Fans want 'Bharat Ratna' conferred on Sivaji

The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has requested the Centre to confer the country’s highest civilian award, ‘The Bharat Ratna’, on late Tamil superstar Sivaji Ganesan. He passed away on July 21.

Chamber president A Kothandaramaiah said Sivaji was a cultural ambassador of the nation and his emotive performances on screen had surpassed all language barriers.

He requested the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to name the national award for best acting after Sivaji Ganesan.

The chamber has also decided to screen a retrospective of Sivaji films at the international film festival that will be held in Bangalore.

Govinda's Yashwardhan No 1 shuts shop

It's curtains for Govinda's Yashwardhan No 1, his distribution outfit that he launched on April 1, 2000.

The actor has that he wasn't exactly the best businessman. Yashwardhan No 1 had distributed Hadh Kardi Aapne, Joru Ka Ghulam, Jis Desh Mein Ganga and Shikari, of which only the first two of the aforementioned films did well. The others flopped incurring huge losses for Chi-chi.

Pyar Diwana Hota Hai is yet to be distributed, but afraid that the film may not do well Govinda does not wish to take any more risks.

Sanjay Khan's new film with son

Sanjay Khan of The Sword of Tipu Sultan fame, has announced a film with son Zayed playing the lead, to be directed by Ranjan Kumar Singh.

Janam Janam pegged as "a romance which has an unexpected theme set in bizarre circumstances" will go on the floor in four months.

The lead actress hasn't been decided. Zayed is making his debut in Universal's yet untitled film and will also star in Khan's Maryada Purushottam Ram.

Yaadein's London premiere

Producer-director Subhash Ghai's latest film Yaadein premiered at the British Academy of Film and Televisionmaking in London on Saturday July28.

The premiere was organised by Ghai's company Mukta Arts in collaboration with Star TV.

S P Hinduja, of the Hinduja Group and promoter of several Indian films overseas, hosted a reception attended by famous Indian film director Shekhar Kapur among others.

Compiled by Vivek Fernandes
Design: Imran Shaikh