Irrfan Khan strikes a pose at the Sundance red carpet with his co-star Kelly MacDonald

Irrfan Khan who recently won the Best Actor Award at the Filmfare flew on Sunday to Salt Lake City, Utah where the annual prestigious Sundance Film Festival took place. One of the most sought after film festivals, Sundance witnessed the world premiere of Irrfan's next Hollywood venture, Puzzle which has been directed by Marc Turtletaub who has previously produced the Academy Award winning film, Little Miss Sunshine. Irrfan Khan was present with the whole cast and crew of Puzzle on the red carpet of the Sundance Film Festival. The film starring Kelly MacDonald and Irrfan Khan in the lead roles is the story of forty something suburban mother whose world is consumed with caring for the men in her family. When she discovers she has a gift for assembling puzzles, her world begins to open and her entire family is forced to adjust and grow as well.

I have been getting a good response for my show Prithvi Vallabh: Ankush Bali

Actor Ankush Bali, who is part of Prithvi Vallabh, says that he is thrilled with the response. The actor, who plays the role of Rasnidhi, adds that people are loving every aspect of his character. “As of now, I have been getting a good response and people are liking the bond between Rasnidhi and Prithvi. They also love the  comic part of my character,” he says.

The actor, who gained weight for the role, prepared well. “I started reading the Hindi newspaper as my Hindi is very poor when it comes to reading aloud. I saw old films of Prithvi Vallabh. I learned horse riding but that part still scares me,” he says.

He adds, “Horse riding is a matter of confidence. You can control a car by applying the breaks or turn it the way you want as the car doesn't have a brain of its own, but the horse does. I was scared of falling from the horse. My horse went out of my control twice and I am still trying to gain confidence while riding.”

This is Ankush’s first historical show and he says that working in a period drama is tougher than an ordinary show. “This is my debut in the historical genre. Working in a historical show is 100 times more difficult than doing a normal social show. It has a lot of challenges like language costumes etc. And the biggest plus point is that you learn a lot from these shows,” he says.

Talking about future plans, he says, “I am an actor and I want to perform different types of roles. I am on the lookout for interesting work.”

Riding a chariot is not an easy job: Sunny Ghanshani

Shooting for a period drama is always tricky and challenging. Be it the costumes and or the props, the actors have to put in extra effort to shine on screen. Actor Sunny Ghanshani, who plays the character of Philip in Swastik Productions popular show Porus, recently had an interesting incident. He was shooting for a war sequence which was going on for few days and for that Sunny had to ride a chariot.

“Riding a chariot is not an easy job. There are two horses in a chariot and keeping the balance is a tough job for the rider. You have to stand in a specific position to maintain the current balance. Also you have to bend your knees. Specially when you are riding on an uneven surface the chariot wobbles a lot as the wooden wheels have gaps. I had not practised with the chariot before and literally learnt on the spot,” he says.

Of course, being comfortable with the horses is another aspect of riding the chariot. “The two horses are Heera and Jeetu and they are adorable and friendly. talk to the horses as they understand the language and also my touch. I was happy as the chariot sequence was wrapped up in three takes, says Sunny, who hails from Bilaspur and has made his acting debut with Porus.

Bhabhiji Ghar Pe Hai producer Binaifer Kohli and actor Shubhangi Atre attend Ticket2audition

Making a name for yourself in the industry can be tough especially if you are not from the film background. In an initiative to help such budding stars, an event called Ticket2audition was arranged in Juhu Millennium Club and Bhabhiji Ghar Pe Hai producer Binaifer Kohli and actor Shubhangi Atre graced the event, that was held on 23rd January.Talking about the event, Shubhangi says, “It was an amazing initiative for aspiring actors. All aspiring actors could come and audition.”

The actor has an eventful journey in the industry and says that she understands the trials and tribulations that all actors go through. “I have also struggled a lot. When you come from a small city, you don’t know where to go or who to meet,” she says.

She adds, “It was a good initiative. Mahesh Bhatt Ji came, Raj Naik, Ramesh Taurani and Manmohan Shetty came. The cream of casting directors was there. This is a very good platform for supporting actors. At least no will misguide you. A lot of casting directors tell you that they will get you this and that. At least now the actors have a direct route to the producers.”

Kajol begins shoot for her next film

Kajol began shooting for her upcoming movie Eela (tentative title) yesterday which is directed by Pradeep Sarkar at Yash Raj Studio, Andheri. A pooja was conducted by the entire cast and crew before the camera rolled for the first shot which has the actor enacting a scene of returning home.The movie is produced by Ajay Devgn and Jayantilal Gada (Pen India Limited)