Pitt, DiCapro, De Niro to star in Martin Scorsese's short film

London: Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese has recruited Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Robert De Niro to star in a short film for a new resort campaign.
The 71-year-old filmmaker gathered the actors in New York City to shoot the film, which will be used for a campaign to promote Melco-Crown Entertainment's movie-themed resort, Studio City, in Macau, reportedly.
The Casino-themed short film was written by 'The Wolf of Wall Street' screenwriter Terence Winter and will debut at the resort next year.
While both DiCaprio and De Niro are no strangers to acting in Scorsese's films, this will mark Pitt's first project with the filmmaker, as well as the first time the trio has worked together with Scorsese.
Pitt recently got married to longtime partner Angelina Jolie.

Box Office battle: Akshay vs Akshay?

New Delhi: It`s time for another big clash in Bollywood. No, it's not the war time between two superstars vying for the supreme position at the Box-Office, but rather two projects of the same actor releasing on the same day.

If reports are anything to go by then, supposedly it will be Akshay Kumar vs Akshay Kumar at the Box-Office.

Apparently, the action master's next releases- `Gabbar` and `Baby` will release on the same day.

The makers of `Gabbar` had already booked the January 23 slot but now the makers of `Baby` also have the same date on mind.

Both the projects are big banner productions and certainly it would be interesting to watch them battle for glory at the Box Office.

One wonders why any of the the directors don`t want to shift their preference of release date instead of warring at the box office and cutting into each other`s profits.

The 46 year-ol actor's last two releases- `Entertainment` and `Holiday` fared quite well at the BO.

With two Akshay movies on one day, it will be just too much fun, won't it?

May the best movie win but isn't it a double whammy for Akki fans?

Making of Finding Fanny - The Wedding

Catch the star cast of Finding Fanny - Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah have fun on the set, as we give you the exclusive sneak peek of the making. The movie releases on 12th September, 2014.

Watch: Making of Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone’s reel wedding

Mumbai: Homi Adajania has been showered with appreciation from all corners even before his latest- ‘Fining Fanny’- is about to release.

The film that stars stalwarts- Pankaj Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah- and Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor from the youth brigade- has grabbed a million eyeballs!

And the makers of the film are trying to cash in on the popularity and building more curiosity. They have shared a video of the making of the wedding scene in the film which features Gabo and Angie playing the bride and the groom.

It’s a hilarious video that shows how an overjoyed Gabo celebrates his marriage to a calmed Angie.

You may see the video of the wedding scene here:

Zurich Film Fest to open with James Brown biopic 'Get On Up'

Washington: :James Brown biopic ' Get On Up' is all set to open Zurich International Film Festival 2014.
Directed by Tate Taylor, the feature highlights the rise from rags-to-riches of the legendary performer, who was considered founding fathers of funk music and supporter of black pride, suggest reports.
The film stars Chadwick Boseman as Godfather of Soul along with Dan Aykroyd, Lennie James and Tate's 'The Help' star Viola Davis, and credits Brian Grazer and Mick Jagger as producers.
Boseman would be attending the festival's premiere with Tate later in September.

Akhil Kapur - new 'khiladi' on the block

Mumbai: Newcomer Akhil Kapur, who is the nephew of actor-politician Vinod Khanna, performed a risky action sequence for his debut film 'Desi Kattey'.
In one of the scenes, Akhil had to jump from a height and he decided to do it himself despite action director Jai Singh Nijjar, known for his work in 'Singham Returns', 'Chennai Express', and director-producer Anand Kumar insisting on roping in a stuntman to perform the stunt.
But the martial art expert Akhil was confident that he could pull it off.
“A lot of precaution is taken during action sequences that require jumping from hi-rises. But I was confident and my aim was accurate,” said Akhil in a statement.
Action adventure 'Desi Kattey', based on shooting sports, will hit the screens Sep 26.

'Mary Kom' will encourage women in country, says Priyanka Chopra

New Delhi: Few days ahead of the release of biopic on boxer MC Mary Kom, Bollywood beauty Priyanka Chopra, who plays the lead in 'Mary Kom' was in the capital to promote her film. During her visit, the actress met Road Transport and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari. 

On the sidelines of her meeting with the minister, Priyanka talked about her upcoming biopic and how such films are very important, especially for the fairer gender. She was quoted as saying, 'Mary Kom' is an inspirational movie and she hopes that it encourages the women in the country. 

"Gadkari was one of the first people to felicitate Mary Kom when she won the Olympic bronze medal, so I wanted to meet him. Also, he has always talked about rural development and socio-economical reforms and my film 'Mary Kom' kind of caters to this issue in a different way," Priyanka added.

The film, reportedly will show Priyanka's character literally rise from the ashes, just like the bird phoenix. It will highlight the difficult journey, which the sports person undertook to play for the country and make everyone proud. 

Priyanka also said that she is trying to get the tax-free status for the film in Delhi after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh declared the same. Her much awaited film 'Mary Kom' is based on the life of the Olympic medalist, who went through several hurdles during her career graph. The movie is slated to hit the silver screen on September 5, 2014.

Zurich Film Fest to open with James Brown biopic

Los Angeles: 'Get On Up', the biopic of legendary performer James Brown, will open this year's Zurich International Film Festival.
The biopic, helmed by 'The Help' director Tate Taylor, looks at Brown's rags-to-riches rise from extreme poverty to topping the music charts as a soul and funk superstar, reportedly.
Chadwick Boseman, who played another African American legend Jackie Robinson in Brian Helgeland's '42', is playing Brown in the film.
Boseman and Taylor will be in Zurich for the festival premiere on September 25. Taylor is no stranger to Zurich. His Oscar-winning hit 'The Help' was Zurich's closing-night film in 2011, and the director made the trip to the Swiss fest with 'The Help' star Octavia Spencer. Spencer plays James Brown's aunt in 'Get On Up'.
After its Zurich bow, the film opens in theaters in Switzerland on September 26, ahead of its worldwide release.

Special Screening of 'Finding Fanny' held in Mumbai

New Delhi: Makers of the upcoming film 'Finding Fanny' held a special screening for their industry friends in Mumbai. Spotted on the occasion was Bollywood director Karan Johar, who was quiet excited to see the film well before its release.
"I am really excited and I am so excited that we are getting to see it so much earlier in advance that is the most exciting part. Homi is a really dear friend. He is my college friend so I am here to root for him, and off course the wonderful ensembles, some of the finest actors of this country and in this film. I don't think it can get better than this. This kind of ensemble with then Arjun and Deepika who are in top form anyway and the whole combination of forces coming together is really tremendous", said Johar.
Interacting with media persons, lead actor Arjun Kapoor said, "Honestly the reactions have been really nice. It's been overwhelming to know that the people are reacting so positively to a film like Fanny. We always knew, that's why we decided to be a part of doing something unique in that sense. So, the kind of feedback I have got shows that the audience is ready so the feedback has been very encouraging so the fingers are crossed for 12th of September."
While Deepika spoke about the success of the song 'Shake Your Butiya', "I think it's largely been, oh it's looking very fun, and it's looking very quirky, it's looking very different. I think these are largely the kind of reactions that are coming and I think what we didn't expect was the kind of reaction we have got to shake your butiya. We thought fanny ray was the song that everyone will enjoy, but I think Shake Your Butiya is the song that people are really enjoying."
Directed and written by Homi Adajania, the film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Kapur, Deepika Padukone and Arjun Kapoor.
Finding Fanny follows the journey of five dysfunctional friends who set out on a road trip in Goa in search of Fanny, the love-interest of the character played by Naseeruddin Shah.

‘Bigg Boss’ 8: What does Salman Khan have in store for us?

Mumbai: You know the ‘Bigg Boss’ season is round the corner when you see Salman Khan all over the small screen. The superstar, who has been the face of the show since the last four seasons, has always had surprises galore for his fans.
And season 8 of ‘Bigg Boss’ is no different. The fourth teaser of the show has Salman Khan addressing the viewers of the show and announcing the arrival of the brand new season.

The hunk of an actor has been host-cum-dost since the show entered its fourth chapter on Indian television. The fifth season saw Salman co-hosting the show along with his dear friend Sanjay Dutt and subsequently took charge of the 6th and 7th seasons single-handedly.
The 8th season has an aeroplane theme and has Salman Khan in a pilot’s avatar.
It will be interesting to see what the new season unfolds.

'Bigg Boss 8' inspired by 'Big Brother 15'?

New Delhi: With the eighth season of controversial reality show 'Bigg Boss' round the corner, everyone is busy making speculations about the theme of the show. Now that it is clear that one of the major themes that the show will revolve around will be an aircraft, the next thing which is being discussed is the design or the look of the house.
Rumours are rife that the format of the upcoming season will be based on the 15th edition of its original international version 'Big Brother'. According to reports, the pictures of the house, that were recently leaked by a Salman Khan fan club on the social media were actually from 'Big Brother 15'.

However, as of now there is no official confirmation from the makers. But the already launched teasers which show host Salman Khan in a pilot's avatar are enough to testify that the concept has something to do with airplanes.
Well, as of now it is very difficult to say what the coming season has in store for the audiences. Meanwhile, the guessing game is on!

Zelda Williams back on Twitter post online bullying

Washington: Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, has decided to return back to Twitter after receiving far too many unkind comments on the social networking site.
The 25-year-old actress wrote an inspiring message on Twitter, and linked it to her Tumblr page, quoting actor Harvey Fierstein who had famously said "Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself," reportedly.
Shortly after the death of late comedian Robin Williams, Zelda had received thousands of thoughtful comments concerning her dad. Some, however, were utterly disrespectful that was harsh for the grieving daughter.
The 'Good Will Hunting' actor's ashes were scattered in the San Francisco Bay, just one day after he committed suicide.

Rihanna shelled out 6,000 pounds on nail technician

London: Singer Rihanna paid 6,000 pounds to have her favourite nail expert flown down to Italy from Britain.
Rihanna, who is currently enjoying some time off from her busy schedule on her luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, invited A-list nail technician Jenny Longworth to tend to her talons for the hefty sum, suggest reports.
Rihanna is said to have put the Revlon ambassador up in luxury accommodation after paying for her first class flights as well as the price of the sought after beautician's fees.
A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Rihanna is quite fussy and wants to be able to trust her glamour team. She's known Jenny for a while and loves her technique, so would prefer to pay for her to fly out to Italy than risk going to a stranger."

'Mardaani' style policing not ideal for police: Human rights body

New Delhi: Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has written an open letter urging that 'Mardaani' shouldn't be shown to police officers because the style of policing in the film promotes "violent" and "encounter-style" policing in the name of "efficiency".
Impressed by Rani Mukerji’s new movie 'Mardaani', which sees the actress playing a police officer on a mission against trafficking of girls, a top police officer in Bihar had requested district chiefs to arrange shows for all policemen to take inspiration from it for the fight against child trafficking.
But CHRI is against it, said a statement.

CHRI has written an open letter to Arvind Pandey, CID Inspector General (Weaker Section), Bihar, who instructing his district SPs, GRP SPs and Commandants of Bihar Military Police that 'Mardaani' be shown to all police officers.
The letter reads: “No doubt the heroine of ‘Mardaani’, Shivani has certain qualities that every police officer must uphold. Honesty and corruption-free police conduct is what the public look up to police officers for.
“However, Shivani’s conduct involves gross violations of the Constitution, criminal procedure, and fair trial rights of the suspect. The increased emphasis on violence as the solution to solving all problems re-emphasises bad practice, which the police is everyday being accused of.”

The organisation commends “the good intentions behind your order and are optimistic about it being the right opportunity to critically examine and continue the debate on tackling sex trafficking. However your endorsement promotes violent and ‘encounter-style’ policing in the name of ‘efficiency’.”

The letter also read: “Criminals must be brought to justice through legal and responsible policing, else we risk losing the distinction between criminals and the police service.”
“A further problem which the cadre could miss from an over-emphasis on lessons from this film is the importance of dealing with the rescued persons with empathy and recognition because there are likely to be minor girls as victims who may have suffered both sexual and physical assault.”
“While Shivani encourages the victims to violently kick the villain to death. Far from this fairy tale ending, it is paramount that immediate medical relief that includes mental healthcare be provided for the victim.
“We strongly urge that the style of policing in ‘Mardaani’ is not showcased to police officers, and we suggest that this be publicly clarified.
"An example can be made of the procedural illegalities in the film with a training session to point out what is wrong, and what should be the correct procedure. This is a more educational way to use film as a tool for interactive police training.”

'Sonali Cable' focuses on corporate world: Director

New Delhi: Director Charudutt Acharya says his forthcoming film 'Sonali Cable' is about the corporate world and that youngsters will be able to connect with the story.

“It always happens that big fish eats small fish (in the corporate world). Our ‘Sonali Cable’ is just like a small fish, which is trying to survive. 

“Even though the story revolves around a small internet broadband company, but this scenario is there in each and every city and village. The young crowd, who try to do something on their own, would relate to the film,” he added.

Rhea Chakraborty, Ali Fazal and Anupam Kher star in the film, which is produced under the banner of Ramesh Sippy Entertainment in association with Bombay Mania Production Pvt. Ltd.

Reality show contestant Jasleen Royal enters Bollywood with 'Khoobsurat'

New Delhi: Delhi girl Jasleen Royal, who participated in the first season of reality TV show 'India's Got Talent' (IGT), makes her debut as a playback singer with the song 'Preet' in Sonam Kapoor-starrer 'Khoobsurat'.

Penned by Amitabh Verma and composed by Sneha Khanwalkar, the song was released Monday by T-series, said a statement. She's expected to perform at the music launch of the film Friday in Mumbai.

Before her Bollywood debut, Royal had released three singles - 'Panchhi ho javan', 'Mai ni' and 'Din shagna da'. 

She has also performed with National Award-winning musician Swanand Kirkire.

KBC set converted into boxing ring for Priyanka

New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra, who will be seen packing punches in forthcoming biopic 'Mary Kom', had fun on the sets of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC) when it was turned into a boxing ring.
The biopic on five-time World Champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom will release Sep 5 and to promote the film, Priyanka shot an episode with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who hosts KBC in its eighth season.
The actress played along with contestant, Usha Vishwakarma, founder of NGO Red brigade, a self-defence group, read a statement.
She was also seen indulging in some mock stunts with the megastar. Amidst the gameplay, Big B got into a playful mood and expressed his desire to have a boxing match with Priyanka.
In no time, the KBC set was turned into a boxing ring and the two superstars showed off their boxing prowess.
Later, Priyanka shared tips with Amitabh on how to defend.
The episode will be aired on Thursday.

'Captain America 3' will be exciting: Directors

Los Angeles:  'Captain America 3' will be different from its prequel and exciting for the audiences to watch, director duo Joe and Anthony Russo have assured fans
The helmers said they are making sure the film is as successful as its earlier instalments, 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (2014) and 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (2011), reported a weekly magazine.
"That's what we're in the middle of on ('Captain America 3') right now, pushing really hard to make sure that what we deliver is something that's going to be different from 'The Winter Soldier'," they said.
'Captain America 3', starring Chris Evans, is scheduled for release on May 6, 2016.

'Step Up All In' review: Captivates with brilliant dance moves

This dance-drama revolves around the intriguing concept of permanence and consequences.
The spiel - "there is magic that happens when you dance, but when you make a living by dancing then it's different, it is not easy" - at the very onset of the film sets the ball rolling. It lays the foundation of what to expect.
The film packs in all sorts of conflicts that a dancer faces through his personal and professional life, if he were to stick to his commitment to dance and make a career out of it.
And, the dialogue at the end: "Are you living your life or paying the price?"
"I love dancing. It's not easy when you try making a living out of it," sums it all up.
The fifth film of the 'Step Up' franchise, where the stakes have escalated much higher from when it first began, 'Step Up All In' takes off from where the fourth edition left.
The story centers around Sean (Ryan Guzman), who, after an unsuccessful audition at an Los Angeles Club loses his team from Step Up: Revolution, the Mob. They all decide to return to Florida and take up other careers since they are finding it difficult to survive in LA.

Now, humiliated, depressed and stubborn to a point, Sean stays back in LA working as a handyman at a dance hall that belongs to his friend Moose's (Adam Sevani) grandparents.

When Sean hears about a contest called 'The Vortex', a nationally televised dance competition, a kind of a cross between 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'The Hunger Games', he is determined to participate in this competition. The competition is hosted by Alexxa Brava (Izabella Miko).
Since his original crew has dispersed, he seeks Moose's help to put forth a new team. Together, they assemble dancers from all over. They include Andie (Briana Evigan), Chad (David Shreibman), Jenny Kido (Mari Koda), Martin (Martin Lombard) and Marcos (Facundo Lombard). They call themselves LMNTRIX.
Now facing stiff competition from the leading LA team Grim Knights and Sean's old friends from The Mob, the LMNTRIX puts up a strong performance and qualifies for the final rounds of The Vortex. The result is obvious.
The production values are good and of above average quality.
Being a dance film, director Trish Sie pays less attention to the performance and concentrates more on the dancing. She ensures that the dances; breaking, krumping, locking and popping are flamboyantly portrayed with minimalistic edits. The over one minute-shot in the grand finale beautifully captures the fluid body movements and the mood of the moment.
In general, the film is jazzy and vibrant with most of the dancers roped in from its previous editions.
The script is flowing but unimaginative. It offers no dramatic moments or surprises but what keeps you glued, are the frequent dance pieces which are not only interesting, but also captivating. The skills of the dancers are sure to bowl you over.

Rating: 

IANS

'Stonehearst Asylum' trailer unveiled

Los Angeles: The first trailer for Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley starrer 'Stonehearst Asylum' has been released.
The period horror film directed by Brad Anderson, which was formerly titled 'Eliza Gravefilm' also stars Brendan Gleeson and Michael Caine, reportedly.
Based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story, it sees a young doctor (Sturgess) taking up a post at a remote asylum.
He begins to fall for his patient (Beckinsale), but at the same time comes to realise that the original staff may have been ousted by the inmates.
Anderson's previous films include 'The Machinist' and 'Session 9'. 'Stonehearst Asylum' will be released on October 24.

Hrithik, Katrina look like million bucks: Aamir Khan

Mumbai: Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Bang Bang’ has found a new admirer and its none other than industry heavyweight Aamir Khan.

Ever since the poster and the teaser trailer of the film have been released, ‘Bang Bang’ has been the talk of the town winning hearts of people across the globe.

And with praise coming from the Mr Perfectionist of Bollywood aka Aamir, ‘Bang Bang’ is bound to take the Box Office by storm.

Here’s what Aamir tweeted:

Aamir Khan        ✔ @aamir_khan 

I wish I could dance half as well as Hritik! I really loved the new song of Bang Bang! 

10:36 AM - 2 Sep 2014

Aamir Khan        ✔ @aamir_khan

And the Bang Bang trailer is outstanding! Hritik and Katrina look like a million bucks!

10:39 AM - 2 Sep 2014

 

Aamir Khan        ✔ @aamir_khan

...Love the shot of Hritik come shooting out of the water with guns pointing! Cant wait for 2nd Oct!

10:39 AM - 2 Sep 2014

 

Anurag won't release till satisfied: Kay Kay on 'Bombay Velvet'

Mumbai: Actor Kay Kay Menon supports Anurag Kashyap's decision to release ‘Bombay Velvet’ next year and says that the director shows his work only when he is a hundred percent satisfied.
‘Bombay Velvet’ was initially slated to come out Nov 28, but now it will hit the screens in May 2015. With a lot of pending VFX work, the film cannot be readied for a November release.
Kay Kay, who plays an investigative officer in the film, "doesn't regret the delay".
He said: "They must have thought of it before making any decision. To show 1960s is not easy, so post production will take time and Anurag will not release till he is satisfied with his work and that would be the reason they must have postponed it."
"The film is based in 1960s, so the treatment is also different," he added.
Kashyap's ‘Bombay Velvet’ features Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles.
"This is my fourth film with Anurag. We have a different connection and our working style is different. Without saying or talking much, we understand each other's silence. It's all about creativity," said Kay Kay, who worked with Kashyap in films like ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Gulaal’.

Nimrat Kaur to romance Akshay Kumar in 'Airlift'?

New Delhi: While actress Nimrat Kaur is these days busy with American television series 'Homeland', Bollywood has certainly not taken a backseat for the actress. If reports are to be believed, 'The Lunchbox' actress will soon be seen romancing none other than the action hero Akshay Kumar in upcoming film 'Airlift'.

According to reports, Nimrat will be playing Akshay's wife in the action-drama. The makers reportedly wanted a woman with a strong personality for the role and Nimrat's performance in her previous film 'The Lunchbox' is quite a proof of it.

Directed by Raja Krishna Menon, 'Airlift' is about a business tycoon, who aids the world's biggest human evacuation. It has been produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series along with Cape of Good Films, Crouching Tigers and Emmay Entertainment.

The movie, which will be shot mainly in the Middle East is all set to go on floors in May next year.

Ranbir Kapoor's love for biopics

New Delhi: Bollywood, of late, seems to be making the most of the concept of delivering biopics.

With Priyanka Chopra's biopic `Mary Kom` creating a buzz in the industry, other directors and actors too are keen to grab their share of the limelight by immortalizing real life personalities on celluloid. 

Few months back, Ranbir Kapoor had reportedly announced that he would like to play Sanjay Dutt in a biopic.

And the Bollywood heartthrob-Ranbir seems to be directors' hot favourite when it comes to casting. As per reports, the Kapoor lad wants to step into the shoes of the late actor Amrish Puri and wants to do a biopic on his life.

Earlier reports suggested that the 31 year-old actor was roped in for Anurag Basu's biopic on Kishore Kumar. It is learnt that the director has even confirmed the news.

Well, with a number of biopics lined up for the versatile actor, may we call him the king of biopic then?

'Bigg Boss aath, sabki lagegi vaat', reveals new tagline!

New Delhi: Hold your breath as the most awaited reality show is about to go on air soon. `Salman Khan's `Bigg Boss 8`has been the talk of the town for a while now.

The curiosity and the suspense is just well built to sustain our interest before the show hits the TV screens. While the guessing game for the probable contestants is still on, the new promo gives a sneak peak inside the house for the eighth season of Bigg Boss.
Be prepared to hear the tagline, `Bigg Boss aath, sabki lagegi vaat` every time you pass by your TV set. Get ready to sit with your eyes glued to your television set every time Salman Bhai pops out.

The new promo of the show features the `Dabanng` star in his pilot avatar, mouthing some punchlines for the show in his signature way.

``Agar bataoon mein kyun karne aaya hoon aapse bhent, toh samjhoon ga aapko great. But don’t be late because bahot jald start kar rahein hain straight,” says Salman.



The much controversial reality show's current season will have a glassed house designed like an airplane which is inspired from the international reality show `Big Brother 15`, reportedly.
We do know that Salman is a no-nonsense host and going by the tagline and promos we can say that this season will be even tougher for the contestans to deal with.

Let the drama unfold, we all are game.

‘Bang Bang’: New song ‘Meherbaan’ to be out on Wednesday

@foxstarhindi

Mumbai: After setting the silver screen ablaze with their too-hot-to-handle chemistry in ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif are gearing up to recreate the same magic with ‘Bang Bang’.

The first song ‘Tu Meri’ which was launched a few days back is already a huge hit. The duo set the temperature soaring this monsoon by adding oomph. Here’s some good news for all those who are looking forward to watching the film.

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The makers of the film will be releasing a new song from the film titled ‘Meherbaan’ tomorrow.

Hrithik plays Rajveer while Katrina essays the role of Harleen in the film that promises to “fly bullets”. Directed by Sidharth Anand, ‘Bang Bang’ is scheduled to release this Gandhi Jayanti ( October 2) alongside Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Haider’, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, starring Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Kay Kay Menon and Shraddha Kapoor.

Ileana D'Cruz

Ileana D'Cruz at the 58th Filmfare Awards, January 2013
Born	November 1, 1987 (age 26) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	2006–present
Religion	Roman Catholic

Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1987) is an Indian film actress, who appears in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South for the 2006 Telugu film Devadasu. She has appeared in films like Pokiri (2006), Jalsa (2008), Kick (2009), and Julayi (2012), establishing herself as one of Telugu cinema leading actresses.D'Cruz made her Kollywood debut with Kedi and made a comeback in Shankar's Nanban (2012).In 2012, she made her Bollywood debut with Anurag Basu's critically and commercially successful Barfi!, for which she received critical appreciation and the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut

Early life and education

D'Cruz was born in Mumbai, and was brought up partly in Mumbai and partly in Goa. Her first name comes from Greek mythology, meaning Helen of Troy.Her family relocated to Parra, Goa when she was 10 years old. Her mother tongue is Konkani. She is a Roman Catholic.

During that time, the manager of the hotel her mother was working in, suggested that she has a beautiful face with a vibrant smile and should start modelling and fixed a meeting with Marc Robinson. Though initially reluctant, she was persuaded and her first portfolio was created in January 2003, which she described as a "disaster". She began gaining notice through photo shoots and ramp shows and her second portfolio was set up the following year, which landed her three advertisements from Electrolux, Emami Talc and Fair and Lovely. The latter, in particular, which was directed by Rakesh Roshan, gave her exposure and brought in several offers for acting in feature films.

Career

2005–2007

In 2005, D'Cruz was called for an audition by director Teja, but the project was cancelledShe instead made her feature film debut in the Telugu language romance film Devadasu (2006), directed by Y. V. S. Chowdhary. She underwent acting classes with Aruna Bhikshu, before starting to work on the film. She recalls that during filming she felt "pressured [...] almost cried and didn't want to go further", but went ahead after her mother encouraged her, giving her "the lecture of a lifetime [...] at 3 am." A review from Indiaglitz stated that she "has chiseled features and a figure to die-for."^[14] Devadasu became the year's first major commercial success, eventually grossing around 140 million, whilst earning D'Cruz the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debutant. She next appeared in the gangster film Pokiri in which she portrayed an aerobics teacher, who is harassed by a corrupt police officer.The film was a high financial success, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film at the time.

She made her Tamil-language film debut in Kedi (2006). Although the film did not do so well at the box-office, D'Cruz remained too busy to accept all the film roles offered to her.Her Telugu film Khatarnak (2006) in which she acted opposite Ravi Teja did not do as well as expected, which has been attributed to her glamorous appearance not going down well with the audience. She subsequently experienced a setback in her career as her following releases Rakhi (2006) and Munna (2007) proved critically and financially successful.

2007–2011

D'Cruz's career took a turn for the better^[vague] with the release of her well-received 2007 film Aata. She received favorable reviews for her performance as Satya, a college student who is on the run from the home minister's crooked son by whom she is targeted, when leading a protest and demanding punishment for his crimes.^[21] In 2008, she performed the female lead role in the action film Jalsa, directed by Trivikram Srinivas. D'Cruz received largely positive remarks, with critics citing that she looked "pretty", "damn cool", and "every bit chic and stunning throughout the film", while being later awarded the Santosham Award, one of five awards for Jalsa, and the South Scope Style Award, besides garnering a nomination for the Best Actress prize at the 56th Filmfare Awards South. Her first 2009 release, titled Kick, was likewise declared a box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing films that year.

Later that year she starred in the films Rechipo and Y. V. S. Choudary's Saleem both of which performed poorly at the box office.

D'Cruz had 2 releases in 2011. Her first film that year was Shakti, where she essayed the lead female role. She gave a stage performance for this movie's audio release function along with Jr. NTR, as part as promotion of the film. The socio-fantasy film, the costliest Telugu film ever made at 250,000,000,. Her next release was Nenu Naa Rakshasi, which marked her second collaboration with Puri Jagannadh. Though the film was a failure, her performance was received positively by critics; an Indiaglitz reviewer described her as a "pleasant surprise in the film" as she "cried, smirked, looked hot, grabbed sympathy and made faces that were apt to the scenes",while cinegoer's reviewer cited that the film had "one bright spot, Ileana, she looks stunning and also like an accomplished senior to the hero."Despite her recent failures, D'Cruz continued to be the highest paid actress in South India.

2012–present

In early 2012, she starred in the Kollywood film Nanban, a remake of the 2009 Hindi film 3 Idiots directed by S. Shankar. The film opened to critical acclaim and became a major financial success. Her next release was the Telugu film Julai. The film opened to positive reviews and became the third biggest hit in 2012 and biggest hit in Telugu. She then starred in Puri Jagannadh's comedy Devudu Chesina Manushulu. In this film she played the role of a taxi driver. The film received mixed reviews and eventually under-performed at the box office.

D'Cruz made her Hindi debut with Anurag Basu's Barfi! In addition to playing the role of the narrator, she portrayed the character of Shruti Ghosh, a girl who leaves her true love for material comforts. The movie released on 14 September 2012, to highly positive reviews from critics, and was a major commercial success, earning 1.75 billion (US$29 million) worldwide. D'Cruz's performance was well received, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, as well as a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Rachit Gupta from Filmfare said "This is Ileana’s first film but her fantastic performance is just a testament why the Telugu audience consider her a superstar. Of course it also helps that she is the most visually appealing in Barfi! out shining even the scenic hills of Darjeeling". Rajeev Masand stated "Ileana leaves a lasting impression in her Hindi film debut, conveying both love and pain through those beautiful, expressive eyes". The film was screened at the Busan International Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 85th Academy Awards.

She next appeared in the Rajkumar Santoshi action comedy film Phata Poster Nikhla Hero opposite Shahid Kapoor. The film released on September 20, 2013 to mixed reviews, and the film was eventually declared a flop at the box office. However, D'Cruz received mixed to positive reviews for her performance, with the Times of India saying that she was "good with emotions but not so tuned into comedy yet."

Her other projects includes Main Tera Hero, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures Happy Ending and a project with Nikhil Advani.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Language	Notes
2006	Devadasu	Bhanu	Telugu
2006	Pokiri	Shruti	Telugu
2006	Kedi	Aarthi	Tamil
2006	Khatarnak	Nakshatra	Telugu
2006	Rakhi	Tripura	Telugu
2007	Munna	Nidhi	Telugu
2007	Aata	Sathya	Telugu
2008	Jalsa	Bhagyamathi	Telugu
2008	Bhale Dongalu	Jyothi	Telugu
2009	Kick	Naina	Telugu
2009	Rechipo	Krishna Veni	Telugu
2009	Saleem	Satyavathi	Telugu
2010	Huduga Hudugi	Herself	Kannada	Cameo appearance
2011	Shakti	Aishwarya	Telugu
2011	Nenu Naa Rakshasi	Meenakshi, Shravya	Telugu
2012	Nanban	Ria	Tamil
2012	Julai	Madhu	Telugu
2012	Devudu Chesina Manushulu	Ileana	Telugu
2012	Barfi!	Shruti Ghosh/Sengupta	Hindi
2013	Phata Poster Nikla Hero	Kajal	Hindi
2014	Main Tera Hero	Sunaina	Hindi
2014	Happy Ending	TBA	Hindi	Filming

Awards and nominations

Year	Film	Award	Category	Result
2007	Devadasu	Filmfare Awards South	Best Female Debut	Won
2009	Jalsa	Filmfare Awards South	Best Actress (Telugu)	Nominated
		Santosham Film Awards	Best Actress	Won
		South Scope Style Awards	Best Actress	Won
2010	Kick	Filmfare Awards South	Best Actress (Telugu)	Nominated
2012	Nanban	Vijay Awards	Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine	Nominated
	Barfi!	Vogue Beauty Awards	Fresh Face	Won
		BIG Star Entertainment Awards	Most Entertaining Actor (Film) Debut – Female	Nominated
		ETC Bollywood Business Awards	Most Profitable Debut (Female)	Won
2013		Filmfare Awards	Best Female Debut	Won
			Best Supporting Actress	Nominated
		Screen Awards	Most Promising Newcomer – Female	Won
			Best Supporting Actress	Nominated
		Zee Cine Awards	Best Female Debut	Won
		Stardust Awards	Superstar of Tomorrow – Female	Nominated
		Star Guild Awards	Best Female Debut	Won
		Times of India Film Awards	Best Debut – Female	Won
			Best Supporting Actress	Nominated

Iyshwarya Rajesh

Other names	Aishwarya Rajesh
Occupation	Film actress
Years active	2011 – present

Iyshwarya Rajesh is a Tamil film actress, who has appeared in leading roles. After winning the reality show Maanada Mayilada, she made her debut in Avargalum Ivargalum (2011) and became known after starring in Attakathi (2012) portraying the role of Amudha.

Career

Iyshwarya's father Rajesh was an actor who had appeared in 50 films in Telugu. Her grandfather Amarnath too acted in lead roles, while her aunt Srilakshmi, is a Telugu comedy actor with over 500 films to her credit.

She studied at Ethiraj College for Women and graduated with a B.Com degree.She started to learn dance since she needed to choreograph a stage show for a student cultural fest and later entered the reality show Maanada Mayilada on Kalaignar TV. She won the show's third season and got offered roles in films thereafter

Iyshwarya made her debut in the 2011 film Avargalum Ivargalum, playing one of the lead roles,which was followed by minor roles in S. A. Chandrasekhar's Sattapadi Kutram and Vilayada Vaa.She appeared in the 2012 cult film, Attakathi, portraying the character of Amudha. She also acted in the film Aachariyangal and Puthagam, in which she was paired opposite Sanjay Bharathi.

In 2014, she was seen alongside Vijay Sethupathi in two films, Rummy, and Pannaiyarum Padminiyum, released within two weeks. While the first film was a village drama set in the 1980s, the latter was based on a short film of the same name, and revolved around an old man and his vintage car Premier Padmini.Critics praised her performances, especially in Rummy.Hindustan Times wrote that she was "extremely promising" while film critic Baradwaj Rangan noted that she was "expressive", calling her "a tonic for nerves frayed by the alabaster automatons we usually get as heroines".Her upcoming films include Thirudan Police and Seenu Ramasamy's Idam Porul Eval.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2011	Avargalum Ivargalum	Shweta
2011	Sattapadi Kutram	Sumathi
2012	Vilayada Vaa	Anu
2012	Attakathi	Amudha
2012	Aachariyangal	Anu
2013	Puthagam	Thara
2014	Rummy	Sorna
2014	Pannaiyarum Padminiyum	Malarvizhi
2014	Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam	Herself	Cameo appearance
2014	Thirudan Police		Post-production
2014	Kaaka Muttai		Filming
2014	Idam Porul Eval		Filming