A new Hollywood production about two Indian cricketers recruited to play baseball in the US is about to start filming in Mumbai, Agra and New Delhi. The film concerns the true-life tale of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar, who created history in 2008 when they were signed up by the prestigious baseball team Pittsburgh Pirates as professional players. It will star Jon Hamm and be directed by Craig Gillespie, whose credits include Lars and the Real Girl and Fright Night. The film's producer Palak Patel, who is from Ahmedabad but has lived in the US since 1983, says he was keen to tell more Indian stories to western audiences. – IANS
Big B likes trailer of Zanjeer remake
Amitabh Bachchan has expressed his delight after seeing the trailer of the remake of Zanjeer, the 1973 action thriller that became his first blockbuster movie. The new Zanjeer is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and features Ramcharan Teja, Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt in the lead roles. "Apoorva showed me the trailer of his Zanjeer remake. Smashing stuff. All good wishes to the team, cast and crew," Bachchan posted on Twitter. – IANS
Sukumari dies of heart attack
The veteran Malayalam actress Sukumari, who starred in more than 2,500 films over 60 years, died on Tuesday at the age of 74. The star, who was affectionately known as "amma" (mother) in the industry, died from cardiac arrest in a Chennai hospital. She was admitted to hospital for burns sustained while lighting a lamp in a temple and had undergone surgery for her injuries. Kerala's film minister K?B Ganesh Kumar told reporters her death was "shocking news". – IANS
Ramaswamy ventures into action genre
After directing drama and romantic films, the National Award-winning director Seenu Ramaswamy is set to make his first action movie. "The film is based on a story by the writer S Ramakrishnan that tracks the lives of two men from different backgrounds: one comes from a village, the other is from the city," Ramaswamy said in an interview. "I have cast Vimal and Vijay Sethupathi keeping in mind the roles they have done in the past.," added the director, who won a -National Award for 2010's Thenmerku Paruvakaatru. His new project will begin production in July. – IANS
Ghulam Ali sanctions biography
An official biography of the famous Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali has been published. The book, Ghazal Wizard – Ghulam Ali, has been written by the Indian authors Bhavesh Sheth and Sadhana Jejurikar. "It feels great when a biography comes out. Even if I am not there, people will remember me through the book," says Ali, known for hits such as Chupke Chupke Raat Din and Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa. He added that although ghazal is not as popular as it once was, the genre is due for a comeback. "After a certain point, we will come back to ghazals. This is a temporary change in modern music." – IANS
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