New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Milind Soman has two Tamil movies, one Marathi and two Hindi films lined up. The supermodel-turned-actor, who is currently busy giving tips to young aspiring models on a reality show, says he loves to work with "different cultures and languages".

"I like acting and to me, the kind of film, where it is made, which language, is of secondary importance. I like working with different cultures, different languages, from all over India and all over the world," Milind told IANS in an e-mail interview.

He says he has worked on "two Hindi movies, two Tamil movies and one Marathi film" this year. His regional projects include "Vithagan" and "Paiyya" in Tamil and Marathi film "Gandh"(smell).

In the past too, the actor has worked in Tamil films and also featured in Swedish film "Arn - The Kingdom at Road's End" and Pan Nalin's cross-over film "Valley of Flowers".

Now Milind is back to the small screen, which catapulted him to fame as popular sci-fi hero "Captain Vyom" in the late 1990s.

But this time, he isn't acting. He is anchoring as well as judging a show "The Hunt For The Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2010" on NDTV Good Times. The reality series, on air for a week, is a hunt for a sexy model, who will be a fresh face in the annual calendar launched by business tycoon Vijay Mallya. The show airs every Friday at 10 p.m.

Milind says he chose it over most other reality shows primarily because it was being produced by his own company Face Entertainment.

"The other work that I have chosen in the past has also been unique on Indian TV in purpose, content, style and format. I also have the experience of almost 20 years in the glamour and fashion industry and have been on juries that have given to India and the world some of our most famous faces."

Milind says he is on the show to "find some really unique talent and connecting with a new generation of potential stars with a whole lot of new ideas and attitudes".

Asked about the tips he plans to give to the young aspiring models, he said: "Among many other things, I would be encouraging them to understand their own potential, helping them recognise their strengths and weaknesses and, most of all, emphasising to them the professional importance of always being in the moment."

The reality show has many of the young women comfortably showing off skin and posing in swimsuits. Milind says the show reflects the changing mindset of young girls towards beach wear.

"Seeing the response from the aspirants, we can safely say that more and more Indian women are getting comfortable with the idea of wearing swimwear and being photographed as pin-ups. But, however comfortable you may be, there are some women who do carry off swimwear better than others and that is what the contest is about."

Mumbai, Nov 6 (IANS) Organisers of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival have given megastar Amitabh Bachchan a Lifetime Achievement award for completing 40 years in the entertainment industry.

Receiving the award from Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, Bachchan Thursday evening thanked the noted directors who recognised his talent and the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) for giving him the award.

"I am thankful to every director like Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra who helped me pave my way to where I am today. I am also thankful to MAMI for this honour," said Big B.

His oeuvre ranges from rib-tickling comedies to tearjerkers to subtle, nuanced performances in art-house films. It can be said without doubt that there is nothing in acting that Bachchan hasn't tried.

"I have given almost two-thirds of my life to the Indian film industry. I remember in 1968 I had appeared for a screen test whose result never came out. Then in 1969 director Khwaj Ahmad Abbas gave me a break in his film 'Saat Hindustani' and my journey started," added Bachchan.

Veteran Bollywood actor Dev Anand's production house Navketan Films was felicitated for completing 60 years.

The prize distribution ceremony started with Mumbai Young Critics Jury Award, which was given to "Whisper With the Wind" directed by Sahram Alidi.

After a weeklong exposure to international cinema, 20 young critics viewed 27 movies from the two categories, International Competition and Above the Cut. After watching and re-watching the selected films, and with constant discussions, arguments and debates, "Whisper With the Wind" was finally selected.

In the category of Dimension Mumbai Competition, the Silver Gateway of India award was given to "Sagar Setu" directed by Chandni Arora and Archana Phadke.

Silver Gateway of India for the Second Best Film in Dimensions Mumbai-Short Film Competition was given to "Mumbai Lego" directed by Sahil Shah.

Bollywood director Yash Chopra and lyricist Prasoon Joshi awarded the Golden Gateway of India award to the director of "Dominic Murphy".

Danish actress Paprika Steen won the Silver Gateway of India award for the best actress for her performance in the film "Applause".

Greek director Theo Angelopoulos won the International Lifetime Achievement award. His film "The Dust of Time" closed the fest.

The audience choice award went to Amit Rai's "Road to Sangam".

Mumbai, Nov 6 (IANS) Greek director Theo Angelopoulos, who received the lifetime achievement award at the 11th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF), says festivals show cinema as an art and not a commodity.

"I like festivals because it shows cinema as an art and not a commodity," Angelopoulos told IANS.

The director, who doesn't speak or understand English, had an interpreter by his side while talking to IANS on the sidelines of the film fest that concluded Thursday.

The films he has made are episodic, meticulously choreographed and have narratives with long takes.

"It's like a literature having long sentences with comma and full stop. Like that, the manner of writing my films also has a long take. Sometimes I take short takes as well, if the scene is small," explained Angelopoulos.

The director, who is famous for his trilogies, says the story never gets exhausted with one film.

"The stories do not get exhausted. There is always another angle from where we can see the same thing. For example the trilogy of silence, there is a silence of history 'Voyage to Cythera', silence of love 'The Beekeeper' and silence of god 'Landscape in the Mist'. There are three angles under the same word silence," said Angelopoulos.

The 74-year-old director is known for writing the story, dialogues and screenplay.

"I write my own stories, dialogues and screenplays. I have worked with other scriptwriters but they are just devil's advocates. If they like the story they say yes, else no. They can't change my script into a good screenplay. They do not offer you anything new," said Angelopoulos, who has made films like "Ulysses" and "The Dust of Time".

Asked what inspires him, he said: "Everything that I come across (inspires me). The good and the bad, films I see and mostly the people I come across give me new ideas of making films."

The only Indian director he knew or has seen works of was Satyajit Ray. "I haven't seen his every film, but I remember his trilogy."

A lawyer by education, Angelopoulos always wanted to be a filmmaker and had joined a film school in France. But he was expelled after a tiff with a professor.

"I studied law because it was my family profession. I never planned to pursue it, as I always wanted to be a filmmaker. I joined the film school but had a big fight with the professor as I experimented with some unique style of filmmaking and was expelled," said Angelopoulos.

Asked if like other directors, he too would ever make a film on India, he said:" I can't make a film in India. An Indian can only make good film in India. Anyone coming from outside can't touch the intricacies of culture and peculiarities of India."

The director still prefers to follow the classical way of shooting a film.

"I prefer to work in a classical manner because the digitisation can't match the field depth procured though film camera. There is a continuous evolution of digital cinema and I think some day it will reach the quality of a classical cinema," explained Angelopoulos.

Asked about his upcoming projects, he said:" I want to do a black and white movie with unknown actors."

Mumbai Nov 3 (IANS) Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited's (ABCL) debut Marathi production "Vihir" (The Well) was screened at the 11th Mumbai Film Festival here Tuesday.

"Jaya Bachchan was my senior in Film and Television Institute of India (FFTII) and when I approached her with my script, she liked it and agreed to produce the film," said its director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni.

The film narrates the story of an boy whose cousin dies and how he reacts to the first death he has seen in his life.

Madan Deodhar, Alok Deodhar, Renuka Daftardar, Mohan Agashe, Jyoti Subhash, Sulbha Deshpande, Girish Kulkarni, Amruta Subhash and Ashwini Giri play important roles in the film.

"This is an autobiographical story and I was very keen to make a film on it. I have of course added some fictional elements in it," Kulkarni said.

When asked on how he thought the public might react to the film, he said: "The success of the film is not on how many people watch the film, rather on how deep a impression it makes."

The world premier of "Vihir" was held at the Pusan International Film Festival 2009.

"I am lucky to have got a chance to show the film at Pusan," Kulkarni said.

Kulkarni's first film was "Valu" (The Wild Bear) in 2008.

When Mohan Agashe was asked about his role in "Vihir", he said: "My character shows how a dominating approach can be oppressive for family members."

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) "Made in Pakistan", a documentary that gives a glimpse into the thinking of modern day Pakistanis, was the only film from across the border which was screened in the 11th Mumbai Film Festival.

"This is a futuristic or revolutionary film that could portray where new-gen Pakistanis wish to see themselves in near future," Nasir Khan, director of the movie, told IANS in an interview.

This film seeks to find out if Pakistanis themselves care to live in peace and if they are able to decide the direction of their own future. It shows how four independent characters of the movie are taking their strides to fulfil their dreams unbound by their customs.

"I made this film to show Pakistan through the eyes of Pakistanis," he said.

Asked if they faced any hazards while shooting the film, producer Adil Sher said: "There wasn't any political intervention, though we had to face problem in arranging for the funds and finally we had to land up in self-finance."

The film is about the new-gen Pakistanis, who account for around 40 percent of the population and who have no medium available to express it.

"Youths in Pakistan think the same way one thinks in India or other parts of the wold, but they hardly get a chance to exploit their liberty. I took the initiative, you can say," said Khan.

"Made in Pakistan" even showcases the stiking contrast between one's belief about Muslim girls and their reality through the characters Tara and Rabia -- the former is an actor and event manager and latter is a Chief editor of a monthly English magazine.

"These characters were very important because I wanted to show the world that the girls are not a commodity in Pakistan and they are also making a good life there," said Adil Sher.

A graduate from McGill University in Canada, Khan's initiation into the world of television was at World Affairs TV Production in Montreal where he wrote and produced TV shows.

All characters selected for his documentary film are people from different walks of life and they made their debut in acting in this film.

"None of them are actors by profession but they agreed to do the film as all were eager to show the new face of Pakistan," said Sher.

The film has already garnered the audience choice award in South Asian International Film Festival 2009.

When asked if he wished to do a film in India, he said: "I am just waiting for an opportunity."