Saif is a great listener: Prakash Jha (Movie Snippets)

Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Filmmaker Prakash Jha has cast Saif Ali Khan as a Dalit in his upcoming film on caste-based reservations 'Aarakshan' and says the actor loves gathering information and is a good listener.

'Saif has done a great job in the film. He is a good listener. We had several sessions where he had hundreds of questions to ask, so we kept on talking about the history of reservations, the whole class-based society, etc,' Jha told IANS.

'Saif goes deeper into his character. He wants to understand everything properly. He has a quality of being inquisitive. He wants to be informed and be very sure about what he does,' he added.

The film, also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar, is set to release Aug 12 this year.

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'Chak De! India' image poses a hurdle: Shilpa Shukla

She made an impression with her strong portrayal of a senior hockey player Bindiya Naik in the 2007 hit 'Chak De! India', but even after four years the actress has not been able to break free of the image.

'It's true that I still have that tag and unfortunately I haven't had any release after that film. So I think because of that I still have that image. It takes time, so it is okay,' Shilpa told IANS.

'It sometimes becomes a hurdle. No one is to be blamed for that. I did shoot for films where I had very different parts, comedies, etc. but those films didn't release. If they would have, people would have seen me in a different light,' she added.

The actress will now be seen in Ankush Bhatt's 'Bhindi Bazaar Inc' as a pickpocket called Kanjari.

'My character is one of the gang members who are into picking pockets. It is basically a love triangle and she is a tomboy by nature, very unkempt character,' she added.

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Prashant Narayan makes singing debut!

Actor Prashant Narayan lent his voice for a song in the experimental thriller 'Bhindi Bazaar Inc' in which he is acting as well.

Prashant has crooned the song 'Maldarr ki jeb' along with singer Tochi Raina. It has been composed by Sandeep Surya and lyrics are by Ghalib Asar Bhopali.

'Singing the song with Tochi was lot of fun because of the nature of the song, which is very peppy. I am sure audiences will enjoy listening to the song - it is very youth-centric. The song is a blend of Indo-Western fusion beats,' the actor said in a statement.

'Bhindi Baazaar Inc' is debut film of director Ankush Bhatt and is slated to release June 17.