Have you heard? Cut the butt!

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukon in Pathaan

Cut the butt!

On the occasion of Deepika Padukone's 37th birthday yesterday, the makers of Pathaan and Project K shared her looks from the respective films. Coincidentally, the special day also brought news about the censorship of her upcoming action thriller starring Shah Rukh Khan. The Examining Committee (EC) of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked for over 10 changes. Three of these edits were relating to the song, Besharam Rang, while a major chunk was pertaining to the film's dialogues. We hear, the close-up shots of Deepika's derrière, scenes involving partial nudity, and certain dance steps will undergo change. The lyrics, ‘bahut tang kiya' also faced objection. ‘RAW' was replaced with ‘hamare' in two scenes, while ‘toote foote' was used in place of ‘langde lulle'. In 13 places, ‘PMO' was replaced by either ‘president' or ‘minister'. Also, ‘Ashok Chakra' was replaced by ‘veer puraskar', ‘hamari Bharat mata' was used in place of ‘Mrs Bharatmata', and ‘Russia' was removed from ‘Black Prison, Russia'. In the line "Isse sasti scotch nahin mili," ‘scotch' was replaced with ‘drink'. While it is not known if the controversial orange swimsuit has been retained or altered, we hear that Pathaan, which has a runtime of two hours and 26 minutes, has been issued a U/A certificate by the Censor Board.

Avoiding the clutter now

Uh oh… it looks like Maidaan's date with cinema-goers may be deferred again. Apparently, Ajay Devgn, who plays the iconic Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim in director Amit R Sharma's period sports drama, has asked producer Boney Kapoor to reschedule the release, instead of presenting the film along with the bunch of movies hitting screens in February. The actor has reportedly suggested that unveiling it in May or June would be advisable. Maidaan, he opines, is the kind of film that will generate a good word-of-mouth. Moreover, Ajay feels Bholaa is an apt follow-up to Drishyam 2, which continues to attract audiences. Initially delayed due to the pandemic, Maidaan's June 2022 release was deferred due to the VFX.

Fact-checking, anyone?

Over a year since Akshay Kumar announced Gorkha, the Aanand L Rai production venture has hit a roadblock. To be directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, the film was to bring alive on screen Major General's Ian Cardozo's heroics in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. But, following reports of questions raised by some veterans from the same unit as Maj Gen Cardozo, Akshay was said to have opted out of the movie. However, Aanand has termed the actor's exit as untrue. "We're not making this film now. There are technical issues. There are factual clarifications that need to be made," he has been quoted as saying. The filmmaker added that they will return to Gorkha in the future, after the issues are addressed.

Making good the losses

There's one aspect in which the south Indian film industry trumps Bollywood - there, actors compensate producers when their collaborations find no takers at the ticket windows. Over seven years since the debacle of Uttama Villain, which apparently put producer Linguswamy's company in the red owing to the losses that it incurred, Kamal Haasan will join hands with him again. The actor hopes to mitigate some of the damage that was caused. Recalling the box office failure of their 2015 movie during a recent media interaction, the producer shared, "Kamal sir has given us the commitment to do another film to compensate for the losses. Our friendship continues and we have met a couple of times. He will do a film for our company soon."

Siblings vie for box-office pie

Brother fighting brother on screen is passé. This August, we will see the Deol siblings face off at the box office. The makers of Sunny Deol's Gadar 2: The Katha Continues are looking to release the period drama on August 11. The date was booked for Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, which stars Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol. Coming over 22 years since Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, director Anil Sharma's sequel sees the narrative take a two-decade leap, following the life of Tara Singh (Sunny), Sakeena (Ameesha Patel) and son Jeete (Uttkarsh Sharma). On the other hand, Bobby is set to essay the role of the antagonist in Animal.

B-Town's newest BFFs

Rumours are rife that Suhana Khan and Agastya Nanda are more than just good friends. Shah Rukh Khan's daughter and Amitabh Bachchan's grandson are making their debut in Zoya Akhtar's The Archies, based on a popular comic book series. It is being said that the two star-kids got close on the sets of the film that also marks the maiden movie outing for Boney Kapoor's younger daughter, Khushi. Apparently, Suhana and Agastya didn't hide their preference for each other's company during the shoot, and would often spend their breaks together. While they are said to be keeping their bonding under wraps, those working on the movie are aware of their blossoming love story. Interestingly, Agastya's mother, Shweta and sister, Navya Naveli are fond of Suhana. Hmmm.