Hrithik Roshan and his sister Sunaina share a special brother-sister bond and the Hindi film star says a simple smile on his sibling's face is all he needs.

"Let me start by saying what is the best thing she does for me. Every time she smiles, it just adds that little spark I always need in my eyes," Hrithik said in an interview.

The actor is currently busy promoting "Krrish 3", his new superhero thriller slated for a Nov 4 release.

Sunaina enjoys the small little things that her brother does for her.

"He just keeps doing these small things everyday, which means a lot to me because small things later on become big things... it could be a hug, a smile on his face, and it could be seeing him happy," she said.

Sunaina was diagnosed with cervical cancer almost five years back, which she fought and overcame.

At a time when most film promotions are about product tie-ups and mobile games, the makers of upcoming Tamil crime-comedy "Sutta Kadhai" have decided to donate a part of its promotion-budget to facilitate the heart surgery of 10 children.

The donation amount for the children will be issued to SAIL (Save An Individual's Life), an initiative which collects funds to perform cardiac surgery for kids who come from economically weaker section of the society.

"Promotions for a movie are vital. It ranges from half to two times of the production budget. It's expensive, and I believe movie promotions should be meaningful to an extent," the film's producer Ravindar Chandrasekhar, told IANS.

"Libra Productions is very happy to promote for a meaningful cause, concerned to make a child help see this world again with new hope," he added,

It is a gift of hope for the next generation to keep their hearts continue beating.

"When movie production is considered as giving life to hundreds by employing their manpower, why not its promotions considered in benefitting the people," he said.

Chandrasekhar, who is awaiting the release of "Sutta Kadhai" later this month, also has four more Tamil films lined up.

"Nalanum Nandhiniyum", his second production venture, is also ready for release soon.

His third project "Kolai Nokku Paarvai" is currently on floors, while his fourth and fifth projects titled "1+13" and "Mr. & Mrs. Kalyanam", respectively, are in its pre-production stages.

"Sutta Kadhai", directed by debutant Subu, features Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli and Venkatesh Harinath in lead roles.

She is known as the Nightingale of India, but Lata Mangeshkar says that her brother Hridaynath is such a perfectionist that it is not easy to live up to his expectations.

On Raksha Bandhan, which is being celebrated Aug 21 this year, the singing legend talks about her brother and their relationship at length.

"More than a brother, Hridaynath is the son that I never had. When I sing for my brother, I feel a mixture of elation and fear. He's such a perfectionist. To work with him is taxing but ultimately very satisfying," said Lata.

"When I sing for other composers, I'm always unsure about whether I've done my best. Hridayanath doesn't hesitate in ticking me off if I go wrong. Even if I go wrong with one word, he doesn't let me off the hook. He makes me sing it a hundred times over... no matter how tired I get. At the most he'll let me off until the next day. But he must have a flawless recording.

"I agree with him when he says, 'Right now only the recordist and I can hear you. But tomorrow the entire world will hear you. How would you feel if listeners pinpoint the errors in your singing?'"

Hridaynath started his music career with Marathi film "Akash Ganga" and also composed for Hindi films like "Lekin" and "Maya Memsaab". Lata sang songs like "Yaara seeli seeli" and "Yeh shehar bada" for her brother, other than going behind the mike for his Marathi numbers

"He's a very knowledgeable human being and not just in the field of music. Hridayanath is very particular about the way I sing. And I like that. He makes me sing until I achieve the quality he desires. He's as particular with any singer, whether it's my sister Asha or Usha," said Lata.

Lata says Hridayanath has the knowledge to achieve a high quality in the recording as he has a sound base in classical music and he also listens to the old songs of his father (Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar) and uses them as a foundation for some of his compositions.

"I'm always on tenterhooks singing for him. He's a very learned musician. His knowledge of Marathi literature and poetry is so vast. He's familiar with both modern and non-contemporary poets. By god's grace all my albums with my brother have been perennially popular.

"My first non-film album with Hridayanath was 'Mogra Phulela' 35 years ago. And that's still selling. It wasn't a conscious decision to not work together for so long. Nothing materialised for one reason or another... Hridaynath's album of Meera bhajans 'Chala Vahi Des' is an all-time favourite.

"It's a fallacy that I refused to sing Meera bhajans for anyone except my brother. I sang Jaidev's 'Main janoon nahin piya ko Milan kaise howe ri' in 'Chand Grahan' and 'Jo tum todo piya' for Shiv-Hari in 'Silsila'. I refused to give playback to the film on 'Meerabai' when Gulzar made it.

"I also love what my brother made me do in 'Maya Memsaab' and 'Lekin'. In the CD of 'Lekin', there's a ghazal 'Dil mein lekar', which didn't feature in the film. I love that as well.

Brothers play an important role in the lives of Bollywood actresses. If for veteran actress Shabana Azmi her brother Baba is the most precious, new entrant Parineeti Chopra describes her two siblings as her buddies.

On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, which falls Aug 20, actresses share the kind of bonding they share with their brothers.

Shabana Azmi: My brother Baba is most precious to me. He is my son, my friend and guide. Raksha Bandhan is a festival I get most sentimental about. This year I am at my native village Mijwan for Raksha Bandhan. I feel really sorry that I can't be personally present to tie him the raakhee. I make sure I am with Baba on this day. I missed being with my brother for Raksha Bandhan only four-five times in my entire life. Sadly, this is one of those years of absence. Baba is my most precious gift. I don't need anything from him. He doesn't allow anyone else to tie a raakhi on him. No 'mooh-boli bahens' for my brother! I wouldn't tolerate them.

Parineeti Chopra: My brothers Sahaj and Shivang are my buddies ever since they grew up. I am the eldest. So I am going to be pampering and spoiling them this Raksha Bandhan.

Pooja Bhatt: I am older to my brother Rahul. So tradition be damned. I'll be gifting him this Raksha Bandhan, not the other way around.

Manisha Koirala: I have the most precious gift in the world - my brother Siddhartha. I always wish him happiness and success, and not just for Raksha Bandhan but every single day. I consider myself the luckiest sister in the world. More power to my adorable brother.

Celina Jaitley: My brother Vikrant is a major in the Indian army. The only Raksha Bandhan wish I have for him is to be safe. And to have a little baby of his own soon as he's newly married.

Bela Sehgal: I am very lucky to have a wonderful brother like Sanjay (Leela Bhansali). He is thoughtful, caring, loving, understanding and always concerned about my well-being. For Raksha Bandhan, I pray for his good health and the super-duper success of "Ram Leela". The only gift that I want from him is that he should always continue to love me.

Divya Dutta: My brother, doctor Rahul Dutta is more a friend than an elder brother. And he knows exactly what I want. The other day I liked a piece of jewellery while window-shopping. Before I knew it, it became my Rakhi gift. He is travelling, but will be back in time for me tie the rakhi.

Minissha Lamba: My brother is the closest person I have in Mumbai. And just to have him around is gift enough on Raksha Bandhan.

Pooja Bedi: I deeply miss my brother Siddharth, who died 15 years ago. And I'm grateful for my brother Adam, who is 12 years younger to me. Being so much older, I don't look at him in the traditional role of the protective brother. On the contrary, I feel, I need to protect him and take care of him. All I expect from him is some time to spend together and oodles of love.

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor is on Twitter. He says his daughters - actress Sonam and filmmaker Rhea - pushed him into joining the microblogging site.

"So after all that coaxing by my digitally savvy daughters, I am finally on Twitter. Let's connect," Anil posted in his first tweet Tuesday.

Both Sonam and Rhea are active on social networking sites.

The actor, who has featured in films like "Race 2" and "Shootout at Wadala" this year, is busy gearing up for his debut TV production - the Indian adaptation of hit international TV series "24" for the Colors channel.

In the desi version, Anil features in the lead role of Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer, which was originally essayed by actor Kiefer Sutherland.

The TV show, which also features veteran actress Shabana Azmi, is directed by Abhinay Deo. The date of its telecast is yet to be revealed.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan says that the director Rohit Shetty-actor Ajay Devgn pair, who have created several hits together, is one of its kind.

Shetty and Ajay have delivered hits like "Golmaal" series, "Bol Bachchan" and "Singham".

"Rohit and Ajay have a very beautiful jodi. I don't think anything like this can be made. A franchise of three films ('Golmaal’ series) that too so successful. I think it's a record of sorts,” SRK, who worked with Shetty in superhit “Chennai Express”, said here.

“The kind of franchise 'Golmaal' is, it is the first of its kind in our country. The best thing is everyone plays different characters. I think that is very, very special," he added.

Bollywood director Ketan Mehta, who has successfully completed his film "Manjhi - The Mountain Man", says the incredible story will inspire many.

Based on a true story, the film is about a man who carved out a mountain in memory of his wife.

"In this cynical time, this is like a ray of hope. It is one man's will against the forces of nature. He is shown by his life that he is the change which he wants," Mehta told IANS.

"It is an incredible monument of love. Shah Jahan also took 22 years to make Taj Mahal with an army of so many people. Whereas here he did it alone. It is an incredible story of the human will," he added.

Mehta, who has directed films like "Mangal Pandey: The Rising" and "Maya Memsaab", considers it to be one of the "roughest shoots" he has done so far.

"We shot in a remote corner of Gaya (in Bihar). It has been quite an adventure for the entire team," he said.

"Finally the film is over. It is an amazing story of a poor man called Dashrath Manjhi who carved out a mountain to create a path for the sake of his wife. I am very happy with the film," he said.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays the title role in "Manjhi - The Mountain Man".

Talking about the research put into the biopic, the director said: "We went to the location (Gaya)...met his family members and read up everything which was published on him. Then we came up with the script," he said.

Manjhi embarked on the project after his wife died, wondering why one had to take a circutious 70 km route around a mountain to get medical help when the distance was a mere 5-6 km as the crow flies. He then began cutting through the mountain with a hammer and chisel and accomplished the task in 22 years. He died in 2007 and the Bihar government accorded him a state funeral.

Doordarshan is launching a weekly book show called "Kutaabnama: Books and Beyond" to address literary issues through dialogue and conversation.

Conceived by writer and literary activist Namita Gokhale, who is also the co-director of Jaipur Literature Festival and Mountain Echoes, Bhutan, the show will feature books, readings and encounters with writers from the spheres of Hindi, English, and various Indian languages, as well as guest appearances from international names and voices.

The show will be launched Aug 25. The early episodes will feature a diverse range of celebrated names including Ashok Vajpeyi, Amish Tripathi, Geetanjalishree, Mahesh Dattani, Mahmood Farooqui, Uday Prakash, Urvashi Butalia, Advaita Kala and Lord Meghnad Desai.

"The proliferation of literary festivals, including the incredible success of the Jaipur Literature Festival, has demonstrated the need and desire of audiences to connect with books and writers and to resonate with the world of ideas," said Gokhale in a statement Tuesday.

"The program will have a participatory and inclusive format and showcase the multilingual diversity of Indian literature," she added.

The weekend show will be aired on Saturday on DD National at 6 p.m and on Sunday on DD Bharti at 8 p.m.

As Doordarshan has over 90 percent footprint across the country, the show will reach out to the audience in the heartlands of India. This will in a way act as a bridge between the regional authors and lovers of literature.

"The show is among the positive steps that Doordarshan has recently taken to reach out to the soul of India when many others compete for the ears and eyes. Literature is the 'second opinion' that all nations have to seek for their own health, both mental and physical," said Jawar Sircar, CEO Prasar Bharti.

Remember how Bollywood actresses Asha Parekh and Mumtaz immortalised the bouffant and the bird's nest? With a little help from an expert, you too can don those hairdos.

Najeeb Ur Rehman, PPS Manager at Schwarzkopf Professional India, offers few tips to get the looks:

Asha Parekh’s bouffant: The hairstyle requires hair attachment. Leave the front panel of hair, use rest of the hair to make a high ponytail, roll all your natural hair around ponytail, fix an artificial hair attachment in order to give height. Then back comb front panel, take out a few bangs of hair to frame the face. The hairstyle requires a lot of hair spray as after every step we need to spray and fix the hair.

Mumtaz's birds’ nest: Blow dry the hair with a round brush. Take hot rollers and let them cool down. Back comb entire hair taking horizontal sections from the nape to the crown and then sides in a similar fashion. Once this is done, neatly pick up a circle or an oval from crown and pin it, this section will create a lot of height. The hairstyle is good for round and square faces, short height ladies. Hair spray will be required to create the hairdo.

Dimple Kapadia's blow-out: Apply serum on damp hair, blow dry hair with medium round brush, from back and sides. Take a square section and blow dry it back. It would be great if you use rollers especially on top crown, then use a hair spray to complete the look.

Working in TV shows means long shooting schedule and pressure but actress Divyanka Tripathi, who will be next seen in "Mera Tera Rishta Purana", says the best part about her new show is that the team is very professional.

"Mera Tera Rishta Purana" is from the Balaji Telefilms stable.

"This is my first experience with Balaji Telefilms and I had great time working with them. They are thorough professionals. They know their work and are always ready with the script, character and costumes," Divyanka told reporters Monday at the red carpet of SAB Ke Anokhe Awards.

Divyanka, who made her small screen debut with "Banoo Main Teri Dulhann", also performed at the award functions for Balaji Telefilms.

"I have heard a lot of rumours that Balaji group makes people work for long hours and there's lot of work pressure, but that's not completely true. An actor just needs to concentrate on his work..." she said.

"Mera Tera Rishta Purana", still waiting to get a slot on TV, is based on Manju Kapoor's novel "Custody". The actress said that they have modified the content for the sake of the audience.

"Since we have to make the show a bit of daily soap type, so that our audiences understand it and like it, certain modifications have been done. Audience will definitely like the show," Divyanka, who will be seen in a key role in the show, said.

"It is a beautiful story. It is a proper drama, there are some fun elements also," added actress.

Lara Dutta – Chhabra 555 is a line of ethnic wear that the B-town diva has designed for and co-licensed with the brand Chhabra 555.

After bedazzling everyone with her unique first collection of ethnic wear - suits and sarees, Lara Dutta Bhupathi is all set to launch her 2nd collection under ‘Lara Dutta – Chhabra 555’.

In association with Chhabra 555, one of the largest retailers of Indian ethnic wear for women, Lara forayed into the niche ethnic wear space last festive season. The association turned out to be hugely success with ethnic fashion creating a mass appeal and appreciation by women across the country.

Lara is all set to launch the 2nd collection under the label this year. The collection is primarily focused on high end bridal wear. She has designed and crafted the line keeping in mind the needs and expectations of the contemporary Indian woman.

The dynamic director Karan Johar chats with film journalist Indu Mirani about cinema and life on her chat show, 'The Boss Dialogues'. In this show, Karan opens up about his various roles, and his foray into serious acting with Anurag Kashyap's film. He also discusses why he decided to be part of reality shows and why he is termed as the agony uncle of Bollywood.

Ranbir Kapoor starrer Besharam boasts of a couple of special appearances. The title track features the director of the massy film, Abhinav Kashyap and the director of choreography, Remo D’souza shaking their legs to the catchy tunes.

Apparently, it was none other than Ranbir Kapoor who insisted that Abhinav and Remo should be a part of the song. In fact, the actor choreographed the shot with Abhinav and Remo. The trio had an amazing time while shooting for the song, which will be a treat to watch.

The makers of "Thalaivaa" couldn't have asked for more. Fans queued up from 6 in the morning, brought the film's reel on a chariot, and danced to celebrate the film's peaceful release here Tuesday.

After crossing roadblocks, Vijay starrer Tamil action drama "Thalaivaa" has finally released in Tamil Nadu and Pudicherry.

At the city's Udhayam theatre, fans brought the film's reel in a chariot, performed pooja and then carried it on their shoulders to the operator's room.

"It's a ritual to carry the reel of Vijay's films on a chariot. So, fans organised a chariot and brought the reel after performing pooja in a temple. They danced all the way from the temple to the theatre. Fans in the theatre poured milk on Vijay's life size cut outs and also put kumkum and garlanded on his posters," a representative of Udhayam theatre told IANS.

In Tamil Nadu, Thalaivaa hit approximately 405 screens.

"Fans were waiting for the theatre gates to open since 6 a.m. in the morning. They wanted to set up everything before the release of the film. Most of Vijay's fans wore t-shirts with his image on it and were dancing to his songs," said the representative.

"Thalaivaa", originally scheduled to come out Aug 9, was stalled after theatre owners received threats from a political outfit.

The film's producer Chandra Prakash Jain and director A.L. Vijay requested Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalitha to intervene.

"Thalaivaa" got a green signal after it the makers agreed to drop the tagline - Time to Lead - from its publicity stills and promotions for reasons unknown.

The film released peacefully across the state Tuesday.

"We didn't have any problem since morning. It has been a very smooth release. In some of the big and old theatres, police were deployed to ensure fans maintain decorum. The response has been phenomenal as thousands turned out to on a weekday to see the film," Sunil Jain, son of producer C.P. Jain, told IANS.

Amala Paul, Ragini Nandwani, Sathyaraj and Abhimanyu Singh also features in the film.

Mayajaal, one of the biggest multiplexes in the city, is running 50 shows of "Thalaivaa".

"We have had about 85-90 percent occupancy since morning. I'm sure it will drastically increase in the next few days and will be packed during the weekend," a representative of Mayajaal told IANS.

According to trade pundits, "Thalaivaa" is expected to have a big opening.

"Going by the response to the film since morning, it is likely to collect between Rs.5 crore and Rs.10 crore. Vijay's recent films have managed to reap gold on the release day in Tamil Nadu, and, 'Thalaivaa' will surely follow suit," said trade analyst Trinath.

Amrit Sagar, who recently wilelded the megaphone for not-so-successful comedy "Rabba Main Kya Karoon", says his next will be a suspense thriller and will start shooting the film next year.

Before "Rabba Main Kya Karoon", which starred Arshad Warsi, Riya Sen, Raj Babbar, Paresh Rawail, Sushmita Mukherjee, Tinu Anand, Himani Shivpuri, Sagar had directed National Award winning war film "1971".

"Right now I am scripting a suspense thriller. I had the script in mind for quite some time and for the last six years, I was trying to make it. Now, finally I have decided to make the film. It will go on floors by next year," Sagar told IANS.

Long time back, he had approached Manoj Bajpayee for the film.

Sagar said: "I had approached Manoj Bajpayee for this film, but he said he has done something similar before. Now let's see... I am working on the script."

"Suspense thriller has always done well provided the script is strong. If you have a convincing script, no one can stop you," he added.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar is all set to direct a love story titled "Mar Jawaa", which will go on floors by early next year.

It will be produced by Bhushan Kumar, who confirmed the news.

"We are working on the script right now. It's a full fledged love story with humour and emotions. The film will have six to seven songs. This is for the first time Madhur is attempting a love story," Kumar told IANS.

"Once we finish the script, we will start the casting. The film is titled 'Mar Jawaa'. Most probably the film will go on floors by early next year," he added.

Kumar said they may either rope in established actors or go for fresh faces.

"It's too early to talk about the star cast. We may either go for newcomers or for established stars, but we can talk about it only when the script is ready."

Bhandarkar is known for making issue based films like "Chandni Bar", "Page 3" and "Traffic Signal".

Shah Rukh Khan Tuesday announced a global integration with Twitter India and ZipDial and the collaboration will allow everyone across the country to follow and engage the superstar on Twitter via SMS.

With immediate effect anyone with a mobile phone can follow Shah Rukh on his Twitter handle - @iamsrk - by dialing or giving a missed call at 09015500555.

The experience works for any phone and any operator network and is completely free, irrespective of whether they have a Twitter account or data-enabled phone.

Commenting on the integration, Shah Rukh said: "I have always believed in the power of technology and use it in various ways to further my connection with my audience.

"In recent years, Twitter has been a magical place for me to engage with my fans. I hope all my fans in India will avail this new service to connect with me."

"I thank ZipDial and Twitter India for helping me inaugurate this innovation and help bring together my entire national audience who don't access Twitter. Very soon I hope to also expand this to multiple countries, languages and platforms," added SRK, who is riding on the success of "Chennai Express".

Rishi Jaitly, Twitter's India market director, said that Twitter is the world's leading real-time information network.

"Hundreds of millions of people follow the people and organizations that interest them. In India, Twitter among other things brings our users closer to their favourite stars and icons. We are pleased to see Shah Rukh Khan and ZipDial use the Twitter platform in this way," he said.

Shah Rukh Khan's latest film, "Chennai Express", which has set records at the box office, has also made Twitter history in India as the first film to be listed in the top trends for more than 10 consecutive days with innovative hashtags and multiple campaigns, said a statement.

The actor's chief digital strategist Shailja Gupta said: "Shah Rukh has a worldwide reach running into more than 3 billion, which is a tough act to match in comparision to some of the internationally renowned celebrities on Twitter.

"However, due to the demographics and limited number of data enabled phones and the exposure of Twitter in India the followings don't reflect the absolute popularity.

With the wide market of feature phones, lot of people in India don't use Twitter and we wanted to reach out to the maximum audience on the platforms they are available on. What better way than to use the SMS technology."

Shailja added: “Our target is to reach 50 million within a year."

Valerie Wagoner, ZipDial's founder & CEO, said that the ZipDial-Twitter service provides an unmatched platform to expand the reach of mobile content.

"We are delighted to help make this service available for Shah Rukh Khan and his vast Indian audience."

"Boom" fame director Kaizad Gustad says Indo-Canadian porn star-turned-Bollywood actress Sunny Leone is not just eye candy in his film "Jackpot". In fact, she is the mastermind of all that happens in the film.

"If you have Sunny Leone in your film, it cannot happen that you don't have something sexy about her. But she is not just a prop or background or eye candy to look pretty (in the film)," Gustad said here in an interview.

"I have actually given her a role where she is playing a kind of femme fatale... She is the actual mastermind of all the 'jhol' (mischief) in the film. I've tried to portray her in a very intelligent way," he added.

"Jackpot", set in Goa, also features Naseeruddin Shah and Sachiin Joshi. It marks the Bollywood debut of Tamil actor Bharat.

The director is impressed with Sunny's hard work and said that it's always nice for a filmmaker to work with actors who are as dedicated as her.

"What I liked about Sunny is her determination and hard work. I found it very refreshing. She is always on time, always ready, waiting and listening and wanting to do more," Gustad said.

Sunny made her Bollywood debut with "Jism 2". She rose to popularity in India after her stint on the fifth season of TV reality show "Bigg Boss".

They say records are made to be broken. All eyes are set on big names like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan to surpass the new success parameter set by Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Chennai Express" - which has earned a whopping Rs.156.70 crore ($25 million) in its first week.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, "Chennai Express", an approximately Rs.75 crore joint production venture of UTV Motion Pictures and Red Chillies Entertainment, released on the auspicious occasion of Eid, raced its way to success and has become the film to score Rs.100 crore fastest.

In fact, SRK, 47, who is relishing the success, believes that the no records matter, as they will be "equalled or bettered" in a few months.

If "Satyagraha" is coming out on Aug 30, the last quarter of the year will see the release of Ranbir's "Besharam", Hrithik's "Krrish 3" and Aamir's "Dhoom 3" - all much-awaited and much-talked about projects.

Although the budgets of the four films have not been revealed, an insider said that estimated expenditure on Prakash Jha's political thriller would be Rs.40 crore, while the budget of Abhinav Kashyap's funny drama could be over Rs.50 crore. Rakesh Roshan's high-on-special effects spectacle must have cost around Rs.90 crore.

The insider, however, refused to talk about the budget of Vijay Krishna Acharya's film, saying it is still in the making.

Many expected Akshay Kumar, known for giving maximum Rs.100 crore films, to break SRK's record with his gangster drama "Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara", which released close on the heels of "Chennai Express". But it neither dismantled SRK's film from the box office nor matched its success.

Amitabh leads the cast of "Satyagraha", which has Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpayee, Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Rao. The movie has a lot of pre-release buzz, thanks to the storyline, apparently inspired by social activist Anna Hazare.

"Besharam" is scheduled for Oct 2 release, while "Krrish 3", set to come out Nov 4, is expected to cash in on the Diwali festival frenzy. And "Dhoom 3" will cap the year when it hits theatres on Christmas, a period that has always proven lucky for the "Ghajini" star.

Distributors, who are not allowed to watch the content before release, are playing blind and banking on these films to earn profit.

Anant Verma, director and business head of DT Cinemas, has high expectations from "Krrish 3" and "Dhoom 3" - both fresh instalments of two of Bollywood's most successful franchises.

"I am expecting 'Dhoom 3' and 'Krrish 3' to do very well as they can be watched by all kinds of people and age groups," Verma told IANS.

Other distributors are too hoping that these films make the festive season profitable.

"Hrithik's 'Krrish 3' should do well. 'Satyagraha' is also coming up with big stars; so I am expecting it to be a hit too," said Puneet Sahay of Spice Cinemas.

This is so because apart from being part of big banners, these films boast some of the biggest names in Bollywood Boulevard, which helps lure audience to the theatre.

Also, promotions play a vital catalyst in augmenting footfalls at the cinema halls.

"A combination of script and star power helps to pull audience to halls. As well as the promo-attractiveness during the campaign, which plays a huge part in the opening of the film. These make a significant contribution to a must-see versus a maybe-seen," said Rafiq Gangjee, Vice President (marketing and communications) of Yash Raj Films, which is producing "Dhoom 3".

In terms of response, there is already a lot of buzz around "Dhoom 3" mainly because it has Aamir and also because he is playing a villain in the action thriller.

On the other hand, the highlight of "Krrish 3" is Hrithik's donning the superhero costume again and its trailer has reportedly broken the record of Hollywood films "Avengers" (almost six million) and "Thor" (almost four million) by gathering 12 million views in just 10 days on YouTube!

"Besharam", which will see Ranbir teaming up with his actor-parents Neetu and Rishi Kapoor for the first time on the big screen, too is making waves on the digital platform.

The official trailer of "Besharam" shared by Reliance Entertainment on YouTube has received 8,652 likes and 6,914 dislikes so far, while another promo shared by T-Series on the same site has got 1,289 likes and 740 dislikes. This shows a positive trend and if the film works, it will be a double bonanza for Ranbir, who is basking in the success of "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani".

Munish Sharma of Satyam Cinemas agrees that banners, actors and promotions help in the opening week collections, but feels ultimately, content rules. And this was true in the case of "Chennai Express".

"Banner, actors and how they are promoting the film help initial box office collections, but to sustain it, content is very important. Word of mouth is also important for any film post-release. If friends or relatives say good things about a film, people tend to watch it," he said.

"There have been films in the past that had newcomers, but managed to do well. For instance, 'Vicky Donor' had a fresh cast, but so was the subject," he added.

Actress Sangeeta Ghosh, who is back on television with “Kehta Hai Dil... Jee Le Zara”, after a self-imposed layoff of six years, says the break did her a world of good. And her marriage is not even remotely associated with it.

"Yes, I took a long break. But it wasn't because I got married. I took a break from television long before that. I just got tired of working day in and day out. I was missing out on my family life," Sangeeta told IANS.

“Television is very exhausting. It's also very difficult to get off that roller-coaster of round-the-clock shooting. But one fine day, I just said enough was enough, and I quit. And you know what? I am so glad I took that break.

"It helped me reconnect with all that is real and vital in my life. I also got a chance to be with my father in his last few years,” she added.

Sangeeta's comeback show “Kehta Hai Dil... Jee Le Zara”, went on air Aug 15. She says she is not back to the industry because she got restless.

"I didn't get bored of staying away from acting. In fact, I left because I was bored of seeing myself on television, although I must admit I didn't do that many serials. Still, I think I did more than enough. Now I am back because I want to work again. I feel I've something to offer as an actress,” she said.

Sangeeta, whose last fiction shows were "Rabba Ishq Na Hove" and "Viraasat", feels the TV industry has become more professional.

"The scripts are more well-knit, the characters are more believable and the competition is such that you can't drag on a serial unless it is liked by the viewers. The shooting crew is so much larger than it used to be earlier.

"Everyone is doing a specialised job on the sets. Work gets done faster,” said the actress, best known as Pammi from “Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand”.

Curiously, Sangeeta never did any “saas-bahu” (mother and daughter-in-law) serials.

"I was fortunate to not allow myself to get saturated on TV. It's not as if I didn't do any saas-bahu serials. It's just that I escaped getting stagnant in any genre. I think I made the right choices.

"I concentrated on television for as long as I could. Then I gave movies a try. Unfortunately, my films were shelved. But that's okay. What has to happen in life must happen,” said the 37-year-old.

She is kicked by the vastness of the television industry.

"I am very happy to be back with a serial that allows me to play my age and to do something that is real and connectable with life,” said Sangeeta, who essays the role of a girl in her 30s who has been looking after her family at the cost of her personal life.

Describing her character further, she said: "She enjoys doing what she is doing. She doesn't miss a personal life, though her grandparents pressurise her to get married. Then she meets a slightly younger boy, played by Ruslaan Mumtaz, who is just her opposite. He is reckless, brash and a spoilt brat. It's not a run-of-the-mill romance."

Sangeeta seems to be fully into TV again, but says: "Who knows? Two years from now I may take a break again. At the moment, I love my work."

Sangeeta says she can never do a reality show like “Bigg Boss”.

"But hats off to those celebrities who can play their lives out on camera. I am too private a person,” she said.