Rajkummar Rao has redefined the word 'hero' in Bollywood and the actor believes one of the biggest reasons for his success is that he has always tried to challenge the norms.
The 33-year old star said it is important for an artiste to break through the shackles of "obvious" as being predictable can hinder their growth.
"I love it when people call me unconventional. My aim has always been to break conventions and to keep experimenting. I feel it is good to be unpredictable.  People are experimenting in every field. We can't keep following what has been there since always. It is important to reinvent as an artiste," Rao told PTI.
The actor said he has again tried to do something unique with his upcoming film "Stree", which releases on his birthday August 31.
"'Stree' is something fresh and new. Audiences want to see different kind of content on-screen and 'Stree' is exactly that. It is a unique genre horror-comedy which has not been explored much in our country."
Rao revealed that he ...

My aim is to break conventions: Rajkummar Rao

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Kajol's "Helicopter Eela" has been pushed back by a month owing to the ill health of director Pradeep Sarkar.
The film, which also stars National Award winner Riddhi Sen, was earlier scheduled to release on September 7. It will now hit the theatres on October 12.
Sarkar was recently hospitalised after being diagnosed with dengue.
According to press release, Sarkar had taken a day's leave from hospital to shoot a scene with megastar Amitabh Bachchan for the film. An ambulance and a doctor was put on standby on the sets.
After completing the shoot, he went back to the hospital to continue his treatment.
Ajay Devgn, who has produced the feature alongside Jayantilal Gada, decided to shift the release date to October 12, the statement read.
The makers will wait for Sarkar's recover and resume work.

Kajol's 'Helicopter Eela' delayed, to now release on October 12

Oscar winner Casey Affleck is all set to produce the sports feature "Fencers".
According to Variety, Affleck will produce via his banner, Sea Change Media, and also take up a supporting role in the project, reported Variety.
The film, to be directed by Jasmine McGlade, is about a female fencer attempting to make it to the US Olympic team while facing personal demons and childhood rivals.
The script has been penned by McGlade, who made her feature directorial debut with the 2011 indie drama "Maria My Love".
She has previously worked as a producer on her ex-husband Damien Chazelle's feature "La La Land".
The project's announcement comes two weeks after the "Manchester By The Sea" star apologised for his role in creating an "unprofessional environment" on the sets of his
2010 mockumentary "I'm Still Here" that led to two women filing lawsuits against him.
The actor will be next seen in "The Old Man & the Gun", opposite Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek.

Casey Affleck producing sports feature 'Fencers'

Music legend Elton John's biopic "Rocketman", starring Taron Egerton, has been delayed by two weeks.
The film, which was earlier scheduled to release on May 17, 2019, will now hit the theatres on May 31, 2019, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Egerton, 28, is portraying the legendary singer in the Dexter Fletcher-directed film which will focus on John's emergence as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music to becoming a music superstar and his partnership with songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin.
Matthew Vaughn and his Marv Films is producing the film along with John and his Rocket Pictures partner David Furnish.
The film's cast includes Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard and Gemma Jones.
Vaughn and Egerton have teamed on both "Kingsman" films and on "Eddie the Eagle," which Fletcher directed with Egerton starring.
Fletcher and Vaughn have previously worked together on "Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels" and "Layer Cake".

Elton John's biopic 'Rocketman' postponed by two weeks

Veteran Marathiactor Vijay  Chavan, known for his comic roles, died this morning at a  hospital after a prolonged illness, a hospital official said.
He was 63.
The actor, who has featured in more than 350 films,  was reportedly not keeping well for some time and was  undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.
"He was admitted to the Fortis Hospital in Mulund  since the last four-five days as his health had started  deteriorating. He passed away today morning at about 5," the  hospital official told PTI.
Chavan, who also featured in numerous plays, is best  remembered for his comic roles in Marathi films such as  'Jatra', 'Zapatlela', 'Pachadlele', 'Mumbaicha Dabewala' and  'Shrimanta Damodar Panta', among others.
'Moru Chi Mavshi' is one of his famous plays in which  he was appreciated for portraying a woman.

Veteran Marathi actor Vijay Chavan dies in Mumbai

"Star Trek Beyond" actor John Cho has been cast as the lead in the Netflix feature, "Tigertail".
The film, being described as a multi-generational drama, hails from "Master of None"  creator Alan Young.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Young has also written the script which is based on events that happened in his family.
The story will chronicle two people's poor life choices and the consequences of those decisions, exploring themes of regret, longing, passion and repression while spanning continents and generations, from 1950s Taiwan to present-day New York City.
Cho, 46, who is currently awaiting the release of his film "Searching", will be joined Tzi Ma and Christine Ko in the film.
The project is expected to start shooting next week in New York and Taiwan.
It will be produced by Charles King and Kim Roth via their Macro banner alongside Poppy Hanks and Yang.
Peter Pastorelli and David Lee will serve as executive producers in the project.

John Cho to star in Netflix drama 'Tigertail'

Former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King, a Southern rock pioneer who co-wrote the hit "Sweet Home Alabama," has died, his official Facebook page account has announced. He was 68.
The post yesterday said he died at home on Wednesday. It did not mention the cause, but rock music bible Rolling Stone said he had been battling lung cancer.
"It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Ed King who died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee on August 22nd, 2018," the Facebook post read. "We thank his many friends and fans for their love and support of Ed during his life and career."
Guitarist Gary Rossington took to Lynyrd Skynyrd's official Twitter account to voice his shock over King's death. "Ed was our brother, and a great Songwriter and Guitar player. I know he will be reunited with the rest of the boys in Rock & Roll Heaven," he wrote.
King, originally from California, spent three years in the band in the early 1970s, appearing on three albums, but quit after bust-ups with ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King dead at 68

The deadlock between artistes  and producers of TV serials over regularisation of payment  ended today, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee giving an  assurance that a committee formed with representatives from  both sides will "look into the issues".
Shooting for the mega soaps will resume from tomorrow,  she said.
"A conciliation committee, with state Youth Affairs  Minister Aroop Biswas as the chairman and veteran actor  Soumitra Chatterjee as chief adviser, has been constituted to  look into the problems of both sides," she said.
The impasse had stalled shooting of serials for six  days, forcing TV channels to repeat episodes.
Banerjee, who held a meeting this afternoon with  representatives of Artists' Forum and Welfare Association of  Television Producers, also asserted that payments would be  doled out by 15th of every month.
Chatterjee and superstar Prasenjit Chatterjee were  among others who represented the Artists' Forum at the meeting  today.
"Full-fledged shootings will ...

Impasse ends, TV serial shooting to resume tomorrow

Actor Sushmita Sen says society is moving in the right direction as women no longer believe in elbowing each other to be "one up".
The 42-year-old actor says the world has become a better place as even men are now more supportive of women and are accepting their individuality.
"What I love about the times we are living in now is that women don't need to pull down other women to be better or one up. Now, if somebody asks them to do that they usually dump the person.
"The new generation of women and even men are far more supportive of each other. I find this excellent. There was a time when everybody was busy doing 'What is she wearing? How is she looking?' I am happy that is changing now. I am very glad to see that because my children are growing in that environment," Sushmita told PTI in an interview.
The actor says women are now motivated enough to take stand for themselves.
"I don't talk about things like women power and this and that. Because I believe fighting for it is saying we .

Today women don't need to pull down each other to be better: Sushmita Sen

Naseeruddin Shah has often called Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh among his favourite screen icons and the veteran actor says people are often surprised by this answer.
Shah, 68, said before Kapoor, Hindi cinema actors lacked style when it came to being a part of songs, often looking "awkward" as they tried to dance.
"Whenever I am asked who my favourite actors are, I say Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh. People expect me to say Balraj Sahni and Dilip Kumar. I admire them too but Dara Singh and Shammi Kapoor were my favourites.
"Shammi kappor is the man who gave a form to song picturisation in India, what men should do in a song. Post Shammi Kapoor, every actor has done a Shammi Kapoor or tried to do a Shammi Kapoor and every choreographer has tried to make them do a Shammi Kapoor," Shah said today while speaking at a session at the ongoing Mountain Echoes literary festival here.
As someone, who by his own admission, is not good when it comes to being a part of a song, Shah said he loved ...

Shammi Kapoor gave a form to song picturisation: Naseeruddin Shah

Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is "fed up" with Bollywood  and the kind of films it has been making in the recent times.
The actor, who has been a part of some 200 films including cult classics such as "Shatranj Ke Khiladi", "Nishant", "Aakrosh", "Sparsh", "Mirch Masala", "Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai", "Junoon", "Mandi", "Ardh Satya", "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro" and "A Wednesday", said films being made today are just "fluff".
"You will be hard put to find anything original, anything creative, anything stimulating, anything that would give you food for thought, or anything that would make you question. It is all just fluff," the actor said today while speaking at a session at the ongoing Mountain Echoes literary festival here.
The 68-year-old actor said he was "not optimistic of the film world in Bombay", and was consciously steering clear of projects that were not stimulating enough.
"I don't think I want to be a part of those kinds of movies any longer. So, I am doing parts that ...

Not optimistic of film world in Bombay: Naseeruddin Shah

Jimmy Bennett, who has claimed that he was sexually assaulted by Italian actor Asia Argento at the age of 17, says he did not speak out initially for fear of being misunderstood.
Argento, one of the first women to go public with allegations of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein, has been accused of sexually assaulting Bennett and then paying him off in 2017.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Bennett said, "I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me.
"My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative," he added.
A report by The New York Times, obtained the legal documents in which Bennett claimed that Argento assaulted him in a California hotel when he was only two months past his 17th birthday; the age of consent in California is 18.
Argento and Bennett ...

I was ashamed and afraid, says Asia Argento accuser Jimmy Bennett

Young designers today presented Khadi in a new avatar at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018, giving the fabric a funky and trendy spin to make it more suitable to modern sensibilities.
Lars Andersson, Pallavi Shantam, Saloni Sakaria and Jewellyn Alvares showcased their khadi range in a show presented by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018.
Andersson, a Swedish designer, who makes clothes from the most grounded parts of the world, says he was motivated to come up with a special range after hearing stories about the distress of weavers.
"It is important to bring Khadi to mainstream. There are a lot of weavers out there in India, many of them had to take other jobs because the mill fabrics are taking over. If we are able to make Khadi mainstream again, these people can continue doing what they do the best. For me, it is important to keep this material and the craft alive because the weavers are just amazing in what they ...

Making khadi fashionable best way to promote it: designers

"Tik Tik Plastic Tik Na Paye Re",  a song penned by noted lyricist Swanand Kirkire and composed  by singer Shaan was screened at the United Nations in New York  as part of its anti-plastic campaign.
Various artists lent their voices to the 'anthem',  produced by city-based NGO Bhamla Foundation, and screened at  the UN headquarters on August 4.
The UN had earlier declared 'Beat Plastic Pollution'  as the theme for the World Environment Day this year.
The musical video aims to raise awareness about the  UN's theme for this year to check plastic pollution, the NGO's  head, Asif Bhamla, told PTI.
"People don't like preaching. So, we decided to have a  musical number in the form of a video so that maximum number  of youth get attracted towards the cause," he said.
Bollywood artists like Sonu Nigam, Armaan Mallik,  Sunidhi Chauhan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal  -Shekhar and Kanika kapoor lent their voices to the song and  the video was choreographed by Shaimak Davar.
"The .

Anti-plastic song by Kirkire, Shaan screened at UN

Director Mudassar Aziz says the response to his 2016 sleeper hit "Happy Bhag jayegi" pushed him to come up with a sequel.
The second installment titled, "Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi", has a bigger star cast with Sonakshi Sinha and Jassi Gill joining Diana Penty and Jimmy Sheirgill.
"There are two Happy in this film. We have not replaced one Happy by another Happy. We had a story in which there are two heroines, one was Diana and for the other one we zeroed on Sonakshi.
"It is an audience-backed film. We want people to back it. We are hoping people will love this film," he told PTI.
Aziz is also open for a possible trilogy of the story provided the sequel works.
"If the audience after watching the second part feel that there is something left to be shown, then the third part will be made."
Talking about teaming up with Sonakshi for the first time, Aziz said the actor is at an interesting place in her career.
"She has got a reach but she is in an interesting stage in her career, where she ..

"Happy Bhag Jayegi" is an audience backed film: director

"Girls" creator-actor Lena Dunham has joined the star-studded cast of Quentin Tarantino's 1960's thriller "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
The film, which features Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie in lead roles, also  stars Maya Hawke, the daughter of 'Kill Bill' and 'Pulp Fiction' star Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Austin Butler and Lorenza Izzo.
The story is set in Los Angeles in 1969 and follows Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), the former star of a Western TV series, and his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth (Pitt), who are struggling to make it in a Hollywood. Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor: Sharon Tate (Robbie).
The film's cast also includes names like Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Damian Lewis, James Marsden and Luke Perry.

Lena Dunham joins Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'

Handloom has become a runway favourite from being a common man's clothing but the focus on sustainability has made it unaffordable for the masses.
Dia Mirza, who is UN Enviroment Goodwill Ambassador, believes government needs to regulate the costing of eco-friendly and natural products in order to make sustainability the way of life.
"Costing is a major factor which needs to be looked at to make handlooms popular. Now the more natural the thing is the more expensive it will be. I believe government will have to play a very important role in that. There are companies producing natural stuff to get tax benefits.
"I believe people shouldn't be made to pay a bigger price for being eco-friendly. It discourages people from using sustainable products. Not everybody has the means of the income to afford this kind of stuff. Cost of these products have to come down to make it mainstream," Dia told PTI in an interview.
The 36-year-old actor says the fact that India is the biggest producer of ...

People shouldn't be made to pay bigger price for being eco-friendly: Dia Mirza

Estranged Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reportedly agreed to continue their interim child custody agreement.
A source confirms to People magazine that a planned custody hearing was cancelled after the divorced stars went ahead with continuing the temporary agreement.
"Nothing has changed since the judge made an interim custody agreement a few months ago in which he said Angelina must let Brad see the children," the insider says.
Pitt, 54 and Jolie, 43, pledged to settle their case confidentially in last year, but are currently fighting over the issue of child support for their six children - Maddox, 17, Pax, 14, Zahara, 13, Shiloh, 12, and 10-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.
The kids spent much of the summer with Jolie in London as she filmed "Maleficent 2"
Pitt has been shooting Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". The kids, along with Jolie, are now back in the country.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt agree to continue interim custody agreement

Quashik Mukherjee's next directorial venture "Garbage" has been picked up by streaming giant Netflix.
This is his third film that has gone straight to the streaming service, after "Ludo" and "Brahman Naman".
The film explores themes of oppression - both sexual and psychological extremism in the era of blind faith and aggressive digital medium.
"Having 'Garbage' up on Netflix means my audience around the world will be able to watch the film," the director said in a statement, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
"It will be very exciting to see the impact of this release in a climate of hate and repression," he added.

Qaushiq Mukherjee's next 'Garbage' picked up by Netflix

The cast of "Top Gun: Maverick" has become bigger with actors Jom Hamm and Ed Harris coming aboard it.
Actor Tom Cruise, who fronted the original 1986 action drama, is all set to reprise his role of aviator Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the follow-up.
The film, to be directed by "Oblivion" helmer Joseph Kosinski from a script by Peter Craig, will explore Maverick's time in the modern military, as he tries to adjust in the world of drones and modern tech.
Hamm, 47, and Harris, 67, join Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer in the project, reported Deadline.
However, their character details have not been revealed as of yet.
The film's cast also include Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Bashir Salahuddin, Danny Ramirez and Monica Barbaro in the supporting roles.
The project is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Jerry Bruckheimer Films and David Ellison for Skydance, and is expected to release in July next year.
Hamm was most recently seen in two films -- espionage thriller "Beirut" 

Jon Hamm, Ed Harris join cast of 'Top Gun: Maverick'

Actor-director Ben Affleck has reportedly checked into a rehabilitation facility at the insistence of his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
The "Justice League" star will be undergoing a professional treatment after Garner "begged" him to seek help for his alcohol issues, reported TMZ.
Garner intervention came after Affleck was clicked by paparazzi buying a box of alcohol and liquor. The actor was said to be "receptive" to the rehab request, and was photographed en route to a facility.
The publication has claimed Affleck has now entered a "live-in facility" in LA County. This is the third time that the Oscar winner has sought treatment for his alcohol issues.
In 2001, the actor completed a 30-day residential rehabilitation program for alcohol abuse. He once again checked into rehab in 2017 and later shared the news in a post on his Facebook page.
"I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront," he had said.
The actor ...

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