Akshay Kumar praised by Sachin Parikh

Plus: Anurag Kashyap buys his first car, Bipasha Basu signs on for Shaukeen, Neha Dhupia gets leading role at last, and Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra take the train.

Akshay Kumar. Jeff Topping / The National

After the success of his recent film Rowdy Rathore, Akshay Kumar will next be seen in Oh My God, a movie based on the Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji. The television personality Sachin Parikh, who played the lead role in the play, says he thinks Kumar will do justice to the project. "I have seen Akshay right from his first movie. The way he has graphed his career is amazing. Be it comedy, satire or action, he does them all so convincingly," Parikh said. "I'm sure Akshay would do wonders in the film adaptation." * IANS

Anurag Kashyap buys his first car

The Gangs of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap revealed on Twitter he has bought a car for the first time. "A Mahindra XUV500. 100 per cent Indian. Proud," he posted. "It has taken me 20 years to be able to buy my first vehicle. Had to be an Indian brand." Kashyap also tweeted about his excitement for Gangs of Wasseypur, which screened at last month's Cannes Film Festival and will premiere in cinemas this week. The film, about the coal trade mafia in the state of Jharkhand, stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Manoj Bajpai. * IANS

Bipasha Basu signs on for Shaukeen remake

The actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy has announced that Bipasha Basu has signed on for his remake of the 1982 comedy Shaukeen. "Bipasha loved the script and agreed to do it. But I can't confirm yet when we begin shooting as casting is still in progress," said Roy, who directed the segment Rice Plate for the 2007 anthology film Dus Kahaniyaan. The original Shaukeen, directed by Basu Chatterjee, starred Ashok Kumar and Rati Agnihotri.* IANS

Neha Dhupia gets a lead role, finally

The beauty queen-turned-actress Neha Dhupia has been in the industry for a decade now, but has not been seen in a leading film role - until now. Dhupia announced she has signed on to star in a film to be produced by Karan Johar. "I have said yes. I'm excited to talk about it really, but that's all I can say now," she said. The still-untitled project will be directed by Rensil D'Silva and will co-star Emraan Hashmi and Randeep Hooda. Dhupia's lead character role was reportedly previously offered to Kareena Kapoor.* IANS

Shahid and Priyanka ride local Mumbai train

To promote their forthcoming film Teri Meri Kahaani, Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra decided they wanted to personally meet their fans, so they rode a local train in Mumbai last week. "I got on a train after a long time. It was a bit chaotic because there were a lot of photographers," said Kapoor. "But meeting the crowds and going from one station to another was fun." Chopra said: "When I moved to Mumbai, I used to travel in local trains a lot. So it felt nice that things haven't changed. It was a good experience."* IANS