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Los Angeles, Aug 13 (IANS) British filmmaker Danny Boyle, who made it big with “Slumdog Millionaire”, unveiled the first look of his next film “127 hours”, a hair- raising action drama starring James Franco. He says his film will be “obsessive”.

The film tells the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s (Franco) remarkable adventure to save himself after a boulder crashes on to his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.

Over the next five days Ralston examines his life and survives the elements to finally discover he has the courage and the wherewithal to extricate himself by any means necessary, scale a 65-foot wall and hike over eight miles before he is finally rescued.

“This movie is going to be obsessive, and it will be for obsessives. You will want him to cut off his arm by the end,” Boyle said in a press statement.

Slated for Nov 5 release, the film also stars French actress Clemence Poesy, actress Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara.

After “Slumdog Millionaire”, Boyle has once again teamed up with Fox Searchlight Pictures, producer Christian Colson and writer Simon Beaufoy for the action drama.

London, August 04 (ANI): British actor Dev Patel has revealed that he and his ladylove Freida Pinto are not getting married any time soon.

Patel also said that their wedding talk got so intense that he even had his mum on the phone asking whether it was true.

‘It is weird now because every day when I am filming I get a call from Mum. And she says, ‘so I hear you are getting engaged now,” the Sun quoted him as saying.

‘And we always laugh about things. The last rumour I heard was that me and Freida were looking for a wedding cake in LA.

‘And we were going to fly it down to India to have our wedding there,’ he added.

Dev who fell for Freida, 25, while the making of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ says that they kept their feelings under wraps as he did not want their relationship to look like some kind of publicity stunt.

‘It was about the film at that time and we weren’t going to come out as some kind of product,” he said.

‘We weren’t doing it for marketing. If we could we would probably have kept it under wraps.

‘But there comes a point when you get more attention from ‘are they aren’t they?’ So we figured that ‘all right everyone knows now’.

‘Once we did come out the attention died down and that is great,’ he added. (ANI)

Kolkata, Aug 1 (IANS) Uruguayan Diego Forlan, who bagged the golden ball as the best player of the football World Cup 2010, may not have seen many Indian films but there is one Bollyood actor he knows by face – Anil Kapoor.

“I have seen ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. I saw the host of the quiz show in that movie. Here (In India) this morning on television also I have seen him,” said Forlan while being interviewed by Bengali entertainment channel Mahuaa Bangla.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is an English film directed by Danny Boyle with almost the entire star cast comprising Indians. The film was set and filmed in India. The film tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on a quiz show hosted by Anil Kapoor.

Forlan arrived in the city Friday on a three-day tour to take part in a soccer reality show organised by the Mahuaa Bangla channel.

Replying to another query, Forlan said he was very close to his parents and brother.

Asked whom he would take with him if he was to go and play football at the North Pole, Forlan replied: “My brother”.

London, Aug 1 (ANI): British Indian actor Dev Patel’s new film ‘The Last Airbender’ has sparked a race row – after film bosses changed all the heroes into white people and cast Asians as villains.

The new flick is based on a hit kids’ cartoon series set in a fantasy world from Chinese and Inuit legends.

The cartoon has three Asian heroes – Aang, Katara and Sokka. However, in the film they are played by white Americans – including two unkown child actors and Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone, 25.

On the other hand, all the villains remain Asian, played by dark-skinned actors, reports News of the World.

The ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star plays evil Prince Zuko in the movie, which opens here on August 13.

The cartoon’s co-creator has already slammed the ‘whitewashing’ on his MySpace page after being deluged with messages from angry fans.

He wrote: ‘I have nothing to do with the casting whatsoever for the feature film.’

Over 100 protesters picketed the premiere in Hollywood last month, dubbing it The Last Racebender.

The movie has already recouped its 96-million-pound budget in the US, but it has been universally slammed by critics. (ANI)

By Robin Bansal

New Delhi, July 28 (IANS) One of Taiwan’s most celebrated producers, Hsu Li-Kong, wants to make “a Bollywood-type” movie. And he finds India a rich source of themes, be it the stories behind its many gods or its “tiffin culture”.

“I do hope I’ll make a Bollywood type of movie. That is one of the main aims; I have come to India this time so that I get to know what Bollywood movies are like,” Li-Kong told IANS in an interview through an interpreter.

“I am here on a survey and collecting some preliminary information. I do want to make such a movie but I don’t have any idea in my mind right now. But I would like to cast some Bollywood stars in my movie, especially the cast of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’,” he added.

Is he referring to Dev Patel and Freida Pinto who shot to fame with Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning drama?

“Yes, I’d like to cast them, but I’ll have to wait for the right script. Then only I’ll know what kind of actors I want and their characteristics. And I am sure you can find all kinds of actors in India,” said the 65-year-old.

“It will tentatively come on board after a year.”

He was on a five-day visit to the country and was the guest of honour at a retrospective of Taiwanese-American filmmaker Ang Lee’s films.

So are Bollywood musicals well-known back home?

“Obviously everyone is aware of Bollywood like Hollywood. The fact that Bollywood movies are an integral part of every Indian is a well-known fact there.

“But there are not many chances to see a Bollywood movie. These don’t come out in many theatres and are very rare. The main reason for that is the Hollywood market there is too strong. Even European movies suffer the same fate. The best way to watch Bollywood movies, however, is through international film festivals where all nations get a chance to showcase their movies,” he said.

So what fodder has he collected from his India visit?

“I found so many things interesting here like gods. There are so many gods here. There must be some story behind each and every god. That could be an interesting topic for a movie,” he said.

“Then the tiffin culture in India is very interesting. I see people carrying tiffins every time. You can easily buy a sandwich or something for lunch, but why would someone carry a tiffin? Is it just because they like to eat hot food?

“There must be some very touching story behind it within the family… may be about the wife and the husband or the mother and the son. That is something which could be very exciting to work on,” added the veteran.

Li-Kong is all praise for Ang Lee. Known for giving the latter a break in showbiz, Li-Kong produced four of Lee’s successful outings – “Pushing Hands” (1992), “The Wedding Banquet” (1993), “Eat Drink Man Woman” (1994) and “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” (2000).

The producer is now looking forward to teaming up with the Academy award winner again.

“Every year we meet to discuss projects; so it is an ongoing idea. Another film together is possible. In fact, after the success of ‘Crouching Tiger…’, Ang Lee and I had a plan to make a prequel but he didn’t want to make the same type of movie again,” said Li-Kong.

“He wanted to explore and do something very different. Even though we completed the script for the prequel, we decided to stall it and keep a more creative and innovative movie in line.

“Ang Lee is a man of innovation. He wants to do something special again which is a mental drama something like you have in Hollywood. I do hope this relationship continues in the future,” he added.

The three-day “Retrospective of Ang Lee’s Films” last week was organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals in association with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre.

Li-Kong’s future projects include a sequel to “Eat Drink Man Woman”.

(Robin Bansal can be contacted at robin.b@ians.in)

London, July 27 (ANI): Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor, who rose to international fame with the success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, has confessed that he’s now tired of his link to the movie.

The Indian actor, who played the role of game show host Prem Kumar in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning movie in 2008, admitted he still fields questions about the box office hit two years later.

And now Kapoor is desperate to ‘move on’ from the role, which introduced him to international audiences.

‘It was such a long time (ago). Very nostalgic, but I want to get over it. I want to forget about it but people won’t let me forget about it. I just want to move on. Please, let’s move on. I’d been in 100, more than 100 films, (before Slumdog),’ the Daily Express quoted him as telling GMTV. (ANI)

London, July 26 (IANS) Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor says he is tired of his link to Oscar winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” and wants to move on.

The 50-year-old star played game show host Prem Kumar in Danny Boyle’s 2008 movie.

In an interview to Britain’s GMTV, Anil urged his fans and friends to stop asking him about his “Slumdog…” success, reports contactmusic.com.

“It was such a long time (ago). Very nostalgic, but I want to get over it. I want to forget about it but people won’t let me forget about it. I just want to move on. Please, let’s move on. I’d been in 100, more than 100 films, (before Slumdog),” he said.

By Radhika Bhirani

New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) ‘Mr. India’ Anil Kapoor, at 50, is possibly the only actor who has film offers pouring in almost every day after 67-year-old mega star Amitabh Bachchan. He sees no competition from younger stars, and feels it is an injustice to compare him with Big B.

“Don’t compare me with Amitabh Bachchan, please. He is a once in a lifetime legend that Bollywood has got and it would be an injustice to put me on the same pedestal. I am really not trying to be modest. But it’s just the love for my work that keeps me going,” Anil told IANS in an interview.

Most of Anil’s contemporaries like Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Govinda and Sunny Deol are of course seen on the big screen. But Anil’s consistency in his over-three-decade career has remained unmatched and the others have not managed to step into the Hollywood space like him.

“I love acting. Money has never excited me to a certain extent. I have been lucky. The gods have been smiling on me. It’s not just hardwork, dedication or box office success… it’s a combination of all these that has contributed to my success. I’m fortunate that I’m still around,” he said.

The actor-producer, who has became popular across the shores after Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” where he played a game show host and the American TV series “24″, says he is lucky he has never been out of work since his debut in 1979 with a bit role in “Hamare Tumhare”.

“Over the last 30 years there never has been a single year when I didn’t have job opportunities. I have always decided what I want to do. The choice of films has always been mine. I pray to god that this remains all my life… that I work so hard that only I decide when to hang my boots, rather than people telling me ‘We have had enough of you’,” said Anil.

And why not? Except for a bit of his receding hairline, the actor looks as young and dashing as ever. Dressed in a shirt and grey-coloured waistcoat and a spiked hairdo, he looks extremely fit.

He is awaiting the release of his home production “Aisha”, the production hassles of which have been taken care of by his younger daughter Rhea, while elder daughter Sonam plays a title role in it.

“The film is really by the young, for the young. I am very happy the way it has shaped up. All credit to the young team,” said Anil while chatting with this IANS correspondent over a breakfast of omelette and toast at a five star hotel here.

He was here to promote “Aisha” at the Pearl’s Infrastructure Delhi Couture Week.

Anil’s earlier production ventures – “Badhai Ho Badhai”, “My Wife’s Murder”, “Gandhi, My Father” and “Shortkut-The Con Is On” – didn’t manage much success at the box office, but he is quite confident that Rhea’s efforts will pay off when “Aisha” releases Aug 6.

He is planning to let Rhea take over the mantle of producing films under his banner, Anil Kapoor Film Company.

“Now I feel I can seriously think of producing films regularly because I have a great support system (in the form of Rhea). I am geared to do one or two films a year as a producer,” he said.

Handing over production tensions to Rhea would also mean more time for him to act. So what’s in the pipeline now?

“If I had my way, I won’t do films at all. But whenever I feel my bank balance is dwindling a bit, I do one film. If I want to help someone or I need money to bail out someone… my wife says do one film,” he said in a jocular tone.

His hands are full with sequels right now.

“I am doing ‘No Problem’, it is a fun film with Anees Bazmee. Then I am doing ‘Race 2′, ‘No Entry 2′ and probably ‘Mr. India 2′ – all sequels!”

And international projects?

“I’m in talks with Sophia Loren’s son and hopefully there are things working out with Ben Stiller also, and Fox Television. But these are all in the pipeline. Once they are completely materialised , then I would love to talk about it. But really… my whole life has changed after ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.”

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)

London, July 18 (IANS) British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A has refused to have a quick wedding to mend her immigration woes in America.

The “Slumdog Millionaire” hip-hop star has previously been locked out of her adopted country America over visa issues, brought about by controversial comments she has made about conflict in her parents’ native Sri Lanka and her father’s alleged links to terrorist group the Tamil Tigers.

But now back in New York she has been advised not to leave until the immigration problems are solved, reports contactmusic.com.

And she’s not taking the easy route to get a green card by planning a wedding to Bronfman, the father of her 16-month-old son Ikhyd.

“That’s what they want me to do, but I’m not going to lose my integrity. I actually want a nice wedding. I’m not going to blow that. If they’re gonna kick me out, it’s going to be a fight, it’s an important fight to have,” she said.

In the meantime, M.I.A., real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, insists immigration officials are mistaken about her father.

“He negotiated peace processes, brought in the new army, and when he goes to Sri Lanka, the government gives him security against the Tigers,” she said.

By Ruchika Kher

Mumbai, July 13 (IANS) There’s a huge market abroad that is open to Indian films and it’s not just non-resident Indians (NRIs), says Anurag Kashyap whose production “Udaan” was screened at the Cannes film festival.

He also dismisses speculation that he has always wanted only Aamir Khan in his next directorial venture.

“Cannes was a big learning experience for me. After going there, I realised that the film market is so huge. I also realised that we should not think that only the NRI audience will see our films abroad that we make our films accordingly. There are many other markets out there that are open to Indian films,” Kashyap told IANS in an interview.

Kashyap’s “Udaan” was shown in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, it is the coming-of-age story of a teenaged boy who returns to his hometown of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, after being left at a boarding school for eight years by his father.

Starring Ronit Roy and Rajat Barmecha in the main leads, “Udaan” is slated to hit the Indian screens July 16.

When asked why he decided to produce it, Kashyap said: “I loved the script a lot. I had told Vikram if no one produces it, you come to me, I will do so.

I finally did it.”

So now when he has tried both – direction and production – what does he enjoy more? “Any day direction. That’s my passion. In fact, if I had a chance, I would have directed ‘Udaan’ too, but Vikram didn’t leave the film,” he said.

Anurag started his career as a screenwriter and then wielded the megaphone for the hard-hitting drama “Black Friday” (2004) and the thriller “No Smoking” (2007).

But it was with the critically and commercially acclaimed “Dev D” (2009) that he got his due in the industry. The Abhay Deol-starrer turned out to be a big draw at the box office.

There has been much speculation about “Bombay Velvet”, to be directed by Kashyap and produced by Danny Boyle. It was reported that Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir were being considered for the film, but the former was not approached after he refused a role in Boyle’s Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire”.

However, Kashyap has a different story to tell.

“Danny and I had only thought about Aamir for the role and no one else. We have not done the narration yet but I’m hoping that Aamir will like the film and will say yes. No one else was being approached for the film,” the director clarified.

Kashyap, who had to struggle a lot to find a firm foothold in showbiz, wants to produce films and provide opportunities for budding talents.

“I would like to give new talent a chance to showcase their skills. I know how difficult it is to enter and then survive in this industry. I struggled for 17 years and then finally got recognition. So I want to help others,” he said.

As far as his future projects are concerned, Kashyap is making a gangster movie set in Bihar. He has already finished “That Girl In Yellow Boots”. Starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah, the film will release by the end of this year.

As a producer, he has his plate full with Sachin Kundalkar’s debut Hindi film, Rahi Anil Barve’s “Tumbaad” and Motwane’s next.

(Ruchika Kher can be contacted at ruchika.k@ians.in)

By Gurmukh Singh

Toronto, July 6 (IANS) Queen Elizabeth II, who is on a nine-day visit to Canada, visited the Pinewood Toronto Studios where she heard the tune of the hit song “Jai Ho” from the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The Queen heard the “Jai Ho” tune Monday while watching the filming of a three-minute film called “1812″, in which a group of dancers in formal British Empire dress begin a formal dance from the 19th century before abruptly breaking into a Bollywood number.

Indo-Canadian Deepa Mehta directed the short film, staged for the Queen who called her trip to the studio, the country’s biggest, “fantastic”. During her action-packed visit to the city, the Queen and her consort Prince Philip also visited the facilities of BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion at Waterloo near Toronto.

Flaunting the royal connection of BlackBerry which employs 14,000 worldwide, David Yach, BlackBerry’s chief technology officer, said, “The Royal Family uses BlackBerry. It’s a testament to our global reach.

“Prince Andrew is the unofficial CIO of the palace. They all know about BlackBerries. We’re very proud that the Queen has chosen to come and visit us here in Waterloo.”

But according to the media, the royal couple was indifferent when the Queen was presented a new white 9700 BlackBerry.

“She appeared indifferent. She held it gingerly in one white glove, and then quickly handed it to an aide. She lives more in the world of the tactile: of hats, pearls, nosegays, cheers and song,” said a report.

The Queen, who is also the sovereign of Canada and is on her 22nd trip to this country since 1957, and Prince Philip had a taste of Toronto’s rare blackout also when the lights went off at Royal York Hotel while Prince Philip was presenting the Duke of Edinburgh Awards to young people. But emergency lights saved the situation.

The power outage also delayed a black-tie state dinner for the royal couple at the hotel Monday night after which she leaves for New York to address the UN General Assembly as the head of the Commonwealth.

(Gurmukh Singh can be contacted at gurmukh.s@ians.in)

By Dibyojyoti Baksi

Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Actor-filmmaker Anil Kapoor is happy to see that women are finally getting their due in male-dominated Bollywood. And one girl in particular is making him proud – younger daughter Rhea who has just wrapped up her maiden production venture “Aisha”.

“I have always believed in different qualities between men and women; I have always found women superior to men. I am not saying it for the sake of it. If you see, my children have grown up so well, that’s because of their mother and because of me,” Anil, 49, told IANS in an interview.

Anil, who tied the knot in 1984, has two daughters Sonam and Rhea and also a son, Harsh.

“The way girls are coming up, taking charge, holding situations, calling the shots… just at the age of 23, Rhea made the whole film. I am very happy, not only for Sonam and Rhea, I feel happy for all girls,” he said.

His elder daughter Sonam decided to grace the silver screen and made her debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya” in 2007. After that she was seen in “Delhi 6″ and just released “I Hate Luv Storys”.

Rhea, who worked as an assistant on the movie “Wake Up Sid”, decided to remain behind the camera as a producer. Her “Aisha” is based on the British novel “Emma” by Jane Austen and stars Sonam and Abhay Deol in the lead roles.

Anil, who has been in showbiz for three decades, says: “What I like the most is to see how times have changed. Years ago, in the film industry and show business, there used to be only men. I used to feel bad about why girls were not treated equally. Now things have changed all over the world, specially in India.”

Anil rarely ventures into production because he is more passionate about acting.

“I feel I am more an actor and I love acting. I do produce, if I like the script like ‘Gandhi My Father’. Otherwise I am more passionate about acting and Rhea is more passionate about producing. In future also Rhea would be producing the film and I will be there to sign the checks, nothing else,” said Anil.

He is approaching 50, but the actor has managed to maintain his youthful looks and enthusisam since his first hit, “Woh Saat Din”. He went on to star in blockbusters like “Tezaab” (1988), “Ram Lakhan” (1989), “Beta” (1992), “1942: A Love Story” (1993), “Virasat” (1997), “Nayak: The Real Hero” (2001) and even the Oscar winning “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008).

Asked about the secret behind his enduring youthfulness, he said: “There are three four things. First, you should be mentally happy. When you have a good family, you are happy with them, you don’t need to indulge in drinking and smoking.

“I do everything, but within limits. I also exercise five to six days a week and control my eating habits.”

From a simpleton to a rowdy, from a mentally challenged man to a lover boy – the versatile actor has done various roles and worked in almost every genre, but he still thinks a lot of spheres are untouched.

“You might think that I have done many roles, but many roles are still left out.”

After British director Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, he is doing an American TV series “24″ and looking forward to quite a few international projects.

“Internationally, I have just started my career. There are certain things I am looking at but has not pinpointed which one to take,” said Anil.

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at dibyojyoti.b@ians.in)

By Ruchika Kher

Mumbai, July 5 (IANS) Oscar-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman says contrary to reports, he will not be collaborating with U&B star Usher and pop singer Dido for his next album, but for a different project.

“I will be collaborating with Usher and Dido, but it is not for my next album as everyone is saying. It is for some other project, the details of which I can’t reveal yet,” Rahman told IANS in a telephonic interview from London.

“I’m concentrating on my world tour right now, and my work on the collaboration will start after it is over,” added the composer who is rehearsing for his European performances in London.

Rahman, who has worked with music giants like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls, and over 60 international musicians including Quincy Jones and Lionel Ritchie in a charity single, is touring the US and Europe as part of his “Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour” concert.

The 44-year-old has already covered many places in the US, including New York, New Jersey, Washington DC and Chicago among others. The next leg of the tour will be in Britain and different European countries.

Rahman, who shone on the global arena with his work in “Slumdog Millionaire” that fetched him double Oscars, says he has put his Hollywood ventures on hold for the time being.

“I did get offers from a number of directors in Hollywood, but right now I’m not taking anything because I don’t have the time due to my world tour. So I have postponed that for some time.”

Rahman, who cancelled the North American leg of his “Jai Ho” concert after a lighting rig collapsed in Detroit before the show, is rehearsing for his next tour, which includes concerts in Zurich, Paris, Amsterdam and then London.

One of the most downloaded composers in Britain, Rahman will perform July 23 at LG Arena in Birmingham, to be followed by shows in the two biggest arenas in London – O2 and Wembley on July 24 and July 25 respectively.

Victory Entertainments is promoting his concerts in Britain.

Apart from the Oscars, the ace composer, also known as the “Mozart of Madras”, has won a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe and two Grammy Awards.

Asked what makes him a global celebrity, Rahman said: “Well it’s tough for me to tell you what it is. I think it’s just about the timing. First, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ happened, then all the awards followed and then one thing led to another.”

Before making it big in the global arena, Rahman infused freshness in Indian film music with his amazingly good compositions in “Roja”, “Bombay”, “Rangeela”, “Lagaan” and “Jodhaa Akbar” and his work was appreciated with four National Film Awards.

Back home he has two projects to look forward to – Pawan Kalyan-starrer Telugu film “Puli” and director Shankar’s forthcoming Tamil science-fiction “Endhiran” that has Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles.

When asked how he manages everything – from Hindi to regional to international projects, the maestro said: “It is not such a problem managing everything. It goes on simultaneously. Also, I have a very hardworking team, which is always there to help me.”

It’s not just Rahman who has a musical mind in his family; son Amin is also showing signs of his father’s talent. The six-year-old sang a song in the Hollywood film, “Couples Retreat”.

So will Rahman encourage his son to get into the industry?

“Right now, we can’t say anything. He is too young. It all depends, when he grows up,” said the ace composer.

(Ruchika Kher can be contacted at ruchika.k@ians.in)

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) Ace Bollywood actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan must make a film on first US president George Washington and win an Oscar for it, says veteran Indian singer Asha Bhosle.

“Since Englishmen can make Oscar (winning) films like ‘Gandhi’ and ‘Slumdog (Millionaire)’, Aamir Khan should make a film on George Washington and win the Oscar finally,” said Bhosle.

Earlier, Aamir attended the Oscar ceremony along with filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker in 2002 when their film “Lagaan” was nominated for the best foreign language film. However, it lost to “No Man’s Land” from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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I hate people who love sports: RGV

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma doesn’t just detest romantic dramas, he hates sports too and even those who like to watch sports.

“If there’s one thing I hate more than sports it’s the people who love sports. Hatred could be because I got severely injured while playing cricket at the age of 12 and ever since I stayed away. Only thing I ever liked playing was ‘I spy’,” Varma posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

With the FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon in full swing, everyone seems to be talking of sports. But Varma seems to be vary of it.

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Manish Malhotra on a high after “I Hate Love Storys”‘

Bollywood’s favourite fashion designer is on a high after working on his nephew Punit Malhotra’s directorial debut “I Hate Love Storys” (IHLS), which is receiving positive reviews after its release Friday.

“‘IHLS’ has made me feel very young – working on it and after seeing the film… On a high at the overwhelming response to ‘IHLS’… Yash Chopra-ji called to say he loved ‘IHLS’: Imran, Sonam, Punit and my work,” Malhotra posted on Twitter.

The designer, who has designed Sonam’s stylish look for the film, is fed up of clarifying that the film’s director is not his brother. But says he loves the comment.

“Punit is not my brother, he is my nephew but (I) love it when people say we look like brothers,” he added.

He is now working on Aishwarya’s look for Tamil film “Robot”. Next on his stress platter is the Delhi Couture Week, starting July 20. He will be opening the first of its kind event in the capital.

London, July 2 (ANI): ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Dev Patel has dismissed rumours that he has secretly proposed to girlfriend Freida Pinto.

The stars of the Academy Award-winning movie grew close during the shoot and confirmed their relationship last year.

In May, the couple sparked gossip they were preparing to get married when they were spotted in a bakery looking at wedding cakes.

But Patel is resolute they aren’t planning their big day and found clarifying after his mother read the rumours online.

‘I was like, ‘Mum, I didn’t (get engaged) – trust me.’ Nothing’s happened. Everything is fine. I’m just shooting a film,’ the Daily Star quoted Patel as telling People.com.

‘My mum will go to work and (have to) explain to everyone why they have written that her son is going to get engaged and got a wedding ring, and how it’s all not true,’ he added. (ANI)

New York, July 1 (IANS) “Slumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel, who is an amateur martial artist, says he drew inspiration from Chinese martial arts icon and film actor Bruce Lee.

“As a kid, I would sneak downstairs while my dad’s watching ‘Enter The Dragon’ really late and I’d watch Bruce Lee and he just exuded this energy. I was like ‘wow, he’s just a superstar, he’s just so different and just a breath of fresh air.’ And I started doing martial arts because of that,” cbsnews.com quoted Patel as saying.

The 20-year-old, who is playing Prince Zuko in action-adventurer movie “The Last Airbender”, admits that he feels the pressure after the success of his Oscar winning debut movie “Slumdog Millionaire”.

“People see me as a veteran already and it’s my second project. You have this unbelievable pressure coming off of a film like that, but at the same time, obviously it’s a blessing doing a film like that, and I wouldn’t have asked for anything different,” he said.

Washington, July 1 (ANI): ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Dev Patel, who is an amateur martial artist, has revealed that he drew inspiration for the craft through film stars of his childhood days, most notably Chinese martial arts icon and film actor Bruce Lee.

‘As a kid, I would sneak downstairs while my dad’s watching ‘Enter The Dragon’ really late and I’d watch Bruce Lee and he just exuded this energy,’ CBS News quoted him as saying.

‘I was like ‘wow, he’s just a superstar, he’s just so different and just a breath of fresh air.’ And I started doing martial arts because of that,’ he added.

The 20-year-old actor is playing the role of Prince Zuko in his new action-adventure fantasy film ‘The Last Airbender.’ (ANI)

Los Angeles, June 23 (IANS) “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto has been approached to star opposite James Franco in the prequel of “Planet of the Apes”.

Variety.com reports that in “Rise of the Apes” Pinto will play Caroline, a primatologist. Franco will be seen as a scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes.

Set in present day San Francisco, the film deals with the aftermath of man’s experiments with genetic engineering that lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

“Rise of the Apes” will be directed by Rupert Wyatt and will go on floors next month. The makers are planning to release it June 24, 2011.

London, May 23 (IANS) Dance reality show “Britain’s Got Talent” got a taste of Bollywood as a dance group shook a leg to the tunes of “Jai ho” from multiple Oscar-winner “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Energetic dance troupe ThreeBee blew the judges away with their colourful performance to hit Indian tune and choreographer Shweta Agarwall admits the film’s success inspired the group who have been together for six years to enter the show, reports thesun.co.uk.

“Bollywood has just grown, it felt like the right time,” she said.

London, May 22 (ANI): An Indian kid from the slums has earned himself the name ‘Scrumdog millionaire’ after he won a 40,000 pounds rugby scholarship at a top British academy.

Sailen Tudu, 20, who is a talented full-back, first set eyes on a rugby ball five years ago.

And when former British diplomat Paul Walsh spotted him playing barefoot with slum kids – he flew him to the UK to meet rugby star Phil Vickery.

The ex-England captain, 34, was so impressed with Tudu’s skills that he helped him land a place at posh Hartpury College, Gloucs, to study for a diploma in sport.

Tudu has now been dubbed Scrumdog Millionaire – after the Slumdog movie about a street kid who wins a game show.

“I’m so lucky,” the Sun quoted Tudu, who is tipped for a pro career and has been capped for India already, as saying.

His astonishing journey began when his family moved from a mud hut in the village of Bhengam to Calcutta in 2005 and he started playing on a patch of wasteland.

“Everyone in the village is so proud,” his dad Sudhir Chandra, 65, said.

Vickery added: “His story takes you back to the game’s roots. It’s fantastic.” (ANI)