Another behind-the-scenes (BTS) video from Kiran Rao’s upcoming film Laapataa Ladies was released by the makers on Friday. It introduces the character played by actor Chhaya Kadam in the film, which also stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, and Ravi Kishan in pivotal roles. The script of the film is based on a story by Biplab Goswami, and the screenplay and dialogues are written by Sneha Desai, while the additional dialogues have been penned by Divyanidhi Sharma.

The BTS video shows actor Chhaya, who is the owner of a tea stall in the film. Her name is Manju Mai, and Kiran has shot the film on location to maintain authenticity. Kiran is seen giving her certain directions in the middle of a shot, and Chhaya also shares her experience of working on the film.

A BTS video was released earlier by the makers that gave a glimpse into Kiran’s way of working on set. Laapataa Ladies is produced by Jio Studios and Aamir Khan Productions. It will be released in theatres on March 1.

Alia Bhatt took to her official X account on Thursday to announce that the filming for her upcoming film, Jigra, has been wrapped. 

Sharing photos with Vedang Raina from the film sets, she wrote, "jigra oh… abki teri baari ho, #VedangRaina & that’s a film wrap on #JIGRA. See you soon... 27th September 2024 at a cinema near you."

Jigra is helmed by Vasan Bala and produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Alia’s Eternal Sunshine.  The film's announcement video suggested that the film is about a sister who would go to any lengths to protect her brother. 

With the pictures, Alia has announced that Vedang Raina is a part of the cast. The makers of Jigra are yet to announce more details about the film's cast and crew. Jigra is scheduled to hit theatres on September 27, 2024.

jigra oh… abki teri baari ho#VedangRaina

& that’s a film wrap on #JIGRA @Vasan_Bala @swapneel25

See you soon... 27th September 2024 at a cinema near you #KaranJohar @apoorvamehta18 @somenmishra0 #DebashishIrengbam @MARIJKEdeSOUZA #ShaheenBhatt @grishah @DharmaMovies… pic.twitter.com/uT8nlqZKS4

— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) February 22, 2024

Yodha song ‘Zindagi Tere Naam’ will be out on February 24, the makers announced on Thursday. Directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, the film is an actioner backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. It stars Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani, and Raashii Khanna in pivotal roles.

Karan put up a video on Instagram to share that it will be a romantic song featuring Sidharth and Raashii. It will be sung by Vishal Mishra. In the caption to the post, he wrote, “May we say, love is in the air with the first song of Yodha.”

The teaser for Yodha was released earlier this year, and it introduced the character Sidharth plays in the film. He was recently seen in the Rohit Shetty series Indian Police Force. Sidharth has collaborated with Karan Johar before on Shershaah, where he played the role of late army veteran Vikram Batra. Yodha will be released in theatres on March 15.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar)

The Viral Fever (TVF) has wrapped the shooting of Gullak Season 4, the makers announced on Thursday. Created by Shreyansh Pandey, it stars Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta, and Harsh Mayar in pivotal roles. Shreyansh has jointly worked on the story with Vidit Tripathi, who has also written the screenplay for the series.

Gullak tells the story of the Mishra family and some major hiccups that happen between them in their individual lives. Through their everyday struggles, the family comes together to develop a strong bond. The first season of the show premiered in 2019, followed by the second season in 2021 and the third in 2022.

Gullak is produced by Arunabh Kumar under TVF Media, with Sameer Saxena serving as the executive producer. Further details on the new season are awaited.

The trailer for the upcoming supernatural horror film, Shaitaan was released by the makers on Thursday. It features Ajay Devgn and Jyotika battling an evil character played by R. Madhavan. The film is helmed by Queen (2013) director Vikas Bahl, and it stars Janki Bodiwala and Aangad Maaholay in pivotal roles. It is based on an original story written by Krishnadev Yagnik that is adapted for the screen by Aamil Keeyan Khan.

The trailer opens up with the character of Ajay and Jyotika spotting Madhavan entering their house. After some initial conversations, it is revealed that Madhavan has taken control of the mind of Ajay’s daughter and asks her to do some nasty things. Later, as Ajay tries to make sense of what is happening to his daughter, he is led to jungles and to a mythic place that is like a kingdom of Madhavan. The trailer ends with Madhavan taking centre stage as the evil character.

Shaitaan is produced by Ajay Devgn, Jyoti Deshpande, Kumar Mangat Pathak, and Abhishek Pathak. Amit Trivedi is the music composer for the film, which is set to release in theatres on March 8.

Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, was announced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions on Thursday. It is a romantic drama written and directed by Shashank Khaitan who has previously helmed films like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and Badrinath Ki Dulhania (2017) which were backed by Dharma Productions.

The video shared by the makers introduces Varun as Sunny Sanskari and Janhvi as Tulsi Kumari. With festive and celebratory music in the background composed by Pritam, the video ends with a line written by lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya which says, “Ishq Manzoor (Love is accepted)”. The caption to the post read, “Our Sunny Sanskari is on his way to get his Tulsi Kumari! This love story wrapped with entertainment is coming to the big screens!”

The film is produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Shashank Khaitan. It is set to be released in theatres in April 2025.

Your Sanskari is on his way to get his Kumari!
This love story wrapped with entertainment is coming to the big screens!#SunnySanskariKiTulsiKumari in cinemas, 18th April 2025!#SSKTK #KaranJohar @apoorvamehta18 #ShashankKhaitan @Varun_dvn #JanhviKapoor @MARIJKEdeSOUZA… pic.twitter.com/n7QojQSL7N

— Dharma Productions (@DharmaMovies) February 22, 2024

Actor Rakul Preet Singh and producer Jackky Bhagnani got married on Wednesday in an intimate Sikh wedding ceremony in Goa, according to reports. The ceremony was called ‘Anand Karaj’ and the two will also get married as per Hindu rituals in the evening. Their pre-wedding festivities started on February 19.

The wedding ceremony was attended by family and close friends of the two including actors Shilpa Shetty, Esha Deol, Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor. Rakul and Jackky have been dating for the last few years and they made their relationship official through an Instagram post in 2021.

Rakul was last seen in the Tamil film Ayalaan. She will next be seen alongside Kamal Haasan in Indian 2 which is directed by Shankar. Meanwhile, Jackky is gearing up for his next production venture Bade Miyan Chote Miyan which stars Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in the lead roles and is scheduled to release in April on the occasion of Eid.

Triptii Dimri has joined the cast of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, actor Kartik Aaryan announced on Wednesday. He shared a photo on Instagram with Tripti in it to confirm the news. He had earlier today shared two pictures on his social media which were of an actress’s incomplete image, designed as puzzle pieces. The film also stars Vidya Balan playing the role of Manjulika.

In the caption to his post, Kartik wrote, “Welcome to the World of Bhool Bhulaiyaa.” Released in 2022, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 starred Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Tabu. Directed by Anees Bazmee, the film is a spiritual sequel to the 2007 Akshay Kumar starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which was directed by Priyadarshan. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 will be released on Diwali this year.

Kartik was last seen in Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023) with Kiara Advani. He also has Kabir Khan’s Chandu Champion in the pipeline. Triptii got mainstream popularity with the film Animal, where she played the role of Ranbir Kapoor’s character Ranvijay’s paramour Zoya. She has previously starred in films like Bulbul (2020) and Qala (2022).

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by KARTIK AARYAN (@kartikaaryan)

Actor Vikrant Massey issued an apology on social media on Wednesday for his now-deleted tweet from 2018, in which he shared an editorial cartoon featuring Lord Rama and Sita, reacting to the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua. In his apology note, Vikrant wrote that his intention was never to “hurt, malign or disrespect the Hindu community.”

In the cartoon shared by Vikrant on X (then Twitter), Lord Rama and Sita are sitting with her holding a newspaper in her hands, the headlines of which read, “Child raped in temple,” “Minor raped by BJP MLA” and “Yogi protects rape accused.” Sita is seen saying to Lord Rama, “I am so glad I was kidnapped by Ravan and not by your bhakts.”

Vikrant had captioned the post, “Half baked potatoes and half baked nationalists will only cause a pain in the gut. #KathuaCasr #Unnao #Shame.”

Issuing an apology on Wednesday, Vikrant wrote, “But as I reflect in hindsight about a Tweet made in jest, I also release the distasteful nature of it. The same could have been said without adding the cartoon which was published in a newspaper. And I’d with utmost humility like to apologise to each and everyone who has been hurt.”

“As you all by now know, that I hold all faiths, beliefs and religions with the highest possible regard. We all grow up with time and reflect upon our mistakes. This was mine,” he added.

This 2018 tweet started trending after Vikrant’s interview on Unfiltered by Samdish, in which he talked about the diversity of his home. Vikrant’s mother is a Sikh, father is a church-going Christian while his brother, Moeen, converted to Islam at the age of 17. “My brother’s name is Moeen, I am called Vikrant. You’d wonder why the name Moeen? He converted to Islam. My family let him change his religion. They said, ‘Beta, if you find satisfaction in this, then go ahead.’ He converted at the age of 17, it is a big step. My mother is Sikhni, my father is a church-going Christian, he goes to church twice a week. From a young age, I have seen a lot of arguments related to religion and spirituality,” he said in the interview.

The actor recently won the Filmfare Award for his performance in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail.

Iconic radio presenter Ameen Sayani passed away on Tuesday night, as per reports. He was 91. His son, Rajil Sayani, confirmed his death on Wednesday. According to him, Sayani suffered a heart attack at his house in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. He was rushed to the hospital later where the doctors declared him dead. 

His last rites are likely to take place on Thursday in Mumbai.

Born on December 21, 1932, in Mumbai, Sayani began his career as an English broadcaster in All India Radio. Later, he transitioned to Hindi where his oratory skills earned him popularity among the masses. He also appeared in films like Bhoot Bungla (1965), Teen Devian (1965) and Qatl (1986) where he played the role of an announcer. Most notably, in his early days, Amitabh Bachchan had gone to his office to audition as a radio presenter, however, Sayani had other appointments and couldn’t meet him. Later, after Bachchan attained popularity in films, Sayani had jocularly said in an interview, “I would have been on the streets and he would have got so much work on the radio but Indian cinema would have lost its biggest star.”

Sayani hosted the Binaca Geetmala on Radio Ceylon in 1952 which became widely popular among people in South Asia. It was a weekly collection of top Hindi songs from films. It ran till the year 1994 on Radio Ceylon and later on Vividh Bharati. It was his engaging style of presentation that hooked people to their radio sets whenever the show aired. His signature way of addressing listeners as "Behno aur Bhaiyo" (sisters and brothers) against the traditional “Bhaiyo aur Behno” (brothers and sisters) became instantly recognisable and widely imitated.

In 2009, Sayani was honoured with the Padma Shri Award for his contributions to radio. He also holds the record for being part of over 54,000 radio programs as a voice-over artist, compere and producer.

Kiara Advani will be playing the female lead in Farhan Akhtar's Don 3. The film's production house Excel Entertainment made the announcement via a video on social media on Tuesday.

Don 3 stars Ranveer Singh in the titular role. The film marks the return of Farhan Akhtar to the director's chair after over 12 years since Don 2 (2011). It will be the third part in the Don franchise which earlier starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.

Farhan Akhtar made a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don--written by Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar-- in 2005, with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. It followed the same story but gave it a modern twist. The film was followed by a sequel, Don 2, in 2011 which also starred Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani in pivotal roles.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Excel Entertainment (@excelmovies)

Deepika Padukone presented an award at the 77^th British Academy Film Awards - for the first time - on Sunday. The actor went for a complete desi look for the event and wore a shimmering white saree and a matching backless blouse. Her outfit was designed by acclaimed designer Sabyasachi.

At BAFTA, Deepika presented director Jonathan Glazer with the award for Best Film Not In The English Language for The Zone Of Interest.

While introducing the nominated films in the category, Deepika said, “The incredible stories nominated in this category depict real and imagined worlds that stay with us long after the credits roll. From the Alps to the Andes, South Poland to Seoul and to Ukraine …”

This wasn’t the first time Deepika wore a saree for an international event. She wore a Rohit Bal creation at her very first Cannes Film Festival years ago and then again a Sabyasachi saree followed by an Abu-Sandeep outfit while serving on the Cannes jury in 2022.

Deepika was last seen in the aerial actioner Fighter alongside Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor.

The title track of Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan was released by the makers on Monday. Sung by Anirudh Ravichander and Vishal Mishra, the song is a modern take on the 1998 number ‘Bade Miyan to Bade Miyan’ from the Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. The latest track has been composed by Vishal Mishra with lyrics by Irshad Kamil.

The music video shows Akshay and Tiger dressed in Army greens grooving to the pop beats of the song. They exuberate bromance as the lyrics go, “Tere peeche tera yaar khada hai (Your bro’s got your back).” The two of them are also seen having a drinking competition at the bar and teaming up for a volleyball competition at the beach.

The film is written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and also stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sonakshi Sinha, Manushi Chhillar, Alaya F and Ronit Bose Roy. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is slated to release on Eid, 2024.

Varun Dhawan and his wife Natasha Dalal announced their pregnancy on Sunday. The actor posted a sweet monochrome photo on his Instagram to make the announcement.

In the photo, Natasha and Varun are posing inside their Mumbai home. Their pet dog Joey is also seen in the photo. Varun is seen kissing Natasha’s baby bump in the picture.

“We are pregnant. Need all your blessings and love. #myfamilymystrength,” Varun captioned the photo.

Varun and Natasha married three years ago on January 24, 2021. They were childhood sweethearts who fell in love with each other at a music concert. They kept their relationship under wraps, finally making it official on Instagram. On Koffee With Karan, Varun shared how Natasha has been supportive of his dreams all through and as a partner, his responsibility is to support her dreams and ambitions.

Varun was last seen in director Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal released on Amazon Prime. He will be next seen in the Indian adaptation of the Hollywood series Citadel opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu. Baby John, an actioner by Kalees and produced by Atlee is also on the cards for Varun.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by VarunDhawan (@varundvn)

Sanya Malhotra on Sunday condoled the death of Suhani Bhatnagar, who played young Babita Phogat in Aamir Khan-starrer wrestling drama Dangal.

Suhani passed away at a young age of 19. According to her family, she was suffering from Dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disease that causes skin rash and muscle weakness.

She was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on February 7 and died on February 16 after medical complications.

Sanya, who played the grown-up version of Babita Phogat in the Nitesh Tiwari directorial, remembered Suhani in a post on her Instagram Stories.

"I can't believe it's real. There was no one quite like our Suhani. She was so special, so talented, and way too young to have left us so soon. Rest in peace, Chotu. My deepest condolences to Pooja, Puneet and the entire family," the actor wrote.

Suhani became a prominent face after appearing in Dangal, the 2016 biographical drama about a wrestler who mentors his two daughters to success.

The movie also featured Zaira Wasim as young Geeta while Fatima Sana Shaikh played the elder version. Aamir Khan played the role of Mahavir Phogat, the father of Geeta and Babita.

Suhani’s death was also condoled by director Nitesh and Aamir’s production house Aamir Khan Productions.

Actor Rashmika Mandanna had an unpleasant flight experience on Saturday when her Air Vistara flight was forced to make an emergency landing due to a technical glitch. Rashmika, along with actor Shraddha Das, was flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad when the incident occurred.

She shared a photo of herself and Shraddha on her Instagram stories with the caption, “Just FYI this is how we escaped death today…"

As per an NDTV report, turbulence and technical issues prompted the flight to return to Mumbai just 30 minutes after take-off. The airlines said that the decision to return back was a precautionary step to ensure the safety of passengers.

"Shortly after take-off, a technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK531 operating from Mumbai to Hyderabad on 17 February 2024. As a precautionary step, in accordance with the standard operating procedures, the pilots decided to turn-back and landed the flight safely at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport, Mumbai," an Air Vistara spokesperson told NDTV.

"An alternate aircraft was arranged, which departed shortly thereafter to complete the journey. All efforts were made to minimise inconvenience to the customers including offering them refreshments," the airlines added.

Rashmika was last seen in the monstrous-hit Animal. She is currently shooting for Pushpa 2: The Rule.

Renowned Urdu poet, lyricist and director Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith selection committee announced on Saturday.

In a statement, the Jnanpith selection committee said, “It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well-known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar.”

Goan writer Damodar Mauzo had received the prestigious award for 2022. 

The press release from the official selection committee recognized Gulzar for the award, and said, “Along with his long film journey, Gulzar has been setting new milestones in the field of literature. In poetry, he invented a new genre ‘Triveni’ which is a non-muqaffa poem of three lines. Gulzar has always created something new through his poetry. For some time now he has also been paying serious attention to children's poetry.”

Gulzar is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of his era. He has written poems and lyrics for countless films in a career spanning over six decades. He has earlier received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, an Oscar, a Grammy trophy and multiple National Film Awards. Gulzar has also directed cinematic gems such as Mere Apne (1971), Parichay (1972), Aandhi (1975) and Mausam (1975) to name a few.

Gulzar's daughter, Meghna Gulzar is also a writer and director. Her last release was Sam Bahadur with Vicky Kaushal. Gulzar had penned the lyrics for the film.

Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao will attend a special screening of their upcoming film Laaptaa Ladies in Delhi on February 19 this year. The entire team will be present at the screening. The film is directed by Kiran Rao and is based on an original story by Biplab Goswami. The screenplay for the film is written by Sneha Desai. It stars Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan, and Chhaya Kadam in pivotal roles.

Earlier, the trailer of the film was released, which gave a glimpse into its quirky world. It follows the story of a recently married Deepak Kumar, who goes home with his bride. However, as soon as she pulls the cover off her face, it is revealed that she is not the same girl he had married. Faced with a huge dilemma, Deepak goes to the police station to lodge a complaint about his missing wife.

Laapataa Ladies is Kiran’s second directorial after over a decade. She directed the 2010 film Dhobi Ghat, which starred Aamir along with Prateik Babbar and Monica Dogra. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) before heading for a theatrical release. Similarly, Laapataa Ladies had its premiere at TIFF last year.

The film is produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, and Jyoti Deshpande and presented by Jio Studios. It will be released in theatres on March 1.

Actor Suhani Bhatnagar, known for her role in Dangal, passed away on Saturday morning. She was 19 years old, and the cause of her death is unknown as yet. According to reports, her cremation will take place at the Ajronda crematorium in Faridabad.

Suhani played the role of a young Babita Phogat in the sports drama, released in 2016 and directed by Nitesh Tiwari. She had taken a break from acting after Dangal in order to concentrate on her studies.

Aamir Khan Productions issued a statement on X, expressing condolences to Suhani’s family on her untimely demise. Their tweet read, “We are deeply saddened to hear about our Suhani passing away. Our heartfelt condolences to her mother Poojaji, and the entire family. Such a talented young girl, such a team player, Dangal would have been incomplete without Suhani. Suhani, you will always remain a star in our hearts. May you rest in peace.”