Jolly LLB and Murder 3 head to Shanghai film festival

Plus: Ronit Roy laments working in Indian TV; Ira Dubey talks comeback film.

Arshad Warsi in Jolly LLB. Fox Star Studios

Jolly LLB and Murder 3 head to Shanghai

The Indian films Jolly LLB and Murder 3 have been invited to feature at the forthcoming 16th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), which will be held from June 15 to 23. The thriller Murder 3 is directed by Vishesh Bhatt's and coproduced by Fox Star Studios and Vishesh Films, while Jolly LLB, a Fox Star Studios production, is a courtroom comedy. The movies will feature at the festival under the International Panorama section. "We are pleased to get an invitation," said Vijay Singh, the chief of Fox Star Studios. "Jolly LLB and Murder 3 are films that we are proud of and they are also representative of our commitment towards creating diverse and high-content cinema, which while being massy and entertaining, also push the envelope." – IANS

Ronit Roy laments working in Indian TV

The sudden death of the television actor Abir Goswami from a heart attack last week has raised the issue of long hours and poor shooting conditions for Indian television actors. "We have to work almost non-stop for 14 to 16 hours in the most unhygienic conditions," the actor Ronit Roy told reporters. "I was once shooting for my serial Adaalat on a set erected right next to a garbage dump. I shudder to think what diseases that filth must have carried onto our sets." The 47-year-old star added: "I don't know if Abir could have lived longer if he worked under better conditions. But we certainly don't guarantee even basic amenities, forget about luxuries, for television actors." – IANS

Ira Dubey talks about comeback film

The Bollywood actress Ira Dubey says her comeback film by the director Japinder Kaur Baweja has no hidden meaning. "Zaalim Dilli is a light-hearted film. It has no critical agenda or angle. Although we all feel deeply about what is going on with women, especially in Delhi, it has no social message or anything like that," said the 28-year-old star. The movie tells the tale of three characters who face personal problems and how they overcome them by banding together. On her decision to return to work after an absence from the big screen, Dubey says she was just waiting for the right project to come along. "I do a lot of things. I write, I act and model sometimes and do ramp shows. So I was prioritising other things," said Dubey. "Also, I hadn't found a film that excited me enough. But it wasn't a conscious decision to stay away from cinema." – IANS