Actor-producer Sanjay Kapoor considers "Queen" fame director Vikas Bahl one of the best in the country.

Sanjay will be soon seen in the forthcoming film "Shandaar", helmed by Bahl. The actor says one of the main reasons for him to do the film was the director.

"When I was doing the shooting during the wrap-up day of 'Tevar', which I was producing...I got a call from Vikas. It's great to shoot with him because of his knowledge of today's cinema. He's one of the top directors of the country," Sanjay told IANS.

The "Raja" actor added that Bahl "has got a lot of sensibility of cinema and that it was a pleasure shooting with him."

Sanjay, who will be seen playing a Sindhi business tycoon in the film, was tutored by director Tarun Mansukhani in the dialect and the nuances of the language.

"Yeah, he (Mansukhani) tutored me for the dialect because he's a proper Sindhi. I and Vikas went in for two to three days, where we sat with him and then he spoke the dialogues in Sindhi style. But we have not made the character total Sindhi," he said.

"Shaandaar", which stars Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor and Pankaj Kapur, also marks the debut of Sanah Kapoor - Shahid's half-sister and daughter of Pankaj and Supriya Pathak - in the film.

Talking about working with them, Sanjay said: "Everyone knows about Pankaj and Shahid... how talented they are. But who really surprised me was Sanah inspite this being her first film."

"I think the most difficult part for an actor is to perform in front of the family. Acting itself is a tough job, but she surprised me. She was really very good," said the actor-producer Anil Kapoor's brother.

"Shaandaar" will hit the screens on Friday.

The makers of the upcoming romantic film, "Yaara Silly Silly" have unveiled a vibrant retro-style number "Yun hai", which has been rendered by singer Neeti Mohan and composed by Ankit Tiwari.

"Yun hai" is the first fun-filled number from "Yaara Silly Silly" with the other two songs "Sathia" and "Behki" being out-and-out romantic tracks.

"It's a retro kind of song that I have attempted. It will take listeners back to the style of dancing - the slow dancing that was prominent during earlier eras. You can also call it a Latin kind of music.

"This song sounds as if Latin music was composed in India during the earlier era. It's along the lines of 'Aaiye meherban'. But despite its inspiration from that period, the song is completely modern," said Ankit.

In the song, Paoli Dam, who plays a sex worker in the film, is trying to seduce Parambrata Chatterjee who has accidentally landed up at her workplace.

"We have no doubt about the success of 'Yun hai' since it has an amazing combination of the beautiful voice of Neeti and brilliance of Ankit," director Subhash Sehgal said.

Actress Shamita Shetty finds superstar Salman Khan, who will turn 50 in December, "still super hot".

"Salman doesn't look 50 from any angle. I think he is getting better with age. He is still super hot," said Shamita.

She is all geared up for Life OK's "Prem Ki Diwali", where she will be seen in the opening dance act for the promotion of Salman and Sonam Kapoor's "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" on TV.

"I am doing the opening act with lamps. I have some interaction scenes with Salman Khan," said Shamita.

The "Zeher" actress, who hasn't been doing films for a while, says she is missing Bollywood and has promised that "you will see me soon on the big screen".

There were rumours about her making a comeback on the silver screen with her sister Shilpa Shetty’s home production.

"I don't think that she (Shilpa Shetty) has any production. She is focusing on other things right now, not the production house," said Shamita, who prefers a silent Diwali.

"Diwali is really a happy time. It's a festival of lights, that's the only time when the entire family comes together and celebrates together. I will celebrate Diwali in a traditional way," she said.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the television premiere of Hindi film "Grand Masti" while cautioning TV channels to be "in strict compliance" with the requirement of the provisions of the Cinematograph Act.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath vacated the stay on the TV telecast of the movie, noting that film has already been telecast thrice.

"We make it clear that the exhibition of the film in question in any of the channels of the television shall be in strict compliance with the requirement of the endorsement of a caution in terms of provisions of the Cinematograph Act, 1952," they said.

The court in August had stay the TV telecast of the movie holding that it was not certified for unrestricted public exhibition.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Edara Gopi Chand, through advocate Gaurav Bansal seeking quashing of the U/A certification given to "Grand Masti" starring Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani, saying it is an adult comedy.

Seeking stay on the telecast, the plea contended that Indra Kumar directed film was replete with double meaning dialogues and highly objectionable content.

Its TV telecast will adversely affect the rights and interest of hundreds of thousands of minors in the country, especially children and adolescents, the plea has added.

Musician Ehsaan Noorani of the hugely successful trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy says Delhi crowds are among the best audiences to perform for as they are emotional as well as enthusiastic.

The trio's concert at the Indian Institute of Technology - Delhi on Monday had to be stopped over a ‘student injury’ and Ehsan said that it was "really unfortunate as the concert was truly cooking".

"We were really saddened by the decision to stop the show but security and safety comes first. We do hope we can make it up to the students some time soon," Ehsan told IANS.

Does he think that there is relatively less control over the crowd in Delhi/NCR?

"Well, the Delhi crowd is emotional and effervescent, and they are one of the best audiences to perform for. I guess one has to keep that in mind and make sure that the security and planning can keep them in check in a smooth and gentle way," he said.

But the trio loves to perform everywhere.

The trio, who have composed music for films like "Dil Dhadakne Do" and "Rock On!!", have performed all over the world and "almost everywhere we get a huge and positive reaction from our fans".

"There are some places where the audiences are more formal but Shankar sees to it that they are on their feet within minutes! We love performing for our audiences all over," Ehsan said.

Ehsan is currently seen on the judging panel of "The Stage", a music reality show for English singing talent in India. He says the response has been good.

"The response has been gorgeous with all kinds of lovely comments like 'the freshest show we have seen', 'a breath of fresh air', 'never knew there was this kind of talent in India'. It is so encouraging to see this and immense happiness that the English singing talent has finally got a platform to show their art."

"While many perceive it to be a niche show as it's English, they don't realise that this 'niche' listening to international music is a big number in India now," he said.

Is he planning to work with any of the contestants of the show in future?

"A couple of singers have already recorded with us (the trio). A couple of them have performed with me at a blues concert in Bengaluru," Ehsan disclosed.

"I am focussing in the indie space and looking forward to producing and songwriting with some emerging talents from India and they can be from 'The Stage' too," he added.

Actress Sushmita Sen has said she would like to emulate Goddess Durga as she is the epitome of mother, adding that she was "my kind of woman".

After visiting various Durga Pooja pandals here, she told mediapersons on Wednesday: "I would like to emulate goddess Durga as she is the epitome of mother and yet a powerful and fair warrior."

Sushmita was last seen in Bengali film 'Nirbaak'.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor will be seen in a “guest appearance” in upcoming film "Chalk N Duster" on the “request” of veteran actress Shabana Azmi.

Shabana, who stars in the Jayant Gilatar directorial alongside Divya Dutta and Juhi Chawla, took to Twitter on Thursday to welcome the “Bobby” actor.

“Welcome @chintskap (Rishi Kapoor) to #Chalk And Duster and a million thanks for so generously agreeing to doing a guest appearance at my request. Respect,” she tweeted.

The film has been termed as an educational film about teachers.

It also stars Jackie Shroff, Samir Soni and Girish Karnad among others.

Actor Johnny Lever is all set to tickle people's funny bones with Sameer Iqbal Patel's directorial debut "Hotel Beautifool", which is set to release on April 1 next year.

According to Patel, April 1 is an “apt day to release the film”, because it is also April Fool's Day.

"It's like hand-in-glove situation to release it on the 1st of April and we are lucky to get a Friday on All Fools' Day," producer Mohammed Aslam Shaikh said in a statement.

The film also features actors Rajith Menon, Brijendra Kala, Imam Siddique, Rohit Khurana, Alisha Farrer, Shaanti, Sandip Gosh and Manoj Santoshi, among others.

“Hotel Beautifool” has been co-produced by Shaikh and Madhire Ravinder Reddy under Umbrella Film Corporation and Madhire Film Corporation.

Actor Ali Fazal, who is busy working for Y-Films' new online series, "Bang Baaja Baaraat", made his real life fans a part of his reel life by including them in a scene which is a part of the series.

While the team of “Bang Baaja Baaraat” was shooting in Pune, two of Ali's fans had reached the sets and waited for hours to meet him. When Ali got to know about them, he introduced them to the cast and roped them in for one of the scenes.

“It is always an overwhelming feeling when your fans love and appreciate the work you do. I was shooting for 'Bang Baaja Baarat' in Pune and I got to know about these two fans who were waiting for long to meet me,” the "Fukrey" actor said in a statement.

“I personally don’t like people waiting for long hours just to meet me. They were extremely sweet. I met them and introduced them to the entire cast and it was just an on the spot idea where we had them in one of the scenes.

"They were extremely excited at the thought and it just feels great I could see the smiles on their faces,” he added.

“Bang Baaja Baaraat” is the story of two families who come together for a wedding. The cast of the film also includes Rajit Kapoor, Shernaz Patel, Gajraj Rao, Ayesha Raza, Neil Bhoopalam.

Y-Films is a subsidiary of Yash Raj Films. The production house has also helmed another popular web series "Man's World."

Actor R. Madhavan has denied reports that he will play the negative role in the remake of Tamil blockbuster "Thani Oruvan". He says he has not “signed or approved” any other film apart from forthcoming bilingual sport drama “Saala Khadoos” (“Irrudhi Suttru” in Tamil).

Madhavan, who was earlier seen alongside Kangana Ranaut in “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”, took to Twitter on Friday to clarify the news.

In a series of tweets , Madhavan wrote: “Hey Folks.This being a verified site I shall personally tell you about the projects I have signed and doing. The rest are all rumours.

“I have not signed nor approved any other project in any language. Right now my life is only 'Saala Khadoos' and 'Irrudhi Suttru'.”

Produced by filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, "Saala Khadoos", which marks the directorial debut of Sudha Kongara Prasad in the Hindi film industry, was earlier scheduled to release on October 16.

It is Madhavan's second movie with Hirani after "3 Idiots".

Telugu actor Ravi Teja will be seen playing a college lecturer in his next film "Yevado Okadu", which will go on floors here on Sunday.

"Ravi will be playing a lecturer, while actress Anupama Parameswaran will be seen as his student," a source from the film's unit told IANS.

Ravi had previously played a lecturer in Telugu action-comedy "Mirapakaya". To be directed by Venu Sree Raam, the film will be produced by Dil Raju.

The makers are still on the lookout for the leading lady.

Devi Sri Prasad has been roped in to compose the tunes. The film will hit the screens during the summer of next year.

Randeep Hooda, who essayed Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma with arresting arrogance in "Rang Rasiya", will soon be seen as the real-life notorious serial killer Charles Sobhraj in "Main Aur Charles".

While he says the ' Charles' film does not glorify crime, the actor also stressed that watching films does not lead the youth to anything wrong.

Known for his straightforward nature, Randeep remained to the point when he was asked if "Main Aur Charles" glorifies crime in any way.

He said: "We have not glorified crime in the film. I don't think the youth of the country take up the wrong path after watching movies. No one turned Ram after watching 'Ramayan', and nobody turned Gandhi after watching 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S.'. So how come any one will turn into Charles after watching the film? The film is for entertainment...come and just get entertained."

Randeep has worked hard for the film, and says Charles Sobhraj's character is one that he has known since he was much younger.

"We came to know about this man from the newspapers. When I was 10 or 12 years old, I heard about the name Sobhraj... since childhood, we knew this man is very glamorous. Amitabh Bachchan also benefited from him. The famous 'Don' movie dialogue "11 mulko ki police mujhe dhoondh rahi hai...' was inspired from Charles Sobhraj's life," he added.

Charles Sobhraj is currently in a jail in Nepal, having been convicted for his numerous brutal murders in the 1970s. He was even convicted and jailed in India from 1976 to 1997.

His story is being brought alive on the big screen by director Prawaal Raman. The film will release on October 30.

Actress Kajol, who has worked with Johnny Lever in films like “Baazigar”, “Ishq” and “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, finds the actor-comedian “hysterically funny”. She says she is amazed to see how consistent he is in making people laugh with every role he does.

Kajol is working with Johnny -- a Bollywood veteran -- again in Rohit Shetty's “Dilwale”.

She said “he is amazing since 'Baazigar' days till now”.

“He is hysterically funny in 'Dilwale'. It is amazing that from 'Baazigar' till today, I have not met anybody who is so consistent and funny. He has been consistently funny in every film,” said the actress.

“It is amazing to see that he has retained that (sense of humour) as a lot of people lose it. I honestly respect that as I think it's much more difficult to make somebody laugh than to make somebody cry,” she added.

Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, "Dilwale" will see the magical pair of Shah Rukh and Kajol coming together again on the silver screen. The film's team has been shooting the last leg of the film in Hyderabad for a month.

Actress Soha Ali Khan is super excited about her husband, actor Kunal Kemmu's upcoming film "Guddu Ki Gun" and hopes the film proves to be a box office success and "changes things for him".

"Everyone knows and admits that he (Kunal Kemmu) is a great actor. But box office success is important for everybody. And I hope that this is the one that changes things for him," the actress said here in an interview.

Kunal made his acting debut as a child artiste in the 1990s, but his first film as a lead was "Kalyug" in 2005. In a decade-long career, Kunal only has multi-starrer films like "Traffic Signal", "Golmaal 3" and "Go Goa Gone".

"Guddu Ki Gun" is an adult comedy where Kunal plays a Bihari salesman Guddu, who is a playboy and his manhood is, strangely, gold.

Soha calls it a "family film".

"I'm excited for the film as you know the concept of this film is so unique. I hope it delivers. People want to see the film... believe it or not but it is a family film," she added.

Directed by Shantanu Ray Chhibber and Sheershak Anand, "Guddu Ki Gun" also stars debutante Payel Sarkar. The film is set to release October 30.

Brickbats and laurels are a part and parcel of making films, believes director Anubhav Sinha, whose "Ra.One" clocked four years since its release, on Monday. He says despite the "mixed" response that the Shah Rukh Khan starrer received, for him it's a project that he looks back at with pride.

"Some called it a damp firecracker and some called it a game changer. I know it should have made more but it still made enough that 95 percent of the films don't make even today. I gave it four years of my life and I look back at the mixed feeling with a lot of pride and satisfaction," Sinha tweeted on Monday.

The science fiction superhero film featured Shah Rukh in a double role apart from Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Rampal.

Sinha also thanked the audience and critics for lauding and rejecting the film.

"Thanks for the accolades and the rejection. I learned from both. Yes, today it has been four years since 'Ra.One' released and I send my love and respect to the team and the audience, the lovers and the critics. Thank you all. It left me richer," he added.

The 2011 film also features Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami and Tom Wu in pivotal roles. It was high on visual effects.

He has explored different creative zones -- be it acting, singing or writing -- but actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana says he may be multi-talented, but he prefers to focus on one thing at a time as he is “not a good multi-tasker”.

“I think you need one talent to survive a lifetime. I think maybe I'm multi-talented but I'm not a good multi-tasker for sure. I can just do one thing at a time,” Ayushmann told IANS over phone.

The actor, who is currently busy working on his upcoming single “Yahin hun main”, added that all his attention is on “singing and acting” as of now.

Ayushmann took the reality TV show route to the world of showbiz and went on to make his place as a host before taking a plunge into Bollywood in 2012 with "Vicky Donor".

He faced a low phase after his successful debut with films like “Nautanki Saala”, “Bewakoofiyaan” and “Hawaizaada” failing to register good business. But the actor bounced back with “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” this year.

The actor, who has even penned his thoughts in a book “Cracking The Code”, is amazed by his writing skills. He even hopes to return as an author when he has something to share with his admirers.

“I had something to tell and that is why I wrote a book though it was quite unusual to write a book at such an early stage of my career. But I had something to tell to people who pack their bags and come to Mumbai to struggle and who go away after giving up. So, whenever I will have something to tell I will write,” he added.

Filmmaker Subhash Ghai says it was an honour to confer the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award on Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman here.

Rahman was presented with the award on Monday by the filmmaker on the birthday of Pandit Hridaynath Mangeshkar, the younger brother of legendary playback singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

"It was a great honour to honour A.R. Rahman with Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award last night with the background music of 'Taal' with thundering applause from the audience," Ghai, who worked with the composer on films like "Taal", "Yuvvraaj" and "Kisna", tweeted on Tuesday.

Ghai says Rahman knows "how to win hearts".

He thanked the composer for "your generous words at the award function for me".

The filmmaker also shared a 12-second video online of Rahman in which he is seen saying how people quickly associate him with the 1999 hit film "Taal" and that "it's like a rubber stamp".

“Love Sex aur Dhokha” fame actor Amit Sial believes that veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah's name helped his film “Charlie Ke Chakkar Mein” get noticed.

Finding a grip in film industry with Dibakar Banerjee's “Love Sex Aur Dhokha”, Sial kept himself busy doing small roles in film and writing scripts.

Being a co-writer, co-producer and accidentally actor of the film “Charlie Ke Chakkar Mein”, Sial understands the ground reality of the movie business.

"Naseeruddin Shah's presence brought positive changes and actor of his stature helped us to get the foothold for the film" Sial told IANS.

Speaking about casting the veteran actor in the film, he added: "Long time ago I worked with Naseer sir in a film called 'The Coffin Maker' and later we worked together in a play. During that time we developed a good relationship. I asked him to do me a favour and asked for his spare time to act in the film which he gracefully agreed to do."

Sial also says that when he was writing the role for the film, he thought of someone who has the personality of Naseer sir for the role.

“But we were not sure that he will say yes or no to the movie. We were fortunate that he said yes to the film. He was the driving force to write this character,” he said.

The film is slated to release on November 6.

Actress Bipasha Basu, who is all set to make her TV debut with forthcoming show “Darr Sabko Lagta Hai”, says we should support horror films and TV shows more as it is the only genre where “scope is left” as everything else is “over exhausted in India”.

“I feel very lucky to have been tagged as 'queen of fear', 'horror queen' or whatever the titles are. I feel lucky because there is no actor in my space from the time Hindi films started till now, who have made this unique space,” Bipasha told IANS.

“If I'm promoting a genre which is so exciting and it definitely is the only genre, where the scope is still left, because everything else is over exhausted in India. So, I'm very happy to be associated so strongly with this genre,” she added.

Asked whether there is acceptance of horror films in India, Bipasha, who has appeared in horror films like “Raaz”, “Darna Zaroori Hai” and “Aatma”, said: “We follow herd mentality. We always want to stick to safe roots, especially the business.

“But, you have to move away from the norm. That's why I decided to do a TV show in horror genre just to support it rather than the regular ones. We need to support horror genre more. There is immense talent in the directors and they want to actually explore this genre.”

Why she decided to make her debut on TV?

Bipasha said: “TV is a huge medium. We have been discussing various shows since last five years. I have been offered a lot of shows but the idea was what should I choose as my first. So that's what took lot of time.

“The biggest of actors are on TV now and all of them are successful. It's my fourteenth year in the business of acting and I'm deeply loved and I have a huge fan base. I just want to reach out to more people in unique ways. That why I'm doing this show along with its web episodes, which is first of its kind in India.”

Talking about “Darr Sabko Lagta Hai”, the 36-year-old said: “It's a super concept. The channel is pushing the horror genre to another level because they have made these really amazing short films with all budding directors.

“The show will show fear in every possible form. It will feature good special effects and a better production value. It will showcase something that we haven't seen on Indian television before. I was looking for a show which is not the normal judging singing or dance reality show. It was a correct choice for me.”

“Darr Sabko Lagta Hai”, which will be aired on &TV starting October 31, will feature 26 short films which have all been directed by different directors.

Actor Kunal Kemmu, who is gearing up for the release of "Guddu Ki Gun", says he always finds comedy films a "bit worrying" to work on.

"I am very excited for watching 'Guddu ki Gun' with family and friends. But it's always a little bit worrying to do comedy films, because you don't know whether people would find it amusing or not," Kunal said at the screening of the film here on Monday.

The "Kalyug" actor was initially reluctant about doing the film, but his wife Soha Ali Khan seemed to be quite confident about him.

"I didn't read the script. Kunal had briefed me the story. Later, I liked the promos and songs as well. I'm excited for the film as the concept of this film is so incredible. Let's see how it translates from script to screen. I have full faith in Kunal and the whole cast of the film," Soha said.

Kunal made his acting debut as a child artiste in the 1990s, but his first film as a lead was "Kalyug" in 2005. In a decade-long career, Kunal only has multi-starrer films like "Traffic Signal", "Golmaal 3" and "Go Goa Gone".

"Guddu Ki Gun" is an adult comedy where Kunal plays a Bihari salesman Guddu, who is a playboy and his manhood, strangely, is gold.

Directed by Shantanu Ray Chhibber and Sheershak Anand, "Guddu Ki Gun" also stars debutante Payel Sarkar. The film is set to release on Friday.