Ailing Malyalam actress Sreelatha Menon dead

*Thiruvananthapuram*: Ailing former Malayalam actress Sreelatha Menon, suffering from a rare bone disease for long, passed away here on Friday night, her family said.

The 51-year-old -- known for films like "Perumthachan" and "Kauthuka" -- breathed her last at the state-run Medical College Hospital, where she was being treated.

Her husband passed away a few years back. The then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in 2012 extended to her financial assistance and treatment after knowing about her medical condition surfaced. The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes also chipped in.

A former Miss Trivandrum (1985), she acted in more than 20 films and over 200 TV serials.

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In A peculiar case of role reversal, it was a particular ad printed in a daily that attracted direct attention towards the latter. Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan modelling for a popular Indian pan masala brand was too much for the Twitterati to handle, and they soon took to social media to reveal how their world had come crashing down. 

‘Pierce Brosnan is inviting you to die another day’ read one tweet. ‘My name is bond, *spits pan bahar*, James Bond’, read another. 

However, Sambit Mohanty, creative head, DDB Mudra North, the company behind the campaign, says he doesn’t “care two hoots” about the reactions. “Twitter is a minority and isn’t our audience. We are targeting the masses, and the campaign has worked well with them. I received a text from someone who said that he had been a consumer of a rival brand for the past 15 years, but was now glad to switch to our brand. When neither the brand nor Mr Brosnan have any problem with the promotion, why the hell does Twitter have a problem with it?” he questions, seemingly agitated.

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SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali: The Beginning, which released last year, shattered all box office records. Naturally, there are great expectations from the sequel, Baahubali: The Conclusion. Rana Daggubati, who plays the antagonist in the film, says there isn’t any such pressure on the cast and crew and the first instalment’s success has, in fact, been a boon.

Says Rana, “Things that we were struggling with during the first film’s making are being done effortlessly for the sequel. We have roped in Hollywood action choreographers, who have previously worked on films like X-Men. The visuals and CGI are far better. We are able to afford a lot of things, which, perhaps, wouldn’t have been possible earlier. The kind of action we are planning to showcase is simply out of the world, something that cannot be explained. It’s going to be a grand visual treat.”

Baahubali 1 went on to make an estimated R600 crore at the box office worldwide. Asked if the team is aiming to create history with a four-digit figure at the BO, Rana says, “Box office numbers are discussed only in Bollywood. Down South, we never bother about it. We set out to make the biggest film that this country has ever seen. We achieved that with part one and are going to do it in a bigger way with Bahubali 2.”

For the last five months, Rana has been working on his physique for his part in the sequel. Even in a leaner avatar, he looks no less menacing. “You have seen the older version of my character, Bhallala Deva. But for this one, I had to drop almost 20 kgs. I have been on a strict diet and haven’t had a cheat meal even once all these days,” he says.Telugu voice to Tom Hanks in InfernoIt's an overwhelming experience to dub for a legendary actor like Tom Hanks,” says Rana Daggubati about lending his voice to the Hollywood star’s character in the Telugu version of Inferno. “As prep, I first watched the film to understand the pitch. I had to sound older than my age. We did a voice test with a few variations. It wasn’t easy as I would be shooting from 7 am to 6 pm for Baahubali 2, and later dub for Inferno way past midnight.

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Sonam Kapoor has opened up about her co-actors on Neha Dhupia’s show, No Filter Neha. The actress, who conducts herself as no less than a princess, feels Abhay Deol is a diva in real life. Sonam recounted an extremely amusing incident with Abhay during the shoot of Raanjhanaa (2013) and called him a little princess. Talking about a particular scene from the film, Sonam narrated how appalled Abhay was to hear that they would have to clean up a slum.

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This is Bipasha Basu’s first Durga Puja after marriage to Alone (2015) co-star Karan Singh Grover in May, and she will be off to hometown Kolkata tomorrow to be part of the festivities at Ekdalia, the neighbourhood where she grew up. Accompanying her, of course, will be hubby dearest in what will be their maiden trip to the city. 

Says Bipasha, “We will reach Kolkata only on ashtami [Sunday] night. I am looking forward to be pampered at home with family, enjoy traditional meals, and meet a few relatives as well as friends in our locality. I want Karan to soak in the ambience and energy of Durga Puja in Kolkata, the biggest excitement throughout our childhood.”

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When Karan Johar began work on ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, the working title was simply ‘Ae Dil’. Later, the filmmaker added ‘Hai Mushkil’ to it. We hear, an astrologer warned him that with Mushkil in the title, the film’s journey would be difficult. KJo now feels the soothsayer’s words ringing true as he wages a battle against forces keen to stall the film’s release.

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Yesterday, in a Facebook post, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan spoke up on the ongoing Indo-Pak political  tension rubbing off on the industry.

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With reports this week of co-producer Eros International having pulled out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-drama, Padmavati, rumour mills have been in overdrive with news that the director is actively scouting for another production house to fund the project that’s expected to cost Rs 180 cr.

However, in the midst of the multiple crises that have plagued the film’s progress, another pressing issue appears to be draining its financial resources: a lavish set at Bandra’s Mehboob studio, that’s receiving little attention since it was rented for production in the middle of August, leading to escalating daily costs, with no shoot in sight.*Sanjay Leela Bhansali*

Says an official from Mehboob studio, “The cost of renting a studio at the venue is Rs 45,000 for the first 12 hours. After that, it ups to Rs 60,000 every 12 hours. An extra hour following this is charged at Rs 17,700.”

A worker on the set revealed that the stipend received by the 20 appointed staffers for the shoot is R1,000 per head, per day, even if the shoot is yet to start.

With work on the palatial set for the Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone starrer currently in a state of limbo, Bhansali’s production house has been paying both rent and salary for close to two months. The filmmakers intend to use the studio to showcase Chittor ruler Rawal Ratan Singh’s wife, Padmavati’s magnificent Jal Mahal that sits inside Chittorgarh Fort, where Alauddin Khilji (ruler of the Delhi Suntanate from 1296 to 1316) first set eyes on her albeit through her reflection.

A source close to the production says, “There is a lot of work pending, including the lighting, which will take some time. We had stopped work on the set, but kick-started it again a few days ago, since the film is expected to roll within the next few months, hopefully.” Besides funding issues, there could also be the added problem of matching dates of the film’s star-cast. “Ranveer is strongly prepping for his role (of Alauddin Khilji), but also needs to start promotions for his next [Aditya Chopra’s Befikre], in November. Shahid [Ratan Singh] is now on paternal leave, and Deepika is busy with XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.”

While Viacom 18 remained unavailable for comment, industry sources insist the filmmaker is in the final stages of negotiating a fresh deal with a studio to take over the project, and get production restarted. Bhansali’s spokesperson, however, maintains, “The shoot was always meant to begin from October 21.”Escalating costs at Mehboob StudioCost of renting studio for 24 hours:
*Rs 1 lakh*

For 55 days
*Rs 55 lakh*

Staff salary for a day
*Rs 20,000*

Staff Salary for 55 days
*Rs 11 lakh*

Total cost so far, without a day of shoot
*Rs 66 lakh*

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At a time when uncertainty looms large over the release of three big banner multi-starrer Bollywood films  -- 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', 'Raees' and 'Dear Zindagi' -- in India due to the presence of Pakistani actors in them, it has emerged that a film that has been released recently also would have faced similar problems but for the director agreeing to make a compromise.

According to various reports in the media, Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan was playing the role of Virat Kohli in in the MS Dhoni biopic. His role hadn't been publicised since the makers wanted Fawad's role to be surprise package for the viewers. 

But, that was not to be.

Audiences were denied a chance to see Fawad Khan play Virat with director Neeraj Pandey reportedly deleting his scenes in 'MS Dhoni The Untold Story'.

With right wing outfits seeking a complete ban on Pak artists, the makers of the film decided to censor their film for the sake of an uncontroversial and smooth release. 

Raj Thackeray-led MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Pakistani actors and artists to leave India just ahead of the release of 'MS Dhoni'.

Afraid of the repercussions once the right-win party came to know of Fawad's involvement in his film, Neeraj decided to omit the Pak actor from the film to avoid negative publicity.

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Pamela Chopra received a warm welcome by veteran actress Moushumi Chatterjee during a screening of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Mirzya.

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*'Mirzya'*
*U/A; Romance-Drama*
*Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra*
*Casting: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher, Anuj Choudhry*
*Rating: 
*

This film is an edge-of-the-seat entertainment of another kind. Or at least that’s what I felt towards the latter half of this loosely structured pic: shifting gradually towards the front end of my the seat, getting edgy, gently biting my nail, fiddling with the cellphone, hoping the travels and travails will end soon, and I’ll just go back home, and take a nap instead. How did things come to such a pass?

On paper, there is nothing about this movie that shouldn’t work. The lead actor, debutant Harshvardhan (promising son of the son-of-soil hero Anil Kapoor), had worked for a year and half, learning archery and horse-riding for this role. The female lead (Saiyami Kher) is just as stunning as the vistas before us — the lakes, and the mountains, and the desert, and the sand dunes, and the galloping horses, and the high-life of Rajasthani palaces, and polo, and pretty belles and boys moving to Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy’s score. The director (Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra), himself a fine scenarist, does well to keep the film’s duration at 2 hours 9 minutes, as against his last, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', which was over three hours long.

To top that, this movie marks the return of the great Gulzar, who hasn’t written a script in 16 years. My faint suspicion is that his 'vanvaas' from screenwriting continues, unfortunately. Beneath all the brooding intensity, contrived conversations in hushed tones, and giant splendour of this picture, there lurks such strange hollowness in this movie that you are unsure whether there was ever a script at all to be executed in the first place.

The original Romeo and Juliet sort of Punjabi legend Mirza Sahiban, on which this film is based, I’m told, has been made thrice as a Hindi film — none of which, it turns out, did much for its audience. A key glitch with the story, gyanis opine, is that even as Mirza Sahiban is a tragic-romance about undying love, the climax concerns betrayal, wherein the heroine breaks her hero’s arrow — leaving him completely exposed and helpless before her father’s armed men, who come to finally get him in the end.

Why did she break the arrow? That, I guess, was the starting point of this picture. It’s not even an afterthought in your head, while you genuinely wonder why and how did these two — poor boy, rich girl — even fall in love? They were childhood sweethearts, yes, and he meets her having grown up, and she’s in his arms right away, even while engaged, and ostensibly in love with a fine, young prince.

The film juxtaposes this oddly contemporary setting in Rajasthan with faux ancient images of Mirza and Sahiban, sitting around in a surreal, picturesque locale, with a bunch of extras borrowed from 'Mad Max: The Fury Road', aiming arrows at poor Mirza. Flitting between these two sets of self-aware, self-indulgent sequences, and with little to empathise or care about, frankly, my head hurts from all the fakery. But then again, art or fart, is, of course, a very subjective call. Well, you know what I thought.*Watch the trailers of 'Mirzya'*

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A Pali Hill birdie chirped to say that Maanayata Dutt keeps taking off to London and Dubai on 'business' trips.

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Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh, who has mostly played negative roles in films, says in real life he is the most romantic person.

Neil has played characters with grey shades in films like "Johnny Gaddar", "Players", "Saath Khoon Maaf", "David", "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" and others.

"I am the most romantic person probably in the world. I enjoy doing grey characters because in personal life I am totally opposite. My mom once told me that she wants to be born as my girlfriend in the next birth because she sees me how I am, I am extremely expressive and she loves me for that.

Without love, I feel lost," Neil said in a statement here. The popular Bollywood villains will be sharing their favourite songs, their likes and dislikes on the show 'Raavan Reloaded' which will be aired on Zoom channel.

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On Friday, fans of James Bond star Pierce Brosnan were in for a shock! They woke up to the Hollywood actor endorsing pan masala brand Pan Bahar on the front page of few daily newspapers. And, no, it wasn't Photoshopped!

Pierce Brosnan, best known for his stint as the legendary British spy James Bond in the popular film franchise, features in the print ad holding a box of the pan masala, Pan Bahar, with the text below reading 'Class never goes out of style'.

Pierce Brosnan was among the top trending topics on Twitter. From users taking a dig at the ad to condemning it, here are some of the best reactions on Twitter:



Pierce Brosnan_ Pan Bahar
Pic1- when you want to kill others.
Pic2- when you want to kill yourself. 😛 pic.twitter.com/V0C2hKN3HT

— Lazy Cat (@DenNehaS) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan.
Played James Bond.
Endorses Pan Bahar.
Licensed to kill.

— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) 7 October 2016



When your #LicenceToKill expires, but you still have bills to pay @PierceBrosnan #PanBahar #JamesBond #OldIsGold pic.twitter.com/rnU22br3uH

— Ankit Verma (@a2zankit) 7 October 2016



After Pierce Brosnan and Pan PARAG, the day isn't far when the Queen will endorse P C Jewellers. ðŸ˜ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂœ

— SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan, is that you? pic.twitter.com/9osA8o8mZx

— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan becomes brand ambassador for Paan Bahar Masala, waiting for Brad Pitt to endorse Shaadi. com

— Sand-d Singh (@Sand_In_Deed) 7 October 2016



Breaking News: Pierce Brosnan is also going to endorse Thumbs Up.
The tagline would be 'Aaj kuch thoo Paani karte hai'

— Sahil Shah (@SahilBulla) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan is Pan Singh Tumor.

— AJ (@warpedinxs) 7 October 2016



Breaking News : Pierce Brosnan to come in a new movie 'The Adventures of Peter Paan and Captain Thook'.

— Sahil Shah (@SahilBulla) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan says the outrage has given him much to chew on, Paan unintended

— Ajith (@ajith27) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan : The name is Bond and I like my pan folded not skewered.

— Sahil Shah (@SahilBulla) 7 October 2016



Does Pierce Brosnan know that people used to spit this same paan on his face 15 years ago when his movie posters were on walls?

— Azeem Banatwalla (@TheBanat) 7 October 2016



Dear @PierceBrosnan
Pan Bahar?!?
Really???
I'm shaken and stirred !!!
😳🙄ðŸ¤Â”😟

— atul kasbekar (@atulkasbekar) 7 October 2016



So now before every Bollywood movie 'Pierce Brosnan' ad will be played instead of 'Gutkha Mukesh'
. pic.twitter.com/eBuOopMSmX

— PhD in Bak***** !! (@Atheist_Krishna) 7 October 2016



Pretty sure Pierce Brosnan was fooled into endorsing Pan Bahar by saying that it was some exotic Himalayan Indian herb. pic.twitter.com/nijiLsOvEc

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan endorsing Pan Masala. Yeh kaise din aagaye hai! pic.twitter.com/vx6T1uqcdf

— All India Bakchod (@AllIndiaBakchod) 7 October 2016



Once they made us chew cow & pig hide. Now we make them chew pan masala. Colonialism has come full circle with Pierce Brosnan & Pan Bahaar

— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) 7 October 2016



As Pierce Brosnan is endorsing Pan Bahar, his new line should be -

My name is bond, aakthoo(spits).. James Bond. pic.twitter.com/spzuA6fGFy

— Angry Indian Chikna (@Madan_Chikna) 7 October 2016



Trust Indians to use Pierce Brosnan to promote 'Paan Bahaar' chewing tobacco. Love to see James Bond do a 'Haath me Lota, Moun mey Paan...' pic.twitter.com/2wisfix40m

— Tarek तारिà¤Â• Fatah (@TarekFatah) 7 October 2016



Priyanka Chopra chews Rajnigandha & now Pierce Brosnan chews Pan Bahar. Now I know why I am not successful, will start chewing gutka today.

— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) 7 October 2016



Severe Bill Murray's Bob Harris from 'Lost In Translation' feel coming for Brosnan's Pan Bahar.

— वरà¥Âण (@varungrover) 7 October 2016



Brexit has hit UK so hard financially that James Bond has to endorse Pan Bahar. pic.twitter.com/XBDv0djE4a

— à¤Âšार लà¥Â‹à¤Â— (@WoCharLog) 7 October 2016



Explains the iconic pause. "My name is Bond, *turns sideways, releases brown jet from mouth, looks at adversary* James Bond. #PunBahar pic.twitter.com/i8FooPZuqg

— Stereotypewriter (@babumoshoy) 7 October 2016



Ajay Devgn just sent a friend request to Bond... pic.twitter.com/YNd9lhQWjK

— The Viral Fever (@TheViralFever) 7 October 2016



What the...it's Jamshed Bond pic.twitter.com/1nIkRPDAl2

— Kabir Taneja (@KabirTaneja) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan has taken his dialogue too far:
“I always enjoyed learning a new tongue.” pic.twitter.com/vW5KFcSUHj

— Yashi Singh (@AyushiYashing) 7 October 2016



After having pan bahar .. Pierce Brosnan will say "I'm bond .... (Spit out) .... James bond"

— crime master gogo (@vipul2777) 7 October 2016



Are we sure that it's Pierce Brosnan and not a fitter Kulbhushan Kharbanda? 😝 https://t.co/KEbON3AY04

— Puddin' (@lady_gabbar) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan is endorsing Pan Bahaar. Don't know about India but Kanpur has certainly established itself as a superpower.

— Aladdin (@Alllahdin) 7 October 2016



When James Bond starts selling pan, you know the empire really has struck back. pic.twitter.com/KhgdKrVDDG

— Dhruva Jaishankar (@d_jaishankar) 7 October 2016



So I'm looking at Pierce Brosnan's Pan Bahar ad and thinking someone's trying to send us a message. Too many logic gaps in the world.

— samit basu (@samitbasu) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan is endorsing pan bahar , i think that dude doesn't even know what is in that box. He think its m&m's.

— Singha (@heisenjit) 7 October 2016



Of course India is shining. Look even James Bond has #panbahar....though I wonder if it is shaken or stirred?!#PierceBrosnan pic.twitter.com/I8SPUSbZyQ

— Rashi Kakkar (@rashi_kakkar) 7 October 2016



"Class never goes out of style."

Until you appear in a Pan Bahar ad. pic.twitter.com/L5Q72saFaN

— Madhu Menon (@madmanweb) 7 October 2016



"I believe you hold the famous 'License To Kill' in your possession, Mr. Bond?"

*takes out Pan Bahar from his pocket*

*130,000 people die*

— Akshar (@AksharPathak) 7 October 2016



Pierce Brosnan has now the "License to Spit" !!#PanBahar #SwachhBharat ki aise ki taise !!! pic.twitter.com/zQ5l73pxgX

— Puspak Patnaik (@puspakpatnaik) 7 October 2016



Haters Will say Pierce Brosnan is Photoshoped @coolfunnytshirt @LostByWaves @Being_Humor @sagarcasm @Amit_smiling @Madan_Chikna pic.twitter.com/e2UM1uc8hn

— lagharvagharamdavadi (@vlvareloaded) 7 October 2016



Wonder if Pierce Brosnan actually tried the paan masala, suavely dusting off his hands.

— Mahesh Rao (@mraozing) 7 October 2016

If you thought this wasn't enough, there's a video too!

*WATCH:*

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Actress, author, producer, reality show judge, yoga guru and entrepreneur -- Shilpa Shetty Kundra is all this and more. The 41-year-old is known for her super-toned looks and she had shared some secrets to her physique in a book. Well, 'The Great Indian Diet' became a bestseller immediately after its release in 2015. And as with all popular items, there were knock-offs being sold at the street side very soon.

As luck would have it the leggy actress encountered a roadside hawker selling her book near a Mumbai traffic signal recently. She shared her experience of the incident on Instagram and Twitter. She posted, "So this guy was trying to sell my book to Me! At the traffic signal. His reaction was priceless when he saw me. ha ha ha."


 

So this guy was trying to sell my book to Me! At the traffic signal🙄😂His reaction was priceless when he saw me😂 ha ha ha #thegreatindiandiet #authorwoes #complimentary

A photo posted by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@officialshilpashetty) onOct 5, 2016 at 9:00am PDT



The hawker got his 15 seconds of fame after the bollywood beauty shared it on social media. The priceless expression of the hawker on Instagram went viral and garnered over 31,000 likes within 24 hours.



So this guy was trying to sell my book to Me! At the traffic signal🙄😂His reaction was priceless… https://t.co/hSo8juAq1P

— SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA (@TheShilpaShetty) October 5, 2016

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Kriti Kharbanda, who replaced Lisa Haydon in Atithi In London at the nth hour, put the shooting of her Kannada film, Maastigudi, on hold for a couple of days.

She wanted to join Paresh Rawal and Tanvi Azmi for a workshop.

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Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif has reportedly accused her driver of snooping on her and believes that he is getting paid by media outlets to leak details of her personal life.

Recently, there were reports of Aditya Roy Kapur rescuing Katrina Kaif from a parking lot argument. According to a report in Spotboye, following the incident, Katrina Kaif grew suspicious of her entourage leaking stories to media. The report suggests that now Katrina Kaif has accused her driver of snooping on her for money. According to the report, this is the same driver who was slapped during the argument over a parking spot.

Katrina Kaif has also threatened to fire her driver for leaking personal details to the media, reported Spotboye. The report further suggests that Katrina Kaif has started keeping a close tab on her aides and has issued a gag order, stopping them from having any conversations with media.

If the grapevine is to be believed, Katrina Kaif has become paranoid following media reports linking her to 'Fitoor' co-star Aditya Roy Kapur.

*Katrina Kaif's night out with Aditya Roy Kapur*

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Shooting for Parineeti Chopra's romance-drama Meri Pyaari Bindu alongside Ayushmann Khurrana is being conducted in South Mumbai.

Pari, who like most of the folks in B-Town, rarely ventures to the other side of the city except for events, has been savouring the experience.

While shooting at Marine Drive, she was heard saying that she hadn't realised how pretty the city looked from that side.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Parineeti Chopra started dancing to 'Gazab Ka Hai Din' at Marine Drive to the surprise of the crew members. We bet their impromptu dance will cheer you up!

*WATCH VIDEO:*



Madness. Because. #MeriPyaariBindu @ayushmannk pic.twitter.com/CRyq0ETtne

— Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) 6 October 2016

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But, now, as reported yesterday in hitlist (*Don't you dare date*), the dictum has found its way to Bollywood, but in a more sexist form.

Niddhi Agerwal, who debuts in Tiger Shroff-starrer Munna Michael, was made to sign a no-dating clause that extends beyond the limits of the film set. Interestingly, this clause doesn't apply to the lead actor.

We got in touch with a few 'single' actresses from the film and TV world for their point of view.

*Amyra Dastur

*
'It's a personal choice. Whether I choose to date someone is a decision that only I should have the freedom to make. But I have not heard of any such clause (so far)'

*Dipika Kakar

*
'I don't think this is right. I understand the clause requires that work should not be hampered or that decency on set be maintained. But, demanding that one shouldn't date at all means that they (producers) are ruling over your lives'

*Rashami Desai

*
'Love is an emotion and cannot be bound by contracts. Actors are responsible individuals and know where to draw the line'

*Priyal Gor

*
'It's neither right nor required. If the couple appears to be creating any trouble on the sets, appropriate action can be taken. But, such a clause is futile. People don't listen to their parents when in love, how can a contract stop them from?'

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*Los Angeles:* Brad Pitt reportedly reunited with his children for the first since Angelina Jolie filed for divorce. Jolie filed for divorce on September 19 citing irreconcilable differences and said the decision has been taken for the "health of the family".

The 52-year-old actor had a "wonderful" time with his kids, reported People magazine. "Brad has spent some wonderful time with children recently," a source said. The LA Department of Children and Family Services has maintained an open investigation following allegations that Pitt was verbally abusive and got physical with the couple's eldest son, Maddox, during a fight on the family's private plane.

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*'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'*
*U/A; Adventure, Drama, Family*
*Cast: Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Eva Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Chris O'Dowd, Terence Stamp, Finlay MacMillan, Lauren McCrostie*
*Director: Tim Burton*
*Rating:* 

Scriptwriter Jane Goldman rejigs the YA novel written by Ransom Riggs' and going by the same name, fashions it into a weird fantasy that could well work as the origin story for several successful sci-fi entertainers of the recent past (most notably 'X-Men', 'Harry Potter' etc). In this visual effects happy effort 'Mary Poppins' meets 'X-Men' meets Tim Burton, and it's not quite the winning combination we expected. It's bizarre, wild, fantastic in turns but there's nothing consistent that we can hold on to. The story is about a young boy Jake (Asa Butterfield) who stumbles upon an orphanage where there are beings with extraordinary gifts. He meets Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) who invites him to be a part of the family.

When an incident befalls his grandfather, it leads Jake to visit Wales, the location of the orphanage from his grandfather stories. Miss Peregrine explains to Jake that she is a ymbrynes, a peculiar that can create time loops meant for safety from the monsters, hollowgasts that hunt down peculiar children for their eyes- but it also means that they're stuck in a certain day of a certain year.

*Watch the trailer of 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children'
*

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Priyanka Chopra today shared the first teaser of her debut Marathi production, 'Ventilator'. The actress, who has stepped into production with her Purple Pebble Pictures production house, took to Twitter to share the teaser with her fans and followers.

"Proud to present the first look of #Ventilator...@PurplePebblePic 's debut Marathi production!Out in theatres November 4," Priyanka wrote. The film will mark actor-turned-director Ashutosh Gowariker's comeback to acting after a long gap.

Ashutosh Gowariker was a part of many popular films of 1990s like 'Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa', and 'Chamatkar'. He also featured in TV show 'Circus' along side Shah Rukh Khan.

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For the second time in four months, actor-musician Diljit Dosanjh's work has fallen prey to piracy. His debut Bollywood film, 'Udta Punjab', co-starring Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan, was leaked online two days ahead of its scheduled release. Recently, his latest single, Do You Know, made its way to the e-space days before the official launch.

When Diljit found out about the piracy, he clicked on the download links and asked website owners to pull the music video down. "I was disappointed to see the pirated version available on several websites. I wrote to owners of some websites, and requested them to replace the pirated version with the official link. They responded almost immediately," says the Punjabi superstar.*A still from 'Udta Punjab', which was also leaked online*

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Though there have been reports of Disha Patani and Tiger Shroff taking a relationship break, the lovebirds were spotted at a Juhu multiplex on Wednesday night.

On the way back, Disha took the wheel. They were accompanied by their pals.*Saiyami Kher*

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Rohitash Gaud was in the midst of shooting TV show 'Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai' on Thursday when he learnt that his father had passed away, said a source in the know. He rushed to his hometown Kalka in Panchkula, Haryana, as soon as the news reached him.

"Rohitash ji always used to say his dad is hale and hearty. We believe only old age can be the reason as his dad wasn't suffering from any serious ailment," added the source.

Due to the emergency, the shoot of the &TV show was stalled and the sequence that was planned over three days, was postponed to a later date.

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Filmmaker Ketan Mehta says his forthcoming venture "Rani Lakshmi Bai" will require use of VFX in order to do justice to the war sequences in the biopic.

Actress Kangana Ranaut will be seen in the role of Rani of Jhansi, one of the leaders of the first Indian war of Independence in 1857.

The "Queen" star would undergo a lot of physical transformation, including, learning sword-fighting and horse-riding.

When asked if the film would require a lot of VFX work to recreate the era, Mehta told PTI, "Yes, obviously. All films today use VFX and the war sequences in our film will
also require to be digitally enhanced. It is going to be visually rich, highly dramatic film."

The filmmaker has in the past helmed movies like "Manjhi: The Mountain Man", "Rang Rasiya" and Aamir Khan starrer "Mangal Pandey: The Rising".

The "Rani Lakshmi Bai" biopic would see the director try new things but Mehta insists he does not see the film in terms of high budget or as his "magnum opus."

"I don't see films like that. To me, it is one of the most fascinating stories in the world. The story of Rani Laxmibai is worth telling and putting on the big screen."

The director said other male lead of the film is yet be cast.

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The biopic on India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story" has now been made tax-free in Maharashtra.

With Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead role, the film shows the journey of the Indian batsman-wicketkeeper.

The state government of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh had made the movie tax-free a few days back.

Now, the Maharashtra government has decided to waive the entertainment tax for the film.

"We are humbled and thankful to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his team for making Mahi's biopic tax-free in the state. Mahi's journey is inspirational and through this more people will get to see the movie and see the life of this amazing sportsman," Arun Pandey, producer, said in a statement here.

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has filed a defamation suit against a TV news channel in the Bombay High Court and has slapped damages worth Rs 100 crore, reported Hindustan Times.

Salman Khan was accused of poaching a chinkara at Bhawad near Jodhpur and another chinkara at Ghoda farms during the shooting of his film, 'Hum Saath Saath Hain', in September 1998.

In a suit filed before a division bench of the HC in August this year, Salman Khan claimed a sting operation conducted by the channel in the 1998 chinkara poaching case was malicious and defamatory. Salman Khan wants the channel to be restrained from releasing or making public in any way, any part of that sting operation, reported Hindustan Times.

According to the report in Hindustan Times, in the channel's sting operation "witnesses claimed they saw Khan shoot the endangered chinkaras in Jodhpur". However, later the "witness/es turned hostile and claimed the video was doctored".

In a previous hearing on August 24 this year, the channel told a single bench of the HC that it had already taken down the video and script of the sting operation and all other related material from its website.

In a hearing earlier this month, both the parties submitted affidavits and told the court they were working out a settlement. Justice SJ Kathawalla, who is presiding over the matter, will hear the matter on November 18.

In July this year, the Rajasthan HC acquitted Salman Khan in two cases related to poaching.*Also read...*

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With the tenth season of 'Bigg Boss' approaching, there has been buzz about Deepika Padukone appearing on the Salman Khan-hosted reality show as a special guest. According to a report by *Times of India*, Deepika will be a special guest on 'Bigg Boss 10' to promote her upcoming Hollywood debut opposite Vin Diesel, 'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage.'

Deepika Padukone had promoted 'Tamasha' on 'Bigg Boss' earlier.

'XXX: The Return of Xander Cage' also stars Samuel L Jackson and Nina Dobrev.

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Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor feels not only artists from Pakistan but every citizen of the country should condemn the Uri attack.

The 64-year-old actor said by keeping quiet about the dreadful attack on Indian soldiers last month, Pakistan in a way is confirming that they are the terrorists.

"Think. Why only Pakistani artists should condemn the terrorist attack? Whole of Pakistan should. After all they deny any hand in the Uri attack," Kapoor posted on Twitter.

"By not condemning and keeping quiet, you are confirming Pakistan as being the terrorists. Pakistan, if you are not guilty, condemn them! Simple."

Replying to a Twitter user, Kapoor said that every person should condemn terrorism collectively.

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Not many would be aware that composer-singer Shekhar Ravjiani's father, Hasmukh Ravjiani, is a senior accordion who was associated with several Raj Kapoor films. Now, Ravjiani Sr will perform with his son for the first time on The Voice India Kids, which features Shekhar as a mentor, in a tribute to the late actor-filmmaker.

Says Shekhar, "It's hard to express how honoured I feel. This is the first time that my father will appear on screen. I was nervous and excited while shooting for the episode. Most of Raj Kapoorji's songs had accordion in them, and my father played those parts. So, it seemed natural for us to perform his songs on stage."*Raj Kapoor*

The duo will perform evergreen classics such as Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua and Mera Joota Hai Japani (both from 1955 film Shree 420), among other chartbusters.

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*Muzaffarnagar:* Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has pulled out of a Ramleela programme at his native place in Budhana here due to opposition by right-wing activists, police said today.

The Ramleela program featuring Nawazuddin has been cancelled following opposition by some Hindu activists, SP (rural) Rakesh Jolly said.

The organisers had to cancel the programme after the activists approached them and expressed their displeasure over Nawazuddin's participation, he added.

The actor, known for his critically-acclaimed performances in many Hindi blockbusters, however, has not lost hope and promised his fans that he will return next year.

"My childhood dream could not come true, but will definitely be a part of Ramleela next year. Check the rehearsals," he tweeted with a link of the rehearsal video.

Nawazuddin did not comment on the people who were against his appearance on the stage, saying he had to cancel his appearance to "maintain peace" in the village.

"There were some technical issues. I got the order that I should not do it as it was important to maintain peace in the village," he told a news channel.

The actor said he wanted to play Maarich, a rakshasa (demon), because the demon wanted to be killed by the arrows of Ram.



My childhood dream could not come true, but will definitely be a part of Ramleela next year.
Check the rehearsals. pic.twitter.com/euOYSgsm3F

— Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) 6 October 2016

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Where was all of this shot, Sanjay," questioned American filmmaker Wes Anderson on social media, after having viewed a video shared on Facebook. The question, preceded by heartfelt praise concerned Kolkata-based music duo, Nischay Parekh and Jivraj Singh's video, 'I Love You Baby, I Love You Doll'.

"It's amazing that he has watched the video and might like our music," confessed an elated Parekh over email. The single, which, is the first from Parekh & Singh's upcoming album, Oceans, draws obvious inspiration from the dream-like, colourful styling that's synonymous with Anderson's style of filmmaking. Sporting old-style suits the duo is seen singing a ditty that seems deliciously old worldly.*Jivaj Singh and Nischay Parekh in the video *

The idea was spurred by Parekh's desire to add a narrative to the song. "It was a case of wanting to showcase dual situations, with both Jivraj and I doing different things and pursuing different goals, at the hotel. It was pretty spontaneous and organic," says the singer-songwriter, who shared the idea with Mumbai-based visual artist Ayesha Kapadia of Komet Juice.

"Both, Nischay and I, belong to similar planets when it comes to imagination. So, I knew where he was coming from. However, something was missing, so we put our heads together and had fun with it. It's basically the music that inspired the art," says Kapadia, who has been making art for Parekh's music for long.

 

If Anderson needs to know, the quirky video was shot in an old Rajbari (palace-home) about three hours away from Kolkata. The mustard suits, which the Moonrise Kingdom director confessed to like, were tailored at Barkat Ali & Bros, a tailoring shop in old Calcutta, and the gorgeous guitar that Parekh plays is a Godin Nylon String Multiac.

Directed by Misha Ghose, the video features the musicians strumming guitars and penning notes in scenic grounds. "For a music video to be successful, a good script is not essential, a good idea is. Nischay and I worked to figure how the concept could be used appropriately along with the song. The important thing was to marry the visuals with the music in a manner that wouldconvey the feeling and mood that we wanted to achieve," says Ghose, who attributes the common love for Anderson to his attention for detail.

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In the wake of the Uri attacks last month, the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) announced a ban on Pakistani artistes in Bollywood, after which the fate of films, which feature Pakistani names, has remained dodgy. That the right wing outfits have threatened to disallow release Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' starring Fawad Khan this Diwali and Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' with Mahira Khan on R-Day 2017 only adds to the industry's woes.

Yesterday, IMPPA members, including President TP Aggarwal and vice president Ashoke Pandit, met Ameya Khopkar and Shalini Thackeray of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)'s film affairs wing, to request for the smooth release of guild members KJo and SRK's films.

"During the meeting, we requested them to allow the films, which have already been shot, to release. Pakistani artistes have made their money and gone back to their country, but here, producers will incur losses (if the films don't release)," said Aggarwal.*Mahira Khan, who stars in Raees with SRK*

Questioning why Indian producers are being compelled to bear the brunt of the ongoing Indo-Pak tension, Pandit says, "Shah Rukh and Karan are members of IMPPA and, as a guild, it is our duty to stand up for them," he says.

Khopkar, who heads the MNS' cine wing and produces regional films too, says, "We met them, but we won't allow the release of the two films." Party insiders, however, say he might just give in sooner or later. Pandit is optimistic, too. "We hope Raj Thackeray (MNS chief) relents. He's a big cinema lover, after all. He is one of us and will understand."

He adds IMPPA will also facilitate a smooth release for Dinesh Vijan's rom-com, Hindi Medium, starring Pakistani actress Saba Qamar. The film, which also features Irrfan in the lead, has largely been shot. "However, given that YRF's Habib Faisal's next directorial venture starring Danyal Zafar (Pak singer-actor Ali Zafar's brother) hasn't gone on the floors yet, we would not lend a helping hand. For films that are complete, demanding a re-shoot would be criminal," Pandit explains.

Meanwhile, IMPPA has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, requesting ban on tourist visas for Pakistani nationals and cancellation of work permits of artistes from across the border. Says Pandit, "We never know what an artiste from the other side is forced to do by their government. Anybody can be corrupt or be turned over. We need to put nationalism before everything else."

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Telly actress Divyanka Tripathi and actor-husband Vivek Dahiya were in Ajmer recently.

The 'Yeh Hai Mohabbatein' actress was keen to visit the dargah to seek blessings with hubby in tow.

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Filmmaker Karan Johar will be back on the small screen with the fifth edition of the popular chat show 'Koffee With Karan' on November 6. It will be launched on Star World and Star World HD.

Speculation has been rife since the beginning of August on the launch date of the show, but the date was announced on Thursday via a statement from the channel.

In its past seasons, the show has been graced by a string of A-list actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gurinder Chadha, Farah Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt and more at their candid best.

Earlier, it was speculated that Pakistani actor Fawad Khan would be the first guest on the chat show. But Karan denied the reports.

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*Los Angeles:* Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West has pulled out of a public appearance in Dubai, scheduled for next week, after being robbed at gunpoint.

The 35-year-old beauty was supposed to join her make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic for a masterclass in Dubai on October 14, but after being robbed at gunpoint in Paris earlier this week, the event will no longer be going ahead.

Mario posted a statement on Instagram which read, "Dear Dubai Masterclass Attendees, On behalf of myself and Kim Kardashian West, please accept our apologies. We are sorry to inform you that due to the recent events, we will be rescheduling the Dubai Masterclass with Kim Kardashian West.

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Priyanka Chopra appeared on the American talk show, Live with Kelly, yet again. When asked about male grooming, the star said men who do their eyebrows make her queasy.

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**Uncertainty plagues the release of upcoming big banner multi-starrer films as the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena refused to budge from its stand opposing the inclusion of Pakistani actors in them.

MNS Vice-President Shalini Thackeray said on Thursday that it is no longer "a party issue, but a national sentiment and our stand is unchanged in view of the public angst".

Her reaction followed a meeting with representatives of the powerful Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) who pleaded with her to permit the release of filmmaker Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" and Shah Rukh Khan's "Raees" -- both having Pakistani actors.

Seeking the MNS's co-operation to release these films, the IMPPA delegation led by its President T. P. Agarwal said that the Pakistani actors, worked, took their money and left.

However, now it was the IMPPA's duty to help the Indian filmmakers as huge investments are blocked and they could suffer heavy losses.

"The Indian producers have earned enough from the Indian audiences... Its time now that they respect national and public sentiments. Our stand on the matter remains the same," Thackeray told IANS.

She said her party supported the IMPPA stand for a ban on all Pakistani actors and artistes working in the country, announced last week.

The IMPPA issued a statement that read: "IMPPA at its Seventy Seventh Annual General Meeting on September 29, 2016 unanimously resolved to appeal to all IMPPA members to henceforth in future not to work with any artistes, singers and technicians from Pakistan until the situation of hostilities between Pakistan and India subsides and the government of India declares that all is well with Pakistan and India."

Thackeray said she had agreed to take a joint delegation of the IMPPA and MNS to the government seeking a ban on giving Indian working visas to Pakistani artistes.

However, she reiterated the MNS stand that Pakistani actors must not be hired for Indian films as the people are now against watching such films, and hailed the recent Zee TV decision to yank off all its television serials starring Pakistanis.

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@mrgrabeel and I saw @corbinbleu DANCE on AIR ala Fred Astaire last night. He tapped “Firecracker” and lit the stage on 🔥 with his moves! Check out #HolidayInnMusical #amazingshow #theboysareback

A photo posted by Zac Efron (@zacefron) onOct 5, 2016 at 1:02pm PDT

 

*New York:* 'High School Musical' stars, including Zac Efron, reunited and posted selfies together for the first time in many years.

It has been a decade since the Disney movie 'High School Musical' became a global phenomenon and rocketed its stars into fame. Efron started a social media frenzy by sharing a photograph with Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Zac Efron and Grabeel visited their friend to lend their support as he performed in the Holiday Inn Musical in New York.

Efron captioned the black and white selfie: "Grabeel and I saw Corbin Bleu dance on AIR ala Fred Astaire last night. He tapped Firecracker and lit the stage on (fire emoji) with his moves! Check out Holiday Inn Musical. Amazing show. The boys are back."

Some of the fans quoted the "High School Musical" song "The boys are back" in the comment section.

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*Los Angeles:* Adult website Pornhub are offering a $50,000 reward for information about the men who broke into reality TV star Kim Kardashian's hotel room in Paris.

Pornhub's Vice President Corey Price said in a statement: "Here at Pornhub we were deeply saddened to hear about the horrible incident involving Kim in Paris."

"We consider Kim to be a member of the Pornhub family and want to do all that we can to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice.

"We are calling on all of our fans from around the world to come together and work collectively to provide any and all information relating to the crime so we can capture the criminals," the statement read further, reports dailystar.co.uk.

The X-rated site currently hosts the TV star's infamous sex tape which leaked back in 2007. Shot in 2003, the tape shows Kim with singer Ray J.

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Riteish Deshmukh says he will uphold the respect of the celebrity guests coming to his upcoming show 'Yaaron Ki Baarat', but the "humour quotient" will be decided on the basis of the "guest's personality".

"I think, the show will have mixed humour like pulling the leg or nostalgia or asking the (two) guests to talk about when they first met, what happens after a heartbreak or success or struggle etc. The nature of the celebrities would dictate the kind of questions need to be asked," he told reporters here.

"We will maintain the dignity and respect of the celebrity coming to the show. Also, the equation with the celebrity would matter. Amitji and Shatruji (Amitabh Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha) are like gods to us. We are their fans. We will maintain that dignity and respect while asking questions," he added.

Filmmaker Sajid Khan and Riteish will be hosting a series of episodes on the show with different personalities from various fields. The celebrity friendships will be put to test through a series of fun challenges and tasks. "It's a unique concept. We were discussing how could we take the show ahead. We wanted to do small events over weekends like the one during Diwali, but eventually, we thought of doing a full-fledged show. I felt it (show) was a great platform to celebrate friendship," Riteish said.

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Marathi blockbuster 'Sairat', which released earlier this year and shattered several box office records, is set to get Punjabi tadka. Zee Studios, one of the producers for the film, is in talks with Wize Mindz Entertainment, a leading production house in Punjab, for the remake to be helmed by Pankaj Batra.

Confirming the development, Batra says, "Yes, we are in the process of acquiring the necessary rights and should be able to finalise things by next week."

Nagraj Manjule's 'Sairat' starring newcomers Rinku Rajguru, 15, and Akash Thosar, 23, revolved around honour killings. The film earned over Rs 80 crore in India in its five-week run and even beat Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan. Not to mention, the rave reviews it earned from various quarters for the content, direction and performances.

Although the subject of honour killings will, arguably, resonate with the Punjabi audience, Batra is keeping his fingers crossed about the prospects of the film.

"It worked in Marathi, but it's not necessary that it will work in Punjab too. We really loved the story. The film has a strong message at the end, and that's the reason we decided to remake the film. The plan, at this point, is to retain 70 per cent of the 'Sairat' story while the rest can be adapted to suit Punjabi culture and sensibilities."

Batra, who has earlier made Punjabi films like Virsa, Bambukat and Naughty Jatts, says they are looking for fresh-faced actors as the remake's lead pair. "'Sairat' starred debutants and we want to do that for the remake, too. We will see how things pan out once the casting process begins. It will take at least a couple more months to take the film on floors," the director says. Reported by Mid-Day 22 hours ago.