Have you heard? Buzzy 2024 for Ram Charan

Ram Charan

When he wasn't travelling with SS Rajamouli and Junior NTR for the promotions of RRR at global awards, Ram Charan spent considerable time shooting his next film, Game Changer, with director S Shankar. The actor plays a double role, of which one is an IAS officer who later becomes the Chief Minister of his state. Also starring Kiara Advani, the thriller, set against a political background, is said to be in the same space as the filmmaker's blockbusters, including Indian, Anniyan, and Shivaji: The Boss. Since Shankar was also working on completing his Kamal Haasan-starrer Indian 2 after it was revived, Game Changer became secondary. Now, we hear that the remaining shoot of the political thriller is scheduled to be wrapped up by February. "Ram is excited about his collaboration with Shankar and confident that the political thriller will resonate with cinegoers when it releases next year," says a source. Unlike 2023, 2024 will be a busy year for the actor. He is in advance talks with Jersey director Gowtham Tinnaunuri for an interesting subject and also Rangasthalam and Pushpa maker Sukumar for his next. Talk in Tollywood is that Gowtam's directorial venture will be Ram's next. If that's not all, Uppena director Buchi Babu is also looking to team up with the actor for his next.

Epic villainy

Over 25 years ago, Pankaj Dheer played Karna in BR Chopra's epic television serial, Mahabharat. Now, his actor-son Nikitin Dheer is gearing up for his foray into mythology, as Raavan in Shrimad Ramayan. The actor, who has played negative characters in films like Sooryavanshi, says, "Embracing the complexity and depth of this iconic figure is both a challenge and an exhilarating opportunity. I am a little nervous, but that only helps me perform better, and it is the fuel I need."

Another redux for Dhawans?

Varun Dhawan is teaming up with director-daddy David Dhawan for his next film, produced by Ramesh Taurani. We hear that the director has zeroed in on a potential big-screen entertainer that will also attract family audiences to cinemas. While details of the subject are being kept under wraps, we've learnt that the yet-untitled film will feature two heroines opposite Varun. However, unlike Judwaa 2, the actor won't be playing a double role this time around. The makers are looking to sign top female actors for the movie, which will also feature an ensemble of veterans of comedy. The film is slated to go on floors in the summer.

Going digital

Even as filmmakers are looking to book the best dates for their films, several titles are still taking the OTT route. The latest is director Homi Adajania's Murder Mubarak, starring Sara Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Kunal Kemmu, Vijay Verma, and the director's favourite, Dimple Kapadia. Based on Anuja Chauhan's bestseller, Club You To Death, the quirky thriller also features Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Deven Bhojani, and Suhail Nayyar. Reportedly, producer Dinesh Vijan has inked a profitable deal with Netflix after their successful collaborations on Mimi, Dasvi, and Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga. Murder Mubarak is in the final stages of post-production, and its streaming date will be announced soon.

Adieu, Anup Ghoshal

Those familiar with films of the 1980s will surely remember Shekhar Kapur's cult classic, Masoom, starring Naseeruddin Shah with Urmila Matondkar and Jugal Hansraj as child artistes. As they will the memorable song, Tujhse naaraaz nahin zindagi. Bengali singer Anup Ghoshal, 78, who rendered the melodious track, passed away on Friday due to multiple-organ failure. Reportedly, he had been admitted in the hospital for several days due to age-related ailments. He is survived by two daughters. Ghoshal, who also contributed to Satyajit Ray's movies, ventured into politics over a decade ago. He won the assembly elections on an All India Trinamool Congress ticket.

Chalo Ayodhya

The buzz in B-Town is that several big names will head to Ayodhya later next month. The Shri Ram Mandir will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on January 22, and it will be attended by several dignitaries from various industries. Apparently, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rohit Shetty, Rajkumar Hirani, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Anupam Kher, producer Mahaveer Jain, and several others will be present for the grand occasion. That's not all; south superstars like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, Dhanush, and Rishab Shetty have also been reportedly invited to the ceremony, which will also see the installation of Ram Lalla's idol in the temple premises.