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PM Modi ‘s decision to use the services of senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to present India’s case before other countries became quite obvious from the moment Tharoor openly came endorsing the government’s handling of Operation Sindoor. Tharoor is leading an all-party delegation to the USA, Panama, Guyana, Brazil and Colombia. The Kerala MP’s endorsement of Operation Sindoor has apparently made Rahul Gandhi very angry with him. Rahul is also upset that the government did not pick his choice — Lok Sabha deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi. Accommodating Gogoi whose wife reportedly has close links with a Pak-based NGO, had posed a challenge for the government. Jairam Ramesh said the party was dismayed that among the 4 names only one person — Anand Sharma– had made it. Other 3 Congress leaders Tharoor, Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid were directly sought out by the government. The Congress first described Tharoor’s action as “crossing the Lakshman Rekha”. Party sources said the attack on Tharoor was organised by AICC Gen Secretary KC Venugopal, a close Rahul Gandhi aide who fancies himself as the next Kerala CM. When Tharoor punctured the Congress’s campaign of having yielded to a third party mediation in the Indo-Pak conflict by asserting that India would have never agreed to third party mediation in its bilateral issues with Pakistan, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told the media that “When Tharoor saab speaks, it is not the party’s opinion.” With so many fireworks, it remains to be seen if Tharoor will continue to remain with the Congress swallowing the swipe. The Gandhis have not liked him ever since he contested against Kharge. But, if Tharoor bows out to carve out his own space, it could queer the pitch for Congress in Kerala, ahead of assembly polls next year.
The stupendous success and impactful delivery of Indian missiles upon the Pakistani land targets, in no small measure boosted by using the Russian S-400 surface-to-air, anti-ballistic missile systems, will now be upgraded through the S-500 version that President Putin has offered India along with the ‘Made-in-India’ tag for manufacturing and exporting across the globe. The Russian offer came four days ago and seeks to cement Indo-Russian ties further through joint collaboration, setting up a manufacturing base in India. Simultaneously, India has upped the ante against both Turkey and Azerbaijan that achieved the distinction of being the only two nations in the world that supported the terrorist Pakistani nation in its limited-capability war launched upon India. According to well-placed sources Turkey stands to lose out on the bulk of the annual Rs 600 crore tourism business it generates out of India, through tourists visiting the nation with close to 60% of scheduled tourist travellers to that nation having cancelled their plans this year. Similarly, Islamic Azerbaijan’s miscalculated support for Pakistan will now witness Indian weaponry arming the mostly Christian Armenia that has been in a state of war with that nation since 2020 when Azerbaijan attacked its neighbour. The South Caucasian nation (Armenia), that signed a defence deal with India in 2022 for 15 Akash missile systems, is set to further receive multiple launch rocket systems, anti-tank rockets, and ammunition. While Turkey suffers an economically gloomy fate similar to Maldives, both of whose economies are sustained through Indian tourism, Azerbaijan will find itself up against an Indian weapon system bolstering Armenia in the coming days.
In 90 plus years — from June 1932 — India has won only 13.43% of the 67 Test matches in England. This stark fact exemplifies India’s woes in seaming conditions in England — 36 lost and nine won. In all 17 Indian players have captained in England and Ajit Wadekar was the first one to win a series there in 1971. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has led nine times and lost seven, Virat Kohli nine times, won three and lost five. Rohit Sharma has never led India in England. And Kapil Dev led India to a 2-0 win in 1986. In exactly a month from now, India will start a five-Test series in England, with the first one at Leeds where the record is 4 for England and 2 for India. In August 2021 England won by an innings and 76 runs. Whoever may be the captain, India will find many challenging situations, especially with the weather and the Dukes ball. It’s speculated that the selection committee — with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket — is all set to name Shubman Gill the captain and that’s because Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness for the full series is in doubt. Gill has played three Tests in England — two in the WTC final against New Zealand and Australia and one against England and he has scored 88 runs off 158 balls. Gill’s average is 10.50 in England, 18 in New Zealand,18.50 in South Africa and 22.50 in the West Indies. He averaged 51.80 in Australia four years ago, but it whittled down to 18.60 in the 2024-25 series. Hence, Gill will look for a good English Summer, for him and the team.
Recent political and diplomatic strains between India and Bangladesh have cast a ripple effect on cultural exchanges, especially in cinema — where both shared cultural heritage and creativity. Reportedly, disruptions have hit film projects and casting decisions across Tollywood and the Bangladeshi film industry. Though no official ban exists on Bangladeshi actors working in India, several have recently been denied Indian visas. This has forced producers into last-minute casting changes and even temporary halts on joint productions. While prominent actors like Jaya Ahsan, Chanchal Chowdhury, Shakib Khan, and Arifin Shuvoo continue to work in India due to long-term visas, others face hurdles. Actress Tasnia Farin was denied a visa despite being cast opposite Dev, prompting alternative casting. Similarly, Jeet’s collaboration with Bangladeshi director Raihan Rafi for Lion has stalled. SVF, a leading production house with deep cross-border ties, acknowledged temporary disruptions but confirmed collaborations are slowly resuming. Hoichoi released the Bangladeshi series Jimmi in March. SVF is co-producing Daagi with Afran Nisho and Tandob featuring Shakib Khan. However, Tandob will now be fully shot in Bangladesh due to visa issues affecting its crew. Visa unpredictability is making casting decisions risky. If actors can’t travel for shoots or promotions, entire projects suffer. Actor Ziaul Faruq Apurba couldn’t promote Chalachitro directed by Pratim D Gupta, while Chanchal Chowdhury missed promotions for Srijit Mukherji’s Padatik. Meanwhile, some projects remain unaffected. Jaya Ahsan’s Dear Maa by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury is expected around July. She is also rumoured to star in Kaushik Ganguly’s upcoming Ardhangini 2.
PM Modi is very happy that he did not bow to the severe American pressure to give up buying Russian missile systems Jets equipped with Scalp missiles and S-400 Air Defence System; as they have been India’s weapons of choice in both the ongoing war with Pakistan and Operation Sindoor. The significance of the S-400 air defence system was demonstrated on the intervening night of May 8-9 when India effectively stopped an extensive onslaught by the Pakistani army employing drones and other missiles. The Russian S-400 and indigenous Akashteer defence systems successfully repelled every Pakistani attack, preventing any projectiles from hitting their objective. India’s defence forces even neutralised Pakistan’s one Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft in Punjab province of Pakistan. When India chose to purchase the S-400 defence system in 2018 through a $5 billion agreement with Russia, the Modi government was faced with significant criticism from the U.S. The acquisition of the S-400 by India was met with resistance from the earlier administrations of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. There had even been threats of sanctions from the White House under Donald Trump. However, Modi was aware of the importance of the S-400 in improving our air defences against China and Pakistan. Thus far, three S-400 squadrons have been received and are currently in service, with more expected to follow this year. It is the most advanced long-range air defence weapon in the world, with the ability to track and engage several aircraft targets up to 600 kilometres away. It is known as the “Sudarshan Chakra” inside the Indian Air Force and is capable of detecting, tracking and eliminating a wide range of airborne threats, including ballistic missiles, UAVs and fighter aircrafts. Modi has decided to place more orders for S-400 systems.
Odisha government’s profit-making Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) at Bhubaneswar is likely to be privatised. The process to privatise the airport, set up in 1962 which handles 4.2 million passengers annually has already started by the Airport Authority of India. Already the names of Adani, GMR and Zurich Airport Ltd are doing the rounds. But the general thinking is that the Union government may not be particularly inclined towards Adani to avoid a monopoly situation in the country. The tilt is towards Zurich Airport known for its world class management and security controls which is now constructing the new International Airport in Noida near Delhi. There is a strong feeling that Naveen Patnaik’s party, Biju Janata Dal, may oppose the privatisation move. It is understood that whoever wins the bid has to factor in absorbing 60% manpower cost or continue paying salaries till employees’ retirement age. With BPIA being privatised what happens to Puri’s ambitious international airport project backed by the Odisha government? That’s a big question mark as AAI is now fully focussed on how to utilise BPIA’s existing airport space which is not yet fully tapped.
Noted writer Javed Akhtar has invited sharp comments from both extremes due to his statement that If he had to choose between hell and Pakistan, “I will prefer to go to hell.” Similarly, his oblique praise of Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has evoked different reactions. Akhtar’s frank speech at the launch of Raut’s book “Hell in Heaven” in Mumbai on May 17 became a highlight. Always a target following his speeches, Akhtar said, “Both sides abuse me. But there are also many people who treat me kindly.” Akhtar observed in the speech that many memorable literary works had been written in prison. His reference was to Raut’s jail custody for a hundred days in connection with a controversial land deal in Mumbai. The book written by Raut describes his experience in that detention. The book is in focus owing to the various claims made by Raut regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray. But Akhtar’s finding some similarity between Raut and many giants who went to prison for ideological reasons has angered leaders like Neelam Gorhe, deputy chairperson of the Maharashtra legislative council. She said, “Those leaders were in prison for fighting for the nation’s freedom or such noble causes, not for economic offences.” Akhtar’s remarks have generated ripples across social media and political circles. Expectedly, while some have praised Akhtar for his fearless stand against hate speeches, his critics feel that he is needlessly stoking a controversy.
Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has given fair indications about his strong views regarding the relationship especially between the judiciary and the executive. In his first public address after becoming CJI, Gavai received felicitation from the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in Mumbai on May 17. At the event, Gavai pointed out the absence of three key officials — the state chief secretary, the Director General of Police and the Mumbai Police Commissioner. He said the three pillars of democracy are equal and every constitutional institution must show respect to others. Regarding his visit, Gavai said when a person from Maharashtra becomes CJI and visits the state for the first time and if the chief secretary, the DGP or the Mumbai CP don’t feel it appropriate to be present, then they need to reflect on that. Afterwards, when CJI visited Chaitya Bhoomi, chief secretary Sujata Saunik, DGP Rashmi Shukla and Mumbai CP Deven Bharti were present, believed to have rushed to greet him after learning about CJI’s ire. When asked about this, he replied that he was not fussy about protocol but had only mentioned what had happened. The CJI’s remarks are considered significant against the backdrop of President Droupadi Murmu’s 14-point letter to the Supreme Court about the timeline suggested for President and state governors. Her reference to Article 361 of the Constitution is the crux of the matter as it says that the President or the governor shall not be answerable to any court for the exercise of the powers and duties of office.
In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), is already in poll mode with the leader and his election analysis team hard at work taking stock constituency by constituency to shape the party’s strategy. The rest of the Opposition appears to be in disarray with the PMK sharply divided between the founding father and stalwart politician Dr S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani. Their division came out in the open when Dr Ramadoss convened a meeting at his residence but only 10 of 110 district presidents attended it. Son and 4 party MLAs also boycotted the event. Jayalalithaa’s confidante and aide Sasikala, her protégé and former CM O Panneerselvam and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran are striving to get back into AIADMK, but EPS is adamant that none will be allowed back in. Meanwhile, OPS claims that his rump element of the main party is still very much a part of the NDA, and the BJP has been supporting this. It is likely that the BJP will fork out some seats to the Sasi-OPS-TTV faction because EPS will not permit them from his party’s share of seats. The DMDK has always been a minor player after the spectacular debut that it had under the late Vijayakanth. With TVK, the fledgling party of actor-turned politician Vijay, intent on contesting on its own, it is only the AIADMK that has shown some stability a year out before the polls are due in the summer of 2026. Even so, the DMK has already cranked up its political work at the grassroots level to be prepared to take on the Opposition in whatever shape it may be next summer.
TVK chief Vijay is a confused man these days. He is also a man in a hurry. Add to this his confidence in his ability to draw and hold filmi crowds …the mix is overpowering. So, he pulls out all the rabbits from his magical hat …the annual 10th, 12th toppers prize giving event is making his cadres scramble like headless chickens. Of course, this year’s event is extra special, just like the Booth Committee organization event for which he has zeroed in on Cuddalore as the location as his followers have impressed on him that he has much popularity in North Tamil Nadu to show muscle. The choice of city for his mega public meet is next on his anvil. This time Vijay has set his sights on a 1000-acre site and his team is super busy scoping out sites that meet police, public and security regulations. Siruganoor is a popular choice. But overriding all these issues his immediate concerns is choosing an alliance partner. Some psephologists have predicted a TVK win and formation of government. Prashant Kishor has already told him to fight the 2026 poll alone. Now, his right hand and general secretary Bussy N Anand is of the view that no alliance is needed; he could opt for a rotating CMship with the partner. Aadav Arjun mildly says go for AIADMK but bargain for more seats. John Arogyasamy, yet another influencer says no need for alliance. But through all this back and forth, Vijay is hesitant about BJP leading an alliance. But inwardly Vijay is sceptical though happy and has bumped up the survey results to both DMK and AIADMK. Whistling in the dark?
She is one unique actress who was called as woman of change but these days we have been seeing her making reels on Instagram and not really doing the kind of work we would want to see from Vidya Balan. Not that she is not doing a good job in the reels in fact she is putting in as much effort as one would working in a commercial film. But those in the trade feel that Vidya Balan is one actress who does not believe in racing for the top actress spot but is focusing on what she likes doing. Vidya was last seen in Jalsa with Shefali Shah and her performance was appreciated. Currently, she has two films in the pipeline. The 43-year old actress who made her mark in a popular TV serial Hum Paanch entered Bollywood in 2005 with Parineeta. It was a hit. Since then she has worked in films that are female-led or has done path breaking roles in movies like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, The Dirty Picture No One Killed Jessica, Shakuntala Devi and Kahaani. Vidya who always got bad Press for her dressing sense did try to do a glamorous role in Kismat Konnection but that was not well received. Those in the trade feel that OTT is an ideal platform for her. Is that the reason why she is focusing on social media?
Richa Chadha who has been tom-tomming about her marriage to Ali Fazal for years has finally tied the knot. Now, the next marriage on the horizon seems to be that of the 37-year old actor Arjun Kapoor with 49-year old actress-TV personality Malaika Arora. Will he or won’t he marry her seems to be the question that’s doing the rounds as they have been dating for a long while now. It did take Arjun quite a few years to openly walk hand-in-hand with his girlfriend Malaika and it is learnt there is little bit of reluctance on his part to take her to his family dos. Malaika being a former Khan Bahu could be the reason the two are taking time to formalise the relationship. It is definitely not their 12-year age gap. Malaika who married Arbaaz Khan in 1998 and now legally separated has a college going son Arhaan who now seems comfortable with Arjun. It has definitely not been easy for Arjun but slowly everybody is accepting the two. His father Boney Kapoor, an accomplished film producer, is part of the fraternity and very close friend of Salman Khan and all these may be part of the concern. But, one thing is loud and clear: Arjun takes a lot of pride in Malaika being his girlfriend. That’s encouraging, so will the wedding bells ring soon?
Her father’s towering presence in Bollywood and politics perhaps made it possible for Sonakshi Sinha to have a dream launch as a heroine opposite Salman Khan in Dabangg in 2010. The role not only won her Filmfare award but her dialogue “Thappad Se Darr Nahi Lagta Sahab made her even more famous. This 35-year old touch-me-not actress, daughter of Shatrughan Sinha, has done over 50 films. Insiders say her traditional look was in a way disadvantageous. But, to her credit Sonakshi managed her career quite well by choosing the right role. Sonakshi who has had no releases in the last two years is now working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the web series Heera Mandi. Here, she surprised everybody by choosing Bhansali over Sooraj Barjatya and Amitabh Bachchan for Unncha. More. She is now confronting issues like body shaming in Double XXL. Like all stars, she too has had her share of link-ups with co-stars. A video of her and Salman Khan went viral that led to speculation of her tying knots with the actor. Currently she is dating Zaheer Iqbal, a protege of Salman Khan who has fallen out with him after he walked out of Bhaijaan. Recently, while shooting a teaser for Case Toh Banta Hai Sonakshi slapped comedian Paritosh Tripathi after challenging him to say her dialogue “Thappad se….” Once he said it, Sonakshi gave him a tight slap, and asked “Nahi lagta?”
Once upon a time in Bollywood it was typical of a heroine to ask the producer who the hero of the film was before signing on the dotted line. Well-known heroines would never agree to act opposite a hero who was a newcomer. Since the glamour quotient of the heroines were high the producers were eager to oblige them. The entry of OTT has reset the entertainment industry. It has changed the mindset and approach; heroines are looking for a good script with a strong character and the conventional running around the trees and getting wet in the rain. Parineeti Chopra is doing a film with Hardy Sandhu. Earlier we saw Alia Bhatt cast opposite Vijay Varma in Darlings and in Gangubai Kathiawadi her hero was Shantanu Maheshwari. But the biggest shocker was Katrina Kaif agreeing to do a film with South star Vijay. Today’s actresses are looking at content and do not want to do dolled-up roles opposite a big star. In soon to be released Vikram Vedha the female lead is Radhika Apte and not any glamour girl opposite Saif Ali Khan. Analysts say that both actors and actresses are not keen to be heroes and heroines but characters in a film that wins them audience appreciation vis a vis keep the cash register ringing. Clearly, this trend has begun all thanks to the OTT boom.
Malayalam star Dulquer Salmaan seems to have made quite an impression in the latest Telugu movie Sita Ramam, also dubbed in Hindi. Son of Malayalam super star Mammootty, this 36-year old actor who predominantly works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies is another star from the south who is expected to storm Bollywood with his next film Chup. The movie, an ode to Guru Dutt in which Dulquer plays the lead, is directed by R Balki. Dulquer is not a larger than life hero like Allu Arjun and Ram Charan but more of a romantic hero often seen in solo hero films which has won him appreciation. Dulquer is also like Prithviraj Sukumaran who is making sure that Malayalam film industry continues to make good cinema. Dulquer definitely has the potential to make a place for himself in Bollywood as his Hindi accent is much better than the big heroes of Telugu and Tamil film industry. His debut film in Hindi was Karwaan, a small budget film directed by Akarsh Khurana. Sita Ramam is definitely setting a trend of sleeper hit films. In the entertainment industry, sleeper hits are films or series that were not expected to do very well because of low budget, lack of promotion. But gradually the movie becomes a talking point, garners media attention which in turn increases its box office collections.
Finally, Salman Khan agrees to host the reality show Bigg Boss for the 12th time. The actor, it is learnt, was not too keen to host it because of his film commitments and of course fee has always been a bone of contention. In the end the producer, actor seemed to have found the middle ground. The actor quietly shot the promo of the show in between the shoot of his home production Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan at the Mumbai’s Film City studio. The actor who keeps threatening to leave the show manages to get a fee hike in each season. Last year, it is rumoured he was paid a hefty Rs 350 crore and this year — Bigg Boss Season 16 – the fee is bound to be more, say people in the know. The actor who shot the promo of the show said there will be no rules this season and that gave rise to speculations of people who could be selected. Thus, names of controversial stand up Munnawar Farooqui, model-actress Poonam Pandey, TV serial actor Paras of Anupama fame were doing the rounds. The reason audiences love Salman as a host of Bigg Boss is because he does not follow the script and often ends up making controversial remarks on the show. And his fans adore him for that.
Does the Indian audience have reservations when real life couples are paired on screen? Take for example Brahmastra which got a big opening but on the screen chemistry between Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt does not seem to work. Their romance seems forced as the general feeling among the audience. Interestingly, married couples have not clicked on the silver screen. It happened with Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu. After their marriage they worked together in Gopi. This movie did well, maybe it was an initial curiosity. But, it was followed by spate of flops like Bairaag Sagina, Duniya. Post that producers did not take the chance of pairing them together. Dharmendra-Hema Malini were a hit pair before the marriage but after marriage they stopped working together. In the case of Big B and Jaya it seems slightly different. Before marriage both worked together in Zanjeer, Abhimaan, Ek Nazar, Bansi Birju. After marriage it was in Silsila, Chupke Chupke, Milli, Sholay but not as the main cast. Then they stopped working together. Rishi Kapoor-Neetu Singh were a hit pair but after marrying Rishi she stopped working. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor worked in Tashan where the romance began. After marriage they came together for Agent Vinod and Kurbaan, both bombed, post that they have decided not to work together.
Cuttputtli’s release on OTT was actually a face saving for Akshay Kumar who has had series of flops like Laxxmi, Bell Bottom, Bachchan Pandey, Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan and Raksha Bandhan. Each of those films that bombed had a budget of around Rs 100 crore. Personally, it was no loss for Akshay as he charges fees and not percentage of profits as is the practice with some big stars. Trade experts feel that seasoned producer Vashu Bhagnani’s decision to release Cuttputtli on OTT was indeed a smart move. So is OTT a safe platform? Not really. Even Akshay, at the announcement of Cuttputtli‘s OTT streaming, said that this platform too needs audience approval. And he was bang on. There is a mixed reaction to the film on the OTT platform although the decision to go straight to OTT is economically safe for the makers. According to trade circles, the loser in this streaming deal of Akshay film is the OTT because a sub-standard film has been sold to them with makers and actors insulating themselves. Akshay Kumar has six to seven films in the pipeline and hopes he has realized that Ab thukpatti ka kaam nahi chalega. Trade experts have been saying that the 55-year old actor needs to carefully choose his subject and get into the skin of his character.
Contrary to media reports about Amitabh Bachchan predicting that Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra would bomb at the box office those close to the project have maintained it is otherwise. It is learnt that the senior actor gave his suggestions and director Ayan Mukerji took Big B’s feedback seriously and reshot a few scenes. Reportedly, advance collections in Jaipur, Indore, and Patna circuits have been good. According to insiders, Bachchan is one of those actors who prefers to be on the set even if his shot is not happening at that particular time. In the case of younger lots they are ensconced in their vanity van and enter the set only when “their shot is ready”. Big B, while waiting on the set, is known to give constructive suggestions and at times even gives cues to his co-stars if he is not in the frame. Aryan cleared the air while on an informal chat with the media that Amitji would be the first person to take his position during the shot and hang around the camera giving cues. It may be recalled that Amitabh had differences with Farhan Akhtar and Tinnu Anand while working for their films which was eventually sorted out. One of the reasons for stories doing rounds about the failure of Brahmastra could be Amitabh’s absence from its promotion.
She has the potential of becoming the next Tabu of Bollywood. Thirty-six year old Huma Qureshi who has been winning hearts for her performance in Maharani 2 has been choosy about her roles ever since she entered Bollywood in 2012. Reportedly, during the shoot for a Samsung mobile commercial, producer-director Anurag Kashyap noticed her acting ability and signed her for Gangs of Wasseypur. Her performance got noticed, earning her several nominations and films. She is not the conventional kind of actress who tried to sing and dance but chose cinema that suited her career. Her boldness to do things that is required for the role made her Huma Qureshi. She got appreciated in the role in Badlapur opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Maharani in a way has become a game changer for this Delhi born and educated actress. She recently told India Today that “Maharani has unlocked a part of me that is unafraid and I want to explore more “. Of course like all Bollywood stars she too has had her share of controversy when her name was linked with Salman Khan’s youngest brother Sohail. Currently, Huma Qureshi has two projects Double XXL directed by her friend Mudassar Aziz which deals with body shaming. She plays a girl from Meerut. She will be also seen playing the role of Tarla Dalal, well known food writer, in a web series.
The general thinking was that Vijay Deverakonda starrer Ligor like all south movies KGF 2, RRR, and Pushpa released pan India over the last one year would be a big hit. Far from it. The latest news is that Liger has been mauled at the box office and hopes that the popular Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda would hold sway over Bollywood has been belied. Manoj Desai, owner of Gaiety-Galaxy, Maratha Mandir theatres in a social media message asked an arrogant Vijay to wake up and smell the coffee. Now, all eyes are riveted on Ranbir Kapoor’s starrer Brahmastra which has the backing of SS Rajamouli of Bahubali fame as a presenter down South. The marketing and promotions of the film seem to have impressed the fans of both Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt who will be seen for the first time on screen with her husband, Ranbir. The music of the film seems to have resonated well with the audience. Some trade sources say that Ranbir Kapoor has a good hold in Hindi and it is clear from the day one opening of Shamshera which opened with Rs 10 crore collections. It is the content that failed his box office success but this time tie-up with south’s bigwig will help the film. So the question everybody wants an answer is: will Brahmastra break the jinx for Bollywood? Wait for a few days.
Trade buzz is that Vijay Deverakonda’s Liger has a better chance at the box office as it features a south star. Is the audience today more receptive to South films? Not really. Not all south films dubbed in Hindi or their remakes have been a success. But, generally speaking movies starring Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Mohanlal have done well. In the last one year films like KGF 2, RRR, and Pushpa recorded big draws in the Hindi belt. A trade source said, “It’s not that all the movies are accepted. If the audience accepted three movies then they have also rejected 10 movies from the south. The general perception is that south films are better in narrative and presentation while Bollywood is failing to deliver on the content front.” Liger has been shot both in Hindi and Telugu languages and it marks the debut of Vijay Deverakonda, a huge star in Telugu film industry. His Telugu film Arjun Reddy remake Kabir Singh has been a huge hit in Hindi. To project himself as a pan India star Vijay is going all out to promote Liger by chatting with social media influencers to visiting malls and eateries so as to make his face familiar to the north audience. Interestingly, Vijay, who has a big fan base, is an outsider who made it big in the Telugu film industry by his sheer performance.
With several of his films bombing at the box office in quick succession the producers of Akshay Kumar’s next film Cuttputli are thinking of streaming it on the OTT platform. Akshay who has over Rs 1000 crore riding on him has had maximum releases and flops in the last two years. Even his latest release Raksha Bandhan was a super flop. Earlier, it was Samrat Prithviraj and Bachchhan Paandey. Atrangi Re was streamed on OTT platform but that too met with similar fate as it was also panned by the critics and all. While his producers are still in shock and trying to recover their investments, the actor has moved on signing up for more films. He is not affected as charges acting fees not percentage of profits. Today, Akshay has around seven films on hand. He is shooting for Selfie with Emran Hashmi and Ram Setu. He has to start shooting for Capsule Gill, Start Up, OMG 2, Khel Khel Mein, and Sajid Nadiadwala’s movie. In a politically sensitive environment where social media has become a powerful tool, jittery producers, seeing the fate of Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chadda, are wondering how to fight this boycott battle and recoup their investments. Looks like the producers will have to rethink content and choose stars who are politically neutral.
It really seems that people are refusing to forgive Aamir Khan for his utterances on the insecurity of living in India he made a few years back. And that is reflected in the box office collection of his latest movie Laal Singh Chaddha. The day one advance is around Rs 14 crore which is really sad and is equivalent to that of a newcomer Kartik Aaryan film. Even trade pundits are shocked at the day one advance booking and feel Aamir’s Bharat darshan is also not helping. The actor did react to the boycott #LaalSinghChaddha campaign and told the media, “…I feel sad that some of the people who are saying this, in their heart, they believe that I am someone who doesn’t like India. In their hearts they believe, but it is untrue. It is rather unfortunate that some people feel that way. That’s not the case. Please don’t boycott my film. Please watch my film.” The first trailer of the film was panned by the critics and people, and since then the movie has only received negative publicity. The actor’s interviews, integration with south and word-of-mouth publicity by Bollywood watchers of the film hasn’t really been able to boost collections. Clearly, social media has become a strong tool and it can make or break a film. But, Bollywood watchers are hopeful that like all his films which catch up later so too will Laal Singh Chaddha and the movie-goers will not be disappointed.
Rashmika Mandana who has acted in Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films is already a popular household name in North India thanks to all-time hit Pushpa. Known as Srivalli in the movie, Rashmika seems to be a favourite of the paparazzi because unlike some young Bollywood actresses she never disappoints them; ever ready to pose for them. This 26-year old star who entered Bollywood in 2022 with Goodbye has signed several interesting Hindi movies. She will be closely working with Amitabh Bachchan in a movie directed by Vikas Bahl. Besides, she has already been signed for Pushpa 2 with Allu Arjun and has been cast opposite Siddharth Malhotra in Mission Majnu. According to a trade pundit, Rashmika is one of the most sought after actresses in Bollywood and has a huge draw even before her first Hindi film hit the big screen. There is a dearth of talent in Bollywood and a south addition was much needed. Down south Rashmika is a big star and her romance with another heart-throb Vijay Deverakonda only added to her popularity. Rashmika is the same actress who was trolled for doing Macho innerwear ad film that featured Vicky Kaushal. Looks like trolling has turned to her advantage as she appears in one too many ad films. The other southern sirens who are on Bollywood producer’s hot lists are: Samantha and Nayanthara.
Kangana Ranaut never misses an opportunity to take pot shots at some of the Bollywood bigwigs. The fearless actor is known for her bold tweets and political leanings. This time she has attacked Aamir Khan who has been facing the brunt of social media calling for a boycott of his latest movie Laal Singh Chhada. But, Kangana feels otherwise; she thinks it is the actor’s marketing ploy. On the Instagram, she wrote, “I think all the negativity around the upcoming release Laal Singh Chaddha is skilfully curated by mastermind Aamir Khan himself, this year no Hindi films have worked barring one exception of a comedy sequel….a Hollywood remake would not have worked anyway.” But, it was equally surprising to see that Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan that will be released on the same day as Laal Singh Chadda was also trending on social media and the Bollywood buzz is that like Aamir it is Akshay Kumar who is behind the trolling of the film. The reason for Akshay being trolled is that the actor posted the tricolor on his social media DP that enraged the trolls and they called for a boycott of Raksha Bandhan. And Kangana’s overdrive on social media is being attributed to her way of getting attention for her next movie Emergency where she plays the role of Indira Gandhi.
She is Aditya Chopra’s discovery yet in spite of signing a three-film deal with his company Yash Raj Films (YRF) Vaani Kapoor has not been able to make a big mark in Bollywood. The 33-year old Delhi girl entered Bollywood in 2013 with YRF’s Shudh Desi Romance and won Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her character Tara. But, nine years later she has not exactly become the heartthrob of the cinema lovers. Some are questioning her capabilities as an actress, more so after her role as Sona in Shamshera opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Not only has the film flopped but even her role has come in for harsh criticism. Incidentally, Vaani, considered Aditya Chopra’s pet, has not found many takers outside YRF camp. In all she has acted in 7 films of which three has been produced by YRF. She did gain praise for a playing transgender woman in the romantic comedy Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. And she did dabble in Tamil cinema but post her role in Aaha Kalyanam there were no takers in south. Come to think of it, Vaani is one the few lucky stars to have a mentor like Aditya Chopra and work against big stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar but big hits are eluding her. Maybe she needs to take tips from Deepika and Katrina.
Disha Patani recently said she doesn’t like seeing herself on screen and closes her eyes but that isn’t the case with the audience who are still. Bearing with her despite her being the queen of all flops. Disha’s movie Ek Villain Returns will hit the screen shortly but there isn’t much buzz about the film at the box office in spite of a lot of publicity. The 29-year old, who made debut in 2015 in a Telugu film was noticed for her role in biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. Ek Villain Returns will be her 16th release in her seven-year Bollywood career. But barring biopic MS Dhoni and Baaghi 2 which had her boyfriend Tiger Shroff as the hero she only has flops to her credit. People within the industry say her claim to fame is being Tiger’s girlfriend and a favourite of Salman Khan with whom she has acted in two Bharat and Radhe and both bombed. So how do actresses like her get work? The simple answer is: there is a dearth of heroines in Bollywood; you can count the heroines on your fingertips. There are Sara Ali Khan, Tara Sutaria, Shraddha Kapoor, Kiara Advani, and Kriti Sanon. Besides what works in Disha’s favour is her looks and huge social media following. On Twitter alone she has 7.4 mn followers.
Eyebrows were raised when Sanjay Leela Bhansali signed on yesteryear’s popular heroine Mumtaz for his web series Heera Mandi. It was her second comeback attempt. Close on the heels followed news that Sharmila Tagore will be seen in a OTT film Gulmohar. So too yesteryear’s cabaret sensation Helen in a web series produced by Abhinay Deo. And what a comeback it has been for Neetu Kapoor in Jug Jugg Jeeyo. There is one advantage of being in showbiz, you don’t retire at 60. You can go on and on like Dadamuni; even if you get a lifetime achievement award. Sadhana preferred playing cards at Otters Club, Bandra every day and kept out of arc light because her looks had changed. Asha Parekh by choice gave up acting. But not others. Many aging stars like Waheeda Rehman, Zeenat Aman have kept themselves in limelight by doing stray films or making guest appearances on reality shows. Among male stars Dharmendra will be seen in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani and Apne 2. Jeetendra makes occasional appearances on reality shows but has kept away from the big screen. Raj Babbar and Shatrughan Sinha are part time actors and full time politicians. Mithun Chakraborty continues to work in films and judge reality shows. And one cannot forget Dev Anand who is a classic example of a star dying with his shoes on.
Taapsee Pannu is 52 films old in Bollywood but this 35-year old actress hasn’t really got a role in mainstream film. In a recent media interaction, she even confessed when asked why doesn’t have films with big heroes — she did two with Big B — to which Taapsee said that she does not get those kinds of films but carefully added that she now has one with Shah Rukh Khan. Taapsee is considered to be one of the actresses who can headline a film and do a decent job. She started with an out-and-out comedy Chashme Baddoor with David Dhawan and then with Judwaa 2 where she looked out of place. When offers from Bollywood dried up she acted in quite a few south films and made a mark. Impressed by her performance, filmmakers in the south started to write roles for her. Ditto: filmmakers in Mumbai. Anubhav Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Neeraj Pandey gave her characters that made her stand out. Baby, Naam Shabana, Thappad, and Haseen Dilruba were shouldered by her. In Shaabash Mithu, a biopic she plays the Indian captain Mithali Raaj. A strong headed girl she got into trouble for her social media posts on some prickly social political issues. Looks like this model from Delhi has certainly created a space and identity in Bollywood and nobody can wish her away.
One of the longest running talk shows Koffee With Karan hosted by filmmaker and TV personality Karan Johar is back but with a difference. Season 7 is streaming on an OTT platform and not on Star World TV. From the kind of publicity Karan has been getting it seems the focus is on him not on the celebrities featuring on the show. Critics feel there is no novelty left in the show, only the platform has changed and the budget has gone up. They point out that the show is an exhibition of Karan’s circle of friends. And from the list of guests going around, it seems like the show is more about plugging his films Liger and Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, his cronies (plus those who show up at his birthday parties) and his south favorites Ram Charan and Prabhas. The previous seasons had actors like Kangana Ranaut who ribbed him and made headlines. Of course, his chat with cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul became controversial. The duo were suspended by BCCI for their misogynistic comments. Save for that most people interviewed by him are celebrities with whom he has great chemistry. Whatever his critics may say there is no gainsaying the fact that people do watch it and that explains why Koffee With Karan is into Season 7.
In a way he is like a cat with nine lives. Sanjay Dutt, 63, is one actor who has had four comebacks in his career spanning over four decades. Dutt who has acted in over 187 films, just gave a super hit KGF 2 in which he plays an antagonist. Now everybody awaits the release of Shamshera where he is pitted against Ranbir Kapoor. Right from the word go it has been a roller-coaster ride for Baba, son of Sunil and Nargis Dutt. Launched in 1981 by his father in Rocky, Dutt made his mark as an actor in Mahesh Bhatt’s Naam. At a very early stage of his career he turned a drug addict and had to be rushed to the U.S. for treatment. When he came back, producers eagerly signed him — a rare thing in Bollywood. A broken marriage followed by his arrest for involvement in Mumbai’s serial bomb blast case did him in. Each time when it looked like his career was over he got a film like Khalnayak, Vaastav, Munnabhai MBBS that resurrected him. He came out of jail in 2016 after that most of his films flopped. While shooting for KGF 2 he was diagnosed with cancer but he did not give up. No wonder a biopic was made on him essaying ‘to hell and back’ story.
Alia Bhatt’s pregnancy has raised a number of questions. What happens to her projects? Will she come back like Kareena Kapoor or follow the footsteps of her mother-in-law Neetu Singh Kapoor? Currently, around Rs 300 crore is riding on her – both movies and ads put together. A trade pundit said not much will get affected as far as brands are concerned only alternative brands may replace the youth brands. The actress, who was shooting in Portugal for a Hollywood film, has only one film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani which has been completed. Her film with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra has been put on the back burner because of date issues of all the three actresses. Alia has been short-listed to play the lead in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Baiju Bawra so will Bhansali wait for her to come back or sign another star? Meanwhile Darlings will be streamed on the OTT platform and Brahmastra is slated for release in September. Kareena has set a precedent for actresses. While shooting for Laal Singh Chaddha she got pregnant. Post that, her shooting dates were shuffled but she did not take a maternity break in the strictest sense. Incidentally, Kareena replaced Aishwarya Rai in Heroine when the latter was in the family way. Will Alia who plans to take a break face a similar predicament?
Boom to gloom sums up the life of 30-year old Rhea Chakraborty who made headlines when her beau Sushant Singh Rajput died of an unnatural death. Since then her life has been topsy-turvy. On September 8, 2020, she along with her brother Showik was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for supplying marijuana to Sushant. After cooling heels for 43 days Rhea managed to get bail and made efforts to get back into circulation. A number of producers were keen but none signed for fear the drug case relating to Sushant was not closed. And their fears were not unfounded. On June 22, 2022, NCB filed draft charges against Rhea and Showik before a special court in connection with a drugs case linked to Sushant’s death. It may be recalled that the late actor’s family had accused the actress of abetment to suicide and siphoning off the actor’s money. In fact, Sushant’s sister Priyanka reacted to NCB’s chargesheet; so it is definitely not going to be easy for the Chehre girl. While her talent management company continues to work for her, a matured Rhea is taking everything in her stride; making public appearances, going to gym in the hope she will be back on the big screen or OTT platform. As for the money part, Rhea who has nearly 2.3 lakh followers on Twitter gets paid for her social media posts.
Actor-dancer-reality show judge Shilpa Shetty has always been in the limelight. Yet, she yearned to return to the big screen. Towards this the 47-year fitness freak signed two films Nikamma and Hungama 2. Unfortunately, both films flopped thereby crashing her comeback dream after 14 years. It is learnt that Rohit Shetty has signed her to play as a cop for an OTT series. This role could be a game changer for her. Shilpa who made her debut in 1993 with Baazigar was an average actor but a great dancer. Her move to reality TV shows as a judge worked in her favour. She has been part of that ecosystem since 2006. The star, known for her videos on yoga, shot to fame after participating in the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother. She received international media coverage for the racism she faced by her fellow contestants and for eventually winning the show. Like Shilpa, there are many actors scripting their comeback. Neetu Kapoor who returned to films after a long gap has won accolades for her role in Jug Jugg Jeeyo. She has already signed a web series and is judging a reality show. Bhagyashree who returned with a cameo in Thalaivi will now be judging a reality show. And finally An Evening In Paris gal, Sharmila Tagore too makes a comeback.
Baba Nirala of Aashram has given Bobby Deol a new lease of life. Now, everybody takes the 53-year old actor seriously. It has been a chequered career for Bobby Deol ever since he made his debut with Barsaat in 1995. Post that it was almost like one film a year for a few years and then with most of his movies bombing no producers were willing to sign him on. No work saw him hitting the bottle. Once while meeting Salman Khan over a drink, Bobby said “Let me climb on your back…give me opportunity”. Big hearted Sallu bhai strongly recommended him for Race 3. That was in 2018. Though the movie did not do well Bobby’s role as Yash Singh was well appreciated to land him two movies – Housefull 4 and Class Of ’83 – in quick succession. For this Dharmendra’s second son, family meant everything; he did everything whatever his father or brother would say. In a way he was cocooned and that perhaps cost him dearly in terms of choosing the script. Even though Bobby has worked in nearly 50 movies yet cinema-goers can’t recall any of the characters or dialogues from any of his movies. But, people do remember his elder brother Sunny Deol’s movies, characters and Dhai Kilo Ka Haath dialogue. Aashram which is now into Season 3 has given him that recognition.
Lady Luck seems to have stopped smiling on actor-producer Akshay Kumar. The 55-year-old Bollywood money making machine, with over 100 films, faced a series of flops in recent times. But, he is unfazed as he personally suffered no monetary losses. The moment a film bombs he completely cuts himself off from the project and moves on to the next one. These days Kumar takes pride in the fact that he created a record of sorts, producing and acting in the maximum number of films during the Lockdown. However, not all the films were successful. Laxxmi was OTT streamed, Bell Bottom got panned by critics and Sooryavanshi was an average hit only thanks to Rohit Shetty. Bachchan Pandey also bombed at the box office. It was the third flop in a row for Sajid Nadiadwala but, didn’t really impact Akshay Kumar. As is his wont, he went on to promote Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan and dropped out of the promotions when it too flopped. Well-known trade analyst Komal Nahta aptly summed up Akshay’s problems. He says Akshay needs to carefully choose his subject and get into the skin of the character. For instance, in Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan he looked like Akshay, not the character he was playing. Perhaps his political alignment has not gone down well with his fans.
Fifty-seven and yet, Bollywood’s eligible bachelor Salman Khan’s run in news columns continues for the right or wrong reasons. This time the reel life hero was targeted by a real-life villain Lawrence Bishnoi, the gangster who bumped off singer Sidhu Moose Wala over an old killing of his own aide by Moose Wala’s personal aide. After an anonymous letter threatened Salman and his father Salim Khan, the actor told police he was clueless, nor did he suspect anyone. Khan flew to Hyderabad to shoot the Bhaijaan movie thereafter. His stand-up macho act to criminal intimidation won him admiration among fans. The commercially successful star was linked up to with one too many affairs naming Sangeeta Bijalani, Somy Ali to Aishwaraya Rai and Katrina Kaif but, mostly ended up with bad press for alleged physical intimidation bordering on domestic abuse blamed on him by his girl-friends. The Bhai remained unfazed and bounced back professionally. He was acquitted in the Bandra hit-and-run case, but the Black Buck shooting case continues to still haunt him. The Bishnoi gang’s linkages to the community that had Salman arrested for killing of black buck deer is the latest buzz. Khan‘s 44 million followers on Twitter are hard at work.
Since releasing on May 20, Kangana Ranaut starrer Dhaakad earned a measly Rs 3 crore indicating its box-office status. Kangana can now boast of four consecutive flops including Thalavi, Panga, and Judgemental Hai Kya; although Manikarnika did reasonably well. The fiercely independent, strong minded-star had proved she can carry a movie single-handedly without needing the crutches of the Khans, Kapoors or, even the Kumars. Lately, however, she is going through a bad patch as far as her movies are concerned. Every star has experienced cyclical ups and downs, be it Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan or, Rekha. Does the string of flops make Kangana any less a bankable star today? A senior trade analyst says, “It will be difficult for her to get the same kind of investment that she got in the past. Films already on the floor will continue but a correction is bound to happen in the way her (future) films are made.” Currently, she has two films in the pipeline – Sita and Tejas. The latter is produced by Ronnie Srewvala. Perhaps, the fiery star with strong political leanings is making up with people on the Bollywood front. She was recently spotted at Salman Khan’s event. Bollywood watchers say her best hope could be Tanu Weds Manu 3 which Anand L Rai is planning. She could bounce back again.
While at The Kapil Sharma Show to promote Heropanti2, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was asked to define art cinema, “Art cinema means …when 8 people watch it.” The cynical comment from some who studied at the National School of Drama, New Delhi and made a name in art cinema was disliked by patrons in the art cinema world. But, that is what success does to people. Siddiqui, who was at the Cannes Film Festival, is a rank outsider who made it big in Bollywood in spite of his ordinary looks. The 48-year-old actor made his debut with a small role in Aamir Khan’s movie Sarfarosh. He struggled for a decade before making it big and movies like The Lunchbox, Manto, Raman Raghav to name just a few. Reportedly, he is the sole actor in the world with 8 films selected and screened at Cannes. Salman Khan took a shine to him, and cast Nawaz in two films. The first actor to make his mark in the OTT world with Sacred Games finds there are no takers for his films. While at Cannes he told Union minister Anurag Thakur that films that get appreciation at festivals find no place for a theatrical release. He continues to make news be it for his messy marriage or building an all-white bungalow in Mumbai’s western suburb.
When Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan dropped Kartik Aaryan from their respective projects over “creative differences” the industry felt it was the end of the road for this Gwalior boy. However, the big daddies of Bollywood were proved wrong, thanks to the late Sushant Singh Rajput, industry support followed Kartik Aaryan. Three producers signed him on right away including Anees Bazmee for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The movie is a hit and raked in more than Rs 55 crore at the national box office. Kartik has broken the Bollywood jinx of the box office and his performance silenced those who wrote him off. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is like the oasis in the desert for Bollywood that witnessed five big releases bombing consecutively involving top actors Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn also failed miserably with Runway 34 as did Rajkummar Rao’s Badhai Do. Ranveer Singh’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar had also flopped. A worried Karan Johar, set to release Jug Jug Jeeyo conceded Aryan’s success without naming him. Johar exuded happiness on the Friday Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 release while hoping the streak continued. Kartik has three films in the pipeline with many producers waiting to sign him on.
Is Salman Khan playing Bollywood Sugar-Daddy? So, it seems and, has been for some time now. Few are vocal or, even make it an issue preferring to instead, quietly drop out of projects. His growing interference came to fore once again when his favourite Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill was signed up for Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. Sources say Salman took issue with producer Sajid Nadiadwala, his best friend, over the star cast including co-stars Arshad Warsi and Shreyas Talpade. Salman apparently pitched Zaheer Iqbal and Aayush SHarma for the respective roles instead. Probably, one of the reasons Sajid walked out of the Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali project. It appears that economic viability does not bother Salman. Those who have known him closely say he always got involved with star casting and pushed his personal preferences for films he signed up for. Even in the past, he did the same to co-star with Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor. In recent times Daisy Shah and Jacqueline Fernandez were his choice of co-stars. He was also the one who pushed Katrina Kaif for Bharat after Priyanka Chopra opted out. Sometime back a well-known and favourite director of the actor preferred to shelve his film rather than giving into the actor’s whims and fancy over who he should sign up or not.
The untimely death of Sushant Singh Rajput kicked up national outrage over nepotism and debate on the outsider vs insider discrimination in Bollywood. Zoya Akhtar’s latest project The Archies adds more grist to the mill. This film, directed by an established insider Zoya, will launch Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan, Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agatsya Nanda. Interestingly, the parents of all these star kids have respective home productions but, are being launched by Zoya Akhtar, the unconventional producer known for his content driven cinema. It is an unconventional launch for the youngsters. While Zoya cannot escape nepotism allegations as she chose the Bollywood insiders to star in the film. One would have thought SRK and Big B would avoid playing it up on social media out of fear of being trolled but, both just went ahead and tweeted emotional posts. Guari Khan wrote: `Suhana you did it’ and Amitabh Bachchan said, “Rise of the Son’’. The nepotism debate was immediately sparked off online as netizens passed judgement on the actors as white kids minus a Suhana Khan. Whether it was talent or nepotism that launched these star kids will be settled soon enough. Yes, these star kids will have to prove to the world that they carry the genes of their superstar parents.
One more movie has bombed at the box office. Ranveer Singh starrer Jayeshbhai Jordaar. It is the fourth actor driven film that has evoked poor audience response. Earlier, it was Bachchhan Pandey, Jersey, and Heropanti2. Only exception in recent times was Gangubai Kathiawadi; it had versatile actress Alia Bhatt and star director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Bollywood stars and directors need to understand that a new class of audience is emerging post-Covid pandemic. These people not only seem to smell the film in advance but have also developed a palate for OTT content and South Cinemas. Akshay Kumar must have had maximum releases in the last two years but has a poor success rate. Salman Khan’s attempt to save Antim by visiting theatres did not save the film and even Tiger Shroff who has strong youth connect had the first flop (Heropanti2) to his credit. The South Indian cinemas are thriving on star power supported by a very strong content. But in Bollywood content seems to be given short shrift. The message that is coming out loud and clear is signing up top class stars is no insurance any more. The days of star power are over. Time Bollywood wakes up and smells the coffee lest the south based stars dubbing in Hindi will emerge as the real alternative.
After Akshay Kumar (Bachchan Pandey), Bollywood star Shahid Kapur (Jersey) too disappointed fans. Then Tiger Shroff’s latest movie Heropanti2 bombed at the box office. Surprisingly, audiences preferred to go to theatres to watch the dubbed version of Kannada movie KGF 2 and not Heropanti2. This was strange! Has something gone wrong for Bollywood that audiences refuse to even enter cinema halls? Marathi films like Sher Shivraj and Chandramukhi drew better crowds than Tiger’s movie. Trade pundits are at pains explaining that the true villain is poor content. Be that as it may, Tiger Shroff needs to reinvent himself. Sculpted body, martial fights and dance cannot propel his career much further. The 32-year-old action hero — son of Jackie and Ayesha Shroff — impressed everybody in his first movie Heropanti in 2014. This was followed by hits like Baaghi and War. In War his talent came to the fore against Hrithik Roshan. Well-wishers feel Tiger, with a huge fan following, should pick and choose his scripts and directors; stop working with directors who aren’t really film makers. He has a couple of interesting projects in the pipeline like Ganapath, an action film directed by Vikas Bahl and the remake of Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan with Akshay Kumar. Both movies will decide Tiger’s future. Will the Tiger roar or whimper? Only time will tell.
Two distinct trends emerged from Bollywood. It has run out of original story ideas resorting to remakes of popular south Indian movies increasingly, to maintain the Hindi film industry churn. Secondly, it is a bad copycat. Two remakes Laxmmi Bomb and Bachchan Pandey, starring Akshay Kumar failed the box office collections. Latest to join the flop list is Jersey, featuring Shahid Kapur and Mrunal Thakur. Producer-director Ram Gopal Varma tweeted: “The DISASTROUS fate of the film JERSEY in Hindi signals the DEATH of REMAKES for the simple reason it has been proved multiple times, that dubbed films like #Pushpa #RRR #KGF2 are doing far better than originals, if the content is good.” It’s very likely that no south (Indian) film with good content will sell its remake rights. Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep rubbed it in saying Bollywood was struggling, with even its dubbed versions in Tamil and Telugu failing at the box office. Southern stars have stormed the film industry and assumed Pan India (actor) identities. One of the reasons for Bollywood taking a hit on the stories front is because most good writers have shifted to OTT platforms. It’s about time the Bollywood fraternity came together and scripted a strategy to regain eroding industry hold. Will Bollywood get its next ACIONS right?
Ever since he signed his first movie Refugee in 2000, there has been no respite for 46-year-old Abhishek Bachchan. He is constantly compared with his larger-than-life father Amitabh Bachchan. Is this comparison even justified? Abhishek has acted in 73 films in his 22 years career, even made a mark in films like Sarkar, Dhoom, Yuva and Guru. He carved a space for himself, worked with big banners and famous directors, yet that big moment has eluded him – the role to catapult him into the big league. There were a lot of expectations from The Big Bull where he played scamster Harshad Mehta but, he lost out to the web series Scam 1992 played by Pratik Gandhi over timing of the release. He got praise for his role as an uneducated politician in Dasvi though it was not a box office hit. Bob Biswas also failed to propel him. So, what worked against Junior Bachchan? A respected source says “Abhishek, unlike his father, does not give a 100% for every movie. In some movies he goes the whole hog while in others it seems like he is disinterested.” If he wants to step into the Big B’s shoes he has to put 150% into all the roles he plays – big or small. Only then will his Oscar moment arrive!
Akshay Kumar was trolled for endorsing a pan masala ad Vimal Elaichi that has featured Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan earlier. The commercial promotes the elaichi brand of the product but, the company also makes gutka and the actor, known to be a fitness icon, is on record saying he would never endorse any tobacco brand and has come under fire. Although there was no response from the brand or an apology from either party, it may be recalled that Amitabh Bachchan had returned the money earned from the Kamla Pasand advertisements after being trolled by his fans. In this age of social media, trolling is part of the game with celebrities prepared to face the music though it seems like most brands don’t really bother about the trolls. Like Telgu-Kannada actress Rashmika Mandana was trolled for ogling at Vicky Kaushal’s innerwear brand Macho Sporto, Kartik Aaryan for sporting fake abs for a hair removing brand; neither stars or advertisers really bothered. Till only a few years ago, these stars would have lost their contracts, had the ads pulled off air. It happened to Aamir Khan when he used the word “intolerance” in one news interview. Recall how yesteryear super models Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre were dragged to court for posing nude for the Tuff Shoes Ad with a python wrapped around them.
It was not the big fat Punjabi wedding many had expected. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt decided on a low-key affair at their Bandra residence ‘Vastu’. Both consciously chose a simple marriage over a celebrity event, with all the associated drama and restricted it to their families and a few close friends, while keeping the paparazzi, politicians, celebrities and industrialists out of the picture. An invitee at the wedding said: “If you ask me how it was different from other celebrity weddings, the word is, simplicity.” Many who expected invitations were thoroughly disappointed and of course, best man Ayan Mukerji features in all the frames. So does Karan Johar. Alia-Ranbir were seeing each other for five years and, merely decided to give their relationship the official tag of “Just married”. On social media, Neetu Kapoor posted: “This is dedicated to Kapoor Saab (red heart emoji). Your wish has been fulfilled.” It was a family get together, with mehndi and sangeet on the same day with choreographer Rajendra Singh who arranges dances at all the Kapoor weddings. Attendees said it was full of fun and laughter as it is, in all Kapoor household weddings. There was singing and dancing that wouldn’t have been complete without Alia and Karan Johar grooving to the “Radha, Tera Jhumka song from Alia’s first movie Student Of The Year.
Thalapathy Vijay’s vast army of fans who waited with bated breath for his latest release Beast were disappointed, going by reactions of those exiting cineplexes, where frowns and let down feelings were clearly evident. After Kolamavu Kokila and an acknowledged hit in Doctor, the heady combination of director Nelson, action czar Vijay and foot tapper Anirudh was expected to set the box office on fire. While fans don’t blame their hero Vijay, who captures every frame with style and pizzaz, they are disappointed with the weak story line and at Nelson for “wasting the actor’s immense talent “. Clashes between fans of filmstars Ajit and Vijay over perceived popularity ratings and ability to deliver more hits is infamous. Currently, after Ajit’s Valimai also faltered, petering out within days of release, both are left standing on the same pedestal. Sun Pictures left no stone unturned to pull off another superhit, including pre-release publicity stunts, exclusive interviews with Vijay claiming this as his best performance in over a decade! Beast’s music by Anirudh with two chart busters in Arabic Kuthu and Jolly O Gymkhana became chart-toppers and loved by fans. Beast has followed quickly in the footsteps of the commercial failure Radhe Shyam. Fan frenzy for Thalapathy notwithstanding, the diamond did not get its perfect setting to shine.
Looks like Salman Khan and his close friend Sajid Nadiadwala have decided to part ways on the professional front as they seem to have serious differences over their new venture Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali? According to a highly placed source, differences arose over Salman Khan’s payout. For the astute film producer Nadiadwala that number was not making business sense. Instead of creating bad blood, a wiser Nadiadwala has handed over the project lock, stock and barrel to Salman and walked out. An insider is at pains to point out that their old friendship continues; it is purely a business decision. Be that as it may, Salman has seen and been in such situations several times. He walked out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Inshallah after the set was erected. Bhansali lost quite a fortune but he was smart enough to utilize the set for making Gangubai Kathiawadi. Earlier, Priyanka Chopra ditched Salman to get married, left high and dry, he quickly roped in Katrina Kaif for Bharat. Kabir Khan who got along famously with Salman is no more on his speed dial post the flop of Tubelight. Similarly, he replaced director Ali Abbas Zafar with Manish Sharma for Tiger 3 which features Katrina Kaif with whom he was once linked with. How will their chemistry be in the movie given the fact he was not invited to her wedding?
Shahid Kapoor, at a recent press conference, expressed envy towards Mrunal Thakur, one of few actresses who were busy shooting during the Covid lockdown. The Jersey heroine is again one of few TV actors who transitioned seamlessly to the big screen. Her first movie Love Sonia was an international film. The 29-year-old actress, who made her television debut in 2012, worked in eight TV serials and was called insane for quitting the highly popular Kumkum Bhagya. She has since emerged among the top leading ladies of Bollywood with films like Toofan, Super 30 and Dhamaka. Mrunal is not singularly successful though and TV stars like Sakshi Tanwar, Vidya Balan, Prachi Desai and Yami Gautam also migrated to the Big screen as did Shah Rukh Khan. So, what makes Mrunal different? Industry watchers say it was her timing of entering the film world when the industry was undergoing a churn and stories took precedence over stars. She was launched through a Marathi movie in 2014 and entered Bollywood in 2018 managing to emote and impress the audience even with her small roles. She almost made it to Bahubali and would have been part of Aamir Khan’s Dangal if her TV show had not come in the way. One thing is for sure, nothing’s gonna stop this Marathi mulgi going the dhak dhak girl way.
Alia Bhatt has clarified she is not upset with director SS Rajamouli for limiting her role in RRR. Alia should know, however, that her fans are upset over her minuscule performance in the magnum opus that registered a roaring box office success. Industry insiders explain that Rajamouli’s focus was on making a film featuring Jr NTR and Ram Charan, with a limited role for Alia but, he did also make Bahubali with two leading ladies each dominating with fabulous roles. So, was casting Alia merely a marketing tool to appeal to Hindi speaking audiences? That would explain why Ajay Devgn, also featured with a 10-minute role in RRR, stayed away from the film’s promotion. A similar experience was faced by Priyanka Chopra during her initial days in Hollywood. It was only her strong PR management team that made her the star she is today. Why then are Bollywood stars still keen to be part of south Indian projects, to feature in blink-and-miss roles? South Indian films do not need Bollywood stars to boost business. In fact, it is the other way round. Alia may do well to note that a brief post on social media may not placate her fan following although she plays the heroine of RRR and shares credit for the film raking in Rs 600 crore.
The Hindi language was a barrier for yesteryear superstars from down south like Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh and Arvind Swamy; they did not gain a foothold in Bollywood. Some lost out because of south Indian looks and returned to doing regional films after acting in a few Hindi films. But, the new crop of popular stars are defying conventional wisdom. Allu Arjun, Rock Star Yash, and Prabhas have proved that you don’t really need to move lock, stock and barrel to Mumbai to make a mark in Bollywood. The movie can be dubbed or, simultaneously shot in two languages Telugu/Tamil and Hindi and it will fly. By doing so, they have crossed over virtually through their movies and have become mainstream heroes of Bollywood. Trade pundits feel although Bahubali restarted the trend of the return of the south stars, it was Pushpa that showed that language was no barrier to woo audiences; Allu Arjun literally took over the throne of cross-over from Prabhas. Now our very own indigenous Akira Kurusawa, SS Rajamouli, with RRR has introduced two more megastars to Bollywood — Ram Charan and Jr NTR, with the inconspicuous presence of Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn. Meanwhile, in an interesting development, Kannada superstar Rockstar Yash, Malayalam superstar Prithviraj and Karan Johar are working towards the amalgamation of Kollywood, Tollywood into Bollywood – a la Hollywood style.
During the Covid lockdown Akshay Kumar ruled Bollywood with releases like Laxmii, Bell Bottom, Sooryavanshi and Atrangi Re. But, his latest movie Bachchhan Paandey reportedly made at a cost of Rs165 crore has suffered a huge setback due to The Kashmir Files made by Vivek Agnihotri at a cost of merely Rs 15 crore in comparison. With the movie achieving proportions of a people’s movement The Kashmir Files is set to cross the Rs 200 crore mark. Bachchhan Paandey’s collections were poor from day one and may not gross good returns for the producers even as Akshay Kumar is believed to have charged Rs 99 crore for the film. Despite attempts by Akshay Kumar’s fan clubs to save the film The Kashmir Files tsunami continues to storm the box office with nearly 4000 screens added after the initial 650 screens as on March 10. Producers of Bachchhan Paandey know that at this critical juncture any marketing gimmick will fall flat. For his part, Akshay Kumar did not score brownie points by announcing he would watch The Kashmir Files. Bachchhan Paandey may well be written off as a flop because of the bad timing. Nobody anticipated that The Kashmir Files would stir hornet’s nest and evoke positive response worldwide. Meanwhile Akshay Kumar has moved on to shoot for his next film Selfiee.
He is literally the tallest Khan compared to Salman and Aamir. Fifty-six-year-old SRK, who entered Bollywood in 1992, initially essaying negative roles in movies like Darr, Baazigar could convince producers that he was the next romantic hero, a space occupied by superstar Rajesh Khanna. Convinced, producers signed him on for box-office hits like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), Dil To Pagal Hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Mohabatein. DLDJ run of 1000 weeks established SRK as the king of romance, set off a female fan frenzy like Khanna did and, thronging crowds like Big B’s at his bungalow Mannat who fervently hope for a glimpse of him. Charming, witty and intelligent, SRK knows how to emote with the audience both locally and globally, on-and-off screen. “His brand loyalty remains strong despite the fact there were no SRK releases in the last two years. He connects well with people across all age groups,” says Karan Taurani of Elara Capital. One of the many reasons SRK outshines the other two Khans is that he was an outsider. Salman Khan is more a Bhai for commoners while Aamir Khan only connects with audiences during films releases but, the King of hearts connects with audiences across age groups throughout the year. He also smartly set up his own enterprise, Red Chillies Entertainment and owns a big stake in IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
Those who questioned Alia Bhatt’s calibre to play Gangubai Kathiawadi have been forced to eat their own words and, Kangana Ranaut tops the list. The actress had said she didn’t expect the movie mafia’s film to do well. While Kangana taking pot-shots against top actors, to increase her social media influencer reach is plain to see, even those within Bollywood were unsure if the woman-centric film would do well at the box office and, with Alia in the lead role. In fact, only a handful of women-centric films have managed to get good numbers at the box office. Gangubai Kathiawadi has surprised everybody. Trade experts say that film is getting a good draw and business could have been 20% more had cinemas opened to 100% capacity. While there is no comparison between Alia and Deepika Padukone has been made, although the self-proclaimed Queen of Bollywood thinks so, there is little doubt that Alia has arrived which may be giving heebie-jeebies to the established likes of Deepika. Twenty-nine-year-old Alia, who debuted as a child artiste, got her first big break in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. Avid cinema goers were impressed by her performance in Raazi, Gully Boy and, Highway just to name a few.
Award winning actor cum filmmaker but, ever controversial, Kangana Ranaut’s recent jibe at Alia Bhatt over the latter’s movie Gangubhai Kathiawadi was in bad taste say Bollywood insiders. Is the 34-year old Kangana, a known BJP sympathizer, only trying to enhance her social media presence further? Kangana has been speaking out via social media platforms on all major issues and, was instrumental in changing the narrative in the Sushant Singh Rajput case. Has she now targeted Alia over her enmity with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt? Generally, Bhatt senior would have jumped to his daughter’s defence through a tweet but, he has instead adopted a ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ strategy. Alia called Kangana’s video cute while quoting a verse from the Bhagavad Gita. It may be recalled that Mahesh Bhatt had launched Kangana in Gangster and there were videos of her praising the filmmaker but, today both stand swords drawn. A majority in the film industry avoids Kangana, some boycott her while fence sitters like Ekta Kapoor cash in on her public controversy and, has signed her up for the most fearless reality show Lock Upp. Apparently, Kangana asked Ekta to sign up her bete noire Karan Johar for the reality show. In 2020, lyricist Javed Akhtar had filed a defamation case against her.
Big budget movie 83 on Kapil Dev led India winning the 1983 World Cup cost Rs 270 crore to make but did not do well. The biopic on MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, made with a budget of Rs 106 crore, did much better. 83 did not connect with today’s audience while Dhoni did. Trade pundits say the subject of 83 was overexposed; an old chapter in the history of India’s cricket and whatever was shown in the film was available on YouTube. Dhoni’s biopic, in that sense, was an untold story so had a huge audience connect. Also what worked in the biopic’s favour is Dhoni’s huge fan following coupled with his participation in the film promotion. Dhoni’s movie had romance, portrayed the journey of a small-town boy becoming captain of the Indian cricket team. It was aspirational. 83 was only about cricket which perhaps put off today’s generation despite Ranveer Singh. People who went to see 83 were in the 40-plus bracket, who are fewer in numbers. Also, it was not a family outing as their children were not keen to see 83. It was also impacted by the Omicron wave. Clearly, Sushant Singh film had a bigger draw than a Ranveer Singh film. Incidentally, not all biopics do well. The one on Mohammad Azharuddin played by Emraan Hashmi bombed.
Thirty-five-year-old Richa Chadha’s latest web series The Great Indian Murder directed Tigmanshu Dhulia has received mixed reviews. But there is no denying that Richa has arrived in Bollywood. Hailing from an academically-oriented family, Richa entered Bollywood in 2008 with a small role in the comedy Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! In the last 13 years she acted in over 27 films and shot to fame for work in the Fukrey series, her supporting role in Gangs of Wasseypur also won her many awards. Unlike other Bollywood stars, this St Stephen College alumni is headstrong and speaks her mind on raging social issues. She is one of few actresses who protested the attack on JNU students. In the recent Karnataka hijab row Richa, who enjoys over 5 lakh followers tweeted: “Raise your sons better! A bunch of ugly, cowards attacking a lone woman in a pack and feeling proud of it? WHAT LOSERS! Shameful. They’ll be jobless, more frustrated and penniless in a few years. What poor upbringing! No sympathy, no redemption for them (sic).” Little wonder she has signed up for films with strong social issues, subjects or characters who are change agents. Recently, she and her fiancé Ali Fazal set up their own production house, Push Button Production.
Award winning and yet, controversial filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has found a new muse in Alia Bhatt, who featured in his latest film Gangubai Kathiawadi, a biographical crime film based on a chapter from Hussain Zaidi’s book Mafia Queens Of Mumbai. Bhansali, insiders say, has already decided to cast Alia in his next ambitious project Baiju Bawra, originally planned with Mastani Deepika Padukone in mind. But Bhansali’s erstwhile muse, who saw him as her mentor sought more money, which did not go down well with Bhansali. Deepika essayed key roles in two of his movies Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat but, may be out of the new big banner project even as many wonder whether the two will ever work together again? Alia is definitely a part of his next film though. Of course, Ranveer Singh who also owes it all to Bhansali will most likely play the title role of Baiju Bawra. Bhansali, with over 18 films, follows a pattern of working with his film stars in at least two films. Aishwarya Rai was his all-time favourite while Manisha Koirala acted in 1942: A Love Story and, is back with Heera Mandi. It is quite common for filmmakers to cast their favourite stars in all their movies, David Dhawan-Govinda, Karan Johar-Shah Rukh Khan and, of course, MF Husain whose forever muse was Madhuri Dixit.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Noticed By People Who Matter
Four years have zipped by and we are crossing another milestone on 31st January 2025 – it’s our 4th Anniversary. It feels good.
Looking back at the 1460 days, I must say Short Post has made its mark with people who matter via 4000 stories published in the areas of politics, business, entertainment and sports. All made possible by the unflinching commitment and dedication of our senior editors, most of whom have been part of this journey from Day One.
Small pack, big impact is in essence the story of Short Post which was launched at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. It shows our conviction. In all humility, I can say, we have created a new niche in the news segment space like Hindustan Unilever which created a new segment, when it launched CloseUp Gel.
Yes, we have created a brand (in a limited sense), created demand (readers) and created supply (senior journalists). But we are facing teething problems like all start-ups. What makes us happy and confident is the recognition of our efforts. For instance, we have an arrangement with the OPEN Magazine, part of the $4.5 billion Kolkata-based Sanjiv Goenka-RPG Group. This arrangement sees around 10 Short Post stories posted on OPEN Magazine website every week. This arrangement is testimony that our content has been well received! Also, I may add that the Maharashtra government has recognised Short Post and has allowed our senior editor to cover the Assembly sessions. Ditto: Odisha.
Our goal is to ensure that Short Post becomes a habit. I would like people to keep checking their smartphones to know the latest Authentic Gossip. As regards AI and the fear of it disrupting all businesses including media. On that, personally, I have no such fear as I am confident AI cannot smell news particularly Authentic Gossip. That’s the place we are well entrenched.