"Island City", an Indian film backed by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and directed by Ruchika Oberoi, has won the FEDEORA (Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean) award for the 'Best Young Director'.

Starring Vinay Pathak, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Amruta Subhash and Chandan Roy Sanyal in pivotal roles, the Hindi feature is produced under the information and broadcasting ministry's 12th Five-Year Plan scheme on film production.

It had its world premiere in the competition category of the Venice Days sidebar of the 72nd Venice Film Festival on September 8.

Oberoi, who has made her directorial debut with the project, feels honoured.

"I'm honoured to have this recognition bestowed by such a distinguished jury, especially with so many deserving films competing. I'd really like to thank the Venice Days selectors and team for providing such a wonderful platform for our film and for their support and warm hospitality," Oberoi said in a statement.

The jury that awarded the director praised the film in their citation by saying: "'Island City' stood out for its surrealistic vision of a quasi-modern world, which is also rooted in the realities of everyday life."

Its screening itself opened to a packed audience that cheered and applauded the film with a standing ovation.

Vikramjit Roy, head of Sales and Marketing at NFDC, said: “We are delighted at the acclaim won by 'Island City' at the Venice Film Festival and celebrate Ruchika's recognition at such a prestigious festival.

"The film's success can be attributed to NFDC's value chain that starts with training and development and transcends in our endeavour to promote the Cinemas of India across the world.”

FEDEORA is constituted of individual professional film critics from European and Mediterranean countries. Among its aims are forming juries and presenting awards at relevant international festivals.

Film and theatre veteran Shabana Azmi says she would be seen in a lot of projects this year.

Shabana, who has completed the dubbing for Sanjay Gupta's film "Jazbaa", tweeted: "Last day of dubbing for Jazbaa. Neerja, Jazbaa, The Black Prince, BBCs Capital all ready for release. You are going to see a lot of me this year."

She's excited about the myriad roles she's getting to play at 64.

Director Meghna Gulzar said that acclaimed filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj, the producer for her upcoming film "Talvar", is a great support.

At a promotional event of the movie on Friday, she said: "Vishal ji was like a great support on this because this subject and the genre are completely unknown to me. He is an accomplished writer. When he watched Dus Kahaniyaan, he was so impressed that he expressed his wish to produce my film and that did happen after 8 years."

Meghna, the daughter of renowned lyricist Gulzar and yesteryear actress Rakhee, has for the first time attempted a crime flick that is based on the Aarushi Talwar murder case.

Meghna, who is known for her films like "Filhaal" and "Just Married", said that it was a complete detour for her to attempt a movie like "Talvar".

Actually, Vishal ji and I have been very closely associated. When I was beginning to wonder what to do next, I had a conversation with Vishalji, who is like family. Several ideas came up and this was one of them," she said.

Meghna also said that she and Vishal Bhardwaj researched the case for almost two whole years before "Talvar" went on the floors.

It is slated to release on October 2, which is also the birth anniversary of Gandhiji.

The film stars Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah in leading roles and Tabu in a guest appearance.

Actor Ajay Devgn says he is disappointed to miss the screening of his co-production venture “Parched” at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The premiere is scheduled for Sunday.

But the actor, who has walked into the international cinema with the movie as a co-producer, is looking forward to hearing the response for the film, which is jointly produced by him, Aseem Bajaj, Gulab Singh and Rohan Jagdale.

The “Drishyam” star took to Twitter to express his disappointment and wish good luck to film's director Leena Yadav and the entire team.

"Leena, Aseem and team - best wishes for 'Parched' premiere at TIFF today. Feeling bad about missing, but looking forward to hearing the response," Ajay tweeted on late Saturday night.

Set in rural India, the film follows the lives of three ordinary women who begin to break free from the century-old traditions.

It features an ensemble of stars like Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Adil Hussain, Sumeet Vyas, Lehar Khan, Riddhi Sen, Mahesh Balraj and Chandan Anand, and will premiere in the Special Presentation Section of the film festival.

The film fest, which began on Thursday, will conclude on September 20.

Actress Tisca Chopra says she is enjoying shooting for upcoming action drama "Ghayal Once Again", a sequel to 1990 hit film "Ghayal", with actor and director Sunny Deol.

The actress also feels that Sunny is a perfect "gentleman".

Tisca talked about the sequel during a chat with her fans and followers on micro-blogging site Twitter. When a user quizzed the actress about how was it working with Sunny, the actress replied that Sunny is a gentleman and it was fun working with him.

She responded: "Really fun! @IAMSUNNYDEOL is such a gentleman...#GhayalOnceAgain #AskTisca”.

Directed by Sunny, "Ghayal Once Again" will take off from where the first version left. Reportedly, the film is based on a real-life event in the life of a Mumbai Police encounter specialist.

The film also feature actors Om Puri and Soha Ali Khan.

Musician Shekhar Ravjiani, of popular composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, has started his own publishing company, and he says he will be "coming out with something special" soon.

The "Bhare naina" singer took to Twitter to announce the news about his publishing venture.

"Have always wanted to start my own publishing company... and finally did... coming out with something special soon," Ravjiani tweeted on Sunday.

The singer, who has also judged a number of music reality TV shows like "Indian Idol Junior" and "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa", went on to share the details about how to collaborate with his company.

"If you'd like to collaborate in creating/illustrating/writing some interesting books, get in touch on srpublishingcompany@gmail.com," he added.

The musician is known for rendering numbers like "Zehnaseeb", "Ishq wala love", and "Tujhe bhula diya", among others.

After hitting two million followers on Twitter, actor Dhanush thanked his fans and well-wishers for “the love and support”, saying he will work hard to meet their expectations.

The "Aadukalam" star, who is married to southern superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Aishwaryaa, shared his excitement after having amassed two million followers on the micro-blogging site.

"Two million followers! Thank you for all the love, support and encouragement. Will do my level best to make you all proud #spreadlove," Dhanush tweeted on Sunday.

Dhanush has carved a place for himself in the world of showbiz by his acting prowess. He has featured in 25 movies and also walked into the Hindi filmdom with his debut film "Raanjhanaa" in 2013.

His second film in Hindi “Shamitabh” may not have rattled the box office, but Dhanush's performance as a mute aspiring actor was lauded by one and all.

He has also ventured into production with his company Wunderbar Films.

The actor was last seen on the big screen in the Tamil action comedy film "Maari", which was directed by Balaji Mohan. In Bollywood, Dhanush is expected to team up with "Raanjhanaa" director Aanand L. Rai again.

In today's era, people don't look for perfection in a movie but superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, veteran actor-writer Kader Khan has said, adding a lot of good movies "suffer" due to that on the box office.

"Today, people don't look for elegance and the perfection in any movie, all they care for is whether or not the actors like Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan are present in it. A lot of good movies suffer due to this," the actor told IANS in an interview.

"I would appeal that if the content of the movie is good, treat it like any Salman or Shah Rukh Khan movie," he added.

Kader Khan is making a comeback in the Bollywood after a long time with forthcoming movie "Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi".

Asked about the changes he has witnessed in the film industry, he said: "The industry has undergone a tremendous change -- both in terms of film writing and standard. It's not that the standard of film industry has gone down, but yes, there's a lot of change here now.

"A lot of talented directors like Rajkumar Hirani, Vishal Bhardwaj and Kabir Khan have come in the B-town of late," he said.

Kader Khan, who has regaled the audience with his comic side in films like "Himmatwala", "Aankhen" and "Coolie No.1" among several other entertainers, feels that the way India is being projected in the movies now is not good.

"The films starring youngsters showcase western culture. Our India is not the way it is being projected," he said.

On Bollywood's demand for a Padma award for him, the 79-year-old actor, who has been part of the industry for over four decades, said: "If the government feels that I have done good work it. will honour me. It's people's love that they are demanding it for me."

He also recalled how his friends denied to work with him due to his health issues.

"People whom I had great expectations from, denied to work with me thinking that I could not work anymore because of my health problems. That really hurt me," he said.

Kader Khan is all praise for Fauzia Arshi, director of "Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi".

"I decided to maintain distance from the industry and pledged that I would never come back to it before Fauzia approached me with this movie. She said I should come back and encouraged me to do that.

"We worked together very affectionately and throughout the movie, she never let me feel that I was ill. She kept boosting my confidence. The whole crew of the movie was excellent and I just loved working with them," he said.

He also thanked superstar Amitabh Bachchan for announcing his comeback to the world.

"Amit ji announced my comeback on Twitter, I thank him for this. He is very close to my heart. I missed him a lot all these years," he said.

Asked about his expectations with the movie, Kader Khan said: "I have a lot of expectations with this movie. I watched a few portions and the promo of the movie and I am feeling really good about it.

"I believe this movie will do good at the box office as well and people would be like it. They would be happy to see me back. If people like it, I'll think they still need me and would start preparing for my next movies."

The movie also stars Om Puri and Sanjay Mishra.

After getting embroiled in an alleged forex violation last month, Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is looking forward to his performance in an “absolutely new style” here on September 20.

The singer will spread a wave of Sufism with his melodious music and rhythms at the EEMAX global awards ceremony 2015 at the Taj Lands End here. The awards ceremony will be held after a conclave on September 19.

“My performance at the awards ceremony will be my very first live act in India after many years. I will be performing in an absolutely new style and I'm eagerly looking forward to the audiences’ reaction on the awards night,” Rahat said in a statement.

The "Main jahaan rahun" and "O re piya" singer was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi in a case of alleged forex violation for a second time last month.

In 2011, he was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence following a day's detention at the airport in Delhi for carrying undisclosed foreign currency totalling more than $100,000.

Other performing artists at the EEMAX global awards ceremony include names like Shaan, Lauren Gottlieb along with Shillong Chamber Choir.

The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) has instituted EEMAX GLOBAL, the industry’s award ceremony to recognise excellence in the event and experiential marketing space.

Actress Tisca Chopra, most popular for her work in films such as "Taare Zameen Par" and "Rahasya", is making her Telugu debut with Ram Charan-starrer upcoming actioner "Bruce Lee".

"Tisca plays a rich, powerful and independent woman in the film. It was director Srinu Vaitla, who has followed Tisca's work closely, decided to cast her as he felt she was apt for the role," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Ram Charan plays a fighter in the film and even sports a tattoo of legendary martial arts artist and actor Bruce Lee.

The film, which is slated for theatrical release on October 16, also stars Rakul Preet Singh, Arun Vijay and Sampath Raj among other in important roles.

"Bruce Lee", however, is not Tisca's first southern outing as she has already worked in two Malayalam films.

Subhash Sehgal, who is returning to direction after over 15 years with "Yaara Silly Silly" -- a title inspired from Lata Mangeshkar’s song "Yaara sili sili", says the movie portrays a mature love story involving a prostitute.

"This is a relationship-based film. To sum it up in one line, I would say it is a love story born in bed. By bed, what I mean is that the central character is a prostitute, being played by Paoli Dam.

"The genre that it portrays is that of a mature relationship," Sehgal, who last directed "Pyaar Koi Khel Nahin", told IANS.

The title of his new film is taken from the song in "Lekin", helmed by Gulzar, with whom Sehgal has had a long association with.

Sehgal stated that initially they were unhappy with the working title of the film. He felt a catchy title was essential for viewers to be drawn to his film and the inspiration came from "Lekin...", which he had edited.

“I have a habit of listening to music before sleeping and I chanced upon this song ‘Yaara sili sili’ from ‘Lekin...’. That’s when it struck me that this could be a great title.

"And then we replaced ‘Sili Sili’ with the English ‘Silly Silly’. I’ve received a tremendous response for my choice of title," he said.

Sehgal claims that several top actresses loved the script of his new film when he approached them, but they couldn’t do it due to lack of availability of dates. He would have had to wait for two to three years to get their dates. That’s when he decided to begin immediately.

“Meanwhile, I happened to see Paoli Dam's ‘Hate Story’, and I spotted the character in Paoli, who would be able to justify this role. I approached her with the script. She loved it and said that she would love to do the film. Subsequently, she was signed,” said Sehgal.

In the film, Paoli is paired with Parambrata Chatterjee.

Jointly produced by Reena Bhushan Suri and Neena Subhash Sehgal under the banner Movee Dreems, the film is slated to release on October 30.

Actress Juhi Chawla says that her upcoming film "Chalk N Duster" will deeply touch viewers and make them want to clap for their teachers and hug them.

"'Chalk N Duster' is something that touches you, which makes you both cry and laugh. This is a story that'll touch you deeply, make you stand up and clap for your teachers or go and give them a hug," Juhi told IANS about the film.

The shooting of the film had begun in April and Juhi said that now they are at its end and expect to release in a couple of months.

The film has been termed an educational film about teachers but Juhi says: "It is about teachers and it involves children, but it's not just about teachers. It's about people, it's about ethics and the effect teachers have on their students. It's a lovely script."

Juhi considers the film to be on similar lines of other films based on children's education and difficulties like "Taare Zameen Par" and "Stanley Ka Dabba". "It's from a similar genre. 'Taare Zameen Par' brought you something really new but at the same time, something that you would perhaps be aware of it and heard of, but it brought to the fore the experience of what it is to be dyslexic or to have a dyslexic child."

The film is directed by Jayant Gilatar and has been produced by Amin Surani. It also stars Shabana Azmi, Jackie Shroff, Divya Dutta, Samir Soni, and Girish Karnad, among others.

Superstar Amitabh Bachchan has distributed helmets to officials of the Mumbai Traffic Police at an event here. "... whenever I go abroad, I form an opinion about that country only after I experience the traffic there. And when I see the traffic is working well and in the right way, I feel a certain sense of respect and influence towards the country," he said on Monday.

"I wish that whenever someone from abroad lands in our country, they too experience a similar feeling. I'm extremely hopeful that we're able to fulfill the objective behind Mumbai Police and traffic department's initiative," he added.

Bachchan also inaugurated the public awareness hoardings set up by them. He said: "It's impossible to leave everything on the police force. We all need to think how we can contribute to this initiative so that this traffic system can improve."

"While driving, whenever I see someone has broken the traffic signal, or strayed to the wrong side of the divider, or climbed the 'no entry', I stop the car, get down and talk to the person without scolding them and some of them do acknowledge my advice," Bachchan explained. "If all of us can sweetly explain in a few words who violate traffic rules, I believe there can be significant improvement in traffic."

"The only difficulty with this is that due to this, I have to perhaps sign autographs or click selfies with them. But I'm even ready for that, you can take thousands of selfies together but don't break traffic rules." Bachchan has also been appointed the brand ambassador for tiger conservation in Maharashtra.

Helmet distribution to traffic police by Big B from PINKVILLA on Vimeo.

"The Lunchbox" actress Nimrat Kaur says she's proud of her "Homeland" co-actor Claire Danes, who will get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on September 24.

"So so proud of this amazing blazing woman! Incredibly well deserved! #Bravo #ClaireDanes @SHO_Homeland," Nimrat posted on Twitter.

The two actors bonded with each other when Nimrat was in the US to shoot a season of the popular American show. It was even reported that Nimrat attended a party organised by Danes, and even taught her a few Bollywood moves.

Vir Das will be seen as a Punjabi engineer in "31st October" and the stand-up comedian and actor says he had to put in a lot of effort to "bring life" to his character.

“I play the character of a simple clean hearted man from Delhi, Devender Singh who is an engineer. I have put my intense efforts to bring life to this character, from putting on weight to look like a healthy Punjabi, growing beard for months and working on the right dialect,” Vir told IANS.

Adding that he normally doesn't do such films, the "Delhi Belly" actor said: “You would not normally see me in a film like this, the film has also received an incredible response at festivals across the world and we all are looking forward to its Indian release.”

Directed by National Award winner Shivaji Lotan Patil, "31st October" is based on the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the events that followed.

Also starring Soha Ali Khan, the movie has been screened at fests like Sikh International Film Festival Toronto and London Indian Film Festival.

It was filmmaker Aditya Chopra, who came up with the tagline "Har family, family nahi hoti" for the upcoming film "Titli", jointly produced by his home banner Yash Raj Films (YRF) and Dibakar Banerjee Productions.

"Titli", releasing in India on October 30, is the directorial debut of Kanu Behl.

Banerjee shared in a statement: "We were all struggling to find a befitting tagline for the poster. But nothing good was coming out. I was feeling a bit stuck when Adi (Aditya) very casually came up with this line and I realised that he just gave me the tagline. It came out very naturally from him."

Given that Aditya has gone behind the camera for films like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi", which have had love, relationships and family as strong elements in the story, it didn't come as a surprise to Banerjee when the former came up with a tagline in no time.

"This came from a man who has a deep, gut level understanding of the Indian audience. Moreover, I felt that this tagline translated in any language anywhere in the world would be as kicka**.

"Any person who has a family and has understood the pain and the pleasure of the complex dynamics of a family will get this," added Banerjee, who is himself an acclaimed filmmaker.

"Titli" is a tale of a dysfunctional family and a young boy's struggle to escape his oppressive family.

The film's poster, launched on Tuesday, was shot at the YRF studio some time ago.

Kanu's father Lalit Behl, who plays dad to the character of Titli's father and Shivani Raghuvanshi, who essays Titli's wife, Neelu, were flown in for a day for the shoot. The movie stars newcomers, Shashank Arora and Shivani, apart from Ranvir Shorey and Amit Sial.

Actor Yuvraaj Parashar says melody queen Lata Mangeshkar singing for "Dunno Y2... Life is a Moment" is like a "dream come true" for the team of the forthcoming film.

"We are very fortunate that Lataji has blessed us again with the song in our film. It's a dream come true for us," Yuvraaj, who stars in the film, told reporters on Monday.

"Earlier, Lata Mangeshkar crooned the song 'Pal mein rishte badal jaate hain' for 'Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyon'. And now, the song 'Jeena kya hai' in 'Dunno Y2...'. When she heard the scratch, she felt that this song is very close to her heart," he said.

The actor said she instantly gave a "positive nod".

The film, which celebrates human rights, revolves around the love story of two boys - Aryan and Ashley.

The musical romantic comedy also stars Kapil Sharma.

Subhash Sehgal, who is returning to direction after over 15 years with "Yaara Silly Silly", is glad that he didn't have to lock horns with the Central Board Of Film Certification (CBFC) to avoid the censor scissors.

He notes the usage of cuss words is apt and integral in the film.

"The story is woven around a red light area and the life of a prostitute. It could have not been possible without using the language they usually use, which consists of a lot of slang. We were apprehensive of how the censor board would react.

"Contrary to what I thought, the panel was pretty accepting. They understood the requirement and agreed to pass the film without a single cut!" Subhash said in a statement.

Featuring Parambrata Chatterjee and Paoli Dam, the film is slated to release on October 30.

It is jointly produced by Reena Bhushan Suri and Neena Subhash Sehgal under the banner Movee Dreems.

According to the statement, the jury called and asked him to remove the cuss words, but Subhash assured the jury that they go along with the content of the film. When the panellists saw the film, they kept the producers and director waiting for 45 minutes, but when they called, they appreciated it.

"Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi", an upcoming film starring character actor and comedian Kader Khan in his comeback role, is a clean and original comedy, says director Fauzia Arshi, who regrets not being able to shoot the movie in the Taj city.

"It is a Uttar Pradesh based film, using typical local dialect. We all, Kader Khan in particular, wanted to shoot a qawwali sequence in the Agra Fort, but the heat of June prevented us. We then shifted to Ahmedabad," Arshi told IANS.

A major portion of the film has been shot in Uttar Pradesh.

The film stars Om Puri, Sanjay Mishra and Rajpal Yadav among others, who took the comedy in the film to new heights.

"It's a clean, healthy and 100 percent original film with nothing lifted or inspired. The punches, the dialogues with 'desi' flavour and no double meaning words -- these are all beautifully woven in the script to delight the intellectual (audience) and the masses," the director added.

Arshi believes the movie will be a good laugh for adults and youngsters alike.

"The plot of the movie revolves around the chase for their most desired asset; the mystery of which unfolds in the movie. All in all, 'Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi' will enlighten and groom the youth with different and thought-provoking situations that are hilariously portrayed in the movie," she said.

To add to that, Arshi pointed out that the USP of the film, releasing on October 16, is its music.

"Usually, comedies do not work on music. But we have soulful Sufi music and a romantic track for the masses."

Want to taste "Rahul Dev Burman chingri chaap"? Head to a new Indian restaurant -- inspired and co-owned by legendary singer Asha Bhosle -- that is set to open for food lovers in Manchester this week, a media report said on Wednesday.

The restaurant at the Peter Street displays portraits of Bhosle and her family, along with beaded fringing inspired by her stage costumes and jewellery, Manchester Evening News reported on Tuesday.

Bhosle, 82, will be among the guests at the VIP launch party scheduled on Thursday and the restaurant will officially open its doors on Friday.

The restaurant wears a simple look with purple as accent colour. It is decorated with booths clustered along one wall and lighting hanging from the ceilings.

The restaurant is a 170-year-old building and it cost two million pounds ($1.5 million) for its renovation.

The bar on the first floor has been transformed into a big dining space.

“We have tried to develop a contemporary atmosphere but the building is around 170-years-old, so we have tried to make sure we have restored it sympathetically,” Sue Potter, managing director of the restaurant’s parent company, was quoted as saying.

“We have used purple as an accent colour but otherwise we have kept to a quite neutral palette,” he added.

“The ochre is quite an important part of our identity, referencing the saffron in Indian cookery and the burnt orange colours you see in a lot of Indian art work,” Potter noted.

The menu is traditional Indian cuisine with many of the dishes has been named as a tribute to the singer’s connections and career.

Apart from special curries like “bharwan tandoori aloo”, “tandoori jhenga” and “murg masala”, the menu includes “Hare baingnan ka bharta” (one of Bhosle’s mother’s favourite dishes) and “Rahul Dev Burman chingri chaap” (a tribute to her late husband).