The Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan says he's not worried that his first major Bollywood film, Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal, is being released in India tomorrow, the same day the highly anticipated comedy Barfi! hits theatres. "It's not competition. I feel that good cinema, be it a big- or small-budget film or a big or small-name actor, always works," says the 41-year-old star. "Our films have two different sets of audiences. I know that my movie's budget may be smaller in comparison, but it will earn the respect of viewers." Directed by Manish Vatsalya, the crime thriller Jeena Hai also stars Yashpal Sharma and Hazel Crowney. The director Anurag Basu's Barfi! stars Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. * IANS
Kher auditions for Hollywood via Skype
The Bollywood actor Anupam Kher said he auditioned for his role in the new Hollywood film Silver Linings Playbook via Skype. Directed by David O Russell, the movie premiered at this week's Toronto International Film Festival. Kher said that when he auditioned over Skype for Russell, he was in a village in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan shooting for a Hindi film. "They had not heard of Skype and neither had I used Skype before. The whole village was suddenly looking for Skype and it became like a folklore," Kher recalled, laughing. "And now everybody uses Skype there." According to Russell, the film's star, Jennifer Lawrence, also auditioned for the role via the online video chat service, from her family home in Louisville, Kentucky. "It was the first time for me on any movie to Skype auditions," said Russell, who also directed The Fighter (2010) and I Heart Huckabees (2004). Silver Linings Playbook, which also stars Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Julia Stiles, is scheduled to release worldwide on November 21. * AFP
Chopra names next film Jab Tak Hai Jaan
The filmmaker Yash Chopra has revealed the title for his new project headlined by Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma: Jab Tak Hai Jaan. The title is taken from a song from the 1975 Bollywood classic Sholay. Jab Tak Hai Jaan marks the directorial comeback of the 79-year-old Chopra, whose last movie was 2004's Veer-Zaara, starring Khan and Preity Zinta. In the new movie, Khan plays an army officer stationed in India's Kashmir region. The cast and crew also shot scenes in London last month. The award-winning AR Rahman has composed the music for the film, set to release in India on November 13. * IANS
Tijori finds new face for next film
The actor-turned-director Deepak Tijori has cast a newcomer for his forthcoming new film Dare You, a young actress with the screen name Alisha. The new star has signed a three-picture deal with the Bollywood studio Blueberry Films. "We auditioned over 800 actresses since January and Alisha came out on top," said Tijori, who promised to reveal more details about the movie in the coming weeks. * IANS
