Dusky beauty Deepika Padukone is happy that she got to relive the classic "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (DDLJ) moment of chasing a train with superstar Shah Rukh Khan in her forthcoming release "Chennai Express".

Deepika will be seen catching a train a la Kajol in the 1995 blockbuster.

"I got to live the DDLJ moment with Shah Rukh," the actress told reporters at the launch of Vogue Eyewear’s first ever Indian communication campaign Tuesday.

If SRK's screen name in DDLJ was Raj, he was called Rahul in another blockbuster "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai".

"The fact that while growing up it is every girl's dream to romance Rahul and Raj on-screen, I got an opportunity to do that as well in the film," said the 27-year-old, the brand ambassador of Vogue Eyewear.

Deepika wishes to gift optical frames to Shah Rukh with whom she made her Bollywood debut in 2007 with "Om Shanti Om".

"I would give him optical frames because I know he wears specs. He wears reading glasses. I will pick something for him...That's something I can gift him," she said.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, action-comedy "Chennai Express" is slated for a Aug 8 release.

Filmmaker Kiran Rao will intially release "Ship of Theseus" in five cities and says viewers in other cities will have to vote online to view the film.

After travelling to various film festivals and getting acclaim, "Ship of Theseus" will hit the screens in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata July 19.

Rao is releasing director Anand Gandhi's critically acclaimed directorial venture in association with UTV Motion Pictures.

For screening in other cities, the "Ship of Theseus" team is launching an online voting system. Audiences in various cities will be able to vote online. The city that gets the maximum votes will witness a screening of the film.

"We feel there are a good number of people, who live outside of the big cities like Mumbai and Delhi, are also keen to watch 'Ship of Theseus'. With our online campaign 'Vote for the film in your city', our effort is to gauge the interest of that audience, and hopefully, based on that to take the film to them," Rao said in a statement.

The director also feels that such voting system is required to know people's reaction.

"It's an exciting new way to reach out to viewers, a democratization of cinema, where audiences decide what they want to see. It's great that we have been able to work together with UTV on this initiative," said Gandhi.

The team is currently putting together a portal to be launched this week, where all the movie buffs can go and vote.

A story about human values, "Ship of Theseus" features three characters - an experimental photographer, ailing intellectual monk and a stock broker.

The movie premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and received critical acclaim.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is set to close the August 23-27 winter-festive edition of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) as the grand finale designer.

A renowned name both in India and abroad, Mukherjee's collections have won accolades from many celebrities. He also designed Bollywood actress Vidya Balan's look for the 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

Known for his neo-traditional designs, he said: "Presenting my collection at LFW is always a special occasion."

"This (LFW) is where I made my debut as a designer, which provided me with a platform to be recognised by the world of fashion. Returning as a Grand Finale designer after five years is very exciting. The show promises to be truly grand," the designer said in a statement.

Abhishek Choubey, who has helmed intimate scenes between Arshad Warsi and Huma Qureshi, as well as Madhuri Dixit and Naseeruddin Shah, for "Dedh Ishqiya", says it isn't easy to can love scenes with actors unless they trust their director completely.

"Let me tell you, it's not easy to shoot intimate scenes with our actors. They have to trust the director's vision. As the director, I had to make sure I didn't let the actors down," said Choubey.

He says "once Madhuri accepted the scenes, she gave all of herself to them".

"However, there are more intimate scenes between Huma and Arshad than between Madhuriji and Naseerji (in the film)," he added.

The director especially can't get over the experience of working with Madhuri.

"It was an honour to work with somebody of her calibre. Getting Madhuriji was the best thing that could've happened to the film. I feel she has all the emotions within her. It's really up to the filmmaker to pull out the emotions he wants in her character and she gives a pitch-perfect performance," he said.

Choubey said the the script was actually written to accommodate Madhuri's personality and skills.

"What's the point of having her in a film if there's no dancing? We wove her dancing skills into the script. You see, when we decided Madhuri would play Begum Para, we wrote the character according to Madhuri's personality. We incorporated the dancing," he explained.

Madhuri has shot a semi-classical dance number "Jaagi saari raina", choreographed by Kathak legend Birju Maharaj, and it was the most enriching experiencing for Choubey.

"I wanted Birju Maharajji and Madhuriji to recreate the magic that choreographer Hiralal and Waheedaji (Waheeda Rahman) created in 'Guide'. We shot in a beautiful palace in Lucknow. I became this wide-eyed boy watching the two stalwarts at work.

"Birju Maharaj didn't just come and choreograph Madhuri. He heard the narration of the entire script from me and then decided how he would shoot the song. He spent a week for the song, recording with composer Vishal Bhardwaj and singer Rekha Bhardwaj. He also gave his inputs for the song composition. The number spells out a profound sense of nostalgia for a lost love," added Choubey.

"Dedh Ishqiya" is the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2010 film "Ishqiya".

Tusshar Kapoor has tried his hand at a different type of comedy with "Bajatey Raho" and says the film's team worked really hard on the script of the movie.

"I have never worked in any film where the draft was changed so many times, such hard work was put in. It was re-written so many times," the 37-year-old said here Monday at the first look launch of the film.

Tusshar is glad to have worked with director Shashant Shah.

"For an actor, director is a big factor when it comes to choosing a film. For me, working with him (Shah) has been a privilege because I loved 'Chalo Dilli' and I loved the script of 'Bajatey Raho'," he said.

Talking about one of his 'Bajatey Raho' moments Tusshar said: "Last week itself 'meri bajayi gayi thi'. When we were doing a photo session, our director announced that 'the film's length is perfect and Tusshar your one scene has been removed. It was there in the first draft, but now it has been removed'."

"That was my favourite scene, but was removed for Shashant's happiness. So, on the editing table 'meri hamesha bajayi jaati hai'," he added.

"Bajatey Raho" is a revenge comedy and also stars Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak, Ravi Kishan, Dolly Ahluwalia and Vishakha Singh. It hits theatres July 26.

Actor Vindu Dara Singh, arrested for betting in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and now on bail, says betting in the game should be made legal.

"Cricket is like a religion in India. IPL will be conducted and betting will take place as well," said Vindu Monday on the sets of his film "Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya" here.

Vindu, who got bail June 4, feels the government should legalise betting in the gentleman's sport.

"I think the government should interfere and legalise betting," he said. At the same time, he has vowed not to "watch cricket in my entire life". "So whether IPL 7 will be organised or not, it doesn't matter to me."

Last seen in Ajay Devgn-starrer "Son of Sardaar", Vindu asserts he is innocent.

"I can guarantee I have not done anything wrong, and that is why I am here and I have started my work. When people will re-build their trust on me, then I will surely get more work. If they won't, then I would get less work but life will go on," he said.

Tom Struthers and John Street are not easy to impress, especially for a team that has worked on some of the finest action movies in Hollywood such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Blood Diamond, Saving Private Ryan, Inception, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight rises. However, the talented action directors were left speechless after Rishi Kapoor performed a brilliantly executed action sequence on the sets of D-Day without any training or rehearsals.

The veteran actor was shooting for an action sequence with Irrfan Khan which required him to crawl on the ground and engage in some intense hand to hand combat. Rishi Kapoor, who plays the character of Goldman, India’s most wanted criminal in the movie surprised the action director duo with his agility and accuracy in performance making the sequence look not only authentic but also extremely well executed leaving both Tom Struthers and John Street amazed. Tom Struthers was also heard saying that Rishi Kapoor’s performance was ‘one of the best he has seen’ in his career spanning over two decades.

D-Day is produced by DAR Motion Pictures and Emmay Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Directed by Nikhil Advani, D-Day stars Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Arjun Rampal, Shruti Haasan, Huma Qureshi, Akash Dahiya, Sree Swara and Chandan Roy Sanyal amongst others. The movie is slated to release on the 19th of July.

Singer Sriram, the winner of singing reality show "Indian Idol - 5" and who sang Bollywood numbers like "Balma" and "Subhaanallah", is set to act in Telugu film "Prema Jeema Jaanta Nai".

"If the audience has expectations from us, it's a good thing. I like that because I love to deliver when I am under pressure... They want to see what I will do next," Sriram said here Monday at the recording of "Crazy Love" album.

As a musician Sriram hopes to see revival of private album culture.

"Earlier private albums used to work, but today it is only Bollywood songs. I want that time to come back and hope private songs also do well. Sonuji (Nigam) had come out with a lot of albums and also Shaan and KK," he said.

Sriram has been singing since the age of eight. Even before winning "Indian Idol - 5" in 2010, Sriram was active in the southern film industry.

After the popularity of Bollywood hit film "3 Idiots" in China, official level talks were held here Tuesday on working out ways to screen more Indian films in that country as well as enter into film co-production.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari held delegation level talks with his visiting Chinese counterpart Cai Fuchao here over lunch.

According to the details worked out, China is to be the guest country at next year’s India International Film Festival at Goa. It will also have a presence at this year’s Goa film fest with a selection of classical Chinese films.

The film academies of both countries - the Film and Television Institute of India and the Beijing Film Academy - are to have regular exchange programmes.

Tewari, addressing the media after the more than one and a half-hour talks, said both sides had felt the need to further strengthen people to people contact.

“Both felt through enhanced cultural exchanges, exchange in the field of films, of personnel in our public broadcasters and cooperation between our private film industry and the industry in China and regular exchanges between our film institutes will help promote further understanding between our two countries.”

Cai said the visit last month of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had held bring about greater consensus between both countries and Tuesday’s talks would help give a further fillip to bilateral mutual understanding and cooperation.

A Chinese film festival also kicked off at Siri Fort Tuesday evening with the screening of “Chinese Zodiac” starring action hero Jackie Chan.

According to an official source, with Bollywood films “3 Idiots” and “My Name is Khan” proving popular in China, both sides held talks to “relax” the quota of Indian films allowed into China. Beijing is keen on screening classical Hindi films rather than many of the new Bollywood potboilers, the source added.

India and China have formed a joint working group on the proposals, the source said.

China allows 10 Hollywood films to be screened every year and New Delhi has asked to allow five Indian films for screening, according to the source.

With Hindi soaps also proving popular, the Indian side also pushed for “landing rights” of Indian channels to be able to screen more Hindi serials, the official added.

Actress Soha Ali Khan, soon to be seen in comedies like "Calling Mr. Joe B Carvalho" and "War Chod Na Yaar", says comedy is tough but she is capturing nuances of the "most-liked" genre.

"It is tough to do a comedy but I am getting to learn a lot in that (genre)," Soha said here Monday at the launch of a clothing store.

"I felt that now I should do comedy as people also love comedies," added the actress, last seen in a cameo in zombie comedy "Go Goa Gone".

She also has "Airport" and "Chaarfutiya Chhokare" lined up for the release and the 34-year-old is elated about getting opportunities to explore her acting skills.

"I am very excited that I got an opportunity to prove myself through 'Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns'. The audience liked it, even I liked it. Now I am getting more opportunities to do good roles," she said.

In the past, she has been part of off-beat films like "Soundtrack" and "Midnight's Children" as well as commercial films like "Rang De Basanti" and "Tum Mile".

She is dating Kunal Khemu and when asked about her marriage plans, Soha said: "There has been no discussion about it... My relationship is in front of you. We are not hiding anything from you."

"There is nothing like that we are planning a small, secretive marriage and you won't come to know about that. You all will be invited when that will happen... (We are not getting married) this year, this year is almost over. Right now we are going with New Year plans."

Ranbir Kapoor is on a high with his latest release Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani crossing the 100 crore mark. The actor has geared up for his next project which is Abhinav Singh Kashyap’s Besharam .
The actor has immersed himself for preparing for his role and is also learning to speak Punjabi.

A source close to the production says, “They are shooting a lot in Chandigarh, so Ranbir has been learning the language. It is crucial for his character, so a tutor has been hired. He’s been practicing to speak like the locals there — in terms of usage of words and their pronunciations.”

The source adds that now Ranbir will devote more time to concentrate on this film. “Since YJHD has released and become a huge success, he’s relaxed and at ease. Besharam will be his most mass-y film so far, and it’ll have him sharing screen space with his parents for the first time. Even when the film’s poster was released, it generated a lot of curiosity,” says the source

Shruti Haasan has created a record of sorts. This is something that may have never happened before. We have seen films being remade with the same titles or even sequels, but its a rare that an actor will be seen in two completely different movies of two completely different industries with two completely different stories but the same title of the film.

Shruti Haasan, who will be seen in Prabhu Deva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya opposite Girish Kumar, is currently busy shooting for another of her telugu film called Ramaiya Vastavaiya.

While the Hindi Ramaiya Vastavaiya is a love story, and will see her donning the role of a shy village girl, the Telugu one is an action movie which will see her in the role of a fierce tom boy who is a social worker. While one similarity is that both the films are set in villages, a source say that the stories they tell are completely opposite as are the genres.

Shruti is currently shooting for the Telugu one where she is doing an action sequence which involves a lot of running and harness use. Incidentally, both the films will be releasing in the month of July. The Telugu one will release on the 9th of July down south while Prabhu Deva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya releases on 19th of July.

Another of Shruti's film D Day in which she plays a Karachi prostitue opposite Arjun Rampal also releases on the same day as Prabhu Deva's Ramaiya Vastavaiya on 19th July!

Actor Vidyut Jamwal, the new action hero in Bollywood, will perform live action on the stage at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, starting July 4 in Macau.

"I am very excited about it. This is for the first time that any actor will do an action performance on the stage. I am really looking forward to this and the preparations are going good. I am very thankful that I got this platform to perform," Vidyut told reporters at the DVD launch of "Commando", which featured him in the lead role.

Meanwhile, the actor is also excited about "Bullet Raja" and said: "It's a cameo and I am very excited about it."

Rajshri Productions' family drama "Pyaar Ka Dard Hai" has successfully completed one year on the small screen. Lead actress Disha Parmar says she is obliged to the audiences for their positive response.

"This is my first show and it's very important for me that people like the show and my character. And they have really appreciated my character and me. I am really obliged to all those who have loved Pankhuri," Disha told IANS.

For the newcomer, it was "an amazing experience" to be part of the show. "It's superb. The best part is that we are like a family on the sets. We eat together, crack jokes, and have fun. It's really great," Disha added.

"Pyaar Ka Dard Hai" tells the story of Pankhuri and Aditya Kumar (played by Nakuul Mehta).

The show, which also stars Mansi Salvi, Nitesh Pandey and Mukesh Khanna, airs on Star Plus.

"Coke Studio@MTV" is back with its third season where it will continue its journey of celebrating Indian music and stretching boundaries to experiment to create songs.

Set to launch in August, the show will have eight episodes, which will be produced by different producers like A.R. Rahman, Amit Trivedi, Ram Sampath, Salim-Sulaiman, Clinton Cerejo, Hitesh Sonik and Papon.

Aditya Swamy, EVP and Business Head, MTV India, said: "We have created over 100 songs and worked with more than 300 artists across every possible genre in the first two seasons. What started out as a cult is now growing into the mainstream."

"Creating an alternative culture is always exciting and is an integral part of the MTV DNA. With season 3, we are looking to stretch the boundaries of experimentation and collaboration to create songs that will make our listeners proud of our country's rich musical landscape," Swamy added.

The Indian cricket team off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was clean bowled by the performance of Akshay Pal, a contestant on "India's Dancing Superstar" (IDS).

"Just watched this kid Akshay Pal performing on Star Plus''India's Dancing Superstar'. He is already a superstar the way he dance... mind-blowing," Bhajji posted on his Twitter page.

Akshay too got excited after he learned about praises from his favorite cricket star.

He said: "It has not yet sunk in my system that Bhajji actually loved my performance on the show. It is the biggest complement of my life. I am so happy today and this is all thanks to the stage of 'India's Dancing Superstar' and yes, my judges who have made me come so far in the competition."

Akshay is one of the top 13 finalists on the show being judged by choreographers Geeta Kapur and Ashley Lobo and actor Riteish Deshmukh.

Pakistani actress Meera, who debuted in Hindi films with 2004 movie "Nazar", says she believes in competition and wants to compete with Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

"I hope I get to do many more good films and I want to compete with A-list actresses in Bollywood. I want to compete with Priyanka Chopra and I would also like to share the screen space with her. This will give me an opportunity to prove myself and the audience can see the other side of me," Meera told IANS.

"I believe in competition and competition allows a person to prove his or her talent," added the actress, currently busy promoting her forthcoming film "Bhadaas", a psychological thriller.

She zeroed on in "Bhadaas" because she "liked the script".

"It's a psychological thriller. This is something that I have not tried before and wanted to explore," she added.

Produced and directed by Ajay Yadav, the film is coming out July 28.

Late actor-director Joy Mukerji's wife Neelam, set to release her husband's 1974 film "Love In Bombay" soon, says the music of the film will be enjoyed by all and sundry as music lovers still enjoy old compositions.

"The golden era never went. It has always been there. The most popular radio programmes are the ones featuring the old music. Even music channels, they play more of old film songs. The golden era of music has been there. Even today, the maximum sales are of the old songs or their compilations," Neelam told IANS.

She feels that old songs still enjoy a longer shelf life compared to the new songs.

"What is marvellous is that we still remember those old songs, their tunes and words. We still hum and sing them," she said and added that people hear new songs in the theatre, "enjoy them there... but once you are out of the theatre, you don't even remember them".

"This is not a personal offence to anyone," she said.

Composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri, the music album of "Love in Bombay" offers a bouquet of songs sung by Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar.

"Shankar-Jaikishan's music is evergreen. Then they have teamed up with Majrooh Sultanpuri. Asha Bhosle has sung very well," said Neelam.

"Rafi saab is my personal favourite singer and I don't think anyone can match him. Kishore Kumar was my husband's uncle, he used to make up things on his own during the recording and start singing... I am very sure people will enjoy it," she added.

The music of the film has been released by Saregama India Ltd. and has great numbers like "Na main boli", "Majha naav aahe Ganpatrao" and "Saiyan saiyan", among others.

Joy had directed “Love In Bombay” and he also acted in it along with Waheeda Rehman. Joy's character is said to be inspired by funny Australian movie 'Crocodile Dundee'.

Talking about the release date of the film, Neelam said they are "planning to release it by mid or end of July this year".

The shooting of Shreyas Talpade and Manjari Phadnis-starrer "Wah Taj!" has been wrapped up and the makers are happy that the director canned the film within schedule.

Directed by debutant Ajit Sinha, the movie is a co-production of Pawan Sharma and Abhinav Verma's Pun Films Pvt. Ltd. and Spider Wave Films, respectively. It was majorly shot in Agra, Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

"The film was mounted and executed as per plan. I am very pleased that Ajit has shot the film well within schedule despite the film being shot at multiple real locations," Amitesh Kumar, spokesperson of the movie, said in a statement.

"Wah Taj!", a thriller with a generous dose of humour, is about a man’s struggle against the establishment. Sinha feels viewers will be able to connect with the story.

"The script is very honest and relatable, so I needed an earnest actor like Shreyas to do justice to the role," he added.

Tamil actor Dhanush, who is awaiting the release of his debut Hindi film "Raanjhanaa", said Tuesday that he is keen to direct soon. In all probability, he is likely to wield the megaphone by the end of 2014.

"I have been thinking of directing for quite some time now. In fact, I would have started my directorial project had 'Raanjhanaa' not come my way. Currently, I have signed two more projects and therefore, I may likely direct a film by the end of next year," Dhanush told reporters here.

The direction bug bit him because he comes from a family of directors.

"My father (Kasthuri Raja) and brother (Selvaraghavan) are renowned directors in the industry. I can say I have been influenced by them, but I want to take things slowly," he added.

While Dhanush made his cinematic debut through his father Kasthuri Raja's Tamil romantic-drama "Thulluvadho Ilammai", he has worked with his brother Selvaraghavan in Tamil films such as "Kadhal Kondein", "Yaaradi Nee Mohini" and "Mayakkam Enna".

In "Raanjhanaa", which is directed by Anand L. Rai, Dhanush is paired with Sonam Kapoor. Produced by Eros International, it is releasing Friday.