Our semi-regular round-up of what is new in Indian cinema.

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Rediff has polled its readers on the greatest film villains in India cinema and the results are in. The great Amrish Puri tops the list as Mogambo in Mr. India. Mogambo Khush hua! Amjad Khan naturally also made the list as Gabbar Singh in Sholay. I can’t argue with most of the selections but I would like to point out the exclusion of Ajay Agarwal as Saamri in Purana Mandir is unwarranted. The Ramsay Brothers get no respect!

::: Bollywood’s greatest villains

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The biggest news on the block is that Sony and Eros (one of the major Indian film distributors) have teamed up to develop and produce Hindi films. Six to eight films are expected in the first year of the agreement. As for the territorial carve-up, the two will share India, Sony will get North America, and Eros will get the rest of the world. The films will be a mix - some aimed only at Indian audiences on the subcontinent and abroad, and some shooting for a wider release.

::: Sony enters production pact with Eros

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Finally, in the world of silly legal scandals, the creators of Dharm, dissatisfied with the official selection of Eklavya - The Royal Guard as India’s entry for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars, have sued. Don’t count on this suit going very far, but it does once again highlight the silliness of the Oscar system whereby choice of nomination for foreign film is in the control of governmental organizations.

::: India Oscar entry faces legal challenge