Have you heard? Shah Rukh Khan to play an assassin in 'King'

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Thriller aborted, romcom on

It is known that Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor are teaming up for a film produced by Dinesh Vijan. Not many know that the filmmaker was initially planning a thriller, titled Spyder, with the two actors and Dasvi (2022) director Tushar Jalota at the helm. However, it is now being said that over the past few months, the makers and Sidharth felt that their script's box-office potential could be limited as audiences increasingly prefer this genre in the OTT space. After brainstorming on other subjects, the trio narrowed down to a romantic comedy. That's when the makers offered the script to Janhvi, who liked it and gave her nod to the film, tentatively titled Param Sundari. The title is inspired by the song from Dinesh's Mimi (2021), which also saw leading lady Kriti Sanon bag her first National Award for Best Actress. Pre-production on Param Sundari is underway and the makers are planning to begin filming in December.

No Oscar plans

When asked if she was hurt that her Cannes Grand Prix winner, All We Imagine as Light, wasn't chosen as India's entry for the Oscars, director Payal Kapadia rooted for Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies instead. Calling it a great film, she said, "All of us loved it. I loved Kiran Rao's previous film too. I'm just happy that it is going there." Probed if she would attempt taking her film to the Academy Awards independently, Payal shared, "It releases in America on November 15. The distribution [team] will decide that once it releases." Starring Kani Kusruti, Chhaya Kadam and Divyaprabha, All We Imagine as Light opens in India on November 22. Praising Rana Daggubati and his distribution team for putting their might behind it, Payal added, "They had a planned distribution approach. They were sensitive to the understanding that it is not a movie that can just be released nationwide without a thought to the kind of film it is. I respected that outlook to distribution."

Certified, at last!

After a long battle, including a legal one, Kangana Ranaut's Emergency has finally cleared the censor hurdle. The release of the period political drama, helmed by the actor-producer, previously slated for September 6, had to be deferred due to protests from various quarters, including Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The makers were also embroiled in a court case with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and eventually agreed to the recommended modifications to facilitate the movie's theatrical release. Kangana, who plays former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who declared Emergency in the country in June 1975, shared the update on social media, saying, "We're glad to announce that we've received the censor certificate for our movie Emergency. We will be announcing the release date soon. Thank you for your patience and support." Sources claim that the political drama will open after the upcoming Punjab elections.

Assassin games

Shah Rukh Khan, who started the trend of playing anti-hero in the early 1990s, with films like Darr, Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994), is said to return to the grey zone again. Rumours are rife that the superstar plays an assassin in director Sujoy Ghosh's King, which also marks daughter Suhana Khan's big-screen debut. The buzz about SRK playing an assassin has triggered a lot of curiosity among netizens, who are now reminded of his remark at Locarno a few weeks ago. Addressing a query about playing a negative role again, SRK had said, "I think I have a new way of playing a bad guy."

To shoot more or not?

While a lot has been said about Salman Khan's cameo as Chulbul Pandey in Rohit Shetty's Singham Again, a source tells us that the superstar shot his portions for the Ajay Devgn-starrer about three months ago. Given Salman's superstardom, Rohit thought of enhancing his special role in the movie, and hence met him on the set of Sikandar to discuss the possibility of shooting for a day to make his cameo extra special. However, in the wake of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's threats to Salman, it remains to be seen if the additional shoot will happen. The Diwali release also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Tiger Shroff.

Somy batting for Salman

Somy Ali took to social media to write a direct message to Lawrence Bishnoi, who has been threatening her ex, Salman Khan. Alongside a picture of the gangster, she wrote, "Namaste, Lawrence bhai. I've heard and seen about you doing Zoom calls from jail. I want to talk to you, so let me know how this can happen." Stating that Rajasthan is their favourite place in the whole world, Somy added, "We want to come to your temple for worship, but let's have a Zoom call first and we can have some talks after the worship. Then, believe that these are the things for your benefit." Asking for Lawrence's mobile number, she concluded, saying, "It will be a great favour for you. Thank you."

Motherhood beckons

Radhika Apte is set to welcome her bundle of joy with musician-husband Benedict Taylor. The actor flaunted her baby bump at the première of her gender-bending comedy, Sister Midnight, at the BFI London Film Festival. She also shared pictures from the grand event on her social media handle, saying, "Sister Midnight UK Premiere #lff2024." However, she didn't mention a word about her journey to motherhood. OK Computer co-actor Vijay Varma gave a shout-out to her. Producer Guneet Monga Kapoor also dropped hearts and shared her best wishes for the Vikram Vedha (2022) actor.