Have you heard? Being bad again

Emraan Hashmi and Pawan Kalyan

Even as Tiger 3, his next as an antagonist opposite Salman Khan is being readied as a Diwali release, Emraan Hashmi seems to be bitten by the bad bug. This time around, he will play the baddie in his Telugu debut, OG, backed by the producers of RRR (2022). Emmi will be seen as Pawan Kalyan's nemesis in writer-director Sujeeth's gangster flick, which is currently being shot in Hyderabad. Excited to embark on the new journey, the actor said, "OG has a strong and gripping screenplay, and offers me a challenging role. I am confident that we will create a memorable cinematic experience for the audience."

Thrice as nice

Ajay Devgn's last two directorial ventures - Runway 34 and Bholaa - didn't exactly strike gold at the box office, but the stupendous success of Drishyam 2 continues to consolidate his position as one of the most successful stars today. News is that the post-theatrical streaming rights of the actor's three new movies have been lapped up by JioCinema at an enviable price. Interestingly, the biggest chunk of that amount is for Drishyam 3, followed by Raid 2, and Black Magic being the third. Interestingly, all the three projects are being produced by Kumar Mangat. Black Magic, an adaptation of the Gujarati film, Vash, is slated to go on floors next week, under the direction of Vikas Bahl. Raid 2 will see Ajay reunite with director Rajkumar Gupta, who is currently scripting the sequel to their 2018 hit. In a first of its kind, Drishyam 3 will be shot around the same time as director Jeetu Joseph's Malayalam original with Mohanlal.

To new partnerships

Sonam K Ahuja has signed up with YRF's talent division to manage her professionally. Interestingly, this development makes her the first actor to be managed by the agency despite not being launched by them. The only other exception is Rani Mukerji, who is head honcho Aditya Chopra's wife. Sonam has worked with Chopra's banner only once, on Bewakoofiyaan (2014), co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana. However, director Nupur Asthana's romcom failed to attract audiences to theatres. While she awaits the release of her next, Blind, the actor has finalised two tentpole projects, the details of which are being kept under wraps.

Dutt teri ki!

Yesterday, Sanjay Dutt celebrated three decades of Khalnayak with a clip from the making of the 1993 film. Alongside, he wrote, "I want to congratulate Subhash ji [Ghai], Jackie [Shroff] dada for being the perfect Ram, Madhuri [Dixit-Nene] for being Ganga, and the entire cast and crew of Khalnayak. I'm grateful and proud to be a part of such an iconic film, and cherish every moment of it. 30 years and yet it looks like a film made yesterday." While Jackie reshared his post, Ghai uploaded a poster of the film, saying, "Khalnayak was released world over on August 6, 1993, not on June 15 as mentioned on Google. And please wait for a surprise on August 6, 2023, celebrating 30th year of Khalnayak."

Hold no grudges

Avika Gor, best known for the television serial, Balika Vadhu, is gearing up for her big Hindi release, 1920: Horrors of the Heart. Few know that she was replaced two weeks before Salman Khan's Antim: The Final Truth (2022), with Aayush Sharma, went on floors. A day before she was to be signed up for Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, the makers called to say that they were going with someone else. Conceding that she was hurt, Avika said, "Yes, I am human. Of course, you have that feeling that I wish this didn't happen the second time. But I think it was meant to be. I'm not saying what they did was wrong. They have to take calls as to who is the best for their film and that's who they go ahead with."

Fun times ahead

Ishwak Singh will soon be seen opposite Vaani Kapoor in debutante director Sonali Rattan's Sarvagunn Sampanna. He has completed filming his portions for the social drama in which Vaani plays a lookalike of an adult star. A production source says, "Ishwak is the perfect fit for the role. His chemistry with Vaani will captivate audiences, and we're excited to present their fresh pairing on screen."