It seems to be the season of social awakening with Aamir Khan's 'Satyamev Jayate' being debated vociferously throughout the country. On the other hand, another gentleman of repute from the industry, Shekhar Ravjiani, arguably one of the biggest names in Bollywood is quietly and tirelessly working towards a cause that he believes in. Ravjiani has been carrying out his social responsibilities in the way he knows best, by creating wonderful music. The music in question being his recently released Marathi single 'Saazni' composed and sung by him, proceeds of which will be given to Maniketan, a NGO that looks after the well being of underprivileged girls.

'Saazni' roots from Shekhar's childhood interaction with farmers during his stay in rural Nashik. Most of Bollywood have come out in full support of Shekhar's efforts with several of them taking to micro blogging sites to show their appreciation. However, Shekhar has found a rather special supporter from outside the industry in the form of politician Raj Thackeray. When Mr. Thackeray was informed about Shekhar's efforts during a recent meet, he lauded his commitment to the cause and also extended his pledged support in every way possible to him. Here's hoping others in place of high repute take cue from these gentlemen and lend a helping hand to a cause that is in need.

After the by now (in)famous Shah Rukh Khan - MCA spat, Shiv Sena, in its mouthpiece 'Saamna', lashed out at the actor by saying he should have been handed a life ban by the MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association).

It also stated that 'Shah Rukh Khan has been insulted several times by the security at American airports but we didn't see him lose his cool there. The rich make their own law in this country, which is why he shoved around a security guard.'

In addition to that, it added, 'Saif received a Padma for indulging in a brawl in a hotel. Now Shah Rukh Khan will at least be made a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha... He was supposed to be handed a life ban from the MCA but now it's only for 5 years. If pressure comes from Delhi, it will be further reduced to 5 minutes. Shah Rukh Khan should stay away from such brawls and stop abusing people. He should not try and make a 'My Name Is Khan' out of the episode at Wankhede'.

Readers maybe aware that SRK was at the receiving end of the Shiv Sena even in the past, for his criticism of yoga guru Baba Ramdev's proposed hunger strike against corruption, also when he threw a lavish party at his residence when Mumbai was mourning the loss of lives in the triple bomb blasts that rocked the city last year and also when SRK lent his support in the inclusion of Pakistani cricket players in the IPL - India's Premier Cricket League.

The Rajya Sabha (RS) yesterday passed the much talked about bill amending Copyright laws in the country. Some of the core points reflected in the Copyright Amendment Bill include the right of author and music composer, right to the visually impaired, extending compulsory regime to unpublished work and imposition of punitive actions. For a while now, noted lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar had been fighting for the rights of writers, lyricists, singers and composers so that these artistes get a fair share in revenue in the form of royalties from music companies and production houses. The bill got passed with support from RS member Jaya Bachchan, BJP's Arun Jaitley, Congress's Kapil Sibal and Left members.

While the singers, composers and lyricists seem to be rejoicing at the new amendments, the music companies are not too happy with the amendments made in the copyright bill. Lot of the music companies feel that they have got a raw deal with respect to royalty as well as statutory licensing. Speaking about this Neeraj Kalyan, President of T-Series, said, "The amendment in the copyright act could have been a welcome step if the filmmaker's representations were heard. It seems obvious here that most of the arguments of filmmakers have not been considered and dealt with. The filmmakers have not objected to the rightful share of the authors at all. We are in fact, committed to work out a win-win model for the authors, ensuring that their work is protected and monetized so that the authors receive royalties during the entire life span of the rights but it is extremely unfortunate that with the process followed for amending of the existing copyright bill, the film producers are feeling marginalized."

One of the main complaints of the music companies has been with amendments made in Section 31D which deals with statutory licensing for broadcasting of literary works, musical works and sound recordings. While, the amendments on one side is ensuring royalties for the authors but on the other side the bill is restricting revenues for filmmakers and authors by imposing Statutory Licensing to the broadcasting sector which companies feel is unfair. Shedding light on this grave issue, Neeraj Kalyan said, "This regulation imposed in the proposed amendment bill will take away the freedom of the content owner's to trade. It means that the content owners will have no option then to license music rights to the broadcasters. Till recently, the statutory licensing was limited to the Government owned networks (namely AIR & Doordarshan), however, post these changes, even the private broadcasting networks are treated on par with the Government owned networks. Unlike the past, the Broadcasting sector in India now is owned, managed and controlled by large media conglomerates with cross holdings by profit making bodies wanting to enlarge their profits at the cost of survival of authors, composers, producers and music labels. The broadcasters may therefore exploit the provisions of this new section 31D to avoid freely negotiated voluntary license arrangements thereby causing unprecedented losses to the Film & Music industry, whereas the same broadcasters are free to charge advertising rates at their own will depending upon their TRP / RAM ratings. It will grossly disturb the equilibrium in favour of such broadcaster who would disturb the competitive market and abuse the process of law for indirect subsidies through the Copyright Board while there is no control over costs incurred in producing or acquiring copyrights by Film & Music industry. The Govt by bringing this Amendment intends to control and squeeze the revenue pipe of film & music industry to favour already profitable broadcasters. This unconsidered intervention by State in existing free market arrangements and free market structures will have highly unpredictable negative consequences for film & music industry."

Kalyan further added, "Though the Government has made amendments to the copyright act on the pretext of the laws prevailing in other countries, however, as far we are aware that the statutory licensing regime is not applicable in any other country and thus why only Indian Govt. is so keen on this draconian provision which will take away our right to negotiate a fair license fee for our copyrighted works. We appreciate that the copyright laws balances the rights of public at large to have access to such works that have been circulated in public. But if the provisions of statutory licensing are passed as proposed the entire concept of exclusivity of control of copyright in the owner/author as guaranteed by the act shall be defeated and the economic rights that it seeks to provide shall be unfairly withdrawn. Statutory Licensing is to Copyright what Emergency or Martial Law is to Democracy."

Meanwhile the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) which represents the recording industry worldwide, with over 1400 members from 66 countries also seems unhappy with amendments made in Section 31D relating to statutory licensing. An official press release sent by the IFPI states, "We have grave concerns regarding the proposal for a compulsory license for broadcasters (Section 31D of the proposed amendments to India's copyright law). This proposal is unprecedented, and conflicts with the exclusive rights granted to creators in India. It could also find India in breach of its international obligations, as it represents an overly broad limitation on exclusive rights. The reason for this major change in India's approach to the rights of producers and other creators is unclear. Existing law has worked well for many years and the major shift in India's approach to the nature of producers' broadcasting rights is unexplained. The statutory license would diminish the exclusive nature of the broadcasting right, turning it into a mere right to receive royalties. This would not only negatively impact on creators' ability to negotiate license terms with broadcasters, but also cause significant losses to rightholders in terms of the costs they will need to bear in Board proceedings. India should avoid such a change in its law. We urge that Section 31D be deleted and that the nature of existing broadcasting rights granted to record producers and other creators is maintained."

The super combination of superstar Ajay Devgn and ace director Rohit Shetty is back! The power packed duo which gave Singham one of the biggest hits of 2012, has a new treat in store for fans. Not only was Singham a stupendous earner at the box office, but its famous dialogue "Aata majhi satakli" achieved cult status amongst audiences.

Buzz is that Shetty has retained Devgn's famous one liner "Aata majhi satakli" from Singham in his upcoming comic caper Bol Bachchan starring Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Prachi Desai.

A source tells us, "Last year, the dialogue had become a complete rage among the masses. So much so that people started using it in common man lingo. Also, Rohit's films are known to be commercial and massy and hence he decided to retain the famous dialogue albeit in a comic situation this time."

The film's promo is expected to be out soon and the movie is one of the most eagerly awaited films this year. Bol Bachchan which is presented by Fox Star Studios and is produced by Shree Ashtavinayak LFS Infra Ltd and Ajay Devgn Ffilms is slated for release on 6th July, 2012.

Mona Kapoor, Boney Kapoor's late wife, was sorely missed at her daughter Anshula's graduation ceremony in America, which was held on May 14. But her presence was compensated by Mona's good friend Shabana Azmi, who traveled all the way to US to attend the ceremony at Columbia University in New York. Readers maybe aware that the duo of Shabana and Mona had been the thickest of friends for many years.

Shabana was accompanied by Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor and also Neena, who is Anshula's local guardian, and also a close friend of Mona. Talking about Anshula, Shabana said that she is an exceptionally bright student who got an 'A' grade for her thesis. The ceremony was attended by US President Obama, who was present as the chief guest for the graduating class of 2012.

Ajay Devgn who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Bol Bachchan alongside Abhishek Bachchan will be working on a social awareness film next. In fact the actor along with wife Kajol will star in the film based on female foeticide.

Confirming this Ajay's publicist tells us. "Yes both Ajay and Kajol will be acting in the film. In fact the Maharashtra government had approached them for the film which will be a part of their campaign against female foeticide."

Ajay's script for a social awareness film has been approved by the state's health department. The Health Minister Suresh Shetty said the department has appreciated the script and it will be the endeavour of the government to make the film available to maximum number of theatres.

If that was not enough, the actors have decided to star in the film free of cost and are expected to start filming soon.

The National award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar has been facing multiple setbacks with his film Heroine. The latest we hear is that the film's promo which was to be attached with Rowdy Rathore on June 1 won't be happening anymore.

Apparently, this delay was caused due to differences between the director Madhur Bhandakar and the producers of the film. Madhur has cut a hard hitting promo that features Kareena smoking and drinking; however the producers being a bit more conservative have reservations about the promo and have asked Madhur to re-shoot it.

The reason behind the producers objecting to the teaser is that they feel the Censors won't release it without cuts. While on the other hand, Madhur who has his own vision of the trailer has agreed to delay the promo because he wants to include some more scenes that he still has to shoot.

Sources close to the film also state that despite Madhur having to yet shoot some scenes for the teaser, the makers are still looking at releasing it along with Rowdy Rathore, owing to the fact that post the Akshay Kumar starrer, they will need to wait for their next major venture to attached Heroine promo with, which may take time.

Actor and singer Manoj Tiwari’s dream of making it big in Bollywood is finally being realised

Visa issues hamper Veena Malik's Kannada film. The actor is still awaiting permission to shoot in Bangalore

Uday Chopra is all set to produce a film with Nicole Kidman. Called Grace of Monaco, the film, will be directed by Olivier Dahan of La Vie En Rose fame, and goes on floor this fall in South of France.

Farooq Sheikh and Supriya Pathak will be seen sharing screen space once again Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai. The two were last seen in Bazaar (1982).

Saif Ali Khan sure knows how to live life king size... err nawab style. The actor, who is currently shooting in Turkey, is spending time shopping for all things ‘nawabi’.

SRK’s Wankhede ban might have a ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’ status, but here’s what the online 'janta' thinks about King Khan and his future

The Rajya Sabha’s green signal to the act receives mixed response from the film industry – Javed Akhtar rejoices, producers and music companies oppose it

‘What has Rekha done to deserve an RS nomination?’ asks Gul Panag, who is disappointed with the choices made from arts and cinema for the recent Rajya Sabha nominations

Bollywood celebrities on Friday reacted to the ban imposed on Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan from entering Mumbai's Wankhede stadium for the next five years. The celebrities took social networking site to express their thoughts. Here's what the celebs posted. Suhel Seth: Banned SRK from a stadium? Even if they allege bad behaviour, it's stupid! Do MPs get banned from Parliament when they fling microphones? Juhi Chawla: If today SRK were to get upset and quit

Ashim Ahluwalia would indeed be proud that his film MISS LOVELY is the only entry at Cannes film festival this year. Ashim Ahluwalia's MISS LOVELY, which started as a documentary focusing on C-grade films made by Hindi film industry, ultimately spun out to be a feature film by the name MISS LOVELY that is a critical look at the genre which has now become defunct after the advent of the multiplexes in metropolitan and coming cities. It however, still is in integral part of show b

YRF Entertainment CEO Uday Chopra has joined hands with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam of Stone Angels to produce and finance the upcoming Nicole Kidman vehicle, GRACE OF MONACO.The film, to be directed by Olivier Dahan (LA VIE EN ROSE), starts production this fall in South of France. YRF Entertainment's development head, Jonathan Reiman, will serve as executive producer, along with the film's writer, Arash Amel. Inferno is currently selling foreign rights to the film at the Cannes Fil

The super combination of superstar Ajay Devgn and ace director Rohit Shetty is back! The power packed duo which has given us SINGHAM, one of the biggest hits of 2012, has a new treat in store for fans we hear.Not only was SINGHAM a stupendous earner at the box office, but its famous dialogue Aata majhi satakli achieved cult status amongst audiences.Buzz is that Shetty has retained Devgn's famous one liner "Aata majhi satakli" from last year's megahit SINGHAM

If there is one man who has come out unscathed in DEPARTMENT, it is Rana Daggubati. Playing a no-nonsense cop, he has managed to move ahead from his DUM MAARO DUM days and has come across as a central protagonist in the Ram Gopal Varma affair.Even as he is busy fetching all the appreciation, Rana goes on to credit his director Ram Gopal Varma for the results that are visible on screen. He says, "Ramu sir was pretty much hands on with the script and knew exactly what was requir

Given RGV's track record, especially after COMPANY (barring a SARKAR), his latest venture, the Big B, Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati starrer, DEPARTMENT, was never expected to embark upon a great start. But the 15-25 percent opening (better in Maharashtra, South and single screens of UP and Bihar) was quite disappointing.A section of the audience and media feels that DEPARTMENT was touted as a Amitabh-Dutt face-off, but quite contrary to expectations, it's Rana Daggubati who h

John Abraham says he is enjoying the success of his maiden production venture, but hasn't planned its franchise yet.

Sonu Sood, who bowed out of the first sequel to the 2010 hit film, says his character 'Cheddi Singh' might feature in the second

Apparently, that’s the figure she’s likely to be paid for endorsing an apparel brand

Abhishek Bachchan could be part of a film being produced by Deepak Sawant, Big B’s makeup man-turned filmmaker

Those hoping to catch the first teaser of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine, which was to be attached with Rowdy Rathore on June 1, will have to wait a little longer.

After Gaja Gamini, the actors will come together again in Abhishek Choubey's Dedh Ishqiya where they keep outwitting each other

Freida Pinto has walked the Cannes red carpet many times for her films and the cosmetic brand she endorses.

Putting all speculation to rest, Milan Luthria says the sequel to ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’ will have no parallel female lead with Sonakshi Sinha. She will romance both the lead actors

Apparently, that’s the figure she’s likely to be paid for endorsing an apparel brand

Actress Sofia Hayat is all set to surprise with her upcoming projects, A GOODNITE (with Kay Kay Menon) and NAACHLE LONDON.In fact quite contrary to her image A GOODNIGHT features the actress in a totally new avatar. Says Sofia, "My character is that of a strong female and has shades of grey. You can say that I play a lady James Bond sort of a role!"What about her other project, NAACHLE LONDON? And she has something interesting to tell us, "I play a young mother with two c

Contrary to the latest reports making rounds about actor Abhimanyu Singh blaming filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma for being left out from the promotions of, DEPARTMENT, their latest release together, the actor has come out in the open and has clarified that he has not had any rift with RGV."It is a genuine case of misquoting the facts. Media has altered the quote and implicated Ramu sir's name where I had not taken any specific names during the course of interaction. Yes, I am not h

UTV Spotboy today announced the release date of KAI PO CHE! as January 11, 2013. The film is an adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's bestseller 'The 3 Mistakes of My Life' and is being directed by the director of ROCK ON! Abhishek Kapoor.The film, which has dollops of fun, friendship, masti, and highlights the coming of age of a group of three middle class youth, will star Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh in the lead. The film is being shot extensively in Gujarat

Finally Asin is not complaining. Having tasted success with her last release HOUSEFULL 2, that went on to reach the 100 crore target, one can spot a sense of euphoria in Asin's demeanor these days.Asin's sense of achievement partly comes from the fact that despite being an outsider she has managed to find a firm footing in Bollywood. Asin, in every sense of the word is a self made star.Speaking about her tryst with Bollywood and the journey so far, Asin says, "The fact t

Bollywood superstar SRK got into a brawl with the MCA officials post the Mumbai-Bangalore match at the Wankhede stadium late night on Wednesday in Mumbai.

We witness to shocking posts that appeared on Aryan Vaid's facebook page on Wednesday, which he claims are not his

The makers of Heartbreakers have filed a case against the Jodi Breakers producers in the Bombay High Court for infringement of copyright and asked for Rs 50 crore as compensation.

Angelina Jolie says it was only natural that her directorial debut should tackle some of the toughest issues facing humanity and after wartime Bosnia, Afghanistan is likely to be her next subject.

The 84th Academy Awards rolls out an impressive list of presenters for the upcoming ceremony, with Emma Stone joining Hollywood's A-listers Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz.

Paramount Pictures announced today that director Michael Bay has signed a two-picture deal with the studio, which will commence this spring with the filming of Pain and Gain, and will be followed by the next installment in the hit Transformers franchise.

Had she been alive, she would have turned 78 on Valentine’s Day today. Madhubala died nine days after her 35th birthday, craving for true love and companionship from the men she had loved, writes Rachana Dubey.