Interestingly, Gujarat will be now seeing the making of the film titled 'Meghdhanush' dealing with the issue of LGBT. Onir participated in the discussion along with Manvendra Singh Gohil, the gay prince of Rajpipla.

Talking about this issue, Onir says, "It's tough to see walls between people. That's why I was in Ahmedabad to show solidarity with the issue of LGBT.

" He adds, "I feel cinema is extremely important to reach out larger sections of the place. I have been always open about sexuality and I have never felt the need to hide it.

True stories can touch people. It would be a step towards acceptance.

" Ask him how difficult it has been as a film-maker? He says, "When your private space becomes public, it's a difficult thing. But one learns in the process.

" Considering that he treads on the less-travelled path, how has been his journey in the world of films? He adds, "Economics rules the game. Everybody is interested in putting the money on safe subjects.

" Then he adds with a laugh, "Even after winning a National Award, I can say that the film is yet to make profit. But it has been overwhelming to get the support from different quarters.

We raised money through social-networking sites to make I AM. Four hundred people have opened up windows.

They have now new aspirations and new hopes." How does one break barriers in attitudes and mindsets? Onir says, "I feel strongly that education is a great way to understand sexuality.

If we have grown up with biases like gender/caste, then I guess we will carry forward these mindsets. It's really important how you have grown up as a child.

" (less)

Yes, I am comfortable, as I said I take time to open up. Coming to terms with it, I am enjoying," said Prateik, the son of Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil.

With each day he learns something new, but he feels it's impossible to absorb the vastness of the subject. "I don't think I will understand each and everything even if I reach (Amitabh) Bachchan's age.

There are so many things to learn." The youngster is gearing up for his first full-fledged romantic film "Ekk Deewana Tha", the remake of a Tamil and Telugu film, and says he was so blown away by the southern versions that he couldn't refuse the offer.

"I got a call from director Gautham Menon. He said 'I am making a remake of my Tamil and Telugu film and I want you to watch those films and let me know if you want to do it or not'.

I watched the films and I was completely blown away by the film, story, screenplay, character and the romance between the boy and girl. So I immediately said yes.

" "I didn't think too much because I was so blown away when I came out of the movies. I was so taken aback by the story and the simplicity of the romance that I wanted to that.

Gradually, I stared working the character." However, some changes were made in the Hindi remake, keeping audience sensibilities in mind.

"The only change is the ending. Tamil had a sad ending; Telugu had a happy ending.

This is a secret. It's a pretty much frame-to-frame copy though.

But I think I had to bring my own instincts and pull my own style. So, I had to bring in my own," he said.

Being the son of Smita Patil , directors expect a lot from Prateik. But the actor says he would have given his best even if he did not have such a legacy.

"May be they do, I don't know if this is an advantage. I don't know whether there's pressure on me.

I mean whether I was her son or not I would want to give my 200 per cent. I do make an effort to give my best," he said.

Audiences loved him in "Jaane Tu..

.Ya Jaane Na" and " Dhobi Ghat ", but when he turned up as the protagonist in "My Friend Pinto", it didn't get the same overwhelming response and the film bombed at the box office.

"I don't regret the films I chose; I regret what happened to my film 'My Friend Pinto'. I expected more from it, but it wasn't marketed as much as it should have been.

I was disappointed on that." While speculation about Prateik's off-screen relationship with his co-star Amy Jackson has been making the rounds, he clarifies saying, "We are extremely close and fond of each other, but we are not in a relationship.

" (less)

Yes, I am comfortable, as I said I take time to open up. Coming to terms with it, I am enjoying," said Prateik, the son of Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil.

With each day he learns something new, but he feels it's impossible to absorb the vastness of the subject. "I don't think I will understand each and everything even if I reach (Amitabh) Bachchan's age.

There are so many things to learn." The youngster is gearing up for his first full-fledged romantic film Ekk Deewana Tha , the remake of a Tamil and Telugu film, and says he was so blown away by the southern versions that he couldn't refuse the offer.

"I got a call from director Gautham Menon. He said 'I am making a remake of my Tamil and Telugu film and I want you to watch those films and let me know if you want to do it or not'.

I watched the films and I was completely blown away by the film, story, screenplay, character and the romance between the boy and girl. So I immediately said yes.

" "I didn't think too much because I was so blown away when I came out of the movies. I was so taken aback by the story and the simplicity of the romance that I wanted to that.

Gradually, I stared working the character." However, some changes were made in the Hindi remake, keeping audience sensibilities in mind.

"The only change is the ending. Tamil had a sad ending; Telugu had a happy ending.

This is a secret. It's a pretty much frame-to-frame copy though.

But I think I had to bring my own instincts and pull my own style. So, I had to bring in my own," he said.

Being the son of Smita Patil, directors expect a lot from Prateik. But the actor says he would have given his best even if he did not have such a legacy.

"May be they do, I don't know if this is an advantage. I don't know whether there's pressure on me.

I mean whether I was her son or not I would want to give my 200 percent. I do make an effort to give my best," he said.

Audiences loved him in Jaane Tu..

.Ya Jaane Na and Dhobi Ghat , but when he turned up as the protagonist in My Friend Pinto , it didn't get the same overwhelming response and the film bombed at the box office.

"I don't regret the films I chose; I regret what happened to my film My Friend Pinto . I expected more from it, but it wasn't marketed as much as it should have been.

I was disappointed on that." While speculation about Prateik's off-screen relationship with his co-star Amy Jackson has been making the rounds, he clarifies saying, "We are extremely close and fond of each other, but we are not in a relationship.

" Tweet (less)

Yes, I am comfortable, as I said I take time to open up. Coming to terms with it, I am enjoying," said Prateik, the son of Raj Babbar and the late Smita Patil.

With each day he learns something new, but he feels it's impossible to absorb the vastness of the subject. "I don't think I will understand each and everything even if I reach (Amitabh) Bachchan's age.

There are so many things to learn." The youngster is gearing up for his first full-fledged romantic film Ekk Deewana Tha , the remake of a Tamil and Telugu film, and says he was so blown away by the southern versions that he couldn't refuse the offer.

"I got a call from director Gautham Menon. He said 'I am making a remake of my Tamil and Telugu film and I want you to watch those films and let me know if you want to do it or not'.

I watched the films and I was completely blown away by the film, story, screenplay, character and the romance between the boy and girl. So I immediately said yes.

" "I didn't think too much because I was so blown away when I came out of the movies. I was so taken aback by the story and the simplicity of the romance that I wanted to that.

Gradually, I stared working the character." However, some changes were made in the Hindi remake, keeping audience sensibilities in mind.

"The only change is the ending. Tamil had a sad ending; Telugu had a happy ending.

This is a secret. It's a pretty much frame-to-frame copy though.

But I think I had to bring my own instincts and pull my own style. So, I had to bring in my own," he said.

Being the son of Smita Patil, directors expect a lot from Prateik. But the actor says he would have given his best even if he did not have such a legacy.

"May be they do, I don't know if this is an advantage. I don't know whether there's pressure on me.

I mean whether I was her son or not I would want to give my 200 percent. I do make an effort to give my best," he said.

Audiences loved him in Jaane Tu..

.Ya Jaane Na and Dhobi Ghat , but when he turned up as the protagonist in My Friend Pinto , it didn't get the same overwhelming response and the film bombed at the box office.

"I don't regret the films I chose; I regret what happened to my film My Friend Pinto . I expected more from it, but it wasn't marketed as much as it should have been.

I was disappointed on that." While speculation about Prateik's off-screen relationship with his co-star Amy Jackson has been making the rounds, he clarifies saying, "We are extremely close and fond of each other, but we are not in a relationship.

" Tweet (less)

Perry, whose short-lived marriage in India took place two years ago, injected energy into the crowd with her desi chic blingy choli, maang tikka and bindis and her top single Teenage Dream . The opening ceremony set the tone for the tournament beginning Wednesday that features nine teams and some of the world's best cricketers.

Amitabh, who made his first large-scale public appearance post his abdominal surgeries, set the mood for the show by rendering a poem penned by Prasoon Joshi. His words were aimed to bring the spirit of cricket alive, and Big B's baritone only added more soul to it.

Amitabh looked hale and hearty as he came on stage dressed in velvet coat and trousers, to recite Janam yadhi phir se mile . The 69-year-old was accompanied by dancers from the Shiamak Davar troupe, who described the essence of the poem through their performance.

Following this, musical duo Colonial Cousins put together an energetic symphony of sounds with DJ Ravi Drums and Soth African percussionist group 1st Project. Priyanka put up a mesmerizing performance on her latest hits, and stunned the audience with an aerial act.

She set the mood for some dancing as she moved around in the audience, urging cricketers to dance. Priyanka took the packed audience by surprise when she went up in the air during her performance, and got cricketer Harbhajan Singh to dance a little jig with her.

Looking chic in a black and white sequinned top, black pants and a red wrap-around skirt, the actress opened her act with her popular song Aaj ki raat . She did away with her skirt for a sporty look as she was pulled up in the air with a harness for an aerial act on the Don tune.

The 29-year-old mesmerised the audience with her confidence, and landed on the stage for a power-packed dance on the number Dhantanaa from the film Kaminey . Later, Priyanka took to the stage again to interact with the cricketers of title holders Chennai Super Kings , who are led by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni .

She pulled Dhoni's leg, and asked the boys to join her for a dance on hit Tamil song Nakka mukka . Kareena was another star performer.

Be it Chhammak chhallo or Dil mera muft ka , she stole the hearts of the audience away with her perfect moves and lively performance. Not to miss her blingy outfits, which made her stand out.

The packed audience cheered in unison for the 31-year-old as she came on stage dressed in a blingy black overcoat. Kaun hai jisne mujhe mudke nahin dekha from her popular movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, played in the background as Kareena appeared on stage.

And going by her flashy outfit, the dialogue suited the moment perfectly. Even if one wanted, one couldn't miss her presence on stage.

Prabhudeva, known as Indian Michael Jackson , enthralled the audience with his scintillating, effortless and flexible moves. The audience's enthusiasm went up to the next level as the Tamil superstar performed his signature moves to songs like Main aisa kyun hun from Lakshya and Tera hi jalwa from Wanted in his hometown.

It was Salman's Dhinka chika performance, which was truly desi. Dressed in red pants, Salman made a dramatic entry atop a truck with dancers, and his own cutout highlighted with bulbs.

He danced on several of his tracks like Teri meri kahaani , Bodyguard , Munni badnaam , You wanna partner , et al. Perry also adopted the colourful desi avatar for her first performance in the country, where she tied the knot with now estranged husband Russell Brand in 2010.

Indian cricket board president N.Srinivasan in his speech promised to help former cricketers with the proceeds from the four play-off stage matches.

He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be distributing the proceeds among 185 international and domestic cricketers. "The proceeds from the play-off matches will be distributed among former cricketers, who have represented India at the international level and also among domestic players.

The BCCI will give a one time assistance to those cricketers and around 185 Indian cricketers will benefit. It is a small gesture from the BCCI to all those who have done yoeman's service to Indian cricket," he said (less)

Chitrangada stars as a corporate woman who suffers sexual exploitation at the workplace. "I am really looking forward to Inkaar , the film is releasing in May.

It is a superb script just like Sudhir's other films. It's about a love story stuck in a sexual harassment case.

I am very excited about it," Chitrangada said. At the same time she is also slightly anxious about her item number Kaafirana as it has already generated quite a buzz.

"It is great to have the excitement build around it. While shooting we saw the song come about nicely and I am very confident with Farah Khan's choreography because of what she has done in the past.

Maybe I am a little anxious about the item number but I'm looking forward to it," said Chitrangada. Famous for intense roles in serious films like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi , Chitrangada was seen in Desi Boyz recently.

The actress said that the film gave her the confidence to continue trying various genres. "I am dabbling with all kinds of things.

I haven't done much of commercial stuff, so I'm giving it a shot to see how it goes. It's exciting because I am doing something different.

"People's response is what makes the difference. Desi Boyz was well received, which made me more confident.

I am happy that I am trying different things and not playing safe by doing certain kind of roles only," she said. Although she is open to all kind of roles, Chitrangada said she has her own limits when it comes to shooting intimate scenes and her consent will depend on how it is being filmed.

"It will depend on how it is shot and presented. I have my own limits and standards.

I will have a lot of questions about such a scene. It will depend on its purpose in the film and how aesthetically it has been shot.

" Chitrangada has a number of projects in her kitty, one of them being the slice-of-life film I, Me Aur Main where she will be working with her Desi Boyz co-star John Abraham once again. "It is a sweet, slice-of-life film, dealing with how a person undergoes a serious transformation while living in a city, how everything seems to be going good but there are things you are trying to deal with".

"The film is about relationships and how they change you. I am playing John's love interest in it," she said.

Directed by debutante Kapil Sharma, the film will release in July. Tweet (less)

Shooting for films and television serials continued across the country. Multiplexes did not participate in the protest and only single screen theatres remained closed on Thursday.

Vice-president of Film and Television Producers' Guild Mukesh Bhatt said that the protest failed to have an impact. He said, "It is sad to see that the FFI only tried to make an issue out of it and has met with partial success as only about 20% of the exhibition sector, that too single screens in some states, remained closed.

Such protests do not have any impact on the government. One just needs to be patient till the budget.

" However, RV Vidhani of the single screen cinema owners association claimed that their protest has been successful. He said, "All single screen theatres in Maharashtra remained closed.

Single screen cinemas in south India, Gujarat and north-east also took part in the protest." The FFI claimed that all single screen cinemas in Bengal and Assam remained closed and about 500 cine technicians, artistes and other members from the industry took part in the dharna at Chowringhee Lane.

In Tamil Nadu, which is already suffering from workers' strike, has been facing problems even before the bandh was called by the FFI. About 800 people from the film industry participated in a protest rally in Chennai.

Some cinema owners from Gujarat and Maharashtra claimed that theatres outside Mumbai and only 30% of cinemas in Gujarat were closed. Bhatt added, "Cinemas in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh and parts of Uttar Pradesh remained open on Thursday (less)

That's Sagar Ballary , a 2001 SRFTI pass out. The filmmaker was in the city for a short visit earlier, but this time around, he will be stationed for at least a month.

"I have been a student at the institute. Since then, I've gone back to Mumbai and am four films old.

But in between, I never got the time to come back and interact with the students here. So, when the second-year direction students invited me over and sought my help for a 10-minute short film that is essential to their curriculum, I agreed to come," Sagar reasons.

So, the student now gets to play teacher, eh? "Facing students..

. that's giving me the jitters.

Teacher? No way! I'll be meeting them as a peer, elucidating them about the Hindi film industry, sharing my experiences in Bollywood , that's it. I used to be a volatile student and am in no position to be a teacher yet," the director confesses.

The student, however, struck gold with his first film, 'Bheja Fry'. Next followed 'Kachha Limboo', 'Bheja Fry 2' and 'Hum Tum Shabana', which did not exactly follow the upward curve.

What happened? "Well, 'Bheja Fry 2' did do decent business of 20 to 22 crore. We knew that the novelty of 'Bheja Fry' had already been milked.

But the process all through has been enriching. Fact is, I have nogodfather in the industry.

SRFTI is my godfather," Sagar explains. On a lighter note, he adds, "I am 36.

So, there's still time on my hands. I don't mind making a film with SRK at 40.

" Jokes apart, Sagar continues, "My 'BF' and 'KL' were made for a niche audience, while 'HTS' catered to mainstream viewers. But in the mean time, the Hindi film industry has undergone a change, many big budget films haven't exactly fared well, the focus is more on content now.

I too want to focus on low budget, niche films that are high on content and, of course, with good actors." On that note, Sagar is currently scripting a film "close to his heart".

"Titled 'Bulbul Paradise' this one will be a comedy on urban midlife crises. I realized that I have a gift for comedy.

Talks are on to rope in Irrfan, Mallika Sherawat and Vinay Pathak for it. There's another film dealing with the hero-antihero theme and I am talking to a very famous actor for it.

" But doesn't Sagar crave for a star presence in his film? "When I mentioned SRK, it was in a hypothetical context. But all said and done, he is a great actor too.

In fact, most stars are good actors. They look for good content.

I had met Hrithik briefly and he is so down to earth, a great actor no doubt," says Sagar. We asked him about the industry, which seems pretty gung ho about cult remakes.

"That's because such films are not just content- or star-oriented but brand-oriented. They recall a particular brand.

In the end though, content matters. And a good film is a good film is a good film," Sagar reasons.

Any film he wishes to remake? "I did remake 'BF'. But I don't wish to do any more remake unless it excites me.

For now, it's strictly original," Sagar confirms (less)

Now, reliable sources say that Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Heroine’, starring Kareena Kapoor, is reportedly inspired by the ups and downs in Manisha’s personal and professional life. Madhur, however, denies drawing inspiration from Manisha’s life.

“No, my film is not based on anyone in particular.” Posted in (less)

Saif and Deepika shot for the climax scene for Homi Adajania’s Cocktail in the national capital. The actors along with their co-star Diana Penty were spotted in the open area behind Siri Fort Auditorium.

The climax scene is also the last one being shot in the film and involved the characters of Diana, Deepika and Saif hugging. We noticed that the chemistry shared by the trio in front of the camera did not diminish off it.

In fact, the three were having so much fun on the sets (Deepika was even spotted enjoying some golguppe), that a single shot involving them took multiple retakes. Produced by Illuminati films, Cocktail will hit the theatres on July 13.

Posted in (less)