Barfi! and Kahaani win at Filmfare Awards

Plus: Dhanush eager to try out comedy genre; Sachiin Joshi amazed at critics' response; Manoj Bajpayee to turn producer.

The Bollywood film actress Vidya Balan. AFP

The director Sujoy Ghosh's film Kahaani and his contemporary Anurag Basu's movie Barfi! struck gold at the Filmfare Awards on Sunday night. Barfi! got the gong for Best Film, Ranbir Kapoor won Best Actor and Vidya Balan bagged Best Actress for her role in Kahaani – which also saw Sujoy Ghosh take Best Director. Among the attendees at the ceremony were Madhuri Dixit, Sidharth Roy Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Boney Kapoor, Sonali Bendre, Goldie Behl and Deepika Padukone. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the late director Yash Chopra, who died in October. The Best Debut Director awards were won by Gauri Shinde for her film English Vinglish and Ayushmann Khurrana for his film Vicky Donor. Ileana D'Cruz went home with the Best Debut Female accolade for Barfi! In the Critics Choice category, Best Female Actress was awarded to Richa Chaddha for Gangs of Wasseypur and Best Male Actor was taken by Irrfan Khan for his portrayal in Paan Singh Tomar. – IANS

The Tamil actor Dhanush has expressed his excitement at exploring a different genre in his next film project. The yet-to-be-titled Tamil movie will be directed by the award-winning filmmaker A Sarkunam. "I'll start filming in the second week of February," the 29-year-old Dhanush posted on Twitter. "It will be an out-and-out commercial entertainer and I can't wait to do some comedy." Dhanush is currently in Delhi, shooting the final scenes of a Bollywood romantic drama titled Raanjhnaa, co-starring Sonam Kapoor. The film is scheduled to premiere in June. – IANS

The actor and producer Sachiin Joshi says he has been overwhelmed by the response to his performance in his new film Mumbai Mirror. "I am shocked and can't believe the kind of reviews I have received," Joshi told reporters. "I feel that critics matter and play a role in any film's success." Directed by Ankush Bhatt, Mumbai Mirror co-stars Prakash Raj, Gihana Khan and Vimala Raman. Joshi says he chooses his projects based on the quality of the script, not just the cast and crew involved. "I believe that content is king. With content, if you keep other elements right, then the film works." – IANS

The acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee announced he will soon take the plunge into the business of filmmaking. "If I have the money, I will definitely turn to producing," said the 43-year-old star. "Production would definitely give me a lot of freedom and power to do what I want to do. Whether it's a mainstream film or anything else." Bajpayee's acting career first took flight with the 1998 crime saga Satya, which not only won him commercial success, but the prestigious National Award. He is currently promoting the heist drama Special Chabbis, directed by Neeraj Pandey and co-starring Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal. It is scheduled for release next month. – IANS