Bollywood's leading ladies Kangana Ranaut, Shraddha Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri and Esha Gupta will be seen sauntering down the ramp at the BMW India Bridal Fashion Week 2014, which begins here Thursday.

The bridal gala, which will conclude Sunday, is being organised at the DLF Emporio and will have B-Town’s glitterati in attendance.

"Queen" Kangana will flaunt a mesmerising creation by one of the country's foremost couturiers, Suneet Varma. His show, featuring his regal collection, is being presented by the event's title sponsor BMW.

The "Aashiqui 2" talent Shraddha will be walking the ramp for fashion czar JJ Valaya to showcase an ensemble from the designer’s 'The Nautch of Fez' collection which combines the energy of his constant inspirations, Morocco and India.

Doing justice to Jyotsna Tiwari’s romantic collection ‘Under the Stars’ and playing the unconventional yet coy bride, model-turned-actress Esha Gupta will sashay down the ramp at the extravaganza.

Also, Nargis Fakhri will be seen walking for jewellery brand Azva in a contemporary bridal avatar.

An elegant ethnic gown can brighten up any occasion in no time. Designer brand Charas By Ankur & Sonia is offering a range of these ensembles.“These gowns are aesthetically and intricately designed to enhance the beauty and charm of a woman. The range is available in different patterns and in colours of pink, orange and green,” the designers said in a joint statement.

The creations are available at the designer's store with price on request.

Ankur and Sonia have worked with eminent designers in the past as well as with a brand like Satya Paul. They have also assisted in styling for Bollywood films including “Aks” and “Tum Bin”.

Actor Rajkummar Rao, who considers the Oscar-winning talent Daniel Day-Lewis as his role model, says he enjoys being compared to Bollywood's "brilliant" names like Dilip Kumar, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, but when it comes to competition he only wants to beat himself with every new role.

When asked if he sees Nawazuddin as his most immediate competitor, Rajkummar said: "I have immense respect for Nawaz. I think he is a brilliant actor. People compare me to different actors, like Nawaz, Irrfan and even Dilip Kumar. That's very flattering. I enjoy all the comparisons. But I don't want to compete with anyone except myself."

"To me, the best compliment is when people tell me I've given a better performance in 'Citylights' than in 'Shahid'. I just want to get better with each performance," he added.

His screen presence in "Shahid" and "Citylights" had no element of exhibitionism. Talking about it, the "Kai Po Che" actor said: "That's what I strive to do. I don't want to look like I am acting. I want to occupy the truth of a character as much as possible. I don't want to imbue my roles with any artifice."

Whom does he consider his role model?

"If you're asking me about the one actor that I'm really inspired by, it's Daniel Day-Lewis. In India, I like Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee, Aamir Khan, Dilip Kumar and Balraj Sahni."

Is there a craving to be a star like Dilip Kumar and Aamir?

"I just crave to play good characters, parts that challenge me so that after playing the parts, I get praised. Of course I want my films to earn money. I want my films to earn credibility and fame. Five years down the line, I want people to say, 'If Rajkummar is in this film, it has to be good'," he said.

A slew of actors are endorsing fairness products but actor Abhay Deol believes they "stoke the inferiority complex” amongst Indians.

“If Indians were 'White', would there be a 'Dark and Sexy'? Here are some brands to stoke our inferiority complex....,” he tweeted, along with a photograph featuring three products.

From Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra to Shahid Kapoor and Varun Dhawan - various actors have featured in advertisements for fairness products.

Active in Hindi filmdom since his debut in 2005 with "Socha Na Tha", Abhay has faced the camera to play various kinds of roles in films like "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.", "Ek Chalis Ki Last Local", "Manorama Six Feet Under", "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!", "Dev.D" and "Chakravyuh".

He had also produced a film "One By Two", but it failed to impress moviegoers.

Actors Dhanush and Adah Sharma will soon be seen in a new television commercial for chewing gum brand Centre Fresh. The advertisement, which was shot in Chennai as well as Mumbai, will go on air later this month.

"Half of the ad was shot in Chennai and the rest in Mumbai. It's a big ad and has a lot of dancing in it. It has a retro feel to it and is laced with comedy too," a source from the sets, told IANS.

Dhanush, who recently completed shooting for "Shamitabh", is awaiting the release of Tamil film "Anegan".

Adah is busy shooting for Kannada film "Ranavikrama".

Be it Bollywood or Hollywood - in the world of showbiz, several marriages are crumbling. Actress Soha Ali Khan, who recently got engaged to her beau Kunal Kemmu, says the key to a healthy relationship is to "work around the dissatisfactions" as nothing is perfect.

The actors got engaged in Paris recently, and they are yet to decide on their nuptials. In a tete-a-tete, Soha spoke about relationships and her idea of marriage. Excerpts:

Q. Many marriages in showbiz are crumbling. Does that scare you?

A. I’ve always felt when you are committed in a relationship, you’ve to work through the difficult times. I’ve seen my parents (Sharmila Tagore and late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) in a successful solid marriage for 44 years. I am sure they had their problems. They were completely different personalities. But they must have worked on their marriage. And they made it work. I never felt any insecurity regarding my parents’ marriage. I think they handled their issues and the public face of their marriage was so dignified.

Q. Then how according to you, does a modern marriage work?

A. There is no perfect relationship. You have to work around the dissatisfaction. One reason why marriages break faster now is because people live longer. Earlier people died at 60. Now they live to be a 100, so all that more time to spend in a marriage. How many years can you live happily in one relationship? You need to have a sense of commitment, maturity and infinite patience to make a marriage last.

Q. Are you arguing against marrying Kunal?

A. To keep a relationship going in today’s day and age is very difficult. I’d like to think if my relationship has worked for five years, it’s permanent. We are all so self-centred. So am I. To give that much to a relationship is very difficult.

Q. Would you be able to do it?

A. My happiness always came first. But now to make Kunal happy makes me happier. But ultimately, I don’t know how much I can sacrifice for anyone else. I always said we should not take the relationship for granted. We need to continue to communicate our feelings about one another, no matter what its repercussions.

Only an honest approach can keep a relationship going. I’ve seen the dignity that my parents brought into their marriage. If I am a secure person today it’s because of the marriage that my parents shared. I’d certainly want my child to feel the same sense of security.

Designer Urvashi Joneja is set to showcase a collection titled “Guarded” that takes inspiration from fortresses and armour at the forthcoming Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) 2014.

“My collection is inspired by guards that we build around ourselves which makes us unable to connect with others emotionally or even understand their sentiments. We come across such people in our daily life; we have also been one of them. Through my designs I am going to help people break away from the guarded wall and embrace their feelings,” Joneja said in a statement.

The collection portrays real-life situations and emotions like deception through print, toil through braiding, comfort though drapes and strength through structure.

Joneja has used versions of repetitive geometric prints in monochrome and shades of red, burnt orange and purple against black, with gold as an accent. The primary fabrics used are georgette, crepe and raw silk, with faux leather accents.

LFW 2014 is scheduled to take place from Aug 20 to Aug 24 at Palladium hotel here.

Indian director Agneya Singh’s debut film “M Cream” will be the closing film of the Rhode Island International Film Festival 2014.

Singh’s first feature film will be screened at the festival Aug 10, the concluding day of the fest's 18th edition in Providence, Rhode Island.

Produced by Agniputra Films, the movie is nominated in the 'Official Competition of Best Feature Film' and it is the only Indian production to be selected for the same. Ira Dubey, Auritra Ghosh and Raaghav Chanana, will be among the film's cast in attendance for the screening, said a statement.

“It is a rare delight for a film to be included in Rhode Island International Film Festival, the undisputed champion of independent filmmakers across the world. To have 'M Cream' as the 'Official Closing Night Film' is a dream come true! It just goes to show that the world is finally listening to the new voices of Indian cinema,” said the director.

“M Cream” is a feature narrative that explores the myriad realities of rebellion indicative of the contemporary Indian context.

Bollywood film director and activist Mahesh Bhatt has demanded the Bharat Ratna for Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

A programme was held Monday evening in New Delhi to release a re-print of Sir Syed's book "Asbab-e-Baghawate-e-Hind".

A large number of people signed a memorandum demanding Bharat Ratna for Sir Syed, editor of the Aligarh Movement magazine Jasim Mohammed told IANS.

Releasing the book, Bhatt said Sir Syed was a "shining jewel" who had made tremendous contribution to the society and education.

His daughter and actress-producer Pooja Bhatt said Sir Syed's Aligarh movement "was designed to build self-confidence among Muslims and lead the community towards a more progressive future".

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (Oct 17, 1817 – March 27, 1898) was a teacher, politician and social reformer. He founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental school in Aligarh May 24, 1875 that later became Aligarh Muslim University.

The trailer of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Happy New Year" will be unveiled on the eve of Independence Day Aug 14 at a star-studded event here to celebrate the 'Indiawaale' sentiment which is inherent in the movie.

Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd Wednesday announced that the first look of the grand Diwali release will be disclosed at Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai, with the entire cast - SRK, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah - along with director Farah Khan and composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, in attendance.

The event will be "Happy New Year" presents “Indiawaale” celebration.

"Indiawaale sentiment is an integral element of the film hence on the eve of Independence Day, the first look of the film is being launched as a part of Indiawaale celebration," read an official statement.

"Unlike other trailer launches, there will be surprise performances based on the theme of Indiawaale and a huge digital campaign has been put in place to make sure that the trailer is seen by most of the audiences of Indian cinema across the globe," the statement read further.

Farah is ecstatic about the plans.

She said: “'Happy New Year' has been my dream project for a very long time and I am thrilled that Shah Rukh and I got back (together) after seven years to make it. The first look is all important these days and we have worked very hard to make ours exciting, entertaining and encompassing the spirit of our film.”

This trailer launch won't just have media persons, but also for some fans who will also be present for the launch.

"Happy New Year" promises to be a "rollicking, flamboyant, colourful, witty, action-packed musical bonanza". It will be distributed by Yash Raj Films worldwide, and in India, it will release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Renowned Marathi actress, director and theatre personality Smita Talwalkar passed away early Wednesday at a private hospital where she was being treated for ovarian cancer, her doctor said. She was 59

The end came at 2.30 a.m.

Murlidhar Kamat, who was treating the actress, told IANS that she was first treated for the disease six years back.

"It recurred after sometime and she was treated again. She responded quite well and she faced this disease with great courage. Yesterday she was very serious and this morning she passed away," he said.

A winner of two National Awards, Talwalkar was the director of one of the country's largest fitness chains, 'Talwalkars'.

In a condolence message, the official Twitter handle of the PMO said: "Condoling the passing away of veteran film personality Smita Talwalkar, PM said that her demise is a major loss to Marathi film industry. PM recalled Smita Talwalkar's contribution to the Marathi film industry & prayed that her soul rests in peace."

"Sad to hear about Smita Talwalkar. We lost a versatile actor and director. My tributes to her," reacted Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on her demise.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar described her as "legendary actress who will always remain in the hearts of the people."

Survived by a son and and a daughter, Talwalkar's last rites shall be performed later Wednesday afternoon in Mumbai.

Starting her professional career as a television newsreader, some of Talwalkar's popular Marathi movies included "Kalat Nakalat", "Tu Tithe Mee", "Prem Manjhe Prem Manjhe Asta", "Chaukat Raja", "Saatchya Aat Gharat" and "Sawat Majhi Ladki", besides several television serials and plays.

Star siblings Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem gave a Bollywood dose to fashion designer Varun Bahl’s Fall 2014 Couture Collection India Moderne.

The Delhi-based couturier held a special preview of his Fall 2014 Couture Collection here Tuesday that was also attended by Neha Dhupia and Nandita Mahtani among others, read a statement.

India Moderne is an amalgamation of ten years worth of Bahl’s experiences and experiments. Bahl is popular for blending the vintage with the contemporary, the antique with the new.

Highlighting elements from all of his favourite shows, the collection celebrates the new Indian woman.

Independent film “Kajarya” has been selected for the Montreal World Film Festival (Montreal International Film Festival) 2014 that will begin Aug 21.

Directed by Madhureeta Anand, the film will be showcased in the Focus on World Cinema section at the festival, which will conclude Sep 1, a statement said.

Produced by Starfire Movies and co-produced by Ekaa Films and Overdose Joint, the film is about female foeticide in India. It is a story of a capital-based journalist who exposes a woman, believed to embody goddess Kali, who ritually kills female newborns in a village nearby.

Starring Meenu Hooda, Ridhima Sud and Kuldeep Ruhil, the film had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival last year.

The tragic Komagata Maru incident, whose 100th anniversary falls this year, is finally going to unfold on the big screen as part of a co-production treaty signed between India and Canada.

Confirming these details, a source from Canada said, "It ('Komagata Maru') would now be a $22 million Indo-Canada production to be directed by an A-lister from Hollywood."

"It will have one top Indian actor playing a Sikh. We want Mr Bachchan for that role. One top Japanese actor and one Hollywood actor, besides many other prominent actors from India, Canada and the US."

Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship hired by a Malaysia-based wealthy Sikh Gurdit Singh in 1914 to forcibly bring 376 Indians, mostly Sikhs, into Canada to challenge racist laws of that time. But when the ship reached Vancouver via Hong Kong, its passengers were not allowed to disembark for two months and then forcibly sent back to India where 20 were shot dead by police on arrival in Kolkata.

Now, the long stranded project would be the first beneficiary of the joint film treaty signed by India and Canada July 1.

According to the treaty, filmmakers from both countries would be at liberty to make films as and how they want in India and Canada with heavy tax and production subsidies.

"Komagata Maru" has been a long-in-the-pipeline dream project involving huge money and therefore prohibitive to make.

Canada-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta was to direct the project initially with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar in the lead. But now the project will be helmed by a top Hollywood director.

Eros International has stepped in as the Indian producers for the ambitious epic drama.

Interestingly, the project is being co-scripted by Vinay Virmanim, the young Canada-based Indian actor who starred in Bejoy Nambiar's "David" and would soon be seen in the Canada-produced comedy "Dr Cabbie".

He has kissed almost all his leading ladies on the screen and it has earned him the tag of a serial kisser in Bollywood. Emraan Hashmi says newcomers may give kissing scenes, but they can't compete with him.

"Someone asked me that the new kids started doing (kissing) it on the screen, but I feel very foolish to say this, but it's MORE evolved after years of practice...," said the actor for "Murder", "Zeher" and "Woh Lamhe".

"The things what I do these amateurs can't do.. I know they mean well, I know they put in their hard work... but I have like 1000 hours of experience compared to like 10 hours of theirs," added the 35-year-old.

Would-be brides and grooms will be spoilt for choice when designers like Ashima Leena and Raghavendra Rathore will present their wedding collection at BMW India Bridal Fashion Week (IBFW) 2014, starting here Thursday.

The sixth edition of BMW IBFW 2014, which will conclude Sunday, has 10 shows and will take place at DLF Emporio here. It will be opened by Tarun Tahiliani, who also designed the wedding outfit for actress-producer Shilpa Shetty.

Just two days to go and Leena of designer duo Ashima Leena, who will showcase their collection Friday, is already "excited".

"We have also invited would-be brides for the show. Our collection is for brides, sister-in-law and anyone who is attending a wedding," Leena told IANS.

Their bridal collection consists of full circular lehengas, floating ghararas with back trails, a revival of the 'odhni' as the centrepiece of the ensemble, long kurtis with plunging necklines and saris and more.

While Bollywood stars like Kangana Ranaut, Shraddha Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri and Esha Gupta will sashay down the ramp during the fashion event, the designer duo have roped in supermodel Ujjwala Raut as the showstopper.

"We wanted to make more of a fashion statement, so we chose Ujjwala Raut," Leena said.

Rathore will present the classic fluid dhoti as the forerunner of his collection. The tailored classical Rathore bandhgala and the bandhgala achkan are paired as a complement to the flowing dhoti.

"I am proud to bring out these relics from our ancestral wardrobes and make them fashionable, wearable and most importantly part of modern Indian society," Rathore said in a statement.

JJ Valaya, who will close the fashion week, will showcase Fall Winter Collection 2014 titled The Nautch of Fez. The collection is an inspiration from India and Morocco. He has used crepes, georgettes and fine velvets with techniques ranging from digital printing, appliqué, laser burning and more.

Weddings are also about parties and Gauri & Nainika - an evening wear brand with styles ranging from cocktail dresses to elaborate gowns, will give options to women looking for fashion pieces that they can flaunt during wedding ceremonies.

So if you don’t wish to don exquisite traditional Indian pieces, catch their show on Thursday and take your pick.

There will be jewellery options too. Azva gold bridal jewellery, inspired by ‘Saat Pheras’ (seven vows) of the Indian wedding tradition, brings alive the essence of articulate patterns and detailing in gold jewellery.

Veteran director-producer J P Dutta, who is known for his cult classic Border, is a perfectionist in his work. He is a strict person when it comes to work.

J P Dutta's company's new youth wing J P Gene will be giving chance to newcomers, where they can explore their talent. He will be launching a new director Binoy Gandhi and the film is launching his daughter Nidhi Dutta and Nafisa ali's son Ajit Sodhi.

When asked about giving chance to newcomers, J P Dutta says,"I have always believed in launching newcomers. But it's always been actors like Abhishek and Kareena, now this time I'm launching a new director Binoy Gandhi".

When asked director Binoy Gandhi about working with J P Dutta he said, " I heard that he was a task master but it's completely the opposite. He gave me full creative control on this project. He is an institute in itself and that shows in his body of work. I go to him whenever I feel I need help and he is more than a guiding figure in this film for me. I'm actually blessed to have a producer like him for my first film."

A young Akshay Kumar had performed his first a live show in delhi in 1991.
The upcoming show is a special one as it is his 500th live performance which is going to take place at the O2 arena in London UK on August 9th.

An insider says: Akshay is going to perform on the inaugural day of the international kabaddi league which is going to start in london. Akshay is going to have a full fledged performance.

Akshay will been seen performing on all his popular songs apart from that he will seen doing mimicry on stage which he is personally looking into. Akshay has dedicated the show to all kabaddi fans. “Everyone knows that Akshay loves sports, and since kabaddi is not very popular in India anymore, he wants to do whatever he can to promote it,

Although Akshay could not be reached he has earlier given said to Ians“The league is a step to promote the Indian sport and bring it closer to the fans of the sport spread across the world.” He also co-owns a team that is participating in the league.

Mumbai Women's International Film Festival (MWIFF) is back with second edition with an aim to promote female filmmakers and provide them an international platform.

The eight-day festival, organised by Oculus Creations, which starts Dec 6, has introduced a social campaign and film category titled “City for Women". It will represent the bond and the connection between the women and the city of Mumbai, said a statement.

The fest consists of competitive categories like Short Films, Documentary Films, and Feature Films and the non-competitive category including World Cinebusters, World Panorama and World Premiere.

“This is the first biggest Women's International Film Festival in India through which we aim to unleash the talent of filmmakers from all over the world," said Avinash Pawar, the festival director.

"We also have master class and seminars by Indian film industry professionals to provide deep-rooted knowledge about cinema to the aspiring filmmakers."

Male filmmakers would also get an opportunity to take part in all the categories mentioned above.

Ace director Priyadarshan, whose three year term as chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy is ending later this month, has decided against seeking a fresh term.

Minister for Cinema, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan confirmed to IANS that the director has sought to be relieved.

"The term is for three years and he expressed his willingness to move on. Now the state government will constitute a new committee and a new chairperson will be appointed very soon," said Radhakrishnan.

Even though the famed director has pointed out that he is hard pressed for time, the main reason, according to those in the know of things, was that he wanted to quit ever since his close friend and the previous minister for cinema K.B. Ganesh Kumar had to resign last year.

Priyadarshan was asked to stay on after there were reports that Kumar would be brought back into the Oommen Chandy cabinet, but with that now virtually becoming a non-starter due to political reasons, Priyadarshan decided not to seek a new term.

Incidentally, the chiarperson's job is not a full-time one and last year the acclaimed director helmed Mohanlal in the Malayalam film "Githanjali", which did not click as expected.

Among the names that are doing the rounds to replace Priyadarshan are internationally acclaimed award winning director Rajeevnath, who is known to be in the good books of the ruling Congress party.