I never asked Vidya to pose nude

M. F. Husain has reportedly expressed anger at reports that he intended to paint a nude portrait of Vidya Balan.

The artist, currently a citizen of Qatar, famously upset members of India's Hindu community after depicting deities in an allegedly sexual manner.

Husain told The Times of India: "I would never ever even think like that. I have done several paintings of Madhuri Dixit but I have always captured her personality. I respect Vidya as an artiste and would never ask her or any artiste to pose nude for me."

He also revealed that he does not want to paint a life-like portrait of Anushka Sharma.

"Anushka has inspired me to do a painting of the quintessential Punjabi kudi [girl]," the artist said. "She was outstanding in Band Baaja Baaraat. She made the transition from a playful girl to an upright woman brilliantly."

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M.F. Husain revives 'Mughal E Azam' through paintings

Well known painter M.F. Husain has paid his personal tribute to K. Asif's epic film "Mughal-E-Azam" by recreating the movie's fabulous scenes in a series of exquisite paintings.

"I love India. I loved the film and really wanted to show the grandeur and the power the film shows," Hussain said in a 22-minute documentary on K. Asif's timeless classic.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan presented the documentary made by his production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, at JW Marriot hotel Thursday night.

The documentary shows how the film was transformed from black and white to colour and preserved for future generations.

The documentary was an initiative by K. Asif's son, Akbar Asif, to keep the cinematic treasure alive. Along with Sharoopji Mistry, he had released the coloured version of the epic film in 2006.

Shah Rukh said: "There are lots of such classics in the archive. But being stacked for a long time, the prints and negatives of those timeless films are decaying."

"My motive of making this documentary is that lets all come together and spend some money to revive or preserve these films."

Veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who played the role of Salim in the film, is the only actor alive among the whole cast and he would be shown the documentary, said Shah Rukh.

"I have to go and show him the documentary. He would love to see it," he said.

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