"MSG 2 - The Messenger", which carries some unsavoury remarks against tribals and those who live in jungles, was banned in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The screening of the film is already banned in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Anupam Rajan, spokesperson for the Madhya Pradesh government, told IANS that the decision to ban screening of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's movie 'MSG-2 The Messenger' was taken in the light of remarks on tribals in the film.

Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg might come to India for a short promotional trip for his forthcoming drama thriller film “Bridge of Spies”.

Spielberg, who last visited India to celebrate the success of his Oscar-winning film “Lincoln” in March 2013, is excited to show the film to Indian audiences.

The 68-year-old is keen to visit India and a few other countries to promote “Bridge of Spies” as it marks his return as a director on the big screen after a hiatus of almost three years.

“Steven Spielberg is excited to showcase the film to the Indian audience and is planning to visit the country. His team is working on the logistics for his visit to India,” the spokesperson of the film in India said.

“Bridge of Spies”, which stars actor Tom Hanks in the lead role, is all set to release on October 16 in India. The film reunites Hanks with Spielberg for the fourth time.

If the industry grapevine is anything to go by, superstar Rajinikanth will introduce Telugu star Akkineni Nagarjuna's son Akhil to Tamil industry at an event here early next month.

Akhil's eponymously titled Telugu film "Akhil", which will be dubbed and released in Tamil too, will hit the screens in the last week of October.

"Producer C. Kalyan has acquired the rights of the Tamil dubbed version of the film. He's planning an event to officially introduce Akhil to Tamil industry and he's invited Rajinikanth to grace this occasion," a source told IANS.

The source added that Rajinikanth, who is currently shooting for Tamil film "Kabali", is yet to confirm his participation.

Directed by V.V. Vinayak, "Akhil" also features Sayyeshaa, grand-niece of veteran actor Dilip Kumar.

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam's upcoming yet-untitled Tamil project, which was slated to go on the floors in December, is most likely to be postponed as the veteran is contemplating the idea of making it as a bilingual.

Tipped to be a revenge drama, the film was to feature Karthi and Dulquer Salmaan in the lead. Nithya Menon and Keerthy Suresh were finalised as the leading ladies.

"The film may get delayed as Mani sir is now planning to make it a bilingual. While the cast for the Tamil version will remain the same, he will now start looking for suitable actors for the Telugu version," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Ratnam, according to the source, has decided to delay the project as his lead actors Dulquer and Nithya have their hands full.

"Dulquer started working on a new Malayalam film with Rajeev Ravi couple of weeks ago. It's very unlikely for him to complete this project by December. Nithya, on the other hand, is juggling between Tamil film '24' and a Kannada project with Sudeep," the source said.

The film was initially planned as a bilingual and was supposed to feature Mahesh Babu and Nagarjuna. It finally looks like Ratnam has decided to revisit the idea.

The film will have music by A.R. Rahman, while Ravi Varman will crank the camera.

Actress Athiya Shetty has joined "2 States" star Alia Bhatt as the brand ambassador of cosmetic brand Maybelline New York.

She will showcase the brand's young energy, edge, style and the latest trends on the New York fashion circuit.

"I am proud to say that I am a Maybelline girl and I am honoured as I take on my very first endorsement with this iconic brand. It's an incredible feeling as I now take forth Maybelline's vision of inspiring women to define their beauty, express themselves and make their mark." Athiya, who is the daughter of actor Suniel Shetty, said in a statement.

She made her Bollywood debut with actor Sooraj Pancholi in 2015 film "Hero".

Expressing her excitement with this latest association, Pooja Sahgal, general manager, Maybelline New York India said: "Maybelline New York India has successfully brought on board young Bollywood actors who emulate the brand values in the past".

"Athiya Shetty is one personality in whom we have immense confidence as she reflects our brand values and represents Maybelline New York women who are ambitious, diverse, confident and raring to go! Together with her, we can't wait to 'make it happen'," she added.

Actress Priyanka Chopra, who plays an FBI agent in her international debut TV show "Quantico", will now be seen on popular American late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

The 33-year-old actress, whose debut American series "Quantico" premiered in the US on Sunday, took to Twitter to share the news with her fans and well-wishers.

"Have a 6 am morning so will leave u all now. Loved spending the day with u all! @extratv and @jimmykimmel Tom! #Quantico #QuanticoTakeover," she tweeted.

The "Dostana" actress has also hinted that she will make an appearance on TV program "Extra".

In "Quantico", Priyanka plays Alex Parrish, a rookie FBI recruit with a mysterious past.

The show also features actors Jake McLaughlin, Tate Ellington and Graham Rogers, who all play fellow recruits.

The show will narrate their adventures and experiences as they train on Quantico base in Virginia, and secrets of their past start to emerge and will premiere in India on October 3.

International exhibitor Cinepolis is hosting the sixth edition of the Jagran Film Festival at its Fun Cinemas property in Andheri here.

Presenting films from across genres, countries, languages and eras, the festival brings forward diverse and extreme cinematic talent on one single platform.

The Mumbai edition of the travelling film festival, which started on Monday, will conclude on October 4.

“The Jagran Film Festival has been entertaining and educating the masses by spreading a culture of cinema appreciation. Cinepolis this year participated in the festival in Lucknow, Patna, Ludhiana, Ranchi and going forward we shall be strategising to host more such festivals and ensure Cinepolis loyalists get to watch movies from all over the world,” Devang Sampat, business head - strategy, Cinepolis, said in a statement.

Both Indian and Foreign language films will be screened at the festival in as many as 13 categories.

A special non-competitive section called “Happiness Spirit” will see a cluster of 10-15 select films that will weave in “happiness of the human spirit” as a common theme.

The competitive sections include Indian Showcase, Debut Directors, Jagran Shorts, Top Shorts, World Panorama and Cinema of the Sellers category.

The best films in these categories will be decided upon by the jury consisting of filmmaker Hariharan who leads the panel along with Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh Aney, Udit Narayan and A Sreekar.

The awards will be conferred across numerous categories like Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Short Film, Best Debut Director and many more.

Actress Soha Ali Khan, who believes that beauty is "not just external", doesn't like to wear make-up much.

"For me my hair and my eyes are more important things to pay attention. I love to highlight my eyes. Normally I don't like to wear make-up much, I apply mascara every day and little bit of lipstick," she said at the unveiling of a hair salon here.

"To me, beauty is not just external. Beauty is about healthy looking skin as well as a healthy body and mind. When you feel good, you look good. Internal beauty always reflects in the appearance of a person," she added.

Asked about tips for better hair, Soha shared: "I wash my hair regularly and apply a good conditioner to avoid dryness."

On the work front, Soha will be seen playing a strong female protagonist in National Award-winning director Shivaji Lotan Patil's film "31st October".

"31st October" is based on the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the events that followed.

31st October had its official screening at the London Indian Film festival earlier in July this year where it received a positive feedback and a standing ovation from the audience.

Actress Geeta Basra, who is romatically linked to cricketer Harbhajan Singh, has been approached to star alongside him in the upcoming TV show “Power Couple”.

“Power Couple” will have 10 celebrity couples, who will undergo rigorous tests to prove their love.

These couples will live under one roof and face extreme challenges to prove how well they know each other.

Each task will test the couple's love, trust, patience, belief and courage.

“After getting Pratyusha Banerjee and her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh on board, the makers have approached Harbhajan and Geeta. If they come on board, this will be the first time they will be seen going public with their relationship," a source close to the show said. The talks are on with them.

"The channel is very keen on getting them on board for the show,” the source added.

The show will be aired on Sony Entertainment Television.

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who is gearing up for his forthcoming film "Shaandaar", says he is keen to watch Meghna Gulzar's "Talvar", which is based on the 2008 Aarushi Talwar murder case.

"I am curious to see in which angle the story has been presented. I think entire country is waiting for to watch the movie," Shahid said at the GQ award event here in Mumbai.

Shahid also praised the film's actors Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma.

"Considering Konkona and Irfan sir are in the film, both are fine actors. So I am sure the film is really good," he said.

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, who has penned the story of "Talvar", also directed the caper thriller "Kaminey", in which Shahid essayed the role of twin brothers. Last year, he directed Shahid in "Haider", for which he won the Best Actor award at the 60th Filmfare Awards.

Now, Shahid and Vishal have once again has teamed up for "Rangoon", a period film set during World War II.

"Yes I am going to start shoot for 'Rangoon' soon. I have kept this beard for this film, but yet not decided whether my character will sport a beard or not. But let's see what happens," said the 34-year-old actor.

Apart from Shahid, Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut are in lead roles for this film.

"Rahasya" director Manish Gupta claims that Talwar family received a huge amount of money from the makers of "Talwar" for the rights of their story which is completely their viewpoint of not being guilty in the Aarushi murder case.

"They (Talwar family) signed a deal with the other filmmaker and received a huge amount from them and provided them the rights of the story. And that's when this film has now been made, where the viewpoint that they are innocent and that they have been implicated, has been shown. That's the basic difference between the two films," said Gupta at a press conference to queries about the difference between his "Rahasya" and "Talwar" directed by Meghna Gulzar, both based on the brutal murder of Aarushi Talwar and domestic help Hemraj in Noida in 2008.

"Their family name 'Talwar' is also there. The Talwars didn't raise any objections to this and filed no case against them. It's a matter of thought as to why they didn't file the case.. was it because they're shown as not guilty in their film. There's no doubt that their permission was taken and that's why their name has been used," he alleged.

He also says that the Talwar family had filed a case against his film despite his statement that it is a fictitious story, and it got stuck in court proceedings for 11 months.

Gupta claimed that Vandana Talwar, Aarushi's aunt, had given them two booklets written by her regarding the case, and told them to use the content in their film.

"In them, its written that the Talwars are innocent and the CBI has framed them in the case. I refused the offer and told them that I was making the film for entertainment purpose and not for building a case for the prosecution or defence or to influence the public perception of the case. They wanted us to show them innocent in the film and couldn't digest this refusal," he said, adding despite these odds, "Rahasya" was critically acclaimed and worked for 100 days at the box office.

"Talwar", which has a bigger starcast with Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Tabu among others, will hit the screens on October 2.

Superstar Vijay watched his forthcoming Tamil release "Puli" with family and close friends at a private screening here.

"He watched the film at NFDC's (National Film Development Corporation) preview theatre. His children and wife loved the film and Vijay hopes his fans will like it too," a source from the theatre told IANS.

Directed by Chimbu Deven, "Puli", a big-budget fantasy drama, releases in cinemas on Thursday in Telugu and Hindi as well.

The film also stars Sridevi, Hansika Motwani, Shruti Haasan and Sudeep in important roles.

On Monday, Vijay offered his prayers for the success of "Puli" at Srivilliputhur Andal temple here.

Director Chimbu Deven says the biggest advantage of making fantasy films is that they don't have a language barrier and can easily appeal to everybody across all age groups.

"With great visuals, fantasy films can appeal to everybody. I strongly believe that language is never a barrier when it comes to such films. 'Puli' is not just for Vijay fans but it's targeted at everybody, from kids to older folks," Deven told IANS.

"Puli", which features Vijay, Shruti Haasan, Sridevi and Hansika Motwani in the lead roles, is tipped to be a high budget fantasy drama set against the backdrop of an ancient kingdom.

The film releases in cinemas on Thursday in Telugu and Hindi as well.

Deven wonders why fantasy films are rarely made nowadays.

"Tamil cinema was known for some of the best fantasy films. I don't understand why we've stopped making them. In the last few years, Telugu filmdom explored this genre quite well. I hope 'Puli' gives Tamil filmmakers the confidence to make more such films," he said.

A cartoonist by profession, the director says the experience helped him in the making of "Puli".

"Even before I wrote the script, I visualised key scenes in sketches. This helped me in explaining to my art director and VFX supervisor what exactly I was looking from them. It made all our work much easier," he said.

On working with superstar Vijay and veteran actress Sridevi, he said that their presence hugely benefited the movie.

"With such stars on board, the market value of a film certainly goes up. I wrote this film for Vijay, and I wouldn't have done it if he wasn't interested. When I narrated the script to Sridevi, she was so excited that she immediately wanted to be part of the project," he added.

Oscar-winning composer and music maestro A.R. Rahman has lent his support for the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival by composing a bespoke signature tune for the festival.

This is the first time that the film festival has a signature tune.

“The 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is about creating, celebrating and nurturing cinema. I am very pleased to support the festival. I hope the people of Mumbai and India come and partake in this incredible movie feast,” Rahman said in a statement.

Anupama Chopra, festival director, 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, said it's an honour having Rahman onboard.

“Movies and music are inseparable in India. We are grateful for his generosity and support. We are also grateful to all the work put in by Vikramaditya Motwane and his team, and all the talent that made time for Jio MAMI,” she added.

Rahman's creation is used for the promo film that will be played during the festival, which will be held from October 29 to November 5.

Currently, it is featured as part of the branding at the opening and closing of the festival campaign film.

However, the tune will be played in full at the opening ceremony later this month.

The festival's campaign film, directed by Motwane, features A-list names such as Shyam Benegal, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Kangana Ranaut, Nimrat Kaur and the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival chairman Kiran Rao.

In the film, the celebrities narrate their personal stories for their special relationship with Mumbai, the city of dreams, and with their collective passion - cinema.

Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor, who was earlier this year decorated with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, will be bestowed the Lifetime Achievement honour at the sixth Jagran Film Festival here.

The 77-year-old is best known for his nuanced performance in memorable films like "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", "Trishul", "Kabhi Kabhie", "Vijeta" and "Kalyug", and he was among the most good looking cinestars of his time.

"We are proud and happy that the Lifetime Achievement Award this year is to be presented to Shashi Kapoorji, who has enriched the cinematic medium through his vast and wide range of contribution as an actor and producer and has patronised good cinema," Manoj Srivastava, strategic consultant, Jagran Film Festival, said in a statement.

Srivastava added that the actor has "kindly consented to receive this award".

Earlier this year, a special event was organised in Mumbai, where a frail but spirited Shashi Kapoor was broight to the stage on a wheelchair to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award here. He smiled and folded his hands in reverence.

The Jagran Film Festival is currently happening at its final destination, Mumbai, and the showcase and celebration of cinema will culminate on October 4.

The 2015 edition of Jagran Film Festival traverseD from Delhi to Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Dehradun, Hisar, Ludhiana, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Raipur, Indore, and Bhopal before culminating in Mumbai.

She has been part of supernatural movies like “Raaz”, “Creature 3D” and “Alone”, but now Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu is said to have signed up to make her TV debut with an upcoming horror mini-series “Darr Sabko Lagta Hai”

According to a source, the show is a TV mini-series in the horror genre, and will be narrated by the actress.

“Bipasha will narrate the show. There will be a creative director to oversee the show as a whole. But different directors will helm different episodes. The series is going to be episodic and will see a host of horror stories that will play out week after week,” the source said.

The show, will be aired on &TV, may premiere in November, the source added.

Actor Dhanush, who was on Tuesday was roped in as the ambassador of Hero Super Indian Football League for Tamil Nadum said as a passionate enthusiast of the game, he'd love to work in football-based script.

"I've been a fan of football for very long. It is 90 minutes of super fun, so you don't have waste your entire day in front of television screen," Dhanush told reporters here.

"The first season of the league revolutionized Indian football and brought about lot of awareness about the sport. This year, it's going to get bigger with the inclusion of several international players as well," he said.

Answering a question on whether he'd like to work in a football-based script, he said: "I'd really love to work in a film associated with the sport."

According to a release, Dhanush will be supporting for team Chennaiyin FC and will also be wearing the team colours.

The second season of the league starts from Saturday.

Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee says that the first trailer of his production "Titli" was changed due to feedback that it didn't capture the core essence of the film.

"We had created an identical version of the trailer we prepared for Cannes film festival, and then released it in India. But when we showed a focus group the India cut of 'Titli' they gave us a tight slap. They told us that it is such an accessible, simple and easy-to-understand film, and that it had actually happened with their families.

"And they said why you showed things in such a way in the trailer and that you should show the core elements of the film in the trailer. After hearing this, we created this new trailer. And with the reactions we received today and from who all we showed it, all thought that we were right," said Banerjee at the trailer launch of "Titli" here on Tuesday.

The trailer for the festival released a year back and the one released on Tuesday are both available online with an evident difference between the two.

The film has been showcased at 22 festivals across the globe and has been the recipient of numerous awards but Banerjee feels a "festival" tag poses a kind of obstacle regarding the perception of the film.

"This is a strange dilemma. A section of audience, distributors, and marketing team get scared as soon as they hear the word 'festival'. They wonder if the film will bore you or irritate you. There are some who say that awe're festival' who slightly bore you."

"But the kind of director that Kanu Behl is, he is not one of those directors who wants to bore you. In fact, some of his scripts will make you hold your stomachs out of laughter, which he'll do later," said Banerjee about Behl, who had assisted the former on "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!"and was one of the writers, assistants and lyricists on "LSD: Love, Sex Aur Dhokha".

"Titli" traces the strange dynamics of a family based in Delhi, with Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Lalit Behl, Shashank Arora and Shivani Raghuvanshi playing the main roles.It is being presented by Yash Raj Films.

Actress Richa Chadha, who is busy shooting for the film “Cabaret”, will be missing the screening of her critically acclaimed movie “Masaan” at the upcoming 20th edition of Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

BIFF will be take place between October 1-10.

Due to her shooting schedule for “Cabaret”, produced by Pooja Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar, the “Tamanchey” actress will be missing the screening of her critically acclaimed Neeraj Ghaywan directorial.

“'Masaan' is a film which is closest to my heart. I took a lot of time to detach the character of Devi from me. Even now I am not sure whether I have totally phased that out. Hence not being able to go as a support to festivals like this for a movie of this caliber, is rather disappointing. I wish the team of 'Masaan' at Busan best wishes,” Richa said in a statement.

“Masaan” follows a group of people living in Varanasi, which reserves a cruel punishment for those who play with moral traditions and bagged two awards at Cannes, including a debut director award for Ghaywan.

Bollywood actor Sonu Sood, who has signed on to play a key role in a Jackie Chan-starrer Indo-Chinese production "Kung Fu Yoga", hopes to take the flavours of India's 'paranthe' to the Chinese Kung Fu star.

"Kung Fu Yoga" is part of the three-film agreement signed between the two countries during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India last year.

Directed by Stanley Tong, the action comedy film is currently being shot in Dubai. It will also be shot in Beijing and later in India.

Sonu's "Happy New Year" director Farah Khan shared her excitement on Twitter over the news.

Her post read: “So happy for Jackie Chan who is starring with my friend @SonuSood in 'Kung Fu Yoga'! Truly Karate meets paranthe!."

Sonu gave her a witty response and said that it's possible that Chan gets addicted to 'paranthe'.

"Hahaha Farah. Don't be surprised if he gets addicted to paranthe...then you have to make for us. Get ready," Sonu quipped.

The "Dabanng" actor had been dropping hints about his foreign project on the micro-blogging site for quite a while, starting with a tweet: "....and the journey begins...will keep u posted!! Have a great day."

Sonu seems to be working hard for his role with the action star.

He also shared an image in which he is seen engrossed in a workout session.

"Behind me is INFINITE #Power, Before me is ENDLESS #Possibility..N around me is ENDLESS #Opportunity #DedicationMyKey".

The star has already garnered appreciation from his Chinese co-star, actress Shang Yuxian, who shared an image with him on Twitter and wrote: "Hi guys! Great working with my co-star @SonuSood."

Sonu, on his part, responded by saying: "It's been a real pleasure. Keep shining always Ceci!"