Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who had directed the cult romantic musical drama "Aashiqui" in 1990 and then produced its super hit sequel "Aashiqui 2" last year, says Hansal Mehta's "Citylights" is not only at par with his movies, but "far more relevant to today's India".

Bhatt is presenting "Citylights" in association with Fox Star Studios. The film traces the love story of a Rajasthani couple who come to Mumbai to earn a living but is soon struck by misfortune.

"'Citylights' is an emotional love story which is in no way lesser than 'Aashiqui'," Bhatt said here Wednesday during the promotion of the film.

"It is a love story of a rural Indian and it has a heart, which is far more poignant and far more relevant to today's India," he added.

Slated to release May 30, "Citylights" is an adaptation of British film "Metro Manila" and features actor Rajkummar Rao in the lead role.

Film: "Children Of War"; Cast: Indraneil Sengupta, Raima Sen, Farouque Sheikh, Pavan Malhotra, Tilotama Shome, Victor Bannerjee, Riddhi Sen; Writer-Director: Mrityunjay Devvrat; Rating: **** 1/2

In one of the many mind-numbing images in this exceptionally vivid work on the ravages of war, the back of a truck is jolted open and out tumble a bunch of women one on top of another at a Pakistani prison camp for Bangladeshi women run by a despicable tyrant, who could be the Nazi mass murderer Ralph Fiennes in Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List".

But no. It's Pavan Malhotra, brilliantly evil and slimy as the man who believes that if Pakistani soldiers rape and impregnate enough Bangladeshi women, the separatists and freedom fighters would stop dreaming of their own homeland.

This is the irrational, blood-soaked ravaged Pakistan of 1971 when Bangladesh was born out of the most horrific violence perpetrated against humanity.

Very often as I watched debutant director Mrityunjay Devvrat's stunning film, I was reminded of the great anti-Nazi films, like Alan Pakula's "Sophie's Choice", Richard Attenborough's "A Bridge Too Far", and Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds".

I was also reminded of Nandita Das's "Firaaq" about Gujarat's 2002 genocide where a truckload of corpses had tumbled out. The difference is, the women who fall from the truck like trash from a garbage van in "Children Of War" are alive.

They might as well be dead.

As these Bangladeshi women, played by actresses of various ages - from 12 years to 40 years, who seem to live every second of the agony, are raped repeatedly you wonder how low human beings can fall when given unlimited power.

Rape as a tool of oppression has never served a more brutal purpose in any other film except Shekhar Kapur's "Bandit Queen". And you wonder why the man or woman, who sits in the boss' chair in the corporate organization, is no different from the leery neo-Nazi from the Pakistani concentration camp who supervises the mass rape of Bangladeshi women.

"Children Of War" shows how and why absolute power corrupts absolutely. Revisiting the Bangladesh war of liberation in 1971, it recreates with nerve wracking vividness the horrors of those times when suddenly a whole civilization was threatened with extinction.

The director spares us none of the agonizing details. Why should he? When humanity suffered, first world countries turned their faces away. It's time to face the music.

The unannounced midnight knock and the graphic rape that follows, the brutal slaying of refugees on the run as they are intercepted and shot point blank (in slow motion) on a river bridge as they try to escape, the leery Nazi-like army man urinating onto a prisoner's face....War never seemed more like a personal and political violation.

This is not a film for the squeamish. But then war was never meant for the civilised. The sheer incivility of a strife where one bully-section of a country decides to teach another section of the people a lesson, is captured in layer after layer of unstrapped brilliance portraying the complete collapse of compassion.

The film is littered with passages of unbearable pain and, yes, agonizing beauty. It is an indelible irony of all visual arts that human hurt makes for great visuals. The lush lyricism that the director supplants to the suffering never takes from the powerful statement on pain and suffering.

Cinematographer Fasahat Khan shoots the chilling nights with prowling predators and ravaged women captured together to emblematise the essential conflict between sexual aggression and vulnerable victims.

There is no manipulation here in the merger of the murky and the magnificent. They have co-existed from time immemorial. In this film, the ugly and the cherishable are so close together you can touch both and come away a changed film viewer. The plot moves across several epic conflicts simultaneously. There is a teenager Rafiq (played with heartrending vulnerability by Riddhi Sen) who loses his entire family and his home and is left with only a sister (Rucha Inamdar) to flee from the brutality of his homeland to the relative safety of India.

Rafiq's journey becomes a metaphor of Bangladesh's feral fight for freedom.

While the director has made extensive and telling use of documentary footage, including Indira Gandhi's rationale for Indian intervention in Bangladesh, there are many passages of unbounded symbolism leaping out of the screen. I was specially fascinated by a boat journey across a blood-soaked tell-tale river where a girl sees ghosts and other casualties of war violence as they jostle to tell her it is not over yet.

A true blue epic of mind-numbing intensity "Children Of War" is the kind of cinema that David Lean would have attempted were he a witness to the barbarism that went into the formation of Bangladesh. The film's brutal brilliance and spiralling structure of dread doom and devastation make you wonder how first time director Mriyunjay Devvrat could muster such a masterly vision of human oppression and resilience.

At heart this is a conventional lovely story of a couple (Indraneil Sengupta and Raima Sen) separated by sudden war. Standing forlorn, silhouetted by barbed wires in a concentration camp, Raima sometimes looks way too beautiful to be a victim. She can't help it.

Along with her every member of the cast rises above his or her personality to become part of the director's epic design. Special mention must be made of Pavan Malhotra, Tilotama Shome (playing a human bomb), Riddhi (so young and so much pain!) and Victor Bannerjee in a memorable cameo as a traveling refugee reminds us that humanism and barbarism are neighbours.

Aiding the actors to achieve the acme of authenticity is the film's mesmeric sound-design and music. In one harrowing graphic sequence, a rock anthem reverberates across the skyline as drains filled with blood tell sagas of the savagery that waits just outside our homes.

Genocide is not only history. It is what a country gets when intolerance is encouraged by political interests.

There are visuals and sounds of pain and anguish in this turbulent treatise on one of history's worst atrocities that will stay with me forever.

It is impossible to believe that this war epic has been directed by a first time filmmaker. How can a virgin artiste conceive such a vivid portrait of the rape of a civilization?

This isn't really a film. It's a work of art, tempestuous and terrific.

Yes, this is a masterpiece.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who is backing director Hansal Mehta's upcoming film "Citylights", says people should watch the film as it will connect them to their own emotions.

An official adaptation of British movie "Metro Manila", the film is about a Rajasthani couple who comes to the city of dreams, Mumbai, to earn a living, but are soon struck by misfortune.

"'Citylights' is for those people who know a lot, but don't feel at all. It's time for them to feel and this film will make those people, who know so much, feel because feeling is the life blood of human race, which is disappearing," Bhatt said here Wednesday while promoting the film at a radio station.

"The feeling that you should have for your fellow human being is disappearing," he added.

He further rued how people are much more concerned about their own growth and progress and don't feel for others.

"Having buildings, growth models, having great progress, flyovers and no human being is feeling for human being is a nightmare scenario,' the 64-year-old said.

"So here is the film 'Citylights' for those people to feel. So go and see 'Citylights' as it connects you to your greatest legacy, that is your treasures of feeling," he added.

Featuring National Award winning actor Rajkummar Rao in the lead, "Citylights" will hit the theatres May 30.

Independent or Indie films seem to be a hit among the movie buffs in the west with films like "Blue Ruin" and "Frank" and "Slumdog Millionaire" turning into box office favourites.

Here is a list of some of the most financially successful indie films, reports femalefirst.co.uk:

* "Passion of the Christ": It was back in 2004 when "Passion of the Christ" released. For the movie, actor Mel Gibson got back to the director's chair as he told the story of Jesus Christ's final twelve hours ending with his crucifixion.

Thanks to the subject, the movie was mired in controversy, but that only fuelled the box office success.

Made for $30 million, the movie went on to gross in excess of $611 million by the end of its theatrical run.

* "Slumdog Millionaire" - Released in 2009, "Slumdog Millionaire" was directed by Danny Boyle. The film was based on the book by Vikas Swarup. Simon Beaufoy adapted it into a screenplay. "Slumdog Millionaire" was the most praised movie of 2009, and seemed to win over critics and audiences wherever it played.

It minted $377 million and also won Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.

* "My Big Fat Greek Wedding": It hit the big screen in 2002, and saw Joel Zwick in the director's chair. The movie follows a young Greek woman who falls in love with a non-Greek, and struggles to get her family to accept him. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", made for $5 million, took a whopping $368 million.

* "Shakespeare in Love": Work on the film started in 1991, when Universal Pictures was behind the film and Julia Roberts was in the lead role. However, when Roberts pulled out, Universal also decided to leave the film. Miramax swooped in, in a bid to save the project. Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Judi Dench, and Ben Affleck were all on board, and a $25 million budget was in place.

"Shakespeare In Love" was one of the most critically praised films of 1998 and went on to scoop Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. It earned $289 million.

* "The Blair Witch Project": The 1999 release was made for a very modest $35,000. However, it was to be a movie that would change the way horror films were shot and movies marketed forever. It used viral marketing as a way to tell people about the film; never before had chat rooms and movie sites powered a film in such a way.

The film grossed $248 million at the global box office, making it one of the most successful independent movies.

* "Juno": Directed by Jason Reitman, the 2008 film was about a young girl who has an unplanned pregnancy and must decide what to do about her unborn baby. It took over $231 million at the box office - it was made for around $7 million.

Director-producer Dibaker Banerjee, known for films like "Khosla Ka Ghosla" and "Love Sex Aur Dhokha", says one thing that he wants to change in showbiz is film budgeting. For easy recovery, small budget movies should be prescribed, he says.

"Our films budgeting at times become so high that it gets difficult to recover the money. If we reduce that and spend the money on a film rather on other stuffs, then film can be made on smaller budgets and it will be a profitable deal," said Banerjee.

"It will be easier to recover the money. As an industry we are profitable, but we still have a long way to go. So as a director-producer, I feel this needs to be changed," he added.

Meanwhile the filmmaker is happy for small-budget "Ship Of Theseus" for winning a National Award but at the same time sad for "The Lunchbox" for not getting the same honour.

"I was happy 'Ship Of Theseus' got National Award, but I was a bit upset for 'The Lunchbox'. But it would be unfair to question the jury all the time," said Banerjee, who doesn't have a taste for Bollywood masala movies.

"I don't watch much masala films. 'Black Friday', 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', 'Ship Of Theseus', 'The Lunchbox', 'Maqbool', etc are the films that I enjoy watching. This is my taste.

"There are filmmakers, who make 'Titli' kind of films, but they watch Bollywood masala films. I did not see masala films even in my childhood days. For me, my favourite childhood memory of Bollywood masala film is 'Parinda', 'Mirch Masala', and 'Bandit Queen'."

If you talk about getting into the skin of a film's character, you can't miss what Rajkummar Rao did for his forthcoming film "Citylights". He actually posed as a menial worker and went from door to door trying to look for a job for a scene in the movie.

For Hansal Mehta's film, Rajkummar posed as a commoner to witness the struggle of a commoner in the dream city of Mumbai.

A source says that when Rajkummar acted as a menial worker and looked around for work, the footage of the happenings was captured with cameras placed far away. These scenes add a touch of reality to the film too.

The source said: “Rajkummar went looking for a job near Santa Cruz station and asked if he could get some work there but everyone said no and later he landed up at a construction site nearby.

"The contractor offered him work at a wage of Rs. 100 a day and he agreed to work. Rajkummar actually slogged and worked hard to earn that Rs. 100 note, and this scene will be seen even in the film.

"Citylights" will release May 30.

The shooting of Priyanka Chopra-starrer film "Mary Kom", a biopic on Olympic bronze medallist M.C. Mary Kom, has been wrapped. The actress has thanked the team for their endurance.

Expressing gratitude to the film's director Omung Kumar and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali, apart from other crew members, she tweeted: "It's a wrap on 'Mary Kom'! Thank you Omung, Sanjay sir, Sandy, Saiwyn, Keiko, Darshan and my whole crew who endlessly silently endured to create..."

The National award winning actress not just went through intense physical training for the role, but she also spent a considerable amount of time with the champion herself to understand the real life character closely so that she could bring it out on reel more effectively.

"Mary Kom" is due to release on Gandhi Jayanti Oct 2.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment, which was the banner behind "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", heavily shot in Spain, says the team of their next film "Dil Dhadakne Do" is off to shoot in Barcelona now.

"Enroute to Barcelona for 'Dil Dhadakne Do', eating breakfast at my favourite place in Heathrow," tweeted Sidhwani, who co-owns Excel Entertainment with Farhan Akhtar.

Earlier this week, he had shared that the voyage of "Dil Dhadakne Do" was to begin Saturday, while the film will release June 5, 2015. It stars Farhan, Anil Kapoor, Anushka Sharma with Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra.

Film: "The Xpose"; Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Zoya Afroz, Sonali Raut, Ananth Mahadevan; Directed by Ananth Narayan Mahadevan; Rating: *** 1/2 (3 and a half stars)

When was the last time we saw an intelligent and entertaining whodunit? Normally, all they do is line up a slew of stiff cardboard suspects trying to look guiltily into the camera, and pick one of the gallery of eccentrics as the one whodunit and impute a silly motive on him.

Director Ananath Mahadevan is not known to err in his execution of the plot, no matter how trivial it may appear on paper. He goes at the whodunit with a relish that communicates itself to the audience. Set in the film industry during the late 1960s, there is a flouncy flair and glossy aura to the story telling.

Mahadevan recreates the impassive allure of the entertainment industry with his tongue lodged firmly in his chic. You can't miss the broad references to the gossip, scandal and rivalry of the film industry. Playing a Southern superstar with an arrogant self-regard that rivals the legendary haughtiness of 'Jaani' Raaj Kumar, Himesh Reshammiya is reborn as an actor. His piercing icy-cold eyes give away nothing, and everything. He is man in love... with himself, then with a woman whom he can't bear to see go astray.

Every actor from Nakul Vaid as a matinee idol grappling with suspicion to newcomer Zoya Afroz as a star on the rise struggling to remain virtuous in a world built on artifice, and Sonali Raut as the slutty ambitious star on the rise who sleeps around for a price, is cast well and given a chance to effectuate his or her playing-time with punctuation marks that may not be written in the plot.

Yo Yo Honey Singh makes his Bollywood acting debut. Playing a spoilt, pampered,deceitful music director who marries into money and undeserved inheritance, Yo Yo imparts a certain innocence to his character's duplicity and greed. He isn't the villain but a victim of his unquenchable appetites.

Normally films set in the entertainment industry end up taking themselves too seriously. "The Xpose" careens between a mood of gratuitous satire and earnest regret for a world where sham is the name of the scam.

The film is resplendently shot in gaudy shades. The songs by Himesh and Honey are entertaining even when Himesh goes melodiously moony over his co-star.

Oh, didn't I tell you? Himesh plays a superstar who falls in love with his latest heroine but is unable to confess all to the girl. The theme of unexpressed love provides a tantalizing subtext to the sizzling, boiling, simmering plot filled with characters who can't tell the difference between life in the studios and outside.

The murder happens in the second overture during a grand after-party where two rival actresses come to blows. The eventful colourful film never fails to take swipes the world of the make-believe. Intrigue, envy, jealousy, rivalry, suspense and murder...this is the masalaland of the 1960s as seen through the winking, glinting eyes of a director who understands the machinations of the entertainment industry.

Admittedly some of the razzle-dazzle in the film (for example, the heroine emerging from the sea in a bikini) doesn't belong to the 1960s.

So who said the world of the make-believe had to follow any rules? Yup, there is no business like show business. This whodunit means business. The suspense drama is bright, bouncy,believable and entertaining.

Writer-director and now author, Rensil D'Silva says his book "Kohinoor Express" has an "epic scope" and he may consider making either a film or a mini-TV series inspired by it. Work on his new film "Ungli" is also on his mind.

In an interview, the director of the Anil Kapoor-starrer Indian TV show "24" and Bollywood film "Kurbaan", D'Silva has spoken about his novel, "Ungli" and his future plans, which could include making a biopic.

Excerpts:

Q. When is your second feature film "Ungli" releasing?

A. It is being released Nov 7. Two of my songs were not ready. I also needed to shoot one of them. The "Ungli" anthem, as we're going to call it, is yet to be shot.

Q. What made you write a novel when you are so busy with so many other things?

A. I have always done many things at the same time. The idea for my novel "Kohinoor Express" was with me for some time. Initially, I thought it'd make a great screenplay. Then I realized it had all the makings of a novel, including an expansive classic format and a period thriller with many characters. So I decided, why not a novel? I thought, why should I force it into a particular format when it has life of its own.

Q. Will you make a film out of "Kohinoor Express"?

A. I would for sure. But right now I am very happy to have it as a novel. It has an epic scope. So maybe I could make a mini-series on television. Writing '24' gave me a good idea of how innovative television can be. Now I hear other American series like "The Killing" and "Homeland" are being adapted to Indian television.

Q. Your film "Ungli" looks like an interesting dark thriller?

A. No, in fact it's a fun film. A caper tonally akin to 'Catch Me If You Can'. It's about vigilantes who strike at night. It's actually about characters who pull pranks on the system.

Q. Some of your actors' destinies have changed while you were shooting "Ungli"!

A. Yes Neil Bhoopalam, who stars in "Ungli" found fame as a lead in "24". And it's one of Randeep Hooda's better performances. And my leading lady Kangna Ranaut is quite the 'Queen' right now. She has a fun role. But not playing it for laughs.

Q. And Sanjay Dutt's last release for a while?

A. Unless he is in Rajkumar Hirani's "Peekay". He is fabulous in my film. He plays a cop his own age. He completed his his entire work.

Q. What next?

A. I will decide only after "Ungli" is released. Maybe a biopic. Finally the nation is open to true stories. I loved "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag". What a performance from Farhan Akhtar. There are so many Hollywood adaptations, rom-coms and south Indian remakes happening.

I'd rather do television than one of this me-too things. That's far more exciting right now. I'm proud to say "Ungli" is absolutely original. Not too many vigilante films have been made in the country. It's an anti-corruption film that is not angry, bitter or violent. I'm confident about the film.

Tiger Shroff's debut film "Heropanti" has been produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and the actor has now signed a two-film deal with the producer even before the release of his debut vehicle.

"Heropanti" is slated to come out May 23.

"I have signed a two-film deal with Sajid sir, but as of now nothing is finalised about those projects. Right now everyone is focussing on 'Heropanti'," Tiger said here in an interview.

Meanwhile, Tiger is looking forward to "Heropanti", where he has not only performed some daredevil stunts, he has choreographed some of them as well.

Tiger, the son of Bollywood's once reigning star Jackie Shroff, knows that being a star kid, people's expectations are high from him, but he used it as his strength.

"As a star son, there are expectations from me but that is my strength and I have been able to work hard in this film because of that only," the actor said.

"We are happy with our film as the final product. It has turned out well. Now we have to just wait and watch how it works," he added.

Directed by Sabbir Khan, "Heropanti" features newcomer Kriti Sanon as the female lead.

Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was scheduled to make the first of two appearances at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival Friday, will not be able to walk the red carpet due to an air traffic controllers' strike in France.

Aishwarya represents global cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris at the annual gala.

"Aishwarya's flight from London to Nice was delayed and hence she hasn't been able to reach Cannes as planned. With the latest development, the L'Oréal Paris team is making arrangements for Aishwarya to walk the red carpet on an alternate day," said a statement.

Now Aishwarya will make an appearance May 21 and the L'Oréal Paris team will soon confirm the date about her second stint.

"While the delay has been unfortunate, we are making sure that Aishwarya attends the event on an alternate date and we are sure she will dazzle as always," said Manashi Guha, general manager, L'Oréal Paris India.

Aishwarya has been attending the Festival de Cannes on behalf of the brand for 13 years now.

Earlier, she was spotted at the Mumbai airport with her daughter Aaradhya while leaving for the gala.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set for a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha, the party's supporters in filmdom like Asha Bhosle and Madhur Bhandarkar wished Narendra Modi and looked forward to seeing him take oath as the country's new prime minister.

The celebs took to Twitter to share their views. Here’s what they wrote:

Asha Bhosle: Congratulations to the BJP and sincere best wishes to Narendra Modi our next Prime Minister. Jai Hind.

Hema Malini: Modi wave is for real! BJP getting huge majority! Leading all over India!

Madhur Bhandarkar: The wave has hit the shore! A young, sensible and vibrant India gives its verdict! Heartiest congratulations to Narendra Modi and his team.

Preity Zinta: Heart is beating crazy as I watch election results on TV. Every Indian has spoken and I am happy to see that this will be a stable and solid government.

Pritish Nandy: Now even the allies will not matter. It's BJP all the way. They are about to get a clear mandate.

Anupam Kher: As I cross Red Fort, I can't help thinking of a new hope and new energy India will experience today onwards. Jai Hind.

Chitrangda Singh: So today we stand Modi-fied! Now, lets have it coming. Nation awaits.

Hansal Mehta: Honestly, the decimation of Congress was inevitable and is welcome. The verdict is against the inept Congress and not for the communal BJP.

Soha Ali Khan: Looking forward to the end of months of mud-slinging and sloganeering - time for actions to speak louder than words.

Vivek Oberoi: A new era dawns! People have voted unanimously for Narendra Modi's vision of a new India - united, progressive, inclusive, global and fearless!

Amrita Puri: Congress India ain't your living room anymore. Move over!

Abhishek Kapoor: Politics of entitlement comes to an end.. Bharat mata ki jai

Punit Malhotra: The country has made its choice. A clear choice! A wipe out like this just shows how frustrated the nation was with the Congress!

Sophie Choudry: The people have spoken. India wants change and believe Narendra Modi is it! Time for actions to speak louder than words!

Vishal Dadlani: So, Modi is clearly the voice of the Indian people. One hopes for good governance, that serves the country. Good luck to him, BJP and us.

Ranvir Shorey: Congratulations Narendra Modi, on a well deserved win. Looking forward to the "achche din".

One of the most talented actors Jimmy Sheirgill, who tried his hand at producing films in the Punjabi language, says the experience wasn't fruitful.

Jimmy produced Punjabi films like "Dharti" and "Rangeelay".

"I had a very bad experience producing films," Jimmy said and reasons that he strove for his level of perfection in his projects and this resulted in a financial debacle.

"Just to take films to my own level, I have paid from my own pocket. I took steps which were rash. If the makers told me this is required for the film, I used to say go ahead with it, but the money never came back," added the actor.

He has learnt his lesson the hard way.

"Your personal work should be different from production work and it should survive on its own. So, that is something I failed in. I messed up as a producer," he said.

He may not have succeeded as a producer, but he knows his craft as an actor. Be it "Maachis" or "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster", Jimmy is known for putting his best foot forward in front of the camera and proving his mettle.

Meanwhile his "Fugly" has hit the screen and the actor, who took a break from work, said: "I am enjoying my phase as an actor. I was missing action for one-and-a-half-years. I had spine problem. I missed out on quite a lot, so I am hoping to cover it now. This is the best phase to be in the industry."

Filmmaker and Janata Dal-United candidate Prakash Jha lost from the West Champaran Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar. He was defeated from the constituency for the third time.

Jha lost to sitting BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal.

He unsuccessfully contested as an Independent in 2004 and on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket in 2009 from the same constituency.

Jha is known for his socio-political films like "Gangaajal", "Rajneeti" and "Satyagraha".

The Censor Board Of Film Certification (CBFC), which has so far been very liberal about display of cleavage, has suddenly decided to clamp down heavily on such scenes.

The first casualty of the censor board's new-found regard for a woman's modesty is new actress Rupali Krishnarao, who plays a prostitute in Asshu Trikha's "Koyelaanchal". Her cleavage has been blurred by the censors at several places in the film where the board members found the display of flesh too ample.

Considering how much cleavages are part of Bollywood culture, Trikha can't stop grinning over the sheer hypocrisy of this sudden flash of modesty.

"The cleavage was blurred as per the censor board's instruction. I argued with them saying cleavage is an integral part of Bollywood culture. Besides, my heroine plays a prostitute. In 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram' 36 years ago, Zeenat Aman had displayed a lot more than mere cleavage in a temple sequence."

Besides, Trikha pointed out his film is not for children.

"My film is for adults only. And adult audiences are mature enough to handle some cleavage. But I saw no point in arguing beyond a point. I just blurred the blouse."

But he has no complaints against the censor board. "They have become cautiously advanced as opposed to defensively regressive."

Meanwhile, a sequence in Ananth Mahadevan's 'The Xpose' showing a starlet in a transparent white sari has been trimmed by the censorboard.

Ironically, the same pose by Zeenat in Raj Kapoor's "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" 36 years ago was allowed to go without any cuts.

Indian actor-stand up comedian Kavi Shastri, who was born and raised in London, says be it the west or India, people tend to get typecast on the basis of their origin.

Kavi, who will soon be seen as the host of Bindass' forthcoming show "Love By Chance", has done radio shows, theatre and small roles in British TV shows like "Holby City" and "The Bill". But he somehow felt the need to work in India.

"I moved here about seven years ago. The decision was very impulsive. I made up my mind and within a week, I was in India. In London, I was getting stereotyped. Not because of my acting ability... (but because of) colour of my skin possibly or nature of my origin," Kavi, whose parents hail from Gujarat, told IANS.

He was first on the big screen in “Love Aaj Kal”. The actor could’ve made his Bollywood debut 10 years back, but the film that co-starred Naseeruddin Shah and Kirron Kher somehow didn’t see the light of day.

“I had the opportunity to do a film starring Naseeruddin Shah, Kirron Kher and others. But the film never got released. During that time, I saw the passion and madness India has for films,” said the actor.

After switching to Hindi cinema, he found that even actors from different parts of India are typecast.

“Getting typecast? It’s only expected. You go to any country in the world even India. People from different states...everyone gets stereotyped whether you are from Delhi, Assam or Gujarat,” said Kavi, who has also acted in TV show “Rishta.com”.

But the co-founder of Weirdass Comedy is not disappointed and he feels “lucky” to be able to showcase his talent here.

As of now he is happy and nervous about "Love By Chance", which will showcase a falling in love story every week between two individuals who stumble into love just by chance.

"I've been watching a lot of TV shows about love these days. Fiction or non-fiction...everything kind of emphasises on darker side of love. 'Love By Chance' is refreshing. We are looking at positive side of love," said the artist, who will also be seen in forthcoming film "Amit Sahni Ki List" with Vir Das.

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who was among those from Bollywood who signed 'An Appeal to Voters' urging them "vote for the secular party", Friday said he is "disappointed" with the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the general election.

However, he hopes the new government brings only "good news" for the nation.

"What do I say? I am disappointed," Mehta told IANS when asked about his view on BJP's landslide victory.

"I hope the new government brings only good news to our nation and no bad news. So many people have voted for him (Modi), so we hope he wins their trust and faith," added the "Shahid" fame director.

Mehta, along with names like Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Zoya Akhtar, Nandita Das, Shubha Mudgal, Swara Bhaskar and Mahesh Bhatt, made an appeal mid-April to "dear fellow-Indians", asking them to take cognisance of the importance of protecting the "country's secular foundation".

Here's the full text of the appeal:

"The best thing about our country is its cultural diversity, its pluralism - the co-existence of a number of religions and ethnicities over centuries, and hence the blooming of multiple streams of intellectual and artistic thought. And, this has been possible only because Indian society has prided itself on being essentially secular in character, rejecting communal hatred, embracing tolerance.

Today, that very sense of India is vulnerable. The need of the hour is to protect our country's secular foundation. Undoubtedly, corruption and governance are important issues, but we will have to vigilantly work out ways of holding our government accountable to that. However, one thing is clear: India's secular character is not negotiable! Not now, not ever.

As Indian citizens who love our motherland, we appeal to you to vote for the secular party, which is most likely to win in your constituency.

Jai Hind!"

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan isn't one to mind makeovers for films. After sporting a beard for the past few days, he is now clean shaven for the "Happy New Year" (HNY) shoot.

"So pretty the set we are working on especially as the sun sets. Beard gone...thanks Farah (Khan) and your awesome team for HNY," the King Khan posted on Twitter Thursday.

The actor was recently in Dubai to launch a special edition of Forbes Middle East, featuring himself on the cover. At the event, he flaunted his bearded look with aplomb, but with his latest update on Twitter, he gave his followers and fans a peek-a-boo into his clean shaven avatar.

"Happy New Year" is Farah's next project, and it also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani and Deepika Padukone among others.

Actor Kavi Shastri, born and brought up in London, may be content with his work in Hindi films and TV shows, but rues he hasn't got an opportunity to show his dancing skill and that he wouldn't mind doing an item song.

He has featured in cameos in films like “Love Aaj Kal” and “Aurangzeb”, acted in popular TV show “Rishta.com”, but featuring in a dance number is still a dream for him.

“Dancing is one thing that I haven’t been able to achieve since coming to India. My dream is to do one item song at least,” he told IANS.

In the meantime, the “Love Aaj Kal” actor will soon be seen as the host of forthcoming TV show “Love By Chance”.