Have you heard? Swooping for the BO

Shah Rukh Khan

While Shah Rukh Khan is known to go all out for his releases, he has proven to be extra strategic when another film clashes with his at the box office. Whether it was his Chennai Express against Akshay Kumar's Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobaara (2013) or his Raees vs Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil (2017), the superstar spared no effort in scoring a considerable lead over his competition. It won't be any different as SRK's Dunki arrives a day before Prabhas and director Prashanth Neel's Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire next Friday. Talk in the trade is that the superstar-producer is hosting a big bash for the distributors and important exhibitors of his upcoming film this weekend. The important guests have been flown down from all over the country for this grand evening. Also known to be a charmer with his guests, SRK will reportedly be present for this relation-strengthening meeting to secure the best and the maximum shows in crucial centres to ensure that the Rajkumar Hirani directorial venture keeps maintains his box-office momentum of Pathaan and Jawan.

Long time, no see

Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Agastya Nanda and Vrinda Rai were spotted at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School on Friday. Pic/Yogen Shah

New year, new beginnings

It has been a good year for Agastya Nanda. Earlier in 2023, he was signed on for Ekkis, Sriram Raghavan's biopic on Param Vir Chakra awardee Arun Kheterpal, who sacrificed his life destroying enemy tanks in the Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. The actor had participated in multiple workshops with his director and trained with acting and diction coaches to work on the nuances of his character before taking a break to promote his debut film, Zoya Akhtar's The Archies. Agastya, who earned praise for his performance as Archie Andrews, is said to resume his prep for Ekkis in the coming days. Apart from reading sessions, he will undergo another series of workshops before Sriram begins filming in the second half of January.

In recovery mode

Thursday ended on a tense note for Shreyas Talpade. After a fun-filled shoot of Welcome to the Jungle, he reached home and complained of uneasiness to wife Deepti. She rushed him to a hospital in Andheri, where he underwent an angioplasty. Last morning, Deepti shared his health update on social media. She wrote, "Shreyas is now in stable condition and will be discharged in a few days. We're grateful the medical team's care and timely response have been instrumental during this time." Requesting privacy as Shreyas recovers, she wrote to the fans, "Your unwavering support has been a tremendous source of strength for both of us."

Vinod gets a surprise from Big B

Vidhu Vinod Chopra was recently surprised to receive a gift accompanied by a note from Amitabh Bachchan, praising his latest film, 12th Fail, starring Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankar. Big B's note read, "Vinod…I am typing this note because I am unable to write due to recent hand surgery! Wishing you, as always, the very best. Champagne and red wine, as promised. Such an impressive film, 12th Fail, made with such honesty and purity of thought. And what a star cast! Each one is so brilliant. How on earth did you get them, and how were you able to extract the performance that each one has given?" Chopra responded to Bachchan, saying, "A big thank you to the legendary Amitabh Bachchan for his empowering words for all the 12th Fail actors. Embrace pride in your journey!"

Out for revenge

Two years since her web series debut, Aranyak, Raveena Tandon returns to digital entertainment with her new show, Karmma Calling. She plays the role of Indrani Kothari, the reigning queen of Alibaug society in director Ruchi Narain's adaptation of American drama series, Revenge, which starred Madeline Stowe as the protagonist. "Indrani Kothari believes the world is her stage. Playing her helped me explore more of myself as an actor," says Raveena. Sharing that she has never played this kind of a role before, the actor adds, "Karmma Calling is definitely more than what meets the eye and explores different facets of the world of the rich."

The good bad guy

Jackie Shroff, who started his acting innings as a baddie in Dev Anand's Swami Dada (1982), has gone grey several times over the years. Previously seen as the terrorist Omar Hafeez in Rohit Shetty's Sooryavanshi (2021), the actor will soon be playing the villain in Varun Dhawan's remake of Thalapathy Vijay's Tamil hit, Theri (2016). We hear Jackie has already shot some portions for the yet-untitled film helmed by Kalees. While Varun is currently filming with Wamiqa Gabbi in Kochi, Jackie will reunite with the team later in January to shoot his remaining portions.