Aishwarya Rai's Photos

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan:Date of Birth

Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World, is one of India's leading actresses. Also a former model, Aishwarya has about 40 films to her credit including a couple of Hollywood projects.Aishwarya's talent evokes a strong response as her detractors are many, but she is widely believed to be India's highest paid actress. She has consistently been featured in numerous Most Beautiful Women lists and endorses international brands such as L'Oreal and Longines.She was the first Indian actress to be a part of the Cannes Film Festival jury, where her wardrobe drew much flak from the fashion police.Despite her reputation as an actress who guards her privacy fiercely, Aishwarya's personal life has attracted much attention. Her relationships with actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi were the topic of many discussions.Aishwarya is married to Abhishek Bachchan.

Aishwarya Why could not do ‘Dance Premier League’…

Aishwarya Rai, who was supposed to feature on Sony TV's reality show "Dance Premier League", couldn't accept the offer due to her packed schedule and not on account of money issues, her publicist said on Tuesday (Oct 13)."A recent news story issued by a channel suggested Aishwarya Rai was ousted by Madhuri Dixit for one of their reality shows, citing money as an issue. We would wish to clarify that this is an act of fiction, fact being that Aishwarya, who is known to be a thorough professional, had to refuse the show on account of her commitment to films," her publicist said in a press statement. The show is now being judged by Rani Mukerji along with dance guru Shiamak Davar. Aishwarya is currently busy shooting Sanjay Leela's "Guzaarish". "Her movies like 'Endhiran', 'Action Replay' and 'Raavan' are all nearing completion, so the subject of money and costing never did arise as discussions did not go beyond schedules and dates. "The proposal had come to Aishwarya through the Moranis (the show producers) and even Shiamak pushed Aishwarya to do the show, but the dates could just not be worked out," said the publicist.

Ash-Abhi get naughty in their first ad together

In their first appearance in a television commercial Bollywood celebrity couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan will show their mischievous side.The two have teamed up for a soap brand and will be seen getting cozy in the commercial. The couple has reportedly been paid a hefty amount to feature in the ad film which will be on air this month. This is their first ad together though the two have featured as a couple in films like "Kuch Naa Kaho", "Dhai Akshar Prem Ke", "Umrao Jaan" and "Guru". Their next is Mani Ratnam's "Ravan".

Ash, Hrithik to sing for Bhansali’s film

We were expecting Aishwarya and Abhishek to make an appearance at Hrithik’s big bash for his mom on Oct 25, but they were not to be seen. Considering Hrithik is a co-star she’s currently working with in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film “Guzaarish”, she could have made a short visit as she stays just two lanes away from Hrithik’s house. As far as “Guzaarish” is concerned, we hear Ash and Hrithik will be singing a song for the film that will be recorded by Bhansali himself. This is the first time Hrithik will sing for a movie. Aishwarya had sung “Apun Bola Tu Meri Laila” along with Shah Rukh for “Josh”. In “Guzaarish”, Hrithik plays a paraplegic. Aishwarya plays his nurse who is married, but falls in love with Hrithik’s character. Apparently, the duo is learning Portuguese for the film too.

Aishwarya celebrating 36th birthday today

On her 36th birthday today (Nov 1), Aishwarya Rai has been named the first goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, a charity that works worldwide for children with cleft lip.The former Miss World has partnered with the NGO, in association with her own charity - Aishwarya Rai Foundation - and will spread awareness and garner resources to help the movement, said a press release. "God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can't receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition. "Working with Smile Train, if I can make a difference in their lives, it will certainly make me feel honoured and blessed," Aishwarya said. As the goodwill ambassador, Aishwarya will actively work to help Smile Train provide free cleft surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world, including India. According to information provided by the NGO, over one million children await cleft surgery in India alone, and currently only 50 percent children born with cleft in India get the medical assistance required. And Smile Train officials feel Aishwarya will be of immense help in taking forward their movement globally. "Aishwarya's universal appeal and star power will be a priceless asset to our organisation, and we consider it a great privilege to have her represent our organisation," Smile Train president Brian Mullaney said. "Her poise, intelligence and dedication to our mission will catapult the work that we do to new and exciting heights. Since she is a global superstar, it makes her the perfect representative for our global organisation. There is no corner of the world where she isn't known, and in each of those corners, there is a Smile Train hospital that is helping kids every day of the year," he added. The rising concern for kids born with a cleft was raised worldwide through Smile Train's recent Oscar-winning movie "Smile Pinki". The 39-minute documentary made by Megan Mylan shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It was made in Hindi and Bhojpuri and won the 81st Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Meanwhile, Ash's megastar father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan wished her a "long prosperous life" on her birthday

Ash giving Vipul Shah a tough time?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is said to be giving Vipul Shah, director of her Akshay Kumar starrer “Action replay”, a hard time.This is quite surprising as Ash generally comes across as a thorough professional as far as her work commitments are concerned. But according to the sources from the unit of “Action Replay”, Ash is apparently acting difficult. She has refused to dub for the film as she is not very happy with the way the movie has shaped up. So she is not sparing any dates for Vipul. However, sources close to Ash completely denied these rumours and termed them as baseless. According to them, it is Vipul who has stalled the shoot of “Action Replay” since he has been busy with the promotions of “London Dreams”. Now that the film has released, Vipul will start with “Action Replay” once again.

Celina Jaitley upset with yet another co-star

Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley is irate that newcomer Abhimanyu Singh has dared to romantically link himself with her in order to gain publicity. She says rumours like this can impact her love life negatively.Celina, who has been shooting a thriller directed by Jagmohan Mundhra with the talented newcomer Abhimanyu, was shocked when she woke up on Friday (June 12, 2009) morning and read about how "upset" Abhimanyu was about the link-up. "What link-up is he talking about? Who linked him with me except himself? This is the first time I've heard about this so-called link-up," Celina told IANS. Outraged by Abhimanyu's blatant attempts to distort and misconstrue their association for publicity, Celina quickly sent an SMS to Abhimanyu. Her SMS to Abhimanyu Singh said: "Abhimanyu, you better stop talking about this so-called link-up. In the first place there's no link, so stop going to the media and crying about things which don't exist." The actress says this is a perennial problem. "You are nice to a co-star and he decides to repay your kindness by planting cheap stories. Recently, it happened to me when a co-star, who is a dear friend but who I don't want to name [read Tusshar Kapoor], gave out a story about how he 'manhandled' me on the sets. I didn't react because all said and done, he's a dear friend and a name in his own right. But Abhimanyu is a talented actor and I was just being nice to him as a co-star," she said. Celina says such incidents compel actresses like her to be cautious in their professional conduct. "Next time I'll think twice before being nice to a co-star. But it's sad to see actors, established or not-so-established, using their co-star's name for publicity. They take advantage of my single status and friendly nature. But do they realise how such sleazy whispers could jeopardise my prospects of finding love?" The actress' next release is "Paying Guests".

Celina playing Priyanka’s role in Kannada remake of 'Aitraaz'

Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley is playing a glamorous woman in her first Kannada film "Sreemathi", a remake of Hindi film "Aitraaz", and the former Miss India bought all her costumes from Paris and Bangkok for it. "My designer wanted me to have the looks of glamorous heroines like Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman - they were the style icons of the Hindi film industry in the 1980s. So all my costumes were purchased from Bangkok and Paris," Celina told IANS. "Sreemathi" is being produced by Shankare Gowda and directed by Sampath. "My character has two different shades -- in the beginning, I portray the role of a 20-year-old girl and later I play a matured girl of 27 years. My character is basically a go getter in life. A glamorous woman who wants to have everything that she has desired. It is one of the boldest characters I have played in my career," she said. In the original, Priyanka Chopra played the negative role, while Kareena Kapoor was seen as a devoted and loyal wife of Akshay Kumar. The film's success had catapulted Priyanka in the big league. Celina is extremely pleased to do a role with negative shades. "Since my role had a lot of complexities in it, I wanted to be perfect. It's difficult for me to speak in Kannada so I write my dialogues in English and then mug them." In the film, Celina teams up with Kannada superstar Upendra and his wife Priyanka. "Upendra sir was specially helpful to me in many sequences of the film," she said. Upendra and Priyanka are working together in "Sreemathi" after a gap of more than five years. They were last seen together in Kannada film "H20". "After marriage, Priyanka was concentrating on house and our two kids. Now kids have grown up and we were looking for a good script to work together and this film was good enough for both of us. Also, I'm doing a family oriented film after 'Gowramma'," said Upendra.

Celina Jaitley steps into corporate world

Celina Jaitley is well-known for the various causes she espouses, be it PETA, brand ambassador for Egypt tourism or as a gay rights activist.And now she has added yet another feather to her cap. Few people are aware of her oratory skills, which are now being displayed in the corporate world!Several corporate houses have apparently approached Celina to give a talk on the acceptance of minorities. But various film commitments made it difficult for her to take up their offer.However, she recently accepted the invitation to speak to the employees of Goldman Sachs, a renowned international investment bank.She held a special seminar attended by over 1000 people on acceptance of minorities (religious as well as sexual) in corporate environments.She said: "I am so happy corporates are taking this initiative. It’s a big cultural revolution and at least people are making an effort towards peace and acceptance. As for me, it’s amusing and exhilarating to sometimes motivate people twice my age and much highly educated than me."Very happy about the response, she says, "I am happy to be a part of a peace and acceptance process that will change the world...hopefully for the better...."

Shahid gifts holiday to best friend’s sons

Choreographer-turned-director Ahmad Khan says he can't thank his friend Shahid Kapur enough for fulfilling a long-cherished dream of his children."I had been promising my two sons Azaan and Subhan a trip to Disneyland for months. Earlier, when we shot in the US for Yash Raj Films' 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', I kept hoping there would be time. But I couldn't manage to get away. But this time Shahid made sure it happened," Khan, who is back from the US after shooting for a song with his best friend Shahid, told IANS. Shahid not only ensured that Ahmad wrapped up his work as quickly as possible, he made all the arrangements for his friend, his wife Saira and two sons to take off for Disneyland. "And why not?" said Khan defensively. "Shahid and I are childhood friends. Before my mother held my sons, Shahid took them in his arms. So it's perfectly natural for him to look out for me and my family. "Out of the one month I spent in the US only 12 days were devoted to shooting the song. It wasn't even a dance song. It was a concept number showing the hero and his friends splurging and bingeing all over the US. "We shot at casinos and at various pleasure and tourist spots in Philadelphia, Orlando, New York, New Jersey and Chicago," said Khan who choreographed Shahid in the recently hit song "Dhan te nan" from "Kaminey". Shahid is also featuring in Khan's directorial debut "Pathshala". The first time director says that the actor's role is similar to Aamir Khan's in "Taare Zameen Par". "In a two-hour long film, Shahid is there for 55 minutes. His role is like Aamir Khan's in 'Taare Zameen Par'. He comes in mid-way and yes, he's the teacher. Both Shahid and I have decided to focus on the kids in the marketing rather than on Shahid."

Katrina kaif's photos

Katrina Kaif's Date of Birth: 16th July 1984

One of 8 sisters, Katrina Kaif is of mixed parentage - British mother and Kashmiri father. She began her career as a model and struggled to find her footing in Bollywood as her knowledge of Hindi was limited. She made a disastrous debut in Boom, but her fortunes steadily improved with time. On screen, her pairing with Akshay Kumar has been successful. After delivering 4 hits in 2007, Katrina is now a popular actress.It is widely believed that Katrina is dating Salman Khan, although neither party has ever commented on it.

Katrina Kaif

Her fans have often referred to her as Kat, but now actress Katrina Kaif has a new nickname - Sambo - courtesy her Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani co-star Ranbir Kapoor."Ranbir coined the name on the sets of the movie when both were required to shoot for an action sequence," said a unit source. For the scene, Katrina and Ranbir were required to climb a ladder placed at a height of 200 feet. Ranbir had to save Katrina from goons and then escape on a jet ski. While everyone was doubtful about Katrina doing the stunt, she shocked everyone with her confidence."Everyone on sets was quite skeptical about Katrina. But she amazed everyone as she comfortably climbed the ladder leaving Ranbir lagging behind. Ever since that day Katrina has always been addressed as Rambo’s sister Sambo by Ranbir”, said the source.

Katrina,Ranbir to be on ramp together

There is a lot of hype surrounding Rajkumar Santoshi’s “Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani” starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. The lead pair is going all out to promote the film and will soon be seen walking the ramp for acclaimed designer Rohit Bal.Rohit Bal will be closing the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India fashion Week in Delhi on Oct 28. Ranbir and Katrina will be the showstoppers for his collection. Adds a source close to Rohit, “Ranbir and Katrina are both great friends of Rohit. They will be seen walking the ramp for the first time together to promote their film ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’.”Ranbir and Katrina have both walked the ramp before separately but this will be the first time that the Ghazab duo will be seen walking together for the promotion of their movie.

Katrina, Ranbir dazzle on the ramp

Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif sashayed down the ramp at the grand finale of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) for designer Rohit Bal (pictured left), bringing down the curtains on the five-day event in style on Wednesday (Oct 28) night.Dressed in an embroidered white sherwani, Ranbir managed to steal the hearts of many girls in the audience, who couldn't stop gushing about the star's chocolaty looks. Pretty Katrina Kaif, attired in a short white dress, looked like a Barbie doll. Another highlight of the show was a live performance by Orissa's Prince Dance Group that recently won the dance reality show "India's Got Talent". Since Bal is always associated with grandeur, the sets reflected flamboyance and style. The glass ramp had gold lotus flowers underneath. The main show area was draped with golden curtains. Complementing the ambience perfectly were the clothes that talked about the Mughal era when India was the land of maharajas (kings). The collection was appropriately called Yasas, which means grand in Sanskrit. Talking about his collection, Bal said: "The collection is a reflection of incredible talent that we have in India in terms of artisans and craftsmanship. The line is an ode to India's rich heritage." "It is about India, which was once known as the 'Golden Peacock'. Through this line, I am bringing that golden era back to India," he added. The collection had a mix of brocades, velvets in the pre-Mughal and Mughal designs like long and short anarkalis, sherwanis, jodhpuri pants, dresses and long coats.

Dinner with ‘Slumdog’ stars to be auctioned

A dinner with the stars of the smash-hit film “Slumdog Millionaire” will be one of the prizes auctioned at the Doha 21st Century Leaders Awards on Friday, October 30.The multi-award winning director and producer team of Danny Boyle and Christian Colson will be in Doha this week to be honoured in the Doha 21st Century Leaders Awards to be held at the Grand Hyatt Doha for their humanitarian work.As part of the evening, the Slumdog Millionaire team are offering a unique prize that will be auctioned on the evening - a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet the stars of the film over dinner at a top London restaurant. The dinner will include Frieda Pinto, Dev Patel and Anil Kapoor. The auction winner will also have the opportunity to pose for photographs with the cast members, Danny and Christian and their Best Picture and Best Director Academy Award statuettes.As a permanent souvenir of the dinner event, the auction winner will also receive a special, limited edition copy of the photo-diary book 'Nineteen Hours and Fourteen Minutes’ that documents the Oscar experience of the cast and crew on the day when the film swept the Oscars in 2008, taking home 8 awards. The book itself is number 100 of a limited 100 issue print run, which was only made available to those directly involved with the film, and has never been available to members of the public prior to this, and will be signed by the stars on the night.

Karan Johar's ‘Stepmom’ remake to be shot in Sydney

Filmmaker Karan Johar's Hindi remake of "Stepmom" will be shot in Sydney and will create 200 jobs for people in the Australian city, said Virginia Judge, minister assisting the Premier on the Arts."This movie will take Sydney to Bollywood and an audience of more than one billion people. This is the first Australian production from one of Bollywood's most iconic filmmakers Karan Johar," said Judge Tuesday in a press statement. To be directed by Siddharth Malhotra, the film is inspired by director Chris Columbus' 1998 hit drama "Stepmom", a heartwarming tale of two women - divorced Susan Sarandon and the new woman (Julia Roberts) in her ex-husband's life - and the problems they face to find a common ground of understanding. "We are excited to showcase the very best that Australia has to offer and we hope to bring back some of the infectious spirit and charm that has become synonymous with Australia and Australians," said Karan (pictured left), who is producing it under his banner Dhama Productions. The Hindi remake stars Kareena Kapoor and Kajol and it will be extensively shot in Sydney. "A film-friendly place with the best locales worldwide all in one city and suited to the requirements of my script. Besides, one needs to work with good people so what better place than Sydney," said Malhotra. Dharma has hired Sydney-based TEMPLE as the Australian production company. "Karan Johar is India's iconic filmmaker and represents the modern professional brand of Indian cinema. His company's decision to film in New South Wales (NSW) will not only take Indo Australian film links to a higher level but will also provide opportunity for Australian films and stories to develop collaborative links with India. "Dharma filming in NSW is the ultimate compliment to Australia from Bollywood and as a filmmaker I am hoping this will result in deeper collaborations and co-productions between India and Australia," said Anupam Sharma, filmmaker and Head of the Australian production company Films and Casting Temple.

Salman Khan promoting latest movie in London

Salman Khan, who landed in London this morning (October 28) after the Dubai premiere of Vipul A. Shah's “London Dreams” last night, is getting into top gear to promote the film, which previews in the UK on Thursday, October 29.In addition to doing one-on-ones with select media at his Central London hotel today, it is believed he will be visiting the studios of Sunrise Radio and Asian Star Radio tomorrow at 3pm and 5pm respectively to promote “London Dreams” live on air.

‘London Dreams’ has managed a good buzz

Massive stage settings, rock concerts and music as a binding factor, Ajay Devgn-Salman Khan starrer "London Dreams", which releases on Oct 30, relies on the bond of friendship more than its rock background.Produced and directed by Vipul Shah, the movie stars Asin Thottumkal in the female lead, while Akshay Kumar will be seen in a cameo. Rannvijay Singh and Om Puri too feature in the movie. “’London Dreams' is a drama about two friends and their relationships, their roles, individuality and problems," Ajay told IANS. Added Asin: "It is a musical with a lot of emotions and twists in the story. But it's something that heavily relies on music." Shot extensively in Paris and London, the story revolves around childhood friends Arjun (Ajay) and Mannu (Salman) who have a music lineage in their family history. Arjun dreams of being on stage as a performer to live up to his grandfather's unfulfilled ambitions while Mannu has little interest in the instruments of his father, a music teacher. Arjun's determination takes him to London where he forms a band with Priya (Asin) and others. But his friend Mannu tries to make his livelihood as a wedding band performer in the village. Arjun eventually invites Mannu to London to complete his band contrary to his own belief that the latter can create a competition. But Mannu surprises him by turning out to be an entertainer. With his unique style, he becomes more popular with the audiences leaving Arjun envious. His insecurity increases when he realises Priya is smitten by Mannu. The band embarks on a three-city tour where Arjun deceives Mannu into promiscuous sex and illicit drugs. As the tour concludes, the band heads to London to perform at Wembley Stadium where Mannu comes to senses and chooses the righteous path and supports his friend. "London Dreams" has managed a good buzz, courtesy the big names associated with it. Noteworthy is that the songs in the movie have been shot like live concerts. The movie is releasing with another-big budget venture "Aladin".

Bachchan praises journalists on his blog

Amitabh Bachchan, who is currently busy promoting his film "Aladin", says that movie promotion is not only an art but also a test of one's patience."Promotions of films has now become an art, an exercise in management, a test of patience and an ability to be able to answer the same questions in and out with the same intensity and conviction that you may have expressed in the previous interview," Amitabh posted on his blog. Amitabh also said that he admires journalists relentless pursuit for exclusives. "They are all around you waiting in anticipation for their turn to arrive, to be able to turn on their microphones and cameras, to put on that TV anchor demeanour and strike out. I have admired their relentless pursuit for that exclusive, their determined effort to get something out of their subjects which has not been covered by the other rivals, present merely inches away," he wrote. Further praising journalists, he wrote: "The speed with which they (journalists) all operate is incredible. How they devise the look of the interview, what would need to be shown as a clip to enhance the programme, the reference material of the past, the music and the editing of the material they have, the headlines that need to be created and then finally the presentation on the broadcast. "...But there is never ever a complaint, an objection to a delayed request and neither is there need to bring out competition at the street level. There is a deep understanding and respect for each other. A desire to share information and to see that it is disseminated in a manner that would be the requirement of their seniors." Releasing on Friday, "Aladin" is the modern version of the fantasy story and also stars Riteish Deshmukh and Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez.

Mahie Gill finally makes it in Bollywood

Punjabi actress Mahie Gill (pictured left), who made her mark in Bollywood as Paro in Anurag Kashyap's "Dev D", is on a high as her kitty is full of prestigious projects. However, the actress maintains that the road to success was not that easy."It is very difficult to create a place for yourself in the industry. I struggled my way through it. By chance Anurag saw me in a party and I got 'Dev D'; otherwise things wouldn't have shaped this way," Mahie told IANS. Talking about her days of struggle, she said: "When you dress up every morning, go for auditions and at the end of the day you don't get work, you feel bad. Sometimes you feel that you are better than the other person, still you don't get work. That's when you feel very frustrated. But one needs to be patient." The actress was in New Delhi to attend the 11th Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema. Her next release is Tigmanshu Dhulia's "Paan Singh Tomar". She teams up with Irrfan Khan in the film, which is scheduled for release in February next year. Talking about "Paan Singh Tomar", Mahie said: In this film, I am playing Paan Singh Tomar's wife. He was an athlete who later became a dacoit. His wife is still alive. She is very old now. I am playing a woman who is very talkative and short tempered." The actress had to darken her complexion for the role. When asked about the experience of working with an actor like Irrfan, the 33-year-old said: "It was great working with Irrfan. He is such a wonderful actor." As far as her future projects are concerned, she has signed two films to be made by Abhinav Kashyap. She is also doing Arbaaz Khan Productions' "Dabang" and a Saurabh Shukla film, which is tentatively titled "Bhaang". Mahie has also signed a film with Naseeruddin Shah called "Surmai Shaam". It will be helmed by debutant director Bhramanand Singh. Then there is action film "Gulaab Gang" that also stars Tabu and Raveena Tandon. After completing her masters in theatre, Mahie got her first break with Punjabi film "Havaayen" and then did couple of more like "Mitti Wajaan Maardi" and "Chakk De Phatte". Asked if she would like to return to theatre, the actress said: "I really want to do theatre. Right now I don't get the time to do that, but some day I will definitely do it. I will be meeting Naseeruddin Shah very soon; so maybe one day I happen to do theatre with him."

Shahid’s 'Paathshala' to release early next year

Shahid Kapur's "Paathshala" (pictured above), which has been ready for the last one year, will finally hit screens next year and the actor says his role is substantial even though it is not long enough."'Paathshala' is small in comparison to some other films that I am doing. Moreover, I am not a quintessential hero in the film. However, it isn't as if I have a special appearance in the film, as has been speculated by some. I have a substantial role that lasts for 30-40 minutes in the film," Shahid, who had two releases - "Kaminey" and "Dil Bole Hadippa" this year -, told IANS. "Paathshala" was earlier being co-produced by choreographer-turned-filmmaker Ahmed Khan with Big Pictures. However, as per current developments, Eros International would be presenting the film. The first look of the film was revealed a year ago with "Karzzzz". It was expected that the film would release in January 2009, but it continued to move ahead. Directed by award-winning Marathi film director Milind Ukey, "Paatshala" is expected to release in the first half of 2010. "Yes, the film moved from Big Pictures to Eros and they would be making plans to line up the film in a proper manner. However, I am sure they would have the right campaign in place for the film's release. The film has to be protected and released when there is no other film of mine coming up," said Shahid, who plays a teacher in it. The film brings together Ayesha Takia with Shahid after "Dil Maange More" and "Fool-N-Final". Incidentally, the two had worked together years ago as child artistes in the famous commercial for the health drink Complan. The film also stars Nana Patekar along with child artistes Swini Khara, Ali Haji and Dwij Yadav. Set against the Indian education system, "Paathshala" deals with contemporary and socially relevant issues regarding children. It claims to carry a heartfelt message for children, parents and teachers. "It's a very socially relevant film and talks about the education system in the country. I am really happy to have played a role in it. I have seen the rushes of the film and really cried throughout. I get really emotional when watching a film. Even during 'Taare Zameen Par', I cried throughout and was looking around me if anyone was watching me," he said. Unlike "Taare Zameen Par", which was shot on real locations, "Paathshala" was filmed on a set. To give it an authentic look, Khan had erected a massive set of a school at Film City -- it consisted of class rooms, dormitories, principal's cabin, staff rooms, half a dozen huge corridors, basket ball court, garden, assembly hall, music room and canteen.