The nine experts from leading institutions in the UK and India presented on a range of Bollywood topics, to an audience of cinema fans and film students attending from as far afield as New York. 

Co-produced by Eros International, Housefull was filmed on location in UK, Italy, Hong Kong and India.

The actor opened the ten day series of events with a BAFTA interview and gala dinner on Friday, wrapping his jam-packed visit with an Actor’s Masterclass at a West End cinema on Saturday, before flying home.

Leading Bollywood figures are scheduled to attend including Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Jaya Bachchan, Soha Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore.

Akshay is currently shooting his introductory shot in the film - a major action comedy scene on a huge jumbo jet constructed by set director, Sabu Cyril.

Now the poster boy of offbeat Hindi cinema is back with his new release, Indo-American production Road, Movie.

The award is for her outstanding contribution to cinema spanning over three decades, which will be presented by Tongues on Fire film festival in a gala dinner at Sheraton Hotel in Piccadilly, hosted by British television and film actor Rizwan Ahmed.

As part of the Festival, B4U movies will show the latest Bollywood hit films - fresh out of the cinema - straight to your screens.

The actor was reunited with old-time co-stars and friends from some of his classic films including Ranjit, Shakti Kapoor and Tinu Anand.

To discover who hits jackpot, be sure to tune in on Saturday 13 February at 9.00pm, with a repeat broadcast on Sunday 21 February at 1.00pm, exclusively on COLORS.

Releasing in cinemas across UK and worldwide this month, the gifted actress will be seen in her leading role opposite co-star Farhan Akhtar in this much-awaited romantic thriller.

Enlivened fans and film critics were in attendance at the Wednesday night advance showing at Cineworld in London’s Leicester Square.

From London to New York, from Prague to Abu Dhabi, fans watched online, whilst simultaneously sharing their thoughts using the Google Wave communications platform.

The duo were also joined by director Karan Johar in the capital yesterday afternoon to promote the movie which is out next Friday (12 February).

Be sure to watch the dynamic duo rake up some pretty bucks with Abhishek on 6 February at 9.00pm exclusively on COLORS.

Presented by Serendipity Films, Teen Patti is a slick thriller that will draw audiences into an inescapable web of intrigue and suspense.

Produced by The Indian Film Company in association with Studio 18, Striker will mark Bollywood's first major embrasure of the online medium as a crucial revenue generator and will also pave the way for other Indian film companies to look outside of a conventional theatrical release towards alternate modes of distribution.

With positive pre-release reports and glowing trade reviews, Ram Gopal Varma's keenly awaited drama is much in the news for its gripping storyline and first-rate performances.

According to Bizasia, the megastar will appear on the BBC One show a week prior to the release of his blockbuster movie, My Name Is Khan.

This could be the second such honour for Akshay as the script for Namastey London is already a part of the Library archives.

The star impressed judges with her performance in the blockbuster hit Love Aaj Kal.

Joined by film director, Karan Johar, they will all speak to the network about their lives and their upcoming movie ‘My Name is Khan’.

Salman, who wrote the movie, reveals reveals the meaning of the word ‘Veer’ and what importance it holds in his day to day life.

COLORS, the Viacom 18 network's first branded channel aims to entertain the entire Hindi South Asian diaspora, across all generations.

The legend will be seen in such an intense and hard-hitting role after nearly two years.

After all, for an actor, looking the part is half the battle won! Therefore, it comes as no surprise that most films have a large budget allocated for clothes and styling.

Auditions have already started for budding Bollywood dancers to win their place in the UK Bollywood Dance Championships 2010 with the chance of securing a part in a major Bollywood film.

The epic romantic drama is directed by Karan Johar and reunites megastar Shah Rukh Khan – named by Time magazine as 'the world’s biggest movie star' – and one of India’s finest actresses Kajol for the first time in eight years.

The studio had previously distributed the producer Madhu Mantena's Ghajini in India.

3 Idiots has gone on to set a whole new precedent for Bollywood cinema internationally and broken all previous records following its continued, staggering box office response from audiences globally.

Deepika is up for the Apsara award for best actress in a leading role, in recognition of her critically hailed performance in Love Aaj Kal.

The film starring Aamir Khan released to 2126 screens worldwide including 366 screens overseas-the widest release for any Indian film so far and continues to draw record crowds and is setting new benchmarks for Bollywood films.

Celebrating the success of India’s most renowned females, the ceremony honours the contribution of formidable women across fields including film, glamour, theatre, sports and writing.

The light-hearted and entertaining film focuses on the journey of two friends  [Madhavan and Sharman Joshi] as they embark on a quest for a long lost buddy. 

The leading star of the Indian film industry, arrived at the 'Bollywood North' to run with the Olympic Flame.

They were personally requested, by Shetty to perform at the wedding reception which took place at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom, Mumbai last month.

B4U Network’s valued clients, associates, and star guests were invited to celebrate the milestone at The Collection bar in Knightsbridge with a lavish champagne reception, three-course meal and live entertainment.

The reining actress of the 80s is seriously considering the part and is in negotiations with the director.

The news is doing the rounds in Bollywood about the single mother who wants a little sister for her daughter Reene who she adopted in 2000 becoming the first single mum in Bollywood..

The starlet accompanied Vijay Mallaya (owner of Force India Racing Team) to the tracks where she joined the hundreds of spectators that turned out to cheer on the Force India F1 team at the brand new racing circuit in Abu Dhabi, marking and celebrating the end of the 08 season of Formula 1 in style.

In a role reversal of sorts, the 67-year-old veteran actor,  will not be playing the role of the father or other relative, but instead took on the phenomenal and challenging role of the 13-year-old character, Auro whist his real life actor son, Abhishek played the role of the father.

No not on herself especially after the criticism she received for losing too much weight and droping to a size zero in her otherwise disasterous movie, Tashan.

According to Indian press, the star who told reporters he still feels 25, is celebrating the day with his wife, Gauri, two children and friend Karan Johar in Mumbai.

Salman invited Sania and her family for a private screening of London Dreams, which was held at a West End hotel on Thursday.

He will now perform at Kolkata's famous Salt Lake Stadium this Friday after promising fans he will return.

She will be paired with co-star Neil Nitin Mukesh and is all set to play an extremely challenging role in the love story to be set on the gritty streets of Mumbai.

Bollywood, the largest producer of movies in the world will for the first time meet in Nigeria with Nollywood, the second largest producer of movies in terms of titles during the ION International Film Festival to be held in December.

 A case in point being Vipul Shah’s forthcoming Salman Khan-Ajay Devgn-Asin starrer London Dreams.

Blue promises to be a one of a kind film that takes Bollywood to new and unexplored depths, with breathtaking underwater sequences, thrills, adventure and adrenaline-paced action.

Khan, in his adorably mad style, does the age-old veteran's dance moves whilst wooing Asin.

The collection, which incorporated the timeless elegance of Hollywood heroines, was further enhanced by Deepika’s classic looks, perfectly capturing the aura of spellbinding charm and glamour that the designers were hoping to create.

This third accolade in quick succession follows its crowd pleasing reception at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and its eagerly awaited Asian premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival later this month.

The winner of several Filmfare Awards moved to Mumbai to carve a career in the Hindi film industry after Ghajini became a historic hit and producers began queuing up to sign her.

While Arjun’s (Ajay Devgan) life was consumed by a passionate drive to get on stage and realize his grandfather’s unfulfilled dream, Mannu (Salman Khan) had little interest in his father’s music instruments and was content with remaining a child at heart; bold, loud and boisterous, and enjoying the good things in life.

Following the industry's strike earlier this year by producers over how revenue from multi-screen cinemas was shared, Bollywood came to a standstill as the strike meant no new releases were screened in multiplexes.

The two stars will play husband and wife in an ad for Emami's Chyawanprash, for which they are going to shoot in Mumbai's Film City.

]]> bollywood http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1138644_katrina_kaif_promotes_skin_whitening_cream?rss=yes#comments 2009-09-28T09:43:02 http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1138623_salman_loves_his_new_jacket?rss=yes SALMAN Khan liked his designer jacket so much whilst shooting for his latest film, London Dreams, producer Vipul Shah decided to gift it to him.

The Roberto Cavalli design was an instant winner as Salman, who has been celebrating his recent success with Boney Kapoor film, Wanted,  not only sported it on the sets but iff set as well.

The 23-year-old model, who was crowned Miss India Worldwide UK 2009 in January this year, features at the start of the popular Twist song alongside Khan, who was also producing the movie.

The Dev Benegal-directed drama, the only Indian feature to be invited as a special presentation at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival, was well received by the media and audience alike, culminating in a standing ovation.

Releasing in time for Diwali, ‘Blue’ promises to be a one of a kind film that takes Bollywood to new and unexplored depths, with breathtaking underwater sequences, thrills, adventure and adrenaline-paced action.

His much-discussed Hindi language feature, ‘Road, Movie’, termed as the Indian Cinema Paradiso, has been officially invited for a world premiere as a special presentation at The Toronto International Film Festival, 2009 this Friday.

Making its premiere broadcast this week, CNN Screening Room Xtra catches up with Akshay in London as he takes a break from filming and invites viewers to take an exclusive peek behind the scenes of his latest film project, Housefull.

The Oprah Winfrey Show has invited the couple to talk about family and life after marriage making them the first Bollywood couple to appear on the show.

"We start shooting the first week of October and we’re doing the location hunting at the moment. It’s going to be somewhere in India. It has to be in India, because it’s a very India-based story, and for this film location plays a big role." says Jackky.

Akshay talks frankly about his life as a chef in Bangkok, his foray into martial arts and modeling, his childhood memories and his early years as an actor.

The programme, showing on 6 September, provides an insight into the glorious years of Hindi cinema from the late 1940s to the early 1960s.

The star made the announcement at the London Mela, which was held at Gunnersbury Park in the weekend.

Akshay, who is currently shooting for his next film, ‘Housefull’, in London with a half British and half Indian crew, celebrated India’s Independence Day with a friendly cricket match between the Indian and British film crew members.

TALKS are underway to snatch up Bollywood's dancing diva's Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – to judge a reality dance show.

And according to sources, Kareena Kapoor will also star in the movie.

The show, which will be produced by Siddharth Basu's Synergy Adlabs, will give the actress a career boost.

'I have bad news folks. Kiran and I lost our baby. Despite our best efforts we were unable to avert a miscarriage.

The concert, to be held in Mumbai, will have some of the biggest names in the Indian music industry performing and stars of yesteryear are expected at the grand occasion.

The three-night shoot, which included the entire cast, was called off for the safety of the crew said producer Vijay Galani.

The ageless actress wants to reveal all her secrets and is even eager to turn her life into a movie according to sources.

The national award winner Bollywood actress says she is ready to do more mature roles after taking time out from films following her marriage to movie director Anil Thadani.

If sources inside the industry are to be believed Shahrukh plans to cast Aishwarya in his next home production.

The pair, who are have a passion for keeping fit, are still looking at venues to start their new venture. They hope to recruit well-qualified instructors and add world class facilities to their centres.

For the first time, a Bollywood producer has been forced to pay for plagiarising a Hollywood hit.

Despite entering films, Ekta Kapoor's Kasamh Se star still remains as coy as her role in the soap.

While the Abbas-Mustan/Studio 18 co-production releases worldwide next week, Fardeen airdashed to London last week to spend time with his real life partner, Natasha, and enjoy a quiet holiday with her.

Jaan-e-mann featured scenes of its lead actors in Times Square and on Brooklyn Bridge, both de rigueur locations for any Bollywood-meets-the-Big Apple flick.aid.

He took part in an interactive session with Clinton at St Xavier’s College.

The award, which has been previously given to Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani and Amitabh Bachchan, recognises a person who shows eminence in his chosen field.

We all loved him but she's taken her fondness to the next level.

In his recent trip to London, where he was awarded a doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire for his contribution to Indian cinema, the superstar finally bought himself his own city centre pad.

The screening was additionally attended by the producers, Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision, and worldwide distributors, Studio 18.

There is someone made for everyone, including Karan, Bhavesh and Jeet.

Starring Arshad Warsi and  Akshay Khanne the Anil Kapoor-produced Shortkut has made it at No.10 in the coveted UK Top 10 charts.

The young rock star and daughter of the veteran Kamal Haasan is about to make her Bollywood debut in Soham Shah's action packed Luck starring teen sensation Imran Khan, Sanjay Dutt and Mithun Chakraborty.

Ray left the Bollywood star speechless as he tried his luck wooing her using ex Big Brother contestant Sree’s infamous words of wisdom.

Khan was presented with an honorary doctorate in Arts and Culture in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts, culture and media and can now be referred to as "doctor".

In the film, Warsi's character, King Kumar, cannot handle overnight success and is seen as interfering and demanding in his choice of heroines, shooting locations and money.

The actor, who stormed into millions of hearts with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and later with his deadly persona in Kidnap, is giving his young British-Asian fans the opportunity to meet him in flesh this Saturday (11 July).

Anil flew from Los Angeles (where he was shooting for 24) to New York to address the media about his forthcoming production, which releases worldwide this Friday (10 July).

They will both play Punjabi police officers in the movie which is set against the backdrop of 1980s Khalistan movement.

She is used to all the attention, having performed live with her own maiden band but it is Soham Shah’s high-octane action drama, Luck, which she has her hopes pinned on.

No she hasn't left boyfriend John Abraham but - the beauty just can't get enough of her new swanky phone.

The young actress ,who plays the lead role in Sony TV’s Bhaskar Bharti, follows in the footsteps of her cousin and Govinda's daughter Narmadaa Ahuja.

The 86-year-old who has been dubbed 'the tragedy king' for his roles in many Bollywood classics is recovering at the Lilavati hospital.

The action scene was shot for his forthcoming movie, Luck.

]]> bollywood http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1124369_sanjay_dutts_death_defying_stunt?rss=yes#comments 2009-07-03T14:16:47 http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1124055_manish_malhotra_gives_amrita_rao_a_shortktut_to_glamour?rss=yes Ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra owns the credit for creating many a memorable looks for Bollywood's leading ladies over the years.

Most actresses in the industry swear by this fabric magician and implicitly trust his vision as far as defining their look is concerned.

Luck follows the tale of mafia kingpin Musa (Sanjay Dutt) who has one obsession; to revolutionise the betting industry. For him life is a gamble, and what better way to skew the odds than play with those with luck on their side!

Guru (KK Menon) is a smalltime car thief. Ganpat, who owns a dilapidated garage, is his partner-in-crime. Guru whacks cars and Ganpat (Dilip Prabhawalkar) gives them a make-over in order to sell them for tidy profits.

According to Bollywood industry reports, about 1,000 British actresses-dancers are working in Bollywood, with each making around $1700 a day.

Sanjay and Anil were last seen together in Sanjay Gupta's Musafir, and in Shortkut, they return to shake a leg joined by the glamorous Amrita Rao.

The talented Mukherjee girl dons the avatar of a Sardar in her latest project opposite Shahid Kapoor.

The two actresses have been shunned whilst the rest of the cast and crew including Salman Khan and Govinda will be getting ready for the sequel.

If this picture from the slow and scintillating Kal Nau Baje song from his forthcoming comedy, Shortkut is anything to go by, sexy Khanna has got rid of his chest hair to reveal a more defined physique.

Shahrukh, who has a huge fan base across the globe, is also a film producer and television host and will receive his award at the Hotel Courthouse, London on 10 July  from Vice Chancellor Les bdon, CBE.

]]> bollywood http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1122168_shahrukh_khan_to_be_given_honorary_doctorate?rss=yes#comments 2009-06-24T09:01:26 http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/film_and_tv/bollywood/s/1122185_dhawan_returns_to_the_screen_with_karisma_kapoor?rss=yes King of slapstick comedy David Dhawan is returning to the screens with his number one lady Karisma Kapoor after nine years.

The director who has had hits with ‘Haseena Maan Jaayegi’ and ‘Biwi No.1' is teaming with Karisma and Govinda on TV with ‘Hans Baliye’.

The fatwa has been issued by Mufti Mohammed Shoeb Raza Qadri and Mufti Muti-ur-Rehman of the Darul-uloom-Mazhar-e- Islam in India.

The Pal Pal song shot in picturesque Bangkok sees the babe-licious Amrita Rao grooving on a yacht.

The film won the coveted best picture award, while Ashutosh Gowarikar won the award for best director and Hrithik Roshan for best actor for Jodhaa Akbar.

The demure bride-to-be in Vivaah dons an ultra-glam avtaar in Anil Kapoor's next production after Gandhi - My Father.

Shekhar (Akshaye Khanna), an aspiring assistant director, and Chandu (Arshad Warsi), a wannabe junior artiste, meet each other while struggling to make it in the film industry. While Shekhar is supremely talented and confident, Chandu is a buffoon and a non-actor who thinks he is God’s gift to Bollywood!

With only B-grade flicks, reruns of old hits, and regional cinema on offer for the past few months, audiences are eager for fresh content at the box office.

Audiences are in store for some exciting cinema with the release of Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq co-produced by Sunil A. Lulla and directed by Sabbir Khan on 10 July.

The star took part in the stylish photo shoot for Vogue and for Cosas Magazine during a visit to Lima Peru last month.

In his position as global ambassador for Indian cinema, Akshay will play the male lead in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq - the first ever Indian film to feature both Indian stars and major Hollywood talent on one cinematic canvas.

The Indian super model turned actress has carved a niche for herself not only within Indian cinema, but is also creating a sensation internationally.

Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq, co-produced by Sunil A. Lulla - executive director and president, India for Eros International and directed by Sabbir Khan, will be unique to this year’s festival and marks the beginning of a milestone film phenomenon among the key players of international cinema, signifying the first ever Indian film to feature both Indian stars and Hollywood talent on one cinematic canvas.

Arjan Lulla was recognised for his successful innings as a visionary who has been instrumental in developing the export market and bringing Indian cinema to the world map today.

This year, the event is due to be held in Macau, China between 11th - 13th June.

Khan is survived by actor son Fardeen Khan and daughter Laila Khan. He was diagnosed with suffering from cancer and was being treated at a Mumbai hospital for a long time.

Film critics have been raving about Akshay’s brilliant performance in ‘8 X 10 – Tasveer’, directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Nagesh Kukunoor. Some have marked this film as one of the finest cinematic performances of Akshay Kumar’s acting career to date.

"Last year Abhishek was slogging it out in Miami for 'Dostana' and Aishwarya joined him there for their wedding anniversary. This year they were again supposed to be working, though happily together, for the next schedule of Mani Ratnam's 'Raavan' on their anniversary," said a source close to the couple.

Scheduled to release this summer, the Akshay Kumar – Kareena Kapoor starrer, directed by Sabbir Khan is already creating a huge buzz and promises to be one of the biggest entertainer to hit screens this year.

"I love wearing saris, and everyone around me tells me I look good in them. The one that I wore at the awards is one of my favourites," Payal says.

Kapoor has recently tasted huge success for his role in the blockbuster movie 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Sources have reported that Kapoor is planning to shift his base to Los Angeles and will fly to India in between.

Directed by the critically acclaimed Nagesh Kukunoor of ‘Iqbal’ and ‘Dor’ fame, in ‘8X 10 – Tasveer’ Akshay Kumar is joined on screen by veteran actress, Sharmila Tagore and the understated Ayesha Takia.

And, from the Oscar triumph of Danny Boyle’s Mumbai-based Slumdog Millionaire to the newfound popularity of stars such as Shilpa Shetty and Hrithik Roshan, Indian-based films are enjoying a cross-over appeal like never before. Susannah Wright donned a shalwar kameez and headed off to new dancing classes to see if she had what it takes to join the Bollywood A-list...

Kylie has arrived in Mumbai where she is spending time with Akshay ahead of the eight-day shooting schedule where they will film the music video for the film, which is  billed as the most expensive Bollywood action movie to date.

Think of it as the fundamentalist meets the femme fatale. In court. Daggers drawn.

In one corner, Asiya Andrabi, the leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat, the Kashmiri women's morality brigade, a woman so committed to Kashmiri separatism that her sons are already pledged as martyrs to the cause. In the other, the Bollywood star Bipasha Basu, a woman whose first name means "fetterless, unbound", and whose sultry films have lived up to that billing.

The film industry phenomenon of ‘action stills’ – dramatic large-scale publicity photos which are recreated on hand-painted billboards – will be showcased in an acclaimed exhibition at Contact.

The blockbuster, released by The Indian Film Company - Studio 18, will be contending for the award along with Spanish film, El Orfanato (The Orphanage).

Joined by his co-star Deepika Padukone and film director Nikhil Advani, Akshay spoke to Raj & Pablo on BBC Asian Network's ‘Love Bollywood’ Show.

He was also joined by fellow actress Deepika Padukone and even Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan came along to show support.

Trouble flared during the 2006 Rockstar Concert when Kareena's then boyfriend Shahid Kapoor tried to teach Salman a few dance steps which did not go down well with the actor who thought as a senior he didn't need to be told how to dance.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Khan have been ranked among the top 50 by Newsweek magazine.

Written and directed by acclaimed A.R. Murugadoss and orchestrated by BIG Pictures, the widely anticipated remake will premiere in over 300 cinemas across the UAE, US, Canada, UK and will also open simultaneously in Norway, Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

After a blockbuster 2008, STAR TV, is hoping for another year of entertaining, addictive and celebrity packed television with the return of Nach Baliye, India’s answer to the hit BBC 1 dance show Strictly Come Dancing.

After the success of DDLJ and Mohabbatein, and eight years since Chopra last directed, expectations are high.