Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai, who conferred the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award on Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman here, says he was the first producer in Bollywood who approached the "Jai ho" crooner for his film.

"Formerly I did not know Rahman but I had heard that he was immensely talented. The moment I listened to his compositions, I kept on playing the same cassette over and over again. Immediately, I called him and said that I wanted to meet him for my movie," Ghai recalled.

"As a producer, I was the first who approached Rahman to compose music for Hindi movies," he added.

Ghai also revealed that earlier Rahman was not familiar with Hindi. However, he believed that music has no language barriers.

"Though Rahman didn't know Hindi, but he had the understanding that music can unify everyone," he stated.

Ghai, who worked with the composer in "Taal", said he wants his films to be remembered for their "musical excellence".

Talking about Rahman's dedication to his craft, Ghai said: "He worked 70 nights on the music of 'Taal' and proved he is the best musician. He is not only a big celebrity, but also a beautiful soul."

Singer Mika Singh, who has collaborated with Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman for the new song "Heer toh badi sad hai" from Imtiaz Ali's forthcoming film "Tamasha", says he is grateful to the duo for the opportunity.

"Thanks to Rahman saab and Imtiaz Ali for offering me such a beautiful rendition, and also Irshad Kamli who has penned down wonderful lyrics for the song," Mika said at the launch event of a Punjabi radio channel here on Monday.

The song will feature Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone swinging to the tunes made by the talented trio.

"For the first time I am crooning for Ranbir Kapoor. Ranbir has done lip-sync with full passion and enthusiasm. Deepika is also looking very pretty in the song. I am contented that people loved the song," Mika said.

Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, "Tamasha" is slated to release on November 27.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee says he didn't hesitate to play a homosexual professor in National Award winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta's critically acclaimed film "Aligarh", which is based on a true story.

"As a person, I'm very fearless. Nothing really scares me apart from travelling in a plane. When it comes to experimenting with films or roles, I've never worried whether it will be liked by audiences or critics. The same goes for 'Aligarh' as well," Manoj told IANS.

In the film, the "Gangs of Wasseypur" star plays a character inspired from Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who taught at the Aligarh Muslim University and was sacked from his position on charges of homosexuality.

"Once I was convinced about the script and vision of the director, I didn't even think about anything else. I worked fearlessly. I do films for myself and if somebody gets entertained and moved in the process, it's good for me," he said.

Manoj plays a 64-year-old in the film. He admits playing an older character wasn't as challenging as getting into its skin.

"Most actors are used to playing older roles. I don't consider it unique for this character or for any roles I've played in my career. The challenging part was to get the mannerism of this character right, and to convey the loneliness," Manoj said.

He added that it wasn't easy to adapt to the character's surroundings as it was quite different from the all the roles that he has played and observed in his career.

Even though the story of "Aligarh" is about invading an individual's privacy, people may still be offended by its homosexuality angle.

Manoj doesn't have any qualms about it. He's confident that the film will be received positively.

"People have viewed it very positively worldwide and nobody cared about the sexual orientation part. Our focus was to make a film that will move the audience and we're confident it will when it releases in India," he added.

On working with Mehta, with whom he had worked many years ago in "Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar", Manoj said he was amazed by the expertise the former has acquired over the years.

"I was moved when I watched 'Shahid'. I wondered how much had Hansal changed as a filmmaker since his first film. The expertise he has acquired over the years was visible in his work and that convinced me to reunite with him," he said.

"Aligarh", which also stars Rajkummar Rao, is the opening film of 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has shaved off his moustache to play cricketer M.S. Dhoni's father Pan Singh in Neeraj Pandey's directorial "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story".

"Shot for Neeraj Pandey's biopic on MS Dhoni. As usual a great start. Had to cut my moustache for the role after many years. #MixedFeelings," Anupam tweeted on Wednesday.

Sushant Singh Rajput, who will be seen as Dhoni in the biopic, says he admires the veteran actor.

"Have admired him since the time I started watching films, never thought I would work with him one day. @AnupamPkher!," Sushant had tweeted earlier.

Actor-producer Sanjay Kapoor has been part of the Hindi film fraternity for over two decades, but he has never got the opportunity to work with his elder brother and actor Anil Kapoor. All's not lost yet, and he believes that one day, they will share the frame.

"Anil has been in this line for 30 years, I have been in this line for over 20 years. But unfortunately, nobody has cast us together. It's never too late, we both are doing films and are active. I am sure one day you'll find us both facing the camera together," Sanjay told IANS.

Sanjay, who made his acting debut in 1995 with the film "Prem", also turned producer with the 2014 film "Tevar", starring his nephew, actor Arjun Kapoor. But for now, he does not want to get into movie direction.

Asked if he wants to explore direction, he said: "Not as of now... I can do a lot of backseat driving... I mean, when you are a producer or actor you feel 'This could've been like this or that, but direction is not easy. You have to be very focused when you decide to direct a film."

The "Raja" actor says that if he ever directs a film, "I only want to concentrate on it".

"As of now, I don't want do it. I'm very happy producing and acting in films," said Sanjay, who was last seen in Vikas Bahl's directorial "Shaandaar" as a Sindhi business tycoon. The film also features actors Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

Actress Lisa Ray, who put up a brave fight against cancer, says she never got “depressed” due to the disease as “hope, support and humour” helped her to be cured of the disease.

In a Twitter chat session for HDFC Life Cancer Care on Wednesday, she addressed various cancer-related queries.

“Cancer can affect you emotionally which affects your thoughts. 'Chemo brain' is also real. But meditation and support help. Had bad days but never got depressed during cancer. Hope, support, humour helped.

"When you're down is when you need to rise,” Lisa tweeted to her fans.

Asked about certain measures that need to be taken care of, Lisa wrote: “Lots of preventative measures can help. Avoid processed food, sugar, get loads of veggies and exercise each day...preventative measures can't always fully prevent cancer. Get yourself checked regularly. Tune into your body. Be financially prepared.”

Lisa was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer in 2009 which is a rare disease and is considered incurable. But in 2010, she was declared a cancer survivor having improved her health tremendously.

“Rising above my cancer diagnosis was through a combination right treatment, emotional support, meditation and faith and right diet,” Lisa said.

She's now back on the film scene and will next be seen onscreen in romantic musical film "Ishq Forever".

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari is saving tigers on her 29th birthday on Wednesday.

"This is where I am today saving tigers with this amazing person @BittuSahgal @ndtv #AircelSaveOurTigers #Sundarbans," Aditi, who has featured in films like “Delhi-6”, “London, Paris, New York”, “Rockstar” and “Khoobsurat”, tweeted.

While the "Guddu Rangeela" actress is in the Sundarbans, her friends from the industry have wished her on Twitter:

Riteish Deshmukh: Happy birthday @aditiraohydari. Have a great day and a super year ahead.

Pulkit Samrat: Happy Birthday girl! @aditiraohydari

Guneet Monga: Happy Birthday Gorgeous !! More power and keep shinning @aditiraohydari

Punit Malhotra: @aditiraohydari happy birthday my friend. Have a good one.

Lisa Ray: Happy Birthday to the graceful @aditiraohydari

Nikkhil Advani: Happy birthday @aditiraohydari. Have a super duper year and keep spreading the love. Cheers!

FTII students who went on strike on June 12 against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman returned to their classes on Wednesday but said protests against the BJP member will go on. Meanwhile, three FTII alumni returned their National Awards to join the agitation.

The Film and Television Institute of India students said they will continue to protest in a "peaceful and democratic manner" against Chauhan, who they say is not fit to head the country's premier film institute.

Ranjit Nair, spokesperson for the FTII Students Association, told IANS that the strike was over.

"We have come to realize, after our long-stretched negotiations with the government, that the government is a bully," a miffed Nair said.

He said the students will now invite people from all over the country who face similar problems.

"The strike will escalate now... It's time to register our protest all over again and take it to different heights," Nair said.

To this end, three prominent FTII alumni -- Vikrant Pawar of Maharashtra, Rakesh Shukla of Uttar Pradesh and Prateek Vats of Goa -- decided to return their National Awards in protest against what they termed "an atmosphere of intolerance" in the country in the past few months.

"More will follow," Nair said, adding that they are looking to garner increased support from the country's filmmaking community for their cause.

During the logjam, students held multiple meetings with officials of the information and broadcasting ministry, and even went on a hunger strike. But there was no end to the stalemate.

Their protests even found the backing of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, whose visit to the FTII campus gave the issue a political twist. Even a slew of filmmakers and actors like Shyam Benegal, Jahnu Barua, Anupam Kher and Ranbir Kapoor, voiced their concern for the students.

However, the government refused to buckle over Chauhan, forcing the student community to blink.

Chauhan, best remembered for his work as Yudhishtir of TV series "Mahabharat", congratulated the students for ending the strike, and told IANS over telephone that it was time for them to return to their classes.

Nair said the students are looking forward to meet Chauhan in the institute, which has produced award winning talent like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Jahnu Barua, Shabana Azmi and Om Puri.

The decision to end the strike followed the government's "incongruous approach" towards the students' cause, said another student leader, Reema Kaur.

"The 139 days of strike have not only made us stronger but more aware of the state that we today live in," said Kaur, a final year student of editing and a part of the core committee of the Students Association that spearheaded the strike.

"We voiced ourselves loud and clear but it is the government's adamant stand and incongruous approach towards our valid demands that has made us completely lose faith," Kaur told IANS.

"Looking at the ministry's unrelenting approach and the amount of our valuable time spent, we have decided to end the strike and resume classes.

"However, our voices will not shut, but grow louder. The protests shall continue democratically and in the peaceful manner as they have," Kaur added.

Earlier, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore had blamed the students for taking an "extremely hard line" in the matter for the lack of a solution.

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah on Wednesday said he was "very grateful" to be a part of his forthcoming movie "Charlie Kay Chakkar Mein", adding a big budget was not mandatory to make a good movie.

"Its been very inspiring and grateful that I am still needed in projects like this," he said here.

"The movie is a thriller, the formula of the film is 'don't miss the beginning and don't reveal the end'. I play a high rank police officer in the film. I have always accepted the roles which have potential and are content-driven," one of the most versatile actors of the Bollywood said.

Karan Arora, the producer of the film, said: "...I am very thankful to Naseer Saab who accepted my film, as the subject of 'Charlie Kay Chakker Mein' is very content-driven. I am glad that our efforts to make a content-oriented film is appreciated by Naseer saab himself."

The Film features, among others, Naseeruddin Shah, Anand Tiwari and Amit Sial.

Directed by Manish Srivastava, the film releases on November 6.

Actor Rajkummar Rao, who has teamed up with National Award winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta for the third time in "Aligarh", says he can never turn down an opportunity to work with the "Shahid" director.

"Even if I were to do a small role in Hansal-ji's film, I'd do it happily. I can never say no to him," Rajkummar told IANS.

Having already worked with the filmmaker twice, Rao chose to reunite with Mehta in "Aligarh" not solely on the basis of their relationship.

"I didn't want to miss out on working in a beautiful film. Here's a story that needs to be told and who else other than Hansal-ji can do justice to it? I read the script and fell in love with it, especially with my part, which is so different from the roles I've essayed in my career," he said.

In the movie, Rajkummar plays south Indian reporter Deepu Sebastian. For the role, he met the real character to have a deeper understanding of his role.

"I play a Malayali boy, who has spent a lot of time in Delhi. His lingo is a strange mix, different from the Hindi we speak in north India. I had to learn Malayalam, and let me tell you it was extremely challenging to mouth lines in Hindi with a southern accent," he said.

In his third collaboration with Mehta, the biggest challenge for Rajkummar was to ensure there were no traces of his characters from their earlier outings.

After making it to international film festivals, "Aligarh" is set to open the 17th Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

The film also stars Manoj Bajpayee, and is based on the true story of Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who taught at the Aligarh Muslim University and was sacked from his position on charges of homosexuality.

Rajkummar is thrilled that Indian audiences will finally get to see the film.

"It's very important for us to know how our people receive the film. Their opinion is very vital for us. It's an honour that our film is the opening film of the festival," he said, and added that audiences won't find the film "controversial".

"Indian audiences have evolved. I think they're ready to accept such films," he said.

After featuring in films like "Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi" and "Yeh Saali Zindagi", actress Chitrangada Singh was seen grooving to "Kundi mat khadkao raja", a raunchy song in "Gabbar Is Back". She says there was no strategy behind choosing an item number.

Before "Kundi mat khadkao raja", Chitrangada had done another song for Shirish Kunder's "Joker".

"I didn't make any strategy that I would do item numbers. It just came my way. Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali (producer) called me for the song in 'Gabbar is Back' and Akshay Kumar was also a part of it. We came together, I heard the song and I took it as a part of job. So I did it," said Chitrangada, who will perform in Dubai as part of 'Asia's biggest New Year bash'.

Chitrangada wants to perform on veteran actress Helen's songs at the event.

"It's very difficult to choose one song to perform from so many of her songs. I like to groove on any song of hers. But I would especially like to perform on 'Piya tu ab toh aaja'," she said here.

The actress has been seen in films like "Desi Boyz", "Inkaar", "I, Me Aur Main".

Actress Taapsee Pannu, who is a teetotaler in real life, has turned down an offer to endorse a liquor brand. She says she refused to be associated with the brand as she "doesn't want to propagate" consumption of alcohol.

The "Baby" actress added that she is picky about brand endorsements as she feels they are an extension of her personality.

"I have always been cautious of the brands and products I endorse because I think it helps my audience to form an image of how I am in real. I only endorse products I use or believe in."

"This (liquor brand) definitely doesn't feature in that list and I was pretty surprised that it came to me at first place. It's definitely not a product I would ever endorse, not only because I am a teetotaler, but also because I don't want to propagate the use of the product," Taapsee said in a statement.

The actress, who has worked in Bollywood as well as other regional industries and even has her own wedding planning company, was offered an alcohol endorsement last week.

On the film front, Taapsee is prepping up for "Runningshaadi.com" and "Agra Ka Daabra".

Superstar Salman Khan is in awe of Swara Bhaskar's acting calibre as he says that the actress is a housefull of talent.

After garnering acclaim with supporting roles in films like the "Tanu Weds Manu" film franchise and "Raanjhanaa", Swara is essaying the role of Salman's younger sister in the forthcoming film "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" (PRDP).

During a live chat session on the film's official Twitter handle, the “Dabangg” actor appreciated Swara when one user asked “@prdp how was it working with swara #PremRatanDhanPayo #ChatWithPrem @Beingsalmankhan”.

The actor said: “Swara is very talented."

"Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", which brings together Bollywood's once indomitable team of Salman and Sooraj Barjatya after 16 years, also stars Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Anupam Kher in key roles. The film is set to release on November 12.

Salman asserted that the vibe of PRDP is the same as “Maine Pyar Kiya” but the film's scale is larger.

Instead of celebrating his fifth wedding anniversary with fervour, actor Vivek Oberoi, a social activist, lent his support to an initiative to raise funds for cancer patients.

He walked the ramp for designer Mihika Mirpuri for a cancer fundraiser on Wednesday, which also marked five years since he wed Priyanka Alva.

"I am celebrating my fifth anniversary with my lovely wife Priyanka. But we still decided we have to be here to support the excellent cause," he said.

Talking about his association with the cause, he said: "I have been associated with helping cancer patient, especially children, for 12 years. And during this period, we have managed to help out more than 200,000 children."

Vivek, who has two children with Priyanka, believes lending support can be beneficial for children who are fighting the terminal disease.

"Most of their stories are incredibly heartwrenching because they all come from really far from their places where there is no medical facility available for the treatment of cancer. I have always seen these children are so resilient and so strong, just a little bit of a helping hand works wonders for them."

Punjab Police have arrested four bouncers who allegedly manhandled media persons covering the wedding events of Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh and his actress bride Geeta Basra, an official said on Friday.

The case was registered after the upset media persons staged a sit-in outside the reception venue in Jalandhar city, 150 km from Chandigarh, demanding immediate arrest of the four bouncers. The mandhandling allegedly took place late on Thursday evening.

"We have arrested four bouncers. These include Kuldip, Gurpreet, Navjot and Bawan," a police official told IANS here.

After the alleged incident, Harbhajan came out of the house and apologised on behalf of the bouncers. He pleaded with media, mostly camera persons of TV channels and photographers of media publications, not to pursue the matter further.

The media persons alleged that the bouncers manhandled them, and took away and broke their cameras and equipment while they were filming events at the high-profile wedding of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh with Bollywood actress Geeta Basra.

"We registered a case following a complaint from the media persons. We are investigating the matter," a Punjab Police officer told the media here.

"We had instructions from Harbhajan that media should not be allowed inside the house as a lot of VIP guests and celebrities were to arrive," one of the bouncers claimed.

Harbhajan Singh, fondly called 'Bhajji', married his long-time friend Geeta Basra on Thursday near this Punjab town. He belongs to Jalandhar city.

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, and founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani, who is also the owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 team Mumbai Indians, for whom Harbhajan plays, were among the dignitaries at the wedding.

While Geeta was wearing a red 'lehenga', designed by Archana Kochhar, Bhajji adorned a sherwani and red turban. Bhajji drove in for the wedding in his black Hummer SUV.

Captain of the limited overs Indian team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was conspicuously absent from the wedding.

But cricketers Parthiv Patel, R.P. Singh and Pragyan Ojha were among those who were present.

"I am feeling great, very special day of my life," the 35-year-old cricketer told reporters.

The wedding reception will be held in a five-star hotel in Delhi on November 1 and is likely to be attended by celebrities from cricket and Bollywood, a family member told IANS.

Superstar Kamal Haasan called on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray at his Krishnakunj residence here on Friday morning.

The Thackeray family - Raj, his wife Sharmila and daughter Urvashi - warmly received Haasan and two relatives.

They were accorded a traditional Maharashtrian reception with shawls and flowers -- Thackeray draped a golden shawl around the 61-year-old actor's shoulders.

Sharmila greeted Haasan with a 'Namaste' while Urvashi touched his feet respectfully as he blessed her.

The reason behind the meeting is not known though MNS officials decribed it as "a courtesy call" and dismissed speculation the actor was planning to join the party.

Singer Shankar Mahadevan, also a part of Bollywood's renowned composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, feels that Arijit Singh, who has been in demand since “Tum hi ho”, is going to stay in the music industry for a long time as he is an “educated musician”.

“Arijit Singh is going to stay for a long time because he is an educated musician. He knows his music. He understands his 'sargams'. He has got depth. I knew him even before he became Arijit Singh,” said Shankar.

Asked why do singers have phases in Bollywood, he said: “If you are a musician of a very high caliber, if your aesthetics of music is very high and you are an educated musician, then you are going to stay for a long time.

“We have been composing music for the last 19 years and this year we picked the Filmfare Best Music Director award (for '2 States'). It's difficult to sustain, but if you have got quality, then you will sustain. There needs to be depth in your music.”

Shankar along with Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa are best known for composing songs for films like “Dil Chahta Hai”, “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”, “Wake Up Sid” and “Dil Dhadakne Do”.

He feels that Bollywood music keeps on “evolving” time after time.

“Music keeps changing. It keeps evolving. It keeps trending with the changes that happen in the story. It's like fashion. But with changes, you have to maintain the sanctity of music and its esthetics, which are 'sur' and 'tal'. Within that you can do whatever you want,” Shankar said.

He also believes that India is "so rich in music".

"There are so many classical and other types of music. First of all, we should learn to respect our own music. We don't respect our classical music and our folk music. If you go to Europe or an Arabic country, they often listen to our classical music,” he added.

Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has warned his fans and followers to be cautious of a fake Facebook account being operated on his name. He has even sought help of the Mumbai police to probe the matter.

“Beware of this impostor! This is a fake account. The matter will be reported to the cyber branch of Mumbai police,” Bhatt tweeted on Monday.

The director, who has also ventured into the film business as a producer, writer and has even crooned for a movie, shared a screen-shot of the fake account, which is making a casting call for his next project.

Bhatt, who is credited for helming “Saaransh”, “Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin”, “Sadak”, “Aashiqui” and "Zakhm", went on to share screen-shot of his verified Facebook page.

His official page has a blue tick, which is used to provide authenticity to celebrities on various social networking platforms.

As many as 149 films by 137 directors from 61 countries will be screened across 12 venues at the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which will be inaugurated here on November 14 by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, organisers said on Tuesday.

His wife Jaya, actresses Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee will also grace the occasion. However, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, a regular at the openings, will not be present due to film commitments.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will preside over the ceremony. An innovative musical performance titled "Maestros of Bengal" will headline the event.

The fest concludes on November 21.

Among the 15 segments, new sections like 'Films on Sports' and 'India Unheard' have been introduced to showcase Ladakhi, Nepali and Konkani languages. The festival is budgeted at Rs.8 crore.

"This year for the second time, the KIFF is a competitive event. The competition focuses on women filmmakers. The Royal Bengal trophy will be awarded to the best film (Rs.51 lakh) and the best director (Rs.21 lakh)," said KIFF director Yadab Mandal.

Tagore is the jury chairperson this year.

"The cash award for the best film is the single largest cash award at Aany international film festival now," claimed Mandal, adding a whopping 121 entries were received but only 14 selected for the competitive segment.

As many as 176 films have been selected for the short and documentary segment which also has been made a competitive element of the fest.

Mandal said majority of the films are new but classics such as Anthony Quinn's "Zorba The Greek", Orson Welles'"Citizen Kane" and William Wyler's "Ben Hur" are also part of the oeuvre.

Actor Rahul Bose will deliver the Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture but organisers declined to divulge names of other speakers and international participants.

Actor Vivek Oberoi, who was shooting for his forthcoming film “Great Grand Masti” in a village near Palghar, was greatly impressed by a farmer's family who make organic sweets and eco-friendly lanterns with recyclable and forest material.

The 39-year-old gave them a pre-order of 7000 lanterns and 50 dozen til laddoos (sesame sweetmeats), which he plans to distribute among the patients of Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and girls of his Devi foundation in Vrindavan.

"I strongly believe that we need to encourage these initiatives. Encouragement is the best manner of support,” Vivek, who walked the ramp for the cause of cancer patients on his fifth wedding anniversary earlier this month, said in a statement.

Vivek has also been chosen by the Maharashtra government to promote 'Jan Dhan Van Dhan', an initiative that promotes small scale industries and farmer goods.