The actress Sonakshi Sinha is hoping that Joker, her latest film with Akshay Kumar, will replicate the success of their action thriller Rowdy Rathore, which was released in June. "If this film gets a push because of our previous movie, then it would be a good thing for us and our producers. If our pairing worked then, it definitely benefits our future in the industry," she said. Sinha's debut film Dabangg, in which she co-starred with Salman Khan, was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2010 and the third biggest earner in the industry's history. Rowdy Rathore is the biggest blockbuster hit of the year so far and Bollywood history's fourth biggest earner. Consequently, the press has labelled the 25-year-old star a lucky charm for producers. "As far as that lucky charm tag is concerned, that tag was given to me, but tomorrow it could be given to someone else," said Sinha, who is currently shooting three films: Dabangg 2, Lootera and Son of Sardar. The fantasy adventure Joker, directed by Shirish Kunder, is scheduled for release in India on August 31. * IANS
Shagufta Rafique gets ready for directorial debut
The writer and director Shagufta Rafique is all set for her directorial debut and says she's hoping to sign on the actors Randeep Hooda and Bipasha Basu for the lead roles. "Nothing has been finalised yet, but I would like to have them act in my film," she said. "It will be a thriller and I am just waiting to finalise the cast and the production house." After writing the screenplays for Dhoka (2007) and Murder 2 (2011), Rafique says she felt direction was the next obvious step in her career. "I've wanted to get into direction for three years now. When you write screenplays, you write about visuals and other details. And when you see someone else directing your work, you tend to feel that you could have done it better." * IANS
Omi Vaidya wins big in Vegas
The Indian-American actor Omi Vaidya is on a high after his documentary Big in Bollywood won the Best Foreign Film award at the recently concluded Las Vegas Film Festival. "My documentary wins at Las Vegas. Jackpot," Vaidya posted on Twitter. The film chronicles the 27-year-old's days as a struggling actor in Los Angeles and how he lands a dream role in the 2009 Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots. * IANS
Prashant Nair and Sujay S Dahake bag awards at Stuttgart film festival
The filmmakers Prashant Nair and Sujay S Dahake have won the Director's Vision Award at the ninth edition of the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart in Germany for their films Delhi in a Day and Shala, respectively. While Shala is a coming-of-age story of schoolchildren in a small Indian town, Delhi in a Day contrasts the lifestyles of Delhi's urban rich and their servants, as seen through the eyes of a foreigner. "The entire team is delighted to have received this award as an endorsement of the message and theme of the movie. It was really wonderful to see the film resonate with German audiences in such a positive way," Nair said in a statement. "The festival had a wonderful selection of films, watched by extremely enthusiastic audiences and we're proud to have been a part of it." Delhi in a Day, starring Lee Williams, Lillete Dubey, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Anjali Patil, is scheduled for release in India on August 24. * IANS
