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Academy Award winning Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tavonic is not happy that The Good Road has been chosen over The Lunchbox as the representative to compete for the Oscar in the best foreign language film category this year. He claims that he didn’t say this because he has co-produced The Lunchbox, starring Irrfan Khan as lead. For the uninitiated, the Film Federation of India (FFI) chose The Good Road, a Gujarati travel drama, over Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, as they felt that the former movie reflects an India that our movies usually don't showcase. "You had a chance and you don't have it anymore," Tanovic said, adding: "If I could give my place to The Lunchbox, I would give it." Tavonic is unhappy that The Lunchbox didn’t get the chance. "It's still stuck in my throat - the decision... If you ought to win an Oscar, then you put the better horse in the race. The best horse was The Lunchbox," Tanovic said at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF). "They should know it from Lagaan. Lagaan was the last Indian film in the Oscar shortlist and it had the backing of Sony Pictures Classics, due to which they managed it. I spoke to somebody in India and asked them, 'Why did you send The Good Road? The person responded - 'It is a good film'." "It's not a question of a good film. It's about whether you really want to win an Oscar, or do you want to send a film which you think is great," said Tanovic. Guess everyone has an opinion on this subject!

Once Amitabh Bachchan said in a statement that people in filmdom used to criticise him in his initial stage because of his giraffe length height, but instead of getting disappointed from the comments he fought with the community and proved his mettle to the entire industry.Something similar has experienced by Bollywood actress Nimrat Kaur, who says when she landed in tinsel town, people had different opinions about her look. She had an illiberal experience when a filmmaker advised her to go for a plastic surgery. She said, “When I came into the industry, people had different opinions about how I look. Some told me I was too pretty, others said I wasn't fair enough or tall enough. Nearly seven years ago, I was even advised by a filmmaker to consider plastic surgery. Soon, I stopped thinking about what works.”The actress, who stars in much acclaimed film The Lunchbox, has been now praised for her looks and performance by audience and critics as well. About the success she said, “I am happy with the kind of launch I have got. It is a very exciting time for actors as roles that can surprise them are being written. This was not the case 15 years ago. A film like The Dirty Picture would not have been possible then. Also we, including the audience, are more exposed to world cinema these days. Its effect has seeped into the industry. Filmmakers today have a wider vocabulary.”Way to girl!

DAR Motion Pictures has come up with the most versatile production house, and its latest release The Lunchbox, in collaboration with UTV and Dharma Productions did good business at the box-office.Its upcoming projects are Mickey Virus, Ugly, etc. Arun Rangachari from the production house says "Our content strategy is genre and demographic agnostic, and is driven by a core philosophy to bring high-quality content to a cross-section of Indian audiences. Backed by best-of-class talent, each of our films this year belongs to a different genre and is focused on a distinctive audience segment."The production house aims to invest in different genres of films. "We are currently finalizing our slate of films for 2014, which again will be equally eclectic in terms of genres, themes, narratives, budgets and casting, with high-quality content being at the core," says Vivek Rangachari from the production house.Director Ritesh Batra says, "I am very excited to be a part of DAR family with The Lunchbox. As a production house they give creative freedom and support to their directors."Manish Paul, who plays the main lead in Mickey Virus, said, "After my experience of working with them on 'Mickey Virus', I can say that that they know how to identify and nurture creative talent."We hope they keep on attain success!

After making waves in numerous countries, Fire In The Blood screens today across India. Directed by Dylan Mohan Gray, the film has won critical acclaim worldwide.Rohit Khilnani from India Today wrote, “Dylan Mohan Gray's documentary Fire in the Blood is a shocking expose… A story that needed to be told to the world -- **** (4 stars)”According to noted film critic Rajeev Masand, the documentary is "A powerful, urgent film. Don't miss Fire in the Blood. It tells you how YOU can save lives"Sarit Ray from Hindustan Times says Fire in the Blood is "a sharp wake-up call... as riveting as it is engaging... the perfect vehicle for a powerful message that has been lost" and adds that "an Indian film might make it to the biggest awards stage... in a pill if not a lunchbox -- **** (4 stars)"Zoe Ball from BBC Radio calls it “Brilliant... A real life David and Goliath story”.  Legendary film critic Philip French of The Guardian and The Observer pronounces it to be “quietly devastating” and “a testament to human decency”.  Calling Fire in the Blood “"indispensable viewing” and a “very smart documentary from India”, David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter says the film is “extremely moving... a powerful documentary that demands to be seen by as wide an audience as possible".Amongst India’s leading opinion makers, Barkha Dutt tweeted “A Must Watch: Fire in the Blood @fitbmovie (releasing Friday) - hard-hitting & searing film on how Big Pharma blocked affordable HIV drugs”The film has won three major international awards in recent months, including the 2013 DOXA Feature Documentary Award at Vancouver and the 2013 Justice Matters Award at the 27th Washington DC International Film Festival. The most recent feather in its cap is winning the first-ever Prize for Political Film at the recently-concluded Filmfest Hamburg in Germany.

Sajid Nadiadwala has roped in the talented actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, of Gangs of Wasseypur fame, for his upcoming film with Salman Khan, Kick. For the first time, Nawaz would play a powerful role in a out and out commercial film, Kick.There were news that floated media few months back about Randeep Hooda being signed on to play an important role in the movie Kick which is a remake of telugu money-spinner of the same name. The Telugu version had Ravi Tejaa, Ileana and Shaam in the lead roles. The film is about a man (Ravi Tejaa) who robs corrupt politician and business tycoons for the pleasure of his Kick, and a strict no nonsense police officer (Shaam) is assigned to nab him.It is reported that Sajid was keen to cast someone who will be able to perform dramatically. While details are kept under wrap on his character as it's suppose to be surprise but insiders say it's very powerful. According to the original version, only two characters are important in the whole film. The Con-Man and the Cop.Nawazuddin read the script and feel in love with the character. It is also the first time that Nawaz will be working with Sajid Nadiadwala as well as Salman Khan. Earlier to this, he had received a lot of accolades for his performance in Talaash and Lunchbox where he had dabbled into different characters. This would be Nawazuddin Siddiqui's first mainstream break. And that too opposite Salman Khan.