Aamir Khan keen to bring Mahabharata to cinemas

Plus: International Film Festival of Kerala begins; Kareena Kapoor announces next projects; Kapur, Rahman launch social media domain.

Aamir Khan in front of Mumbai residence promoting his new film Talaash. Khan hopes to make the epic Mahabharata into a movie. Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo

Khan keen to bring Mahabharata to cinemas

Aamir Khan is hoping to one day bring the epic tale of Mahabharata to the big screen, although he admits he finds the project slightly daunting. "I don't know if I will be able to fulfil this dream," he told reporters, "because every time I think about it I feel I won't be able to do it. I am unable to gather the courage. It's such a huge responsibility and this subject has been in my heart from a long time." Asked what role he would like to play in the epic, the 47-year-old actor said: "My favourite character is Karna. But I feel I won't be able to do that role. I don't suit the character. I think I would suit the role of Krishna." - IANS

International Film Festival of Kerala begins

The 17th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala started on Friday. Inaugurating the event, the chief minister Oommen Chandy remarked about how cinema continues to be a favoured pastime in India. More than 7,000 delegates are expected to attend the festival, which will screen 197 films and runs until December 14. Fourteen films from Asia, Africa and Latin American will vie for the Golden Crow Pheasant award. In the category Malayalam Cinema Today, seven films will be shown. These include Indian Rupee directed by Ranjith, A Document of Separation by Madhupal, In Recent Times by Arun Kumar Aravind and Chayilliam by Manjo Kana. - IANS

Kareena Kapoor announces next projects

The actress Kareena Kapoor will start shooting with the actor Imran Khan in Bangalore in January for Karan Johar's latest production. The duo were last paired earlier this year in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and their new film, which is yet to be titled, will be directed by Punit Malhotra. "Then after Bangalore, I will be in Bhopal in February to shoot for Prakash Jha's film Satyagrah," she said. "I'm really looking forward to these films. I don't want to pinpoint and explore just one kind of role. I want to try different genres. I want to do different kinds of roles and I will continue doing that." - IANS

Kapur, Rahman launch social media domain

The filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and the Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman have launched a social media platform called Qyuki. The pair say the project aims to feature the creativity of Indian people in the genres of animation, films, short stories, music and photography. "With Qyuki, we are creating a platform where it doesn't matter where you come from, but what matters most is your creativity," said Kapur. "It's a domain, where people can collaborate with like-minded people and showcase their creativity." Rahman added: "There are platforms like YouTube where people create content and put it online, but what determines the quality? Qyuki is getting there. It will not only provide creative freedom, but also a quality experience." - IANS