Tennis Ace Leander Paes's daughter Aiyana Paes makes a birthday cake for Leander at Sofitel Mumbai BKC with Chef Marzaban . The tennis player turns 40 on Monday, June 17.

The hotel will also host a special Father's day brunch for all guests on Sunday, June 16 at Pondichery Cafe.

Actor Divyendu Sharma followed up the success of comedy entertainer "Pyaar Ka Punchnama" with another comic project "Chashme Baddoor". He is now ready for some seriousness in his next movie "Zaalim Dilli".

"I don't want to do cliched roles. I want to do something different. In this film ('Zaalim Dilli'), it will be a serious kind of a role for the first time," Divyendu, who played the memorable character of Liquid in his debut film, told IANS.

Divyendu decides his films based on the script, and said he is never in a hurry to sign films.

"I just go with the script. If I like the script and my character, I go with it. I have to like the story," he said.

"I am not that kind of a person who, after giving a hit, signs two to three films. I have to like the script. I took my time after 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' and then signed 'Chashme Baddoor' after a while. I have to do things which I feel excited about and proud about," added the actor, who is originally from Delhi.

Divyendu said the fact that "Zaalim Delhi" was shot in the capital itself, added fun to the experience.

"It was very good. I am from Delhi, so shooting again in Delhi was good fun, and shooting with nice co-actors is always fun," he said.

In "Zaalim Dilli", directed by Jaspinder Kaur Baweja, Divyendu will be seen opposite actress Ira Dubey.

Film: "Fukrey"; Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Richa Chadda, Manjot Singh, Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma, Vishakha Singh, Priya Anand and Pankaj Tripathi; Director: Mrigdeep Singh Lamba; Rating: ***

There is something about the theatre of the absurd that brings on a volley of unwarranted nonsense in the filmmakers of this country.

Not this time. "Fukrey", about an eclectic bunch of no-good students poised between a rapidly-receding adolescence and a reluctant manhood is far funnier, more intelligent sharply-enacted and deftly executed than the recent, much-lauded "Kai Po Che".

And yes, though the boys think and talk a lot about sex, there is a refreshing absence of double-meanings in the dialogues.

In hindsight, both the screenplay and performances in "Kai Po Che" seem somewhat overrated. And I plead guilty to that crime of over-estimation. "Fukrey", with its inventive plot and wickedly dead-on characterisations is the kind of rare and precious comedy where the actors seem to have adopted their roles without considering their own ambitions as an actor. Each actor - from Pulkit Samrat to Richa Chadda to Pankaj Tripathi, shines meteorically in his or her allotted corner and yet manages to merge with writer-director Lamba's larger scheme of things.

And gosh, what schemers masquerading as daydreamers this delicious romp into the Delhi's rumbling underbelly this film throws forward! The fiercely individualistic style of storytelling visits places in Delhi where the stereotypes of middle-class life(girl courting boy from adjacent rooftop, working-class boy dreaming of attending a college filled with girls in short skirts, rave parties being busted by an overzealous cop, etc) flicker into shapes we have never seen before.

It's a familiar world recreated with warmth and humour. Delhi, as shot by cinematographer K. U. Mohanan, never seemed more designed to demonise young dreams, not even in Shoojit Sircar's "Vicky Donor". Sperms maybe bankable. Youthful dreams are the real financial challenge.

It's not just the unobtrusive ingenuity of the technicians that gives "Fukrey" its flamboyant funny and fresh flavour. "Fukrey" gets its palpable energy from its characters who, put simply, exude character. These are youngsters whom we know, and probably don't want to know.

There's the embarrassingly named Choocha (Varun Sharma) who dreams weird lottery-winning dreams and his cocky over-confident buddy Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) who interprets Choocha's get-rich-quick-by-hook-or-crook schemes. The duo's dreams of admission into a college of short-skirted girls is fuelled by a college watchman playred Pankaj Tripathi, who posseses a unique abilty to make even the commonest English word sound like an abuse.

Other characters - a mithai-wallah's somber Sardar son (Manjot Singh) and an irksomely bewildered wannabe musician Zafar (Ali Fazal), join in to get a foothold into a world where money comes to the dreamers's life from unexpected quarters. Joining the band of wannabe dudes is a female gangster who is not fat, imposing, uncouth and scary.

Richa Chadda's Bholi Punjaban is an eminently feline and sensual creature, wanton and immoral, cheesy and yet enchanting. Richa gives this unusual character a special spin. Her scenes with the naive and funny Choocha are among the finest funniest moments in the film. A close second are the scenes where Choocha is being put to sleep by his friends to dream up their riches. Looked at closely, such moments of unalloyed worth actually define a very dark and depressing truth about why today's 20-something ends up tied to a ceiling fan.

The film's inventive step-by-step unraveling of youthful avarice is played mostly at a flippant devil-may-care pitch. Not that Lamba's direction forbids emotional leeway. There is an eminently poignant moment in a dingy government hospital where the dreamer-musician Ali's father's urine sample has to be collected by his son.

It's a moment that melts the mirth into a heap of despair.

Watch the emotional and physical detailing of this sequence to know how diligently Lamba has crafted his tale of greed, male bonding, backsteeet badmaashi, sun-splashed revelry, surreptitious romancing, coming of age and yes, one of the most interesting female gangster characters written for Hindi cinema.

In this rugged tongue-in-cheek bro(ke)-mance, Lamba cracks the comic code far more confidently than he did in his first film "Teen They Bhai".

The performances make you thankful and relieved. At last, our cinema has moved on from its fixation with a known bunch of stars to explore talent that is refreshing and unique. Richa Chadda, Manjot Singh, Pankaj Tripathi and Varun Sharma are in terrific form, but it's Pulkit Samrat who is clearly the star of the show.

If I had made "Kai Po Che", I'd wonder why my film wasn't as savagely funny as "Fukrey".

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, a doting dad of Aryan and Suhana, has been voted India's most popular father in a Father's Day poll conducted by a web site. He got more votes than megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has a daughter and a son.

The results of the poll, conducted among over 11,000 Indian women, by matrimonial site Shaadi.com, were announced a day ahead of Father’s Day Sunday.

Shah Rukh received 34.83 percent votes while Amitabh was chosen by 31.58 percent of the women surveyed. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took the third spot with 18.61 percent.

"The poll showcases some of the most successful Indian men whose love and dedication also makes them popular fathers. This suggests that people are looking at celebrities as real people with real relationships," Gourav Rakshit, COO, Shaadi.com, said.

The poll also posed other questions to the respondents.

In the survey for the country's most popular father-daughter relationship, Big B took the top spot along with his daughter Shweta, who is married to businessman Nikhil Nanda.

Veteran actor Jeetendra and her film producer daughter Ekta Kapoor got 35.06 percent votes followed by father-daughter duo Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor (22.42 percent).

Also, 44.85 percent Indian women voted for Shah Rukh and his son Aryan as India’s most popular father-son duo.

At the music launch of Sanjay Dutt-starrer "Policegiri", producer Rahul Aggarwal unveiled a vinyl board on which fans can post their messages for the actor, who is currently in jail. The message board will travel to different cities during the film's promotion.

"We will unveil a vinyl (board) on which everyone here will write a message, and we will carry it (the board) to all the cities we are travelling to. There also, people will write a message to Sanjay Dutt, and we will make sure (the board) gets to him," Aggarwal said here Friday.

Sanjay is serving his 42-month prison sentence at the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune, in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case. He plays the lead role of a policeman in "Policegiri", the Hindi remake of Tamil blockbuster "Saamy".

The film's lead actress, Prachi Desai, said it is the responsibility of the film's team to give their best in promoting the project in Sanjay's absence.

"It is a huge responsibility because all the people who love him expect him to be around. I am sure if he was here, people would have been looking forward to seeing him a lot more," the 24-year-old said here.

Nevertheless, the team's spirits are high.

"Since he (Sanjay) is not here, we all are doing our best and keeping our spirits high. That is something we learned from him. He was holding his strength so hard and he shot with us till the last day (before he went to prison). We are doing everything we can for him," she said.

Directed by debutant K.S. Ravikumar, "Policegiri", releasing July 5, also stars Prakash Raj.

Actress Sonam Kapoor has clarified that she shares a "good" friendship with her "Aisha" co-star Abhay Deol, and says if the case was otherwise and she had problems with him, she wouldn't have worked with him in the forthcoming "Raanjhanaa".

Post the 2010 film, Abhay had commented how he felt too much attention was paid to the styling in the movie. That triggered Sonam's father, actor Anil Kapoor to react, leading to a sort of war of words. However, Sonam says all's well between her and the actor.

"Abhay and I have been really good friends. We love working with each other, and we are very good friends," Sonam said here.

"I know what's going on in his life and he knows what's going on in my life - we are friends to that extent! I wouldn't be working with Abhay if I had any problem with him," she said, adding: "If I don't like somebody I am very clear about it."

"Raanjhanaa", directed by Anand L. Rai, also features southern actor Dhanush in a key role. It releases June 21.

Actress Richa Chadda does not feel any limitation as an actress, but she says as a person, she ends up trusting people easily and often gets cheated.

“My limitations are as a person. I am a person before being an actess, so as a person, I am very trusting. I trust people very easily and I get cheated very often in money, in life, in relations," Richa, who plays the role of Bholi Punjaban in "Fukrey", told IANS.

“I am exactly opposite from the kind of roles I do on screen," added the actress, who was earlier seen in "Gangs Of Wasseypur".

The actress is glad that till now, she has managed to be "safe" from any personal attacks in the industry.

"I am safe right now because there are not personal attacks. Some personal attacks are disturbing and one should not forget that we are human being before being actors," she said.

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Javed Akhtar sends last telegrams to grandkids

Writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar has sent his "last telegrams" to his grandchildren, and his wife, actor-activist Shabana Azmi hopes they "treasure" them as the age-old telegram service is reportedly coming to an end July 15.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has decided to discontinue the 160-year-old telegram service.

"Javed (Akhtar) just sent his last telegrams to both grandchildren. Hope they will treasure them. Pure nostalgia for us and some sadness," tweeted Shabana.

Akhtar was previously married to film writer Honey Irani. He has two children with her - actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar.

Farhan is married to hairstylist Adhuna, and together, they have two children named Shakya and Akira.

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Varun geared up for Karan's next film

He made his Bollywood debut with Karan Johar's film “Student of the Year” and now actor Varun Dhawan is gearing to work with the filmmaker again. He says a formal announcement for the project will be made soon.

"Karan has just spoken about it. Very soon Karan will make a proper announcement with the cast and the crew," Varun told IANS.

"Student of The Year" was also the launchpad for actors Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra.

TV actress Aakanksha Singh, who plays mother-in-law to actor Siddharth Arora's character Beera in "Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2", says off-screen too they behave as a typical 'saas' (mother-in-law) and 'damaad' (son-in-law).

"Even off-screen I call him 'damaad ji', and he is used to calling me 'saasu ma'. There is no 'Hi' or 'Hello' between us," Aakanksha said here Friday on the set of the show.

A pre-wedding ceremony sequence was being shot on the show's set, with 'haldi' (turmeric) being smeared on Beera. The show airs on Colors.

Former Indian skipper Krishnamachari Srikkanth was Saturday eliminated from "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (JDJ) 6". Known to be a free flowing and attacking batsman, he came with the motto to dance naturally. He entertained but had to leave just after a week only.

Srikkanth, who was the second contestant to get eliminated from JDJ after actor-comedian Suresh Menon, entered the show June 8 as a a surprise entry.

Along with his choreographer Amrita Moitra, he was in the bottom three with actors Shweta Tiwari and Karanvir Bohra.

The episode was called "Dance fusion week" and the the contestants were asked to perform on two or more dance forms.

Now Drashti Dhami, Shweta Tiwari, Karanvir Bohra, Siddharth Shukla, Meghna Malik, Ekta Kaul, Lauren Gottlieb, Shaan, Aarti Chabaria Sonali and Sumant are vying for the top honour.

The weekend show comes on Colors channel at 9 p.m.

National Award winning Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty, known for his performance in "Mrigaya" and "Agneepath", will make his Telugu debut in an important role in Satya Prabhas' directorial debut.

The yet-to-be-titled thriller will feature Satya's brother Aadi Pinisetty as well as Nikitha in the lead roles.

"Initially, Mithun sir was not interested to be part of the film, but after he heard the story, he couldn't say no and instantly agreed to be part of the project. We have roped him for a very important role. I don't want to talk about it now," Satya Prabhas, director of the film, told IANS.

Aadi and Satya are the sons of veteran Telugu director Raviraja Pinisetty, known for helming Telugu films such as "Yamudiki Mogudu", "Jwala" and "Chanti".

"My brother and I promised our father that we will enter films after we complete our education. Aadi entered a few years back and now I'm making my debut with the film," said Satya, a management graduate.

Satya says the film is inspired by real incidents.

"I wrote the script keeping in mind some incidents that happened to my friends as the story basically revolves around friendship," he said.

The film, which will go on floor soon, will be produced by Raviraja Pinisetty under his home banner Adarsha Chitralaya Films.

Television actress Rucha Gujarathi, who receNtly got divorced, says she came out of the rough phase with dignity.

"Kkusum" and "Bhabhi" fame actress married businessman Mitul Sanghavi on Oct 24, 2010, and according to reports, in June last year she filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws for abusing her physically and mentally. Soon after that the couple filed for divorce, which came through in April this year.

"I have dealt with it gracefully. I have come out of it with dignity and respect. I know that it was a marriage which didn't work, so I have no regrets. I am single and we have parted ways," Rucha told IANS.

Her decision was supported by her family and friends, making it easier for her to move on.

"My family and friends are my strength and they respect my decision. So, when they respect my decision, there is no problem in facing them. They have held my hand during my downhill," she said.

Rucha has also been part of shows like "Rang Badalti Odahni" and "Saas Bina Sasural", among others.

He wowed everyone with his storytelling technique in award winning movie "Do Dooni Chaar" and buoyed by the positive response to his middle-class drama, director Habib Faisal says he will certainly make a sequel to the film, but is waiting for a "kick-ass" script. Lead actor Rishi Kapoor is equally excited about the idea.

The 2010 movie starring Rishi and Neetu Singh in the lead roles along with Archit Krishna and Aditi Vasudev brought the story of a middle-class family's predicament when they decide to buy a four-wheeler. The light-hearted drama not only wowed the movie-goers, but also won National Award for best Hindi film.

"I want to make a sequel to the film and I know that Rishi and Neetuji are equally exited to be part of it, so there is a possibility for the sequel. Right now I don't have the script because I need a kick-ass script and I don't know when the script will get ready," Habib Faisal told IANS.

"If not better, the sequel should be at least as good as the first one. I certainly desire to make a sequel to the film in future, but now there is no concrete idea as such," he added.

Meanwhile, Rishi, who is tied up with a lot of projects this year, said: "I am really excited about the sequel and I would love to be part of it, but I haven't heard anything from the other end."

He sailed into Bollywood riding on the hit movie "Student Of The Year" (SOTY), but the success of his first film has not influenced Varun Dhawan.

"I think it is too early for all that (stardom). I just feel like an actor now and whose performance people really liked, hence they want to support and love (me). I feel it is important for me to support things, which I believe in," Varun told IANS.

He is the son of director-producer David Dhawan, known for films like "Hero No.1", and Varun is proud of his film legacy, but points out that he cannot take a piggy ride on his dad's successful career.

Measuring success with practical yardstick, the youngster said: "I am my father's son. It is not my fault that my father happens to be famous and good at his job. I am proud to have a father like him. At the same time I have to make my own space. If you don't achieve, then people won't care. I think each person has their own journey to fulfil."

For his next, he has teamed up with his father in "Mein Tera Hero". After that Karan Johar, who launched him in his directorial venture SOTY, has roped him in for his next venture.

"I feel very privileged and happy that these people are there. They are ready to experiment and try things, which is amazing for new talent," said the 26-year-old.

Thanks to the success of his film, he has bagged couple of brand endorsements too. He is endorsing chat application - We Chat - along with Parineeti Chopra and is also seen in Coca Cola new ad.

Varun likes to do launches when he is free.

"I think it is good to spread social awareness and be in touch with current trend. As a person, who is in the public view, if you are not up-to-date, you will get outdated. I guess when I am not working and have the time to do this, I will do it," he said.

How do you de-stress yourself?

"I watch movies, read a book, surf the net...I love travelling, I can go for a holiday or spend time with the family," he said.

Benagli actress Paoli Dam made her Bollywood debut with erotic thriller "Hate Story" last year, but she is happy that she is not getting typecast in Hindi filmdom.

"The industry has been very kind to me. I am happy that I debuted with 'Hate Story' and despite that I didn't get typecast in Bollywood. I am doing different kind of roles in Hindi cinema," Paoli told IANS.

She also featured in recently relased medical thriller "Ankur Arora Murder Case", which has been produced by Vikram Bhatt.

Another achievement that the actress is proud of is that despite being an outsider, she has proved herself in Bollywood.

"I know it's difficult to make a mark in Bollywood if you are a outsider. I don't have any godfather and I am happy that I have reached here without any backup," said the actress who has been part of Bengali cinema since 2006 and did Bengali films like "Agnipariksha", "Kaalbela" and "Chatrak".

Prabhudheva debuted as a director in Bollywood with hit film "Wanted" and its success turned over a new leaf in Salman Khan's life. Once again the choreographer-turned-director is planning to team up with the star for an action-packed drama.

Post "Wanted", Salman hit the bull's eye at the box office with a slew of hit action dramas like "Dabangg", "Ready", "Bodyguard" and "Dabangg 2".

"Now people want Salman to do only action. It may be an action film with Salman. The story and the script have not been locked yet, so can't comment on it," he said.

The film will be produced by Tips Industries Limited.

It's a known fact that "Wanted" success revived Salman's career, but Prabhudheva refuses to take the credit.

He said: "I don't take the credit at all. If I would not have directed, someone else would have directed him. He has a huge fan following."

His other Hindi film - "Rowdy Rathore" - was also an action drama, but the director said: "People accepted me as a action film director, but I am more romantic director as I am a choreographer before so with dance romance comes naturally."

In fact, his next directorial venture "Ramaiya Vastavaiya", starring Girish Taurani and Shruti Haasan, is a romantic movie. It is slated for a July 19 release.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh's actor-father Yograj Singh, who will be seen as Farhan Akhtar's coach in "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", says working in the film has been an emotional experience for him as it reminded him of his training days with son.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directed biopic on Olympian athlete Milkha Singh will see Farhan in the title role when it comes out July 12.

"I am playing Milkha Singh's coach. It has been a great, wonderful and very emotional experience. Whatever I wanted from life, I have got it (through the film). Emotionally, it was as good as being with Yuvraj Singh during his training period, when he was young," Yograj told IANS.

Active in Punjabi films, the actor bonded well with Farhan on the sets of the movie.

"There has been a great bonding between me and Farhan sir. It is a relationship between a coach and his student. I have always felt that a coach and a student are like a mother and a child... The relationship that I shared with Yuvi (Yuvraj), the same thing I had with Farhan sir," he said.

Yograj has been part of many Punjabi films like "Badla Jatti Da", "Jagga Daku" and "Jidd Jattan Di", but "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" is special for him.

"There were times when Rakeysh sir left things on me. It was such a great experience. It will be close to my heart. I feel this film will change the course of the industry," he said.

Sonali Bendre stays away from the big screen but she made an exception for Milan Luthria directed "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara" (OUATIMD) and says her association with the director goes back a long way and that is why she agreed to do the "guest appearance" in the underworld drama.

Produced by Balaji Motion Pictures, the film features her as Mumtaz. She will be seen on the big screen after a gap of 10 years when the film releases Aug 15.

Sonali's last big screen outing was again a guest appearance in Shah Rukh Khan, Priety Zinta and Saif Ali Khan starrer "Kal Ho Naa Ho", in which she had played a doctor.

"The film is directed by Milan Lutharia and I have known him since a long time. He used to assist (Mahesh) Bhatt sahab and my first ever song 'Sambhala hai maine...' was shot by Milan. So the equation and the relationship go very far back," Sonali, who is married to Goldie Behl, told IANS.

"Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara" stars Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha in the main leads.

Another reason for Sonali to give a nod to "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara" was its producer Shobha Kapoor, who is a good friend of her mother-in-law.

"Shobha aunty has been friends with my mother-in-law for the past 40 years. So, when she calls her and asks for me to do something, I can't say no to her. So it's just that," said the actress known for films like "Sarfarosh" and "Zakhm".

"I have not charged them for anything. So it's not a professional kind of a thing for me, it's just a guest appearance that I am doing for the people that are involved in it. It's a very interesting literal role," added the 38-year-old who is happily married, has a son and enjoys spending time with him.

The dance reality show “Dance India Dance Super Moms” may have given wings to several women and choreographer Marzi Pestonji, one of the judges on the show, says their life stories are shocking.

The 15-week series airs on Zee TV. Mithun Chakraborty is seen in the role of Grand Master on the show.

“You will be stunned after hearing their stories... if you hear their stories, you will surely feel that you shouldn't be complaining about things in your life... Actually, you cannot afford to complain,” Marzi told IANS.

“You will think that your problems are of zero importance in front of theirs. Their stories will shock you - girls getting married at 14, giving birth at 15 - it will make you think about the culture we live in,” he added.

The choreographer started his career on the small screen through “Dance India Dance Doubles”, where he judged the show along with choreographers Geeta Kapur and Rajeev Surti and later he judged “Dance India Dance Li'l Masters 2”.

Now he is in the judges' panel for “Dance India Dance Super Moms” along with Farah Khan and Terence Lewis.

Marzi says that the participants are quite talented and their performances are going to wow the viewers.

“We have often heard women saying their husband or mothers-in-law do not support them, but on this show women have their husbands and mothers-in-law coming out to support them and standing by their side while they perform,” he said.

He added: “In fact, when we ask husbands how they will manage if their wives get selected, they say that they will take leave and stay at home.”

How will the show benefit the participants?

“The show is giving them a platform to achieve their dreams. They will be able to make a name for themselves,” he said.

Awaiting the release of his highly anticipated sequel "Singam 2", Tamil director Hari Gopalakrishnan feels it's very likely that sequels may become popular provided filmmakers create opportunities to make them with conviction.

"Singam 2" is the sequel to highly successful Tamil action-drama "Singam" and it is coming out July 5.

"Sequels have been an alien concept in Tamil cinema for very long time. But the scenario has changed in the last few years, allowing a spate of sequels to hit the screens. And it is likely to increase with time, sooner or later," Hari told IANS.

Some of the recent sequels in Tamil include "Billa 2", "Muni 2 - Kanchana" and "Naan Avanillai 2".

"Since sequels are gradually gaining momentum, it is very important that they are made with fervour, and not just for fun. Most sequels are made because the first part was successful, but not because someone wanted to make a two-part film since beginning," he added.

But, wasn't "Singam 2" made because "Singam" was a hit?

"Even though I had the idea of a sequel while making 'Singam', I wasn't sure if it would ever be made. However, it was Suriya who encouraged me since his fans wanted to see him in a sequel. The first part had an ending, which gave me a lead to connect the story with the sequel," he said.

"It's very important for the sequel to have some kind of association with its predecessor as it helps the audiences to connect instantly. That is why I included all my characters from the first part in the sequel with a few additions," said Hari.

In fact, the "Singam" success paved way for its Hindi remake as "Singham", starring Ajay Devgn.

Do sequels bear a high percentage of risk?

"I think risk is associated with every film, but with sequels, in particular, one can say that it is higher, especially if the prequel was a hit. I made 'Singam 2' because Suriya's fans wanted it, therefore, automatically the stakes have gone high," he explained.

"I also had to ensure that the second part was grander than the first. Audiences loved the character played by Suriya in 'Singam'. Therefore, I had to ensure it looked different and larger in terms of characterization, performance and even screen aura in the sequel," he said.

Besides "Singam 2", other sequels in the offing include "Vishwaroopam 2", "Kanchana 3" and "Aayirathil Oruvan 2".

Hari, known for churning out Tamil blockbusters such as "Saamy" and "Ayya", says sequels help in creating a brand.

"With 'Singam 2', I'm sure the name 'Singam' will no longer be just a name, but a brand. I think this is applicable to any sequel but it all depends on the success of the film. An unsuccessful sequel can even tarnish the image of the first part or parts in a series," he added.

Hari, who has already teamed up with Suriya's brother Karthi for his next outing, says it's early to speak of a "Singam 3".

The much awaited Tamil remake of Telugu blockbuster "Maryada Ramanna", titled "Vallavanuku Pullum Aayudham", was supposed to go on floors a few months back. But the cameras will start rolling for it in July.

"We were busy finalising few things all these days. The film is expected to go on floors from July, and we are planning to wrap it up in few schedules," the film's director Srinath, told IANS.

"Currently, we are busy zeroing in on the leading lady, which we are likely to announce soon," added Srinath.

Tamil comedian-actor Santhanam will reprise the lead role of Sunil Varma. He was lauded for his performance in the original.

"Maryada Ramanna" has already been remade in Hindi as "Son of Sardaar", in Kannada as "Maryade Ramanna" and in Bengali as "Faande Poriya Boga Kaande Re".

"Vallavanuku Pullum Aayudham" will be produced by PVP Cinemas.