Have you heard? It’s good to be bad

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Farhan Akhtar's plans of making Don 3 have been in the news for a while. The filmmaker and his producer-partner Ritesh Sidhwani's announcement of Ranveer Singh as the new Don has further piqued audience interest. The latest is that Emraan Hashmi is in the reckoning to play the antagonist for the third edition of the franchise. It all began after the actor was spotted at Farhan and Ritesh's office recently. Interestingly, Emmi was teased about being the new Don by the paparazzi when they spotted him while test-driving his new premium luxury car. The actor only smiled in response. Emraan is enjoying the response to his baddie Aatish Rehman in the Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-starrer Diwali release Tiger 3 (2023), which dropped on OTT recently.

Readying for a new journey

It is known that Suriya is teaming up with his Soorarai Pottru director Sudha Kongara Prasad again. The actor is currently wrapping up some patchwork on his period action drama, Kanguva, which is being readied for a summer release. After a short break, Suriya will begin filming his next, tentatively titled Suriya 43, with Sudha around mid-February. The movie features Dulquer Salmaan and Vijay Varma in pivotal roles, and also sees Nazriya Nazim return to Tamil cinema after a decade since Thirumanam Enum Nikkah (2014). The social drama also marks composer-singer GV Prakash Kumar's 100th movie.

Sasha is back in his groove

A day after revealing the title and release date of the Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon-starrer, the makers of Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya shared a dekko of the first song from the ‘impossible love story'. What makes the track Laal peeli akhiyaan interesting is that it sees Sasha put on his dancing shoes again. The actor, who began his career as a background dancer has time and again flaunted his nimble moves on the big screen. Alongside a clip of the peppy number from the Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah directorial venture, Kriti wrote, "Killer moves, banger beats... get ready 'cause Shahid Kapoor is here to raise the heat!"

Teaser times

While director Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD is not releasing this Pongal and Sankranthi, the makers are looking to retain the film's festive connection. Reportedly, about a minute-and-half long teaser of the Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan-starrer has been readied and cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification. It will be unveiled in the coming days.

Adding twist in the tale

Talk in the trade is that Suniel Shetty is joining the cast of Karan Johar's next production, starring Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor. The yet-untitled romantic comedy is being helmed by debutante Shauna Gautam, who has previously assisted Rajkumar Hirani on Sanju (2018) and KJo on his last release, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023). While not much is known about the plot and the characters, we hear that Suniel plays a pivotal part in adding a critical twist in the narrative. Pre-production is underway, while the producers are in talks with an international giant for the streaming rights. Slated to go on floors in the coming months, the movie will release directly on the OTT platform.

The trendsetter

This weekend's special episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa will celebrate Raveena Tandon. Revisiting the 1990s as the contestants pay a tribute to her, the actor also talks about her many on-screen avatars. "I really liked experimenting with looks," said the actor. While others were scared to experiment too much, she would think of something different for every song. Raveena adds, "Back then, such radical looks were not common. But the songs became big hits. So, we were happy with the results."

Courting controversy

Barely two weeks since Nayanthara's Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food dropped on Netflix, it has been pulled down. Director Nilesh Krishnaa's Tamil drama revolves around a temple cook's daughter who makes non-vegetarian food to prove she is a talented chef in her own right. Recently, police complaints were filed against the film's actors and makers for hurting religious sentiments. Questions are also being raised against a scene in which Farhan (played by Jai) apparently tells Annapoorani (Nayanthara) that Valmiki has said in the Ramayan that when Ram, Sita and Laxman felt hungry during the exile, they killed, cooked and ate animals. Following the outrage, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd issued a statement to Vishwa Hindu Parishad saying they are in the process of co-ordinating with their co-producers to undertake requisite action to address the concerns and also with Netflix to remove it from their platform until edited. "We have no intentions as co-producers of the film to hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindus and Brahmin community, and would like to hereby apologise for the inconvenience and hurt caused to the sentiments of the respective communities."