With her latest film 'Hichki' is earning box office numbers and winning hearts of many, Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji says that she will gear up for her next film soon instead of taking another break. Holding her next move on films was based on the response of the audience, Rani, asked about how she will take the success of 'Hichki', said: "Yes, I told everyone that my next film will be depending on the audience response of 'Hichki'. I think now, I won't take a long gap, I will make my next comeback soon." "I will be doing more films because that is something I always love doing. But there was a gap for four years because of my marriage and baby. I wanted to see if the audience would be int

Veteran director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards. The central panel comprises a chairperson and 10 other members, including five regional chairpersons who head the respective regional panels. Film writer Imtiaz Hussain, known for his works in films like 'Astitva' (2000) and 'Parinda' (1989) will be the regional chairperson of South I panel. Mehboob, who penned the lyrics for the Hindi (dubbed) version of 1995 Tamil romantic drama 'Bombay', was appointed as the regional chairperson of South II panel, the sources said. Actress Gautami Tadimalla, who is known for her work in Tamil films, is the regional chairman of the North panel,

Actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna, who is married to actor Akshay Kumar and is a mother of two children, says that the current generation of Bollywood is more equipped to handle the glare of the spotlight thanks to social media. "It has become increasingly more difficult to keep our children shielded within our fishbowl existence but I also console myself with the fact that this generation growing up with social media at the forefront is probably more equipped to handle the glare of the spotlight than we were," Twinkle told when asked how she maintains her kids privacy keeping in mind that so much of scrutiny nowadays is related to star kids. Akshay and Twinkle tied the knot in 2001 and

In a nation where Bollywood and cricket are the biggest entertainment avenues for the common man, actors carry the onus of being socially responsible, says Boman Irani, known for exhilarating performances in films like 'Munna Bhai MBBS' and '3 Idiots', among others. The 58-year-old actor, who entered Hindi films after he turned 40 - as an "outsider", from English theatre -- but successfully cast a spell of joy on Indian audiences by crafting such memorable characters as Dr. Asthana (in 'Munna Bhai') and Prof Viru Sahastrabuddhe ('3 Idiots'), believes that it is important to be happy and make people smile. "Some people may find the films that I do senseless cinema; but I am okay with it as

Actor Abhay Deol says the cast of 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' is ready for a sequel but director Zoya Akhtar has to come up with a story. Staring Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Deol, the 2011 comedy drama was about three friends who decide to turn their fantasy vacation into a reality after one of them gets engaged. There were reports that Zoya might start work on the sequel once she wraps up her next film 'Gully Boy'. Asked about the possibility of a sequel, Deol said, "That's been going on since the film released. I hope so (it happens), I think Hrithik tells her that, Farhan is happy about it, I tell her that. But Zoya has to obviously get free and have a story she wants to tell." "

Actor Sonu Sood has come on board for Rohit Shetty's upcoming entertainer 'Simmba'. He says the "challenging" role will make him do a lot of homework. The announcement about Sonu's entry into the 'Simmba' cast comes after R. Madhavan made it clear that he can't be a part of the movie due to his shoulder injury. Sonu will join Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan in the movie. Sonu told, "I can't reveal much about the character, but all I can say is that it is one of the most challenging roles that I will be playing." He will be seen as an anti-hero. "I think it's exciting to have a role with multiple layers... and something which challenges you to work on it, always gives a high to an actor. Th

Nushrat Bharucha 'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety', starring Nushrat Bharucha, Kartik Aaryan and Sunny Singh has emerged as one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Nushrat says, “Personally, to me, this film;'s performance signifies much more than just a box office success. As an actor, I strive for my work to get noticed and with this film, I can confidently say that people have gone to the theatres in large numbers, loved the film and loved my work in it.” This is Nushrat’s fourth collaboration with director Luv Ranjan having acted in his previous films like 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' (2011), 'Akaash Vani' (2013), 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2' (2015). Quiz her about her about the director and the team tha

Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani have been paired together for 'Baaghi 2' for the very first time. If the previews of the film are anything to go by, their pairing looks good. Watching them together and seeing their rapport reminds the film’s director Ahmed Khan, of another popular B-town pair. He shares "I am impressed by their confidence. Tiger and Disha bring outstanding freshness on screen. I haven’t seen it for a long time. It takes me back to the days of Ranbir and Deepika’s amazing chemistry in their early days in Bollywood." The story of the film demanded that Tiger’s and Disha’s characters also have a bit of intensity. Ahmed adds, "Tiger and Disha are frie

There may be instances when female stars demanded and received pay parity but actor Dia Mirza believes real change will come when we tell stories that give equal opportunity to both the genders. The actor believes the industry needs to mature in its treatment of women and the kind of roles that are written for them. "It is about time that women in industry address gender disparity. Until the industry matures in its understanding that we need to treat women equally, not much can change." "It is a combination of two things. One is that women need to start asserting their rights and also it has to be narrated. Gender pay disparity exists largely also because films are usually headlined by men

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishrasaid 'Daas Dev' will now release on April 20 as the film's distributors didn't want the movie to compete with Ajay Devgn's 'Raid' or with Tiger Shroff's 'Baaghi 2'. Earlier, 'Daas Dev' was due to release on March 23. Asked about the reason behind shifting the date, Mishra said, "We changed the release date of 'Daas Dev' because our distributor Shringar Films said the film 'Raid' was releasing before our film. In that, Saurabh Shukla is there and 'Baaghi 2' is a hit, so we moved to April 20 because Shringar Films told us to do so. It is alright and we had no issue with that." "They know distribution well as they distributed 'Munna Bhai MBBS', '1942: A Love Story' and

Actor Rajkummar Rao said the process of making his upcoming film 'Omerta' was really tough. Rajkummar interacted with the media. On the audience response to the trailer of 'Omerta', he said, "I think it got a great response. I feel it's a one-of-its-kind and a very unique film. It was a very tough film for us to make, but I am glad about the kind of reactions we are getting for the film." 'Omerta' is based on the life of terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh. Rajkummar has won a National Award and several other honours in the past. Asked which one is closest to his heart, he said, "So many awards were special. I can't say this award was better or that award was better for me." "But of course, the

Actor Ali Fazal has shed a lot of weight, is working on a particular accent and is refreshing his memories of growing up in Lucknow to get his character right for 'Milan Talkies' which is being shot in his hometown. Ali, who has returned from the US where he was seen attending pre-Oscar parties, is going to begin work on the Tigmanshu Dhulia directorial. The film is a romantic drama and will be shot entirely in Lucknow and neighboring regions. South actress Shraddha Srinath is set to debut in this film opposite Ali. As the movie revolves around the sorry predicament of single-screen theatres in the days of the multiplex, and the narrative is based in the north of India, it requires a typ

Actress Katrina Kaif believes movies can be effective in putting out a message that can bring about a change in society. Asked what she thinks about having a movie based on 'educating girls' in Bollywood, she said, "I don't believe you need to have a movie to take this cause further or spread the awareness about this cause. There are many ways we can do it, although with a movie on it, sometimes a message comes across in a non-judgmental, non-forceful or organic entertaining form." "A movie is an amazing way to get the message across. Someone making a movie on this would be outstanding." "That movie had that message. That was definitely the message that got across. A young talented girl

Rohit Shetty, Sara Ali Khan and Karan Johar After the release of the first poster of 'Simmba' which featured Ranveer Singh, there was immense curiosity about who would be cast as the film’s female lead. Now it’s confirmed. Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar have signed Sara Ali Khan for the film, which will be directed by Rohit. Sara will be seen opposite Ranveer, who plays the role of a notorious cop, Sangram Bhalerao. The film, which brings together the fresh pairing of Ranveer and Sara, also marks the debut collaboration between Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar. Sara Ali Khan was in the news recently as he debut film 'Kedarnath' had stalled. But in the latest development, the film is back on track

Siddharth Anand's next venture features Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, and the director says the real challenge is getting a story that does justice to both the actors. "It's the script that plays a crucial role here as both the actors should feel that their roles are good enough and feel secure as well. For the two-hero films, the challenge lies in writing and not casting," he told . Anand, who has worked with Hrithik in 'Bang Bang', says once the story was written, Roshan and Shroff were the obvious choice for him. "Both of them respect each other's talent and craft. It became easy to get them because of their image of a mentor and protege. So it will not be hard to sell this (idea of

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, who is busy with the post-production process of his upcoming biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt, said biopics are more interesting when presented in a fictional format. Hirani spoke at a '#FilmsForChange' initiative, organised by Good Pitch India and the Indian Documentary Foundation here. He was there along with Nandita Das, Naseeruddin Shah, Rahul Dholakia and Javed Jaffery on Wednesday. Asked whether he ever thought of making a documentary on Sanjay's life instead of doing it in a fictionalised format, Hirani said, "Certain subjects will be more engaging if they are done in a fiction format and certain subjects would probably be more interesting in a documentary form

Tamil movie 'Vikram Vedha' will be remade in Hindi by its original director duo Pushkar and Gayatri. Reliance Entertainment, with Friday Filmworks and Y Not Studios will produce the film, for which writer-filmmaker Neeraj Pandey will step in as the writer and creative producer. 'Vikram Vedha' is a neo-noir action crime thriller film originally written and directed by Pushkar and Gayatri. Based on the Indian meta-folktale Vikram aur Betaal, the film tells the story of a tough police officer who sets out to track down and kill an equally tough gangster. The Tamil blockbuster starred R. Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi. Shibasish Sarkar, Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Entertainment, said in

From winning the Miss Universe crown to navigating her way in Bollywood, coming up with a prenatal yoga series and now debuting on television, Lara Dutta Bhupathi has enjoyed various roles in showbiz. She says with increasing participation of women behind the cameras, there's a change visible in the entertainment industry. "I think the whole scene is changing because of more participation of women, and so there are that much better-written parts that women are getting in films. I think the younger lot - Alia Bhatt, Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone and Kangana Ranaut - they are really lucky to be a part of Indian cinema at a time when more women filmmakers are telling stories that deserve to

Over the last few years, this studio has been offering the audience a varied and interesting mix of films, which are driven by rich content and fresh ideas. Talking about the studio’s roadmap, Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, says, “The kind of stories that we are seeing today has come a long way from the monochromatic stories that were being made. As a studio, we focus on stories that resonate with the new and emergent India. We saw this possible shift five-six years ago, and hence, our choices have been unusual subjects. So, even if we did a love story, it was something like 'Tanu Weds Manu'. We made thrillers like 'Kahaani' and 'Drishyam'. With a talent like Akshay Kumar, we m

Actress-supermodel Dipannita Sharma, has always been passionate about the untapped beauty and tremendous potential of the North Eastern states. She along with her business partners has come up with a production house that will not just bring NE closer to the country but "will also bring it and the world closer to each other". In a chat with Bombay Times, she talks about her vision for the NE, upcoming projects of her production house and about bagging an award for her debut web series… What led to the formation of the North East Film Studio? What’s your vision and aim behind this? The North East Film Studio is a vision that me and my partners Saugat Bhattacharya and Ronjoy Borthakur have c