P.S. Bharathi has so far edited all of her husband and filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's films and has directed a documentary called "Rubaru". But what about directing a full-length feature film?

When IANS posed the question to Bharathi recently, she laughed and said: "No plans so far... but maybe some day if Rakeysh takes a break!"

Rakeysh keeps Bharathi busy with his projects, and he is currently waiting to start rolling the cameras for "Mirziya".

Every actor loves to look into a mirror to make last minute checks on their looks, but Amit Sadh doesn't allow a mirror around himself when he's on a film set.

If a source close to the "Kai Po Che" actor is to be believed, Amit doesn't allow a mirror around him because he believes it is a distraction that takes away from his zone of being the person he's portraying on screen.

"If a director feels he looks perfect for the shot, he doesn't find the need to check if his hair is in fine condition," said the source.

As of now, Amit is gearing up to be next seen in Shoojit Sircar's "RunningShaadi.com", while he's also shooting for Subhash Kapoor's next "Guddu Rangeela".

Sidharth Malhotra is on a mission. The well-built actor is working on gaining so much weight that he can’t slip into his clothes. All this just for his upcoming film - the remake of American sports drama titled “Warrior”.

After his recent successful film “Ek Villain”, Sidharth is now tied up with his next.

“I am preparing for my next which is a remake of ‘Warrior’. I am required to gain seven to eight kilos and learn martial arts. So, I need to eat and train. I have about five to six weeks to gain weight and then will shoot,” he told IANS in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

The over six-foot actor is trying to weigh 90 kg.

“I’ll have lot of fun training for it and gaining weight. My priority is to make my t-shirts and clothes tighter so that I don’t fit into them. The character requires it. He is a mixed martial arts fighter,” said the “Student of the Year” star.

“There is more heavy weight lifting. I train less and eat more. Calorie intake is higher. There is more of protein in my diet. I train on alternate days or four times a week. But I also need to keep flexibility in mind,” he added.

He is excited about the Endemol production as he wanted to essay the role of a fighter since childhood.

“I wanted to play a fighter. Like every boy while growing up wants to do action and be in the ring...though I am not playing a wrestler,” said the actor, who won’t be seen with a female lead in the film.

“I don’t have a female lead in the movie. It’s more about a young fighter. It’s not a love story as such,” said Sidharth, who has wowed the audience with his on screen chemistry with actresses like Alia Bhatt and Parineeti Chopra.

As the year ends, he will shape up again for Vikramaditya Motwane's “Bhavesh Joshi”.

Bihar plans to set up two film cities to give a fillip to the film industry in the state, Art and Culture Minister Vinay Bihari Thursday said.

"We have decided to set up film cities in Valmikinagar in West Champaran and Rajgir in Nalanda districts," he told media persons here.

Bihari, himself a Bhojpuri singer, said the proposed film cities would help local film industry, particularly Bhojpuri, to prosper.

"The state government would help in setting up the film cities as it will generate employment and help local artists," he said.

He said that culture department had earmarked 26 acres of land in Rajgir and that it is in process to identify land at Valmikinagar for the sme.

"Both upcoming film cities would change the face of Nalanda and West Champaran," he said.

According to him, Rajgir is a historical place and situated near ruin of ancient Nalanda University, a tourist place under famous Buddhist circuit, while Valmikinagar is situated near Nepal border and Bihar's only tiger reserve is there.

Independent Indian R&B singer Thomson Andrews, who takes pride in the music he promotes, says it is an "emotional" and "soulful" genre, which is never "aggressive" or "revolting".

"R&B is not aggressive and revolting. It's a pure and emotionally driven soulful genre that translates people's feelings, emotions and experiences from different walks of life via music," Thomson told IANS in an interview.

"It's also not the music of gangsters. It's a stereotypical racist thought that originates from ignorance of music and lack of awareness among people who are biased and have different musical preferences," he said.

Usually confused with rap and Hip-Hop, R&B actually originates from "traditional rhythm and blues music".

"Contemporary R&B music combines elements and influences of several genres like Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk, Neo-Soul, Pop, Hip-Hop, Rap and Reggae to create newer contemporary sound," Thomson added.

Thomson, who was a gospel singer from a very young age, developed an extreme liking for other genres such as "R&B, Funk, Soul, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Hip-Hop and Broadway as they were all interconnected to gospel music in some way".

"I started performing in these genres at concerts around the world and eventually evolved as a contemporary R&B vocalist and singer-songwriter. Even though it was a genre no one had ever heard of and the majority of audiences in India hadn't developed a liking to it, yet I decided this is what I am going to do," he said.

Andrews may be a new entrant to the Indian music industry, but he has already collaborated with double Oscar-winning composer A.R.Rahman in "127 Hours" and crooned a song for Luv Ranjan's "Akaash Vani".

He feels R&B music is yet to gain popularity in the Indian music industry because "many composers are still skeptical due to lack of awareness, knowledge of the genre, its right implementation and fear of rejection by desi Indian music palettes".

"India is mainly Bollywood and film music driven unlike the west or other places where movie soundtracks are yet not bigger than music artists and their work. Globally, R&B is the most sought after genre among masses," he said.

He however feels that with time all that will change.

"Since India has its own unique music elements and flavour, it will take time for Indians to appreciate western music genres emerging from within India and Indian artists," said Andrews, who recently forayed into the southern film industry.

He has already crooned two Tamil and Telugu songs for composer Ghibran in upcoming films "Amarakaaviyam" and "Run Raja Run", respectively.

"All these songs are in regional languages and it's been a fabulous experience dubbing as the music director made me sing in my original contemporary R&B style even though these were in regional languages," he said.

Andrews had recently released a single titled "People Ain't Things" from his upcoming album. He says inspiration for him to write songs comes from everything that happens around him.

"My inspiration comes from my life experiences, people, human emotions and at times a world of fantasy," said Thomson, who refers to "songs written by legends such as Ray Charles, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and also Indian lyricists like Gulzar and Javed Akthar to enhance the quality of my songwriting".

"I've learnt and realised that lyrics and melody should be simple yet effective, non-complicated, interactive with a clear narrative to the listeners, as songwriters tell a story via the songs they compose," he added.

When quizzed about the challenges R&B singers in India face, he said: "All major record labels are mostly Bollywood driven which leaves R&B artists no means of representation by any major or indie music label to promote their non-film music and push them into mainstream or in the limelight".

"Also, music promoters' lack of knowledge of the genre, fear of breaking Bollywood music monopoly due to mass losses and rejection among desi music enthusiasts and failure in creating innovative and effective marketing strategies for challenging and changing the music front also affect R&B artists," he added.

Bollywood 'baadshah' Shah Rukh Khan will be honoured with an Entertainer of Indian Cinema award here Saturday at the 8th Annual Vijay Awards.

"We have constituted a new award called 'Entertainer of Indian Cinema', which will be given to Shah Rukh Khan this year. This will be the second time in a row he will be attending our award ceremony," a member of the organizing committee told IANS.

At the same event last year, he received Chevalier Sivaji Ganeshan award.

King Khan's presence last year drew a lot of attention from general public even though he was late by few hours.

The event, which honours the best in Tamil cinema, will see performances by some of its top stars such as Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani, Vaani Kapoor and Lakshmi Rai.

This year, ace Tamil filmmaker S. Shankar will receive the Chevalier Sivaji Ganeshan award.

There was a time when actors used to do two-three shifts for various projects. But not any more! Different films require different looks nowadays and actors, including Shahid Kapoor, are not compromising on this.

“Being emphatic about his role, Shahid happily shaved his head off for just one scene in 'Haider'. He went ahead with the decision despite knowing that he won't be able to work on his next project till the hair grows,” said a source close to Shahid.

“Haider”, an adaptation of “Hamlet”, is part of director Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespeare trilogy after “Maqbool” (Macbeth) and “Omkara” (Othello”).

“The scene was canned by Bhardwaj in Srinagar in March,” said the source.

As expected, with the bald head, it was not possible for the actor to go on his next project - “Shaandar”. Hence, he took a break and "it was not a big deal for me".

Now, after a three months' halt, Shahid is finally ready to shoot for the movie with director Vikas Behl and actress Alia Bhatt.

Film: "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil"; Cast: Armaan Jain and Deeksha Seth; Directed by Arif Ali; Rating: ***1/2

It’s that old boy-meets-girl thing again. But with a twist. But wait! You know that thing about how the boy and girl don’t know about their true feelings until a series of misadventures verifies what we know all along? The couple that we see squabbling on screen, is made for each other.

Sigh!

Remember Imran Khan and Genelia D’Souza in "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na"? What is it about films with R.D. Burman’s song titles that brings out the beast in screen couples? The newcomers in new director Arif Ali’s film go the whole hog pouncing on one another showering abuses and physical blows in the middle of the Chattisgarh jungles with Maoists for company.

Now where did the Naxals come into the picture? You may well ask. There is even a catchy A.R. Rahman item song in the Naxal jungle where our debutant hero (never short of attention-grabbing gimmicks) shakes a leg with a bombshell singing about Naxals and all.

Really, now. Do we need to dumb down serious political issues in order to get to make a valid point about youngsters today who don’t think twice before breaking a lifelong commitment and who seem to believe life is one non-stop rave party?

Go, enjoy.

Debutant director Arif Ali’s take on young love sets itself apart from the norm by showing the young couple as being truly annoying in their self absorption. The two debutant actors play the roles of best buddies turned squabbling lovers with great relish. While Deeksha Seth plays a Shetty from Karnataka with a brood of cackling complaining women and men swarming her household, is photogenic and endearing; Armaan Jain is quite the chip off the old Kapoor block. When he emotes, he resembles his uncle Rajiv Kapoor. When he dances, he draws fond recollections of Shammi Kapoor. With his unnaturally red lips and bushy eyebrows, this Kapoor inheritor takes a bit of a time to come close to the audience.

But we eventually settle down to watching his character make a fool of himself, falling in and out of love as if matters of the heart were video games.

There is much in the narrative that’s repetitive, trite and done to death. But there is also a core of inner conviction to the storytelling. The characters are familiar yet interesting.

The director never sides with the misguided young couple. Instead, the plot makes sure to burst their bubble and watch them squirm in mutual embarrassment as they go from being buddies to bad-ass adversaries.

There's quite a lot of his brother Imtiaz Ali in this film’s director Arif, specially the penchant to take a 'Bharat Darshan' while telling a story. "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" doesn’t hesitate in letting the young protagonists make a fool of themselves as they mock all good sense with their chaotic behaviour.

It’s a world which seems strangely at war with Hindi cinema conventions even as the narrative gladly and warmly embraces the oldest formula of letting two friends discover a mutual meeting ground in the midst of fierce war of the ego.

Since its protagonists are largely loathsome in their self-serving attitude, this is not an easy film to like. But ultimately, it is a satisfying blithe and breezy slice-of-life experience with dialogues and scenes that ring true most of the time. The film marks the confident debut of its lead pair and director.

Their time starts now.

Armaan Jain is the latest star kid to join Bollywood and superstar Shah Rukh Khan has showered him with blessings for his debut film “Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" that hit the screens Friday.

Armaan is the grandson of late filmmaker Raj Kapoor.

“Wish my lil baby Armaan Jain & his team of Lekar Hum Deewana Dil a happy first step into the world of Cinema. May the film fulfill all dreams,” Shah Rukh tweeted.

King Khan also complimented the 23-year-old a while back when the movie’s trailer come out. He said that “my little football partner (Armaan) looks gorgeous in the film” in May.

The cousin of actor Ranbir Kapoor also received kind words from filmmaker Karan Johar, whom he assisted in “My Name Is Khan”.

“Armaan and Deeksha are sparkling, assured and extremely loveable in #LekarHumDeewanaDil....watch it for its burst of young energy!!!” Karan tweeted.

Directed by Arif Ali, "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil", also features Deeksha Seth.

Going by the box office collection of “Ek Villain”, audiences seems to have accepted Sidharth Malhotra and Riteish Deshmukh, who generally play the good guys on the big screen, as the baddies! In first week, the movie has minted over Rs.77 crore.

The Balaji Motion Pictures' latest offering hit the screens June 27. It is director Mohit Suri’s first film outside his home banner Vishesh Films and he must certainly not be disappointed with the movie’s business.

“#EkVillain Wknd 50.70 cr, Mon 8.10 cr, Tue 6.80 cr, Wed 6.40 cr, Thu 5.20 cr. Total: (Rs.) 77.20 cr nett. 2nd HIGHEST Week 1 of 2014. SUPERB!” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

The romantic-thriller also stars Shraddha Kapoor.

Fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, known for mixing splendor with art in his creations, will be the opening designer at the India Couture Week (ICW) 2014, starting July 15 here.

Fashion Design Council of India's (FDCI) six-day fashion event will be held at the capital's Taj Palace hotel.

“I have had a very good association with FDCI and I’m very privileged to be starting the India Couture Week again,” Mukherjee said in a statement.

According to Sunil Sethi, president, FDCI, his “designs spell sheer luxury and unabashed glamour, he is undoubtedly one of the best couturiers in the country, which makes him an apt choice for the opening show”.

Couture week will also showcase collections of designers like Rohit Bal, Manish Arora, Anamika Khanna, and Anju Modi.

Esha Gupta, who was recently reported as having said that she warned her family not to watch her film "Humshakals" as they won't be able to bear it, said she was misquoted.

"I have been misquoted. I did tell my father not to watch 'Humshakals' because 'Chakravyuh' was his favourite film as he is from the defence background," the 28-year-old said here Thursday at the premiere of "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil".

"I am still with 'Humshakals' and have not disowned it. I am very proud and happy that I did the film. Next time Sajid (Khan) will do even better," she added.

Bipasha Basu, another actress in the film, had dissociated herself from "Humshakals" even before its release as she was unhappy with the way her role shaped up.

Esha's statement had created quite a furore.

"Humshakals" received bad reviews from critics but still managed to do good business.

The film starred Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor in triple roles. Tamannah Bhatia also features in the movie as the third female lead.

For Alia Bhatt, actress Priyanka Chopra is an inspiration and she feels confident that even she can cut an international album one day.

Priyanka turned singer in 2012 and has released three international singles since then. Her album is expected to be out soon.

"I think the one person who has done our country and the industry proud is Priyanka Chopra. She has cut an international album. She is an inspiration for me to make me believe that I can also do something in that space," the 21-year-old said here Thursday in an interview.

Besides acting, Alia has also taken to singing and has already sung two songs - "Sooha Saha" for "Highway" and now "Main tainu samjhawan ki" for "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania".

You might see Varun Dhawan spending a lot of time these days with a young dancer named Suresh from Nala Sopara because he is playing him in Remo D'Souza's directorial venture "ABCD 2", the sequel to "ABCD - Any Body Can Dance".

The aspirational dance film is based on the true-life story of four boys - Rohit, Pavan, Suresh and Vernon - who are part of a dance institute named Fictitious Dance Academy.

Even more interestingly, Suresh, whom Varun Dhawan plays, also has a role in "ABCD 2".

"I thought I had exhausted my appetite for a dance film when I made 'ABCD'. But then I came across the real-life story of these boys from Nala Sopara who went all the way from their home town to win a dance show in Las Vegas. I knew I had to tell their story," said Remo.

"Four of the boys Pavan, Rohit, Vernon and Suresh are in the cast of 'ABCD 2'. And yes, Varun plays Suresh," he addd.

Varun, who proved his mettle in films like "Student Of The Year" and "Main Tera Hero", has been asked to spend time with Suresh to understand the mind of the dancing wizard who had the guts to dream of the sky.

"I chose Varun because I needed someone who could dance. And I mean, really dance," said the choreographer-director.

"I also needed a very good actor since the character's journey is not only about dancing but also his aspirations and dreams. It wouldn't have been enough for my protagonist to simply be a fabulous dancer, like Suresh. The actor also had to express Suresh's feelings.

"Varun is both a dancer and an actor. I am convinced he will bring Suresh to life... He had better, since the real Suresh is also in the film," added Remo.

Besides Varun, the film also stars Prabhudheva, Shraddha Kapoor, who was seen in "Aashiqui 2" and "Ek Villain", and Lauren Gottlieb, the international dancer-actress who made her bow in Bollywood with Remo's 3D dance movie "ABCD".

Explaining his cast profile, Remo said: "I am asked why Shraddha in a dance film as we've never seen her dance in any of her her films so far. I just felt Shraddha has great grace and enormous fluidity in her body language. And I was right. Shraddha is a fabulous dancer. Besides, of course, being a terrific actress which she has already proved."

Unlike Varun's character in "ABCD 2", Shraddha's character is fictitious.

"We needed a strong female presence. So I wrote her character into the real story. As for Prabhudheva, he will play a dance teacher named Vishnu Sir, like he did in the first film.

"But although he has the same name and same profession, Prabhudheva plays a different teacher this time. I've just taken his character from 'ABCD' and placed it in different perspective in 'ABCD 2'," said Remo.

"ABCD 2" starts shooting from Aug 1.

"The first schedule is in Mumbai. And then we shoot in Las Vegas in September."

The sequel to "ABCD" would be far bigger in terms of canvas, scope, characterisation and budget, said Remo.

"I hope to take the sequel much ahead of the first film. It's a long journey and it's a true story, therefore, it's a double responsibility. We're looking forward to starting the film.

"We'll miss K.M. Menon and Ganesh Acharya, who had stellar roles in the first film but are not part of the second film," he added.

Bollywood 'baadshah' Shah Rukh Khan will be honoured with an Entertainer of Indian Cinema award here Saturday at the 8th Annual Vijay Awards.

"We have constituted a new award called 'Entertainer of Indian Cinema', which will be given to Shah Rukh Khan this year. This will be the second time in a row he will be attending our award ceremony," a member of the organizing committee told IANS.

At the same event last year, he received Chevalier Sivaji Ganeshan award.

King Khan's presence last year drew a lot of attention from general public even though he was late by few hours.

The event, which honours the best in Tamil cinema, will see performances by some of its top stars such as Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani, Vaani Kapoor and Lakshmi Rai.

This year, ace Tamil filmmaker S. Shankar will receive the Chevalier Sivaji Ganeshan award.

Armaan Jain is the latest star kid to join Bollywood and superstar Shah Rukh Khan has showered him with blessings for his debut film “Lekar Hum Deewana Dil" that hit the screens Friday.

Armaan is the grandson of late filmmaker Raj Kapoor.

“Wish my lil baby Armaan Jain & his team of Lekar Hum Deewana Dil a happy first step into the world of Cinema. May the film fulfill all dreams,” Shah Rukh tweeted.

King Khan also complimented the 23-year-old a while back when the movie’s trailer come out. He said that “my little football partner (Armaan) looks gorgeous in the film” in May.

The cousin of actor Ranbir Kapoor also received kind words from filmmaker Karan Johar, whom he assisted in “My Name Is Khan”.

“Armaan and Deeksha are sparkling, assured and extremely loveable in #LekarHumDeewanaDil....watch it for its burst of young energy!!!” Karan tweeted.

Directed by Arif Ali, "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil", also features Deeksha Seth.

There was a time when actors used to do two-three shifts for various projects. But not any more! Different films require different looks nowadays and actors, including Shahid Kapoor, are not compromising on this.

“Being emphatic about his role, Shahid happily shaved his head off for just one scene in 'Haider'. He went ahead with the decision despite knowing that he won't be able to work on his next project till the hair grows,” said a source close to Shahid.

“Haider”, an adaptation of “Hamlet”, is part of director Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespeare trilogy after “Maqbool” (Macbeth) and “Omkara” (Othello”).

“The scene was canned by Bhardwaj in Srinagar in March,” said the source.

As expected, with the bald head, it was not possible for the actor to go on his next project - “Shaandar”. Hence, he took a break and "it was not a big deal for me".

Now, after a three months' halt, Shahid is finally ready to shoot for the movie with director Vikas Behl and actress Alia Bhatt.

You might see Varun Dhawan spending a lot of time these days with a young dancer named Suresh from Nala Sopara because he is playing him in Remo D'Souza's directorial venture "ABCD 2", the sequel to "ABCD - Any Body Can Dance".

The aspirational dance film is based on the true-life story of four boys - Rohit, Pavan, Suresh and Vernon - who are part of a dance institute named Fictitious Dance Academy.

Even more interestingly, Suresh, whom Varun Dhawan plays, also has a role in "ABCD 2".

"I thought I had exhausted my appetite for a dance film when I made 'ABCD'. But then I came across the real-life story of these boys from Nala Sopara who went all the way from their home town to win a dance show in Las Vegas. I knew I had to tell their story," said Remo.

"Four of the boys Pavan, Rohit, Vernon and Suresh are in the cast of 'ABCD 2'. And yes, Varun plays Suresh," he addd.

Varun, who proved his mettle in films like "Student Of The Year" and "Main Tera Hero", has been asked to spend time with Suresh to understand the mind of the dancing wizard who had the guts to dream of the sky.

"I chose Varun because I needed someone who could dance. And I mean, really dance," said the choreographer-director.

"I also needed a very good actor since the character's journey is not only about dancing but also his aspirations and dreams. It wouldn't have been enough for my protagonist to simply be a fabulous dancer, like Suresh. The actor also had to express Suresh's feelings.

"Varun is both a dancer and an actor. I am convinced he will bring Suresh to life... He had better, since the real Suresh is also in the film," added Remo.

Besides Varun, the film also stars Prabhudheva, Shraddha Kapoor, who was seen in "Aashiqui 2" and "Ek Villain", and Lauren Gottlieb, the international dancer-actress who made her bow in Bollywood with Remo's 3D dance movie "ABCD".

Explaining his cast profile, Remo said: "I am asked why Shraddha in a dance film as we've never seen her dance in any of her her films so far. I just felt Shraddha has great grace and enormous fluidity in her body language. And I was right. Shraddha is a fabulous dancer. Besides, of course, being a terrific actress which she has already proved."

Unlike Varun's character in "ABCD 2", Shraddha's character is fictitious.

"We needed a strong female presence. So I wrote her character into the real story. As for Prabhudheva, he will play a dance teacher named Vishnu Sir, like he did in the first film.

"But although he has the same name and same profession, Prabhudheva plays a different teacher this time. I've just taken his character from 'ABCD' and placed it in different perspective in 'ABCD 2'," said Remo.

"ABCD 2" starts shooting from Aug 1.

"The first schedule is in Mumbai. And then we shoot in Las Vegas in September."

The sequel to "ABCD" would be far bigger in terms of canvas, scope, characterisation and budget, said Remo.

"I hope to take the sequel much ahead of the first film. It's a long journey and it's a true story, therefore, it's a double responsibility. We're looking forward to starting the film.

"We'll miss K.M. Menon and Ganesh Acharya, who had stellar roles in the first film but are not part of the second film," he added.

For Alia Bhatt, actress Priyanka Chopra is an inspiration and she feels confident that even she can cut an international album one day.

Priyanka turned singer in 2012 and has released three international singles since then. Her album is expected to be out soon.

"I think the one person who has done our country and the industry proud is Priyanka Chopra. She has cut an international album. She is an inspiration for me to make me believe that I can also do something in that space," the 21-year-old said here Thursday in an interview.

Besides acting, Alia has also taken to singing and has already sung two songs - "Sooha Saha" for "Highway" and now "Main tainu samjhawan ki" for "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania".

Esha Gupta, who was recently reported as having said that she warned her family not to watch her film "Humshakals" as they won't be able to bear it, said she was misquoted.

"I have been misquoted. I did tell my father not to watch 'Humshakals' because 'Chakravyuh' was his favourite film as he is from the defence background," the 28-year-old said here Thursday at the premiere of "Lekar Hum Deewana Dil".

"I am still with 'Humshakals' and have not disowned it. I am very proud and happy that I did the film. Next time Sajid (Khan) will do even better," she added.

Bipasha Basu, another actress in the film, had dissociated herself from "Humshakals" even before its release as she was unhappy with the way her role shaped up.

Esha's statement had created quite a furore.

"Humshakals" received bad reviews from critics but still managed to do good business.

The film starred Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor in triple roles. Tamannah Bhatia also features in the movie as the third female lead.