National News Headlines

CIA director Leon E. Panetta arrived in the Indian capital to hold discussions with security experts including National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan on issues like cooperation on fighting terror and sharing of intelligence.

Director VK Prakash's Gulumal -The Escape is set for a December 4th release. The movie promises to be a comedy entertainer starring Jayasurya and Kunchacko Boban. The story of the film is about two men who survive on their silly tricks. The film carries a lot of expectations, as the director is a national award winner. The film had its music launch recently.

Distressed at not getting an adequate price for his produce, a debt-ridden sugarcane farmer allegedly committed suicide. The victim burnt his fields in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district and then jumped in the fire, police said Saturday.

Kannada actor Prakash Raj, who is one of the most sought after actors in the Tamil and Telugu film industries, is now set to debut in Kannada films. He will star in Naanu Nanna Kanasu, which will also be directed and produced by him. The launch of the movie will be held today and will be attended by Ganesh, Puneet Rajkumar and some others. The lead actress in the film, Ramya, will be wearing a school uniform and ponytail to the launch, to get into the character she plays in the film.

Director Dinakar's film, Sarathy, had its launch recently. At a press conference, Darshan, who stars in the film, stated that the film belongs 60 percent to Dinakar and only 40 percent to him. He feels that this movie is slated to be a success, as Dinakar's previous films have been hits. Darshan also wants the film to be a hit for his producer KCN Chandrasekhar. He added that Dinakar is a very innovative person.

Director Shaji Kailas has renamed his upcoming movie from Drona to Drona 2010. This is because two films, Hindi and Telugu with the name Drona, have both flopped. He definitely doesn't want the same fate for his film. The film stars Mammootty in the lead. His role is that of a 'sanyasi' with mystical powers. The movie will release around February next year.

Campaigning has gained momentum in Jharkhand where the first phase of the assembly elections is due Nov 25. Senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh hit the campaign trail Saturday, while the Congress has fielded its star campaigner Rahul Gandhi who will address many rallies across the state.

That, Malayalam film, Passenger is going to get a Tamil remake, is old news. The Tamil version has already started shooting. Directed by Selva and produced by K Balachander's Kavithalaya, the film stars Ganesh Venkatraman and Sathyaraj in the roles played by Dileep and Sreenivasan in the Malayalam version respectively. The Tamil version, however, will have more songs than the Malayalam version did as it is being made to suit Tamil audiences.

Actress Priyanka Chandra sure likes to experiment with multiple languages. She has proved her acting abilities in Kannada films like Maharishi, Seena and 10th Class A Section and in Konkani film, Love in Singapore. She is now going to appear in Tamil film, Kalluri Kalangal, which will mark her debut in the Tamil industry.

Believe it or not - the authorities in Andhra Pradesh have issued a ration card in the name of Mahatma Gandhi along with his picture!