Have you heard? Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Baiju Bawra' bogged down by budget

Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Uh oh! Talk in the trade is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has put his next, Baiju Bawra, on hold. Reason: he is apparently unable to get a studio to back the period musical drama said to be costing Rs 350 crore to make. The filmmaker had first shared his plans of making the film with Ranveer Singh, before the pandemic struck. However, even as SLB was contemplating beginning filming later this year, with Alia Bhatt as the leading lady, he is reportedly compelled to halt all plans for now. Apparently. Jayantilal Gada, who backed the filmmaker's last venture, Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), expressed his inability as he is committed to wiz director S Shankar's next big-budget entertainer with Ranveer. It is being said that Jio Studios, Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Ronnie Screwvala too declined to fund SLB's dream project. Rumours are rife that Applause Entertainment suggested that Bhansali downsize the budget to about Rs 275 crore, but the filmmaker is known to never compromise on his vision. Last heard, he is working on other subjects, including reviving Inshallah. Guess, we will know in the coming days what he's planning next.

Save the date

About a year after Bhumi Pednekar wrapped up the shoot of Bhakshak, the film is finally releasing directly on Netflix, on February 9. The crime thriller is directed by Pulkit, who previously helmed the web series, Bose: Dead or Alive with Rajkummar Rao. Bhumi plays an investigative journalist in Bhakshak that is said to be based on the 2018 case where dozens of vulnerable girls were assaulted and tortured at a Muzaffarnagar shelter home. Pulkit said, "Our aim was to shed light on the harsh realities of society and spark conversations that lead to meaningful change. I'm looking forward to more people joining this important dialogue."

Gattu finalises his next film

Abhishek Kapoor recently wrapped up his yet-untitled action adventure with Ajay Devgn, and first-time actors Aaman Devgan (Ajay's nephew) and Rasha Thadani, Raveena Tandon's daughter. Even as post-production is underway, the filmmaker has decided his next movie. All we know for now is that the film is titled Sharaabi. Interestingly, about four decades ago, Amitabh Bachchan starred in Prakash Mehra's film of the same name. Let's see if Gattu's next has any connection with the 40-year-old hit.

Just beat it!

Recently, several celebrities shared the hardships they faced at airports due to delayed flights. Veteran percussionist Sivamani cheered up the passengers as they waited for their luggage to arrive. Instead of posting an angry message on social media, he pulled out his drumsticks and played the beats of the song, Humma humma, from Roja (1992). The public applauded his impromptu act.

Going West

Legendary actor Nutan's granddaughter Pranutan Bahl, who made her debut with Notebook (2019), is set to foray into Hollywood. She has bagged the lead role in American actor-filmmaker Rahsaan Noor's Coco & Nut. It revolves around an ambitious young woman who, even as she is fighting to save her marriage, gets a pick-me-up from her college sweetheart. Noor said, "From the moment I saw Pranutan in Notebook, I was taken by her talent and knew that I had to work with her one day."

Ayush is now a case study

An actor, UNICEF's ambassador for human rights, and two-time Time Impact Award winner Ayushmann Khurrana is now a case study in the UK. According to the findings of Lonon-based behavioural insights company, Canvas8, the actor's journey to Bollywood stardom is nothing short of remarkable. "An important aspect of Khurrana's journey is his choice to do risky films. He played a cross-gender actor in the Dream Girl films, a male gynaecologist student in Doctor G, and a regular sperm donor in Vicky Donor… saying yes to films which others were probably rejecting or not even considering," the study observed. Titled ‘How actor Ayushmann Khurrana brings advocacy to Bollywood', the study lauds the actor for projecting India's ‘growing influence through grassroots representation'.

Edit locked

Director S Shankar is juggling the post-production of his next two releases, Game Changer with Ram Charan, and Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan. We hear that the filmmaker recently locked the edit of the 1996 hit, Indian's sequel. The team is now focusing on VFX. Sources say Haasan has seen some glimpses of Indian 2 and is pleased with the way Shankar is ending it on a cliffhanger, to pave the way for a third instalment. While Anirudh has reportedly begun work on the background score, we hear the makers are in no rush to announce a release date. "Even though the producers are keen on bringing Indian 2 to cinemas on Tamil New Year (April 14), they will take a call only after the VFX company commits a delivery date," says a source.