Amitabh Bachchan Thursday said his "Thugs of Hindostan" co-star Aamir Khan asked him to take up Nagraj Manjule's next "Jhund".
Bachchan will play the role of a professor who builds a soccer team with street kids in "Jhund", which is the "Sairat" helmer's first Hindi directorial.
"I remember, when I discussed that with Aamir, he told me I must do this film. And you know what happens when Aamir endorses something... So I am doing that," Bachchan told reporters.
"We will start working on the film from November. It is a real life story. It is about underprivileged children and those staying in slums, a sporting team is made with these bunch of actors," he added.
The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of "Thugs of Hindostan".
"Thugs of Hindostan" brings together two powerhouse performers - Bachchan and Khan on screen for the first time.
The duo were earlier supposed to star in "Rishta" years ago, but the project never took off.
Aamir said, "We had a film together that Indra Kumar was 

Aamir urged me to do Nagraj Manjule's 'Jhund': Bachchan

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Author JK Rowling has defended the decision to cast Korean actor Claudia Kim as Voldemort's devoted pet, Nagini, in "Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald".
In the final trailer of the film, starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law and Johnny Depp, Kim is shown transforming into Nagini, who is later revealed to be one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes in Rowling's Harry Potter books.
The casting drew the ire of many on social media for being racist, while some called it a classic case of Asian actors playing submissive characters on-screen.
A user on Twitter called out Rowling: "Listen Joanne, we get it, you didn't include enough representation when you wrote the books. But suddenly making Nagini into a Korean woman is garbage."
Rowling responded, saying Nagini is a Naga, which are "snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology".
"They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake. Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and ..

JK Rowling defends casting Korean actor as snake Nagini

The release of "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen" will now release three months later as opposed to its initial scheduled date January 11 next year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Summit Entertainment announced Wednesday that the premiere date has been shifted to April 12, 2019.
"Hellboy" will now face off against "The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle", starring Robert Downey Jr, "Breakthrough" with Chrissy Metz and Topher Grace and the YA adaptation "After".
The film hits the theatres barely a week after "Shazam!".
The reboot features "Stranger Things" fame David Harbour in the title role. Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane and Daniel Dae Kim are also part of the cast.
"Game of Thrones" helmer Neil Marshall is directing.
Mike Mignola, the creator of the comic book character, has penned the script along with Andrew Cosby and Christopher Golden.
The reboot follows two films from Oscar-winning director Guillermo Del Toro and star Ron Perlman.

'Hellboy' reboot postponed by 3 months

Hollywood veteran Jane Fonda says men are trained "not to be empathetic and emotional" and they need to be fixed.
The 80-year-old actor, who was dating record producer Richard Perry from 2009 until last year, added she has not lost faith in the male species.
"I haven't given up on men. Let's just fix them. They're trained not to be empathetic and emotional," Fonda told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six.
Fonda has been married three times in the past - to Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden and Ted Turner.
The "Book Club" actor also spoke up on the #MeToo movement, adding influential men who have abused their power must not get a chance to return.
"Bad guys shouldn't come back. Let them work at Starbucks. F**k it!" she said.
"Poor top executive lost his job? Let him sweep floors until he learns. He doesn't belong in the boardroom. Plenty of women belong there," she added.

Let's fix men: Jane Fonda

"I, Tonya" helmer Craig Gillespie has been roped in to direct the English remake of Norwegian film "Thelma".
The supernatural horror drama film, directed by Joachim Trier, was released last year to critical acclaim and later chosen as the Norwegian entry for the best foreign language film Oscar but it did not make it to final five.
The story follows a sheltered young woman who discovers she has an inexplicable power that materializes when she feels desire for a female student at her university.
Christy Hall was recently hired to pen the screenplay for the remake, which will be financed and produced by FilmNation, reported Deadline.
Gillespie, 51, is best known for directing Tonya Harding-biopic "I, Tonya" and Ryan Gosling-starrer "Lars and the Real Girl".

Craig Gillespie to direct English remake of 'Thelma'

Oscar winner JK Simmons, Sienna Miller and Taylor Kitsch have come aboard the cast of police thriller "17 Bridges".
The three actors joins "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman in the project, which will be directed by Brian Kirk, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Boseman, 40, who is also producing the film, will be playing a disgraced NYPD detective, who gets a shot at redemption when he gets involved in a city-wide hunt for a cop killer.
STXfilms will back the project alongside filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, who most recently directed Boseman in this year's blockbuster "Avengers: Infinity War".
Simmons, 63, won the 2015 Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in "Whiplash" and he is currently awaiting the release of Jason Reitman's upcoming political drama "The Front Runner".
Miller, 36, starred in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the West End" last year, and will next be seen in the indie thriller "American Woman".
Kitsch, 37, most recently ...

JK Simmons, Sienna Miller, Taylor Kitsch join thriller '17 Bridges'

Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan Thursday evaded a direct answer when asked about actor Tanushree Dutta's claim that Nana Patekar harassed her on the sets of a film in 2008, an allegation that is being seen as Bollywood's #MeToo moment.
"My name is not Tanushree and my name is not Nana Patekar," Bachchan said when asked to react to Dutta's recent TV interview.
Khan said it would not be right for him to comment but "whenever something like this does happens it is really a sad thing".
The two stars were present at the trailer launch of their upcoming film "Thugs of Hindostan".
Khan said it would be unfair on his part to comment on the controversy without knowing the "veracity" or the "details" of the matter.
"I don't think I can comment on it... But whenever something like this does happens it is really a sad thing. Now whether such thing has happened it is for people to investigate it," he said.
In a recent TV interview, Dutta said Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets 

Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan react to Tanushree Dutta's allegations

Rashida Jones secretly gave birth to her first child with longtime beau, musician Ezra Koenig over a month ago.
According to E! News, the "Angie Tribeca" actor welcomed a baby boy on August 22.
The couple have named the child Isaiah Jones Koenig.
Jones is yet publicly confirm the news.
The publication has reached out to the star's rep for comment.
The fiercely private couple seemed to confirm their relationship when they stepped out together at the Sundance Film Festival last January.

Rashida Jones secretly gives birth to first child

Bringing unorthodox subjects on celluloid, Ayushmann Khurrana realised it was time for him to change gears and experiment by challenging himself as an actor.
In an interview with PTI, Ayushmann talked about why it was essential for him to pick up Sriram Raghavan's "Aandhadun".
"It was a deliberate decision to move away from that space of doing slice-of-life films. I believe you don't have to change yourself with every film, establish yourself in a particular genre and then break the mould. If you are changing with every film then where is the surprise? You will get exhausted as an actor," he said.
The actor says he realised that this film offered him the perfect opportunity to break away from the image of playing a middle class boy.
"I was ready to do this film as soon as possible. This film would been a game changer for me as I have been doing slice-of-life films and I have established myself in a particular genre successfully. I wanted to break that mould."
To Ayushmann's surprise, .

'Aandhadun' would be game changer for me: Ayushmann Khurrana

"Ong-Bak" star Tony Jaa is joining Mila Jovovich in "Monster Hunter".
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 42-year-old martial arts superstar is on board Screen Gems' adaptation of the Capcom video game.
Jovovich plays a character named Artemis, while Jaa is said to be the male lead, a man named The Hunter.
The game follows armed players taking on characters who track and kill monsters.
Paul WS Anderson is writing and directing the project.
Anderson earlier wrote and helmed the video game adaptation franchise "Resident Evil", which also featured wife Jovovich.
He is also attached as producer with longtime friends Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer.
Ron Perlman and TI Harris are also part of the cast.
The shooting begins next month South Africa.

Tony Jaa joins 'Monster Hunter'

Harley Quinn spin-off, "Birds of Prey", has officially added Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell to the cast of the film.
According to Variety, Winstead will play Huntress and Smollett-Bell will portray Black Canary in the DC comic book-inspired film.
Huntress, also known as Helena Bertinelli, has appeared in different versions throughout DC Comics. The "Birds of Prey" take views the character as a former mafia princess who was devastated at a young age when her family was killed in a mob hit, turning her into a vigilante and eventually leading her to join the Birds of Prey team.
Winstead beat Margaret Qualley and Cristin Milioti to land the role of Huntress.
Black Canary, aka Dinah Lance, is a good-natured and idealistic streetfighter in the comics.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Janelle Monae were in the running to become Black Canary in the Warner Bros film.
Actor Margot Robbie is all set to reprise her "Suicide Squad" role of Harley Quinn.
She will also co-produce the project ...

'Birds of Prey' adds Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell

Veteran actor Judi Dench has said the firing of Kevin Spacey from the film "All the Money in the World" has set a bad precedent.
Director Ridley Scott had last year dropped Spacey from the film in wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against him.
Scott later roped in Christopher Plummer to reshoot "House of Cards" star's scenes.
According to Variety, Dench, 83, who co-starred with Spacey in 2001 film "The Shipping News", said he was a "good friend" and had been an "inestimable comfort" who "kept me going" after the death of her husband Michael Williams.
"I can't approve, in any way, of the fact that - whatever he has done - that you then start to cut him out of the films," she said.
"Are we to do what happened when he was replaced with Christopher Plummer? Are we to do that throughout history? Are we to go back throughout history and anyone who has misbehaved in any way, or who has broken the law, or who has committed some kind of offense, are they always ..

Judi Dench defends 'good friend' Kevin Spacey

Eva Green is on board BBC's new drama series "The Luminaries".
The 38-year-old actor, best known for "Casino Royal", will be joined by Eve Hewson and Marton Csokas in the cast, the network said in a press release.
The series is an adaptation of Eleanor Catton's Man-Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name.
Catton is adapting the novel for the series alongside director Claire McCarthy.
Green will portray Lydia Wells in the series, while Hewson will be playing Anna Wetherell. Csokas will essay Francis Carver.
"I'm thrilled to be joining Working Title and this wonderful team. Eleanor has written a series of brilliant screenplays. I loved her original novel and it's so exciting that her own screen adaptation reveals yet more exquisite material," Green said in a statement.
The novel is set on New Zealand's South Island against the backdrop of the 1860s gold rush.
The series will start filming in New Zealand in November.

Eva Green to star in BBC's 'The Luminaries' series

Director M Night Shyamalan has given an update on his much-awaited film "Glass".
The 48-year-old director, best known for films such as "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs", took to Twitter to announce that the film is in its final edit stage.
"In editing room for final week of @GlassMovie. Pass thirteen. Final CGI coming in, Last tiny trims, credits, last cues... getting emotional," he wrote.
"Glass" is a sequel to the 2000 thriller "Unbreakable", starring Bruce Willis as David Dunn, whose character learns something extroverted about himself in the aftermath of an accident.
Shyamalan's "Split", featuring James McAvoy, was the second in the trilogy to "Unbreakable". The actor along with co-actor Anna Taylor-Joy will reprise their roles in the third chapter.
The upcoming film will be a clash of the storyline of the previous two movies.
Apart from Willis, Samuel L Jackson will also reprise his role from "Unbreakable".
The movie is scheduled to be released on January 18.

M Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' in final edit stage

The #MeToo movement brought out the ugly side of Hollywood and led to the downfall of several powerful men, but Tanushree Dutta says such a thing should happen in Bollywood so that she can get justice for an incident that she claimed happened in 2008.
In a recent TV interview, Dutta reiterated her claim that a veteran actor had misbehaved with her on the sets of a film.
During the interview, she also alleged that the actor had the tacit support of the film's makers.
"They called me a slut, an unprofessional.. when I spoke about it eight to ten years back. Nobody has right to say anything to me," Dutta told PTI.
Recounting the incident and its aftermath, she claimed, "When I tried to escape they called the media, they called some people to mob lynch and attack my car. My parents were there inside and even I was inside, it was horrific. So from harassment situation to a mob lynching situation..."
"They made sure that we did not escape from the studio, they locked the gates and then the .

#MeToo movement needed in Bollywood to highlight incidents like one that happened with me: Tanushree

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has constituted the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society, nominating actor Kangna Ranaut, singer Anup Jalota, noted directors and producers Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, among others, as members.
Their nomination comes about a year after actor Anupam Kher was appointed as the chairman of FTII.
Ranaut, Jalota, Yesudas (singer), Arvind Swami (actor), Brijendra Pal Singh (TV producer, Divya Dutta (actor), Satish Kaushik (actor-producer-director) and Archana Rakesh Singh (academician), have been nominated to the society under the persons of eminence category, an official statement said Wednesday.
Hirani, Chopra, Danny Denzongpa (actor) and Mahesh Aney (cinamatographer), have been nominated to the FTII society under the alumnus category.
In addition to them, under the category of experts representing the activities of the central government, N Sarvana, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human ...

I&B ministry nominates Kangna, Anup Jalota, Rajkumar Hirani to FTII Society

Salman Khan, who is launching his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma with the film "Loveyatri", says it is a huge responsibility to introduce people to Bollywood.
"If they make (it big), it is the happiest feeling but if they don't, whoever you have launched or worked with, I believe that you should never stop working with them.
"New people will keep on coming in but those people whom you worked with you should work with them again because that time you had thought that there's something in them, which maybe didn't work out that time," Salman said in a group interview.
Given his experience of over 25 years in the film industry, the 52-year-old actor says his only advice to newcomers is to do good work.
"I tell them (newcomers) don't play games. Just be enthusiastic in what you want to do. Be patient and don't jump into anything. If there is no work, it is fine as the work that you do has to be good work.
"Otherwise working everyday may lead to some bad work and it will not let you get work .

Newcomers should look for ideal opportunity, says Salman Khan

Salman Khan says nepotism does not work in Bollywood as audiences only accept good films and actors, irrespective of their background.
The 52-year-old actor contends that someone would have launched his brother-in-law Ayush Sharma, if not him, as he has been working hard for it over the years.
"He has been training hard. I knew this nepotism thing would come up.. He is son of a politician how can you put him into this nepotism thing.
"This is the only one place where nepotism cannot work at all. It is the audience that will make you a superstar or will reject you no matter whose son or a brother-in-law you are," Salman said in an interview here.
Ayush is making his Bollywood debut with "Loveyatri" opposite Warina Hussain. The film, directed by Abhiraj Minawala, releases on October 5.
The "Race 3" cites his own example and says it is "totally the audience who decide what they like and what not".
"You never know what they would like. You maybe the best looking guy and best actor and ...

Only audience can make actor a star, says Salman Khan

Shah Rukh Khan Wednesday said all individuals are "incomplete" in their own way despite any amount of "power and stardom" as he wished the Indian Paralympic Contingent for the Asian Para Games 2018 at their send-off ceremony.
The 52-year-old actor, who was in the capital, said people have to battle with their weaknesses to "fulfil their incompleteness".
"We all are incomplete in one way or the other. Sometimes in the physical sense, sometimes we are unable to grow mentally... Even emotionally, there are some shortcomings in each one of us. It is said that God has made us 'like' him but not 'as' him.
"He sent us into the world so that we fight our disabilities and go on to complete our lives. Job, financial stability, stardom and power do not complete us. We have to fight our shortcomings to fulfil our incompleteness," Shah Rukh told the athletes.
The actor lauded them, saying they could have pursued any other profession to make a name but they chose sports, "a field which actually ...

We all are incomplete in one way or other: Shah Rukh to Paralympic contingent

Cameron Crowe's comedy drama "Almost Famous" is all set to be adapted into a musical.
The 2000 film is a semi-autobiographical retelling of the director's personal experience as a teenage writer for a magazine and touring with rock bands such as Led Zepllin and The Eagles in the 70s.
It featured Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit and Jason Lee.
The new musical will be directed by Jeremy Herrin with music by Tom Kitt. Crowe will pen the book based on his Oscar-winning screenplay, reported Rolling Stone.
Crowe, 61, has been developing the musical for a couple of years and first teased the project on Twitter with a video of composer Tom Kitt performing at the piano.
"I remember the first day of filming 'Almost Famous'. We were standing in downtown San Diego, shooting a scene with Phillip Seymour Hoffman on the very same street where I'd first met Lester Bangs.
"It felt surreal. It felt like a miracle. I called a friend of mine and said, ...

Camerone Crowe turning 'Almost Famous' into musical

The Bengali film industry  presently lacks professional writers who can put up good film  scripts, superstar Prosenjit Chatterjee has said.
In Mumbai, people can send their scripts to various  forums which is seen by globally known script writers and they  can hone up their skills, he said.
A director cannot always be expected to write the  script of his own film, Prosenjit told PTI.
"We really lack good film script writers. People like  Anjan Chowdhury who could churn out scripts of wholesome  entertainers are difficult to find these days," he said.
"There are one or two exceptions like Padmanabha  Dasgupta. But how many scripts can one Padmanabha Dasgupta  write! He has his limitations," Chatterjee told PTI on the  sidelines of the launch of a talent spotting platform on  Tuesday night.
Fifty-eight year old Chatterjee, who had acted in  around 300 films since debuting as a child actor in 1964, said  there was no grooming process of a new talent in the Bengali  entertainment industry 

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