Have you heard? Adapting to the times

Kartik Aaryan

Adapting to the times

Like the debacles of Ganapath and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan saw Tiger Shroff without any new movies going on floors, the underwhelming box-office performance of Chandu Champion has affected Kartik Aaryan's slate as well. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala has reportedly put his next with Kartik and director Vishal Bhardwaj on hold. Not to be deterred by the setbacks to his foray into diverse genres and roles, the actor is looking to play to his strengths. Which means he is updating his slate with love stories and comedies. The actor is set to complete filming Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 soon. Anees Bazmee's horror comedy, which co-stars Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Vidya Balan, is a safe bet at the box-office for Kartik. The actor, who has director Anurag Basu's romantic musical with Triptii, is said to have finalised the sequel to Pati Patni Aur Woh too. Since he has previously found success in the genres of romance and comedy, Kartik is optimistic about reaffirming his position with his upcoming lineup.

Madhur's dilemma

Nearly 16 years since the release of Fashion (2008), Madhur Bhandarkar is working on its sequel. Even as he is in talks with a studio to back his movie, an OTT platform has approached him to make a series on the subject. "Madhur is weighing the pros and cons between a movie and a web series. Once he makes up his mind, he will tweak the screenplay and start meeting actors for the project," says a source.

No warring around for now

Rumours are rife that Karan Johar has put his films with Salman Khan and Kartik Aaryan on hold for now. Director Vishnuvardhan's Bull with Salman would retell on the big screen how Brigadier Farukh Bulsara aka The Bull led Indian Forces in Operation Cactus, the mission to counter the coup in the Maldives in 1988. On the other hand, Sandeep Modi's directorial venture starring Kartik, and produced by KJo and Ektaa R Kapoor, was revisiting another battle triumph by Indian forces post Independence. Considering the response to Yodha, and the slew of patriotic movies set against the backdrop of wars, the filmmaker felt that there could be a fatigue amongst cinegoers for the genre by the time his two productions would be ready for releasing. Preempting the risk due to an overdose of battle movies, KJo is said to have conveyed his apprehensions to his collaborators and collectively opted to put these subjects on the backburner. Hopefully, they will revisit these scripts in more favourable circumstances.

Spooky encounter

Shehnaaz Gill, who is currently touring the US, has claimed that she "felt a ghost" and "sensed some negative energies" in her room. In the vlog she shared online yesterday, the actor can be seen asking her cousin about the previous night's occurrences. When the cousin said, "There was a ghost in the room," Shehnaaz elaborated, saying, "Guys, we experienced something. There were some negative energies in our room." The actor added that her brother Shehbaz was too scared to even enter the room. He justified, saying, "How will I save you if I'm not safe?" Really now!

Fatherhood changes

Ranbir Kapoor, who welcomed daughter Raha with actor-wife Alia Bhatt in November 2022, has now opened up on how fatherhood has transformed him. During a recent conversation with entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, the actor shared that he feels he has lived another life for the past 40 years. Ranbir said, "I am feeling new emotions and new thoughts. [While] I never feared death, I always thought that I'd die at the age of 71 because I had this obsession with the number eight. I don't know why I said that, but now, I feel that's too soon. That's another 30 years." The actor added, "I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 17, [and did so] till last year when I finally quit. It was a nasty habit. When I became a father, I started feeling unhealthy."

Grab the date

KGF franchise star Yash is currently filming his next with director Geetu Mohandas. Titled Toxic, the gangster film also stars Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria and Huma Qureshi. Initially slated to arrive on April 10, 2025, it is now being said that the makers will not be able to meet the deadline, given the combination dates, scale and production schedules.

Soon enough, the makers of Jolly LLB 3 grabbed the date. Helmed by Subhash Kapoor, the legal dramedy revolves around the lawyers-protagonists essayed by Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi, both known as Jolly in the narrative. Considering that April 10, 2025, a Thursday will be a holiday on account of Mahavir Jayanti and the subsequent Monday, April 14, will be Ambedkar Jayanti, Jolly LLB 3 team is looking to make the most of the five-day long weekend. Subhash has completed shooting with Akshay and Arshad, and has ample time to ready the film for its summer release.