GARCIA BERNAL to act in Indian Film

Gael Garcia Bernal, one of Latin America's most sought after and most popular actors, has seemingly been roped in to act in 'The Stamp Collector', a film about Partition featuring an international star cast. The film will be produced by Sanjay Bhattacharyajee, who has previously backed highly memorable films which have received critical acclaim such as 'Amu', 'Quick Gun Murugan', 'Bombay Summer' and 'Manorama Six Feet Under'.

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SHAH RUKH KHAN sweeps Berlin off its feet

Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan reached Berlin this month, together with co-stars Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta as well as 70 of the film's co-actors and other film staff from India for the start of the shooting of their latest movie, the sequel "Don 2 - The Chase Continues", directed by Farhan Akhtar, who previously directed the remake of 1978 cult film 'Don' in 2006 (the original 70s film starred none other than Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan).

Producers have described 'Don' as a Hindi version of James Bond, in which the hero of the film is however a suave and smart criminal!

The sequel will star the original cast of  Farhan Akhtar's first 'Don': Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani, but will also welcome new characters being played by Lara Dutta, Sameera Reddy and Kunal Kapoor.

Shah Rukh Khan, who plays the lead role mentioned that the inspiration to shoot 'Don' in Berlin came while he was visiting the German city during its 2008 film festival.

"I just love Berlin... It is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. I have been here for two weeks and I don't feel I am working," Khan told reporters at a recent press conference. The 44-year-old actor enjoys a huge fan following in Germany, where his films are dubbed and sold to the general German-speaking public with huge success.

While the star might feel as if he is not working, he not only started filming but dove immediately into doing a difficult stunt consisting of  jumping from the roof of the Park Inn Hotel on the Alexanderplatz in Berlin for a scene in which several gangsters are chasing him.

Apart from this difficult  stunt, the actor has also been preparing for more action-packed scenes: "Learnt scuba diving...base flying...fast driving (crashed also once)...gyming...old songs...PS3 (Play Station 3) soccer...Beat Boman & Ritesh (Farhan & me)...happy," SRK tweeted this week.

'Don 2' is an Indo-German production that has Germany hoping to attract millions of Indian viewers to travel to the beautiful city of Berlin by showcasing some of the town's most famous tourist attractions. Shah Rukh Khan himself sees this opportunity as a "great way to showcase this city to an Indian audience".

The Hindi version of the film seems to be scheduled for release in December 2011. It is still being debated whether the dubbed German version will be released simultaneously or at the Berlin International Film Festival to be held in February 2012.

Visit the DON 2 website.

Watch NDTV's video of the press conference in Berlin.

Check out the picture gallery of the DON 2 press conference in Berlin.

SOUTH ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST 2010: Your Indian Summer in New York

The 7th edition of the South Asian International Film Festival will be held from Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2010 in New York city.

The festival will be featuring various Indian films, including:

* That girl in yellow boots (2010), by Anurag Kashyap, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah. The film will be screened for the festival's opening and will include a post-film Q&A with Anurag Kashyap. You may view the trailer here.

* Paan Singh Tomar (2010), of Dhul Tigmanshu starring Irrfan Khan and Mahie Gill.

* With Love to Obama (2010), by Subhash Kapoor, starring Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia and Amole Gupte.

* Pappu Can't Dance Saala (2010), by Saurabh Shukla, starring Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah.

* West is West (2010), by Andy De Emmony, starring Om Puri, Aqib Khan, Linda Bassett, Jimy Misrty and Ila Arun. The sequel to the internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning 'East is East',will be screened on the date of the festival's closing night. . You may view the trailer here.

Visit the SAIFF official website for more information on each of these films and more.

Se the SAIFF programme schedule

Roll the drums for the MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2010

While Indian cinema continues to attract viewers across the world, Mumbai, the capital of Hindi cinema itself is welcoming the world of the 7th art from Oct 21st to 28th at the MAMI’s 12th Mumbai Film Festival, seemingly the largest film festival ever to be held. The event opened with David Fincher's 'The Social Network' this Thursday, Oct 21st 2010 and will be showcasing 215 feature films, 15 documentaries and 24 short films from 58 countries.

The 2010 edition features not only an all-woman jury led by Jane Campion (‘Bright Star’, ‘The Piano’) for the International Competition but also the ‘Celebrate Age’ jury, led by none other than famed director Ramesh Sippy, as well as a special ‘Mumbai Young Critics’ jury consisting of hand-picked college students who are film enthusiasts, thus contributing a fresh perspective for both film makers and audiences. The ‘Dimensions Mumbai’ short film competition will also be a part of the festival, making the event thoroughly encompass a wide range of cinematic expression. A Japanese retrospective will also give joy to Asian cinema amateurs. Last but not least, two of cinema’s most emblematic personalities, for India and the international scene, will receive the festival’s Life Achievement award: Indian film actor-director-screenwriter-producer Manoj Kumar and renowned film maker Oliver Stone.

The PVR Juhu will host the Main Festival Complex while films will also be screened at neighboring Chandan Cinema (Juhu), Metro BIG Cinemas (Marine Lines) and BIG Cinemas R City (Ghatkopar).

Keep an eye on the festival programme for the following Indian or India-related 2010 releases, among many other pearls:

* 'The Way Home' – by Biju Kumar

* 'Good Night Good Morning' – by Sudhish Kamath

* 'Alif' – by K.M. Kamal

* ‘Harud’ – by Aamir Bashir

* ‘Semshook’ – by Siddhartha Kumar

* ‘Laadli Laila’ – by Murali Nair

* ‘Mirch’ – by Vinay Shukla

* 'Next Year in Mumbai' – by Jonas Pariente and Mathias Mangin (documentary from France).

For more information visit the MAMI 12th Mumbai Film Festival official website.