T-Series head honcho Bhushan Kumar, who has acquired the music rights Of Arbaaz Khan's Dabangg 2, recently heard a couple of songs of the film and was simply bowled over. He predicts a mega musical success for Dabangg 2, which will be Arbaaz Khan's directorial debut film.

Dabangg 2 has music by composers Sajid-Wajid. Starring Salman Khan & Sonakshi Sinha, the film will go on floors soon & will be ready for a Christmas release this year.

The cast of Race 2 keeps undergoing changes by the minute. First it was Sonakshi Sinha who opted out of the project and now the buzz is that Deepika Padukone too has walked out of the project citing date issues.

Race 2 is a multi-starrer featuring the likes of Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Ameesha Patel. Deepika too had shot for the film but the constant re-shuffling in various actors' dates has resulted in the actress opting out of the film.

It remains to be seen who replaces Deepika in the film.

She was the eternal dancing queen of Bollywood who is now making a comeback with Vikram Bhatt's Dangerous Ishq. Yes we are talking about the one and only Karisma Kapoor. While Dangerous Ishq has Lolo playing the lead role, the buzz is that she has also agreed to do an item number in on the lines of 'Munni' and 'Chikni Chameli' in the Akshay Kumar- Sonakshi Sinha starrer Rowdy Rathore.

If that wasn't enough the director of the film and dancing legend Prabhu Deva will be choreographing the song, that will draw inspiration from the 'Chikni Chameli' number, and will be filmed in the villain's den.

On Wednesday, when Jaggu Dadda, aka Jackie Shroff, turned 55 he was in Chennai with the legendary Rajinikanth, to make a cameo appearance in legendary Tamil actor's daughter Soundarya's film Kochadaiyyan.

Says Jackie warmly, "Rajini-ji's daughter Soundarya is directing this film with her Dad in the lead. So sweet! She asked me to make a cameo appearance in the film with her father. I immediately flew down to Chennai.When it comes anything to do with Rajinikanth one doesn't ask questions. One just does the needful."

Jackie and Rajini go back a long way.

Speaking from Chennai, Jackie recalled, "He was one of the few people at my wedding with Ayesha when we got married in 1989. Rajiniji and I were shooting for Subhash Ghai's Uttar Dakshin in which he played my younger brother; my stepbrother. It was so much fun. I was the North Indian; he was my South Indian brother. During the lunch break Ayesha and I decided to get married. Just the two of us and those close to us. There was Rajini-ji, Subhash Ghai, Dimple, Anupam Kher and a few of my other friends, that's it. So you see, I've very fond memories of Rajinikanth and would never say no to anything to do with him or his family."

Jackie says it's an interesting cameo which Soundarya insisted only he could play. "I believe the film is in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. But even if it was in Swahili, I'd run and do it for Rajinikanth."

Jackie rushed to Chennai after barely a few hours of sleep. "My birthday is generally a very quiet affair. As always my rakhi-sister Anna Singh came home. Then we went to Riteish and Genelia's Sangeet. That's where I brought in my birthday. I flew into Chennai for Rajini-ji's film early next morning. I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday."

Says the actor candidly, "Honestly a birthday is no big deal. I am just beginning to understand life. My first 40 years went into growing up. Now I am finally getting to know what this whole business of living is all about."

That Milkha Singh's bio-pic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is being made with the active participation of Milkha Singh is a well-known fact by now. The extent of Milkha's participation would come as a surprise to even the diehard fans of the Olympian athlete.

Apparently, Milkha Singh has not only laid open his entire life for the film, he would help Farhan recreate key incidents from his past by being physically present on location when those scenes are shot.

Says a source close to the project, "Milkha Singh wants Rakeysh Mehra's film to portray him as realistically as possible. He has told the team he will make himself available throughout the making of the film."

Milkha would also be actively participating in a series of events being organized from now till the release of the film.

We've come to know that in the middle of February, Milkha will be in Mumbai for a huge promotional event for the film where the real and reel Milkha will make an appearance together in public.

Milkha Singh and Farhan Akhtar who plays Milkha are expected to reveal their comfort level with one another.

Says a source close to the project, "The idea is to let the real and reel Milkha get to know each other really well. Sure, they've met. But so far their interaction was limited. They now need to know one another closely."

Milkha Singh is expected to spend a large part of this year away from Punjab in Mumbai with Farhan, director Rakeysh Mehra and the Bhaag Milkha Bhaag team."

Veteran filmmaker Raj Kanwar, who is best known for his films like Deewana, Laadla, Daag-The Fire and Jeet passed away. The director breathed his last in Singapore where he had gone to undergo a kidney transplant procedure. Raj it seems had even undergone a bypass surgery in the past.

Bollywood celebs expressed their heartfelt condolences on Twitter. Shah Rukh Khan, whose first film Deewana was directed by Raj Kanwar tweeted, "My friend raj kanwarji passed away. The impermanence of life, makes one feel so helpless. May his soul rest in peace. Aisi Deewangi…miss u sir"

Others like Madhur Bhandarkar, Milap Zaveri and Sangeeth Sivan too expressed their sorrow on the demise of the veteran filmmaker.

We at Bollywood Hungama express our heartfelt condolences to his family.

Gen next superstar Ranbir Kapoor, who has been busy collecting awards for his splendid performance in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, underwent a minor surgery yesterday morning at Mumbai's Breach Candy hospital.

Ranbir was operated to remove a cyst on his back. The cyst was not dangerous, but if not removed in time it could grow and cause a lot of discomfort.

The young star was discharged within a few hours of the operation and he was at his home by noon. He can get back to work whenever he wants.

We wish the Rockstar a speedy recovery.

Prakash Jha's next film is about the Naxalite movement. But it is not a remake of K.V. Anand's Tamil political film Ko.

Exasperated beyond belief, Prakash says, "I don't know where this rumour started. And now the newspapers are reporting it. My new film is about the Naxal movement. But my film has got absolutely nothing to do with Ko. It's an original subject. In fact I'm away from Mumbai right now writing the film."

In Prakash Jha's Chakravyuha, which the director starts shooting in a month, Abhishek Bachchan is cast as a Naxalite. It's the biggest challenge of the young actor's career and one for which he has started preparing. Jha has recommended Naxal literature to Abhishek. This is probably the first film since Mani Ratnam's Guru for which Abhishek has undertaken extensive research.

The shooting will take place in Prakash's patent location Bhopal, and in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh.

The director was actually supposed to start a film Satyagrah with Abhishek's father and the director's favourite actor Ajay Devgn in January. Apparently, that film was postponed to the second-half of 2012 because of the unavailability of Devgn's dates.

Protests Prakash, "In fact I had Ajay's dates from July since he finishes Son Of Sardar by then. But my film can't be shot in the rains. I've to shoot Satyagrah in winter, so we're shooting it in November and December 2012."

This is the first year in his career when Prakash Jha would be directing two films. "And both are tough to shoot, not because of the big cast but because the films take up issues that need very careful handling," says Jha.

While Chakravyuha is about the Naxalite movement, Satyagrah deals with politics and corruption.

Prakash Jha was aware that Basu Chatterjee had made a film called Chakravyuha back in 1978. He recently met Basu-da who in his habitually affable way said, 'Han han le lo le lo'. But Prakash was taken aback when he got to know another producer had registered the title Ek Aur Chakravyuha."

Says Prakash, "Chakravyuha is the best and only appropriate title for my film. I can't think of calling it by any other name. Fortunately we have the title now."