Have you heard? His way or the highway

Kartik Aaryan

Strange are the ways of success. Ask Kartik Aaryan, who is riding high in the wake of his biggest success, 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'. Talk in tinsel town is that he is acting pricey with filmmakers. Sources claim that buoyed by the notion that Anees Bazmee's directorial venture was a hit because of his stardom, Kartik is quoting a fat fee to anyone who offers him a movie. It's another thing that he denies hiking his remuneration. Moreover, he is being extra-cautious about his upcoming movies. Trade sources tell us that the makers of his next, 'Freddy', suggested releasing it in cinemas as they weren't getting the desired price from the streaming giants. Apparently, Kartik declined the idea saying the romantic thriller is more suitable for OTT than cinemas. Insiders say the actor feels it may jeopardise his box-office position post 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'. He is firm that 'Shehzada', the remake of 2020 Telugu hit, 'Ala Vaikunthapuramaloo', be his next theatrical release. Interestingly, it was at his insistence that plans of releasing the Hindi dubbed version of the Allu Arjun starrer were put on hold till his remake has completed its run in cinemas.

No good deal

Allu Arjun has reportedly declined to endorse a tobacco brand. Talk in Tollywood is that he was offered Rs 10 crore to be the face of the brand. However, Arjun, whose popularity has expanded across India after the mammoth success of Pushpa: The Rise, doesn't himself consume tobacco and doesn't want to send any wrong message to his fans either. Given that fans often copy their favourite stars, the actor doesn't want to be seen as inspiring his followers by being associated with such products.

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Triple treat

Darsheel Safary has added a three-movie deal in his kitty. The first to start is Tibba, a psychological thriller with director Gaurav Khati. "I was waiting for the right script, and I sincerely believe that a psychological thriller like Tibba will help satiate the creative hunger within me," says Darsheel. He adds, "These unique disruptive ideas will excite youth and families, all across the globe."

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Breaking the rules

As he gears up for the release of Liger, Vijay Deverakonda spoke about the challenges while preparing to play a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter in the film. He recently shared breaking the rules during lockdowns to avoid disrupting his training routine. Conceding that he isn't proud of that, he said that he continued his workouts by sneaking into the gym by 6 am from the rear entrance. "We didn't switch on the lights and didn't play any music," he reportedly said. During the second lockdown, he scheduled his gym time during the slot allotted for buying groceries and essentials. He continued sneaking into the gym till health clubs were allowed to be opened by the authorities.

Sonny days for Ajay

Ajay Devgn is a doting daddy to his children. While daughter Nysa studies abroad, son Yug is known to accompany his actor-father to work in the city whenever he can. The 11-year-old lad has joined his daddy dearest in Hyderabad, where Ajay is currently filming his next directorial venture, Bholaa. The actor-filmmaker is stationed in the Charminar city for his adaptation of the 2019 Tamil action-thriller, Kaithi till this month-end. Interestingly, Ajay has previously shared pictures of Yug behind the camera. Though the three-time National Award-winning actor has maintained that it's entirely his children's decision to pursue a career of their choice, it looks like Yug just might follow his daddy's footsteps into the movies. No?

Revisiting history

Back from her holiday, Sara Ali Khan is slated to begin filming her next, 'Aye Watan… Mere Watan', in September. Having begun prep for her first-period film, she is excited to portray Usha Mehta in Kannan Iyer's directorial venture, set against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement of 1942. What makes it interesting is that this Karan Johar-production revolves around the underground radio station, Congress Radio that the freedom fighter started. Usha Mehta's initiative played a significant role in the freedom struggle by broadcasting uncensored news and important information for Indians at large at a time when it was banned by the British Raj.

Happy holidays for Hansika

Following the success of her 50th film, Maha, Hansika Motwani decided to pamper herself. The actor, who turned 31 on August 9, took off to Europe for a holiday with her friends. Incidentally, the break comes at an appropriate time. She has wrapped up shooting for MY3, her trilingual show in which she plays a robot. The remake of the Korean series, I Am Not A Robot, is being readied for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Interestingly, the holiday also marks her reunion with her sahelis from school and bachpan ke din. Starting their vacation in Greece, the girl gang has Santorini, MyKonos on their plans and will later head to Paris.

It's so not funny!

One needs to be mindful about cracking jokes at others' expense. Ranbir Kapoor realised this recently when he and actor-wife Alia Bhatt did a live interaction for 'Brahmāstra: Part One - Shiva'. When asked why there weren't promoting Ayan Mukerji's directorial venture, she said, "Of course, we will promote the movie, but if the question you are asking is why we are not phailoed everywhere…" But Ranbir interrupted her, saying, "Well, I can say somebody has phailaoed," aiming at her baby bump. Seeing Alia and Ayan dumbfounded, Ranbir tried to salvage it, adding, "in a cute way." It's another thing that it didn't cut any ice with netizens who called him out for his insensitivity.