Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, co-producer of "Titli", says the film is actor Ranvir Shorey's career best so far.

"'Titli' is a film that will leave you affected for a long time. It's something to grapple and negotiate with. I also think this is Ranvir Shorey's career's best performance...He has even topped 'Khosla Ka Ghosla!'," Banerjee told reporters at the trailer launch of "Titli" here Tuesday.

Banerjee also said that when he first read the script of "Titli", he felt like directing the film himself.

"When I read the first draft of 'Titli' I wanted to direct it myself. I don't know how to tell Kanu (director Kanu Behl) it's his first film... let me direct it. So, somehow I wasn't shameless or selfish. So, the next best thing to do is to be associated with the film. The script really pushed me to produce it," said Banerjee.

But he made sure not to interfere.

"If a producer interferes, he is probably committing suicide but I am a producer now and I can't be directing someone else's film. My job was to be how could we finish the film in a minimum possible budget and that came from my own experience," said Banerjee, who has directed films like "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" and "Khosla Ka Ghosla!".

"Titli" has been chosen for screening in Un Certain Regard section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which will opens Wednesday.

Dibakar Banerjee's co-produced film "Titli" has been chosen for screening at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which opens Wednesday, and the filmmaker says it's important to see the film as an Indian project.

"I am not representing Bollywood in Cannes, neither is 'Titli'. It's been my dream that Indian cinema goes out of India and is presented in the world as Indian cinema and not as Bollywood, which I consider as a sub-genre," Banerjee said.

"Bollywood is a genre that is consumed by a genre market abroad. There is a much larger market for world cinema and in a way world cinema from India," Banerjee told reporters at the trailer launch of "Titli" here Tuesday.

"Market is wide open for any Indian film to go out and present itself in the world as long as we can make to tell a story that is original and that 'Titli' is. It's important that 'Titli' is not seen as a Bollywood film and seen as an Indian film," he added.

"Titli" will be screened in Un Certain Regard section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival and Banerjee feels it's more than a festival.

"Things don't come to an end by going to Cannes. Many good films are showcased there and in that crowd where best films are featured, to make your own identity is a task. Cannes is not just a festival, it's also a market," he said.

He added: "We are going there with so much of excitement because firstly, we have been selected by Cannes. But, we also have international market and audience which gets opened because international producers come to Cannes so that they can find some new voices like Kanu Behl (director of 'Titli'), whom they can showcase for the international audience."

"Titli" features Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and Shashank Arora among others.

Indo-Canadian adult film actress Sunny Leone turned 33 Tuesday with a quiet night with her husband Daniel Weber, who gifted her a diamond and emerald necklace.

"I was tucked into bed by 10 p.m. That's how I brought in my birthday. Boring? What to do? I landed a night before from Los Angeles and was heavily jet-lagged. I shot the whole day on the day before my birthday and then crashed out."

“At midnight, someone was knocking on the door with a huge bouquet of flowers from a friend. So that was nice. Then I woke up to a relaxed session of working-out, after which I left for shooting again. It's an ideal way to spend a special day,” said Sunny, whose recent release “Ragini MMS 2” did well at the box office.

Sunny recalls her childhood birthdays when her mother would bake her a cake.

“For one of my birthdays, she baked me a Barbie cake. That's every girl's dream. I remember my 13th birthday. All my school friends came for a party. I got a tape of music of my favourite music bands and other fun gifts. I had the most loving parents who showered me with love on my birthday. I missed them the most on my birthday. I think of them everyday,” she said.

She considers her husband to be the best gift of her life.

"And he brings me the gifts that I like. He gifted me a diamond and emerald necklace this birthday which he got specially designed for me. I feel blessed to have a husband who heaps me with gifts,” said Sunny, who has been in a relationship with Weber for six years.

Married for three years, she says their love “hasn't diminished”.

“How have we made it last so long? Beyond being my husband and lover, he is my best friend. We've seen the best of times and the worst of times together. I can consult him about anything, any problem. He is always there for me. I can lean on him for anything, no matter how silly,” said Sunny, who met her husband in Las Vegas.

“He was based in New York. I didn't think at that time that anything would come of our relationship because we lived in different cities. But Daniel doesn't give up easily. He bombarded me with flowers, chocolates and gifts all over the world wherever I happened to be. He would fly in from anywhere in the world to meet me,” she said.

"I just want a happy home with my husband. I am not a party girl. I don't have too many friends. I spend all my time in the studios and then I am home. That's why I went to sleep at 10 p.m. on the eve of my birthday,” she added.

Filmmaker Kiran Rao, who released Anand Gandhi's highly acclaimed "Ship of Theseus" in association with UTV Motion Pictures, is overwhelmed with the film's National Award win. But she also feels that for the makers, the best reward is acceptance by the audience.

The makers of "Ship of Theseus" and "Shahid" threw a success party here Tuesday to celebrate the National Award win of both films.

"All filmmakers are greedy. We (filmmakers) want everything. We want box office success, critical acclaim, awards and everything else. But I think when the audience likes a film, that appreciation is far more fulfilling, far more satisfying than any award," Kiran said here Tuesday at the party.

"I think both these films - 'Ship of Theseus' and 'Shahid' - have done that. They have touched the people. That's the biggest reward you can get as a filmmaker," she added.

"Ship of Theseus", directed by Anand Gandhi, won the National Award in the Best Feature film category at the 61st National Awards. The film, which had been to the 12th Toronto International Film Festival as well, explores various aspects of life through three different characters from different walks of life.

Meanwhile, Hansal Mehta's directorial venture "Shahid", won two National Awards -- best actor award for Rajkummar Rao and best director for Hansal Mehta. It is based on the life of murdered human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi.

Bollywood actor-producer Uday Chopra is at the 67th Festival de Cannes with his co-production venture "Grace of Monaco", which will open the prestigious fest Wednesday.

"Grace of Monaco" has been helmed by French director Olivier Dahan.

“Doing the Cannes thing,” Uday posted on Twitter Wednesday.

Rumours are doing the round that the “Dhoom” star will walk the red carpet with Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman and others associated with the film, but nothing official has come out so far.

Jointly produced by Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, Uday (YRF Entertainment) and Arash Amel, the film also features Tim Roth.

Set in the 1950s, "Grace of Monaco" portrays a period in the life of Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III in 1956, in what was dubbed "the marriage of the century".

It's an enriching experience for Randeep Hooda to work in Sajid Nadiadwala's "Kick" as he tried a lot of new stuff in the movie and got an opportunity to collaborate with superstar Salman Khan.

The cast has recently wrapped up the film's shooting in Poland.

"I have enjoyed my experience in 'Kick'. I got to do a lot more stuff which I have never done in all my films. And to be in the company of Bhai (Salman) is very inspiring," Randeep told reporters here at the DVD launch of his last release "Highway", Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Randeep is confident of the film's success.

"I think it's a kick-ass movie. I have a feeling it's going to be a very big one," said the actor.

A remake of 2009 Telugu film with the same name, "Kick" also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Director Sabbir Khan, busy promoting his not-so-lenghty movie "Heopanti", launch pad of Jackie Shroff's son Tiger, feels it's time to reduce the length of films as audiences don't have the patience to sit through long-drawn-out presentations.

"The people's patience level has gone down and they don't have time, and I feel change is the only constant that you must adapt. It's high time that the length of the films should be reduced. We should not ignore it," Sabbir told IANS.

"My film 'Heropanti' is not too long. I saw to it that my film is not too long," added the director who debuted with Akshay Kumar-Kareena Kapoor starrer 2009 romantic comedy "Kambakkht Ishq".

His second film "Heropanti" is coming out May 23. Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala it features another newcomer Kriti Sanon in the female lead opposite Tiger. The film is about two hours long, against the two-and-a-half to three hours for an average Hindi film.

Asked what kind of films he enjoys watching, Sabbir said: "As a cinegoer I see all kind of films."

"I am as excited about watching 'Lunchbox' as 'Chennai Express'. If a script comes to me organically, then I would love to make such parallel films as well. I have three scripts in my mind and once 'Heropanti' is out of my system, I will think about it."

"Lahore" fame filmmaker Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan is now busy scripting a film based on India's 1983 cricket World Cup triumph and says he will collaborate with foreign technicians for the saga.

"Since it's a period drama and to create the same era, costumes and everything we need to work hard. So, we are getting foreign technicians, who will help us with that. Many Hollywood technicians will be involved with the project," Chauhan told IANS.

India lifted the World Cup by defeating the West Indies in 1983.

"Since it's a 31-year-old story, we have to recreate the same stadium and we are planning to shoot the film widely in England and Scotland. We have to give our best to the pre-production...the film will go on floors by the end of this year."

As far as the cast is concerned, Chauhan says once he locks the script, he will start hunting for the actors.

"I will lock the script in next two weeks then we will hunt for our cast. We are still figuring out whether to rope in a newcomer or an established star for the film," he added.

Singer Shaan has impressed all with his vocal skills, but his inability to give the right answers to a child host has left him worried. He wonders what his children will think of him for giving incorrect answers on a TV show.

The “Main Aisa Kyon Hoon” hitmaker was interviewed by child star Sadhil Kapoor - host of “Captain Tiao”. During the show, Sadhil’s inquisitiveness and questions left Shaan completely perplexed.

The rapid-fire round didn’t turn out to be a good one for the vocalist. He was stumped with the bevy of questions by Sadhil, who kept giving him a series of comical punishments each time he gave an incorrect answer.

At the end of the quiz, Shaan was all dressed like a clown and admitted that he was concerned what his two sons would think of him, said a statement.

“What will my kids think about me? All this is happening to me because of the innumerous questions asked by Captain Tiao”, he said.

The episode of “Captain Tiao" - a short format talk show conceptualised keeping in mind the curious nature of a child, will be aired May 18 on Disney Channel.

Actor Amit Sadh, an avid sports enthusiast, is not just passionate about cycling but he pursues it at the international level. However, due to his recent leg injury, he was unable to make it to the international cycling season this time.

"I will be missing the upcoming international cycling season. I had a good run in the Indian Tour De India tournament. In the coming month, I had a few races lined up in Sussex and North Yorkshire including an exhibition race with Stefan Vermos in Berlin," Amit said in a statement.

He hopes to be pack in perfect shape soon.

"I will try and make up to see if I can participate in July end races. But for that I will have to wait till July first week for physical assessment and then figure," added the "Kai Po Che" actor.

The actor is said to have been invited by a professional cyclist and champion to participate at an exhibition race in England; and Amit had trained an entire year to take part in the same. But a sudden injury on the set of "Guddu Rangeela" forced Amit to take a sabbatical from the sport.

A source close to him said that Amit has been advised to avoid cycling completely for next few months, but Amit is still certain he will be back in shape soon and will make up for his loss.

Pam Chopra will attend an event dedicated the work and life of her late husband and veteran Hindi filmmaker Yash Chopra at the 16th annual Tongues on Fire London Asian Film Festival.

To be held June 7, Remembering Yash Chopra will see Pam in conversation with Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and an authority on the work of Yash Chopra, having penned a biography on the filmmaker, said a statement.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who appeared in several Yash Chopra productions like "Darr", "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Mohabbatein" and "Lamhe", will also make a special appearance during the event, to be held at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London.

The evening promises insight into his cinema and his family.

Writing soon after the director's passing, Dwyer said: "The work of Yash Chopra is one of the glories of Indian film, his career bridging the Hindi cinema of the 1950s and the globalising India of today. Nothing made him happier than making films; then having his family and friends around him for a great meal: Family, films and food. His wife Pamela was the centre of his world and his strength."

Pam's tete-a-tete with Dwyer will be preceded by a documentary short film written and directed by award-winning Delhi-based documentary filmmaker Vinky Singh.

Titled "The Master Stroke", Singh's film delves into the legendary filmmaker's use of the 'Navarasa' - the nine essential emotional themes that are the fundamental building blocks of Indian art - in the unforgettable and timeless music that became the cornerstone of his films.

The evening will also see another documentary charting Yash Chopra's career in Bollywood and a performance by Pam.

"The late Yash Chopra is regarded as the king of romance in Indian cinema who presented the notion of falling in love with a sense of aspiration, escapism and adventure.

"His love for Britain is evident in his iconic films like 'Lamhe' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' as he leaves behind a unique legacy of visual aesthetics that continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers," Pushpinder Chowdhry, organiser of the London Asian Film Festival, said in a statement.

The makers of Kamasutra 3D are at the Cannes this year with a teaser of their next project, a mega venture, ‘36 MM 3D’. A biographical drama on the thread of a reincarnated Marilyn Monroe, the movie is an exhilarating journey into the life of the singer actress.

Director- producer Rupesh Paul says, “ The film chronicles the life of Marilyn Monroe. It will throw light on how she became a star and her life after she achieved success and fame. It is a flashback story and its trailer will be shown at Cannes.”

It is widely speculated at the movie will be shot in Monocrome. If so, this would be
the world’s first monochromatic movie on 3D. The poster of ’36 MM 3D’ would also be unveiled at the Cannes

Producer Boney Kapoor, who was on his way to Wahi where his film "Tevar" is being shot, Wednesday met with a car accident. His manager said Kapoor had a minor injury but was fine.

"Boney was on his way to Wahi where his film 'Tevar' is being shot. His driver was driving the car and suddenly they met with an accident with a tractor. Though Boney has a minor injury in his back, he is absolutely fine... nothing serious at all. The accident took place close to 9 p.m.," Punkej Kharbanda, manager of Sridevi Kapoor, told IANS.

"His driver also had a minor injury and Boney Kapoor's boy who was sitting in the back seat was injured a bit because of the sudden jerk," he said.

The car was damaged in the accident on the Satara highway, "but thankfully all three of them are fine", he added.

Actor-producer John Abraham, also a self-confessed football enthusiast, will promote 2014 FIFA World Cup in India.

With the world’s greatest football tournament just around the corner, sports and entertainment channel Sony Six is set to launch their 2014 FIFA World Cup marketing campaign and they have roped in John Abraham for the same, said a statement Wednesday.

John will be seen donning the persona of Brazil’s striker for the campaign that promises to bring alive the zeal and excitement of the football tournament in India.

The “Madras Cafe” star is also the owner of Indian Super League franchise from Guwahati.

The fact that Bejoy Nambiar's next film "Focus" is a based on a road trip, makes its lead actor Rajkummar Rao all the more excited about it.

"I am doing this film and I'm all the more excited because it's on a road trip. I have not done anything like this earlier," Rajkummar told IANS.

The movie will be widely shot in South India.

"It's a very edgy comedy and in fact, a very sensible comedy. We will start shooting for the film by first week of June," he added.

To be directed by debutant Akarsh Khurana, "Focus" will be produced by Nambiar.

Rajkummar believes Nambiar is one of the most talented filmmakers in Bollywood.

"Hasee Toh Phasee" girl Adah Sharma has been signed as the new ambassador of Godrej No.1 beauty soap.

She will feature in the Hindi, Tamil as well as Telugu version of the brand's advertisement.

"I have been signed as the brand ambassador of Godrej No.1 beauty soaps. I have already shot for the ad, which will be aired in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil languages," Adah told IANS.

Adah's popularity in the south with recent Telugu hit "Heart Attack" has allowed her to promote the brand in southern languages as well.

In Bollywood, she made her debut in 2008 with Vikram Bhatt's horror film "1920".

Actor Pitobash Tripathy is loving every bit of attention and adulation that his performance in Hollywood film "Million Dollar Arm" is receiving. He says he has sought Irrfan Khan's help for his career in the West.

"I met him for advice on how to go about my career in the West. Irrfan saab was very helpful. I've always looked up to him as a role model. Now I've more reason to do so," Pitobash said.

Irrfan is said to be Bollywood's most popular export to Hollywood, thanks to his appearances in films like "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Life Of Pi".

Pitobash is in Los Angeles since April 30 for his big ticket to Hollywood - "Million Dollar Arm", which releases in the US Friday.

The Craig Gillespie directorial also features Indian actors Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal.

On the home turf, Pitobash has delivered scene-stealing performances in films like "Shor In The City", "Shanghai" and "I Am Kalam". He is excited about the response to "Million Dollar Arm".

"It has only been released in India, and the response is tremendous. The film opens on May 16 in the US," he said.

Discernibly excited, the young Odia actor, who started his Bollywood career with a brief role in Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru's "99" in 2009, says he feels like a newcomer all over again.

"I can't tell you the excitement and nervousness I feel. It's like I am starting my career from scratch. I have the same butterflies in my stomach," he said.

The response in the US to a premiere screening of "Million Dollar Arm" has been overwhelming.

"We had a preview screening here in LA May 6. When I came out, there were people waiting to get a picture with me and to get me to sign an autograph. I was stunned. I want to know how they came to know about me and my performance when the film has not opened in the US," he said.

Pitobash feels the entire cast of "Million Dollar Arm" has been most helpful.

"Shooting the film was like a family affair. When we shot for 21 days in India we all became one united family. Then we moved to Atlanta and LA for shooting and the friendship grew even stronger. Everyone from John Hamm and Alan Arkin, to Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal, became friends."

"We all bonded so beautifully, and the bond continues even now during the film's release. All my colleagues from the cast are so helpful. They are helping me find my bearings in LA. I'd have been lost without them," he added.

Pitabosh says the whole journey from Bollywood to Hollywood has been like a dream.

"I can't believe I've come here. It took me two and a half months and 16 rounds of audition for me to get this role. I feel I am part of a dream. I will soon wake up and realize it never happened," he said.

Richa Chadha and Kalki Koechlin will soon be seen in a film based on travel and a coming-of-age story titled “Jiah aur Jiah”. But before the audiences get to see them on the big screen, the two actresses have joined hands for a play.

Richa and Kalki will play lead characters in a play directed by Atul Kumar.

The play rehearsals are reportedly already underway and the production will premiere in Mumbai in July, following which it will later tour six cities across the country.

“The involvement of the two in the shows apart from Mumbai isn't clear yet, but we hear if their schedules allow, they will be performing in Delhi and Bangalore,” said a source.

Both the actresses are no strangers to live stage performance as Richa started her career as a theater actress in Delhi, while Kalki has had a long-standing passion and relationship with the medium.

However, Richa was apprehensive about doing the play initially, says a source.

“She basically was apprehensive of doing the play, but while she was in New York and she spent time watching various plays, she got sort of tempted to go back on stage,” added the source.

Away from the arc lights, greasepaint and comfort, a slew of popular faces from Indian cinema such as Hema Malini, Moon Moon Sen and Chiranjeevi barnstormed either as contestants or campaigners for the national election, adding glamour and spicing up the 10-phased poll that concluded Monday.

They made up for an eclectic bunch: Smriti Irani (Amethi), Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur), Shatrughan Sinha (Patna Sahib), Hema Malini (Mathura), Kirron Kher (Chandigarh), Paresh Rawal (Ahmedabad East), Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi), Bappi Lahiri (Serampore) - all Bharatiya Janata Party - Raj Babbar (Ghaziabad), Nagma (Meerut), Ravi Kishen (Jaunpur), Kunal Singh (Patna Sahib) - all Congress - Moon Moon Sen (Bankura/Trinamool Congress), Prakash Jha (West Champaran/Janata Dal-United), Jaya Prada (Rampur/Lok Dal) and Gul Panag (Chandigarh/Aam Aadmi Party).

In India's financial and entertainment capital Mumbai, more than two dozen Hindi and Marathi celebrities came out to add a dash of glamour.

For instance, Rakhi Sawant, who contested from Mumbai North-West on the ticket of her Rashtriya Aam Party, attracted more attention for her colourful designer attire than her political issues, while filmmaker-actor Mahesh Manjrekar of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for the same seat attracted a fair crowd, setting off alarms in other parties.

Renowned Marathi actor Nandu Madhav contested the Beed seat on the Aam Aadmi Party ticket against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Gopinath Munde, while the Nationalist Congress Party nominated former actress Navneet Kaur-Rana for Amravati.

Samajwadi Party candidate from Mumbai North Central Farhan Azmi got able support from his chic and charming wife, actress Ayesha Takia.

Punjab's capital Chandigarh witnessed a charged and glamourised contest between two actresses - Kirron Kher, the quintessential 'Mummyji' of several Bollywood films, as the BJP candidate, and her AAP challenger, the much younger Gul Panag.

Both seem to be a formidable challenge - and a possible threat - to the four-time Chandigarh MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, the incumbent.

Vinod Khanna contested the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat in Punjab for the fourth time. His campaign saw his actor son Akshaye and other stars joining in.

A three-time MP, Khanna lost to Pratap Singh Bajwa of the Congress in the 2009 elections. However, Bajwa, now the Punjab Congress president, faces a tough challenge from him.

In Sangrur, actor-comedian Bhagwant Mann (AAP) provided a worthy challenge to the Congress and Akali Dal candidates, while actor Sunny Deol too held a road show in the constituency.

In Haryana, actress Raveena Tandon added glamour by campaigning for industrialist-cum-politician Naveen Jindal (Congress).

The glamour quotient was no less in West Bengal.

The likes of Moon Moon Sen, reigning matinee idol Dev, yesteryear heroine Sandhya Roy, and incumbents Shatabdi Roy and Tapas Pal glamourised the Trinamool's nomination list, while eminent actors George Baker, Nimu Bhowmick and Joy Bandopadhyay did so for the BJP.

Then, there was CPI-M nominated Subhashini Ali, who designed the costumes for the 1981 classic "Umrao Jaan", besides dabbling in acting in "Asoka" and critically acclaimed "Amu".

National Award winning actor Mithun Chakraborty emerged as one of the star campaigners of the Trinamool, while Nagma and Padmini Kohlapure campaigned for the Congress.

Shatrughan Sinha addressed a meeting in support of the BJP.

Down south, in Tamil Nadu, where five of the state's chief ministers - C.N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M.G. Ramachandran, Janaki Ramachandran and J. Jayalalitha - had their roots in filmdom, several other actors showed an interest in politics.

The leader of opposition and DMDK founder A. Vijayakant was a leading action hero.

This time the two major parties - AIADMK and DMK - had fielded several movie stars as their star campaigners.

The AIADMK had on its side R. Ramarajan, Vennira Aadai Nirmala, S. Anantharaaj, Senthil, Gundu Kalyanam, Vindhya, Kuyili and others, while the most popular amongst DMK's star campaigners were Kushboo and Vagai Chandrasekhar.

Speaking to IANS, AIADMK's Anantharaaj said: "I was able to meet lots of people. I addressed around 50 meetings a day. Nice experience."

Fair complexioned Anantharaaj, 49, is now sun-tanned due to 40 days of electioneering.

"My focus was to highlight the achievements of the AIADMK government and our leader," said the actor who has done about 300 movies.

From the Kannada film industry, leading actress and outgoing Congress lawmaker Ramya re-contested from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, about 100 km from Bangalore. She is among the 21 women who contested in the April 17 general elections from across the state, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats.

She brought in star power in the form of Kannada actors Upendra, Ganesh, Bhavana and Umashree as her campaigners.

Geetha, wife of Kannada hero Shivrajkumar and daughter of former state chief minister S. Bangarappa, contested from Shimoga on the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) ticket against BJP candidate and former state chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

Besides Shivrajkumar, his brothers Raghavendra and Puneet Rajkumar and Kannada superstar Sudeep campaigned for Geetha.

Legendary Telugu actor and Union Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi campaigned for Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily, who re-contested from Chikkballapur; and another popular Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan, younger sibling of Chiranjeevi, campaigned for BJP candidates in Bangalore and Chikkaballapur.

Popular Kannada actress and BJP lawmaker Tara also campaigned for party candidates in Bangalore, Shimoga and Udupi-Chikmaglur from where BJP's former woman minister Shobha Karadlaje contested.

Kerala wasn't far behind. The biggest surprise came when the CPI-M led left opposition decided to field ace comedian Innocent from the Chalakudy constituency in Thrissur district, his home town.

Innocent, 69, president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), turned out to be a crowd puller. The icing on the cake was that he roped in big names like Mammootty for campaigning.

Thespian Madhu and Kaviyoor Ponamma also campaigned, along with directors Kamal Sathyan Anthikadu.

The Cannes Film Festival will feature five short films by the filmmakers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as productions supported by the twofour54 creative lab continue to grow in international prominence.

The films will be shown in the 'Best of Arabic Short Films' section of the festival, being held May 14-25. The event gives young filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of a worldwide audience.

Twofour54 is a tax-free media and entertainment zone in UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

"We are excited and proud to see talented Arab filmmakers participating in global events that highlight the development of the film industry in the Middle East and Abu Dhabi in particular; Cannes Film Festival is an excellent platform to showcase our productions to the world," Maryam Al Mheiri, chief operating officer of twofour54.

"This is a testament to twofour54's success nurturing this up-and-coming talent through training, guidance and the provision of financial support for projects and participation in events like this."

Participation at events like Cannes increases the chances of the films being selected by international festivals and reveals talent to potential partners. It is designed to build bridges between the worlds of short and feature films for talented moviemakers.