Every film the two sisters acted in drew audience craze, not just for the dancing, cavorting and romancing top heroes of the 80’s but for their acting talent too. Ambika and Radha acted in over 200 films, leaving unforgettable memories. The film Sakalakala Vallavan was as much enjoyed for Ambika’s acting, dancing and oomph as Kamal’s mastery of cinematic skills. The box office jingled and rocked for younger sister Radha who gave thespian Sivaji Ganesan an equal run for the money in Muthal Mariyathai…her mesmeric sexy looks drew as much appreciation as her acting. This high-profile sibling combo are now matronly mothers. Suddenly, Radha walked into the IG of Police office with a serious allegation. The family inheritance and the shares given to them had been settled. But Radha alleged that five of her cheque leaves were missing from the Valasaravakkam home, and she got a shock when her bank called to intimate that one cheque was forged, to be deposited in Ambika’s account. The bank had called Radha, stop order issued. It was when a second cheque to the tune of Rs 46 crore was again made out in Ambika’s name that serious concern escalated. Radha tearfully narrated the events and for good measure included brother Mallikarjuna too in this attempt to cheat. “if you can’t trust your own sister who is there to trust?”. Akka Ambika has had noteworthy runs in TV serials….Nayaki, Thirumathi  Hitler, Aruvi and Malli. Radha married a well to do hotelier. She tried to launch her daughter Kartika Nair in films but she could not fit into the film world where her mother and aunt reigned supreme.

A Bengaluru court has given Nani’s The Paradise an ex-parte interim injunction against specifically listed social-media posts ahead of its September 24 release. The producer, Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Cinemas LLP, told the court that after the August 6 teaser a coordinated wave of false and derogatory URLs crossed fair criticism and threatened irreversible commercial harm. The judge agreed on a prima facie basis, ordered platforms not to host those identified links, and said genuine reviews were untouched. Weeks earlier, KVN Productions obtained a similar shield for Yash’s Toxic: an August 22 order restraining “false, malicious, defamatory or derogatory” content before and after release, again without first hearing the speakers. The Toxic sequel to that order is the warning. After the film opened to mixed and poor notices, YouTubers Suraj Kumar and Prashanth Rangaswamy said they received legal notices from Aiplex, acting for the producers, citing their review URLs. The court had not declared those reviews defamatory. The notices arrived anyway. That is how a “limited” injunction becomes a weapon against honest reaction: the reviewer must decide whether a lukewarm verdict, a roast, or a complaint about craft is safe, or whether it will be treated as commercial sabotage. Most small channels cannot afford the answer. They mute themselves. This is not an isolated South experiment. Kannada producers had already used Bengaluru John Doe orders for three Kannada films The Devil, Mark and 45, some of them wide enough to cover reviews, reaction videos, trolling and even “challenging feedback,” with BookMyShow ratings disabled. Telugu campaigns have used the same enforcement firms against critical YouTube channels. Toxic and The Paradise look narrower only because earlier orders were so broad. The playbook is the same: file in Bengaluru, name X and unknown “John Does,” list URLs, obtain an urgent takedown, then let notices travel to whoever still talks.

This is not the first time Bigg Boss has treated its own host as raw material. It has happened around Salman Khan before, and around other stars who walked into that house believing the show would protect the line between drama and damage. This time the cut was so clumsy that the superstar himself had to step out and apologise for a promo his own team put on air. The Weekend Ka Vaar promo showed Salman clutching his chest, asking for water, looking breathless, then lying down. Fans did what fans do when they have watched this man for three decades: they panicked. Some thought it was a heart scare. Some thought the show was using his health the way it uses everything else. Within hours Salman was on Instagram saying there was nothing wrong with him, that the pain was staged to show Qazi Touqeer what it feels like when someone fakes illness and 15 people in the house actually worry. Then the line that should shame the edit bay: the promo “should not have been cut like the way it was cut.” It “totally beats the purpose.” He even apologised on their behalf. The least the makers owed him was an edit that did not make his lesson look like the offence. They chose the clip that would travel. He chose the clarification that would stop the rumour. Rectifying the promo after Salman went public is not professionalism. It is damage control after the superstar did their job for them. A show that lectures contestants about using health for entertainment just used its biggest star the same way and then let him say sorry.

Sydney Sweeney’s “Just Sports” ad for Novig has made the argument unavoidable. The actor appears almost nude, covering herself with footballs, basketballs and hockey sticks while repeating the line “just sports.” India has lived with a quieter version of the same trade. IPL still packages cheerleaders as part of the night’s entertainment. Condom and lubricant spots have run through India–South Africa and India–Pakistan broadcasts, turning family living rooms into an interval of innuendo. On Instagram, a squat filmed from behind still travels farther than a clean cover drive. The contradiction is sharpest around the women who actually win. Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and Deepti Sharma now sell brands that once belonged only to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal did the same in badminton; Mary Kom, Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain in boxing; Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik in wrestling; Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting; Rani Rampal and Savita Punia in hockey. The better work: Nike’s “Da Da Ding,” Gatorade’s sweat-and-gold films with Sindhu, shows the grimace after a long rally, not a pose. The weaker work still frames the same athletes as lifestyle accessories: glowing, smiling, rarely exhausted. Sex sells faster than a late cut or a smash. Brands chasing young male viewers treat sport as a ready-made stage and the athlete as set dressing. Young girls watching Mandhana bat or Sindhu jump see two messages at once: you can win, and you will still be looked at first. Indian sport is growing fast enough to demand better. Sell Harmanpreet’s six, Sindhu’s defence, Mary Kom’s footwork. The contest is enough. The rest is just advertising.

On the day Haiwaan opened to a disastrous Rs 3 crore zone despite Akshay Kumar on the other side of the frame, Filmfare circulated Saif Ali Khan calling Cocktail “100 per cent an inevitable mistake” and a “slightly regressive script choice.” Sacred Games (2018) was the last time Saif felt inevitable. Sartaj Singh gave him gravity on OTT and a second life after the theatrical slump of Phantom, Rangoon, Chef, Kaalakaandi, Baazaar and Laal Kaptaan. The correct next move was to stay a premium second lead and antagonist, the lane that actually worked: Udaybhan in Tanhaji, Bhaira in Devara. Instead he kept testing solo or co-lead theatrical vanity: Jawaani Jaaneman flopped, Bunty Aur Babli 2 collapsed, Vikram Vedha was only average against cost, Adipurush became a national joke even as collections looked large on paper, Jewel Thief went the OTT route with a shrug. Experiments like Go Goa Gone and Kaalakaandi were interesting. They were not openings. Haiwaan is the latest receipt. A Priyadarshan remake of Oppam, Saif as the blind protector, Akshay as the psychopath, and still no buzz, mixed-to-poor reviews, and one of the weakest two-star Fridays of 2026. The reunion after 18 years did not sell tickets. That is not “bad luck.” That is vanished lead pull. After Sacred Games he could have become the reliable second engine. He kept insisting on being the car. The graph is simple. Early-2000s multiplex charm. Mid-career character peak with Omkara, OTT resurrection. Then a string of “I did it so it could get made” choices. Cocktail was a hit despite the role. Haiwaan is a miss because the role is all that’s left. Until the choices get colder and smaller; villain, supporting, one film a year that matters, the openings will keep telling him what the interview already admitted.

For seventy-two years the National Film Awards behaved as if they were, well, national. Instituted in 1954, they lived mostly in Delhi; Vigyan Bhawan, the President, one capital so that Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Hindi could all take the same train. The one famous exception was 1970 in Madras: awkward, but at least Madras made films. IFFI wandered Mumbai–Delhi–Chennai–Kolkata until someone had the sense to park it in Goa and give the country a Cannes of its own. That was geography in the service of cinema. Now the 72nd ceremony on 22 September 2026 will unfold at Ekta Nagar, formerly Kevadia, under a German aluminium dome in the bus bay of the Statue of Unity. Government has not explained the shift; it has only built the dome. Gujarat’s film industry is not Chennai, not Hyderabad, not Kolkata, and it is certainly not Mumbai. No Indian industry is bigger than Hindi cinema, and no serious map of Indian cinema begins at Narmada district. The last time we moved the awards for cinema, we went to a city that actually produced them. This time we have gone to a monument inaugurated in 2018. The official poetry writes itself. A non-feature on the Statue of Unity wins Best Direction, so the awards will be given in the statue’s shadow. Delhi was national because it belonged to nobody’s industry. Gujarat is “national” because everything else is already moving there. The Swarna Kamal will still shine. It will simply shine next to a souvenir shop. The question is not whether the President can present an award at Ekta Nagar. Of course, she can. The question is why Indian cinema had to become a tourist attraction to receive its own medal.

Dressed in dashing motor sport white and red regalia, Ajith Kumar waited at the Silverstone Racing Circuit, UK to receive his friend and film contemporary of 34 years, the newly minted Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay. The atmosphere turned charged, adrenalin rushed and frankly dumbfounded. The Karmic destiny of powerful colonialism had turned full circle today…the mesmerising screen magnetism of two super stars held sway. Vijay sprinted few steps to hug and kiss Ajith. One a powerful CM of a highly developed state in India, the other, Ajith Kumar multi-tasking as a Tamil film superstar and formula car racing ace. Both have made significant change from the original careers they excelled in — a luxury not many can aspire for. London it seems, is this week’s popular destination for Tamil filmdom. Radhika Sarathkumar and Trisha too camped there for a film shoot. Radhika may have missed meeting Ajith in Chennai…she made a special effort to see him and have a few happy moments with gentleman Ajith. People in the know are talking about Trisha too …did she miss her co-star Ajith with whom she has done some hit films? Even after the buzz that Vijay’s planned London visit was deferred by the MEA request, to stay back a couple of days as the PM of Malaysia was intending to come to Chennai, Vijay could make it for the inaugural of the start of the Michelin Le Mans Cup race where actor and racer Ajith was competing. TN CM Vijay had recently announced that a thumping new Motor Sports City would come up in Chennai …so he was accompanied by his capo di Aadav Arjuna, Sports Minister to study the logistics and layout of a car race grid. Coincidences often masquerade as plans.

Sony LIV built its reputation on originals that felt bigger than television. Scam 1992 turned Harshad Mehta into a national conversation. Rocket Boys gave Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai the prestige treatment. Maharani and a handful of other series suggested the platform could invent a new Indian drama grammar.; sharper, slower, more ambitious than the daily soap. For a few years that bet looked right. Then the music stopped. With capital tight, Sony LIV has slowed greenlighting of new web shows. Only a few proven franchises are still being nursed. The rest of the slate is being handed back to the old SET playbook: Kaun Banega Crorepati, a revived Crime Patrol fronted by Ajay Devgn, MasterChef, cricket, and regional non-fiction. The same company that once used streaming to escape linear TV is now using linear TV to rescue streaming. Platforms discovered that prestige series are expensive, hard to market, and easy to abandon after two seasons. What travels cheaper and farther is television’s familiar furniture: game shows, crime procedurals, talent formats, and soaps that already have an audience. That is why The Kapil Sharma Show still works as both Saturday night appointment viewing and clip culture. That is why India’s Got Latent, a roast-and-talent panel that looks like late-night television rebuilt for phones, could premiere on YouTube and Netflix at once and become one of 2026’s most-watched Indian titles. That is why Anupamaa and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah keep ranking among the most-watched properties on OTT and why JioHotstar treats multiple Bigg Boss editions as core inventory. OTT did not kill television. It absorbed television’s formats, stars, and economics, then added pause and skip. The living-room screen is now a hybrid: KBC and Crime Patrol sitting next to whatever remains of Scam 1992. The platforms that last will be the ones that stop pretending those two worlds were ever separate.

A star of Akshay Kumar’s scale does not lose the mass belt overnight. He leaks it, film by film, until the opening weekend no longer answers to his name. That is the story Haiwaan told on 11 September 2026: a Priyadarshan remake of the Malayalam film Oppam, pairing Akshay with Saif Ali Khan after 18 years, and still opening in the Rs 3.5 crore net zone, one of the weakest Day 1s of the year for two frontline faces. The peak years of 2007 to 2012 were built on rhythm and hunger: big openings as habit, not accident. Then came Action Replayy, Joker, Thank You and the first break with the mass circuit. The 2015 to 2020 revival was real, but it was also the phase of Padman-style “message” cinema that never fully reset the mass contract. Post-Covid, the pattern hardened: remakes and niche bets; Atrangi Re, Cuttputlli, Selfiee, Raksha Bandhan, Mission Raniganj, Sarfira, Khel Khel Mein, and now Haiwaan. Reviews called it stretched, illogical, a frame-to-frame lift that wasted both stars. The trailer had already written the box-office line. Originals that clicked were OMG 2 and Sooryavanshi, and the ensemble franchise lift of Welcome to the Jungle, prove the audience is not dead. What is dead is the solo pull. Ajay Devgn corrected course and started serving fans across genres. Akshay is still signing the same mistake: low-effort remakes, thin promotion, no visible hunger, not even the extra craft a villain role like Parshuram in Haiwaan demanded. He is working. He is not fighting. Haiwaan is not one bad Friday. It is the question the trade has been postponing: is the mass area still his, or is the star now over-exposed as a reliable loss-maker between two clicks? Until that check is honest, the openings will keep answering for him.

Every film culture eventually produces a movie so clumsy that it becomes immortal. India had Kanti Shah’s Gunda which was released in 1998. China now has Niu Lai (Here Comes the Cow). Gunda was never meant to be high art. Mithun Chakraborty as Shankar, villains named Bulla and Chutiya, rhyming punchlines, and that unforgettable bicycle-and-revolver fight turned a C-grade action film into YouTube folklore. People did not watch it for craft. They watched it to confirm how far a movie could go and still exist. Decades later, the memes still travel.  Niu Lai follows the same path, only in 3D. Directed by Xin Yumeng and written by his mother Sun Lifang, the 86-minute animation was made over five years by essentially two people, largely on architectural software. A timid calf faints, dreams of a skylark, a snake, a leopard and wolves, then wakes up braver. The models look like early video-game leftovers. Mouths barely move. Pauses last too long. The plot wanders. Released on 5 August 2026 with almost no marketing, it collected a few thousand yuan in its first 10 days. Then clips hit Chinese social media. Mockery became a pilgrimage. Audiences filled halls to see, with their own eyes, how bad animation could be. The film has since crossed 50 million yuan (approx. 1 yuan= Rs14.16); a freak return on a near-zero budget. Gunda and Niu Lai both became communal jokes that people pay to share. One gave India immortal dialogues; the other gave China a handmade cow that looks like a sleep-paralysis demon. Niu Lai is not China’s Ne Zha. It is China’s Gunda: so pathetically made that it became a phenomenon. Watch it to understand why a bad movie can outlive a good one.

Faith films do not always explode on Friday. They arrive quietly, look finished by week two, and then, through word of mouth that behaves like aarti, they turn theatres into temples. Jai Santoshi Maa did it in 1975. Women removed slippers outside the hall, lit agarbattis, and offered coins and flowers to the screen. Shirdi Ke Sai Baba, with Manoj Kumar, did not dominate the 1977 charts, yet its songs and miracles lived on in homes, video libraries and pilgrim memory. In 2025, Gujarati movie Laalo – Krishna Sada Sahaayate made for Rs 50 lakh, opened to almost nothing and then, from the third week, became the first Gujarati film to cross Rs 100 crore worldwide, roughly Rs 96 crore India net, about Rs 120 crore global. Hanuman Ansh is walking the same path. Released on 7 August 2026, Vishal Chaturvedi’s film on Neem Karoli Baba opened at around Rs 10 lakh and had barely Rs 1.48 crore after two weeks. Then the third week collected over Rs 10 crore. By Day 23, it had Rs 27.38 crore India net and about Rs 32 crore gross, with a Raksha Bandhan Saturday of Rs 9.25 crore and screens multiplying from a few hundred shows to over 4,000. Budget estimates range from Rs 2 crore to Rs 10 crore. Either way, the return is the story. This is not a marketing miracle. It is a traditional one. Devotees do not need a star to carry Hanuman or Krishna; they need belief that survives a weak first Friday. Santoshi Maa taught the industry that a hall can become a shrine. Sai Baba taught that afterlife on song and screen can outlast a lukewarm opening. Laalo proved the model still prints money in 2025. Hanuman Ansh found its crowd late, then refused to leave the box office.

The long-simmering public feud between Kangana Ranaut and Taapsee Pannu flared up once again in August 2026, yet this time Taapsee offered a refreshingly mature way out. At the trailer preview of her Netflix film Gandhari in Mumbai, when reporters asked about Kangana’s latest jibes, Taapsee did not retaliate. Instead she turned the mirror on the media itself. “Aap khatam kyun nahi hone dete yeh baat?” she asked. “Koi question puchna hum dono se band karega jab yeh wala, toh yeh issue bhi khatam ho jayega. Aap sab logon ko maza aa raha hai yeh sab dekh ke, isiliye wahi sawaal puch rahe hain. Aise sawaal puchna agar aap band kar dete, toh yeh baat kab ki khatam ho jati.” In plain words: stop asking the two of us the same questions and the controversy will die a natural death. The roots of this “imaginary conflict,” as Taapsee has often described it, go back to 2019. After she praised the trailer of Kangana’s Judgementall Hai Kya without tagging her, Kangana’s sister Rangoli Chandel branded Taapsee a “sasti copy.” The label stuck and returned repeatedly. In 2020, amid the heated nepotism debate following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, Kangana publicly labelled Taapsee and other outsiders “B-grade actresses” and “needy.” The two women have never even met, yet the narrative of rivalry has been kept alive for seven years. The latest round began when Taapsee, speaking at the India Today Women Summit, observed that their differing opinions simply reflected different upbringings and worldviews. Kangana took offence, accusing Taapsee of ridiculing her parents and background. In Instagram stories she revived the “sasti copy” dig, dismissed Gandhari as a “B-grade film.” In an industry that thrives on endless drama, Taapsee’s calm insistence that silence is the best answer stands out as genuine maturity.

Days before its Netflix premiere, Taapsee Pannu’s Gandhari has exploded into one of the sharpest copyright storms in recent OTT history, and this does not feel like manufactured noise. It feels like a serious allegation that refuses to die. Writer Kalyan Bandi, an IIT Madras alumnus and government inspector, claims he wrote, registered, and pitched a story titled Gandhari as far back as 2019. His concept: a mother who transforms into a fierce, almost divine force while battling a child-trafficking racket. He says he shared the material with Monika Shergill who was then at Voot and now a senior Netflix executive. He registered the treatment with the Screenwriters Association. When Netflix announced Gandhari, written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, with an eerily similar core, Bandi sent a formal legal notice seeking credit and compensation. He has repeatedly said money is secondary; what he wants is acknowledgement that the idea was his. A second writer, Raghav Desai, has also claimed he pitched a near-identical Mahabharata-inspired mother-revenge narrative to the makers in 2024. Two independent claims. Same title. Same emotional spine. Same platform. Kathha Pictures and Kanika Dhillon have issued firm denials, calling the film an original work and the allegations “false and unverified.” Netflix has stated the earlier pitch was “very different.” Yet the optics remain damaging: a registered story, documented outreach to a future Netflix executive, and a high-profile film that lands with the exact same title and thematic DNA. In an industry where ideas routinely circulate without protection, this case cuts deeper. Copyright clarity is rarely black-and-white, but registration, written pitches, and legal notices raise legitimate questions that cannot be dismissed as mere publicity hunger. Whether the film ultimately clears the legal and ethical cloud remains to be seen, but the allegation itself is no longer easy to ignore.

In the high-stakes world of pan-Indian mega films, visibility is oxygen. Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups is proving the point. Just days before its worldwide release on 26 August, a pre-release event in Hyderabad turned chaotic when a speaker stand collapsed after fans climbed it for a better view, injuring four people. The mishap made national headlines, yet instead of denting momentum, it amplified the film’s presence. Advance bookings were already strong in India and the US; the incident simply poured fuel on an existing fire. Discussions around competing titles such as Batwara 1947, Awarapan 2 and even Hollywood releases like Spiderman: Brand New Day’ quietened as conversations pivoted to Toxic. The trailer’s striking visuals, the dual-role promise, the multilingual scale, shot in English and Kannada, releasing in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam and the ambitious global rollout had already created curiosity. The unfortunate Hyderabad episode added an extra layer of real-time urgency and human drama that social media and news cycles thrive on. Suddenly everyone is talking about the film, the star’s on-stage concern for the injured. Positive trailer reactions, star power and booking numbers build the base; unexpected events; whether controversies, crowd chaos or viral clips, keep the title trending. History shows that films which dominate the cultural conversation in the last week often convert curiosity into footfalls. The phrase “any publicity is good publicity” is not cynicism here. Toxic entered the final countdown already armed with strong pre-sales. The Hyderabad incident, however regrettable for those hurt, ensured the title remained impossible to ignore. In the business of big-screen spectacles, that kind of sustained visibility is often the difference between a solid opening and a phenomenon.

Yash Raj Films has long been synonymous with grand romances and socially rooted dramas. From the eternal love of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to the emotional depth of Kabhi Kabhie, Silsila and Chandni, the banner built its legendary reputation on stories of the heart. Even when it explored other terrains, the core remained elevated emotion and large-scale human drama. Horror was the one major genre it had carefully avoided. That changes now. YRF has announced its first-ever theatrical horror film, with Varun Dhawan in the lead and Abhay Pannu of Rocket Boys fame, directing. The project, slated for a 2027 release, marks a clear policy shift. A production house of this stature does not enter a genre lightly. The decision signals that horror has finally earned mainstream respectability in Indian cinema. The numbers back the move. Recent Hindi successes; Maddock’s Stree franchise, Bhediya, Munjya, Priyadarshan’s Bhoot Bangla and Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 3D, have proved that audiences, especially the younger generation, are hungry for the genre, whether pure chills or horror-comedy. International hits like Obsession and Backrooms have further elevated the form, moving it into something polished and culturally significant. For YRF, the timing is strategic. After decades of owning romance and emotional storytelling, the studio is adapting to a new audience that finds equal thrill in fear. Pairing a bankable star like Varun Dhawan with a director known for intelligent storytelling shows the banner is not merely chasing a trend but investing in quality within the genre. Horror has always had its loyalists. What is new is its acceptance as a legitimate, commercially viable space that even the most prestigious houses now want to claim. When Yash Raj Films steps into the dark, it is not just a film announcement. It is confirmation that the genre has arrived.

The 1968 Tamil film Edhir Neechal (Swimming against the tide) starring Sowcar Janaki was talked about for long, after release. Director K Balachander had that magical creativity which could grip audience interest, even with the simplest of stories …middle class ethos and characters straight out of life. A simple theme was immortalised by Sowcar Janaki by her talent for emoting, comedy, drama and expressions …no director was needed for Janaki to live her roles. But the conversational song and drama, Aduthaathu Ambujam turned out to be an all-time hit, with Janaki comparing her budget driven life to her neighbour Ambujam’s lavish indulgence …Pattu Mami and Kittu Mama belting out the eternal middle-class conundrum…female aspirations and male practicality. Hero Srikant, a newbie (who worked at the U.S. Consulate) was not intimidated by Janaki’s talent, turned out to be an effective foil. Her very first film, L V Prasad’s Shavukaru got her the title ‘Sowcar’ …how appropriate Janaki had a commanding presence of the well-heeled. Till her end, Janaki who acted in over 400 films led an elegant life, dressed impeccably. It was K Balachander who cast her in all his classic entertainers …Neerkumizhi, Baama Vijayam, Iru Kodugal, Thillu Mullu, Kaviya Thalaivi.  In Pudiya Paravai an all-time iconic thriller of 1964, Janaki stood out in that formidable casting –Sivaji Ganesan, Saroja Devi and M R Radha. They don’t make films like these any more…Shahukars of the Janaki mould … rare.

Nothing succeeds like success. Until this morning (Aug 17), GunMaaster G9 was just another Emraan Hashmi project moving quietly through its final stages. Respectable cast, nostalgic team reunion, but no urgency, no locked date, no frenzy. Then Awarapan 2 delivered a blockbuster opening weekend. Official nett figures: Friday Rs 23.40 crore, Saturday Rs 34.09 crore, Sunday Rs 26.82 crore; a three-day total of Rs 84.31 crore. It has emerged as the third-highest opening weekend for a Hindi film in 2026, behind only Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2. More importantly, it comprehensively defeated Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 in the Independence Day clash, proving that Emraan’s cult pull still converts into hard numbers, especially in Tier 2, Tier 3 and single-screen centres. By Monday, the same makers who were still discussing late-2026 versus early-2027 had locked 27 November for GunMaaster G9 and announced it with full theatrical confidence. The timing is not subtle. One solid hit, and the entire ecosystem recalibrates. Suddenly every half-finished, half-shelved Emraan project is stirring. Scripts are being reopened. Incomplete shoots are “being revisited.” Producers who were waiting for the right window have discovered that the window is now wide open and facing Emraan. Success has a short memory and a long shopping list. Emraan has already started the victory lap. The industry, ever practical, has taken note. Expect more long-pending announcements in the coming weeks. When a star delivers an Rs 84-crore opening weekend and beats a heavyweight like Sunny Deol, every dormant project wants a share of that heat.  Right now, success has a new favourite son and GunMaaster G9 is the first to cash the cheque.

In the grand circus of Bollywood predictions, the trade pundits once more proved they have a special talent for missing the plot. Awarapan 2 was written off before the first show. Promotion was dismissed as lacklustre, the songs labelled dull, and the clash with Batwara 1947 declared a “setback.” The Rajkumar Santoshi–Sunny Deol combination, complete with partition gravity and familiar mass formulas, was anointed the safer, louder bet. Awarapan 2, many declared, stood no chance. Then the Awarapan 2 trailer dropped. Suddenly the room changed. Immersive, nostalgic, emotionally connected, it carried a lived-in intensity that cut through the noise. The same trade that had been busy writing obituaries started hearing a different buzz. Audiences, it turned out, were still capable of responding to atmosphere, character and a certain reckless heart rather than merely to star wattage and theme weight. The numbers delivered the punchline with clinical precision. On Friday, Batwara 1947 opened to approximately Rs 5.5crore net. Awarapan 2 stormed in with around Rs 22 crore net; the highest opening of Emraan Hashmi’s career. On Independence Day Saturday the gap only widened: Awarapan 2 collected roughly Rs 34 crore net while Batwara 1947 managed about Rs 13.5 crore. In two days, the sequel had crossed Rs 55 crore net in India and was racing past Rs 72 crore worldwide, leaving its rival trailing far behind. Once again the audience refused to follow the script written in trade WhatsApp groups. Content, when it connects, still trumps calculation. The film that was supposed to be the underdog shot to the top, embarrassed the entire prediction industry, and reminded everyone of the oldest truth — there is n business like show business. Unpredictability remains the only reliable order of the day. Cinema, as always, had the last laugh.

Popular Tamil star Suriya faced a scary drop n his box office ratings like the Air India flight fighting turbulence. His Soorarai Pottru was perhaps his last outing that touched hearts, literally celebrating a brave non descript pilot entrepreneur, who made flying accessible to all. What followed as Suriya’s outings turned out to be noisy action that hammered not just the goons but audience interest too. Suriya had morphed into a stereotype…his Kanguva and Retro turned out be a precipitous dive. Talented R J Balaji and Karuppu did give him a floating buoy …what he needed was a sturdy and seaworthy lifeboat. The talented Telugu writer and director Venkat Atluri has resurrected the actor…gentle, classy and capable of great emotional depth in his performances. Coincidentally enough, Vishwanath & Sons deals with surrogacy; how this former pistol shooting champ is railroaded by mother Radhika Saratkumar to beget her a grandchild. How the hero deals with the issue (Mamitha Baiju is the sourrogate mother), with knots and plots that often turn into chaos. Atluri manages a spice mixed Bhel. The plot also deals with Suriya’s May December romance.  G V Prakash stands out for his outstanding background music. Especially the lilting song Butterly. Only this butterfly flits too frequently from situation to situation … insurance for the hero? Jyotika and Suriya with all their predilection for public posture would have scored if more light was shed on surrogacy in India.

The fall of a star is rarely sudden. For Govinda, once crowned Hero No 1, it has been a prolonged, public unravelling where professional choices collided with domestic fire. He earned his place through pure comic timing and dance that lit up ordinary lives; small-town crowds, school grounds, college campuses and even corporate gatherings. That mass connection was real. Yet the industry that once celebrated him also recorded his chronic lateness and broken commitments. Producers waited in vain, schedules collapsed, and the tag that once meant box-office gold slowly became a warning. The last decade turned the decline dramatic. Film after film failed. The once-unstoppable comic force drifted into obscure stage shows and low-level events that sat uncomfortably with the stature he once commanded. His children never received the carefully planned launches many star kids enjoy. The Sonakshi-Sinha-in-Dabangg moment he had often spoken of for his daughter never materialised. The family that once projected unity now appears fractured and exposed. The sharpest blow is the latest. Govinda has been repeatedly photographed at Mumbai airport with newcomer Komal Rani Swarnkar, the young actress he is launching in Roopa. Wife Sunita Ahuja has answered with open, sustained fury: calling him a “sugar daddy,” accusing him of roaming with a girl of his daughter’s age. Her public, repeatedly derogatory words have turned private bitterness into daily national headlines. Domestic disturbance does more than distract. When a wife paints her husband as unfaithful, classless and lost, the audience that once danced with him begins to look away. Govinda’s own decisions; professional unreliability earlier, and the current public associations, have accelerated the fall. The man who once made India laugh is now watched for the next airport picture and the next angry soundbite. The dance remains, but the stage keeps shrinking.

Famous film stars have a penchant for unique collectibles. Rare cars, precious watches, famous wardrobe memorabilia and many more. Imagine having boasting rights for Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz, Marilyn Monroe’s white subway dream that swept up many a fantasy, Daniel Radcliffe and his Magic wand and glasses from the Harry Potter winner and a host of collectibles. Ah, we overlooked endangered animal species too. Recently a viral video of actor popular Tamil star Vikram cuddling and imitating a baby Lar Gibbon ape went viral; it woke up the Tamil Nadu Forest Department’s attention. Hey isn’t that a Lar Gibbon cuddly ape baby? How did it land in Vikram’s lap and other such questions flew in the media? Not that such earlier incidents were swept under the rain forest carpet…remember Salman Khan and the Black Buck controversy? Vikram was quickly issued a notice: Where did he procure this Lar Gibbon? These unique apes (they are not monkeys) have suffered and slipped into that coveted status …endangered due to lack of suitable forest habitat and illegal poaching to feed just such an illegal pet trade. The investigation led the law to an animal farm in Perundurai, Erode, alleged to be owned by Kesavanathan who had brought this Gibbon from Manipur without the required papers. The Forest Dept found that another baby Gibbon had died in the farm and it was not reported. Vikram has been issued notice ..that he should present himself at the investigating office no later than three days or else. Endangered animal collectibles…they draw the Rich and Famous like magnets.

In the age of instant outrage, a single technical slip can threaten to derail an entire tribute to our war heroes. Netflix’s Operation Safed Sagar has been rightly praised for bringing the 1999 Kargil air campaign and the sacrifice of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja to life. Yet an Indian Army veteran has flagged the incorrect draping of the Tricolour on Ahuja’s coffin; green visible instead of saffron towards the head, as mandated by the Flag Code. He has gone further, demanding the series be suspended until digitally corrected and an apology issued. Yes, the producers and military advisors missed it. That is an oversight, a technical glitch in an otherwise sincere production. It is not deliberate disrespect. Flags, protocols and symbols matter. But demanding the entire show be yanked offline turns a correctable error into a national crisis. Creative works are not military manuals. Digital fixes exist. An apology can be issued. Pulling a series that honours fallen air warriors does not. We have seen this script before. Just last month, Satluj vanished from Zee5 within 48 hours amid security concerns and political heat. One side saw threat; another saw overreach. The pattern is familiar: a portrayal of history, identity or national symbols triggers instant mobilisation, hashtags, and calls for bans. OTT has become a pressure cooker where every uniform, every dialogue, every historical detail is scrutinised for offence. Respect for the Tricolour and our armed forces is non-negotiable. Mistakes should be pointed out and fixed. But mistaking every error for malice, and every oversight for an insult requiring cancellation, only weakens the culture of storytelling we claim to protect. Operation Safed Sagar is a tribute, not a textbook. Let the correction happen. Let the series continue. And let us stop treating every glitch as grounds for a cultural emergency. Thicker skins make stronger nations; and better cinema.

In the grand circus of Bollywood, where originality is a rare guest and recycling is the house specialty, Ram Gopal Varma has once again decided that the Mumbai underworld still has unpaid rent in his imagination. T-Series and RGV have joined hands for Police Company, with Harshavardhan Rane stepping into the shoes of legendary encounter specialist Daya Nayak. Because clearly, the world was starving for yet another film about the man who has already inspired Ab Tak Chhappan, Aan: Men at Work, Risk – a Kannada biopic. RGV has drunk from the underworld so many times that the water must taste like leftover Satya, Company, D, Sarkar, Rakta Charitra and whatever else he poured into the same glass over three decades. The man once made Shiva in Telugu, remade it in Hindi, and then, years later, decided the world needed Shiva again in 2006, purely out of artistic restlessness, or so the legend of his arrogance goes. That third attempt did not exactly set the box office on fire. Yet here we are, watching the same director circle back to the same blood-soaked alleys, this time with the same encounter-cop template he already helped popularise. Recent years have not exactly been kind to the once-feared RGV brand. A string of flops, legal headaches, public spats and the general air of a man still fighting yesterday’s battles have followed him. The same man who once bent the crime film to his will now seems determined to prove that repetition, when done with enough swagger, can pass for reinvention. Whether Police Company will feel like a fresh bullet or just another spent casing remains to be seen. The underworld keeps dying on screen, and somehow Ram Gopal Varma keeps bringing it back to life.

International choreographer, dancer and model Saswat Joshi is all set to make his mark at the forthcoming OSUK Convention 2026 in Manchester, North England, at the end of August. The 47th Annual OSUK Convention comes with an intriguing cultural twist this year — “Odisha Da Swagat, Punjab Di Raunak” — promising, for the first time in its history, a fusion of the warmth of Odisha with the vibrancy of Punjab in a grand celebration of culture, community and heritage. Joshi, 42, born in Titlagarh, will be the exclusive international Odia artiste at the convention. Known for his distinctive use of the Odissi dance style, Joshi began his journey under gurus Prasanta Patnaik and Shantanu Behera in his native village before receiving professional Odissi training from Guru Padmashri Kumkum Mohanty. An exponent of the Odissi style of Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, he also trained under Guru Ileana Citaristi. Having performed across Europe and Asia, Joshi has shared the stage with acclaimed artistes including Carla Fracci, Luciana Savignano, Giuseppe Picone, Beppe Menegatti, Rossella Brescia and Luciano Mattia Cannito in I Have a Dream in Palermo, Sicily. Joshi is also the founder of the Lasyakala Institute of Performing Arts.

Batwara 1947, which was earlier titled Lahore 1947, reunites the same director-star pair of Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi after nearly three decades and is scheduled for release on 14th August 2026 as the Independence Day or Partition Day weekend. Produced by Aamir Khan Productions with music by A R Rahman, it is a serious period drama set against the 1947 Partition. The trailer has been widely praised for its scale, emotional weight, and trademark Santoshi–Deol intensity, yet the pre-release buzz remains relatively muted. The heavy, solemn subject matter and Sunny’s casting in a more restrained, principle-driven role, rather than pure action-hero mode like Jaat and Gadar franchise, have so far limited the kind of mass excitement usually associated with an Independence Day release. Current box-office conversation is still dominated by Spider-Man, leaving Batwara needing a sharper final push. Let’s remember the release of Damini which was released on 30th April 1993. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and featuring Sunny Deol in a career-defining supporting turn as the fiery lawyer Govind, it became a blockbuster and is remembered as a cult classic for its strong social message, Meenakshi Seshadri’s performance, and iconic dialogues. Audiences responded to the justice-driven courtroom drama, Sunny’s intensity…turning it into a sustained success rather than a pure opening-day phenomenon. The Santoshi–Deol combination delivered the expected high-voltage signature—raw anger, moral force, and memorable lines that amplified the film once people started talking about it. The parallel with Damini is clear. Both films carry the Santoshi–Deol DNA of high-stakes moral drama and potent dialogues. Damini proved that a serious subject can open respectably and then explode on the strength of word of mouth once audiences experience the emotional payoff. Can Batwara 1947 follow the same path, deliver the expected intensity in theatres? One has to wait and watch.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has officially joined the film promotion business. At the inauguration of Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studio on 6 August 2026, he declared he would be “very disappointed” if Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash, fails to win an Oscar. “It’s not a film of a decade,” he announced, “it’s a film of a millennium.” Earlier, at the Waves Summit, he had already been “amazed” by its scale. When a CM starts campaigning this openly, the marketing budget has just received a free government upgrade. This is no isolated outburst. It is the latest evidence of a larger shift: Politicians have become Bollywood’s most enthusiastic publicists. PM Narendra Modi has repeatedly endorsed films like The Kashmir Files, The Kerala Story and Article 370 as correctives to “fake narratives.” Amit Shah has praised select projects from special screenings. Yogi Adityanath has made multiple films tax-free and personally felicitated their teams. Across BJP ruled states, official blessings, tax waivers and photo-ops have become as routine as the interval. History offers precedents. MGR and NT Rama Rao built political careers on their screen images. Karunanidhi wrote scripts from the CM’s office. The difference today is the scale, the coordination, and the open fusion of mythology with nationalism as reliable box-office fuel. Ramayana sits perfectly at this intersection; big, mythological, technologically ambitious, and timed for maximum cultural resonance. By elevating it to a civilisational project, Fadnavis has given the film a halo no conventional campaign can buy. The politicians are no longer silent well-wishers. They are the new faces of the campaign, delivering the soundbites themselves. In today’s India, the red carpet increasingly leads straight to the corridors of power.

In Tamil Nadu, the media frenzy is all about Trisha — the actor who is perceived, talked about and lionised as the significant mover and shaker in chief minister Vijay’s life. The “enfant terrible” of the DMK, deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin whose speech at Thanjavur caused a furore for his barely concealed innuendos and salacious remarks about Trisha. Udhayanidhi was egged on by his party workers who found his lewd talk extremely entertaining…a quick “detention” and Udhayanidhi was let off. Whatever the real circumstances of their personal life, no public figure should be targeted like this. So, what is the perception? There are those who highlight the posters of Trisha Narpani Manrams in Madurai, a sure sign that she is entering politics. The talk about her 2016 film Kodi, a political drama in which Trisha says, “I want to be the CM of this state” still resounds. Is she harbouring political ambitions with Vijay as her launch pad? Is Vijay serious about the liaison, the aberration that has forced his wife Sangeeta to file for divorce? There is a totally new hook which bandies another view ….the publicity is good for both …Trisha who has walked out of two near marriages and at 45 is keen to retain her top star status. After such a landslide win, it’s hard to accept that Vijay would jeopardise his hard won victory. The latest news is Sangeeta Sornalingam has withdrawn her plea for divorce at the Chengalpet court. Why would a wife and mother of two kids wilfully allow another woman take the place and privileges of a CM’s wife?

Mamachya Govyala Jauya, directed by Viju Mane and starring Santosh Juvekar, Kushal Badrike, Abhijit Chavan and Ankush Chaudhari, has delivered a modest box-office performance in Maharashtra. Early estimates place its India lifetime collection around Rs 1 crore, with an opening weekend of roughly Rs 72 lakh. In a year when titles like Raja Shivaji and Deool Band 2 have shown Marathi cinema’s commercial potential, these numbers feel underwhelming. More striking than the collections were the promotional tactics. The campaign repeatedly highlighted how Marathi films struggle for multiplex screens and cannot compete with a global franchise like Spider-Man: Brand New Day. There were also claims that Hollywood profits largely leave India, ignoring the substantial benefits that Indian exhibitors and theatre chains gain from such big releases. Adding emotional weight, it was publicised that director Viju Mane had mortgaged his wife’s, sister’s and mother’s gold ornaments to finance the film. While personal sacrifice may evoke sympathy, using it as a primary marketing tool risks coming across as victimhood rather than confidence. Comparing a mid-budget Marathi comedy to a multi-decade international franchise is neither fair nor strategic. Audiences and exhibitors respond to content that delivers, not to complaints about unequal treatment. Emotional rants about lack of shows or family jewellery do not fill seats. Quality does. Marathi cinema has repeatedly proved this with films like Ghabadkund and the Deool Band franchise, which succeeded through strong storytelling and craft. The industry does not need more orthodoxy or self-pity. It needs filmmakers who prioritise making better films. When the product is strong enough, screens and audiences follow.

Social media algorithms have rewritten the rules of visibility in Indian public life. They do not reward traditional hierarchy, institutional experience or even consistent ideology. They reward engagement, outrage, novelty, humour, emotion and shareability. The result is a new class of algorithm-born stars who appear everywhere, regardless of a user’s political leanings. Prashant Kishor exemplifies the phenomenon. Once a behind-the-scenes strategist, he is now omnipresent after his Bankipur by-election victory. Short, sharp clips of his speeches, critiques of the status quo and youth-focused messaging travel relentlessly across feeds. Platforms amplify what keeps users scrolling; Kishor’s content delivers high retention, so the algorithm pushes it into timelines of both supporters and sceptics. Neha Bora and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) show how the same system can manufacture stars almost from nowhere. Founded by Abhijeet Dipke as satirical pushback against a judicial remark, CJP weaponized memes, AI-generated imagery and youth frustration over unemployment and exam scandals. Within days it amassed millions of followers. Neha Bora, an AISA activist linked to the movement’s hunger strikes and protests, became a recurring face after a viral dance video and protest footage. Algorithms detected the emotional charge and recirculated her content widely, making her unavoidable even for those who never sought her out. The same logic works in reverse. Established BJP-linked celebrities such as Ravi Kishan and Kangana Ranaut, once algorithm favourites, now face meme-driven decline when their content underperforms or invites ridicule. Platforms care little for loyalty; they care about what sustains attention. In the U.S., the 2016 Trump campaign thrived because X’s engagement-driven feed rewarded provocative posts, turning him into a constant presence. Similarly, TikTok’s For You page has elevated obscure creators into political voices, just as Instagram Reels did for CJP....

Bhumi Pednekar’s recent statements on the Cockroach Janta Party protests reveal a deliberate pattern of dual engagement rather than ideological flip-flops. In mid-July, she backed student protesters after the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, condemning police force, highlighting education system failures like paper leaks, and calling for dialogue while noting she did not agree with everything said at the protests. Soon after, she posted a video criticising the abusive slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling such language un-Indian and stressing respect for the highest office and cultural values. The video drew sharp backlash for perceived selective outrage. She followed up by defending a young female protester facing rape and death threats, linking it to broader women’s harassment and her own experiences of online bullying. Pednekar was never a hardcore “Modi Bhakt.” Early in her career she supported aligned government initiatives such as the plastic ban and Swachh Bharat messaging, and donated to PM-CARES. Simultaneously, she condemned police violence during the 2019 anti-CAA/Jamia protests and defended peaceful dissent. Her consistent public focus remains gender equality, climate action, and education. She has also indicated openness to politics, saying national service is “in her blood.” No imminent film release drives the timing. Her major upcoming project, the historical epic The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is targeted for 2027. The statements appear aimed at sustaining a broad, responsible-celebrity brand: progressive on social issues, respectful of institutions, and positioned for constructive change rather than confrontation. This keeps her relevant across audiences without locking into one political camp

The arrest of former Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government under chief minister C. Joseph Vijay marks the latest chapter in TN’s long tradition of political vendetta. Booked for alleged sexually suggestive remarks linking Vijay and actor Trisha during a Cauvery protest, Udhayanidhi was detained from his Chennai residence, taken to Thanjavur for questioning, and released on station bail after Madras High Court intervention. The episode reveals how even a fresh political force quickly absorbs the state’s established grammar of power. This pattern is not new. The bitter rivalry between M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa institutionalised revenge as governance. The 1989 Assembly clash, in which Jayalalithaa’s saree was pulled, poisoned relations for decades. After the DMK returned to power in 1996, Karunanidhi’s government filed multiple corruption cases against Jayalalithaa, leading to her arrest and the creation of special courts. In 2001, after AIADMK’s victory, Jayalalithaa repaid the debt with theatrical force: a midnight arrest of the 77-year-old Karunanidhi in a flyover scam case, complete with physical resistance, media cameras, and the detention of Union ministers who tried to intervene. Subsequent regimes followed the same script: raids, selective prosecutions and public humiliation of rivals whenever power changed hands. Vijay’s TVK, which ended nearly six decades of DMK-AIADMK dominance in the 2026 elections, was expected by many to break this cycle. Instead, it has deployed the identical toolkit. In TN, control of the police and prosecution remains the quickest way to assert dominance and settle old scores. Vijay’s early resort to this method shows that star power and outsider status offer no immunity. The train of revenge politics continues, simply with a new driver at the helm.

As the Independence Day weekend of 14 August 2026 approaches, two films stand locked in a high-stakes clash: Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947. One rides on 19-year-old cult nostalgia; the other on patriotic scale, Aamir Khan’s production muscle and AR Rahman’s score. Yet trade circles and social chatter note a striking imbalance. While Batwara 1947’s trailer, dropped on 28 July, generated immediate heat and “Gadar vibes,” Awarapan 2 has struggled to sustain comparable mass visibility despite a planned promotional runway. Hashmi’s lead track record largely explains the caution. Since Raaz 3 in 2012, his films have largely underperformed. Selfiee in 2023, Ground Zero and Haq in 2025 were disappointments. Supporting turns in Tiger 3 and the Telugu hit They Call Him OG earned praise and box-office association, but they did not restore the “opening power” once associated with the serial-kisser phase. Audiences have grown selective; nostalgia alone no longer guarantees footfalls when recent leads have disappointed.  Against this backdrop, Awarapan 2’s campaign has been steady but restrained. The teaser arrived on 29 June and drew warm fan response for its brooding tone and reworked Toh Phir Aao. Songs followed: Ve Junoon on 7 July and Yeh Awarapan by Arijit Singh on 21 July. A motion poster on 29 July teased the return of Tera Mera Rishta. Vishesh Films had signalled a month-long push centred on music and character. Yet the music has not delivered the expected chart dominance the original album still enjoys. Has Emraan lost hope? Awarapan 2 still holds the advantage of an emotional core and a loyal following that turned the 2007 original into a cult phenomenon long after its theatrical failure. Whether that converts into theatre numbers is a moot point. For now, the marketing gap is real and it mirrors the star-power gap Emraan has been trying to close for over a decade.

Ranbir Kapoor’s first full look as Lord Rama in the Ramayana trailer has left many feeling underwhelmed. Where the Animal trailer exploded with raw intensity, unforgettable screen presence and a character that lodged itself deep in the audience’s mind, this one feels strangely ordinary. The impact that was expected for a film of this magnitude simply isn’t there. Ranbir looks regular, slightly out of sync and artificial. He does not inhabit the element of Rama. The dialogue delivery stays flat and familiar, carrying no novelty or divine authority. For a project this massive, some experimentation with the character was essential. Instead, the costumes and overall presentation lean into excess artificiality, giving the frames a fake, ordinary sheen that has triggered mixed reactions. The problem is compounded by timing. Audiences are still under the spell of Ranbir’s Animal avatar. That performance was so brilliantly etched and embedded in public memory that anything following it was always going to be measured against that high. Earlier, the shift from romantic hero to intense action figure felt digestible. After Animal, however, this Rama comes across pale and weak. The gravity and quiet power the role demands are missing. Ramayana is ultimately the story of Rama. Technicians, scale, VFX and a formidable Ravana where Yash is clearly commanding attention, will support the film. Yet the central figure must carry the emotional and spiritual weight. Right now, Ranbir’s Rama does not rise to that mark. The trailer has grandeur, but the soul of the protagonist feels diluted, leaving viewers hoping the final film rediscovers the force that Animal delivered so effortlessly.

The past month was rife with talk about Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay planning to settle in Poes Garden – Chennai’s epicentre of heated politics, high drama and intrigue. The hum about Vijay eyeing late CM J Jayalalithaa’s palatial bungalow to be his CM abode is gaining credence every day…the denizens of this tony neighbourhood are again shaken and stirred. Memories of an earlier CM’s dominance and security cordons are still fresh …add to this the domineering presence of her close confidant Sasikala is even more fresh. She has built her own palatial residence just across Veda Nilayam. Just around the bend is super star Rajini’s sprawling home, a place he coveted and contracted as his own nearly 50 years back. It is said that JJ’s convoy once had stopped Rajini entering Poes Garden. The latest is his estranged son-in-law actor Dhanush has built a Rs 150 crore lavish mansion in the same vicinity. The most unexpected win of Vijay’s TVK has changed many an equation. Imagine the shock of these same denizens when Dhanush posed for a huge fan club from his balcony. He is now harbouring accelerated political ambitions…if Vijay can, why not me? He is said to have even hit upon his party flag and social service plans. The huge crowd that gathered in Poes Garden on his 43rd birthday on July 28, augured yet another star entry into this crowded arena. Is TN uniquely distinct in this jump from cinema to politics? Only MGR had that genuine charisma, neither filmy nor posturing …he loved his state and even today has a phenomenal following. Many a star like Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Vijaykanth and a smattering of junior artists have thrown their hats in the ring, only Vijaykanth could make some dent.

Could this be the final public performance of one of Goa’s most loved musical icons? Goan musical heartthrob and Bollywood singer Remo Fernandes, best known for the hit Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, is all set to arrive in London for the Goan Festival 2026 on Sunday, 2 August 2026, at the Cranford Community College Grounds. The festival marks the Diamond Jubilee of the Goan Association UK, celebrating 60 years of service, culture, community engagement and charitable outreach. Adding an emotional touch to the event is growing belief that this could be Remo’s last public performance, making the festival a must-watch for fans eager to see the ageing superstar take the stage one more time. Sharing the spotlight with him will be some of Goa’s biggest musical names, including DJ Ryan Nogar, Godgodo, Raagas2Riches, Altitude and WestCoast, promising a spectacular day of music and nostalgia. The UK Goan Festival has grown into one of the world’s largest overseas Goan cultural celebrations, attracting more than 15,000 attendees every year. To make the celebration even more special, leading Goan bands are flown in from Goa to perform alongside Remo. Over the years, the festival has welcomed distinguished guests including Reita Faria, the first Goan Miss World; Longinus Fernandes, the choreographer behind Slumdog Millionaire; and Lorna Cordeiro, widely celebrated as the Nightingale of Goa. If reports are true that this will indeed be Remo Fernandes’s final public appearance, the 2026 UK Goan Festival could become one of the most memorable chapters in the singer’s illustrious career.

It was the first day, first show of Christopher Nolan’s eagerly expected The Odyssey at the original showcase of Chennai, Sathyam Cinemas. For an afternoon show, the crowd was overwhelming…80% were young people, film buffs who had descended not just for a rediscovered theatre experience…but many other touch points that attract youth. Are you surprised that a 2800 years old Greek epic, The Odyssey has churned up so much enthusiasm for Greek Gods and Goddesses? Have the young had enough of streaming, now wanting to participate in tradition showcased, celebrate cinematic oeuvres by masters? These young enthusiasts sat through the 3 hours, no cat calls, no disparaging whistles…just an audience immersed in the talent of Christopher Nolan unfurling the epic features of the Greek civilisation. Those of us who were taught Greek history could identify the similarities of Homer’s saga with our own grand epics —The Ramayan and Mahabharata. The Odyssey is a gripping legend of war, the rise and fall of Greek supremacy, and the conflict between faith and human failures. Matt Damon as Odysseus, the colossus who leads his army to Troy, encounters human and monstrous powers, and fights his way back to his beloved Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his kingdom, Ithaca, plays the lead with restraint. Tom Holland as Telemachus, the son and heir to the throne is a fitting choice, as he persistently refuses to accept that his father is dead or lost. This film adaptation of Homer’s epic was made at a cost of $230 million …a scale and grandeur reflected in every frame …the Trojan Horse, the Blue Aegean Sea, the depiction of the Siren Song …are masterful skill. But the intense involvement of Nolan in his film has made it somewhat lengthy.

When Vijay won CM’s status of Tamil Nadu, talk about his twin competitor, Ajith Kumar hogging the top film status in this void reached a high decibel. The two had entered the film world almost simultaneously and commanded enviable, and high remuneration per film. Even as Vijay nurtured his political ambition, Ajith had carved a parallel passion track as a Formula1 racer, speeding in a Porsche, 992 GT 3 in European and Middle East high stake races. The dashing dare devil race car driver and his alter ego persona, film hero, aligned perfectly. His last film, Good Bad and Ugly was promoted as a high voltage entertainer. Clint Eastwood and his iconic namesake film had made the spaghetti Western, a cult. Ajith’s film made at a cost of Rs 270 crore just about managed Rs 212 crore worldwide. News of Ajith Kumar’s next film, tentatively named AK 64, directed by Aadik Ramchandran sent his fans into a tizzy, starved as they were for their hero’s film and his notable absence. News circulated fast about which production house would be bank rolling AK 64. But there were no takers, including Sun Pictures…strange!  The real reason circulated fast and furious …the hero had stipulated Rs 150 crore as his salary. Thiruppur Subramaniam who heads the Tamil Films Distributors Association said, “not many can afford this”. Suddenly the news spread that his wife Shalini Ajith Kumar would turn producer, after decades of hibernation. The final list of cast, crew and other details would be announced by Shalini in August. Ajith Kumar is all set to stride the screen with guns blazing.

In a stunning case of reel life turning eerily prophetic, the Delhi High Court’s July 10, 2026 verdict upholding Rajpal Yadav’s conviction in a Rs 5 crore cheque-bounce scandal has thrown a harsh spotlight on how his 2012 directorial debut Ata Pata Laapata uncannily predicted his own downfall. Convicted in seven cases but with jail reduced to three months, the actor now faces massive compensation orders; a real-world echo of the film’s satirical chaos. In the film, Yadav’s protagonist sees his house mysteriously vanish and turns to the law for justice, only to become the prime suspect in a web of bureaucracy, corruption, and twisted justice. The bold satire mercilessly lampoons a system that punishes the victim. It was Yadav’s passionate directorial debut, conceived in 2005 amid industry recession and strikes, produced by his wife Radha under their family banner with a massive ensemble cast and heavy personal investment. Yadav secured bank loans for the Rs 20 crore project. In 2010, businessman Madhav Gopal invested Rs 5 crore with repayment agreements in place. However, after a heated argument following the 2011 music launch, Gopal allegedly obtained a pre-release stay order, publicly accused Yadav of fraud, and sabotaged the November 2, 2012 release. Despite over 1,000 screens booked, the film vanished from theatres within days; mirroring the protagonist’s missing house and flopped commercially. Post-dated cheques bounced amid the chaos, dragging Yadav into the very legal ordeal he had mocked on screen. While reducing the latest sentence, the court criticised his conduct, noting the law cannot be “rewritten at the will of an actor.” Yadav claims the investor’s rage destroyed not just his dream but endangered artistes and massive finances. As he eyes an appeal, this prophetic saga blurs fiction and harsh Bollywood reality in the most scandalous way.

The first poster of Dada: The Sourav Ganguly Story, unveiled on Ganguly’s 54th birthday, recreates his iconic 2002 shirt-waving moment at Lord’s with Rajkummar Rao topless and jersey in hand. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane for a May 14, 2027 release, the image evokes nostalgia but appears static and restrained, lacking the high-energy drama needed for a mass-appeal cricket biopic. Rajkummar Rao’s recent filmography underscores the risk. While Stree 2 delivered an all-time blockbuster, several projects faltered: Bheed was a major disaster with netting just Rs 2 crore; Mr & Mrs Mahi managed modest numbers around Rs 7 crore; Srikanth crossed Rs 60 crore worldwide but remained a middling performer relative to budget and expectations. Other efforts like Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video were below average, highlighting inconsistent solo draws despite critical acclaim. Motwane’s own track record adds caution. Films like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero and Lootera earned praise but struggled commercially, while even acclaimed works such as Udaan and Trapped relied more on niche appeal than broad box-office success. Cricket biopics have a dismal history. Azhar flopped commercially, and 83 with Ranveer Singh as Kapil Dev, underperformed domestically due to costs and timing. Ganguly’s tale of aggressive leadership and controversies holds promise, yet biopics frequently face challenges with pacing, dramatization, and audience fatigue. Early signals for Dada suggest a dignified but visually subdued start that may not spark immediate excitement. With Luv Films producing, the team has time for strong marketing, but history indicates star power and nostalgia rarely suffice to overcome the sub-genres curse. Execution will be decisive.

Dhanush and his 55th film, OM Chapter 1 has already raised heartbeats with its powerful teaser. The title OM is astutely inventive yet familiar like a soft blanket, a brand positioning like none other for Hindutva. If your memory drags up another such title Hey Ram, your RAM has super ready access. OM has already garnered marketable gold nuggets in many forms. Following the runaway hit Amaran, its director Rajkumar Periasamy is signed to direct OM. Posting its initial line up of popular stars, Dhanush, Mammootty,  Sai Pallavi and Kayadu Lohar. After the buzz and curiosity of the teaser, a new announcement was dropped …one of India’s most iconic actors, Naseeruddin Shah (if you haven’t, catch the Titan story where he plays JRD Tata’s role) is to join the cast of OM …just 26 years later after Hey Ram. Shah is to partner Mammootty after 32 years after Ponthan Mada. This hugely awaited film is from Dhanush’s own Wunderbar Films, and unravels a plot about illegal Red Sanders felling, the hero taking up the cause of those who fell the precious wood. Ok, we know It harks back to Pushpa 1 and 2. In cinema, imitation is the best form of plottery . But wait …the plot may be reminiscent. It is the release date planned for Ayudha Pooja day — 16th October — that’s caused a huge buzz. Superstar Rajinikanth’s Jailor 2 and Dhanush’s OM are set to clash as gladiators on the same day. Will the Sasur win? Or will the “estranged “ Damaad create family history?

The resounding success of Ghabadkund has ignited a new era in Marathi cinema, marking the birth of its first-ever cinematic universe. Produced by Dr Rasik Kadam and directed by Pritam SK Patil, the film masterfully blends suspense, action and ancient folklore set against a mysterious cursed reservoir in Maharashtra’s untamed heartlands. It introduces an overarching lore of hidden treasures, forbidden rituals, and awakening malevolent forces, not as a standalone tale, but as the foundation for interconnected stories that celebrate the region’s rich mythology and cultural soul. With a reported Rs 6 crore budget, Ghabadkund has delivered a strong verdict, amassing approximately Rs 7.57 crore in total collections by around Day 16 (Maharashtra contributing the lion’s share). In the producer’s visionary words, “We are creating a universe that belongs to our soil, our stories, and our people. This is just the beginning.” Ghabadkund has paved the way, drawing audiences into a shared world where legends intertwine across time and terrain. The narrative now expands organically, with everyday elements like bustling dhabas along rural highways becoming pivotal nexuses. Here, ordinary lives collide with extraordinary secrets, weaving emotional conflicts, treasure hunts, and escalating mysteries that bind future chapters into a grand narrative. Encouraged by good response, Dr Kadam has announced a massive Rs 50 crore investment for the second chapter. This technologically advanced instalment is poised to be one of the biggest in Marathi cinema history, targeting global audiences while staying rooted in local ethos. Spanning six interconnected films overall, the franchise promises unprecedented scale in visuals, storytelling, and production values. As Ghabadkund continues its strong box-office journey, the Marathi cinematic universe stands as a testament to bold Marathi ambition.

For over a decade, Hera Pheri 3 has resembled its own chaotic plot which was full of twists, betrayals, and shifting alliances. What began as a dream reunion of the iconic trio (Akshay Kumar as Raju, Suniel Shetty as Shyam and Paresh Rawal as Baburao) under director Priyadarshan quickly descended into a messy legal and personal battlefield. Producer Firoz Nadiadwala (linked to the original franchise) fought prolonged rights battles, including clashes with Eros and later South Indian producer Vijay Kumar over copyright claims tied to the source material. Banners shifted when Akshay Kumar’s production house, Cape of Good Films LLP, stepped in and secured key rights from the original producers. This marked Akshay’s transition from star to controlling force. Drama peaked in 2025 when Paresh Rawal exited amid reported fee or creative disputes. Akshay’s company swiftly slapped a Rs 25 crore legal notice for alleged sabotage and unprofessional conduct. The matter was resolved after interventions; Paresh returned, paid dues with interest, and confirmed his participation, proving Bollywood friendships are transactional. Priyadarshan’s recent exit added fuel. He accused Firoz Nadiadwala of repeated insults over years and claimed Firoz allegedly told Akshay never to work with him. Then came the decisive July 4, 2026, public notice in Complete Cinema magazine by Cape of Good Films LLP. It boldly asserted sole, exclusive, irrevocable worldwide rights to produce, distribute, and commercially exploit Hera Pheri 3 across all platforms. This move effectively hands Akshay Kumar full creative and commercial freedom, seemingly sidelining previous partnerships. With the trio reportedly aligned and Akshay asserting dominance, the long-delayed comedy may finally escape development hell. Whether it delivers the laughs or more hera pheri remains to be seen.

The YRF Spy Universe’s latest outing Alpha, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, has failed to emerge as the massive crowd-puller many anticipated. Despite pre-release hype positioning the two actresses as dynamic, cool young leads ready to anchor a female-driven spy thriller, the film’s opening weekend collections hovered around a modest Rs 34 crore nett in India and approximately Rs 60 crore worldwide; underwhelming figures for a big-budget franchise entry. What began as a seemingly seamless partnership between two young female protagonists quickly soured after release. Word of mouth turned dull, with critics and audiences pointing out that Sharvari’s role felt like little more than a glamorous showpiece with limited depth. Marketing missteps, including a controversial appearance on India’s Got Latent 2, comparisons of the film’s first look to Hollywood’s Nikita, and the perceived forced, superficial cameo by Hrithik Roshan, further dented momentum. The absence of any memorable chart-topping songs, which is a YRF trademark, only compounded the issues. Now, fresh videos of Alia and Sharvari meeting theatre audiences have surfaced, revealing a noticeable shift in their dynamic. While Sharvari appears energetic and engaging, Alia looks visibly upset, subdued, and far from her usual positive, dynamic self. In several clips, she maintains an uncomfortable posture, her expressions hinting at possible jealousy or quiet resentment. The easy camaraderie and playful chemistry showcased during promotions have seemingly evaporated. What was once marketed as a powerful female buddy pairing appears strained in the face of Alpha’s mixed reception. With collections not living up to expectations and personal awkwardness on display, it remains to be seen if Alia and Sharvari can salvage both their professional rapport and the film’s long-term prospects. The early signs, however, suggest everything may not be as picture-perfect as it once seemed.

Even as KVN Productions announced their Big Bang extravagant film, Toxic lead role by KGF fame Yash, the expectations hit the sky. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, herself an actress and artist known for her Malayalam hits, Moothon and Liar’s Dice, she is now firmly in the saddle with her talent to direct. Toxic, a drug mafia gangster film set in Goa from the 1950’s to 1970’s is an action, gore and thriller for aficionados, building up sky high excitement to see Yash in this killer avatar. Toxic is set to hit cinemas on August 26. The team had guarded a big secret till its recent glimpse video…it was all about Yash, but not a word leaked out about the sirens sizzling, spying and socking the male lead. Even as this mystery built up, the producers released the glimpse video. And a treat …the film has four leading ladies…Nayanthara, the Queen of sophistication; Kiara Advani, the artist who electrifies the screen with her appearance; Huma Qureshi, the artist who performs with much dedication; and Rukmini Vasanth, she of Kantara fame, trained at the Royal Academy of Arts. These ladies were not just gangster molls and props, parading in outrageous outfits…each one has a solid role that moves the story and generates twists ….Yash fans are in for a thrilling treat.

Cocktail 2 entered its second week on a relatively stable note despite the arrival of a major competitor in the name of heavyweight, Welcome to the Jungle. After a strong first week of Rs. 70.50 crore net, the Shahid Kapoor-Kriti Sanon-Rashmika Mandanna starrer collected Rs 4 crore on Friday (Jun 26) which was the 8th day, followed by Rs 4.25 crore on Saturday (Jun 27) and Rs 4.40 crore on Sunday (Jun 28) i.e. 10th day. These numbers were respectable for a film facing fresh competition, showing it could still command decent screens and audience interest over the weekend. However, Monday, the 11th day, it was a completely different story. Cocktail 2 crashed to just Rs 1.75 crore net from 3,873 shows at a low 16.51% occupancy, taking its domestic collections to Rs 84.90 crore. The nearly 60% drop from Sunday’s Rs 4.40 crore was brutal and exposed the film’s inability to sustain momentum once the new release tightened its grip. In stark contrast, Welcome to the Jungle delivered a blockbuster opening. The Akshay Kumar-Suniel Shetty comedy raked in Rs 15.25 crore net on its first day, jumped to Rs 20 crore on Saturday, Rs 24.75 crore on Sunday, and still posted a solid Rs 8.50 crore on Monday which was its 4th day. In just four days, it amassed Rs 72.25 crore net in India; more than Cocktail 2 managed in its entire first week plus four days of the second. But the moment Monday arrived; the ultimate testing day for every film’s staying power, Cocktail 2 completely surrendered. A Rs 1.75 crore Monday against a competitor’s Rs 8.50 crore is not a hold; it is a rout. The numbers don’t lie; competition killed Cocktail 2’s second week and effectively ended its theatrical momentum far earlier than it deserved.

Kangana Ranaut once zoomed through Bollywood like a queen in a sports car; bold, unstoppable, collecting hits and National Awards. But her recent journey has turned into a comedy of errors on four wheels. With Bharat Bhagya Vidhata crashing as the fourth consecutive flop, the highway to silver-screen glory now has a big flashing “Road Closed” sign. It’s time for a playful pit-stop analysis of the last four bumpy rides. First gear: Dhaakad (2022) — Kangana played a slick, gun-toting spy in this high-octane action vehicle. It looked flashy on the trailer highway but the audience took a different route. The film stalled spectacularly; a certified disaster with barely any collections. Flat tyre number one. Second gear: Tejas (2023). She soared as a brave Indian Air Force pilot in a patriotic drama. The emotional highs were there, the aerial stunts impressive, yet the box-office altimeter showed a steep nosedive. Another disaster. The plane of expectations never really left the runway. Third turn: Emergency (2025). Kangana took the director’s seat and played Indira Gandhi in a politically charged drama. It sparked debates and controversies like rush-hour traffic, but multiplex counters saw more tumbleweeds than ticket buyers. Disaster number three: the road was getting narrower. Fourth and final blockade: Bharat Bhagya Vidhata (June 2026). In this intense tribute to the unsung hospital heroes of 26/11, Kangana delivers a sincere, grounded performance as nurse Geeta and even co-produced the film. Noble theme, strong supporting cast, gripping real-life inspiration… yet the audience stayed home. The film city highway looks permanently barricaded for Kangana. Maybe it’s time to take the political exit ramp, where her fiery speeches and larger-than-life persona can still draw crowds and headlines. Or perhaps she’ll do what she does best; go back to the beginning, struggle, fight, and rebuild from scratch.

When did Karan Johar discover he is Janus-faced? After producing bling, bauble, bubble, highly commercial cinema that clicked with high voltage entertainment, he now wants to move on from fantasy illusion to folklore psycho horror illusion. Johar leaps into the perfectly crafted, absorbing and thought-provoking world of Malayalam cinema. He may counter your question why this shift? Karan Johar being Karan Johar may respond ‘Yeh zindagi hai ek maya hai’ …illusion. Malayalam cinema aficionados are chomping at the reins, waiting for the now in progress mega project from Dharma Productions …already Mammootty’s Brahmayugam and Pranav Mohanlal’s Dies Irae have raised the excitement for this genre of films …Folklore based battle between Truth and Illusion, normal and preternatural. Odiyan is a film set in 19th century Kerala. A matriarchal family Is threatened, violated by horror filled encounters with an Amanushya shapeshifting, para normal being. Kerala’s tradition and lore are full of such mystical events and ways of worship. It is said that the 4th Veda, Atharva veda deals mainly with paranormal phenomena. This epic spectacle has Karan Johar, Adar Poonawala, Apurva Mehta and Supriya Menon pooling their talent and skills. But wait …who leads the Odiyan illusion? Prithviraj Sukumaran and Manju Warrier are battling it out for supremacy in this script, directed by ace director Samuel Rahul Sadasivam. For those of you wanting more of shape-shifting horror …Werewolves, Japanese Kitsune (mythical forests), Norse God Loki (European) the faceless men in Game of Thrones, Harry Potter wizards and witches, Odiyan: The Age of Illusion is all set for scaring and socking the viewer – spectacularly.

Imagine Director Jeethu Joseph and superstar Mohanlal sharing the rarest of rare wines on a convivial evening …the Drishyam franchise. Embarking on Drishyam 3, Jeethu Joseph ekes out the last drop from this sensational, heady wine. Mohanlal, as Georgekutty has already internalised what and how he has to power this third part…the very first Drishyam shows what extraordinary heights he climbs to save his family …a naive wife and two teenage daughters from the blood lust of well-heeled youth…even as he successfully commits a crime and buries the evidence, he still copes with the guilt and fear of being caught. Lalettan carries the entire burden of his family and film on his sinewy shoulders. Drishyam 3 explores the pain and purgatory of his crime even as Georgekutty moves up the social and business ladder, still glancing over his shoulders for that potential chilling expose that could devastate his family. But in Drishyam 3, it is not the strong story roles of the cast, it is Mohanlal who carries the entire film. But what is amazing is that in just five days the film has raked in Rs 150 crore and is marching to Rs 200 crore like a lumbering freight train…54 % of this is from the overseas market, a testimony to the Malayali diaspora who yearn to watch films that feature their favourite heroes. Mohanlal does not disappoint…he propels himself as the only actor to that rare status of his three films, Thudarum, Empuraan and now Drishyam reaching the Rs 150-crore mark, and on his way to overtake Fahad Faasil’s Aavesham and Prithiraj’s AaduJeevitham. The Mohanlal franchise has many more to come as the complete actor.

Tamil Nadu’s new party in power and chief minister’s Joseph Vijay’s black dress code is much talked about. Coincidentally, Suriya’s 45th film titled Karuppu is in the news not for this colour or dress code but for several roadblocks that have made director RJ Balaji literally shed tears and producers S R Prabhu and Dream Warrior Pictures express deep concern about the film being leaked even before it’s formal release on May 14. CM Vijay even announced that two extra shows at 9 am could be screened as there was much excitement for Suriya’s screen presence after two years. Online and pre-bookings did brisk business. Imagine the sore disappointment when fans were told that Karuppu has been stalled. The usual carping that producer Prabhu had reneged on contract dues with financiers, that the KDM (key delivery message ) of Quebe Cinema had made some major mistakes …matters that defied fixing the blame on anyone. But troubles come bundled in jumbo packs …even as the team went into frenzied midnight huddles, news of Karuppu being screened in UP, Maharashtra and other markets sent shock waves …how could the film be released without its formal screening in Chennai? Was it a sabotage leak or a system failure …human error or digital outage? Director Balaji who had dedicated 32 trouble filled months in getting Karuppu with a budget of Rs 140 crore ready, broke down. A lot is riding on this film….Suriya, after the failure of Kanguva and tepid reception for Retro was hoping that Karuppu would break the jinx. Often insurmountable roadblocks are overcome by Divine grace. Even as Balaji apologised to the audience for the delay, he was optimistic about Karuppanna Sami’s compassion in rewarding those who worshipped him.

April 20 raised the summer heat some notches higher when the teaser of Ayushmann Khurrana’s Pati Patni Aur Woh Doh was unveiled. The expectation and salivation promised to stay charged with a teaser focused on a zany comic and clandestine cat escapade. Whatever changes in the world, men straying in marital bonds and coveting parayadhan is not going to change. Khurana not only juggles one temptation, but teaches how to juggle a third one too…reminding us of the Hollywood 1967 Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale comedy Don’t Make Waves …“one in the air, one landing and a third, pending”. Prajapathi Pandey is the lucky hero who gets to romance three ladies …Sara Ali Khan, Wamika Gabbi and the delightful Rakul Preet Singh who fight like cats on a hot tin roof over him, yet want to tear him to pieces for this talent. Vijay Raaz, playing the police officer, is bound to bring the roof down with his tongue in cheek interrogation of Pandey ..“You got caught with one, the other rushed in to extricate you..the third bird, is she a friend too?” Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Vashishtha play interesting characters as foils. A Mudassar Aziz directed comedy of errors, T Series and PR Studios have collaborated to bring this Zany Zappy complicated three-cornered love triangle.  You will have to wait till May 15 to get lessons on how to stray even as you remain married.

  The film Dacoit got mixed reviews trying its best to rise up like a stone at the bottom of a well and all but got its RIP reviews. Suddenly Dacoit has picked up speed and eyeballs…worldwide vasool is now Rs 50 crore, a jaw dropping happenstance for a film that has more swagger than substance. In fact, the title has nothing to do with the story set in a village. The antagonist and protagonist, Mrunal Thakur and Adivi Sesh filled with love revenge and blood lust, each trying to vanquish the other…none of the fearsome dacoit who terrorises. So what happened to that sinking film? Mrunal Thakur …this dimpled dazzling and quietly charming leading lady has single-handedly carried Dacoit and its sizzling gun on her shoulders, bringing viewers in by word of mouth. Mrunal , the darling of Telugu pot boilers, and the unforgettable Lakshmi of Sita Ramam (with Dulquer Salmaan ) has been trained intensely for gun handling. It is evident that she has worked hard enough to be compared with Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Kalyani Priyadarshan who have moved into the heavy lifting class of women centric films. Mrunal still has a long way to go …she is nowhere near Phoolan Devi, the Chambal ravines terror inducing dacoit …but she has put her heart, soul and delicate persona to test in this intense drama.