Actor-producer Ajay Devgn has not yet seen his own films "Himmatwala" and "Rascals". He says during the making of most of his movies itself, he realises whether a project will work or not.

"(From around) 80 percent of the films that have not worked...I come to know while shooting, so I do not see those films. I have not even seen the trial of those films. I have not seen 'Himmatwala' and 'Rascals' till today. You get that feel while making a film," Ajay said here in a group interaction.

"Himmatwala", directed by Sajid Khan, did not receive a positive word. Ajay says though the original script of the film was good, things went wrong while shooting.

"The original script of 'Himmatwala' was good...I don't want to blame Sajid, but he had taken the 1980s' look and shot it in the same way."

"There were no punchlines. 'Himmatwala' would have worked today if it had today's punchlines and today's styling. He made it like the 1980's only. That didn't work," he added.

However, despite getting the feeling that "Himmatwala" wouldn't work, Ajay gave the film his best shot and promoted it. Why?

"There is so much of money and stakes involved (in a film)...You can't say, 'This is not working so I am not working'. It's unethical. If there is some alternative, then it's a different thing."

"When you are acting in a film, everybody is not ready to agree with you. If you have been paid for a film, you have to do as much as you can do."

The promotions of "Bobby Jasoos" are keeping Vidya Balan busy, but soon she will also be doing a promotional stint for Salman Khan-starrer "Kick".

Vidya has been updating a blog for "Bobby Jasoos", and soon she will announce a news about "Kick" on the platform.

"As I had pledged, I have been gathering Bollywood gossip and news for everyone. This time around, I was very curious about a speculation related to Salman's film 'Kick' that has been doing the rounds," Vidya said in a statement.

"Media has been covering this particular subject of 'Kick' for a while and of late it has easily been one of the most talked about topics. So, I chose to investigate about this," she said.

She will be sharing the news on the blog http://bobbyjasoos.tumblr.com and at an event that is being planned to make the big announcement.

Rani Mukerji is back and how! A sneak peek into "Mardaani" via its trailer, which was launched here Tuesday, shows the actress as a bold, strong and fearless police officer who takes on the child trafficking mafia head on.

The description of the trailer on YouTube reads - "Bold. Strong. Fearless. Watch Rani Mukerji in YRF’s boldest movie ever, ‘Mardaani’."

And it truly seems to be.

Produced by Rani's husband Aditya Chopra of Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner, and directed by Pradeep Sarkar, "Mardaani" comes across as a raw and gritty tale in which the actress seems to be displaying women power at its best.

She kicks, slaps, runs, punches - everything a Bollywood 'hero' would do. There are no frills to her look - it's simple, understated and suits her role to a T.

In "Mardaani", she plays Shivani Shivaji Roy, an officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch unit. Her character seems to be no-nonsense.

Earlier when the film's poster was launched, YRF had said that Rani's character Shivani is "deft at picking up hidden clues and fearless in confronting hardened criminals".

"The film's story takes an interesting curve when a teenage girl is kidnapped by the child trafficking mafia and smuggled outside the city. Shivani then embarks on a relentless hunt for the girl and what follows is a cat and mouse game between the fearless cop and a ruthless mafia kingpin," the statement had said.

The trailer proves that there is a serious social issue that the film tackles in a smart and gripping way. The movie is slated to release Aug 22.

National Award winning actress Vidya Balan, who has delivered power-packed performances in films like "The Dirty Picture" and "Kahaani", says she's glad she has received offers to feature in several women-oriented projects out of the few that Bollywood makes.

"It's the era...writers are writing interesting scripts for the female actors and people are ready to invest in them. But still, 95 percent of the films are a stereotypical representation of women, and (I would say) 5 percent of (different women-oriented films) are being made.

"I'm happy that three percent of it are coming to me," the 36-year-old said here in a group interaction.

Vidya received accolades and acclaim for choosing movies like "The Dirty Picture" and "Kahaani" in which she essayed strong female protagonists, but she credits the people behind the scene.

"The actor gets most of the credit because films are a visual medium. I did those films, but there were some people who were investing and writing such films and directing such films. Obviously, the time is right and I came in (into films) during the right time," she added.

Vidya is currently busy promoting her forthcoming entertainer "Bobby Jasoos", in which she plays a detective.

Talking about it, the actress said: "I don't know whether five years back we could have done a story like this. She is a fun girl. This is not just a detective film. Pure detective films get a little heavy.

"It's a journey of that detective, so there is a human story to it. It's got drama and comedy in it. She is learning on the job and there is a child-like enthusiasm in her."

Directed by Samar Sheikh, the film is produced by Dia Mirza and Sahil Sangha's banner Born Free Entertainment.

In a twist in the Salman Khan accident case, a witness in the Sessions Court here Tuesday reneged on his earlier statement made before the police.

Sachin Kadam, a security guard with Hotel Neelsagar restaurant, informed Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande that his earlier statement recorded by the police was wrong.

"My statement that I saw Salman Khan coming out of the driver's seat and running away from the (accident) site is incorrect," Kadam told the court.

However, Kadam was unable to explain during the ongoing re-trial here why police recorded a 'false version' of his statement.

In his earlier statement to police, Kadam had said he saw Khan alighting from the driver's seat of his SUV and leaving the accident scene.

On Tuesday, Kadam said he informed police that a large car came and hit the shutter of a shop.

Public Prosecutor Jagannath Kenralkar immediately demanded that Kadam be declared a "hostile witness" as he did not support the prosecution, but the court did not pass any order on this.

During cross-examination, Kadam told Salman Khan's lawyer Shrikant Shivade that he had not witnessed the accident since he was on duty at the restaurant gate that night.

He said the restaurant gate was opposite the bakery and laundry where the SUV was involved in the accident Sep 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others.

Kadam said he heard a loud noice and went to see what happened.

M. Shaikh, another witness and an injured who was examined Tuesday, said he saw Salman Khan standing at the accident site after he (Shaikh) was helped out from below the car by people there.

"It was a big white car. I saw Salman Khan after I was rescued and there were two other people but I did not recognise them," Shaikh told the court.

Shaikh, who was later admitted to the Bhabha Hospital with a fracture, said he was sleeping with Narullah and others outside the bakery at the time of the accident.

Later, he learnt that Narullah died in the accident.

In his cross-examination, Shaikh said he did not see Salman Khan helping out in the rescue work as he (Shaikh) was under the vehicle for 10-15 minutes and could not see who was around.

"Police took away the vehicle, but I cannot say how it was taken away. Narullah and I were under the vehicle and screaming for help. Local taxi drivers and bakery workers who rescued us were shouting that Salman Khan was responsible for the accident," Shaikh said.

Shaikh said he informed police about Salman Khan meeting with an accident. "But I can't say why this was not recorded by police in my statement," he added.

The two witnesses' testimony came Tuesday, the second day after the hearing resumed in the retrial in the hit-and-run case.

Salman Khan faced an additional charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder which attracts a 10-year jail term.

On Monday, two witnesses testified and identified Salman Khan, while last month, three other witnesses had testified before the court and also identified the actor in the case in which the retrial started April 28.

Salman Khan is accused of driving his SUV onto a pavement in Bandra Sep 28, 2002, in which one person was killed and four other injured.

On Dec 5, 2013, a Mumbai court ordered retrial in the case.

Filmmaker Siddarth Anand, who is busy with his film "Bang Bang", will be flying to Los Angeles to work on the visual effects of the action scenes.

"It is a breathtaking action sequence whose VFX is being done at the Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Sid Anand would be traveling there for 5-6 days to oversee the process. The best VFX guys who have worked on the biggest Fox Films are going to work on this," a source said Tuesday.

"Bang Bang" features Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in the lead.

Actress Rani Mukerji Tuesday said she hopes to work till she literally take her boots off.

"I hope to work till I literally take my boots off. You can't take artist out of me ever. Even though I play a wife today, and in future a mother, but the most significant role is as an actor I am known for... that I will continue to play and that's never going to change," Rani told reporters during the trailer launch of "Mardaani".

The actress, who has worked in many women-centric films, says she hopes many more good scripts will come her way.

"We actors are like beggars. We never choose, we are chosen by directors, producers. If a powerful script comes my way, I will take it up. We sit there and wait to be chosen... hopefully, there will be better characters written and we will get better roles," she said.

While fellow actress Vidya Balan feels women don't have much to play in films with the Khans, Rani said she loves all the Khans.

"I love all the Khans. I have some personal love for them. Since my first films 'Ghulam' and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', I have shared a special relationship with the Khans and my roles have been very special with them. So I should not be complaining, I love them and they are amazing," Rani said.

Ever since Rani Mukerji married Aditya Chopra, there were rumours that she would lead the Yash Raj production house. Rani, however, Tuesday said she would rather take over the house than the office.

"There is a lot of power in the house and especially in the kitchen. In the production house, there are many capable people who take care of everything. Adi being at the helm, I don't think he requires anybody else. I would rather take over the house and not the office," Rani told reporters during the trailer launch of "Mardaani".

The actress said that even after marriage she should be addressed as 'Rani Mukerji'.

"My name has not changed, so you all can call me Rani. I would like to be addressed as Rani only. I love my name so I will stick to that. For my films, people know me as Rani and they will always know me as Rani Mukerji. When I admit my children in school, I guess I will change my surname. But for my fans, it will always remain Rani Mukerji."

While Aditya Chopra is known to be media shy and doesn't like to face the camera, Rani said he was an individual and likes to maintain his privacy.

"We are always together. We do go out together, but as a person he has made a very conscious decision to concentrate on his work rather than being seen. That's his decision and I don't think that after marriage, it will change.

"Marriage makes you a different person. Although he is married to an actor, I don't think he is entitled to become media savvy. He is an individual and would like to maintain his privacy. As long as he is visible to me, I am very happy," the 36-year-old actress said.

On her latest film "Mardaani", Rani said: "There has been a strong message for women in most of my films. I am very happy that this role came my way. It was an interesting role to play.

"When I did research and met many women inspectors, I took inspiration from them. This is a way to say what are the contributions of women police officers in our country. There are female officers not only good as male officers, sometimes even better. We have to change the perspective of how people look at a women police officer. This film is one step towards that change," she said.

"Mardaani" has been directed by Pradeep Sarkar.

Emraan Hashmi and Humaima Mallik, who will be next seen starring opposite each other in Kunal Deshmukh’s con caper ‘Raja Natwarlal’, seem to have got along like a house on fire over their shared love for Sufi music.

Being from Pakistan, Humaima is quite knowledgeable about Sufi music whereas Emraan, whose films are famously known for Sufi music and slow melodies, is also quite fond of the genre. It was but natural that the two discovered their shared love for Sufi music and bonded over it. The duo spoke about Sufism even when they were shooting in South Africa.

Says director Kunal Deshmukh, “Emraan and Humaima bonded over Sufism, while a Sufi song was being shot in Cape Town. Humaima also invited Emraan to Pakistan and promised to introduce him to Sufi songs by local artistes over there.”

Raja Natwarlal is slated for release on August 29th 2014.

Taaha Shah, who was launched in Luv Ka The End opposite Shraddha Kapoor, has now been cast in J P Gene's next untitled production. The film is a launch pad for Nidhi Dutta, the veteran Filmmakers daughter and Ajit Sodhi, son of actress Nafisa Ali.

Taaha, who has his platter full this year with Tina and Lolo opposite Sunny Leone and Barkhaa opposite Sara Loren slated for the year's release, says "I feel truly blessed to be associated with JP sir's production. Its a dream come true for a newcomer like me to be given a chance to work with a legend known for his cinematic excellence."

The films Director, Binoy Gandhi, has assisted Kunal Kohli and Siddharth Anand earlier along with directing ‘Ishq Holiday,’ a 45 minute feature film, says "Taaha was the obvious choice for the role. With his raw energy and spot on timing, he fit the part to the T".

Having worked with the biggies like YRF and Dharma in the past and now with 3 films already in his kitty, looks like Taaha is here for the longer run. We wish him all the luck with his upcoming releases.

Mumbai police Tuesday started recording the statement of Bollywood actress Preity Zinta who has accused her former boyfriend and business partner, industrialist Ness Wadia, of allegedly molesting and threatening her.

The actress came in the evening to the Wankhede Stadium where the alleged incident involving Wadia took place May 30 and was closeted with the investigators till quite late.

Among other things, the police questioning is expected to reconstruct the sequence of events that night during an IPL match played by their jointly-owned King XI Punjab Team.

Police are also likely to visit the couple of places in the stadium where the alleged incident took place as part of the investigations, and get the names of more witnesses who were present at that time.

The 39-year old actress had submitted a written complaint to the Marine Lines Police station here June 12 making various allegations against Wadia, who denied them as "false and baseless."

Later, police recorded the statements of at least half a dozen other people, including some eyewitnesses in the case.

Soon after lodging her police complaint, Preity left for a foreign tour and returned to Mumbai two days ago (Sunday).

Police officials remained tightlipped on the line of questioning, whether it was completed or would continue tomorrow (Wednesday), their plans to question more witnesses and further of action in the investigation.

Aditi Rao Hydari says when she stepped into the Hindi film industry, she was clueless about playing the "game", but she's now glad to have found her niche in tinsel town. Her aim here onwards is to become an "irreplaceable" actress.

"It's all falling in place. I am happy that I have own place now. I want to be known as an actress who is irreplaceable. What is mine must only be mine," said Aditi, who will be seen in distinctive roles in "Guddu Rangeela" and "The Legend Of Michael Mishra".

It has taken Aditi a while to find her bearings in the film industry ever since she came here in 2006. She has been finalised opposite Farhan Akhtar in Bejoy Nambiar's yet untitled film. That's the leap in her career Aditi was waiting for patiently.

Aditi, who starred in "Yeh Saali Zindagi" and "Delhi-6", feels it's a disadvantage to be an outsider in Bollywood.

"Not that anyone takes advantage of you. I firmly believe the way one is treated depends on one's conduct and intentions. Of course, men will look at you in a certain way if you are single and attractive. I believe most men behave strangely with women when their wives and girlfriends are not watching," she added.

Luckily, she hasn't met the wolves of Bollywood.

"So far I've had no bad experiences. But yes, it hasn't been an easy journey for me. I didn't know how to play the game. I wish I had people to tell me what to do, how to look for the right roles. In the absence of a support system I just did whatever I thought right.

"I don't regret any of my career decisions. Nor do I feel victimized or mistreated. But I do feel there are two distinct types of career opportunities in our industry. One for girls from film families and another for girls who come to the industry with no connections."

Aditi wishes for equal opportunities for aspirants.

"I am not saying, 'Don't favour actors and actresses from within the industry'. Why not? Lineage advantage is a given rule in every sector. Children of potters and entrepreneurs go into the family profession. Likewise, star kids. But at the same time, I think non-industry strugglers also deserve a chance. So there should be equal opportunities."

"Let us outsiders prove ourselves. For that, we need the roles."

The actress, who was also seen in "Rockstar" and "London Paris New York", always felt over-qualified during her period of struggle.

"I don't know what it was about me. I was told it was a problem of slotting me. 'You are a complete package. I don't know how to use you in my film.' I'd hear this many times. It took a long time to find out they meant - I'm good looking and talented and I could sing and dance. So they didn't know which of my skills to use."

"Bollywood expects actresses to dumb themselves down. That's the way the men like it. I say, stop just talking about new talent. Have the courage to give breaks to actors who are not established or connected to film families."

Not that Aditi has any reason to feel sorry for herself.

"I've been lucky. My struggle was neither long nor painful nor humiliating. I've heard so many chilling stories of what non-filmy newcomers have to go through. I just wish I had better guidance when I came here."

Aditi says she lacked experience, the required lineage and the diplomatic skills to make her way through the film industry.

"I may come from a very distinguished background. But that meant zilch to my career in Mumbai. No producer would give me a role just because my great grand-uncle was the governor of Assam or or my great grandfather was royalty. I mean, who the hell cares where I came from?"

"I was a raw newcomer with no one to tell me what to do. On top of that, I had no connections within the film industry. Nor could a hold a drink in my hand and mouth pleasantries at parties."

Actor Ali Fazal has been missing from a majority of the promotional events and activities for his forthcoming film "Bobby Jasoos", which features Vidya Balan in the lead role. The reason is his involvement in the shooting of Vishesh Films'"Khamoshiyan".

With "Bobby Jasoos" up for release July 4, Ali wants to be an active part of the movie's promotions along with Vidya, who has been visiting different cities to spread a buzz about it. However, prior work commitments are keeping Ali busy from all the action.

"Ali, in fact, has been trying his best to make it for 'Bobby Jassos' promotions but he has to stay back on the sets to shoot. After a lot of shuffling, Ali has managed to get only a day or two off from 'Khamoshiyan' to promote his latest release, which will be his biggest film so far," said a source close to the actor.

He will, however, soon join the rest of the cast for the last five days of aggressive promotions, beginning early next week.

Ali has earlier featured in Hindi films like "3 Idiots", "Always Kabhi Kabhi" and "Fukrey".

Actress Karena Kapoor says in the past she has done a lot of films for the sake of friendship, but now only a film with a "good story" will lure her.

"I have done a lot of films for friends. Now I want to do films for story. I don't regret it (having done any films for friends) and for me, it's never a mistake. I am like that - I always think from the heart, so it's fine," Kareena said here.

The actress, who has been part of some commercial films like "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham....", "3 Idiots", "Bodyguard" and "RA.One", has also done offbeat roles in films like "Chameli" and "Talaash".

What was her reason behind choosing those?

"I did 'Chameli' and 'Dev' becaue I needed to balance myself. I come from a family where I needed to prove myself. I was 21 when I played a prostitute in 'Chameli' and I played it again in 'Talaash'...both have been great films of my career," she added.

Now that Kareena will soon be seen in a commercial film like "Singham Returns", is she open to the idea of taking up an offbeat movie at this point of time in her career?

"I will do that but I won't do it just for the sake of it because I did 'Dev', 'Chameli' and 'Omkara' when I was the most (successful) commercial actress. At this stage, I will not do a film just like that or heck of it, because I have done that and I am happy doing commercial films."

"I don't have to prove anything (now). Most importantly, the script has to be good."

Producer Vashu Bhagnani, who hosted a party to celebrate the response to his film "Humshakals", directed by Sajid Khan, says though people had "vicious things" to say about the entertainer, the box office numbers have proved otherwise.

The movie, starring Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Esha Gupta and Tammannaah Bhatia, received mixed reviews, and it was trashed by many on social networking sites.

Bhagnani, who has claimed that the film managed a gross business of Rs.76 crore in four days since its release June 20, is happy.

"Thank you very much. Some people had spread vicious things about the film on social networking sites that the film is bad. But the audience has proved that the film is good," Bhagnani said here Tuesday.

Except Saif, Tamannaah and Bipasha, the rest of the cast along with Sajid was present at the party.

When asked about critics slamming the film, Bhagnani said: "We can never say anything to critics because we have to stay in the industry. It is their personal view. We make films for the audiences and we are very happy with the result."

Brad Pitt-starrer "Fury", set in 1945 towards the end of World War II, will hit Indian screens on the occasion of Children's Day Nov 14.

The war drama, directed by David Ayer, brings together a stellar duo of Pitt and Shia LaBeouf. The film also stars Logan Lerman, Micheal Pena and Jason Issacs.

It tells the heroic tale of an army sergeant named Wardaddy (Pitt) who commands a Sherman tank called 'Fury' and its five-member crew to make inroads into the European Theatre for a mission.

What follows is the story of Wardaddy and his five men who are outnumbered and outgunned as they face the Nazi army in a brave attempt to strike the last blow.

"Fury" will be distributed here by PVR Pictures.

The movie-viewing experience just got more luxurious for film buffs in the capital with the launch of M Cinemas, a "first of its kind concept theatre".

The new property has been launched by Marquee Cinemas Pvt Ltd, which owns the good old Sapna Theatre.

Located in the East of Kailash area here, M Cinemas aims to redefine consumer's cinema viewing experience by bringing in high-end luxury and latest state-of-the-art technology.

"M Cinemas is the result of years of research and consultation. We aim to bring a turnaround in the movie experience in India and revolutionise cinema watching for the citizens of the country at competitive prices offering good value for money," Karan Kukreja, managing director, M Cinemas, said in a statement.

Kukreja believes "Indians haven't yet experienced the true joy of 3D watching in the country" and that they "endeavour to be the game-changers in the field with upgraded technology."

"Our 3D experience will change the outlook of movie-goers towards the technology. We have strived to achieve and produce the theatre of every Indian's dreams with 398 LaZboys, a 64-feet screen, an in-house kitchen, latest sound technology by Dolby Atmos and the only theatre in the country with Christie dual 4000 server projector providing superior viewing quality," he added.

Christie Duo allows one projector to be dedicated to the right eye and one projector to be dedicated to the left, enhancing the overall visual experience, while the sound of Dolby Atmos will make the audiences feel as if they are part of the film, and not merely watching it.

Young and handsome actor Sidharth Malhotra, who played a loverboy in his last two releases - "Student of the Year" and "Hasee Toh Phasee", says he found it taxing and challenging to feature in an intense role in "Ek Villain".

He reasons that he had no reference to the character in romantic thriller "Ek Villain", in which his role is that of a man with grey shades.

"To do an action-oriented and intense film right after doing romance is far more taxing because real life references are not there.

"Neither am I such a kind of person in real life nor do I know somebody with such personality. So, in that case, you have to work much harder, do homework as an actor, have to work on your look and this is what I have tried to do in the film," the actor told reporters here Tuesday at Lawman Pg3 store.

He hopes to do a range of films and characters post "Ek Villain".

"Hopefully after 'Ek Villain' I will get more films where I can do both positive and negative characters," added the 29-year-old, who turned to acting after being a successful model and working as an assistant director.

Directed by Mohit Suri, "Ek Villain" also features Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor. It will hit the theatres Friday.

Bollywood actress Preity Zinta revealed the entire sordid episode involving her and her former boyfriend and business partner, industrialist Ness Wadia, in her detailed two-hour statement to Mumbai police, according to official sources.

On Tuesday night, she reiterated the allegations in her original June 12 statement detailing how Wadia had screamed abuses at her, insulted her, and attacked her character publicly though he was repeatedly warned to mind his language.

Preity said this demeaned her dignity as a woman and humiliated her in full public view, officials said.

As part of the statement recording, she showed the investigators the seats they had occupied in the Wankhede Stadium during the IPL match May 30 as owners of the Kings XI Punjab team. The police conducted a 'spot panchnama'.

Accompanied by her brother, Zinta took the police to the spots in the stadium which included 35 seats in the air-conditioned enclosure and another 50 in the general area which were reserved for the team owners.

The police said that they sought certain clarifications from her on the entire episode and had selected the Wankhede Stadium to get a clear understanding of the circumstances and reconstruct the sequence of events unfolding May 30 evening.

Zinta's complete statement would now be corroborated with that of eight others already recorded in the past few days before police decide the future course of action.

Another around 14 witnesses named by her, including some foreigners, common friends of Zinta and Wadia, stadium staffers and others, are likely to be questioned by police over the next few days.

Police however, continue to remain tight-lipped about their plans to either question or summon Wadia in connection with the episode.

The investigations are following Zinta's accusations in her police complaint against Wadia of allegedly molesting, humiliating and threatening her.

Ajay Devgn, who was given a National Film Award for his performance in "Zakhm", says he misses hearing scripts as moving as the 1998 movie. He feels the new generation writers in Hindi filmdom are not penning such scripts anymore.

"'Zakhm' I would say, is one of my best characters and the sole reason for that is when I had heard the story by (Mahesh) Bhatt sahab, it was so touching that we used to have tears in our eyes," Ajay said here.

He admits people are experimenting with non-commercial cinema, but says "the problem is that I have not heard a script which moves me like 'Zakhm' did."

"I was the one who started this trend by doing films like 'Zakhm', 'Thakshak' and 'Raincoat' or else the actors of commercial cinema never did these kind of films. The depth is missing in the new generation and people are not writing such scripts."

"Zakhm" also featured Pooja Bhatt and depicted communal tension between two religions in contemporary society.