Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says teaming up with veteran Rishi Kapoor for the upcoming film 102 NOT OUT, has been a great joy for him.

"Teaming up with Chintuji after so many years… after so many successful, historic films, has been the greatest joy during 102 NOT OUT- A novel story, competent direction and a most qualified crew, has made the experience even greater," Amitabh said in a statement.

Amitabh will be playing a 102-year-old father of 75-year-old Rishi in the film, directed by Umesh Shukla.

"I know the country loves the younger, fresh and vibrant new generation as it should deservedly but who ever said the 'oldies' are not capable to do similar we know you may not love us, but given a chance we shall not disappoint you either and that is as immodest as I can get. Badumba!" he added.

Rishi added that he is glad to reunite with Big B.

"Being in 102 NOT OUT brought back a lot of fond memories and fun I have shared with Amitji during my younger days. I am glad to reunite with him on such a special and unusual film. It will definitely delight our fans!" Rishi said in a statement.

Billed as a most unusual father-and-son love story, the film is based on playwright Saumya Joshi's well-known Gujarati play by the same name.

"The idea of adapting it into a Hindi feature came from the fact that the relationship between a parent and a child is universal and the one where love supersedes everything else, including age! Amitabh Sir and Rishi Sir together are a dream cast for anyone," Shukla said.

Sony Pictures has joined Treetop Entertainment and Benchmark Pictures for Shukla's directorial.

The director said that he is thankful to Treetop Entertainment for helping him realise his vision and "we couldn't have asked for a better partner than Sony Pictures India to take this universal story to global audiences as we hope to bring them one of the finest cinematic experiences."

102 NOT OUT is unlike any other film you have seen and along with Treetop Entertainment and Benchmark Pictures, we promise you that it will take you on a journey of a lifetime," said Vivek Krishnani, Managing Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment, India.

The film will release on May 4.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says teaming up with veteran Rishi Kapoor for the upcoming film 102 NOT OUT, has been a great joy for him.

"Teaming up with Chintuji after so many years… after so many successful, historic films, has been the greatest joy during 102 NOT OUT- A novel story, competent direction and a most qualified crew, has made the experience even greater," Amitabh said in a statement.

Amitabh will be playing a 102-year-old father of 75-year-old Rishi in the film, directed by Umesh Shukla.

"I know the country loves the younger, fresh and vibrant new generation as it should deservedly but who ever said the 'oldies' are not capable to do similar we know you may not love us, but given a chance we shall not disappoint you either and that is as immodest as I can get. Badumba!" he added.

Rishi added that he is glad to reunite with Big B.

"Being in 102 NOT OUT brought back a lot of fond memories and fun I have shared with Amitji during my younger days. I am glad to reunite with him on such a special and unusual film. It will definitely delight our fans!" Rishi said in a statement.

Billed as a most unusual father-and-son love story, the film is based on playwright Saumya Joshi's well-known Gujarati play by the same name.

"The idea of adapting it into a Hindi feature came from the fact that the relationship between a parent and a child is universal and the one where love supersedes everything else, including age! Amitabh Sir and Rishi Sir together are a dream cast for anyone," Shukla said.

Sony Pictures has joined Treetop Entertainment and Benchmark Pictures for Shukla's directorial.

The director said that he is thankful to Treetop Entertainment for helping him realise his vision and "we couldn't have asked for a better partner than Sony Pictures India to take this universal story to global audiences as we hope to bring them one of the finest cinematic experiences."

102 NOT OUT is unlike any other film you have seen and along with Treetop Entertainment and Benchmark Pictures, we promise you that it will take you on a journey of a lifetime," said Vivek Krishnani, Managing Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment, India.

The film will release on May 4.

He laughed his way into the homes and hearts of people with his hit show "Comedy Nights with Kapil", and got instant stardom, before back-to-back untoward incidents opened up showbiz's dark abyss for him. But actor-comedian Kapil Sharma is undeterred by negativity, and has embraced the ups and downs that have been a learning experience.

He said his downfall got extra attention as he is a public figure.

"I had heard that there are some disadvantages after you make a name for yourself, which one faces in this form. But now I understand it, and have learnt not to take it to my heart," Kapil told IANS here.

"One should keep working. Out of the millions of people on the planet, there won't even be one who only has good incidents to narrate. People do go through downfalls. Everyone faces ups and downs just because we are popular, the world gets to know our downfalls," he added.

Kapil became everyone's favourite with his comical gigs, but the good run ended after a violent fight with co-actor Sunil Grover on a flight made headlines.

What ensued were talks about his drinking habits, about his newly acquired high-handedness and for making his guests wait for long hours all leading to bad PR and TRPs for his second show "The Kapil Sharma Show". It went off air, with a promise to be back soon.

What is the learning that Kapil got after the episode?

"I have learnt not to trust everyone blindly. One doesn't know whether the people around you want your good or just want to do good for themselves. There are many people who fall under the second category."

"One should focus on their work. Duniya kya bol rahi hai dhyaan nahi dena chahiye (One should not think about what the world is saying). If you are good, your work is good, and that is enough."

Asked if the attention by media on his differences with Sunil played a major role behind him being unable to solve the feud, Kapil agreed.

"I think Sunil got more angry after seeing himself in news… Because he was not so angry (when the incident happened). I have said enough from my side, and now I don't feel like talking about it. It happens between friends but on can't hold a grudge forever. Then I will also start feeling that 'mein galat nahi hun' (I am not wrong)."

Kapil had started his journey in showbiz through a reality show.

After dominating the small screen with his hit shows, he made his Bollywood debut with KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON, and then went on to produce his second film FIRANGI, which he had come to promote in the capital when it released last year.

The film failed. But Kapil, who has started shooting for the comeback of his TV show, is optimistic.

"I feel very nice that people love me so much. I wanted to come on TV, and not even dreamt of being in films. Now, I have done both…I feel very nice and hope this love keep pouring and I keep on doing the good work."

He laughed his way into the homes and hearts of people with his hit show "Comedy Nights with Kapil", and got instant stardom, before back-to-back untoward incidents opened up showbiz's dark abyss for him. But actor-comedian Kapil Sharma is undeterred by negativity, and has embraced the ups and downs that have been a learning experience.

He said his downfall got extra attention as he is a public figure.

"I had heard that there are some disadvantages after you make a name for yourself, which one faces in this form. But now I understand it, and have learnt not to take it to my heart," Kapil told IANS here.

"One should keep working. Out of the millions of people on the planet, there won't even be one who only has good incidents to narrate. People do go through downfalls. Everyone faces ups and downs just because we are popular, the world gets to know our downfalls," he added.

Kapil became everyone's favourite with his comical gigs, but the good run ended after a violent fight with co-actor Sunil Grover on a flight made headlines.

What ensued were talks about his drinking habits, about his newly acquired high-handedness and for making his guests wait for long hours all leading to bad PR and TRPs for his second show "The Kapil Sharma Show". It went off air, with a promise to be back soon.

What is the learning that Kapil got after the episode?

"I have learnt not to trust everyone blindly. One doesn't know whether the people around you want your good or just want to do good for themselves. There are many people who fall under the second category."

"One should focus on their work. Duniya kya bol rahi hai dhyaan nahi dena chahiye (One should not think about what the world is saying). If you are good, your work is good, and that is enough."

Asked if the attention by media on his differences with Sunil played a major role behind him being unable to solve the feud, Kapil agreed.

"I think Sunil got more angry after seeing himself in news… Because he was not so angry (when the incident happened). I have said enough from my side, and now I don't feel like talking about it. It happens between friends but on can't hold a grudge forever. Then I will also start feeling that 'mein galat nahi hun' (I am not wrong)."

Kapil had started his journey in showbiz through a reality show.

After dominating the small screen with his hit shows, he made his Bollywood debut with KIS KISKO PYAAR KAROON, and then went on to produce his second film FIRANGI, which he had come to promote in the capital when it released last year.

The film failed. But Kapil, who has started shooting for the comeback of his TV show, is optimistic.

"I feel very nice that people love me so much. I wanted to come on TV, and not even dreamt of being in films. Now, I have done both…I feel very nice and hope this love keep pouring and I keep on doing the good work."

Raghu Dixit, frontman of the multilingual contemporary Indian folk group The Raghu Dixit Project, says he wants to spread happiness with his music.

"I only make happy music. I would like everyone who hears my music to forget their worries for a while, get involved in the show and the music, and get a breather from their regular life," Dixit told IANS.

The Bengaluru-based band will head to the UK for a tour later this month. But at the moment, he is looking forward to his gig at the Red Bull Music show at K.J. Somaiya College in Mumbai on Friday.

Dixit said: "It has been a long time since we played on the bus in Mumbai, so we are looking forward to this Red Bull Music show. The last time we did that, it was one of our best Mumbai shows and the view from up there was fantastic."

The band will be playing some of the new songs.

Dxit believes his music is "a true representation of contemporary interview, and that is what I try and represent on stage".

How has the whole vibe of music industry changed over years?

"The music industry has certainly grown, there is a lot more music coming out, and a lot more experimentation and styles that are being tried and I do believe in the near future, there will be a massive explosion in the music that is coming out of India."

Raghu Dixit, frontman of the multilingual contemporary Indian folk group The Raghu Dixit Project, says he wants to spread happiness with his music.

"I only make happy music. I would like everyone who hears my music to forget their worries for a while, get involved in the show and the music, and get a breather from their regular life," Dixit told IANS.

The Bengaluru-based band will head to the UK for a tour later this month. But at the moment, he is looking forward to his gig at the Red Bull Music show at K.J. Somaiya College in Mumbai on Friday.

Dixit said: "It has been a long time since we played on the bus in Mumbai, so we are looking forward to this Red Bull Music show. The last time we did that, it was one of our best Mumbai shows and the view from up there was fantastic."

The band will be playing some of the new songs.

Dxit believes his music is "a true representation of contemporary interview, and that is what I try and represent on stage".

How has the whole vibe of music industry changed over years?

"The music industry has certainly grown, there is a lot more music coming out, and a lot more experimentation and styles that are being tried and I do believe in the near future, there will be a massive explosion in the music that is coming out of India."

Eminent lyricist, poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar feels the music in contemporary Indian cinema is no longer sympathetic to lyrics, and the tunes — often high on tempo — are not conducive for good poetry.

In a freewheeling interview with IANS, the Padma Bhushan awardee dwelt on his self-discovering journey as a poet, talked about issues like increasing hostility against freedom of expression in India and society's influence in changing cinema.

"I am very unhappy with the present music scenario in Bollywood. The music that is being produced is not very sympathetic to lyrics any more. First of all, they do not get good situations because there is more razzmatazz than emotional depth in the stories. So the situation for songs is not very emotional," said Akthar, who was in the city to attend the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

"Besides, the tunes the writers are getting today are not very conducive for writing poetry because of the tempo and the orchestration. The tempo is such that the words do not get established. They do not have the space to breathe."

"On the other hand, the music is so loud… every song is treated like a clap song. So the percussion is often above the voice and the music gets ahead of words. So you just can't understand what the person is singing. May be you only know the 'Mukhra' (beginning of a song) and the rest of it gets lost in the cacophony," the septuagenarian said.

Akhtar, who has won multiple national awards for his lyrics in Hindi blockbusters like GODMOTHER, BORDER and LAGAAN, said Indian listeners prefer music that they can themselves sing.

"But they cannot sing if the tune is not worth humming, or the words are not clear. The listeners should not go to the words, the words should come to them," he said.

Also a noted poet, Akhtar said his poetry, which was initially nostalgic, has become more impersonal with time.

"When I started writing poetry, initially it was nostalgic. It was mostly about my childhood, my mother, the place I used to live in and so on. But then after that other interests and other concerns entered my poetry, be it about the socio-economic climate or the people."

The ace script-writer, who in partnership with Salim Khan enthralled Indian movie goers with their conceptualisation of the "angry young man" in films like ZANJEER (1973), DEEWAR (1975) and the 1978 blockbuster DON, has started writing a script again for a yet-to-be-named project.

He also revealed that there would be one or two exciting announcements soon, but declined to give out any details.

Terming film as a "captive art" that is not so powerful to bring about social change, Akhtar said it is the changing trends in society that directs the content and evolution of films.

"Because a film is an expensive exercise, it is kind of captive as an art. Commercial cinema looks to cater to the demands of society. That is why you would see that the mainstream was making different kind of films in the 50s, 60s and in the 90s. Society is changing cinema; cinema does not change society," he signed off.

Eminent lyricist, poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar feels the music in contemporary Indian cinema is no longer sympathetic to lyrics, and the tunes — often high on tempo — are not conducive for good poetry.

In a freewheeling interview with IANS, the Padma Bhushan awardee dwelt on his self-discovering journey as a poet, talked about issues like increasing hostility against freedom of expression in India and society's influence in changing cinema.

"I am very unhappy with the present music scenario in Bollywood. The music that is being produced is not very sympathetic to lyrics any more. First of all, they do not get good situations because there is more razzmatazz than emotional depth in the stories. So the situation for songs is not very emotional," said Akthar, who was in the city to attend the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet.

"Besides, the tunes the writers are getting today are not very conducive for writing poetry because of the tempo and the orchestration. The tempo is such that the words do not get established. They do not have the space to breathe."

"On the other hand, the music is so loud… every song is treated like a clap song. So the percussion is often above the voice and the music gets ahead of words. So you just can't understand what the person is singing. May be you only know the 'Mukhra' (beginning of a song) and the rest of it gets lost in the cacophony," the septuagenarian said.

Akhtar, who has won multiple national awards for his lyrics in Hindi blockbusters like GODMOTHER, BORDER and LAGAAN, said Indian listeners prefer music that they can themselves sing.

"But they cannot sing if the tune is not worth humming, or the words are not clear. The listeners should not go to the words, the words should come to them," he said.

Also a noted poet, Akhtar said his poetry, which was initially nostalgic, has become more impersonal with time.

"When I started writing poetry, initially it was nostalgic. It was mostly about my childhood, my mother, the place I used to live in and so on. But then after that other interests and other concerns entered my poetry, be it about the socio-economic climate or the people."

The ace script-writer, who in partnership with Salim Khan enthralled Indian movie goers with their conceptualisation of the "angry young man" in films like ZANJEER (1973), DEEWAR (1975) and the 1978 blockbuster DON, has started writing a script again for a yet-to-be-named project.

He also revealed that there would be one or two exciting announcements soon, but declined to give out any details.

Terming film as a "captive art" that is not so powerful to bring about social change, Akhtar said it is the changing trends in society that directs the content and evolution of films.

"Because a film is an expensive exercise, it is kind of captive as an art. Commercial cinema looks to cater to the demands of society. That is why you would see that the mainstream was making different kind of films in the 50s, 60s and in the 90s. Society is changing cinema; cinema does not change society," he signed off.