Have you heard? Eye spy

Pic/Suhana Khan and Shah Rukh Khan

Even as Suhana Khan is gearing up for the release of her acting debut, director Zoya Akhtar's The Archies, on Netflix, she is said to have begun preparing for her maiden theatrical venture. The yet-untitled film is a thriller to be helmed by Sujoy Ghosh. While it has been said that Shah Rukh Khan will have an extended cameo in the movie, we now hear that it will be a pivotal part crucial to the narrative. Reportedly, Suhana will essay a spy in the film and SRK plays the critical role of her handler. At this stage, there is no information about the number of scenes in which they will feature together. We're told that they will share an interesting inter-character dynamic in the film. Pre-production is underway and the film is slated to go on floors this November, after the release of The Archies.

Getting nostalgic

While Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for the release of Jawan this Thursday, Subhash Ghai recently shared the reason behind the shelving their ambitious project in the 1990s. For the uninitiated, the filmmaker had announced Shikhar with SRK and Jackie Shroff. A grand mahurat was held in Haryana, but the film, set against a war backdrop, was aborted even before it went on floors. Getting nostalgic about Shikhar, Ghai said, "We had even recorded a few songs for it. But we had to shelve it due to budget issues after the failure of Trimurti [1995]. So, we thought of making a small film and eventually Pardes happened." It is another thing that the so-called small film emerged a big hit in 1997.

Blow hot, blow cold

On one hand, Gadar 2: The Katha Continues is making moolah at the box office. On the other hand, Ameesha Patel is blowing hot and cold at director Anil Sharma. Recalling that she had differences with him even during Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), the actor said they still consider each other family. Having stated that she will act in the third instalment only if lead star Sunny Deol's Tara Singh and her character Sakina have the same significance as they did in the first instalment, Ameesha reportedly said, "I feel bad for Anil ji since he tried to push his son Utkarsh a lot in Gadar 2, but eventually, Tara and Sakina stole the limelight. Utkarsh is a very sweet boy. I got him into the industry, and his father is very sweet to keep promoting him. Let's hope some bigwigs start signing Utkarsh as he's a sweet boy and no boy would like to only be signed by his dad." While Anil hasn't reacted to her digs, Ameesha acknowledged him in a recent social media post, saying, "So glad Anil Sharma… so yes... Tara + Sakina = Gadar. Your thought related to this post is bang on."

Team building

It is known that Aamir Khan is joining hands with Dinesh Vijan to produce a biopic on special public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam. News is that the actor-producer is in discussion with Paatal Lok director Avinash Arun to helm the movie. Avinash is currently working closely with Aamir in developing the screenplay. Impressed with his work, the producers are also asking him to take over the directorial reins of the biopic. Earlier, Avinash's first directorial Marathi film Killa won the Crystal Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival and also the National Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi.

Teriffic trio team up

After creating several fashion statements over the years, veteran B-Town stylist Manish Malhotra has announced his foray into film production with his banner, Stage5 Production. Over the weekend, he revealed his first couple of movies. Interestingly, one of them sees the comeback of Zeenat Aman, who has created a flutter with her social media game. Joining the gorgeous actor is the powerhouse performer Shabana Azmi and the understated Abhay Deol. "The hard work of three and half years of Stage5 Production has also lead to curating and nurturing Bun Tikki, a special and sensitive film, starting in November 2023," he wrote about the project to be helmed by Faraz Arif Ansari. Manish is also producing Tisca Chopra's feature debut, Train from Chhapraula. The film stars Radhika Apte, Divyenndu, Sharat Saxena, Kusha Kapila and Anurag Kashyap.