Known for his memorable performances in Telugu films such as "Ashta Chamma" and "Pilla Zamindar", actor Avasarala Srinivas will wield the megaphone for a yet-to-be titled Telugu romantic-comedy.

"Srinivas's film will be a full-length comedy entertainer. He has been a great actor and comedian. I'm sure he will translate the funny side in him on screen with this film. We have zeroed in on Naga Shourya as the lead, while the hunt for the rest of cast is on," the film's producer Sai Korrapati, told IANS

Sai has previously produced Telugu films "Eega" and "Andala Rakshasi".

"I have also announced another film with debutant director Srinivas Gogineni. This film will be an out-and-out action entertainer. As a producer, I would like to give opportunities to as many newcomers as possible. The industry needs creative films and this is my way of showing my support," he added.

The shooting for both the films is expected to start soon.

With five back-to-back flops, actor Srikanth's career has hit a rough patch, but he is confident that he will bounce back with upcoming Telugu action-drama "Kshatriya".

"I believe 'Kshatriya' will bring me back in the league. I know some of my recent films didn't do well, but I believe this film won't let me down. This is just a rough patch and I'm confident that this too shall pass," Srikanth told IANS.

He says the success of a film matters the most to a producer.

"I have faced success and failure in my career. I have come out of trying times every single time, but I believe when a film doesn't do well, its producer takes the beating. Therefore, I think success of a film matters the most to a producer," he added.

"Kshatriya", which is gearing up for release soon, is directed by Uday Chand. It also features Kumkum, Kota Srinivas Rao, Rao Ramesh and Jayaprakash Reddy.

Actor Ashutosh Rana has been reportedly approached to participate in the upcoming edition of celebrity dance reality show "Nach Baliye" along with his actress wife Renuka Shahane.

"Ashutosh Rana and Renuka Shahane have been approached for the show. However, they are yet to confirm their presence," a source from the show's unit told IANS.

Others who have been reportedly approached for the sixth edition of the show include Mohit Raina, Vivian D'sena, Nakuul Mehta, Indo-Canadian actress Sunny Leone, chef Kunal Kapoor, "Masterchef India 2" winner Ripudaman Handa, former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Rakesh Bapat, along with their spouses or partners.

TV actors Jay Bhanushali and Mahii Vij won the last season of "Nach Baliye", which ended earlier this year. The show is aired on Star Plus.

Ram Kapoor is ready to share the screen space with his wife Gautami yet again. He will be seen in a cameo in her comeback show "Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi".

Gautami is returning to the small screen after five-and-half years. Ram will play a cameo in the show to support her with her comeback.

The real life couple last played a reel-life couple in the film "Student Of The Year".

Ram and Gautami met on the sets of their TV show "Ghar Ek Mandir". The couple got married in 2003, and they now have two children.

"Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi" is the story of a teenaged girl named Ami, who wants people around her to understand her. The show explores the life of this impressionable young girl who has lost the only man who ever understood her - her father, to AIDS. Gautami plays her mother Shruti in the show.

The creative team of the show is currently working out an interesting way to integrate Ram's cameo into the track of the show.

"Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi" went on Zee TV Monday.

He hasn't got an opportunity to groove to a song so far in his films, but actor Vijay Sethupathi's fans will now get to see him groove for the first time in upcoming Tamil comedy "Idharkagathane Aasaipattai Balakumara" (IAB).

"Dancing is supposed to be fun, but for me it wasn't easy because I haven't danced before in my films. It gave me the jitters, but thanks to my supportive dance master Raju Sundaram, I managed to pull it off," Vijay told IANS.

"Overall, it was a very different experience and I hope my fans will enjoy it," he added.

Vijay, who rose to fame with three back-to-back blockbusters such as "Pizza", "Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom" and "Soodhu Kavvum", says he didn't miss dancing.

"There is no hard and fast rule that a hero should always dance. There was no scope for dancing in my earlier films, and therefore, I didn't have a problem with it. This film's story required me to dance, so I did it. I wouldn't say I missed dancing, but it definitely is fun," he added.

Having played a pizza delivery boy, short-term memory loss patient and a kidnapper in his past films, Vijay will be seen in totally different role in IAB.

"I ensure that there is something different in every role that I take up. In IAB, I speak the local Chennai lingo; play a character synonymous to the spirit of a localite. My accent will be one of my biggest highlights of my role," he said.

Directed by Gokul, IAB also features Nandita, Swathi Reddy and Ashwin Kakumanu. The film is slated to release soon.

Vijay is also awaiting the release of Tamil drama "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum", while he is also busy shooting for Tamil films "Rummy" and "Sangudevan".

He also has three Tamil films in the offing.

Veteran actor Danny Denzongpa, who has been part of many Hindi films in the past, plans to direct a film once again.

A source close to the actor revealed: "He has directed films in the past and now he has lot of scripts ready with him which he wants to direct. He is busy choosing the right script and when he is convinced, he may direct soon."

Danny had earlier directed the 1980 film "Phir Woh Raat".

As of now, the 65-year-old actor is looking forward to the release of "Boss", which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead, and the Hrithik Roshan-starrer "Bang Bang".

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the Global Diversity Award in the British Parliament Wednesday.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) there is more activity and honour coming my way, by meeting up with the Speaker of the parliament and to be taken around to the most private and secure parts of the structure, ending in presenting me with the Global Diversity Award...so humbling," he posted on his blog.

This won't be Big B's first international honour. In July 1999, he was named the Greatest Star of stage or screen of the Millennium in a poll by BBC.

In 2000, his wax statue was unveiled in Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London. In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville.

The megastar, who has appeared in over 180 films, including big hits like "Zanjeer", "Sholay" and recent ones like "Baghban" and "Paa", was accorded France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour, by the French government in 2007 for his exceptional career in cinema and beyond.

Amitabh carried the Olympic Torch relay in London, a day before the opening ceremony of 30th Games in 2012.

Actress Katrina Kaif attended Ganapati visarjan (immersion) ceremony at her former beau Salman Khan's sister's house.

Katrina, who is known to be very close to the Khan family, made sure she was present on the auspicious occasion. Several Bolywood celebrities, including Karisma Kapoor and Sangeeta Bijlani, too attended the festivities Tuesday evening along with entire Khan family.

Salman has been welcoming Lord Ganesha for the past 11 years at his Galaxy Apartment here, but this year the celebration was shifted to his younger sister Arpita's house.

The Ganesh puja, which started with the installation of the idol Sep 9, continued for one and a half days at Arpita's house.

Thinking of hitting the gym in your worn out t-shirt and a pair of old pants? Rethink, as you may end up looking like a total misfit amid the flurry of fashion and fitness conscious people who are grabbing chic and stylish clothes and accessories to make a statement and stand out in the crowd.

Neons and vibrant colours have especially brightened up the sportswear segment in the country, and given the association of varied designers with sporswear brands, the trend only seems to be on the upswing.

Globally, sportswear has a major influence on fashion because of the popularity of sports among youth, says Adidas India brand director Tushar Goculdas.

"We are seeing this phenomenon in India as well and there is a growing visibility of youth sporting their favourite football or basketball jersey at pubs, bars and parties," Goculdas told IANS.

Adidas Originals, the iconic sports-inspired streetwear brand, has launched new collections which have eccentric design elements fused in. American designer Jeremy Scott adds his expertise of using fun colours and interesting designs to jazz up the brand's offerings.

Puma, another global sports lifestyle brand, has tried to add the fashion punch to its collection by incorporating the much-loved animal prints into their latest autumn-winter line. The prints can be seen as graphics in apparel, accessories, wind jacket and slipstream footwear for men, while for the women, a wide range of shoes, track pants and hoodies adorn the style statement from the 1960s.

Overall, some trends that are catching the fancy in the fitnesswear range are bright colours, especially in footwear. Also, the use of gold, silver, red and yellow in terms of colour is very visible, while some brands are using a bit of glitter too.

Among garments, football and basketball jerseys and sports-inspired track-tops are rapidly growing. Colour blocking is growing stronger as a trend along with fabric blocking too.

Ankita Mehendiratta, a young college-goer, says wearing jazzy colours to the gym makes her feel confident and happy, while for computer engineer Abhay Gulati, it is all about the "feel good" factor. And such youngsters are readily splurging thousands of rupees to create a holistic workout wardrobe.

Several brands have tried to leverage on this growing demand by tying up with established designers to create ranges that are sporty and yet spell fashion loud and clear.

Designer Aniket Satam has created a collection titled Energies for sportswear brand Attiva.

"Sports and being fit are more like a lifestyle statement today," he said.

"Clashing of such garments for multi-purpose functionality is a common styling scenario. The line between utility-driven garment categories like fitness, yoga, pilates, leisure, lounging and casual wear are slowly blurring as people are getting more multifunctional and busy juggling many activities in their ever-busy 24-hour schedule," Satam said.

Therefore, he said, "the role of a well-designed smart set of casual designs like track suits easily pass through as travel wear, cruise wear or simply smart casuals or semi-formal dressing".

"Designs like zipper jumpers, tank tops, crop tops and track suits are silhouettes, which are in vogue and basically derived from active wear innovation," Satam added.

Manish Arora was amongst the first few designers to launch a sportswear-inspired line, Fish Fry, in association with Reebok.

Last year Adidas signed a five-year strategic partnership with Delhi-based fashion designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil to launch the S&N Adidas line for Adidas Style Essentials.

The fitness frenzy catching up among the young and old alike; so is the demand for such garments.

Now, when we talk about glamour and style, can Bollywood's fashion aficianados be left behind? Some trendsetters from the Hindi film world have also played their part in opening up the market for funky sportswear.

Actresses like Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and Shipa Shetty have propelled fashion in the fitness world via their exercise DVD series, yoga books and health-based shows. These fit and fabulous divas look so perfectly svelte that several girls aim to emulate their style while working out in real life.

Satam pointed out how many sportswear labels are signing popular faces from Bollywood to endorse and promote their new lines for more visibility and commercial success.

National Award-winning actor Annu Kapoor is gearing up for his next film titled "Muavza", a satire on the lives of the nouvea riche of Delhi-National Capital Region.

The actor, who won the National Award for the best supporting actor for his performance in the movie "Vicky Donor", will be seen as Bechu Bhai in "Muavza".

Describing his role, he said: "Bechu Bhai is a guy found in every mohalla (colony), every street and every village or city."

The film is being produced by Jagdish P. Gupta and directed by Girish Juneja.

Gupta said: "'Muavza' is an interesting satire focusing on how the expansion of Delhi and NCR into neighbouring villages has turned worthless lands of a few villagers into worth of millions."

"Muavza" is meant to be rib-tickling and sarcastic look at how the lifestyle of these villagers change, their identity crisis and their raw approach to everything.

The movie also stars Akhilendra Mishra, Pankaj Beri, Govind Pandey, Deepak Verma, Tejinder, Kamlesh Gill and Manoj Bakshi.

Actress Gulfam Khan will soon join the cast of TV show "Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon". She will play the role of a choreographer.

The 41-year-old will be seen supporting the show's protagonist Madhubala like a mother figure. The actress has already started shooting for the part.

"I am playing the role of a choreographer. The character will support Madhubala (played by Drashti Dhami) on the show," Gulfam told IANS.

Gulfam has earlier been part of shows like "R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya" and "Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein".

She is excited about being a part of "Madhubala...", which airs on Colors.

"The show is very popular. It's a good role and I am sure people would love to see me as a choreographer," she said.

The show also features actor Vivian D'Sena in a key role.

As many as 100 school and college students chose to partly shave off their heads for an upcoming biopic "Ramanujan", based on the life of popular mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Produced by Camphor Cinema, the Indo-British collaboration venture is a period film based in the 1900 era. Director Gnana Rajasekaran wanted Tamil Brahmin boys with half-shaved heads with only top knots for the movie.

The filmmakers had to persuade Tamil Nadu's Vedic School and Kumbakonam Government college students who had come forward to act, to shave off their heads.

“It was indeed a task. Local students of Kumbakonam Government college, who came forward to act, weren't interested in shaving their heads. I explained the importance and seriousness of the film and requested the students to shave their heads as Ramanujan went to the same college as them," producer Vatsan Nadathur said in a statement.

The boys did not agree until assistant scriptwriter Roxane de Rouen and assistant director Nandita Rajasekaran decided to tell the boys that girls find bald men attractive, revealed Nadathur.

"The moment one of those men accepted, we immediately got that person's head shaved lest he change his mind," he added.

The film will track the journey of Ramanujan from Kumbakonam to Cambridge. Actor Abhinay Vaddi will be playing the lead role. It also features Bhama, Suhasini Mani Ratnam and British actor Kevin McGowan.

The movie is being simultaneously shot in Tamil and English.

Akshay Hariharan, son of noted singer Hariharan, wants music maestro A.R. Rahman to sing for him.

"If I compose something like a qawwali, then I would love Rahman-ji (A.R. Rahman) to sing for me. That is one of my dreams," Akshay told reporters here at an event to support eco-friendly Green Ganesha.

As of now, Akshay has worked with singer Asha Bhosle in his Bollywood debut as a composer in "Black Home". In "Black Home", the songs have been sung by Hariharan, Asha Bhosle and Suraj Jagan, while Akshay has composed the music for the film.

The talented composer also talks about his yet untitled album, which is a fusion of electronic music and Indian classical.

"I have a solo album coming up with Universal Music. Most probably it will be released in UK. It is a mixture of electronic music with Indian classical," said Akshay, who made his debut as a music composer with a Marathi film "Kokanastha".

Small screen actress Fenil Umrigar will step in the role of Pihu after popular TV show "Bade Acche Lagte Hain" takes a leap of seven years. She will play Pihu in the show.

It was earlier reported that Shritama will play Pihu. But the channel has now confirmed that Fenil, who has earlier featured in "Best Friends Forever?", has been locked.

The new leap in "Bade Acche Lagte Hain" will go on air Sep 12 on Sony Entertainment Television. The show started as a story of how a 40-plus man and a 30-plus woman fall in love after marriage.

Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar play the lead characters in the show. Sakshi, who essays Priya Kapoor in the show, will be shown in a state of coma when the show takes its new leap.

Ram, who has always been bogged down with work, takes up the role of being a father well as the mother to his teenaged daughters. From taking care of their needs to playing his teenaged daughters' best friend, Ram struggles his best to manage his house as well as his never-ending meetings.

While Fenil will appear in a glamourous avatar as Pihu, her twin sisters will be essayed by Vinti Idnani (Myrah) and Pragati Chourasia (Pari).

You can give a classical twist to Bryan Adam's epic "Summer of 69". Sing to the beats of tea cups and spoons. Kick up a musical storm using cellphone keypads and plastic wrappers. Or else, exhibit your street-art skills with graffiti.

In a young country like India where the youth is the target for anyone wanting to reach out to a large audience - companies to politicians - a leading soft drinks brand has provided a digital platform that is proving to be a hit among teens eager to show their ingenuity and creativity.

"Now, nearly 50 percent of the population is below the age of 25 in India. The total youth population of India is around 500 million, which is more than the combined population of USA, England and France. So appealing to the youth is very important," says advertising and marketing guru Alyque Padamsee.

“Within India, we have two countries now: Hindustan and Youngistan. To get attention, the brand that catches the youth is going to succeed. And to appeal to Youngistan, marketing strategies need to be innovative You can’t sway the youth with the slogans of yesteryears,” Padamsee told IANS.

Cashing in on its signature "Chalo Apni Chaal" punchline, Sprite from the Coca-Cola stable has started "Teen Till I die" -- a nationwide digital campaign aimed at inviting experimental creations across four genres: music, dance, art and stand-up comedy.

In Kolkata, for example, the company is reaching various colleges and call centres and outsourcing firms to amplify the activity.

"There is no stage, there are no norms, just pure innovation and entertainment. Forget about how it should be done and show us your own moves," reads the tagline of the campaign which began Sep 1 and would end Sep 30.

Entering the contest is easy -- participants just have to shoot their video and upload it on the official website.

They will then be judged by an eminent panel comprising music directors Salim and Sulaiman, comedian Vir Das, choreographer Terence Lewis and Daku -- one of the country's first street graffiti artists.

The judges will nominate five entries from each category which would then be shared on social networks and opened for public voting.

The winners will not only get a chance to be visible all through the month on Channel V but also do the opening act at two of India's biggest college festivals -- IIT Delhi's Rendezvous and IIT Mumbai's Mood Indigo.

There is also the "Chaal of the day" where the most popular video of the day will be awarded.

The campaign has already become a rage with the site brimming with amazing videos, as teens showcase their ingenuity and creativity.

Freestyle football dancers, just a guitarist and a flautist revving up tunes of a complete band, strumming the sitar, playing the signature "Summer of 69" guitar tune, creating amazing graffiti...

The judges are sure to have a tough time selecting the best videos.

Karan Johar has revealed that his latest production "Gori Tere Pyaar Mein" is an autobiographical drama based on the true life experience of the film's director Punit Malhotra.

Starring Imran Khan and Kareena Kapoor, the film follows the story of a guy who travels all the way to a village from the city he lives in to win his love.

When asked if such things happen in real life, Karan replied: "Today, we are making a revelation... Very honestly, this is a true story. It happened to Punit. He did actually lose a relationship."

The 41-year-old was speaking at the first look launch of the film Tuesday.

In "Gori Tere Pyaar Mein" promo, Imran's character follows his girlfriend, played by Kareena, to a village where she is working as a social worker.

Further revealing Punit's love story, Karan said: "He tried to pursue this girl, he crossed a few parts of the country to reach the heartland to woo the woman. She is now married and settled with children."

"This is an autobiographical film. 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' is Punit's love story. He never shared the details, but we know there was a girl."

"Gori Tere Pyaar Mein" hits theatres Nov 22.

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, who has donned a new hat of a distributor for his upcoming Telugu action-drama "Bhai", says he is experimenting right now.

"I don't plan to do this (distribution) aggressively because I'm only testing the waters with 'Bhai'. I will see the response to my film and then decide on the next course of action. It's a different ball game and I don't want to take any hasty decision," Nagarjuna told IANS.

Slated to release this month, "Bhai" has been directed by Veerabhadram. It features Richa Gangopadhyay, Prasanna Venkatesan and Kamna Jethmalani in important roles.

Popularly called Nag by his friends and admirers, as a producer he has funded films "Ninne Pelladuta", "Yuvakadu" and "Manmadhudu".

Do you plan to distribute several Telugu films lying in the cans?

"First of all, not all the films lying in the cans are good. There is a misconception that hundreds of good films are still lying in the cans. Why would any producer not want to back a good film? Most of the good films get picked up and what is left is not up to the mark," he said.

"Distribution has a lot do with economics, and therefore, one needs to be very careful. I will let time decide," added the actor-filmmaker, who has also produced "Bhai".

Acclaimed French filmmaker Costa-Gavras and Indian actor-director Kamal Haasan will be felicitated with the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 15th edition of Mumbai Film Festival.

Academy Award-winner Costa-Gavras is known for his political thrillers like "Z", "Missing", "The Little Apocalypse" and "Amen".

Gavras has also been conferred with the title of French knighthood. He has been on the jury of various film festivals and has won numerous international film awards.

Mumbai Film Festival, an initiative of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), starts from Oct 17 and over 200 films from 65 countries will be screened at the eight-day festival.

"We are honoured to confer the Lifetime Achievement Award on Costa-Gavras. His films have been loved and celebrated by millions of cinema lovers worldwide. We are humbled that he has agreed to receive this award,” Shyam Benegal, chairman, MAMI, said in a statement.

Kamal Haasan has recently completed 50 years in the industry and he has over 190 films to his credit, across genres and languages like Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He is best known for his performances in films like "Moondram Pirai", "Nayagan", "Pushpak", "Appu Raja" and "Hey Ram".

"He is a legend in every sense of the term. He is a writer, singer, director, lyricist and an actor par-excellence. We are extremely honoured to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Kamal Haasan," Benegal added.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who turned 46 earlier this week, received a "Boss" number plate on his birthday.

One of his fans gifted him a number plate with the numbers '8055' on it.

Currently shooting for the action thriller in Bangkok, the actor, who celebrated his birthday Monday, was touched by the gesture.

"One of Akshay’s craziest fans gifted him a 'Boss' number plate on his birthday. Akshay has been shooting in Bangkok, so the fan had to drop it at the gate of his residence. This number plate was later couriered to Akshay in Bangkok. He was pleasantly surprised and fondly accepted it. He later asked us to find out who the fan was and wants to meet him personally," said a member of the production team of the film.

Set to release on Oct 16, "Boss" also features Shiv Pandit, Aditi Rao Hydari, Danny Denzongpa, Ronit Roy and Johnny Lever.

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor reveals that he posted a poster of his first film "Ishq Vishk" on a wall in Lokhandwala here before its release.

He shared the info on UTV Stars' show "Breakfast to Dinner".

"It was my debut and I just couldn't sleep. I went out on a drive with one of my friends. I noticed that labourers were pasting the posters of my film 'Ishq Vishk' on the walls of Lokhandwala," Shahid recalled.

"I got off my car, I asked if I can paste one of the pictures. Obviously, no one recognised me. I pasted the posters of 'Ishq Vishk'. It really felt good to see my posters, my hoardings around the city," the actor said on the show.

The show will follow the actor's activities while he promotes his forthcoming movie "Phata Poster Nikhla Hero".

The 32-year-old plays a Salman Khan fan in "Phata Poster Nikhla Hero". Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, the romantic comedy will see Shahid romancing Ileana D'Cruz.

Salman will be seen doing a cameo in the film.