playing the role of Jeet Johar, who is a single father but a ruthless gangster with the background of Indo- Canadian gang war.

TIFF started Thursday and will conclude on September 20.

The film festival serves as a platform for varied films to be showcased as it invites more than 300 films from more than 60 countries every year and is attended by the film fraternity at large.

After delivering some of the popular remixes for Bollywood tracks including "Kajra re", "Dard-e-Disco" and "Lazy lamhe", DJ Aqeel is turning into a music director for Hindi filmdom.

"I'm turning into a music director for Bollywood. And you can expect something by next year as everything is under production stage right. I think getting into music direction is the next progression stage for a DJ," Aqeel told IANS.

When inquired about his future projects, Aqeel refrained from disclosing any details and said that "I cannot really talk about it as it's all confidential, but you can expect soem news next year".

The music artist, who set his first milestone in music production by releasing the album "Shake it Daddy Mix" which turned out to be a massive hit, notes that it's a good time for music as well as DJs.

"The new music scenes is good as it gives out variety and is not stagnate. Earlier when you said that I'm a DJ they used to ask what instrument do you play or which band do you belong to. But now DJs have their own identity," he said.

Meanwhile, the husband of jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali is plugging his peppy music to different cities through a three city tour.

He preformed in Hard Rock Cafe, Gurgaon on September 4 and is now headed to Mumbai for infusing music with Bollywood in Hard Rock Cafe, Andheri, Mumbai on Friday. He will also perform in Hard Rock Cafe, Hyderabad on September 25.

This Austrian capital city is set to welcome a 73-member crew of filmmaker Karan Johar's upcoming production "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, hoping to emerge as the next big draw for Bollywood shoots.

"It looks like Dharma Productions is visiting us from Oct 14-25 with a 73-member crew. They're in contact with our Embassy in New Delhi for visa formalities," an official of the Vienna Tourist Board, which is also facilitating the logistics, told IANS here.

"The've already been to shooting locales with the Vienna Film Commission - it's a complimentary service offered by the city to support national and global film and TV productions interested in shooting movies, documentaries, commercials and student films," the official added.

Officials said Dharma Productions, Johar's production house, also has plans to shoot in Tirol, a state in Western Austria with Innsbruck as capital. Asked if the tourism team knows about "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", an official said: "I think it is a triangular love-break-up story."

The film is currently being shot in London.

Officials also said Austrian President Heinz Fischer himself loves Bollywood films and is keen on more Indian films being shot in his country.

From "The Third Man" to "Mission Impossible 5", Vienna's stock as a film location is on the rise and the officials here hope the Indian film industry will see merit on filming in its scenic and welcoming landscape.

One film with a South Asian touch shot here in 2012 was "The Indian" with debutant Jagdeep Bajwa playing the role of Ganesh, who gets kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment. He plans to get back, but has brushes with gangsters, police and a secret agency.

The Viennese also take movie-making and screening seriously.

Since its first cinema opened in 1902, Vienna today has 26 multiplexes and independent halls with 26,000 seats. There are also a host of art house cinemas. The Viennale film festival screens some 300 movies and documentaries over 14 days, attracting 100,000 domestic and overseas visitors.

Among the best known films shot here has been the "Third Man", based on a novel by the same name by Graham Greene, what with the Giant Ferris Wheel, as also the city's subterranean sewer network featuring prominently. More recently was Tom Cruise-starrer "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation".

Such has been the fan-following of films shot here that Vienna today also has a Third Man Museum as a tribute to this landmark film with city also organising tours of key locations -- including a trip down the sewers.

The 1987 James Bond thriller "The Living Daylights" with Timothy Dalton in lead, featured a kiss on the Giant Ferris Wheel, as also during a horse-carriage ride through the Schönbrunn Palace grounds -- a sprawling complex that also houses one of Europe's best zoological gardens.

Then in "A Dangerous Method" directed by David Cronenberg, Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) eat Austrian dessert Sachertorte with whipped cream at Café Sperl and go for a stroll through the grounds of the Belvedere palace.

Among the latest ventures has been "Woman in Gold" directed by Simon Curtis.

This mega-starrer, with Katie Hiolmes, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Brühl, is about a Jewish art collector Maria Altmann who fights the Austrian government for nearly 10 years to get back Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt's iconic painting of her aunt.

Thus far, some other Bollywood films, indeed, have been shot in Austria -- such as "Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein", "Mast", "Ab Ke Baras", "Chal Mere Bhai", "Albela", "Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa", "Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa" and "Yuvvraaj".

The city now hopes "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" -- set for Diwali release in October next year -- becomes a hit so that Bollywood comes calling!

Actor Kunal Khemu says that his wife and actress Soha Ali Khan doesn't interfere in the film choices that he makes.

In an interview as part of the promotions of his film, "Bhaag Johnny", Kunal said: "She doesn't interfere in my films. And the final decision is always our own."

However Kunal says that they generally discuss projects with each other.

"We generally discuss projects that we're doing. We respect each other as professionals - because we've been doing that before we met each other," he said.

Kunal and Soha tied the knot in a private ceremony in January this year after several years of courtship. Their romance grew on the sets of their films, "Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge" and "99".

Soha too intends to work post-marriage and will be seen opposite Sunny Deol in the sequel of "Ghayal".

Kunal is returning to the big screen after a gap of two years with "Bhaag Johnny" and he says that the story of the film is its USP.

"It's the first time that such story and screenplay technique is being showed on screen. But yet it is presented in a simple way so that audiences don't remain confused about the film," said Kunal.

"Bhaag Johnny" directed by Shivamm Nair also stars Zoa Morani, Mandana Karimi and Manasi Scott among others. The film is scheduled to release on September 25.

With "Talvar", filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has attempted a retelling of three investigation theories behind the Aarushi Talwar-Hemraj murder case. And its "glaring" parallels with the equally 'scandalous' whodunit Sheena Bora case, has left her mulling over the "extreme degradation of society". She says her movie just may "begin the journey of closure" in the 2008 incident, which continues to haunt citizens.

"The most glaring parallel right now is the unabated public interest, and therefore, the media interest," Meghna told IANS while drawing comparisons between the two cases - one in which 14-year-old Aarushi and her family's 45-year-old servant Hemraj Banjade, were killed, and her parents convicted in November 2013 to life imprisonment, and another, in which Indrani Mukherjea allegedly strangled her daughter Sheena to death.

The formal investigations apart, both cases have attracted media trial and a variety of public opinion. And since the media always reflects what is happening in the society, Meghna says it is currently "reflecting an extreme degradation of society".

"It makes me afraid to think about what children are going through or feeling when they are brought up on the belief that your parents are there for you -- they are your rock, they are there for you unconditionally, no matter what. And then, stories come out of cases where parents are killing their children. For me, this is what sticks out more than anything else when such a story breaks," added the daughter of celebrated writer Gulzar and veteran actress Raakhee.

She says the Aarushi Talwar story - which in popular culture has been revisited for a film titled "Rahasya" and in a book by journalist Avirook Sen - caught her attention as a human being first, and much later, as a filmmaker.

"It first caught my attention just as it caught everyone else's attention. That was the first time perhaps that the institution of family was under the scanner and you could see it getting frayed at the edges," she said, and pointed out that the case only garnered widespread attention when the servant's corpse was found and the spotlight shifted to the father.

For Meghna, a major reason to spin a film on the case was the fact that "there is a lack of sense of closure and there are questions which are unanswered". But she's not answering any questions with "Talvar" -- a title which refers to a sword in the hands of lady justice, and not any surname.

"We are not attempting to answer those questions...we are not in a position to do so. But at least let's try to reflect on those questions, let's begin the journey of closure... that's the intent," the 41-year-old said of the film, which features an impressive ensemble of actors as polished as Irrfan Khan, Neeraj Kabi, Konkona Sen Sharma and Tabu. It will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival later this month.

Was it not challenging as a director to ensure that she was neither judgmental nor sympathetic with her storytelling?

"Right at the script level, Vishal Bhardwaj ji, who has written the script, and I were clear that we want to do something different with this. The easiest way would have been to make it a controversial film or an overly sympathetic film -- and we wanted to do neither. We wanted to be objective, and that is why we have shown all perspectives and theories on this case.

"For me, the fear was of losing my neutrality. So, the additional task other than being a director, was maintaining my neutrality throughout."

Does the film have a conclusion?

"It leaves the audience to make their own conclusion," Meghna said.

Pretty much like the case, isn't it?'

"Well, yes and no! If people had come to their conclusions, there would have been a closure," the "Filhaal" filmmaker rested her case.

Actress Zoa Morani, who is gearing up for the release of her film "Bhaag Johnny", says she admires Deepika Padukone and "loves everything about her".

"Deepika is my favourite, I love everything about her. She is getting better and better with each film and that's amazing! She is a real hard worker," Zoa said at a media interaction here.

Zoa also said that she admires "all actresses."

"I like Karisma Kapoor too. But recently I read Waheeda Rehman's autobiography and I learnt a lot from her experiences that she penned down in her book," she added.

Zoa, who was last seen in "Always Kabhi Kabhi", which released in 2011, is excited about her role in "Bhaag Johnny".

"My role Taniya is very interesting, I did a lot of intense scenes as well as action too, it's a mature role and I must say my director Shivam Nair and co-star Kunal Khemu helped me a lot," she said.

"Kunal is my senior so I used to follow how he performs action scenes," she added.

"Bhaag Johnny" directed by Shivam Nair also stars Zoa Morani, Mandana Karimi and Manasi Scott among others.

The film is scheduled to release on September 25.

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who has wrapped up the shooting for "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", says he considers himself "lucky" to work with Salman Khan and director Sooraj Barjatya.

"I consider myself very lucky to work with Salman bhai and Sooraj ji. It's a legacy; I am a part of a project I dreamt of," Neil said at a media interaction during the photoshoot for PETA against Cruelty to Elephants here.

The actor also recalled the time when his mother helped him buy tickets of "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!"

"Me and my sister wanted to watch 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!' as soon as possible when it released in 1994. We were kids then. Mom made this happen by buying tickets in black at Rs.500 each for them otherwise it was house full show on first day's first show," he said.

He disclosed that it was big money then for their family when actual ticket rates were around Rs. 25.

"When we thanked mom for showing the movie, she said that I could pay her back when I might do a film with the banner under Rajshree Productions one day," he reminisced.

"Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" also marks Salman's return to a Barjatya film after 15 years.

The film is scheduled for release on November 12.

Coming out with a unique way to promote his production venture “Hero”, which released on Friday, superstar Salman Khan gave a shout out to his fans to send in their tickets after watching “Hero”, which he will sign personally.

The "Dabangg" actor took to Twitter to share that he will be signing hundred movie tickets.

"Watch 'Hero'. Send me your ticket. I will sign 100 tickets. One of them could be yours. Send your ticket(s) to P.O. Box 9808 Bandra (w) post office, Mumbai 4000050. And mention your name, address and twitter handle," Salman tweeted on Friday.

Directed by Nikhil Advani, "Hero" is a remake of Subhash Ghai- directed 1983 film of the same name. The film introduces two new talents to Hindi filmdom-- Suniel Shetty's daughter Athiya and Aditya Pancholi's son Sooraj.

After luring in his fans with the special offer, Salman also noted that it is his way to take his admirers back to the past and turn to the "original way".

"This is the original way to mail. This is how it was before e-mail and messaging and all," added the 49-year-old star, who is co-producing the film under his banner Salman Khan Films.

Southern film actress Trisha Krishnan agreed to be part of her upcoming bilingual horror-comedy "Nayaki" after just five minutes of the film's narration, says director Govi.

"It took just five minutes of narration to convince Trisha to do the film. I wasn't sure when she said 'yes' the first time, so I even asked her again to confirm it. She felt the script had the potential to be a hit and even be liked by critics," Govi told IANS.

The film's story is set in 1980s and Trisha will be seen as a 20-year-old.

For the first time in her career, Trisha plays a dual role.

Also starring Ganesh Venkatraman, Jayaprakash, Brahmanandam and Arya Rajesh, the film is simultaneously being shot in Tamil as "Nayagi".

Rajesh M. Selva will direct actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan for the second time in a row in a yet-untitled out-and-out Tamil comedy film, which will have story and screenplay by veteran writer-director Moulee.

Kamal and Rajesh finished shooting for Tamil thriller "Thoongaavanam" just a few weeks ago.

"This will be their second project. Moulee met Haasan last month and discussed about collaborating. After much contemplation, Kamal felt Rajesh could direct the script, penned by Moulee. It will be a full-length comedy film," a source told IANS.

The source added that the project may be produced by filmmaker N. Linguswamy, who had also produced Kamal's "Uttama Villain".

"To compensate the losses incurred by 'Uttama Villain', Kamal promised to do another film for Linguswamy. If everything goes as planned, this could be that project," the source said.

The rest of the cast will be finalised post the release of "Thoongaavanam".

Bollywood's 'Badman' Gulshan Grover was invited for a dinner by the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, at Dumfries House here. They are even said to have discussed how the Scottish mansion could be used for a song-and-dance sequence in an Indian film.

"It was an honour to be invited. I was really amazed at the royal estate in Dumfries and requested him to make it available for a Bollywood film. It is a perfect setting, I feel,” dailymail.co.uk quoted Gulshan as saying.

“Being the gentleman that he is, he agreed in principle to let it happen. I am hoping to return to shoot for a movie, or at least all the dancing song sequence of my new film,” the 59-year-old, who was last seen in “Kaun Kitney Panee Mein”, added.

A Clarence House spokesman declined to comment on the “private” dinner. It came before Charles met TV presenters Ant and Dec, who are filming a documentary about the Prince’s Trust charity, at Dumfries House.

Gulshan, who reportedly met Prince Charles earlier this week, added: “I hope he comes to India soon and look forward to taking him to the film studios. I believe he is making a real difference in the UK and he can do the same in India.”

On her first trip to India, "A Walk To Remember" star Mandy Moore knows it won't be her last! She says the experience of gorging on kababs and kulfis, getting a taste of the hospitality and meeting "spirited women" as part of her work as a global goodwill ambassador of NGO PSI, has left her with the "best" impression of the country, where she'd love to return as much as for her philanthropic efforts as a tourist.

"My impression of India just has been great. People have been so kind, gracious, loving and colourful... the women are spirited and confident. I came with an open mind, and leaving with the best impression possible," Moore told IANS in an interview here.

"It is my first trip to India, and it won't be my last! I feel like I only got to see only a small cross-section of such an enormous country -- so I would love to come back not just in the capacity of an ambassador, but also as a tourist," added the 31-year-old, who looked bright and sprightly on a sunny afternoon.

Moore's smile and eyes reflected the joy she has experienced in her week-long trip to India -- and she shared it in this 'talk to remember' with equal excitement.

"We have had so much (food)! We had kebabs in Lucknow, and they were so delicious. Some incredible desserts... Kulfi... I have a real sweet tooth, so it really satisfied that.

"Most places that I've travelled to as an ambassador, the food is not necessarily the highlight. But India has completely changed that. Food was a total highlight on this trip. There's so much more to see and so much more food to eat too," quipped the actress, who was upbeat about a quick trip to Agra.

Her experience was enriched further by a visit to Patna, Lucknow and Delhi to better understand how PSI and its partners are working to improve the health and rights of girls and women by providing comprehensive health solutions that range from access to toilets, screening for cervical cancer, improved access to contraception, and ensuring that women and girls can live lives free from gender-based violence.

The singer-actress, who has also featured in films like "The Princess Diaries" and lent her voice to the lead character in "Tangled", is pleasantly, quite immersive in her role as a PSI ambassador, which she took on in 2008.

She says "it's a role I take as seriously as the other facets of my job and career".

"I believe my role is to be a listener. I'm so fortunate to be listening to stories of these girls and women, hear their needs, figure what are the messages and then amplify those messages in whatever way I can," added Moore, who was impressed with the extensive programmes of PSI in the country.

Moore pointed out at that while the issues that women and girls face globally are the same, women, the world over, inherently want a better life for their children and family.

"When women are provided with basic health services, when they have access to improved sanitation, and their lives are free of violence, their world is a better place."

Actress Surveen Chawla, who has grooved to a special track in "Welcome Back", has denied reports that she will be seen in yet another dance number in "Jazbaa".

"I have not been offered any ‘Jazbaa’ song! I wish I was. I don't know where this is coming from, though I would be more than happy to work with (director) Sanjay Gupta if given an opportunity," Surveen said in a statement.

"I have loved his work and the style and sleekness that he brings to his films. 'Jazbaa' is looking great," added the actress, who has featured in films like "Ugly" and "Hate Story 2"

"Jazbaa" marks the comeback of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to the big screen. It also stars powerhouse performer Irrfan Khan.

Meanwhile, Surveen-starrer "Parched" will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Popular Indo-Canadian online personality Lilly Singh, also known by her YouTube username IISuperwomanII, entertained her fans at YouTube FanFest Australia by performing on her songs "LEH" and "IVIVI" to a full house at Qantas Credit Union Arena here.

"I get the honour of opening the show," the 26-year-old YouTube sensation was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail Australia ahead of the event, held on Friday.

Lilly wore a white hooded dress teamed with matching sneakers during her performance. Her long dark tresses were worn in tight braids, while a slick of bright red lipstick and statement winged eyeliner completed her show-stopping look.

Fans were all praise after watching their favourite star perform live.

"Queen keeps slaying all around the world double hand emoji couldn't catch it live bc (because) I was in school...," commented a fan after the video of her performance was posted online.

"loving the rock move 'leans over and says* what up...," said another fan.

"My inspiration comes from my real life experiences," Lilly told the Daily Mail Australia.

"The parent characters that I portray are Indian because I grew up in an Indian household. Having said that I feel like people of all cultures would relate to those parents," she said on her satirical takes on everyday life.

The Indo-Canadian said she was proud to represent her culture.

"I know one of the reasons I first started making Youtube videos was because no

one looks like me."

"There is no other South-Asian girl doing what I do and I think it’s important to be represented so I definitely hope that’s the case and I hope people see my videos and think 'we should do the same thing'," Lilly said.

After beginning her YouTube channel in October 2010, her videos have gathered over 730 million views and her channel has over six million subscribers.

Indian and Pakistani singers Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam paired up to perform here in a five-hour concert, a media report said.

The singers shared the stage at the World Trade Centre in Dubai on Thursday night proving that art has no boundaries and despite their respective countries being at loggerheads, their hearts are the same beyond borders, Gulf News reported on Saturday.

To show mutual admiration, Nigam sang songs by Pakistani legends Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Reshma while Aslam sang songs by Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Jagjit Singh.

Moreover, Nigam performed songs sung by Aslam and Atif reciprocated with Nigam's chartbusters.

Aslam performed first and began the concert with Bollywood hits that included "Woh lamhe woh baatein", "Tu chahiye" and some Sufi songs.

Nigam switched gears by following him with songs like "Mera rang de basanti" and "Don't say alvida".

Nigam's rendition of "Shukran Allah" as a mark of respect for the UAE martyrs who lost their lives in Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, was followed by a two-minute silence.

Actor-producer Shreyas Talpade is making his successful Marathi comedy "Poshter Boyz" in Hindi, and if he had his way, he would cast Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in an important role.

"In terms of production, we're working on 'Poshter Boyz' in Hindi, and the script has been locked. We'll be making a formal announcement soon about when we'll go on floors and other things," said Shreyas when asked about his upcoming projects.

About the cast, he said: "Till the time we don't sign the actors, it would be incorrect to talk about it. But we have approached a few A-listers as well. So when they revert, we'll talk more about it."

Big B is on top of his wishlist.

"It's everyone's dream from our generation to get the opportunity to work with Bachchan sahab. So I'll really love to have him in the film. Since the time I did my one-act in theatre, it's been my dream (to work with him)," Shreyas added on the sidelines of a masterclass at Subhash Ghai's film institute.

"Poshter Boyz" is about three protagonists, all belonging to different age groups.

While Amitabh remains a top choice for the eldest character, Shreyas is said to be considering Akshay Kumar, Irrfan Khan or Saif Ali Khan for the role of a teacher, and Ranveer Singh for the youngest character.

Aware of their busy schedules, Shreyas said: "I think we need to be very realistic about this. Though they are on my wishlist, all of them are really tied up for the next two to three years.

"So it will become very difficult for them also. Simply, because of friendship, they won't be able to either accept or refuse a film. So it's better that we take a very realistic approach and approach someone who can do justice to the film."

Asked if star director Rohit Shetty could direct the film, he said: "Who wouldn't want to have Rohit Shetty on board?"

Over 250 films on themes of wildlife and environment from at least 50 countries will be screened at the maiden Kolkata International Wildlife and Environment Film Festival (KIWEFF) in October.

With a focus on topics like human interaction with wildlife for conservation, wild life/birds and environment, the two-day fest begins here on October 11, said NGO Desham, the organisers, on Saturday.

Spanning across five venues in the city, films will be shown in five categories --feature film, short film, animation film, documentaries and public service announcements.

In its inaugural edition, KIWEFF is partnering with Tinai Ecofilm Festival, Goa, for promotional activities and for sharing films. The competitive fest is open to professionals as well as amateurs.

Some special entries like "Baobabs between land and sea" (France) and "Awakening City" (Brazil) will be screened at the festival which so far, has the highest entries from Iran.