Life of Pi will open New York festival
The filmmaker Ang Lee's new film Life of Pi, headlined by the Indian actor Irrfan Khan, will open the 50th New York Film Festival. Lee's adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Yann Martel will premiere at the festival on September 28. Lee, whose film The Ice Storm opened the festival in 1997, is only the fourth filmmaker to twice take the opening night slot; the other three are Robert Altman, Pedro Almodovar and Francois Truffaut. A 3D fantasy film, Life of Pi tells the story of a boy marooned at sea with a Bengal tiger. The movie will be released worldwide on November 21. Khan co-stars with Gerard Depardieu and Tobey Maguire, as well as the Indian actors Suraj Sharma, Shravanthi Sainath and Tabu. The Film Society earlier announced that Robert Zemeckis's mystery drama Flight, starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle, will close the festival. The full slate will be announced later this month. The New York Film Festival runs from September 28 to October 14. - AP
Ravi Kishan ready for his first lead role
The actor Ravi Kishan, who has only ever done supporting roles in Bollywood films, is preparing for his forthcoming gangster film Jeena Hai Toh Thok Daal, which sees him in a lead role for the first time. "I need to prove myself and this seems like the right time," said the 41-year-old, who is considered a big star in Bhojpuri cinema. "I have done 170 Bhojpuri films. I have played the hero in all of them. My fans have told me they've been waiting for me to make that big entry into Bollywood. Now, after 20 years, I have this film, which is a mix of action, drama and romance." Directed by Manish Vatsalya, the film co-stars Yashpal Sharma, Rahul Kumar and Hazel Crowney. It will be released in India on September 7. – IANS
Shadab Faridi to sing for Dabangg 2
Shadab Faridi, whose soulful voice was behind the 2009 hit song Tu Hi Haqeeqat, has been roped in to sing the theme for the forthcoming film Dabangg 2, the sequel to the 2010 blockbuster. "As a Sufi singer, I feel very lucky whenever I get a chance to be part of a Bollywood movie," said Shadab, who has sung for films such as Rann (2010), Jodi Breakers (2012) and Agent Vinod (2012). His most recent project was a song for one of the episodes of Aamir Khan's hit television show Satyamev Jayate. Dabangg 2 is directed by Arbaaz Khan and stars Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha. The film will be released in India on December 21. – IANS
Sridevi is excited about her comeback film English Vinglish
Sridevi, who was last seen on the big screen in 1997's Judaai, says she can't wait for her comeback film English Vinglish to be released on October 5. "I'm very confident about this film - very excited. I fell in love with the script the first time I read it. It's a very strong story," said the 49-year-old actress. "After 15 years, I feel like a newcomer here." English Vinglish is directed by Gauri Shinde and co-stars Mehdi Nebbou and Adil Hussain. – IANS
