Have you heard? Hrithik Roshan and NTR Jr to film high-octane climax for War 2 in November

NTR Junior and Hrithik Roshan

Fight to finish

Come November, Hrithik Roshan and NTR Junior will resume filming War 2. The two actors are said to have begun their prep for the three-week schedule during which director Ayan Mukerji will shoot the climax of the action thriller. Since it is the next offering from the YRF spy universe after Tiger 3 (2023), producer Aditya Chopra is sparing no effort in ensuring that the Duggu and Taarak-starrer becomes one of the most thrilling extravaganzas of Hindi cinema. While retaining the core of the franchise started by War (2019), the makers are getting ready for an intense sequel with raw action. A part of the shoot will be held in a studio, while the location for the outdoor schedule is being kept under wraps. Reportedly, Ayan also shot some action scenes in Italy, where he filmed a romantic song and some scenes with Hrithik and his leading lady, Kiara Advani.

SLB is not remaking Sangam

Ever since Sanjay Leela Bhansali announced Love & War, speculations have been rife that the Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer is an adaptation of Sangam (1964). In a recent interview, the filmmaker stated that his next has nothing to do with Raj Kapoor's classic, which also starred Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar. "You should not remake Sholay [1975] or Mother India [1957]. So, why would I remake Sangam?" SLB has been quoted as saying. He maintained, "It is contemporary. The music is different. It's a new space for me, and I'm enjoying it." Conceding that Love & War presents new challenges, Bhansali has been quoted as saying, "It is a difficult film for me, so I'm being careful. I won't take my actors, myself, or the audience for granted."

And the award goes to...

All roads led to New Delhi yesterday for the 70th National Film Awards. Mithun Chakraborty got a standing ovation as President Droupadi Murmu presented him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Rishab Shetty (Best Actor, Kantara), Nithya Menen (Best Actress, Thiruchitrambalam), Karan Johar and Ayan Mukerji (Brahmāstra: Part One - Shiva) were some of the winners for the top honours.

All clear for the romcom

Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri's Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video (VVKVWV) has cleared the censor hurdle without any cuts or modifications. Raaj Shaandilyaa's romantic drama was issued a U/A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification recently. The film has a run-time of 152 minutes.

The back story

A question on his yesteryear hit Sharaabi (1984) on the television quiz game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati 16, took Amitabh Bachchan on a nostalgic trip. Reminiscing how the Prakash Mehra-directed Sharaabi (1984) began, the superstar-host shared, "We were flying to the West Indies from New York, with Kalyanji-Anandji's orchestra, when Prakash ji brought up the idea for Sharaabi. He outlined the entire story while we were mid-air and asked for my thoughts. I simply said, ‘Okay, let's think about it.' When we returned, he had already written the script. However, the dialogues were incredibly long - some spanning two-three pages!"

Chalo Jaipur

The makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (BB3) are all set to give a dekko of the horror comedy at one of India's biggest single-screen theatres in Jaipur. Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Vidya Balan will head to the Rajasthan capital today along with director Anees Bazmee and producer Bhushan Kumar. Insiders claim that the makers are not deterred by the star cast of their Diwali competition, Rohit Shetty's Singham Again. On the contrary, they are optimistic about their horror comedy and are not shying away from going all out to attract audiences to cinemas. While Rohit has had a successful run during Diwali, it looks like he is in for a kaante ki takkar this time around.