For most of their friends in the film industry, the Padma Shri for the prolific director Priyadarshan and the Padma Bhushan for the illustrious actress Shabana Azmi, the veteran actor Dharmendra and the filmmaker Mira Nair have come a little too late

Priyadarshan disagrees. "Why do you feel it's come too late? Everything happens in the right time. Until a few years back, I hadn't received a single National Award. Then I got it for Kancheevaram which many consider my career's best. But I feel every recognition comes when it is meant to come. The Padma Shri is important for me at this juncture because I'm not in a space where I make both kinds of films, the artistic and the commercial. If I am proud of Kancheevaram, I'm also not ashamed of De Dana Dan. It's the so-called slapstick comedies that have given me the freedom to make the other kind of films. I'll continue making both kinds of films. I've treated every failure as a means to correct myself and every success as a means to better myself. There is no respite from work for me. As I speak to you I am editing my new film Tezz."

Priyan is happy that Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi have been given the Padma Bhushan. "I've watched their films from the time when I was young. It's actors like them who inspired me to become a filmmaker. I'd love to direct both of them."

Shabana who went through a string of mishaps in December feels January has brought joyful tidings. "What really tickles me is that my husband Javed Akhtar and I both are Padma Bhushans now. So we are Mr.& Mrs Padma Bhushan. Do you know, when I got the call from President's office informing me that I had got the honour I put the phone down and I didn't say a word to either my mother or brother who were in the room with me. Because the person who called said to keep it to myself. Since then my mother has been screaming at me for not telling her. The first person I thought of when I was informed of the Padma Bhushan was my father. I wish my father was here. He would've been so proud of me. Did this honour come too late? I don't think so. For an artiste recognition at any time is welcome. This is what my parents and my acting teacher Roshan Taneja have taught me. An artiste never works for an award. And when it comes, she accepts it gracefully. And this comes from the Government of India, so it's a double humour."

Dharmendra who also gets the Padma Bhushan was overwhelmed. "Recognition has started coming a little too late in my career. I am happy. Very happy. But more than me its family and well-wishers who are happy for me. Ever since the announcement was made, my phone has not stopped ringing. People are dropping in to express their joy. So the greatest award for me will always be the love of the people. I will continue to try to do good work."

Reacting to the winners this year, Padma Shri Kamal Haasan says, "Some of the winners are my seniors whom I am very fond of. The rest are my friends. I feel very proud of them. As someone who has always admired their work, I am happy the government too has acknowledged their contribution."

Sachiin Joshi, who made his Bollywood debut with action thriller Aazaan last year, is all set to romance Mallika Sherawat in his next film. The film is a hard-hitting thriller based on the subject of dance bars and will be directed by Ankush Bhatt, who directed last years Bhindi Bazaar Inc.

Sachiin will be seen playing the role of a quirky cop and Mallika Sherawat will be portraying the role of a bar dancer. The film will go on floors in March this year.

Apart from this, Sachiin has also signed Soham Shah's next I'm Charles, loosely based on the life of conman Charles Sobhraj. Sachiin is likely to romance 16 actresses in this film. I'm Charles will go on floors in August this year.

... says actor Mugdha Godse, who was in Bangalore recently.

The makers of Ferrari Ki Sawari are being extremely conscious that Vidya Balan's Lavani item song is more aesthetic and less sexy.

Amitabh Bachchan made Vijay Dinanath Chauhan's character in the 1990 "Agneepath" iconic, but the film didn't do wonders at the box office.

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has offered to pay the fine on behalf of about 400 inmates who are languishing in jail despite completing their term.

Kareena Kapoor apparently shed her feminine image and done some real action sequences for upcoming film 'Agent Vinod'

You might mistake Vidya Balan for a serious girl because she plays such parts on screen, but the girl has a wicked sense of humour.

Of late Kangna Ranaut is making sure she stays at home (in spite of a hectic shooting schedule) on every Sunday to indulge her family by cooking delicacies for them.

Two Pak singers in Ali Zafar’s next B-wood film

Sonam Kapoor, who attended the couture shows of Jean Paul Gaultier and Eli Saab in Paris, had praise coming from very stylish quarters.

Vikram Bhatt is all set to unleash his spook fest this year. While Raaz 3 is all set to go on floors next week and 1920 - Evil Returns is fast reaching the finishing line as well, here is more. He is all set to bring Haunted 2 as well. Now this double whammy pretty much calls for a celebration since today is his birthday and while it is also the first day of the shooting of Raaz 3, announcement of Haunted 2 only takes his stocks higher up.

"Yes, there was huge market demand for Vikram to take forward the Haunted series and make them all in 3D. Of course he can't be the director for each of them as he is pre-occupied with other films as well. However, he doesn't want to drop the idea and hence Haunted 2 is definitely on, though the director could turn out to be someone else", informs a source.

A surprise success of the year gone by, Haunted had also paved the way for quite a few 3D films to come. However, it's strength lies in the fact that while it is the only film to have been actually shot in 3D (the other being Vikram's own Dangerous Ishq which is about to be released soon), other biggies like Ra.One and Don 2 were converted from 2D to 3D.

"It is time to build on franchises and when everyone else is doing that, why not Vikram", says a close aide of the filmmaker, "Haunted was one of the first clean hits of last year and while it had reinstated life in Mahakshay's Bollywood career, it had also launched newbie Tia Bajpai. Made at a controlled budget, the film had done a business of over Rs.30 crores just from India and collected more than what some of the major multistarrers have done in the recent times, case in point being Players or Rascals. It was just logical that Vikram too builds a franchise out of Haunted."

It is unclear though whether Mahakshay and Tia would be repeated for Haunted 2 since it is a franchise (like Raaz, Jannat, Housefull, Jism) instead of being a sequel (like Krrish). While Vikram is open to roping in an all new star cast, ASA Productions and Dar Motion Pictures would be coming together again (after Haunted) to produce the film. Also, there are indications around Reliance tying up with the franchise as well.

Confirms Vikram, "Yes, Haunted 2 is definitely on. I can't reveal the cast though. Also, it won't necessarily have me as a director since I am busy with Raaz 3 and would be occupied till the month of August. If I have to direct Haunted 2 myself, I won't be able to do that before end of year. Due to this we may have a new director on board."

Now this one caught us really off guard. For his upcoming film BHAIYYAJI SUPERHIT, Sunny Deol is going through two major changes. First and foremost he won't be playing a Punjabi in the film and secondly, he is playing a Don who, hold your breath, wants a film to be made on himself. Informs our well placed source, "With the success of YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA behind him, Sunny has made up his mind to do more action-comedies. One such change is to stop playing a Punjabi in each of

Rajesh Mapuskar's debut directorial FERRARI KI SAWAARI from the Vidhu Vinod Chopra camp has a lot of history and culture attached to it. Not only does it bring back memories of the time when scooters were used in films, but it also sheds a lot of light in the Parsee culture and society. FERRARI KI SAWAARI starring Sharman Joshi and Boman Irani, is a story showcasing three generations of Parsees. The film brilliantly portrays the lifestyle of an ordinary Parsee family. It also

It seems mere music launches and interviews won't suffice a film's promotion. Now-a-days film marketing has evolved to such an extent that reel characters come to life in the real world to create a buzz about their film. As per sources, Vidya made an appearance in her pregnant look from the film KAHAANI at one of the railway stations in Mumbai. And like in the film, where Vidya goes searching for her husband at every nook and corner, she probed the people present at the site ab

The Amitabh Bachchan starrer blockbuster AGNEEPATH still lingers in the hearts of many. Amitabh's portrayal of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan is one of the most celebrated characters of Bollywood films, while Danny Dengzongpa became synonymous with Kancha Cheena. Dharma Productions revisits the film with Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt in the key roles. While Hrithik portrays Vijay, Sanjay takes over the menacing Kancha Cheena. Debutant Karah Malhotra helms the director's baton.

The Indian cricket team’s dismal performance in recent tours may have left fans shattered, but it has left Bollywood smiling. Unlike the first four seasons of IPL, the upcoming season will see a face-off with at least eleven big budget flicks.

Farhan Akhtar is going through an interesting stage of his career where he is enjoying the best of both worlds - direction as well as acting. While he was the most successful of the lot when he dabbled in both affairs independently last year ('Don 2' and 'Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara'), he has no intention whatsoever to play the double role of being a director-actor in the same film. "Ever since he first faced the camera for ROCK ON, he has been inundated with offers to design

The once charming Bollywood actress was recently caught at a restaurant opening party in a completely drunken avatar.

Not just a common man, but even Bollywood celebs want to see India in a different light. Like any Indian, actor Akshaye Khanna wants to bring about a change for the betterment of our country. When we asked Akshaye about the one thing he would like to change about India, the actor courageously said, "We need discipline in our country. Everybody should be little more disciplined. That is a good gesture to show to your country. In our country everything is chaotic."

With guns, cars, motorbikes, helicopters and a glamorous actress, Saif Ali Khan's upcoming spy thriller Agent Vinod bears resemblance to James Bond movies, but the actor insists his film is not one and it is very much Indian.

Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor has always maintained that she loves romantic and glamorous roles but she has apparently shed her feminine image and done some real action sequences for upcoming film Agent Vinod, produced by her beau Saif Ali Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan is apparently in a dilemma, as he is unable to choose between the remake of two Tamil films – Menon’s Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and Murugadoss’s Ramanna.

If all goes well Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth will share screen space in filmmaker Puri Jagannath's next. The director has already approached Rajinikanth who's excited about the idea.

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi is delighted to see her family on an award-winning spree. While she has been conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan, her step-children Zoya and Farhan Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is sweeping award functions.

Actor Sonu Sood, who gave an award-winning performance as villain Chhedi Singh in Dabangg, regrets not being a part of the sequel.

Editor-turned-filmmaker Shirish Kunder says he is happy about the positive reactions for Agneepath director Karan Malhotra, who was his assistant on his debut directorial Jaan-E-Mann.

First teaser of Aamir Khan starrer Talaash, where he plays a cop, is finally out. The psychological-thriller also features Rani Mukherji as a simple Indian wife and Kareena Kapoor in a glam avatar. VIDEO INSIDE

The Indian Censor Board has reportedly offended The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo director David Fincher so much so that he has refused to release the film in India. The bone of contention is the...

Shirish Kunder's next directorial venture after JAAN-E-MANN is more or less complete, but very little is known about the content of the film. We are obviously referring to the Akshay Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha starrer, 3D venture JOKER. However apart from the above mentioned leads there are quite a few interesting characters in the film and amongst them is actor Arya Babbar, who has a special but madcap role in JOKER. Shedding light on his highly interesting character Arya reveals

Both Aamir Khan and Salman Khan have shown Bollywood how well made south Indian remakes can rake in fortunes, their films like GHAJINI, WANTED and BODYGUARD have been extremely successful at the box-office. And according to recent reports, the two Khans have also shown interest in remaking PAIYAA, a super hit romantic film in the SOUTH. But, according to the buzz, not only Salman and Aamir but Akshay Kumar is also keen to work in PAIYAA. PAIYAA, which is a romantic movie, coul

Karan Johar's modern version of Agneepath has broken all records to become the biggest first day opener. According to the latest trade reports, the film has garnered Rs 25 crore, beating the opening collections of Salman Khan's Bodyguard (Rs 21.6 cr).

It was expected and as well as predicted (in our box-office report) that the Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra starrer, AGNEEPATH, was all set for a bumper start. But the opening of the Karan Malhotra directed film surpassed our expectations, and the start can only be termed as earth-shattering. The first day (Republic Day holiday) saw occupancies in the range of 95-100 percent in almost all the circuits, barring Rajasthan, which was a tad lower

While Bipasha Basu has been raving about her latest song "Bipasha", actor Shahid Kapoor, once rumoured to be dating her, says he fails to understand the logic behind having songs named after actors' names.

Nagesh Kukunoor understands the importance of casting popular actors in movies for box office success, but says he is not ready to compromise on his casting criteria just for that.

Any remake of an Amitabh Bachchan film cannot affect 'Brand Bachchan', says actor Prateik, who believes the megastar is irreplaceable.

Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan picked the best actors' trophies at the star-studded seventh edition of Chevrolet Apsara Awards here Wednesday night for their performance in "Rockstar" and "The Dirty Picture" respectively.

Veteran actress Hema Malini is elated to learn that her husband Dharmendra will be honoured with a Padma Bhushan, the country's third highest civilian award, and says that the honour was long due.

In a candid chat, Harbhajan Singh clears the air saying he’s not the angry young man the media projects him to be, but just loses his cool on ‘stupid people’ who ‘talk nonsense’

The actor who is busy shooting for Son of Sardar had some quiet family time recently, as he visited the Gurudwara with his entire family.

The debutant director is an unapologetic devotee of Bollywood's old-world scale and melodrama that few get right. An earnest Vijay Dinanath Chauhan delivers poetic justice before a nearly packed hall on the proverbial 'first day first show'. Mayank Shekhar writes.

Making weekend plans? Here's what you can catch at the theatres.

Filmmaker Karan Johar is all praises for veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who has portrayed two completely opposite characters in two of his productions - Agneepath and Student of The Year.

Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara stole the limelight winning six gongs, including the best film and the best director, at the seventh annual Apsara Awards. While Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan continued their winning spree in the best actor and actress category for...

Dismissing any similarities with fictional spy agent James Bond, Bollywood actor-producer Saif Ali Khan says his character in Agent Vinod is totally desi. The much-awaited action-spy film, with Saif and his real life lady love Kareena Kapoor, is ready for release. And comparisons with the James Bond series are inevitable, says Saif.

Critics are saying more good things than bad about Agneepath, which released on the Republic Day today. While some reviewers have given the film 4.5 stars, none have rated the film below 3.5. Read on...

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is in Gujarat to shoot for a television commercial, says the heavy rush of fans at a location in Junagadh reminded him of his golden days.

The President of India announced the list of winners selected this year for the most honourable Padma Awards-2012. Padma Awards, the country's highest civilian awards, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in all disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

Among the list of winners this year are actors Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra and filmmaker Mira Nair who will be conferred with the Padma Bhushan award. Besides singer Anup Jalota and filmmaker Priyadarshan have been selected for the Padma Shri award.

Late Dr.Bhupen Hazarika, who passed away last year has been selected for the coveted Padma Vibhushan award.

Producer Vinod Bachchan was admitted at Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, after he complained of experiencing acute abdominal pain a couple of days ago on the sets of his film Zilla Ghaziabad.

At the hospital, Vinod was diagnosed with kidney stones and asked to get admitted immediately. He will have to remain in hospital for some time till he recuperates.

We wish the producer a speedy recovery.

The way one associates 'Mr. Perfectionist' to Aamir Khan and 'Bad Man' with Gulshan Grover, the veteran actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar has always been called as 'Bharat'. And what could be more apt an occasion for him to be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement honour than on the eve of India's Republic Day! The award will be given to him at the Apsara Awards ceremony by 'The Film And Television Producers Guild of India' (headed by Ramesh Sippy), in an event that is to be held at Yash Raj Studios.

Talking about the award, Manoj Kumar said that it was a matter of pride for him to be honoured by his own fraternity.

The good news for all Manoj Kumar fans is that the actor-filmmaker is all set to start his next film titled DNA Report, for which he will start casting next week. When asked about his dream cast, he minced no words when he said that it was Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, as they suited the roles perfectly.