After garnering appreciation in countries like South Korea, Turkey, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Barfi!" hit the theatres in Japan Friday.

The UTV Motion Pictures' entertainer is also said to be the first movie of Ranbir, legendary actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor's grandson, to release in Japan.

"We were looking forward to the release of 'Barfi!' here (in Japan), especially after the movie garnered accolades at the Grand Jury Award at the prestigious Okinawa Film Festival in Japan," Amrita Pandey, vice president and head (Marketing and Distribution) - Studio, Disney India, said in a statement.

"It's always a great feeling when our movies get appreciated even in non-traditional markets. We have in fact worked closely with the distributors to put together a trailer and art work specially to address the Japanese sensibilities and emotions," Pandey added.

The film has released on 10 screens in six Japanese cities - Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto and Fukuoka.

Directed by Anurag Basu, the film has stellar performances by Ranbir, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D 'Cruz and music composed by Pritam.

Popular actress Rani Mukerji says her marital status won't affect her work and even a pregnancy won't come in the way as long as the director is comfortable.

After marriage, actresses often cut down on their work. Asked in a group interview if she too would do so, Rani said: "Not really."

She tied the knot with Yash Raj Films' head honcho Aditya Chopra in a hush-hush ceremony in Italy in April.

"Women try to cut down on work because they are pregnant and during that time they are physically not capable.

"In Hollywood, many actors work when they are pregnant. If a director is ready to work with me during my pregnancy, I will surely work," added the actress, who has recently shot down pregnancy rumours.

The actress, who continues to work post-marriage, admits a married actress' career hinges on "how supportive her husband is."

"Adi (Aditya Chopra) is a very supportive husband. I don't think he would want me to slow down. I don't know what my decision is going to be when I become a mother," said the actress whose "Mardaani", about trafficking of girls, hits screens Friday.

"I don't know how I will continue my journey in films. But I am in love with my job," she added.

Although Bollywood has come a long way when it comes to on-screen kissing, there are actresses who aren't comfortable locking lips or doing intimate scenes after marriage.

But Rani doesn't have any such hang-ups. She feels doing a particular scene is an actor's "individualistic choice".

"It also depends on whether she comes from a family that is not very modern in their outlook, or is she married into a family that doesn't give her the liberty to do certain things.

"I am married to Aditya, who is both a producer and director, and I think his mindset is very modern. I don't think he will ever come in my way of deciding what I want to do or what kind of films I want to be a part of.

"For us, a film means work. It is not something we look at from a common man's point of view," she added.

Every film's story is a subject that needs to be told in a proper way, she said.

"We portray it in a certain way. So when you get married, it's a very personal choice of that individual of how she wants to go about her career."

Criticism doesn't worry her either,as she knows that scrutinising artists for their choice of work is common and it has nothing to do with their marital status.

"If the actor has a hit, she is praised. But if she has a flop, people criticise her bad choice. So scrutiny comes whether (an actor is) unmarried or married. At the end of the day, one should do things that he or she likes to do," she said.

Meanwhile, like any wife, Rani wishes the best for her husband.

She said: "Definitely, I want this film ('Mardaani') to work. In fact, from now on I will not only pray that my films work, I will also pray that all YRF films are superhits (laughs)."

Popular stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma, who is set to make his Bollywood debut with director duo Abbas-Mustan's untitled film, is looking forward to it and says he will start shooting for the film in November.

"I will start shooting in November for Abbas-Mustan's film. The title of the film has not been decided yet," Kapil told reporters here Thursday at the music launch of the film "Marudhar Maro Ghar" where he was present to support his friend and colleague, singer Raja Hasan.

Initially, Kapil was to make his debut with Yash Raj Films'"Bank Chor". However, due to undisclosed reasons, he was ousted from the project. Thereafter, Riteish Deshmukh was signed for the film.

As of now, Kapil is focussing on his show "Comedy Nights with Kapil". He is all set to take his much-loved show overseas which he will begin with shooting a special episode in Dubai Sep 5.

"We were thinking what next we can do with 'Comedy Nights with Kapil', so we are doing a live show of this in Dubai," said Kapil, whose popularity soared following the success of "Comedy Nights...".

He has bigger plans for it.

"After that we will have a live show in London, Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand," he added.

Former beauty queen-turned-actress Neha Dhupia took to the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 ramp in a colourful and youthful ensemble by Swati Vijaivargie, feeling "wonderful" as the showstopper.

Neha walked the ramp Thursday wearing ankle-length vertical pants, teamed with a blue printed top and high-waist skirt and navy blue printed scarf. Her messy hair bun with braids and minimal make-up completed her look.

The actress was impressed with the designer's wearable collection.

"It is absolutely wonderful to be here and walking as showstopper for Swati. For me, it's not how much time one has spent making clothes but it's the kind of clothes that one makes.

"Swati is somebody who is newer than most of the other designers I know. Her designs are absolutely wonderful. They are wearable," Neha said here after the show.

She felt that the clothes, inspired by the Monk tribals in Vietnam, are not just for the festive season but can be worn "all the time".

Talking about the collection, Vijaivargie said: "It's inspired by the Monk tribe of Vietnam. I travelled to Vietnam and I was very fascinated by the clothing of the Monk tribe there. It is like a riot of colours, patterns, prints, textures and everything in the costumes they wear.

"I really loved that. So I wanted to do a collection which takes inspiration from there but it is wearable also."

LFW will conclude Sunday.

Yash Raj Films` Rani Mukerji-starrer ``Mardaani``, which released in India Friday with an Adult certification, won`t hit the screens in Pakistan due to demands for a few changes.

A spokesperson for the film said that when the Pakistan Film Censor Board saw the film that addresses the issue of human trafficking, they gave it an 'A' certificate too. However, they asked for seven cuts and wanted certain scenes to be blurred.

The creative team of the film felt that it was leading to loss of the essence of the narration of the movie. These changes were leading to the message of the film being distorted and the essence being diluted, the spokesperson added.

Eventually, following an internal discussion, the team decided not to compromise on their film and not release "Mardaani" in Pakistan.

In the film, Rani plays a rough and tough police officer for the first time in her career.

Young actor Rohan Chand, who was born in New York to Indian parents, has been cast as Mowgli in Warner Bros' 3D adventure entertainer "Jungle Book: Origins".

Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale will head the ensemble cast for the film, which is a 3D adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic "The Jungle Book".

The action adventure, which will blend motion capture and live action, will mark the feature film directorial debut of Andy Serkis, and it is slated for worldwide release beginning Oct 21, 2016, read a statement.

Rohan, who has been seen in films like "The Hundred-Foot Journey" and "Bad Words", will play the boy raised by wolves, Mowgli.

The animal kingdom will be brought alive by Cumberbatch as the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan; Oscar-winner Blanchett as sinister snake, Kaa; Bale as cunning panther, Bagheer; Serkis as the wise bear, Baloo; Peter Mullan as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela; Tom Hollander as the scavenging hyena, Tabaqui; Naomie Harris as Nisha, the female wolf, who adopts the baby Mowgli as one of her cubs; Eddie Marsan as Nisha’s mate, Vihaan; and Jack Reynor as Mowgli’s Brother Wolf.

The film, being produced by Steve Kloves along with Jonathan Cavendish, has screenplay Kloves’ daughter, Callie Kloves, based on the stories by Kipling.

The story follows the upbringing of the human child Mowgli, raised by a wolf pack in the jungles of India.

Singer Shubha Mudgal's live vocals lifted the audience's spirits as actress Taapsee Pannu took to the ramp at designer Gaurang Shah's show at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2014 (LFW) here Friday.

Taapsee looked bright and beautiful as the showstopper in a colourful Indian ensemble.

"I have known Gaurang for two years, but this is for the first time that I am walk ing the ramp at LFW for him. I have been telling him to please design a colourful bright outfit for me and he has designed all the possible bright colours in my outfit like orange, pink and yellow...I love what I am wearing," Taapsee told reporters post the show.

Taapsee walked the ramp donning a yellow ghagra with an orange hemline while the dupatta was draped to make it look like a half sari. It had a bright yellow and orange border which accentuated the overall look. The blouse had detailed embroidery on the sleeves.

With curly locks and a green bindi in place, Taapsee made for a perfect muse and justified Shah's outfit, which was part of his Chitr-Sena line.

Meanwhile, Shubha Mudgal's live renditions kept the audience engrossed in the show.

Talking about the idea of having live classical music during his showcase, Shah said: "I just couldn't think of anything more enchanting than this to describe the story of Chitr-sena."

The ensembles were made using kanchipuram weaves with a unique twist in colours and textures.

Shah said he took over six months to shape up the Chitr-sena line, which has various textures in kanchipuram, beautifully blended with hand-weaves, traditional designs and modern artistry.

His collection had ghaghras, anarkalis, ghararas, and angarkhas with pants tailored in matka silk and maheshwari-khadi. These are embroidered with fables in zardosi and badla.

Chitr-Sena features traditional motifs of Garuda, rudraksh, hamsa, shikarga, sher (tiger), bagha (leopard), haathi (elephant), morni (peacocks), and shikar woven in kanchipuram silk dupattas and saris in a distinctive fashion.

The colour palette used by Shah is dominated by purple, green, orange and yellow.

Bipasha Basu, who was seen in Raaz and Aatma, has experienced various paranormal experiences earlier. But after acting in Creature 3D she will certainly think twice before doing another movie in the same genre.

Bipasha had studied a lot about Brahmarakshas before doing 'Creature 3D'. She started taking help of the pandit after she began to experience nightmares related to Brahmarakshas.

A source close to the actress,says “Bipasha is getting ready to travel south to do a special puja (ritual prayers) to ward off the Brahmarakshas that is haunting her ever since acting in 'Creature 3D', in which the creature is a Brahmarakshas.”

The actress is expected to visit Thirunakkara Mahadeva temple in Kottayam, Kerala, following the advice of a Hindu scholar, towards the end of August.

Since Vikram Bhatt bought Brahmarakshas into his film from Kerala, the pandit has asked Bipasha to visit and do the ritual prayer at the place of its origin.

The release of an 80-minute documentary on Kanpur's electricity hassles against a big banner Bollywood film didn't seem an alien concept to the makers of "Katiyabaaz", who were confident of "challenging the mainstream".

Director duo Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar struggled their way for nearly three years to get a commercial release for "Katiyabaaz" across almost 50 screens in the country. They now hope the film spreads its light far and wide.

"We are sort of challenging the mainstream. We are trying to compete with the Bollywood space," Mustafa told IANS in an interview.

The co-directors were never worried - not even when a film festival organiser once told them not to call "Katiyabaaz" a documentary because they are those films that are played before the "real film" begins.

"That's the kind of mentality that has existed and somewhere our intention was to break that. We didn't want to go in to formulate Bollywood direction. Someone once told us this is a new genre. This is Bollywood documentary. Fahad and I were wary of accepting that tag," said Kakkar.

Made at a budget of over Rs.1 crore, the documentary has an entertainment factor too - courtesy music by "Black Friday" fame Indian Ocean band.

"We wanted the audience to be slightly entertained and carry something home. We wanted a band that would capture the flavour of the place (Kanpur)," said Kakkar.

With a presenter as strong as production banner Phantom Films, co-owned by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl, and funding from international sources, "Katiyabaaz" had a limited release in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Lucknow Friday.

It clashed with a movie as big as Yash Raj Films' Rani Mukerji-starrer "Mardaani". But the duo is set in their mission to get more eyeballs for their work via word-of-mouth, and eventually, more screenings even beyond India.

"We would love to get it released in Pakistan. We will go to Bangladesh and hopefully other South Asian countries. It has travelled to the Lahore and Sindh film festivals. We made small outings there and the response was phenomenal. In Karachi, people said, 'This is not Kanpur. This is Karachi.'"

It's this similarity and universality that they hope to cash in on.

"The things are so familiar to everyone in the northern belt. Electricity goes off everywhere and after all it is a human story. You could supplant Kanpur with Ghaziabad or Lahore or Meerut - there will be the same story, and that works," said Kakkar.

The film, which won the coveted National Award for Best Investigative Film, has already been telecast in European countries and shown in theatres in countries like Italy and Britain. It will be on the TV in the US in November.

Bringing the film so far was not easy for the duo, who studied together in the capital's St. Stephen's College. It took them two years to make it and eight more months to bring it to audiences.

Funds were a major hurdle.

"We had no funds from India which was sad. We had reached out to a couple of people and they are still averse to take that risk in terms of getting returns on their investment. We were lucky to get funds from across the world. We got support from places like Busan and Amsterdam," said Kakkar.

"With a documentary, the kind of investment you have to make is a blind chance you take. You don't know if you'll take two or three or four years to tell the story. You have to support your crew on ground and most importantly distribution is such a complex beast that you don't know how to recover all that investment," she added.

But having tasted success in bringing their project to shape, they believe times are changing.

"Independent cinema is finding place in theatres and we are a part of that change," said Mustafa.

After getting noticed for his stunts in his debut film "Heropanti", actor Tiger Shroff, who was recently honoured by the Kukkiwon - World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, is geared up for more daredevilry in his second film as he feels it's "as important, if not more important" than one's first movie.

In an interview, the actor has spoken about getting a fifth degree honorary black belt, his love for self-discipline, his new film and hopes from the film industry.

Excerpts:

Q. You’ve recently been honoured with the fifth degree honorary black belt from the Kukkiwon - World Taekwondo Headquarters. Happy?

A. Very much so. Especially since this is an organization established by the South Korean government. It’s a very special honour because before me it was given to Shah Rukh Khan sir and Akshay Kumar sir (earlier). I am so new and so raw compared with them, and yet they thought me worthy of the honour. Wow!

Q. You may be new but your martial arts skills are that of a veteran!

A. I am trying. I’ve been a disciplined student of the martial arts from my childhood. To me, the discipline required to practice the martial arts is not just about spending time practising my moves. It’s a whole way of life. My discipline extends to how I live my entire life. I like to wake up early in the morning and go through the day in a disciplined way. More than that, I like to keep my thoughts free of negativity and clear of ugliness. To me, that’s real self discipline.

Q. Some would say you are way too restrained for your age?

A. You mean I am boring? Ha ha. So be it. I’d rather be true to myself and not let down my parents than live up to an image of someone who is hot and wild. That would be lying to myself. It’s very important for me to be truthful in what I do.

Q. You’ve also convinced your father (actor Jackie Shroff) to follow your example of self-discipline?

A. Yes, he is in many ways, the opposite of me. He is....what’s the word...'bindaas', oblivious to all forms of social restraint. He has agreed to listen to me finally but only because he needs to get into shape for his role of the boxer in the Hindi remake of "Warrior".

Q. Apparently you will be seen taking your stunts to the next level in your second film?

A. Yes, I am again teaming up with Sajid sir (producer Nadiadwala) and Sabir sir(director Sabir Khan). This time we’ve to take the action further than "Heropanti".

Q. Is the post-debut film scary for you?

A. I’d say the second film is as important, if not more important, than the first film. Yes, it has to work. Otherwise people would brand me a fluke or a one-film wonder. Worse, critics would say audiences went to see my first film because of my father. I wouldn’t want to live in my father’s shadow.

Q. Do you think you have improved as a performer since your first film?

A. That we’ll only get to know once the second film releases .I know I’ve a long way to go. I look at Hrithik sir (Hrithik Roshan) as my role model. When I see him on screen, I feel motivated. That’s the kind of personality and performing ability I’d like to develop.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has made the most of his trip to Kathmandu to go and offer prayers at the Pashupatinath temple.

"On my way to Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu. Will pray for all of you too," he tweeted Saturday.

The actor is in Kathmandu for his autobiographical play "Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai" which was staged on Friday.

Long flights and living out of suitcases makes actor-singer Ayushmann Khurrana feel like a nutcase.

"The jet lag of US trip is still alive. And I have to fly London tomorrow. Living out of a suitcase makes you a nutcase," Ayushmann posted on his Twitter page.

There was news that Ayushmann's film project "Hawaizada" was stalled, but before heading out to New York he had clarified his stance, saying the movie is on.

"To set the record straight Hawaizada is in no trouble. It's a beautiful film, close to my heart, waiting for the right time," he had tweeted Aug 14.

Meanwhile, he is ready with his sixth single "Mitti di khushboo", a Punjabi love song.

National Award winning actress Priyanka Chopra says she likes to take the "risk" of maintaining creativity and stardom simultaneously as she finds it "satisfying".

"Every artist wants to be creative & have stardom. It's elusive getting both, trying for it is extremely satisfying, albeit risky. It's me," she tweeted.

The actress is geared up for the release of "Mary Kom", in which she takes up a non-glamorous role, essaying ace boxer M.C. Mary Kom on the big screen. The movie hits theatres Sep 5.

After playing the roles of a girl-next-door, actress Ekta Kaul will be seen as a lively radio jockey (RJ) in an episode of "Yeh Hai Aashiqui". She went out of her way to get a grip on the character.

"Playing an RJ was definitely a challenge for me. I had to go under some training and listen to radio stations to get hold of my character, and I am happy that the outcome is good," Ekta said in a statement.

"Yeh Hai Aashiqui", which airs on Bindass, shows unique love stories in every episode. In the forthcoming episode Sunday, Ekta will be seen as RJ Yoshika.

"She is an emotional girl in reality and does not let that side of her personality come out in front of others. But when she meets a guy, he transforms her and brings out the real Yoshika," she said of the role.

The actress, who has earlier featured in shows like "Rab Se Sohna Isshq" and "Bade Achche Lagte Hain", will be seen romancing Alok Narula in an unusual love story about an auto-rickshaw driver and a established RJ.

The release of an 80-minute documentary on Kanpur's electricity hassles against a big banner Bollywood film didn't seem an alien concept to the makers of "Katiyabaaz", who were confident of "challenging the mainstream".

Director duo Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar struggled for nearly three years to get a commercial release for "Katiyabaaz" across almost 50 screens in the country. They now hope the film spreads its light far and wide.

"We are sort of challenging the mainstream. We are trying to compete with the Bollywood space," Mustafa told IANS in an interview.

The co-directors were never worried - not even when a film festival organiser once told them not to call "Katiyabaaz" a documentary because they are those films that are played before the "real film" begins.

"That's the kind of mentality that has existed and somewhere our intention was to break that. We didn't want to go in to formulate Bollywood direction. Someone once told us this is a new genre. This is Bollywood documentary. Fahad and I were wary of accepting that tag," said Kakkar.

Made on a budget of over Rs.1 crore, the documentary has an entertainment factor too - courtesy music by "Black Friday" fame Indian Ocean band.

"We wanted the audience to be slightly entertained and carry something home. We wanted a band that would capture the flavour of the place (Kanpur)," said Kakkar.

With a presenter as strong as production banner Phantom Films, co-owned by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl, and funding from international sources, "Katiyabaaz" had a limited release in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kanpur and Lucknow Friday.

It clashed with a movie as big as Yash Raj Films' Rani Mukerji-starrer "Mardaani". But the duo is set in their mission to get more eyeballs for their work via word-of-mouth, and eventually, more screenings even beyond India.

"We would love to get it released in Pakistan. We will go to Bangladesh and hopefully other South Asian countries. It has travelled to the Lahore and Sindh film festivals. We made small outings there and the response was phenomenal. In Karachi, people said, 'This is not Kanpur. This is Karachi.'"

It's this similarity and universality that they hope to cash in on.

"The things are so familiar to everyone in the northern belt. Electricity goes off everywhere and after all it is a human story. You could supplant Kanpur with Ghaziabad or Lahore or Meerut - there will be the same story, and that works," said Kakkar.

The film, which won the coveted National Award for Best Investigative Film, has already been telecast in European countries and shown in theatres in countries like Italy and Britain. It will be on TV in the US in November.

Bringing the film so far was not easy for the duo, who studied together in the capital's St. Stephen's College. It took them two years to make it and eight more months to bring it to audiences.

Funds were a major hurdle.

"We had no funds from India which was sad. We had reached out to a couple of people and they are still averse to take that risk in terms of getting returns on their investment. We were lucky to get funds from across the world. We got support from places like Busan and Amsterdam," said Kakkar.

"With a documentary, the kind of investment you have to make is a blind chance you take. You don't know if you'll take two or three or four years to tell the story. You have to support your crew on ground and most importantly distribution is such a complex beast that you don't know how to recover all that investment," she added.

But having tasted success in bringing their project to shape, they believe times are changing.

"Independent cinema is finding place in theatres and we are a part of that change," said Mustafa.

Singer Shaan is upbeat about spending 'family time' with a 'Live Love Laugh Shaan Se' concert, where he will be performing with his sister Sagarika Mukherjee and his two sons here Saturday evening.

Shaan is happy and nervous about the performance - especially since it is after 14 years that he will take to the stage with his sister, with whom he has earlier sung many pop hit duets.

"It's more like a family time with this concert as I will be singing with my sister after a long time and my sons will also be singing. So I am very excited and nervous about this concert," Shaan told IANS.

Shaan has two sons - Soham, 11, and Shubh, 9, with his wife Radhika. They will showcase their inherited talent alongside Shaan for one of the segments at the concert.

The concert is dedicated to Bollywood's singing legends Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.

Shaan's wife Radhika is the creative mind behind the event. He says she has been asking him to do a live concert for quite a long time.

"I think this is the right opportunity," he said, adding that Radhika is indeed "the mastermind behind this show".

The concert will take audiences back to the old and gold era of Bollywood songs using modern techniques, including an interactive set-up in the pre-function area which enables concert attendees to record videos with their friends, requesting for their favourites to be sung by Shaan during the show and much more.

The event will be held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts here.

Actors Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor have unveiled "Shake your bootiya", the second song from their forthcoming film "Finding Fanny". With a creative video and peppy tune, the song has a unique feel.

Penned by the duo Sachin-Jigar, the song "Shake your bootiya" has been sung in a quirky way by Divya Kumar.

Talking about the song and its picturisation, Deepika said: "We have done nothing in the song. The only thing we had to do was shooting the beginning of the doll house portion, where there was actually this really cute doll house that we had made.

"We all had to take up our position and imagine a reaction and the rest of it all is imaginary...so we have actually done nothing."

Further Deepika revealed that there are just two songs in the film including "Fanny re".

Also featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur and Dimple Kapadia, "Finding Fanny" will hit the theatres Sep 12. It features Ranveer Singh in a cameo.

Actor Vijayendra Kumeria, who will be seen as a new entry in "Shastri Sisters" is glad he is getting a chance to blend two of his passions - acting and flying - with the role of an Air Force officer in the TV show.

The actor will be seen as the male lead Rajat Sareen in the Colors' show starting Saturday.

An engineer with the Air Force, Rajat is portrayed as the quintessential 'cool dude' with a charming way of swinging odds in his favour. A harmless flirt, Rajat's entry will add interesting twists to the show's narrative.

Vijayendra says it is a "rarity" to "find your true calling within your true calling".

"I have previously spent five years in the airline industry as cabin crew and look at the role I am essaying now - that of an Air Force engineer. I think it's an amazing coincidence that I got an opportunity to blend two of my passions - acting and flying - into one with 'Shastri Sisters'," he said in a statement.

The cast of "Shastri Sisters" is upbeat about having a new member on the set.

Ishita Ganguly, who is seen essaying the role of Anushka, said: "It is always refreshing to have new people on the sets. It has just been three days since we started shooting with Vijayendra, but the little time we have all spent with him, he seems to be a fun guy."

Globally popular animated series "Doki" will premiere in India Sep 1 to cater to young inquisitive minds in its own unique way.

The series, to be showcased on Discovery Kids, will see the character of Doki and his team embarks on several interesting journeys to find answers to questions about science, nature and the world.

The character Doki is a born explorer, just like his best friends Oto, Mundi, Fico, Anabella and Gabi. Together, they are 'Team Doki'. They take a voyage to different places on the planet to find their answers.

They answer queries like - Where do rubber bands come from? How did it feel to live in a castle? Do dragons really exist?

"'Doki' has been a huge hit internationally and we are delighted to bring the series to India," Rahul Johri, executive vice president and general manager - South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia, said in a statement.

Doki was first introduced to audiences in Latin America as the official animated host of Discovery Kids and has got a devoted following over the years. He engages with children by creating an atmosphere which encourages learning through fun.

Melancholy and nostalgia surrounded actress Priyanka Chopra on her late father Ashok Chopra's birth anniversary Saturday.

"Sometimes I talk too much...But today I prefer silence for company, it's nice. The sound of silence. Happy birthday papa. I miss u (sic)," Priyanka posted on Twitter in the wee hours of Saturday.

"Sleep eludes me tonight...memories...thoughts...running...like a hamster...silences.. it's too sunny. And I just need some shade. Happy birthday papa. My world will always be incomplete without you," she added.

Priyanka always found a great support system in her father, who passed away after a battle with cancer last year. A doctor by profession, he had retired from the Indian Army in 1997 as lieutenant-colonel.

The actress, looking forward to the release of "Mary Kom", a biopic which will see her playing Olympic bronze medallist boxer M.C. Mary Kom, has a tattoo of 'Daddy's Li'l Girl' on one of her forearms.