She was admitted to a private hospital a couple of days back. Her body was brought to her residence at Saligramam, where people from the film industry paid their last respects.

Her body will be taken to her native Virudhunagar district where the last rites will be performed tomorrow. The versatile Lakshmi had acted in several Tamil and Telugu films, her memorable ones being Michael Madhana Kamaraj , Mahanadhi and Kadhala Kadhala .

She had acted with top stars like M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Condoling her death, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that Lakshmi, a recipient of the state government's prestigious titles like Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam , had acted in more than 1,500 films and 6,000 dramas.

"Her death is a great loss to the film world," she said. Tweet (less)

She was admitted to a private hospital a couple of days back. Her body was brought to her residence at Saligramam, where people from the film industry paid their last respects.

Her body will be taken to her native Virudhunagar district where the last rites will be performed tomorrow. The versatile Lakshmi had acted in several Tamil and Telugu films, her memorable ones being Michael Madhana Kamaraj , Mahanadhi and Kadhala Kadhala .

She had acted with top stars like M G Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Condoling her death, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that Lakshmi, a recipient of the state government's prestigious titles like Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam , had acted in more than 1,500 films and 6,000 dramas.

"Her death is a great loss to the film world," she said. Tweet (less)

..

Do you think it is easier for foreign actresses to establish themselves here today? It's hard to say because I never imagined I would be an actress. Vijay, the director of my Tamil film found me.

I made my debut in Kollywood and that proved to be a commercial success. Ek Deewana Tha marked my Bollywood debut.

I guess this shows that it is not only the film industry, but also the people who are more accepting today. Talking about romance, when and how did you meet Prateik first? I met him two years ago, at director Gautham Menon's house.

We were discussing the film and we were not awkward or uncomfortable. I guess we just hit it off immediately.

And when did you realise that you were in love? Hey, I am not sure whether I have actually been in love. I am still waiting for my Prince Charming.

Isn't Prateik your Prince Charming? He is my 'Prince Charming' in the film. I consider Prateik as one of my best friends.

But romantically, I have not found anybody yet. People are under the impression that the two of you are living in.

..

That is not true at all! During the time we were promoting our film, it was not just Prateik, but members of the entire unit used to hang out at my place. I have no idea where this rumour cropped up from.

What other films do you have on hand? I will be making my debut in Tollywood alongside Ram Charan. We begin shoot by the end of this month.

There's also another Tamil flick with Vikram. There are couple of other projects too, but it is too early to talk about them now.

Are you ambitious? Very! If I want something, I would definitely go for it no matter what. I wouldn't mind sacrificing anything to achieve my goal (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)

The latest on that front is that the division, recently christened YRF Deccan, has zeroed in on the banner's 2010 success Band Baaja Baaraat to head south. The film starred the fresh pair of Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma and was well received, especially among younger audiences.

A YRF spokesperson confirmed the news and said, "We are seriously looking at remaking Band Baaja Baaraat in the South but haven't firmed up any plans yet." Meanwhile, a source revealed to Mirror, "Ever since Band Baaja Baaraat stormed the box office, many filmmakers from the south have approached the production house to buy the rights of the film.

However, YRF has never sold the making rights of any of their films. People always talk about how South Indian films are remade in Hindi but a little known fact is that lots of South Indian films too are a remake of Hindi films.

" It was only when Aditya Chopra realised this huge potential of the South Indian market that he set up YRF Deccan, appointing Padam Kumar as the head since he is a known producer in the south and understands the market better. Besides, Kumar has also directed Champion and Supari in 2000 and 2003, respectively.

"Band Baaja Baaraat will be remade in three different languages: Telugu, Tamil and Kannada, and the film will be going on floors soon. Yes, it might see new faces in the lead.

The casting process has already started. And the next film to follow suit might well be Bunty aur Babli and they are exploring the possibility of remaking Dil To Pagal Hai too.

" (less)

The actor juggles careers on both sides of the Vindhyas, and has reportedly even used his connections in the south to attempt to give the popular Tamil film song, Appadi Podu, a Hindi twist. However, with Akshay Kumar all set to use the song for his film Naam Hai Boss , Sonu set his sights on another Telugu track from the film Arya, Aa Ante Amalapuram, for his next Hindi release, Maximum .

"I knew this song was going to be a rage and got the rights from Devi Sri Prasad to remake it in Hindi. It will kind of be the highlight of the film," says Sonu.

The actor, who is currently filming Shootout at Wadala in Mumbai in which he plays Dawood Ibrahim , is also set for the June releases of his two Telugu films, Julayi and Uu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara?, and is attached to the Rajinikanth project Rana. However, reports about him walking out of the sequel to the highly successful 2010 film, Dabangg, in which he played Cheddi Singh , still abound.

While Sonu has said that he was not happy with the definition of his character in the Arbaaz Khan-directorial, there were also reports stating that the real reason that Sonu left the project was because he was miffed that his character would be overshadowed by that of Prakash Raj's. "No.

It's not about other characters. You know, when I saw what I was supposed to do in the film, somehow I was not able connect with it.

It's a brilliant script and I'm sure Arbaaz will do a great job. But since I've done one Dabangg, people will come with a lot of expectations from (my character) Cheddi Singh.

It was a mutual call that me and Arbaaz took to skip Dabangg 2 and get into Dabangg 3 when it happens," explains Sonu. Well, seeing that Salman has already proclaimed that Chulbul Pandey will be the Commissioner of the Mumbai Police, we wonder how things will pan out for Cheddi Singh.

Will Sonu do another Kannada film, seeing that his debut, the Sudeep-starrer Vishnuvardhana, was one of the biggest hits of 2011? "I've got some offers, but I can't take them up because of my (other) commitments. But I'd love to do a Kannada film.

I thoroughly enjoyed shooting for Vishnuvardhana and I hope I still do many more films in Kannada. I love to visit Bangalore, and this would give me a reason to come back again and again," he signs off (less)

. The whole year round, we hear of movies and stars going to, being selected for, and winning awards at various global festivals - but I'm not sure most of us, the writers included, quite understand the comparative relevance or magnitude.

At some subconscious level, we club all "international" recognition at the same plane, including most of the media..

. Forget the media, our industry doesn't have a clue! That whole market works in a certain way; they don't have a clue how it works.

Right. So you're being talked about in the Cannes context.

What's the big deal? What exactly is Cannes about? It's very simple. There are four official sections, which are the competitive ones and the ones where movies are selected on merit (it's rather complex for a layperson to understand).

And there's a common award across all the four categories, which is the Camera d'Or. First-time filmmaker, kisi bhi category mein, Camera d'Or ke liye eligible hota hai, which is the first-time filmmaker award - jo Salaam Bombay ko mila tha, which changed Meera's life.

So these are the four categories. And then there's the Market - the Marche du Film.

For the Market, anyone can go. A random Kanti Shah can also go to a Market.

All he has to do is pay money for it, and book a screening, to sell the film. So India se jo filmein jati hain, hamesha Market mein jaati hain (laughs), which is simply a paid screening.

And we keep saying 'It's been selected for..

.' Yes.

..

'It's been selected for'. And the Red Carpet people go to, which we make so much fuss about, is sponsored by some brands which support the festival; like Chivas supports it, L'Oreal supports it.

..

So that appearance is that kind of a thing. What you're saying is they're not going as 'film people' in their own right? They're not; they're going as brand ambassadors.

There's a slot for L'Oreal, or Chivas, whosoever they bring, will walk. And they use it for their advertising.

Cannes never uses those pictures. You'll never find it on the Cannes sites.

So yahaan pe kya hota hai, anybody who's going to Cannes, we say, they are walking the Red Carpet. Red Carpet toh, hamare IFFI (International Film Festival of India) mein bhi hota hai (laughs).

Carpet ka colour red hota hai! It's all a media thing. Officially, India se, pichle nau saal mein - iss saal chaar jaa rahi hain - aur ek Udaan gayi thi.

Aur kabhi koi film hi nahi select hui hai! Officially. Films have been selected by filmmakers of Indian origin or something to do with India, like Chatrak gayi thi, by a Sri Lankan filmmaker, but shot in India.

Partly funded by an Indian. So those kinds of things have happened.

But a very Indian film has hardly ever gone there. So there's no correlation between big money, superstars, and recognition at such events, right? Hum log bohot kam paison mein banate hain.

Gangs of Wasseypur studio-funded hai. If I'm directing, I get funded by the studio.

If I am producing, newcomers, they don't get funded by the studio. Because of our various festival things, today I don't need a studio to fund an independent movie.

I get money from Germany, from France. Like Peddlers, they made it with money on Facebook.

We just put it out that we need partners, giving 10 lakh each. In two days, we had the money that we needed.

So, the movie has become a fund. So that when it goes to Cannes and gets sold, they get returns.

And they get a co-producer credit. It's like how Reliance started.

That's the only way. Go to like-minded people who want this kind of cinema, to give you money, so that you can keep making this kind of cinema.

I don't need a studio, I don't need a star. We're making a film called Lunchbox; Germany gave us 100,000 Euros.

I have learnt this the hard way and we have consistently been delivering. Because we are representing India on the international platform, with a regularity over the last four years - we have been at every festival.

If you look at Cannes, out of the four films selected, three are ours. Udaan was also ours.

So the maximum representation is going from us. They trust us.

Now we are doing co-production - the man who made No Man's Land, we are co-producing his next film. The Brazilian government is announcing a co-production, which I am co-producing, for a Brazilian filmmaker in Columbia, which is co-produced by Oscar-winning Walter Salus.

And I co-produced Michael Winterbottom's Trishna . Now any international film coming to India, they want to work with us.

What happens is, most of the festivals, distributors don't want to deal with Indians. Because the first question Indians ask is kitna doge? That's the only question they know how to ask.

Inka diaspora ka market hai na. So then this is the biggest year, in that sense, if you're saying four.

..

Yes. This is the biggest year so far for India in the history of Cannes, because itni filmein ek saath kabhi nahin gayin.

Jab Ray ki film jaati thi, toh ek Ray ki jaati thi, ya ek Mrinalda ki gayi thi. This time, we have Gangs Of Wasseypur, parts one and two, if you count them as two, otherwise it's one.

So there's Gangs of Wasseypur, Peddlers, Miss Lovely, and Kalpana restored, Cannes Classic mein. Kalpana jo Martin Scorsese ne restore ki hai, the Indian film of Uday Shankar, 1948 mein jo bani thi.

Yeh print kho gaya tha jo bahar ke aadmi ne sponsor kiya hai (laughs), and actually if you see, there's a guy that nobody in media is talking about, is Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Raj Singh Dungarpur's son, ad filmmaker, who's become part of the restoration process, who found Kalpana. He's the one who is funding the restoration of the next Hitchcock film, from his own hard-earned advertising money.

He's become part of the organisation. Whose achievement the media has completely skipped.

Nobody knows. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur has gone ahead and done something nobody's doing.

He's restoring old Indian classics. He's got Satyajit Ray's Ghatak, they're all being restored because of this one man's effort.

He's doing something incredibly great. Media doesn't know what restoration is, media doesn't know how it matters, media doesn't know what it takes, how it is done in this one place in Italy.

Media doesn't know these things. They'll ask him, 'achha aap restoration kar rahe hain.

..

aap Scorsese se mile?' (laughs). There is a power hierarchy in the industry? Absolutely.

It's always been there, in any industry. It's everywhere.

Yes, but this is seen as a very loosely structured, organic, symbiotic activity..

. Yeah, it is, but the hierarchy, it is in the very nature of our country.

It's like growing up, you know, you talk like that. If your boss' son comes around, he's treated differently.

When a girl is looking for a groom, what matters is whose son it is, what's his surname, which family he belongs to, rather than what does the groom do? It holds true in every walk of our life. Because if we were not like that, we wouldn't have, you know.

..

If you see, every politician's son often ends up taking the same portfolio his father did, in this country. And he becomes eligible simply by being his son.

So that's the country we live in. So why crib if it happens in cinema? Yeah.

Cinema mein it's just more obvious and every day in the papers. But it's in every walk of life.

You go anywhere. So with somebody like you, whose dad is not there to give you a foothold in the industry, how much longer does it take to make your own niche? In today's time, it might not take long if you have talent.

When I came into the industry, your survival depended entirely on what you were doing and what you were achieving. Today, the monies are different, there's a huge amount of money in television, people get employed very easily.

And the hunger dies out easily. We were starving for a long time, hence that passion and the drive was much more.

Today, the drive is immediately controlled with substance. The money flows in very quickly.

..

? Money flows in very quickly, the material satisfaction comes in very fast. So that, hunger is not sustained long enough, that material cannot satisfy it.

You mean they get they get the first BMW and they've arrived..

. They get the first car, the first house, very soon, and then they live for the EMIs.

The EMIs take over their lives. Somehow that sustenance or hunger is not there anymore.

And the passion today, be it cinema, be it anything, is about what one can do with a form, but the fact is, 90% of them actually don't have anything to say. They have already decided the form and they're trying to fit into the context.

Especially television? Especially television. They are thinking from, 'this is an established format, and what do I do within those five different genres, to fit into it.

' You're like, ok, 'I also have a story like this back home, I'll put that story.' But it's essentially the same story.

So people have less to say today. But there is money also available for new ideas.

..

Today the money is available, and today technology has made making a film cheaper. Today, people are making films in 10 lakh, 2 lakh, 5 lakh.

The whole indie movement, which is actually not at the surface right now. People don't know about it right now because none of it has so far broken through.

But there's tons of films being made, at such low costs. One film that broke through in the very small indie festivals was Kshay, which is trying to release on the 15th of June.

But made for 15 lakh, 10 lakh, 20 lakh, very powerful films. People are shooting on small go-pro cameras and everything, with actors who are working for free, with 3g and 4g the short film format, there's a huge movement there.

People are making these incredible short films, which they are watching among themselves, and this whole lot of new generation, college students, who are always on YouTube , are passing those films around. I'm just waiting for it to explode.

It will explode. The moment it becomes, uhh, broadband, free flow broadband to everywhere, it will break through.

Where's the money in it? There is right now no money it. Tomorrow, with broadband, the guy who'll create content will be king.

Abhi unhone piracy band karva diya, now they will slowly start making revenue out of it. Because of piracy they could not add revenue to it.

People will start paying, and they are minuscule amounts. For small amounts, 30 bucks, short films you can watch for 10 rupees, so with that, in volume, there'll be more people downloading it and keeping it in their digital libraries.

It's affordable prices. The price of a small Coke bottle.

Today most of these alcohol brands, and all the brands that are not allowed to advertise, they used music earlier, to advertise themselves - surrogate advertising. Now they're using these short films.

If you see, all of them. You go on the site of any of these alcohol brands, they have these short films, using the brand, and they spread it out.

So there's a different kind of a democracy that will start operating there. But most of the Bollywood industry is not thinking about that.

There's a new audience being formed, which will not want to go to a theatre, and (will) watch the film on their laptop. And world over they have already started catering to that audience.

In India, they have just begun, and people who have begun are these tech savvy guys who've got nothing to do with creativity. Which is why it's not working, because there's a big gap there, a big chasm.

They have created formats, they've created platforms, but they don't know how to access these creative people. You were recently asked that you make very dark cinema, and you replied that when you go international, people tell you that you make very light cinema, and you should go darker! That's a very relative thing na, it's extremely relative.

Because people often ask me, why do you do this kind of work? My thing is aap bahar jao, toh aam baat hai, log realistic cinema banate hain. Ham log itna zyada fantasy world create karte hain, ki uske comparison mein I start to seem like too dark and too real.

But if you actually compare it to too dark and too real, then you'll suddenly find a kind of softness in my films! I even use music..

. There's a frequent argument one hears, which essentially is that without the five song sequences and the whole melodrama, it's not really Indian.

..

this is 'Indian cinema', so why should we ape the West? So the moment you're making a 'realistic movie'..

. .

..

yeah, it becomes aping the West . Matlab, someone tell me, the realistic movie is set in India, it is shot India, it's about India.

How can it be aping the West? Does that argument, that we should actually celebrate our song and dance model of cinema, hold? We should! I'm saying we should. But we should not negate what the other things are.

Today, what Marathi and Tamil cinema have achieved, it is much more than what Bollywood can achieve. There are more Marathi films in a year, that you can talk about, which are represented internationally, than Hindi.

There's a whole new wave in Marathi led by these two boys - Girish Kulkarni, the actor/writer, and Umesh Kulkarni. Mainstream doesn't hear about it.

Marathi people are very proud about it. There's a whole lot of new wave in Tamil.

These Madurai filmmakers..

. my first card in Wasseypur.

..

my film is dedicated to the Madurai triumvirate. People have changed Tamil cinema, worked against the system.

Bala, Amir Sultan, Rasi Kumar, Vetrimaran - who's won the National Award, they've made the most extraordinary films in the last two years, and at the national level people don't even know about it. Kumar Raja, who won the National Award for best debut filmmaker - his film never went outside Tamil Nadu.

These are the people who are changing things, and they're also very cut off. So when international scouts come looking for films from India, they never reach Chennai.

And those guys also don't understand international festivals. How will that change? See, things are changing.

Till now, distributors have had this very interesting formula of discovering which film will work, based on who's in it. That's very easy - film mein Akshay Kumar hai, film ki utni opening lagegi.

So there's a whole lot of journalists and trade people whose survival depends on this system. Now, a Vicky Donor, Paan Singh Tomar works, they suddenly don't know how to do, what to do, because they can't judge a script.

They can't judge a film without knowing who's in it. So they feel threatened, so they have to keep that philosophy sustained.

So they keep sustaining that, and they are supposed to be the experts..

. Ok, so non-star movies working - that will change the equilibrium? Yes.

It'll change the equilibrium. New media houses coming in, new TV channels coming in, they want a voice from the film industry who's an 'expert', so they often get these same people.

So these same people are brought in, and they keep sustaining the philosophy. Koi progress hoga hi nahin.

'Great opening'. Today a common man on the streets talks about 'iss film ki itni opening lagi thi'.

Nobody talks about content any more. A man on the streets knows iss film ne sau karod kamaye, toh film automatically great ho gayi.

So common aadmi jab yeh baat karne lag jata hai, it becomes even more difficult for the other kind of cinema to survive. Whereas in Tamil Nadu, most of the films that have changed things have not had stars, and have been declared hits in the sixth or seventh week.

Marathi cinema does not have a star system. It's only content that sells.

The director has become the star - people start trusting a director, ki iski film aayegi. That is quintessential Hollywood , in a sense.

..

Yeah, quintessential European, Hollywood, everywhere. The director is the man who makes the film.

Usmein the only way you can survive is consistency, and frequency. For me, the only method to survive was ki consistently ek ke baad ek film banate jaao, saal mein ek-do release honi zaroori hai.

If I'm not directing, I should at least be producing a film, so then, I'll be on (less)

'' In other words what is good for the gander is definitely not so good for the goose. Take the example of Priyanka Chopra .

She is being slandered and ostracised for her reported closeness to Shah Rukh Khan . While industy wives like Mehr Jessia (Mrs Arjun Rampal ) have made it their business to preach on whether PC should be invited to certain homes and parties or not; filmmakers like Karan Johar have decided not to give her work.

Mehr's 'concern' is still understandable. But why PC's career should bear the brunt of her personal choices is something one fails to understand.

An amused actor who is watching this tamasha says, "No one is willing to take on SRK because he is the Bollywood Badshah. So Bollywood's moral brigade is happy to take potshots at Priyanka.

'' While it is futile to even debate, whether or not SRK-PC are more than just good friends; and actually no one's business; what is disturbing is the way the world is reacting to Priyanka. Says the same actor, "If two people are in a relationship, it is their business.

It should have no bearing on their professional career. And if the industry is making it their business, then both the married man and his new friend should be meted out the same treatment.

'' Double standards though are not new in the films. Years ago Nagma was reportedly shunted out of Tamil Nadu because of her liaison with a Kollywood' Sarath Kumar.

On record, Nagma said, "I called off my relationship with him because we had reached a dead end.'' However when asked whether she was aware that Sarath Kumar and a couple of close aides had asked producers to stop giving her work Nagma denied this.

She diplomatically told Filmfare, "My reasons for returning to Mumbai were very much my own.'' Priyanka refuses to answer all questions on her controversial personal life (less)

But we're in sync. I can tell her everything.

Except that I have a bad stomach and I've been to the loo 12 times today. Yeah, not stuff like that!" But they do know that when you do a film like this, which is a celebrated love story in the South, it's possible for their friendship to be termed as beneficial for the film.

But Amy says, "Yes, it can come with the situation. But we're best friends because we have many common interests and we like hanging out together.

It's my first movie and I'll do everything to make it work, but we wouldn't use each other to promote it. A year from now, we'd be as good friends as we're now.

The film has so much we can talk about - the music by AR Rahman and Javed Akhtar, the wonderful story." Prateik says he's not concerned if people think the friendship is beneficial, but he'll never "take celibacy vows" to promote a movie! He adds, "Even after the movie has released, we'd be together.

Both of us feel that there's something special about this, and we're really solid." Prateik and Amy were strangers when they met for the film, and the most memorable part, say both, is when they shot a lovemaking scene.

Says Amy, "The movie's already such a big hit in Telegu and Tamil, but we had to make it a bit different for Bollywood. Even with the lovemaking scene, it's not raunchy or sexy, it's innocent.

It's emotional." They also have friends who say they're a 'cute couple'.

Says Prateik, "It's not that I didn't try. But she's pricey!".

While Amy retorts, "Of course I'm not. He's such a windup", we think that their chemistry makes "Ekk Deewana Tha" a perfect love story to catch this Valentine season (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)