Entertainment: Oscar Academy invites big names from Bollywood 

Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan, Deepika Padukone are among the 774 people, who have been invited to join the Academy and vote in the Oscars. However, Shah Rukh Khan is a major miss from the list.

According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website, the 2017 invitees come from 57 countries, with the list comprising 39 per cent female and 30 per cent people of colour.

“We're proud to invite our newest class to the Academy. The entire motion picture community is what we make of it. It's up to all of us to ensure that new faces and voices are seen and heard, and to take a shot on the next generation the way someone took a shot on each of us.”Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in a statement.

The list of actors also includes Gal Gadot, comedian Amy Poehler, Rami Malek, Rogue One actor Riz Ahmed, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth . Elle Fanning is the youngest invitee at 19, while Betty White at 95 is the oldest.

The directors on the list are Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele, Kim Ki-Duk, Theodore Melfi, David Ayer, Emmanuelle Bercot, Fatih Akin, Derek Cianfrance, Patricia Cardoso, Garth Davis, Lav Diaz, Tom Ford, Anna Hui, Takashi Miike and Guy Ritchie, among others.

Filmmakers Goutam Ghose and Buddhadeb Dasgupta, costume designer Arjun Bhasin, writer Sooni Taraporevala and documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan are among other invitees from India. Indian-origin visual effects director Mohit Kallianpur, behind animated films like Frozen and Tangled, is also on the list.

Adnan Sami debuts as actor with Afghan

Pianist and music composer Adnan Sami is all set to enter Bollywood in a leading role with his debut film Afghan-In Search Of A Home.

Directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, the film portrays the story of a musician refugee from Afghanistan who flees his native country under extenuating circumstances, in search of identity and a home.

The 43-year-old will essay the role of a musician and his first look has been shared on the film’s official Twitter page.

The film will mark Adnan’s debut as a full-fledged actor after he made an appearance as a qawwal in Salman-Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijan. He said, “the movie is very close” to his heart as it is his first movie as an actor.

Earlier he had featured in the songs Tera Chehra, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein and Kabhi To Nazar Milao. He has also provided vocals for various songs from Hindi films, including, Ishq Hota Nahin from Joggers' Park, Bhar Do Jholi Meri from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Ramta Jogis to re-unite after 17 years

Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anil Kapoor have come together for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Fanney Khan, after almost a gap of 17 years. Aishwarya was last seen in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Clearing speculations about Aishwarya’s role being offered to Priyanka and PeeCee’s rejection to the script, the makers of the film confirmed that Aishwarya had been the first and the only choice for the film’s character.

Produced by KriArj Entertainment, Fanney Khan is the Hindi adaptation of the 2000 Dutch release Everybody's Famous directed by Dominique Deruddere. The original movie was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 73rd Academy Awards.

Prerna Arora, co-producer of the movie while speaking to a tabloid, said, “The team has started building the set in Mumbai next month and Anil will kick off shooting in the first week of August. Aishwarya will join him by the month-end and the film will wrap up in a start-to-finish schedule by October.”

Recently, Anil and Aish had their first reading of the script. Moreover, the actors may also lend their voice to some songs in the film.

Meanwhile, Anil is busy promoting his upcoming film Mubarakan.

CFBP launches Film Festival for budding filmmakers

A Consumer Film Festival has been organised by The Council for Fair Business Practices (CFBP) to provide a platform for budding filmmakers. The fest is a part of the 51st anniversary of the Council.

The contest which is open to professionals, filmmakers, companies, corporates, organisations, students, individuals, young upcoming stars and NGOs will hold a Short Film Competition, Script Writing Contest, Short Story Writing Contest, Street Plays Competition, Poster Competition and Slogan Writing Contest.

The contest will be headed by jury members like Ad guru Piyush Pandey, film director Abhinay Deo, actress Honey Irani, actor Makarand Deshpande, cinematographer Sanjay F. Gupta, CEO at Zee Live and Zee Talent Sunil Buch , actress Dolly Thakore and Justice B.N. Srikrishna. The winner in all the competitions will be awarded a cash prize, a trophy and a certificate.

With inputs from PTI