Shekhar Kapur has been bowled over by Kapil Dev. Kapur, who made the Oscar-winning Elizabeth, now plans to make a film on Kapil Dev.

Although the project is in its initial stages, the director hopes that the film will eventually shape up to be a docu-drama. He said he had spoken with Kapil, who had given him the go-ahead.

Nagarjuna signs on LoC

J P Dutta's recently launched LoC has found itself another big name. After Abhishek Bachchan, Suniel Shetty, Sunjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Akshaye and Rahul Khanna, Manoj Bajpai and Raveena, J P has now decided to rope in Southern superstar Nagarjuna.

Nagarjuna, we hear has been cast as a commander who hails from the South and he's very excited to be working with the likes of J P Dutta.

Ceiling on entertainment tax applauded

The Centre has recommended a ceiling of 60 per cent on entertainment tax in all states who would be free to fix any rate below this cap, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said.

This consensus emerged at a meeting of the Committee for Development of the Entertainment Sector convened by Swaraj and attended by information ministers of some states. At present the entertainment tax varies from zero to as high as 150 per cent.

V Shantaram awards reinstituted

After a gap of three years, the V Shantaram Awards for excellence in filmmaking have been reinstituted. Several new categories have been also been added. In addition, awards have also been instituted for children's films, with awards for Best Film, Best Director and the Best Child Artist.

The award ceremony, which was first held in 1993, is scheduled for November 18, to coincide with the birth centenary of the legendary filmmaker V Shantaram.

With a panel of nine jury members including Ashutosh Gowariker, activist Mohini Varde, actress Madhvi Mukherji and journalist Ashok Rane, the V Shantaram awards, will be an annual feature, based on the rules and criterion laid down by V Shantaram himself in 1975.

Compiled by:Vivek Fernandes
Design: Imran Shaikh