Saif Ali Khan to venture into the action genre

Plus: Buffi Jashanmal eliminated from Project Runway, and Big B and Judi Dench to launch Abu and Sandeep's India Fantastique in London.

Saif Ali Khan is set to take on the action genre in the filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia's forthcoming new movie, Bullet Raja, which focuses on a mafia gang. Delores Johnson / The National

After delighting audiences last month in the romantic comedy Cocktail, the actor Saif Ali Khan is set to take on the action genre in the filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia's forthcoming new movie, Bullet Raja, which focuses on a mafia gang. "We will begin shooting in November. The entire film will be shot in and around Lucknow," said Dhulia. "Saif can do any role convincingly and I'm looking forward to working with him." The director, who is riding high on the success of his recent film Paan Singh Tomar, also announced that he just wrapped up shooting another gang-themed film, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 2, the sequel to the 2011 thriller. It stars Jimmy Shergill and Randeep Hooda, and is due out in India on December 30. * IANS

Dubai designer Buffi Jashanmal eliminated from Project Runway

The 32-year-old fashion designer Buffi Jashanmal, who grew up in Dubai and currently lives in New York, was eliminated last week from the 10th edition of the American reality series Project Runway, placing 12th in the fashion design competition after failing to impress the judging panel in a challenge that required the designers to construct an on-the-go outfit that could be worn from day to night. Among the 16 finalists this season, five were born and raised outside the US - a record for the show, which launched in 2004. Aside from Jashanmal, there's a contestant from Japan, one from Ukraine, another from Brazil and one from Guyana. In 2007, Jashanmal launched her high-fashion womenswear company Quiet Riot Dubai, with lines sold at various boutiques in the UAE. She moved to New York in 2010 to work for House of Diehl, an avant-garde fashion label, as well as to launch her own collection.

Big B and Judi Dench to launch Abu and Sandeep's book in London

The acclaimed designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are set to formally launch their book India Fantastique, created to mark their 25 years in the Indian fashion industry. The book's launch will be held in London on September 5 and will be graced by the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and the Hollywood veteran Judi Dench, who are both regular clients of the duo. "After working for two and half years on this book, we are finally launching it," said Khosla. "Abu and I thought long and hard about how we wanted to celebrate our milestone, and also about how we would use this celebration to set the vision for our creativity and ourselves in the next 25 years." More details on the launch, including other special guests set to attend, will be finalised this week, Khosla added. The first volume of India Fantastique displays dozens of the duo's designs from the past 25 years, including close-ups of their exquisitely crafted details. The second volume focuses on their extensive work in interior design. The London book launch will be a part of a three-day Sotheby's exhibition celebrating the duo's work. * IANS