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Renowned documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma was both delighted and saddened when the National Award committee selected his hard-hitting "Final Solution", on the Gujarat communal violence of 2002, for the Special Jury Award. "I am delighted and saddened at the same time," Sharma told IANS in an interview.

Shimit Amin, whose first and so far only film "Ab Tak Chhappan" came a good three years ago, is flummoxed by rumours that his just released "Chak De India" had to be re-shot. Starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, the film has opened to rave reviews. Clearing the rumours, Amin told IANS: "Not a frame has been re-shot - any crew member can vouch for that. There was another rumour about the hard disc crashing. It didn't happen. Even if it did there was nothing to panic about. Any computer-savvy guy knows hard discs are backed up and can easily be replaced."

Shah Rukh Khan had initially resisted playing the lead in Aditya Chopra's "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", the 1995 mega hit that created his screen persona of a yuppie romantic hero, says film critic Anupama Chopra in her biography on the Bollywood superstar. The actor enjoys stardom, but gets creative satisfaction from playing diverse, unconventional roles, Chopra says in "King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema" that was launched in New York last week.

The non-resident Indian film market has spoilt the country's mainstream cinema, feels filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj who has just won a National Award for "The Blue Umbrella". "In their cinematic entertainment, the NRIs look for a country they left behind 50 years ago. 'The Blue Umbrella' is targeted at a white-skinned audience," Bharadwaj told IANS.

It used to be a hub of activity as the most sought after destination of yesteryear Bollywood bigwigs like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Today Mehboob Studio looks haunted and deserted. Who would believe now that it is the same place where Hindi cinema's landmark film "Mother India" was shot.

Fables of patriotism almost always have sent cash registers ringing at the Bollywood boulevard and as we gear up to celebrate India's 60th Independence Day, nationalism has got a reel life makeover with Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Chak De! India". The film that released Friday may be one among many Hindi films espousing nationalism but the Yash Raj Films (YRF) production redefines reel patriotism without stroking hatred for another nation.

Film: "The Blue Umbrella"; Cast: Pankaj Kapur, Shreya Sharma; Director: Vishal Bharadwaj; Ratings: *** There's a quaint wintry feeling to Vishal Bharadwaj's new film that comes not from knowing-it-all about filmmaking (and god knows, after "Maqbool" and "Omkara", he is qualified enough to strut around as a know-all) but from entering the dark tunnel of non-knowing, to explore an uncharted territory and emerge into a light that's illuminating and un-experienced.

Film: "Chak De India"; Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shukla, Sagarika Ghatge, Chitrashi Rawat and others; Director: Shimit Amin; Ratings: *** 1/2 First things first! "Chak De India" is an outright winner. A triumph of the spirit, and of craftsmanship! While director Shimit Amin of "Ab Tak Chhappan" fame has crafted a film with immense staying power and exceptional integrity and gusto, the thought-process behind the endearing endeavour harks back to a series of well-crafted Hollywood films about team spirit, the low-spirited team and the burnt-out disgraced and exiled coach who motivates the team and galvanises his own dormant spirit into a wide-alert status.

Dusky beauty Bipasha Basu says she never wanted to be an actress and her stint in Bollywood came by chance. Bipasha, whose acting in films like "Corporate", "Raaz" and "Omkara" has won her rave reviews, told IANS: "I never wanted to become an actress. I was happily doing my modelling but then I got bored of it. Acting came to me just by chance.

Film: "Kaafila"; Cast: Sunny Deol, Ammtoje Mann; Director: Ammtoje Mann; Rating: * Marooned on a beach after a ship sinks, the stunned survivors of this shipwrecked drama of the damned look around askance wondering what to do next.

Sushmita Sen is amused by stories that she and Shah Rukh Khan, who is making a special appearance in her next film "Dulha Mil Gaya", are at war and insists that they share a warm and cordial working relationship.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose "Black" won three National Awards - best Hindi film, best costumes and best actor award for Amitabh Bachchan - feels Rani Mukerji too deserved the honour for essaying the role of a deaf, dumb and blind girl in the film. "I'd have liked Rani to win a National Award also. For the first time, I think an Indian actor has played a deaf and blind... and with such captivating conviction," Bhansali told IANS.