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Film: "Partner'; Cast: Govinda, Salman Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Ali Haji; Director: David Dhawan; Rating: ** David Dhawan's films are predominantly about male bonding. If it was Govinda and Sanjay Dutt in "Haseena Maan Jayegi" and "Ek Aur Ek Gyarah", the new hit jodi is Govinda and Salman in the slickly-packaged "Partner".

The long wait for the 53rd National Film Awards for 2006 continues, with the government preparing to reply in court next week in an attempt to end the legal impasse created by a jury member. Though it is time to announce the winners list for 2007, the process has been delayed as a decision on the 2006 awards is still pending in court.

Film: "Mission 90 Days"; Cast: Mammootty, Tulip Joshi and Lalu Alex; Director: Major Ravi; Producer: Sasi Ayyanchira; Music: Jaison J. Nair. After last year's mega success of his first film "Keerthichakra", which dealt with the Indian Army's fight against militancy in Jammu and Kashmir and had Mohanlal in the lead role, Major Ravi is back with "Mission 90 Days", about the hunt for former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's killers.

Five years after she brought "shame" to her village and family in Punjab's green hinterland by being caught in Portugal with mafia don Abu Salem, former actress Monica Bedi might get a guarded welcome in her ancestral village Chhabewal. With two court cases of passport forgery going in her favour in recent months, relatives of the woman, known as Salem's moll, expect her to return to Chabbewal, 10 km from here on the highway to Chandigarh.

Regional cinema seems poised to emerge out of the shadows of Bollywood. And the global success of "Sivaji - The Boss", the Rajnikant-starrer released in Tamil and Telugu, is not the only indicator. Films made in Bhojpuri have been routinely eclipsing Bollywood fare at the box-office. Hindi movies, which dominated the Indian box-office for years and have come to be indicative of cinema in India, are being edged out by regional films as they make their presence felt in foreign film fests.

Barely 30 km from the hustle-bustle of Pune is this haven called Mulshi. This scenic village has suddenly come under the limelight - courtesy star farmers like Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Mulshi is a painters' delight, carpeted with lush green grass, mountains covered with floral trees and a view of the Pavana dam. The village offers a perfect weekend getaway from Pune and Mumbai. Little wonder then that Bachchan and Aamir have already purchased land here.

Film: "Arabikatha"; Director: Lal Jose; Cast: Sreenivasan, Indrajith, Zhang Shu Min, Jagathy Sreekumar and Samvritha Sunil; Writer: Iqbal Kuttipuram; Ratings: *** Director Lal Jose has again come out with an offbeat subject in "Arabikatha". The film tells the tale of Keralites working in the Middle East from a totally different angle. Iqbal Kuttipuram narrates the story of a staunch Leftist migrating to Gulf to earn money.

Film: "Naqaab"; Director: Abbas-Mustan; Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Bobby Deol, Urvashi Sharma; Ratings: * 1/2 Come, bask in the mask. If you want to see a smile-worthy sangam (blend) of tradition and trend, then try "Naqaab". On the one hand there's the ultra-hip super-cool Kiss-Miss Sophia (newcomer Urvashi) who lives in with Richie Rich Bobby Deol and romances the devil-may-care dude (Akahaye Khanna) and even runs away from her church wedding (a la Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride").

Big banner, big movies, big stars and big money were the intrinsic features of Yash Raj Films but the box office performance of their last two movies - "Ta Ra Rum Pum" and "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" - failed to attain big success. Though both the films got good openings, thanks to the pre-release hype that projected them as box office sure things, the films couldn't sustain the success in the following weeks.

Film: "Hello"; Cast: Mohanlal, Parvathy Melton, Jagathy Sreekumar and Siddique;Director: Rafi-Mecartin; Producer: Joy Thomas Sakthikulangara; Music: Alex Paul. For the first time in their career, superstar Mohanlal and director duo Rafi-Mecartin come together in "Hello", a laugh riot crafted for the actor and his fans. The film satisfies the directors' fan club as well.

From "Daag" and "Kabhi Kabhie" to "Dil To Pagal Hai" and "Veer-Zaara", the songs from Yash Raj Films' romantic sagas always had a dreamy quality and the haunting melodies captivate listeners even today.

Film: "My Friend Ganesha"; Director: Rajiv S. Ruia; Cast: Kiran Janjani, Sheetal Shah, Upasana Singh, Ahsaas Channa and Aarya; Ratings: ** A children's film need not be illogical and dull; it can be smart, intelligent, educating and thoroughly entertaining. And if it has animated characters, it can be all the more fun. However, director Rajiv S. Ruia's offering "My Friend Ganesha" has nothing of that.