Bollywood Trendy

While Chulbul Pandey in the Dabanng series has a lot to smile, laugh and prank about, in Radhe,  Salman plays a very serious cop. We will seldom see him smile or joke around, and he will not sing songs either.

Says director Prabhudeva, “It had to be a different cop from the one that Salman Sir plays in Dabangg. Otherwise Radhe would look like  just an extension of Dabangg. We’ve made sure this cop is different, more serious.”

Apparently, Radhe is a tribute to Amitabh Bachchan’s cop act in Zanjeer? “Not in any direct way. But yes, both Inspector Vijay and Inspector no-nonsense. They take their duty very seriously and they don’t spare criminals,” says Prabhu.

Also Read: Salman Khan, Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff, Randeep Hooda wrap up Radhe ahead of the schedule

Pen Studios is known for producing relatable high-concept films such as Kahaani, Helicopter Eela, Namaste England and The Accidental Prime Minister. Touted to be a strong content driven entertainer the makers have announced their next Ravan Leela starring Pratik Gandhi in the lead role, who is also known for this remarkable performance in Scam 1992 – The Harshad Mehta Story.

Ravan Leela is helmed by Hardik Gajjar films and written by Shreyes Anil Lowlekar. Known for producing meaningful cinema, Dr. Jayantilal Gada shares, "The film has a very unusual take and it has turned out extremely well. It's a strong content driven film with melodious music and very good performances, which has always been the focus of Pen Studios. We are extremely excited with the outcome."

Director Hardik Gajjar says, “I believe there are many ways of story telling, I have tried something new and I hope audiences like it”. Presented by Dr. Jayantilal Gada (Pen), produced by Hardik Gajjar films in association with Backbencher Pictures, directed by Hardik Gajjar, the film is set to release soon in 2020.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Scam1992 actor Pratik Gandhi speaks about the thin line between confidence and overconfidence

Arjun Rampal's girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades was questioned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for the second time on Thursday. During the investigation, she denied having ever consumed or peddled drugs. The officials will be recording her statements on Friday.

Talking to a news channel, a NCB official said that she has reportedly distanced herself from her brother Agisilaos Demetriades. Her brother is the NCB custody in two cases for the alleged procurement, storage and sale of drugs.

A few days ago, the NCB officials had conducted a raid at Arjun Rampal's house in Mumbai where Gabriella stays with him and recovered some drugs. When asked about the same, Gabriella said that she is not aware of them. She reportedly also said that Arjun Rampal has never consumed drugs.

Meanwhile, Arjun Rampal will be questioned by the NCB on Friday at 10 am. The NCB had seized electronic gadgets like laptops, mobile phones and tablets during the search at Rampal's residence and questioned the actor's driver.

ALSO READ: Arjun Rampal summoned on Friday, girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades arrives at the NCB office for second round of questioning in alleged drugs case

A week ago, actor Vijay Raaz was arrested and later released on bail after a female crew member filed a case of molestation against him. The actor was shooting in Madhya Pradesh for the Vidya Balan starrer Sherni. The makers of the film encouraged the victim to file an official complaint with the production house and they set up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to probe the matter.

Vijay Raaz has been temporarily suspended from the film owing to the complaint received by the production house. Now, a week later, the actor while talking to a daily opened up about the matter. He said that he understands the gravitas of the issue and is cooperating with the investigation. However, the actor finds it shocking that his services were suspended and terminated even before an investigation. Raaz, who has been a part of the industry for 23 years now, says it is a dangerous place to be in.

The Run actor goes on to say that he has worked hard to build his career and reputation. He said that people are bound to make judgements without hearing the other side of the story. He feels that he has been pronounced guilty even before the investigation. He said that his right to earn a livelihood has been badly affected and calls himself the victim in this situation.

Raaz said that he immediately apologised to the female crew member who said she was made to feel uncomfortable. The actor said that him apologising meant that he respected her feelings and not admitting to claims made at the police station.

ALSO READ: Vijay Raaz to not resume work on Sherni after molestation case; eyewitness recalls incident

Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding! A while ago, it was announced that Marvel will be launching multiple series on Disney+ in order to focus on some fan favourite characters. Wada Maximoff and Vision played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Paul Bettany will be starring in WandaVision. The first trailer was released over a month ago.

Now, Marvel has set a premiere date. The official Twitter account of The Avengers revealed that the series will be arriving on the streaming platform on January 15, 2021. "A new era arrives. Marvel Studios’ @WandaVision, an Original Series, is streaming January 15 on #DisneyPlus," the tweet read.

A new era arrives. Marvel Studios’ @WandaVision, an Original Series, is streaming January 15 on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/jjR8GtADRy

— The Avengers (@Avengers) November 12, 2020

Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. The events in this series will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

WandaVision also stars Kat Dennings, Randall Park, and Kathryn Hahn.

ALSO READ: WandaVision: Two superheroes Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany live idealized suburban lives in the first trailer 

In his 40-year career Priyadarshan has one regret, “I’ve never been able to collaborate with writer M T Vasudevan Nair. And I’ve never been able to work with Amitabh Bachchan. Many times we’ve come really close to working together. But somehow the projects never materialized. For one reason or another, the projects that we were meant to do together fell through,” says Priyan regretfully.

The prolific director reveals he wants to do a Hindi remake of one of his recent Malayalam hits. “Yes, I want to remake my 2016 hit Oppam my film with Mohanlal. I could only think of Mr Bachchan as the blind protagonist. But he had already done something similar in the past. I am still searching for that one script that will bring us together.”

Priyan says he always looks towards Mr Bachchan for inspiration. “After more than 40 years of filmmaking I sometimes feel it is time to hang my boots. Then I see Mr Bachchan who at 76, continues to work for 18 hours every day in spite of doctors’ orders. And my batteries are recharged.”

ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar to produce a comedy for Priyadarshan

Arjun Rampal's house, on November 9, was raided by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as the agency is currently investigating drugs angle. His girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades' brother Agisialos Demetriades was arrested last month for another drugs case after which the couple came under the radar. Arjun Rampal’s driver was questioned at the NCB office by Zonal director Sameer Wankhede. Then, his girlfriend was summoned for questioning.

On November 12, the model was summoned for the second round of questioning by NCB. She was accompanied by her lawyer as she was seen leaving her residence. In this case, Arjun Rampal has been summoned on Friday, November 13 by NCB.

Earlier this week, producer Firoz Nadiadwala’s wife Shabana Saeed was arrested after NCB recovered drugs at their residence. She was later on released on bail. Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has said that no one has been given clean chit yet and if they find something, it will be put on the charge sheet.

ALSO READ: Arjun Rampal summoned by the NCB on Wednesday after his house was searched for alleged drug links

Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly in talks to star in a thriller tilled Ambulance. The latest development reveals filmmaker Michael Bay is set to direct.

According to Deadline Hollywood, "The logline is being kept under wraps, but insiders say the film is the vein of the great action thrillers of the ’90s like Speed and Bay’s Bad Boys. The script has been highly coveted for years but never able to lock down a director before Bay got his hands on it and instantly fell in love."

The script of Ambulance has been penned by Chris Fedak. James Vanderbilt, Bradley Fischer, and Will Sherak are bankrolling the project. Universal Pictures is reportedly working on landing the distribution rights. The plan is to take the film on the floor in the first half of 2021.

Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal will star in and co-produce HBO limited series The Son. It is an adaptation of the Jo Nesbø novel with the same name. He is currently working on Lake Success based on the Gary Shteyngart novel of the same name. He is set to star in and co-produce that project as well.

Michael Bay, on the work front, last directed Netflix's 6 Underground starring Ryan Reynolds.

ALSO READ: Jake Gyllenhaal to star in and co-produce HBO limited series The Son

Anurag Basu’s delightful ensemble cast in Ludo is an acting paradise. But tucked away in the film’s melee of talent and charisma is the director himself, playing the film’s sutradhar who compares life to a game of, you guessed it, ludo.

Basu’s cameo has been kept a secret so far. But it’s now out that he is indeed a part of vast cast in Ludo in a very special role.

Interestingly this is not Anurag Basu’s first foray into acting. He had also played a pivotal part in Onir’s I Am in 2010. His character was named after him, Dr Anurag Basu.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: “He is my better half,” says Anurag Basu talking about his and Pritam’s success formula

Actor Aayush Sharma along with director Mahesh Manjrekar all set to commence the film Antim's schedule with an important chase sequence of Aayush in Pune for two days, post which the schedule shifts to Karjat. The film stars Salman Khan in a cop avatar.

After making his debut in LoveYatri, Aayush Sharma steps into a hard-core, rugged and raw character of a gangster for Antim. Performing raw and real action himself, Aayush Sharma will be choreographed by internationally renowned Indian action director Vikram Dhaiya, who had also worked on Saaho.

A source close to the developments shared, "Aayush Sharma has undergone a huge transformation from the sweet Gujarati chhokra from LoveYatri to the voilently menacing gangster in Antim. Since the story is very character driven, Aayush's role is extremely pivotal to the film spinning it around its axis."

Since it is now called Antim, it signifies the end of the evil. The film will have start-to-finish schedule at venues in Mumbai and Karjat. The majority of the chunk is set in village which will be recreated in the studio.  Salman Khan will also be shooting action sequences and the filming will go until January.

It will release in five different languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Oriya.

Also Read: Salman Khan back in the film, Mahesh Manjrekar’s directorial starring Aayush Sharma now titled Antim

Filmmaker Kushan Nandy, who earlier made Babumoshai Bandookbaaz with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has announced the title of his next directorial project Kun Faya Kun with an interesting and unique video featuring the film's lead cast Harshvardhan Rane and Sanjeeda Shaikh. The shooting of the film begins tomorrow.

The announcement video, which dropped today, not just teases the viewers about the meaning of the title, but also hints at the film's genre is an intriguing and creative way. The onscreen couple, which is teaming up for the second time after Taish, reveals it is a thriller genre.

Harshvardhan also explains what the title means, "Be..and it is!", still leaving the viewers curious. And while the events that unfold in the video afterward gives movie buffs a closer look at the thrilling elements that will keep them on the edge, it suitably ends on a cliffhanger."

Talking about the idea of the film's announcement through a video, Kushan Nandy says, "Since the title of the film is like a mystery in itself pulling the audiences in, we thought it would be perfect to give them a sneak peek into what to expect from the film by telling them a bit, and holding up a bit. The announcement video also gives out the amazing onscreen camaraderie that Harshvardhan and Sanjeeda share, and we hope we have been able to pique the audience's interest with it."

Kun Faya Kun is produced by Naeem A. Siddiqui (Touchwood Multimedia Creations), Creative Producer is Kiran Shyam Shroff, written by Ghalib Asad Bhopali, and is directed by Kushan Nandy.

ALSO READ: Shabana Azmi, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Satyadeep Mishra star in Netflix’s thriller drama Kaali Khuhi, watch trailer

After the health trauma that he has gone through Sanjay Dutt was expected to be in subdued form on returning to work for the multi-lingual KGF2 directed by Prashant Neel. But Dutt has surprised everyone with his zest and energy.

Though Dutt is yet to resume shooting, he is into full preparation. A source confides that the initial plan was to tone down the action scenes in keeping with his frail condition after the cancer recovery. “But Dutt Saab is unstoppable. He’s like a tornado, not willing to let anything dampen his spirit. We are frankly very surprised by his enthusiasm,” says a source.

“I’ve not seen such a high level of energy in any actor. Sanjay Dutt Sir is going to rip the screen apart in the action scenes,” says superstar Yash about his co-star. We wish to see Sanjay Dutt back in full action, and going by his astonishing resilience and recovery, he won’t disappoint us.

Also Read: Sanjay Dutt gets a new look; turns platinum blonde ahead of KGF Chapter 2 shoot

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been continuously shooting the latest and longest schedule of his underproduction film Gangubai Kathiawadi in Film City, Mumbai. The current schedule was meant to be over by the end of October. But we now hear the shooting has been extended by two weeks to November 15.

Says a source in the know, “Very clearly Bhansali wants to wrap up the shooting as soon as possible. He has extended the current schedule by two weeks, so that most of the shooting for Gangubai would be over. After this schedule there’s one more schedule, and then the film will be complete.”

This 2-weeks extension of Bhansali’s shooting means a further delay in Alia Bhatt’s shooting with SS Rajamouli for RRR. Alia, poor girl, is working frantically to keep up with her deadlines. But little seems to be in her hands.

Also Read: Alia Bhatt to shoot big song sequence for RRR; may sing her own song

Akshay Kumar is on a roll. Just a day ago, his highly awaited film Laxmii premiered on streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar. In the meantime, he has many projects lined up for 2021. Amid all that, he has signed another film.

Akshay Kumar has reportedly given a nod to Mudassar Aziz's next. It is a whacky comedy and the actor instantly said yes after he heard the subject. As per a daily, the actor is trying to balance between real subjects, laugh riots, love stories etc.

Mudassar Aziz has previously helmed Happy Bhag Jayegi and Pati Patni Woh remake.

Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar is awaiting the release of cop drama Sooryavanshi which is helmed by Rohit Shetty. He recently wrapped up Bellbottom. He is currently filming Prithviraj post which he will resume the shooting of Bachchan Pandey. He is set to wrap up some portions of Atrangi Re, has a movie with Aanand L Rai called Raksha Bandhan, action comedy with Ekta Kapoor.

Reportedly, Akshay Kumar is on the verge of signing two more films - one is an action thriller and another one is a social comedy.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar to endorse PagarBook app?

This Diwali, India and Indian cinema chains will have tons of reasons to celebrate. After having experienced a rather tough phase due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, most cinema chains are all set to open this month as an outcome of the unlock guidelines. Riding with the tide of new beginnings, Zee Studios and Kross Pictures are all set to release their first international release of 2020 - Peninsula on 27th November, Peninsula is the sequel to the 2016 super hit zombie film Train to Busan that was a sweeping hit worldwide.

Announced as an official Cannes Film Festival 2020 Selection, Peninsula was set to make its world premiere at the festival. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho (who also directed the prequel) and starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung- hyun in the lead roles. Peninsula is set 4 years after the virus outbreak in Korea as depicted in Train to Busan zombie outbreak in Korea. The sequel follows an ex-soldier who is sent along with his team to retrieve a truck full of money from the wastelands of the Korean peninsula now inhabited by zombies & rogue militia.

Talking about creating his own Zombie universe, director Yeon Sang-ho says, "I imagined what Korea would look like after the outbreak depicted in Train to Busan and what kind of scenarios would unfold. It is also the culmination of all the anticipation from fans all over the world. I wanted to tell the story of modern people who live in a rational society, and how they react to a new world enveloped in barbarism and contrasted humanism” he added.

Shariq Patel, CEO Zee Studios, added further, “Korean films have a growing fanbase in India and going by the popularity of its predecessor ‘Peninsula’ promises to top that experience. We are confident that this film will be one of the best theatrical experiences our audiences will have this year”

Hyunwoo Thomas Kim, CEO of Kross Pictures, says “We’re thrilled to distribute a Korean film in India in conjunction with Zee Studios and feel privileged that it’s Yeon Sang-ho’s much loved Peninsula, which is one of the biggest hit movies in Korea this year. We hope it will be a great cinema experience for Indian audiences coming out of the long lockdown."

Jung-seok, a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives: retrieve and survive. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best—or worst—of human nature prevails in the direst of circumstances.

Four years after South Korea’s total decimation in Train To Busan, the zombie thriller that captivated audiences worldwide, acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho brings us Peninsula, the next nail-biting chapter in his post-apocalyptic world.

ALSO READ: Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula – Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-Hyun face zombie apocalypse in first trailer

Maniesh Paul has been roped in for Dharma Productions' next Jug Jug Jiyo directed by Raj Mehta. The actor will be seen stepping in a pivotal character for the family drama starring Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Neetu Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor, joining the ensemble cast of remarkable performers.

It was earlier reported that Dharma Productions had signed Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani for the Good Newwz director's next venture. Touted to be a family drama, the film would witness Neeta Kapoor and Anil Kapoor portraying the roles of Varun's parents.

A source close to the development shared, "Maniesh Paul has been recently signed for the film, there have been various discussions and readings so as to mould the character for the actor. He plays a very important role which fits the family puzzle perfectly and has a strong role that impacts the film."

The film is said to go on floors in November, based in North India and the film will be shot in Chandigarh.

ALSO READ: Neetu Singh – Anil Kapoor paired for the first time in Raj Mehta’s next

Actor Sidharth Malhotra has signed another film. While the actor awaits the release of Shershaah, he is reportedly signed a film with ad-film director Shantanu Baghchi. The film will be produced by Amar Butala.

Amar Butala has reportedly turned independent producer. While the details of the film have been kept under wraps, it seems to be based on true events.

Meanwhile, Sidharth Malhotra will soon begin shooting for Thank God alongside Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh. The film is being helmed by Indra Kumar. He will also reportedly star in the Hindi remake of Allu Arjun's Telugu blockbuster, DJ (Duvvada Jagannadham) and Arjun Vijay's Tamil film Thadam along with Mrunal Thakur. Adding to that, he also has reportedly signed an action espionage thriller with Ronnie Screwvala's production house.

On the work front, Sidharth Malhotra will next star in Captain Vikram Batra biopic, Shershaah.

Also Read: Sidharth Malhotra’s Fankind campaign to raise funds for children battling cancer

Mirzapur, the popular webseries on Amazon Prime Video, is in a bit of plan change. The plan was to drop Vikrant Massey’s character Bablu in Season 1 and Divyenndu Sharma’s character Munna in season 2. Things were going as per plot. Massey’s character quietly dropped out of the series in season 1 and no one missed him in season 2.

This is not the case with Divyenndu Sharma’s Munna. The character, with all his brutality and delusions of immortality, has become so popular as to demand a resurrection. That’s right! Fans of the Mirzapur series want Munna back, and from what is heard, he will be brought back in season 3.

How? One  of the main actors from the series said, “I think Divyenndu would be back. I don’t know they will revive his character. But, the script writers will find a way. It happens all the time in soaps. Dead characters are brought back to life on popular demand. So why not in Mirzapur?”

Divyenndu’s sociopathic act in Mirzapur 2 is breaking the  internet. The very talented actor suddenly finds himself in the midst of an unexpected level of popularity. On the large screen, we have seen him play scenestealing second leads to Akshay Kumar in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Shahid Kapoor in Batti Gul Meter Chalu. In both the cases, he was  superior to the  films’ official hero. It’s only now after Mirzapur that he has got the recognition he deserves.

ALSO READ: 13 most popular & HILARIOUS Mirzapur 2 meme templates; which one is your most favourite?

Bollywood superstar, Ajay Devgn is possibly in the best phase of his career after delivering the biggest hit of his career as also 2020 in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, which raked in over 270 crore at the box-office in India. The actor has his slated filled with exciting projects and is poised to strengthen his standing in the industry with every passing film. Just a day back, he announced his directorial, MayDay and he will be a part of the project in the capacity of actor as well, playing the role of a pilot alongside Amitabh Bachchan.

Bollywood Hungama has now exclusively discovered that Ajay has signed a five film deal with Amazon Prime. “Ajay slate is promising and he was being chased by multiple giants for a deal and it’s eventually Amazon, who has bagged his slate of releases. His deal in monetary terms per film is the second highest of all time after Salman Khan, who also has a deal with Amazon prime,” a source told Bollywood Hungama, adding further that the deal took place as his deal with star network is about to reach a closure with Maidaan.

“The star network, particularly on the satellite front, made a lot of money from Ajay Devgn films, which played a significant role in pushing up his market value. While a digital deal has been locked and signed, he is on the verge of closing his satellite deal too with a leading channel, the details of which has been kept under wraps,”  the source informed and also added that the deal with Amazon will have no impact on Ajay Devgn’s digital debut with a web-series, Luther, for Hotstar. “Luther is in his kitty and will take off next year, irrespective of the digital deal with Amazon.”

All we can say is, way to go, AJ!

Also Read: Scoop: Ajay Devgn to direct Amitabh Bachchan!

Actor Harshvardhan Rane has impressed the audience and critics alike with his performance in Bejoy Nambiar's recently released film Taish. While the actor is still basking in the success of the film, it has been reported that actor-producer John Abraham has signed Rane for his next production titled Bolo Sara Ra Ra.

Harshvardhan Rane made his debut in Bollywood four years ago with the film Sanam Teri Kasam. However, the actor has been active in the Telugu film industry since 2010. Bolo Sara Ra Ra is a romantic drama and will be produced by John Abraham in association with Bhushan Kumar's T-Series. Reportedly, the film will go on floors in March.

Rane was supposed to make his Bollywood debut with John Abraham's production Satra Ko Shaadi Hai in 2015. However, the film got shelved after shooting some portions. The film also starred Barun Sobti and Sapna Pabbi. While the film did not take off, John and Harshvardhan went on to become good friends and now Bolo Sara Ra Ra will be their first professional collaboration.

Meanwhile, Rane recently wrapped up the shoot of Haseen Dillruba which also stars Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey. The film will be released in the first quarter of 2021.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE SCOOP: John Abraham charges Rs. 20 crores as fees for Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathan