Today in Bollywood: Zinta injured after 'airport assault'

Plus Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan to shoot sci-fi filn, Emraan Hashmi promises new brand of comedy and Japanese director Takeshi Kitano defends gangster movie.

Preity Zinta was greeted by a horde of photographers after she landed in Mumbai on Monday. AFP

The actress Preity Zinta says she was greeted by "the shock of 40 camera flashes" when she arrived at Mumbai's international airport on Monday, and ended up injuring her ankle. "Sitting at home with a twisted ankle post the airport assault by photographers," Zinta posted on Twitter. The 37-year-old returned to Mumbai after shooting in Prague for her new film, Ishkq in Paris. Photographers were supposedly waiting at the airport for Ashton Kutcher, who was in India this week to film his Steve Jobs biopic. Zinta added: "If photographers ask me politely, I will oblige, but next time I will file a police complaint because this is not fair. I am a human being, not some animal in the zoo!" In January, Zinta's car was damaged by photographers outside a private event thrown for Oprah Winfrey. - IANS

Chauhan to shoot science fiction film

Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, famed for his 2009 National Award-winning film Lahore, announced he is set to shoot his sophomoric project, a sci-fi thriller. "It took around two years for me to write this script," said Chauhan. "Although I can't reveal the star cast yet, I can say that we have some technical crew from Hollywood involved." Bollywood news websites are abuzz with rumours that Chauhan has signed on the award-winning American cinematographer Frederick Elmes (Wild at Heart, Blue Velvet) and the composer Wayne Sharpe. - IANS

Hashmi promises new brand of comedy

Emraan Hashmi, who is shooting the new comedy Ghanchakkar, reveals he is uncomfortable with slapstick humour. "That's why Ghanchakkar is different. I've seen other comedies in Bollywood and I can't do that kind of over-the-top humour - I don't even understand it. I don't find it funny. With this film I'm doing a comedy I enjoy and understand." Directed by Rajkumar Gupta, Ghanchakkar co-stars Vidya Balan. - IANS

Japan director defends gangster flick

The Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano has defended the explicit violence in his new gangster flick Outrage Beyond, which is vying for the Golden Lion at this week's Venice film festival. Kitano said it felt right to include references to his country's 2011 earthquake and tsunami. He directed and stars in the film, a complex tale of warring yakuza families. His lead character goes on a revenge spree through a world of guns and luxury cars. Corruption in the government - particularly in the environment ministry after the tsunami - is a central theme of the film, which has the feel of a Japanese Godfather. "The state is not doing enough. Everybody talks about this … I think I was right to get this across in the film," he said, addressing the aftermath of the Japanese quake and nuclear disaster. "We have tried to describe a real-life situation." The cult director, who won Venice's top prize in 1997 and has returned to gangster themes after a more art-house phase, said he had already written the screenplay for a sequel. The Venice film festival closes on Saturday. - AFP