Have you heard? Aamir Khan, Lokesh Kanagaraj exploring superhero collaboration

Aamir Khan

The next action hero

During the trailer launch of director duo Raj-DK's new web series, Citadel: Honey Bunny, for Prime Video yesterday, Varun Dhawan revealed pursuing Aditya Chopra to make an action flick with him. Recalling Aditya's hesitation, the actor said, "He was like, ‘I want to give you acting roles, not action. You're not at a place where I can give you such a big budget'." Not one to give up, he probed the YRF head honcho for the budget. Varun further shared, "When this [Citadel] opportunity came, I asked Raj-DK and Amazon, ‘What is the budget?' because I'm getting this knowledge from Aditya Chopra that you need this much budget to make something look good in action." Expressing his gratitude to the director duo and the international streaming giant for allocating the budget to mount an action thriller on a big scale and giving them this platform, the actor said, "Because that is needed sometimes to make something look big, to make actors look larger than life." Hoping that the film industry takes notice of his action in the upcoming thriller series, Varun shared that he feels right now only south Indian makers are giving him great opportunities in action. He added, "I started working with Raj-DK, and Samantha, and next, I'm working with Atlee and Keerthy [Suresh]. That should lead the way for others in our industry to give me action roles."

Batting for cyber safety

The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed Rashmika Mandanna as the National Ambassador for Promoting Cyber Safety. Having been a victim of cybercrime when a deepfake video of hers went viral a few months ago, Rashmika said, "I am dedicated to raising awareness about these issues and promoting the message of cyber safety to drive positive change. It is crucial that we come together to combat these threats and protect our digital spaces." She also shared her new role on her social media, saying, "We live in a digital age, and cybercrime is at an all-time high. As someone who has experienced its impact, I believe it's time for stricter measures to protect our online world." Urging her followers to join her initiative, the actor added, "Let us unite to build a safer cyberspace for ourselves and future generations. I want to bring awareness and protect as many of you as possible from cybercrimes."

Brainstorming new collabs

It is now known that Aamir Khan will have a memorable cameo in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, starring Rajinikanth. Besides the special appearance, Aamir and the south filmmaker have been exploring a possible collaboration and are said to be keen on a superhero subject. Lokesh will develop the idea with his writing team and pitch it to Aamir only after they have completed the first draft. The superstar, who is getting ready for his next, Sitaare Zameen Par with director RS Prasanna, is said to be also talking to producers Allu Aravind and Madhu Mantena to spin Bollywood's first R100 crore hit, Ghajini, into a franchise. The producers have assigned their respective teams to come up with ideas for Ghajini 2, and the one that Aamir finally approves will be then developed into a screenplay.

Kriti is a hands-on producer

Kanika Dhillon, who has scripted and is producing Do Patti with Kriti Sanon, recently shared that the actor auditioned with 10 different actors before finalising television star Shaheer Sheikh as the male lead. "As an example of how hands-on Kriti was during the making of the film, I can tell you that she was like, ‘The last 10 rounds, I will audition with 10 people'," recalled Kanika. She further added, "Kriti herself went and auditioned with each of those 10 candidates, did that scene over and over. Aadhe toh ghabra gaye ke Kriti audition karne aayi hai!"

South-side partnerships

At a time when Hindi film industry's actors and filmmakers are collaborating with their southern counterparts, Bhushan Kumar is further consolidating the bridge between the north and the south. The T-Series head honcho, who is teaming up with Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga for Spirit, has reportedly struck a long-term deal with the Telugu film production and distribution company, Mythri Movie Makers. Their first collaboration will be the much-anticipated Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa 2: The Rule. Apparently, Bhushan has not only invested in the Sukumar-directed action drama, but also acquired its music rights. Other projects included in the partnership include Prabhas-starrer Fauji, Prashanth Neel
and NTR Junior's Dragon, and Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar's Good Bad Ugly.

Freedom film on her mind

Even as she is working on her next, Daldal, in which she plays a tough cop, Bhumi Pednekar is clear about the kind of films she would like to explore in the future. During a recent fashion event, the Bhakshak actor expressed her eagerness to explore genres outside her comfort zone, specifically action films and historical dramas. "I think what I would really want to do is maybe an action film, maybe do a film around the freedom struggle," Bhumi stated, emphasising her determination to bring this vision to life. She further shared her intention to manifest this ambition, saying, "I'm constantly putting this out there in the universe."