Have you heard? Kriti to team up with Dhanush

Kriti Sanon, Dhanush and Triptii Dimri

Dhanush and filmmaker Aanand L Rai, who previously collaborated on Raanjhanaa (2013) and Atrangi Re (2021), are teaming up again for Tere Ishq Mein. The romance drama, which was announced last year, is slated to go on floors this October. It appears that Triptii Dimri, who was in consideration to play the leading lady, is not in the reckoning any more. Latest reports indicate that Kriti Sanon is in advanced discussion with Rai. The actor, who heard the narration of the action drama a couple of months ago, liked her character and how it drives the narrative. She is said to have met Rai earlier this week and committed to playing Dhanush's leading lady in principle. The paperwork is expected to be closed by this month-end. The makers are also in talks with a few other actors for the parallel male lead. They are likely to finalise the primary cast soon.

Sequel spree

Five months after Ajay Devgn's Shaitaan emerged a hit at the box-office, the makers are developing its sequel. Once the script is finalised, the actor and the makers will take a call on when they can take it on floors. Even as Ajay is currently filming Son of Sardaar 2 in the UK, he has Rohit Shetty's Singham Again and Rajkumar Gupta's Raid 2 lined up for release. The actor also has De De Pyaar De 2 in production and Drishyam 3 and Golmaal 5 in the pipeline. Having previously starred in Total Dhamaal (2019), it looks like Ajay features in the highest number of Bollywood film franchises.

Gaadi bula rahi hai

Over 23 years since Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), Sunny Deol will have an extensive climax sequence on a train. This time around, for Rajkumar Santoshi's Lahore, 1947. Sunny is set to wrap up the Aamir Khan production with a sequence depicting the principal characters' train journey between India and Pakistan. Insiders claim that the realistically-shot sequence will bring alive the chaos and emotions of the Partition on the big screen. Santoshi will film the climax over the next few weeks. He hopes that the sequence will give goosebumps to the audiences when the film releases in cinemas next year.

Abhay in royal company

It is known that Shah Rukh Khan's next is King, which marks his daughter Suhana's big-screen debut. To be helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, the action thriller also features Abhishek Bachchan as the antagonist. Reportedly, Abhay Verma is the latest addition to the cast of the film that is being produced by SRK and Siddharth Anand. The Munjya actor has been signed on to play a pivotal role. Sources tell us that he was sold the moment he heard the script and his role. The makers have reportedly finalised the shooting locations in India and abroad, and are planning to begin filming in November. Anirudh, who collaborated with SRK on Jawan (2023, will compose the background score and the soundtrack.

Language no problem

Buoyed by the response to his last outing, Bad Newz, Vicky Kaushal will next be seen in Laxman Utekar's historical drama, Chhaava. The actor plays the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, while Rashmika Mandanna essays his wife, Yesubai Bhonsale. Before they began filming the biopic on the Maratha king, both actors underwent a month-long training in Marathi. "Vicky's and Rashmika's characters naturally needed to have that Marathi flavour in their dialogues. To get the perfect pronunciation, they worked for a month on their diction," said a source. The period drama is slated to arrive on December 6. Incidentally, the date will see two of Rashmika's releases, the other being director Sukumar's Pushpa 2: The Rule with Allu Arjun.

No laughing matter

While actors take a break from intense subjects with a comedy or a breezy romance, Rajkummar Rao is getting serious. Bhakshak director Pulkit's next film has come as a perfect break from comedy for the Stree 2 actor. While plot details are being kept under wraps, the makers are planning to begin filming next month with a long schedule in India. Pulkit and producer Jay Shewakramani have also finalised Manushi Chhillar as Raj's leading lady. Keen on a fresh pairing for the movie, the makers felt that the two actors will bring novelty to their inter-character dynamics.