Shahid Kapoor couldn’t be more excited as his upcoming comedy, Phata Poster Nikhla Hero directed by Rajkumar Santoshi is scheduled to release at the end of the month.

Talking about his role in the film says Shahid Kapoor, “I play a simple Maharashtrian boy who since childhood has been dreaming that he’ll become a hero one day and huge posters with his face on them will be all over the city. He makes these filmy entries, jumps out of posters, delivers cheesy lines but his agenda is not to fight because he might hurt his face in the process — something he cannot afford since he wants to be an actor”.

Ask the actor why he decided to take on a film ,that will see him in his over-the-top best in signature Rajkumar Santoshi style, he adds, “When I started doing live shows a few years ago, people liked my spontaneity on stage. Friends started to say that they haven’t seen this side of me and I should try it on the big screen if I enjoy it so much. That’s how Phata Poster Nikhla Hero happened”.

Starring Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz , Ramesh Taurani's Phata Poster Nikhla Hero is scheduled to release 20th September 2013.

While shooting for Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet in Sri Lanka, producer-director and now actor Karan Johar had a blast, courtesy Jacqueline Fernandez. The pretty actress played guide to him while he and the crew shot for the film in her hometown.

Though busy with her professional commitments, Jacqueline stayed in constant touch with Karan, updating him on the best restaurant ants and all Sri Lankan hotspots and attractions.

Says Jacqueline, “I was really excited to hear that the Bombay Velvet crew was shooting in Sri Lanka and wished KJo and team a good stay”.

The love for cooking and the culinary skills of contestants of the first edition of "Junior MasterChef" stumped actor Randhir Kapoor who said he is proud of them.

As the nation celebrates Ganesh Utsav, the show too dedicated an episode to the festival where contestants prepared traditional 'modaks' with a twist at the RK Studio.

The children gave a twist to the recipe and created beetroot, pineapple and marble-effect 'modaks'.

Randhir and his younger brother Rajiv were present there.

"I can't make a proper cup of tea, so I am amazed at the cooking skills of these little Junior MasterChef contestants. They have been cooking international cuisine at such a tender age. I am so proud of them," Randhir said in a statement.

"The 'modaks' were delicious and added great flavour to our festival," he added.

The show, judged by chefs Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapoor and Surjan Singh Jolly, airs on Star Plus.

Although they are usually seen dragged into the family tussle, on the occasion of Ganesh Utsav, the three generations of the TV show "Pavitra Rishta" will bury the hatchet and perform together.

Savita Tai (Usha Nadkarni) and her husband Damodar (Ajay Wadhavkar) will bring back the golden era of black and white cinema by jiving on 1950s classic "Shaam dhale, khidki tale" from the film "Albela".

Manav (Hiten Tejwani) and Archana (Ankita Lokhande) will perform on "Ek main aur ek tu" from "Khel Khel Mein", while Arjun (Rithvik Dhanjani) and Purvi (Asha Negi) will dance to the hit song "Dilliwaali girlfriend" from "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani".

Most importantly, Bollywood actors Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani will join them during the celebrations to promote their forthcoming film "Grand Masti".

The Ganesh Utsav special will be aired Sunday on Zee TV.

Actor Atul Parchure has joined the cast of upcoming comedy show "Bh se Bhadey!" to play a food lover in the show.

The actor is confident that his character Bhimsen Ganguly will become a household name.

"The character will make me a household name as every foodie watching the show will connect with me and would love to witness a boss who cares less about work and thinks more about food," he said in a statement.

Atul, who has been part of movies like "Love Recipe", "Partner" and "All The Best", plays Bhadey's boss in the show.

Deven Bhojani and Sarita Joshi also feature in the show that will go on air in October on Zee TV.

After endorsing beauty and health care brands, Bollywood actresses Kareena Kapoor and Shriya Saran have been roped in as brand ambassadors of Colgate Active Salt Healthy White, the new product by dental care brand Colgate-Palmolive.

The product focusses on using a combination of salt and lemon to remove yellowness in teeth.

Sharing her experience of associating with the brand, Kareena says that "as actors, it's important that we stay healthy and present the best of ourselves. And that's exactly how Colgate Active Salt Healthy White toothpaste adds value for me".

"It simply helps me to say no to yellow teeth in a refreshing manner with an age old remedy of salt and lemon. So go ahead try it and see how healthy white teeth are now a reality for you," she added.

Shriya Saran also feels that "yellowness of teeth is a common problem faced by many of us.""The new toothpaste from Colgate promises to solve that for you," she adds.

Reality-based crime show "Crime Patrol" has got the green signal to narrate the Dec 16 Delhi gang rape case on their show. The episode will be beamed Sep 21 on Sony channel.

Promos hit the channel Tuesday.

Termed as the most heinous crime one can commit on someone, in the 2012 incident, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gangraped in a bus, in which she was travelling with her male companion.

The duo boarded the bus in Munirka in south Delhi to return home after watching a movie. There were six others in the bus, including the driver, all of whom raped the woman and inflicted grave injuries on her and left her to die by a roadside on the cold December night in a horrific case that jolted the nation and made global headlines.

The rapists used an iron rod to rip out her entrails.

The woman, who has been called with various names like Damini and Nirbhaya, died from her injuries thirteen days later on Dec 29 while undergoing emergency treatment in Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

One of the six accused was found dead in a cell in Delhi's Tihar Jail, while a juvenile, termed as the most barbaric, was sent by the Juvenile Justice Board to a reform home for three years on Aug 31.

The remaining four were held guilty by a fast track court and the sentencing is on Friday.

The episode was earlier scheduled to air Jan 11-12 on "Crime Patrol", but after objections from Bhartiya Stree Shakti, a non-governmental organisation, the telecast of the episode was stopped.

Actress Anushka Sharma has been appointed the brand ambassador of Seagram's Fuel's latest campaign that focusses on dance, party and friendship with a theme titled "Night Abhi Young Hai".

According to Raja Banerji, general manager marketing, Pernod Ricard India, Seagram's Fuel stands for the attitude of young India pursuing dreams and choices that life represents and the "Band Baaja Baaraat" actress is the perfect choice to become the face of the brand.

"Fuel is a brand with great potential, sitting on the tipping point of making it really big. We felt that engaging with a personality like Anushka - with her positive energy, confidence and ambition will be of shared success," Banerji said in a statement.

"She is a star; to aspire for, yet accessible. Her easy confidence on and off screen, and a go-getter attitude are in sync with Seagram's Fuel," he added.

Aparnaa Bajpai, who will be seen in Vikram Bhatt's "Horror Story", says she spent more time removing her makeup while shooting for the movie coming out Friday.

"If I spent little over an hour applying the makeup before the shoot, I spent nearly three hours removing it. This was so because we were covered with umber powder and smoke from the scenes. Most scenes were not completed in one take, therefore, we spent long hours in closed rooms covered with all this," Aparnaa told IANS.

"We shot in dusty, dark and unkempt places. For the shoot, it was made dirtier. So you could imagine the stressful environment in which we shot. When I used to go home after shooting, my family wouldn't even recognise me at times," she added.

Aparnaa believes "Horror Story" is bereft of any cliches associated with the genre.

"A typical Bollywood horror flick is plagued by a lot of cliches. But I don't think the audience will find any such cliches in the film. It will deliver a lot of thrills from beginning to the end," she said.

"Lot of the expressions from the film stuck with us. The film took a toll on many of us, especially me. Recently, while waiting at a traffic jam in my car, I was scared when a beggar knocked on my window pane. I realised later that it was the effect of the film," she added.

Aparnaa had lots of fun as well on the sets.

"It was a young team. We were seven of us and there was lots of fun on the sets. All of us wanted to come back the next day even after a tiring schedule because we enjoyed each other's company so much," she said.

Aparnaa, who has acted in Tamil films "Easan" and "Karuppampatti", will be seen in another horror flick "Mumbai 125 KM".

Actor Tushar Dalvi, a known face in the Marathi film industry, believes that the industry has now become "professional" and it is gradually evolving.

He has featured in Marathi films like "Devrai", "Aai Shappath..!", "Kadachit", and "Shyamche Vadil - Ek Nave Parva".

"The film industry is ultimately a business. Earlier, the Marathi film industry lacked business and professional approach, but of late it has started. It's a gradual process and the film industry is slowly evolving," Tushar told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

Currently seen as Avadhoot Gokhale in TV show "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon - Ek Baar Phir", he was able to "connect" with his character as he comes from a Maharashtrian family.

"I felt special when the show was narrated to me. Avadhoot comes from a typical middle-class Maharashtrian family and that's the reason I was able to identify with it," Tushar said.

"In the show Avadhoot shares a very special bond with his daughter Astha. He is into social-service and is well aware about what's happening in the society. It's a very interesting character, so I accepted the show," he added.

"Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon - Ek Baar Phir" is a sequel to the popular TV show "Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon", which featured actors Barun Sobti and Sanaya Irani in lead roles.

The new season stars Avinash Sachdev and Shrenu Parikh in the lead roles and the storyline is also different except from the fact that the character traits of Barun and that of Avinash are the same.

The previous show was hugely applauded by the audience and garnered great target rating points (TRPs).

When asked if the new show will be able to take it forward, Tushar said: "I just hope that people accept the second season the same way they accepted the first one and give the same kind of love and support to the new show," he added.

"Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon - Ek Baar Phir" airs on Star Plus.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who will host the seventh season of reality show "Bigg Boss", says Shah Rukh Khan is welcome to come on the show and promote his films.

"Of course, he can come. If he is promoting his next film, he is more then welcome," Salman said at the launch of the show here Wednesday.

The two actors have been giving the cold shoulder to each other since five years now. But recently they were seen sharing a hug during an Iftaar party. Salman said that hugging Shah Rukh was the natural thing to do.

"I feel that it was Ramadan time ... This gesture should be done by everyone. It is a good thing to shake hands and hug," he said.

He further added that if he has to fight, he can easily do that through their work.

"If we have to hit at each other, we will do so through our work. Aamir is also coming (with his film now) and there is Ranbir too," he said.

"Bigg Boss Season - Saath 7" will be aired from Sep 15 on Colors.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan will be seen hosting "Bigg Boss Season - Saath 7" again this year. The season promises to be different and will show the angelic and the demonic side of the contestants of the show.

Talking about the angelic and the demonic qualities in the superstar himself, he said that he had a little bit of both.

"I have both qualities in small portions. The devlish side to me is naughty but not harmful. And the angelic side is obviously good. But both are in small quantities," the actor said during the launch of the show here Wednesday.

The actor will be seen hosting the show for the fourth time in a row. The house will have a total of 14 contestants this time.

In light of the recent speculations regarding the format of the show, Raj Naik, CEO, Colors says that the whole fun of the show is due to these speculations.

"The best thing about this show is the amount of publicity which the media generate for it. People have been speculating all kinds of things. We don't want to comment on it. The beauty of the show is in the surprise elements," he said.

And as far as Salman's involvement in the show is concerned, Naik does admit that to it grabs more eyeballs.

"Salman comes on the show twice a week. He is a brand. He has evolved with the show and the show has evolved with him. He has taken ownership of the show. Having said that, this is a reality show and people identify with what is happening in the house as well," he said.

To this the superstar said that his episode also depends on how the contestants have been the entire week, adding: "If they (the contestants) are interesting, I will also be interesting on Friday."

Home to 14 celebrity contestants for 104 days, the "Bigg Boss" house will be based in Lonavala.

Based on the theme of hell and heaven, "Bigg Boss - Saath 7" will kickstart Sep 15 on Colors.

Aishwarya Dhanush, daughter of superstar Rajinikanth, started filming her second Tamil directorial titled "Vai Raja Vai" Thursday here.

Her directorial debut was Tamil romantic-drama "3" featuring her husband Dhanush.

"A new day, new film (and) new beginning. (I'm) off to the sets of 'Vai Raja Vai'! Wish me all the luck and your best my tweeple family. (I) need it all," posted Aishwarya on her Twitter page.

"Vai Raja Vai" features Gautham Karthik and Priya Anand in lead roles. Comedian Satish will also feature in an important role, while the rest of the cast will be soon finalised.

The film is produced by AGS Entertainments, while Yuvan Shankar Raja has been roped in to compose tunes.

Filmmaker Sekhar Kammula is so impressed with upcoming Telugu drama "Minugurulu" that he wants the government to screen the film in schools.

He also admits that he wouldn't dare to make a film like that.

Directed by debutant Ayodhya Kumar, "Minugurulu" is about a blind 14-year-old orphan, who, with the help of other orphans, makes a documentary.

"It's a powerful film. I wouldn't dare to even attempt a film like that. Kudos to the director and I wish the government screens this film in schools. It will be a great source of inspiration for young school children," Sekhar told IANS.

"I also wish films like these get a wide theatrical release. As much as we need entertaining commercial films, we occasionally need a creative film like 'Minugurulu' too," he added.

The film, which is slated to release soon, also features Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Ashish Vidyarthi, Raghuvir Yadav and Deepak in lead roles.

Meanwhile, Kammula is busy wrapping up Tamil-Telugu bilingual "Annamika", a southern remake of Vidya Balan-starrer "Kahaani".

A film festival in Ladakh? To many, it comes as a surprise. But for the organisers of the Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF), its first edition in 2012 turned out to be a dream come true. The second edition, which begins here Friday, aims to get bigger with a wide variety of over 120 films, a jury studded with gems of the film industry in India and abroad, and a range of ecologically-friendly activities.

The three-day gala, which is set amid the pristine and peaceful surroundings of this Little Tibet, is expected to draw a huge local as well as tourist audience with its new features. But it doesn't come without its challenges.

"There are infrastructural challenges," Melwyn Williams Chirayath, founder, LIFF, told IANS.

"There is a 500-seater auditorium which is technically very sound. That is where we have our main events, but we have to take a lot of equipments ourselves. Nobody is giving us aid on that front, and we are having to fund it ourselves. We wish the government would have taken more interest," Chirayath added.

He believes that for the success of a "vision" such as LIFF, "local support" is inherently important.

Thus, this year, they have been able to expand their wings by organising movie screenings at makeshift theatres - in two independent auditoriums and in two school auditorioms, apart from the 500-seater space. "In total there are five venues this time." Chirayath said, adding how even three Ladakhi filmmakers are also in competition this year.

The second LIFF was earlier to be held in July, but it was rescheduled due to the floods in Uttarakhand.

To be inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the fest has a focus on 'Celebrating Womanhood' this time.

As part of it, films like "Hunterwali" and Marathi movie "Mee Sindhutai Sapkal" will be showcased at the fest, which will also host a panel discussion by eminent women film personalities on the theme ‘Role of Women in Cinema - On and Off, Road Ahead'.

Carrying forward the focus on women is also a flagship campaign on women called - Campaign RED (Respect, Equality, Dignity) which seeks to focus attention on the current happenings of violence against women in every form and condition the society to create a conducive environment for women.

Acclaimed filmmaker Aparna Sen will be the jury's chairperson, while German-based documentary filmmaker Paul Amaczny is due to visit here too. Some of those who likely to attend the event are Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Shaji N. Karun, Mani Ratnam, Santosh Sivan, Imtiaz Ali, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Mike Pandey.

Aparna Sen is convinced the fest will be a "peak experience", given its "incomparable venue high up amidst mountain ranges".

As part of the green carpet premiere, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" and documentary "The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace" will be screened at the event. "The Frontier Gandhi..." tells the story of noted freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan aka Badshah Khan, and it is a noted documentary by Teri McLuhan.

The upcoming edition will even host a retrospective on writer-lyricist Gulzar, curated by filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, and a tribute to the late filmmakers Yash Chopra and Rituparno Ghosh.

There will be a Film Shoppe, which will be a meeting ground for independent filmmakers, and a business conclave, which aims to promote the region, its tourism and its commerce.

A unique feature will be a workshop for children, and it will be curated by "Stanley Ka Dabba" filmmaker Amole Gupte, who is also the chairman of the Children's Film Society of India.

LIFF is also an ecologically friendly event with the snow leopard as its mascot. The event also hosts a fish planting exercise whereby fish eggs/fish are planted in the water bodies to contribute towards the ecological cycle.

Actress Pooja Chopra, who made her Bollywood debut with action-packed film "Commando", believes it is important for women to learn self defence to protect themselves.

The 28-year-old expressed her concern in the wake of recent incidents that have put a question mark over women's safety in India.

"The only news that seems to be making the headlines with alarming regularity in our country is that of women across being attacked, raped or molested. If women learn self defence, then maybe we would be better prepared to protect ourselves in the eventuality of such brutality," Pooja said in a statement.

The former Miss India is also excited about the television premiere of "Commando" on channel &pictures.

Talking about the premiere of the movie on TV, Pooja said: "I'm happy that our movie is premiering on &pictures. I totally go by the philosophy of the channel which talks about the modern Indian mindset."

She added: "...the movie should be especially watched by all women as it has proposed a solution for today's times."

Film: "John Day"; Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Randeep Hooda, Shernaz Patel, Elena Kazan; Directed by Ahishor Solomon; Rating: *** (three)

This is no place for the weak. This world as we know it. And this film, as we discover with the thrill of chancing upon an unexpected little gem.

Inspired from a Spanish film, is it? I really don't give a fig where writer-director Ahishor Solomon got the raw material for this gripping cat-and-mouse tale. Does the kitchen where the food on the table originates really mean anything? What counts is the quotient of curiosity and suspense simulated by the script. And there, "John Day" ranks very high.

Not for a while have we seen a film so steeped in despair, so swathed in anxiety, so audaciously draped in despair and yet it engages our senses without miring the plot in morbidity.

The story is not for the squeamish. The two main characters are constantly haunted by their irrevocably tragic parts. Naseeruddin Shah and Randeep Hooda, real-life guru and pupil, play people who know no happiness. Incidents from their past continue to shadow and chase their present. There is scarcely a moment in the plot when John (Shah) and Gautam (Hooda) are happy except when they are with their beloved 'Other'.

But then Shernaz Patel, who plays Naseer's wife and the very beautiful foreigner Elena Kazan who plays Randeep girl are troubled by their own ghosts. So where do we go for comfort?

What price, solace?

"John Day" is a restless edgy drama of the doomed and the damned. This not the first time Randeep has played a fugitive shadowed by his own past.But this is certainly his most layered character which he performs with the kind of gravelly gusto that allows us to get only as close to the sullen character as he wants us. Towards the end-game when the momentum gets frenzied beyond recuperation, Randeep's character's softer side emerges.

He has a brilliantly written monologue with a comatose character where we get to know how much this brutal man loves his woman.

Yup, this man can die for money and for love. It's a dichotomous character torn between self-abnegation and vendetta.

In a way Randeep character plays a mirror-image of Naseer's banker gone amok. This is not the first time that India's most vaunted actor has played a wizened common man pushed to a corner by the monstrous corruption in out socio-political system.

Remember Neeraj Pathak's "A Wednesday"? Here In "John Day" the terror that Naseer's character battles is far more personal, and hence in many ways, much more moving and compelling. His greatness as an actor doesn't come in the way of letting the character of the common man have his say in the most natural way possible.

It is very difficult to speak out openly about the characters and their motivations without giving away the plot. "John Day" is the kind of clenched yarn that makes you forget that yawning distance between cinema and the audience. You become one with the character's battles, without getting judgemental over their actions.

Some of the things that the characters do are unmistakably brutal. An innocent woman's head is shattered by a hammer, a man's tongue is bitten off and another man's neck is also bitten off. It's a cold brutal world with no comic relief, at least none where you laugh out loud at the ironies of life.

"John Day" brings the indomitable Naseeruddin and the intriguing Randeep for a taut cat-and-mouse chase that stays a step ahead of the audience right till the shattering end-game.

While the two principal actors get under their characters' skins, other actors seem equally at home in this inky kingdom of greed and gluttony. Vipin Sharma and Makrand Despande are very engaging in their supporting parts. They make doom seem anything but dull. But the film's third hero is Sandeep Chowta's background score. It creates a world of emotions beyond the spoken words for Naseer and Randeep.

This is a world where there is no escape from sorrow and grief. Enemies are clobbered and butchered mercilessly. Not because they deserve to die. But because life is as randomly brutal as we make it for ourselves. And cinema such as this reminds us that moral values of good, evil, justice and comeuppance mean nothing to those who have nothing to lose.

For a film about losers "John Day" proves to be a paradoxically profitable movie-viewing experience for the audience.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, who has been associated with many horror films in the past, says he always had the ability to scare people ever since he was a child.

"Right from childhood, I used to read a lot about occult and share ghost stories when my friends or cousins used to come home. I always had this ability to scare people since I was a kid, but somehow (I) never got the opportunity to use it," said Bhatt, who is known for horror films including "Raaz", "1920", and "Haunted".

"But then 'Raaz' happened and it changed everything and then there was no looking back," he added.

The 43-year-old is currently busy promoting his film "Horror Story". Releasing Friday, the film is directed by Ayush Raina and features Karan Kundra, Radhika Menon, Nandini Vaid, Sheetal Singh, Nishant Malkani among others.

Talking about the unique selling point of the film, Bhatt says it will be "fear".

"Every film has a unique selling point. This film has fear as its unique selling point. There are no songs, its a story of one night and the film is relentlessly horror. The story that revolves around seven youngsters who challenge each other to spend a night at the infamous hotel in the heart of the city," he said.

Superstar Salman Khan is set to host the popular reality show "Bigg Boss" for the fourth time and confesses he will not leave the show until the channel itself asks him to do so.

The actor will host the seventh season of spicy celebrity reality show which will be aired from Sep 15 on Colors.

"I am very excited about season seven. I have enjoyed all the seasons so far. It feels like only Colors TV will throw me out now, I will not leave it and will keep on doing it," the 47-year-old said here Wednesday at the launch of "Bigg Boss Season - Saath 7".

The concept of the show this year revolves around the existence of heaven and hell together.

Salman took a shot at the media about this and said, "There is both heaven and hell and both are in me. When it comes to me, I don't know why do you (journalists) shift towards hell?"

"When it comes to others, they (media) become angels and when it is about me, they become devil," he added.

Home to 14 celebrity contestants for 104 days, the "Bigg Boss" house will be based in Lonavala.

Veteran Telugu actor Kota Srinivasa Rao says the Allu Ramalingaiah Kalapeetam award, which he will receive Sep 30 here for his contribution to Telugu cinema, is special because actor Allu is one of his role models.

Late Telugu actor Allu Ramalingaiah is touted to be the only Telugu actor to have starred in over 1,000 films. He was also a Padma Shree awardee.

"I have received several state awards, but this one in particular is special because of the Allu tag. I grew up watching his films and he has personally had a lot of effect on me. This is definitely a very special award and I'm honoured to be chosen for it," Kota told IANS.

Kota has bagged the Allu Ramalingaiah Kalapeetam award for this year. Writer-actor Tanikella Bharani was conferred with the same award in 2012.

Having starred in over 300 Telugu films, Kota has previously bagged the prestigious Nandi award six times and one Filmfare award. However, he is yet to receive any central government recognition.

"I don't look forward to these honours. If such awards come to me, I may as well accept them, but worrying about it is not going to change anything. I feel there so many deserving actors across several industries who deserve such recognition," he said.

He has acted in a few Bollywood films too. He is best known for his role 'Silver' Mani in Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar".