Aishwarya thanks Chopra for her movie career

Plus; Akshay Kumar to inaugurate film festival; Shah Rukh Khan stays loyal to Bollywood; Rajesh Khanna's family preview final film.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan credits Yash Chopra for her becoming an actress. AFP
Powered by automated translation

Aishwarya thanks Chopra for her career

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has credited the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra as the reason she became an actress."Yashji is very special to me because he is one of the reasons that I am in the film industry," she told the Hindustan Times. Chopra died last month of dengue fever at the age of 80. "He is one of the main reasons because he is the one who kept talking to me for two years before I joined the industry, to convince me," Rai Bachchan added. She worked with Chopra on Mohabbatein and Dhoom 2.

Akshay Kumar to inaugurate film festival

Akshay Kumar will kick off the 43rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Delhi later this month. More than 70 films will premiere at the 10-day event, which starts on Tuesday. The actors Tabu and Irrfan Khan, among other cast members of the opening film Life of Pi, are set to attend the inauguration ceremony. "Over 7,500 delegates and 400 members from the media have already registered for the festival," said the event's director Shankar Mohan. Two Indian regional-language films, Anhey Ghode Da Daan and Elar Char Adhyay, will compete with 15 other international films in the competition section. He added that in the centenary of the Indian film section, more than 27 films and 56 documentaries have been selected for screening including some black and white and silent movies. - IANS

Shah Rukh Khan stays loyal to Bollywood

Shah Rukh Khan says he is dedicating his future to Indian movies. "I've not been offered any Hollywood movie. I know a lot of people working in the production of Hollywood films. There are a lot of studios here, so we keep meeting the studio heads also. But I don't feel I have the USP of being in Hollywood," said Khan. "I don't know kung fu. I'm not the greatest dancer. I'm not, like, a cool guy. I think they [Hollywood] have enough actors of my age," said the 47-year-old actor, adding that all he wanted was for people who are fed up with the state of politics to "breathe a sigh of relief and get entertained through my films". - IANS

Rajesh Khanna's family preview final film

Rajesh Khanna's last film before he died, Riyasat, will first be shown to the actor's family before anyone else, said the director Ashok Tyagi. "It's worth a watch and I'm sure they will love the film," he said. The film is in its post-production stage and Khanna features in a prominent role. Tyagi, who is confident the project will be a hit, decided to release the film on December 28, a day before what would have been Khanna's 70th birthday. Rajesh Khanna died in July after prolonged illness and a liver infection. "I don't want to hurry up just to meet the deadline. Since it's Kakaji's last film, I don't want to keep any stone unturned and want to make this film a memorable one," he said. - IANS