There was a time when Sanjeev Kumar and Zeenat Aman were seen together in Shammi Kapoor's "Manoranjan" and that was probably the oddest pair yet. Now with a scarcity of dates for leading ladies, the oddest of couples are being seen together in our films.

Here's looking at some weird out of the box casting.

* Rishi Kapoor and Radhika in "Mere Pati Mera Devta Hai": From their very contrasting skin tones to their very different personalities, Rishi and the dusky South Indian actress (with her gravity-defying ponytail) were mismatched from the word go. And that's exactly what the script demanded.

* Naseeruddin Shah and Vidya Balan in "The Dirty Picture": They were perfectly in-sync earlier in "Ishqiya". In "The Dirty Picture", he was potbellied, bewigged and ridiculously self-important. She was breathy pouty and all over him. The end results were hilariously counter-erotic pouts.

*Vidya Balan and Ali Fazal in "Bobby Jasoos": Heroines being paired with younger guys is nothing new. Sadhana, Mala Sinha and Nanda in their heydays worked with Rajesh Khanna, Sanjay Khan and Shashi Kapoor who were their juniors. The thing about Ali Fazal is that he looks very Hyderabadi and very much in love with the bewitching Ms Balan. Age no bar.

* Kangna Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao in "Queen": She had worked with the senior lot of superstars including Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Sunny Deol(in the unreleased "I Love New York"). Rajkummar seemed like a different world which is exactly what the director Vikas Behl wanted. Sometimes incompatibility makes an unlikely couple jell on screen.

* Amitabh Bachchan and Jiah Khan In "Nishabd": This one takes the cake, and the bakery, for the oddest pairing of all times. He was 60. She was his daughter's 18-year old wild reckless friend. She seduced him.

* Dharmendra and Dimple Kapadia In "Dushman Devta": What was he thinking? At the peak of Sunny Deol's relationship with Dimple, Sunny's dad decided to do a film with her. During a love song, Dharmendra caught hold of the discernibly distracted Dimple and smooched her torridly in what must rank as the most misplaced screen kiss of all times.

* Saif Ali Khan and Sonali Kulkarni in "Dil Chahta Hai": Years after Farhan Akhtar's debut film established its cult status the question remains, why did Farhan cast the very urbane and aristocratic Saif opposite the earthy Marathi mulgi? They looked odd together. And not because they were meant to.

* Bipasha Basu and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in "Aatma": Nothing on this horror movie was scarier than the otherwise talented Nawaz trying to appear sophisticated opposite Bipasha. The ill-fitting suits went well with the fake angrezi accent. Even when the scares began we couldn't stop giggling at Nawaz's put-on poise. This wasn't miscasting it was mess-casting.

* Irrfan-Deepika Padukone in "Piku": Shoojit Sircar has cast the two actors from different kingdoms together in his next film "Piku". From what one hears they play individuals from very different backgrounds who embrace one another's differences.

* Rahul Bose and Priyanka Chopra in "Dil Dhadkne Do": He is as Bengali as macher-jhol and from the avant-garde hemisphere. She is as Punjabi as chole-bhature and from hardcore commercial cinema. It remains to be seen how Zoya Akhtar turns this iffy couple into something interesting.

* Kangna Ranaut and Vir Das in "Revolver Rani": She was the trigger-happy lustful politician from down under. He was her cheesy self-serving toy boy. Vir Das and Kangna were so comically mismatched that the outcome of their liaison had to be tragic.

Filmmaker Dharma Teja, who is ready with his next Telugu film titled "Hora Hori", says he is eagerly waiting for the monsoon to arrive as he plans to shoot some important sequences of his film in the rain.

"We'll start shooting soon. However, we are looking forward to the monsoons as we've planned to shoot some scenes in real rain. We could do it with artificial rain but I feel that wouldn't make it look authentic," Teja told IANS.

"The story is set against the backdrop of monsoons. Therefore, it makes sense to shoot scenes during real monsoons, when rain is pouring heavily," he added.

Teja is known for introducing fresh talent and he continues the tradition with "Hora Hori" as well. In the film, he has introduced newcomer Dilip.

Meanwhile, Teja is expected to team up with actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan.

"The project with Kamal is on. It might not happen this year as he's busy with multiple films but it will definitely happen next year," he said.

A day after some BJP workers protested against actress Vidya Balan's attempt to promote her forthcoming release "Bobby Jasoos" in a get up resembling Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Vadodara, the National Award-winner said here Saturday it was "unfortunate" and "felt bad" that her intention had been "misunderstood".

The actress, who dons as many as 12 disguises in the detective film, had tried to sport a look that resembled Modi while promoting the film in the leader's former constituency Thursday. However, irate BJP supporters allegedly stalled her idea of visiting the tea stall from where Modi started his journey.

"I am not even aware of this statement (that the BJP are allegedly unhappy)... I don't want to politicise the issue at all. I was there to promote a film and I play a jasoos (detective) who dons different disguises," she told reporters here.

Vidya clarified that the disguise was meant to be a tribute to Modi.

"I just felt that I wanted to pay a tribute to our Prime Minister because Baroda is his city and his is an inspirational story.

"I felt bad that my intention was misunderstood... I did not want to hurt anyone's sentiments which is why I decided not to go ahead with it but really the idea was only to pay a tribute or pay a salaam... Bobby ka salaam or something like that... I don't know why I got misunderstood yesterday... it was unfortunate," she said.

The detective comedy revolves around a female character who is a private detective. While Vidya plays the female lead, Ali Fazal plays the male lead. The film is directed by Samar Shaikh and is co-produced by actress Dia Mirza and her beau Sahil Sangha.

The film will hit theatres July 4.

Mohit Suri’s "Ek Villain” saw an “awesome” opening day when it hit around 2539 screens in India Friday.

The romantic thriller that stars Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor, has earned well on the first day.

“#EkVillain Fri (Rs.) 16.72 cr nett [2539 screens]. India biz. Second highest opener of 2014. In terms of screen average, it's HIGHEST. AWESOME!” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

The movie has been produced by Ekta Kapoor under the banner of her production house Balaji Motion Pictures.

Celebrities like Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and Genelia D'Souza also praised the movie

Debutant Rahul Paramahamsa, who is a gold medallist in management studies, is making his directorial debut with upcoming Tamil thriller "Jithan 2". He believes his management degree would help him in the marketing and promotion of his film.

"I feel my education and experience would come in handy in the tougher situations related to the film industry such as promoting and releasing, apart from directing the film, "Rahul said in a statement.

Ramesh-starrer "Jithan 2" is the sequel of 2005 hit film "Jithan", which was the Tamil remake of Ram Gopal Varma's "Gayab".

The sequel will be high on the paranormal element, says Rahul.

"The story in "Jithan 2" will have a lot of paranormal references. In fact, recently Ramesh had trained with a paranormal scientist to understand more about the subject. It has helped him to a great extent," he added.

National Award winning actress Vidya Balan Saturday confessed her love for football is just limited to Argentinian forward Lionel Messi's good looks.

"I just know Messi because he is good looking! My friends tell me when Messi's game will be telecast, that time I switch on the TV and watch...else I don't have any interest," she admitted to reporters here while promoting her forthcoming release "Bobby Jasoos".

The detective comedy revolves around a female character. While Vidya plays the female lead, Ali Fazal plays the male lead. The film is directed by Samar Shaikh and is co-produced by actress Dia Mirza and her beau Sahil Sangha.

The actress met Bengali superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee, fondly called Bumba da, at his residence here. She said the two were keen to work together but no suitable script had come their way yet.

"I told him that today (Saturday) Bobby has come to meet Kakababu (one of Prosenjit's popular on-screen characters adapted from a series of novels).

"Bumba da has encouraged me a lot. I know him from 'Parineeta' days and the late Rituparno Ghosh wanted to make a film with the two of us and we always discuss that he is no more but we should work together sometime...but we don't know when that will be possible. We haven't received a script which we both like...," she said, adding the actor wishes her via sms before every release.

"Bobby Jasoos" will hit the theatres July 4.

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala, whose has struck gold with three of his releases this year- “Highway”, “2 States” and “Heropanti”, still feels like a fresher in the industry as far as his directorial debut “Kick” is concerned.

"I am extremely nervous and excited about my directorial debut ‘Kick’. I have been a creative producer for 27 years but I still feel like a newcomer where ‘Kick’ is concerned,” Nadiadwala said in a statement.

“Kick”, which will be releasing on Eid this year, stars Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez.

The trailer, which boasts of death defying stunts and picturesque locations, was unveiled earlier this month and has received a positive response so far.

Actress Dia Mirza, whose new co-production “Bobby Jasoos” is yet to hit the theatres, is already getting queries related to the detective comedy from regional filmmakers.

"Bobby Jasoos" revolves around a female character, played by Vidya Balan. She will be seen romancing young actor Ali Faizal in the film, directed by Samar Shaikh and co-produced by Dia and her beau Sahil Sangha.

“We have been getting calls from regional filmmakers for the rights of Bobby Jasoos, that's cool given how many films in Hindi are remakes,” Dia tweeted.

The film will hit the theatres July 4.

Actress Kareena Kapoor, who has been part of commercial films like the “Golmaal” franchise and “We Are Family”, says even the biggest stars including yesteryear actresses Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman have been part of commercial films and she doesn’t see anything wrong in featuring in such movies.

“Even the biggest of stars like Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman have always worked in commercial films. The biggest superstars (successful female actresses) of this year will be part of biggest superstar films, so it’s fine,” Kareena told reporters in a group interview.

The “Heroine” star will now be seen in Rohit Shetty’s “Singham Returns” also starring Ajay Devgn.

Actress Anushka Sharma is off to Istanbul to shoot her upcoming movie titled “Dil Dhadakne Do”.

“Off to Istanbul for the second leg of dil dhadakne do .. Sleep deprived and totally dazed :( .. I will sleep the hell out on this flight :)),” Anushka tweeted.

It also stars Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra.

Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant Saturday joined the Republican Party of India (RPI) as the national executive president of its women's wing.

"I am not scared of anyone... If required, I am ready to contest the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections against (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief) Raj Thackeray," Sawant said soon after joining the RPI.

Raj Thackeray had recently announced his plans to contest the ensuing state assembly elections and is even prepared to become his party's chief ministerial nominee.

Sawant's statement would help strengthen the RPI's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, whose chief Uddhav Thackeray is also being pushed by his party to become chief ministerial candidate.

Welcoming Sawant into the party, RPI chief Ramdas Athawale said she was a known face and a household name across the country. "Besides being a popular actress, she is also a dedicated social worker. In fact, we have some artistes in the RPI, who are engaged in social work."

Explaining the high-level position given to Sawant despite her political inexperience, RPI spokesperson Mayur Borkar said she was a known crowd-puller, a trait which would come in handy to the National Democratic Alliance in the northern states during elections.

Just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sawant - who starred in the Bigg Boss One in 2006 - wholeheartedly supported the BJP and Narendra Modi.

However, when the BJP overlooked her for a ticket, Sawant floated her own political party - Rashtriya Aam Party - and contested the polls from the Mumbai North-West constituency, securing just 1,995 votes.

Vidyut Jammwal and some of his crew members went rafting after packing up their Yaara shoot early. The rafting spot is a lesser known, rather quaint one in the far outskirts of Mussoorie which is where Tigmanshu Dhulia's Yaara is being shot currently.

Says a production insider, "The entire crew has been working double shifts and have had no break time. The schedule has been rather grueling. Finally, after winding up early yesterday, Vidyut, who's a total adventure junkie, decided to take members of his crew rafting. Having spent his growing up years living all over the country, being an army officer's son, he's well versed and extremely enthusiastic about adventure sports. He also spent some of his growing up years in Dehradun as well and thus Mussoorie as a holiday spot is one he's well acquainted with. Hence him knowing quaint rafting spots like this one on the outskirts comes as no surprise. It was a rather memorable evening for all of them "

The team has would up their shoot in Dehradun and has moved to Mussoorie to complete the rest of their outdoor shots as part of this schedule. Yaara is co-produced and directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and produced by Sunir Khetarpal of Azure Entertainment.

At a time when independent movies like "Ship of Theseus" and "Lunchbox" have created a furore in the domestic market and abroad, actor-producer Ajay Devgn too wants to venture into "feel good" and "small budget" films.

The storyline, treatment and presentation of indie movies attract viewers.

"I am working on some scripts which are feel good films and small budget. But the only thing is that the budget should be limited because they have a limited audience," said Ajay, who has produced films like "U Me Aur Hum" and "Son of Sardaar".

As actor and filmmaker, Ajay opines that the first impression of a movie is important. He feels that Salman Khan has hit the nail with the impressive trailer of "Kick".

Ajay said: "I think it's a fabulous promo."

"The first promo is the most important one, so most of your job is done if your promo is appreciated. You never get a second chance. So that's how it is."

When the first look of Ajay starrer "Singham" was launched, Salman was one of the actors who appreciated his hard work.

Actress Deeksha Seth is soon going to make her Bollywood debut with “Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" and says that despite her co-star being Armaan Jain - the grandson of late actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor - she feels secure.

Deeksha made her acting debut in the Telugu drama film “Vedam” in 2010 and went on to feature in quite a few Tamil and Telugu movies like “Rajapattai” and “Wanted”.

“I don't feel overshadowed at all because it's not like I got to know he is a Kapoor now. If in the movie, I didn't have a good role then definitely I would've been insecure. When you see the movie you'll see there is a fair division between my and Armaan's work,” Deeksha told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

Armaan is also the cousin of actors Ranbir, Kareena and Karisma. Deeksha feels that it is obvious for people to be curious about a star kid.

"I feel it's normal to have curiosity about someone who comes from a film family. Everyone wants to know what's happening," she added.

"Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" will release Friday.

Co-produced by Eros International and Illuminati Films, the film is directed by Arif Ali.

The former Miss India contestant is also excited about delivering dialogues in Hindi.

“I look at it as my debut because I am working in my mother tongue. The language has made me more confident rather than my prior experience,” said the actress.

Deeksha, who has already signed a two-movie deal with Saif Ali Khan's Illuminati Films, is also willing to take up television assignments.

“TV is also okay. TV has some really interesting stuff nowadays… But I am not made for daily soaps. I can't do the same character for years,” she said.

Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has disclosed that he has now renamed his movie "Mirza Sahibaan" as "Mirziya".

"The film is now going to be called 'Mirziya'. Just like I made 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' inspired by the life of Milkha Singh, 'Mirziya' is only inspired by the folklore," Mehra told IANS exclusively.

He is here in Jammu and Kashmir as the patron of the Ladakh International Film Festival.

His movie stars newcomers Harshvardhan Kapoor, son of veteran actor Anil Kapoor, and Saiyami Kher, niece of Tanvi Azmi.

To be shot in Rajasthan and Ladakh, the tragic love story is a modern take on the folklore.

Actor-producer Riteish Deshmukh, who has two successful films - "Humshakals" and "Ek Villain" - to his credit, says he just went with the flow and that the releases were not planned at all.

Riteish's character in comedy film "Humshakals" and thriller movie "Ek Villain" are poles apart - the former sees him in the comic role, while for the latter he turned a serial killer.

If Sajid Khan directed "Humshakals", which came out on June 20, has earned over Rs.55 crore on the domestic box office, Mohit Suri's Friday release "Ek Villain" made an impressive start by minting Rs.16.72 crore on the opening day.

"It's been a great year so far and I am not complaining at all," said the actor who gives credit to the "choices" he made for the success.

"I have been looking at doing something other than comedy and I decided to do these films. All the films were released back to back, but I did not plan that. I am glad the way they were received. It's great," he said.

Talking about "Ek Villain", Riteish said: "The way film is shaping up (at the box office), it's great and we all are happy."

But the celebrations will happen later, he said.

After two Bollywood successes, Riteish is busy with his Marathi home production "Lai Bhaari". He has teamed up with Radhika Apte, who was seen in "Shor in the City", in the movie, which is slated for a July 11 release.

He said: "Now, I am busy promoting 'Lai Bhaari' and my co-star Radhika is supremely talented. She thinks so much about her character and role. The way she plays her role is phenomenal."

Directed by Nishikant Kamat and produced by Riteish's wife and actress Genelia, "Lai Bhari" also features Sharad Kelkar and Aditi Pohankar.

Innumerable melodramatic family dramas and romantic sagas are currently dominating the small screen and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is hoping to break the clutter with his finite series "Yudh". He says if the medium allows "good" tales, he's ready to make more for it.

"Yudh", due to go on air in July on Sony Entertainment Television, marks the entry of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan into the fiction space on TV - a medium whose face he changed when he first stepped in as the host of "Kaun Banega Crorepati" in 2000.

To be shown for a fixed number of episodes a la Anil Kapoor-starrer "24", the show also stars actors like Sarika, Kay Kay Menon and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

"I hope new TV content emerges after this, and I hope TV becomes so respectful that we start doing more (for) TV," Kashyap told IANS on the sidelines of the Ladakh International Film Festival.

"I would like to tell longer stories (on the small screen). If television allows good content, there's so much more we can do on TV," added the maker of films like "Black Friday", "Dev D" and "Gangs of Wasseypur".

In "Yudh", co-produced by Amitabh's production company Saraswati Creations with Endemol India, Big B plays Yudhistir Sikarwar, a construction company owner, who is battling an illness as well as the complexities in his personal relationships.

Going by the trailers, it looks like the viewers have something different and gripping to look forward to on the small screen.

Is there something else in the pipeline?

"We are waiting for the response to 'Yudh', but at the same time we're planning to do more stuff on TV," Kashyap said during the chat, which happened Saturday after the screening of his upcoming film "Ugly".

Actor Boman Irani, who played professor Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus) in the 2009 hit film “3 Idiots”, says the movie is “a favourite” in places like Hong Kong.

He stayed at Hong Kong’s Ritz Carlton hotel for a few days and was pleased to meet some of the fans of the Rajkumar Hirani-directorial.

“The housekeeping staff of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong. Fans of 3 Idiots. A favourite in these parts. Bless you Raju,” Boman tweeted.

The movie, which released in India Dec 23, 2009, was a blockbuster. It also featured Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan and Kareena Kapoor.

The film “3 Idiots”, which criticised the education system in India without being too preachy, released in Hong Kong in 2011. It also hit other Asian countries like Japan and China.

Anurag Kashyap's "Ugly", which created waves at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year, made its Asia premiere here and left an audience full of filmmakers, army trainees and media, numb with its 'ugliness'.

The thriller about complex relationships around a tragedy, its underlying connotation and stupendous performances left the audience numb. However, more details about the film's story cannot be divulged.

The filmmaker, who was present for the screening, made an earnest request to the media, saying: "Please do not reveal anything about the film on social media or in the media as it will affect the film when it releases."

Kashyap, known for movies like "Black Friday" and "Dev D", was elated to be in the serene surroundings of this Jammu and Kashmir region. Before the film screening at the third edition of Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) here Saturday, he shared tidbits about his journey behind the making of "Ugly".

"Everyone was gung-ho after 'Gangs Of Wasseypur', and that's when I thought that 'Now's the time to do it'. I kind of made 'Ugly' without telling a lot of people because knowing how scared our producers and studios are, they wouldn't have let the film be made," quipped the acclaimed filmmaker.

The movie showcased here was a different version than the one screened for the global audience at Cannes.

"Someone had seen some rushes of 'Ugly' in February or March (this year) and asked me to rush it for Cannes. And the film has been edited again after the Cannes screening. Also, I was fighting a court battle, which I have lost... so now, 'Ugly' is finally releasing Sep 19 with the 'Smoking is injurious to health' logo, which I totally detest," Kashyap said.

When asked why he chose the title "Ugly", he said: "There was no better title. It came naturally to me."

Once the audience saw the film, they truly knew what he meant -- as it was the 'ugliness' in the characters that left the audience numb and with a lasting impact.

Actors like Ronit Roy, Rahul Bhat (who played the lead role in TV show 'Heena') and Tejaswini Kolhapure, who played leading lady in Kashyap's "Paanch", have delivered stellar performances in the film. For those who don't have a weak heart, it's a must watch when it hits the silver screen.

Singing legend Lata Mangeshkar, who crooned the melodious number “Lag ja gale” for 1964 film “Woh kaun Thi”, is delighted at the song having completed 50 years and says that it still sounds fresh.

Composed by late Madan Mohan, the track was picturised on Sadhana and Manoj Kumar.

Lata shared her joy through her tweet saying that beauty of the song lies in the fact that it does not seem to rust, despite being created half-a-decade ago.

“Namaskar. Is varsh 'Lag ja gale ke phir ye hasee'n raat' is geet ko 50 saal pure ho rahe hain. aisa madhur geet aaj bhi purana nahi lagta,” Lata tweeted.

She even shared the link of the song and posted: “Ye amar geet aap ki seva me prastut hai.”