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Priyanka Chopra, Varanasi and the question of a Telugu debut; was the Ram Charan starrer Thoofan forgotten?

The Varanasi team’s widely circulated interview with Screen Rant features a rather awkward moment. When the interviewer asks Priyanka Chopra about her Telugu debut in Varanasi, the actor says she cannot remember when she last did a Telugu film. Mahesh Babu quickly steps in to add, “This is her first Telugu film.” But that is not entirely accurate. Priyanka Chopra had, in fact, featured in the Telugu version of the Amitabh Bachchan classic Zanjeer in 2013. Titled Thoofan, the Ram Charan starrer had Priyanka playing his love interest in what was admittedly a small role. At the time, Chopra had expressed considerable gratitude to the makers of Thoofan, as opportunities in Bollywood were scarce for her then. A senior member of the Thoofan team views her current statement as a case of selective amnesia. “When we signed her for Thoofan, nobody in the Hindi film industry was willing to sign her. We ourselves felt the role was not substantial enough for a future global star like her. But s...

The Strangers: Chapter 3 review – pointless remake trilogy ends with a sputter

Renny Harlin’s thankless trio of movies, taking a simple story and extending it for no creative reason, is at least finally over If you’re wondering how this shrug-along horror series has got this far, Renny Harlin shot all three back-to-back in Bratislava in late 2022; reshoots followed the indifferent response to the first chapter in 2024, which didn’t much alleviate the even more indifferent response to last year’s second . We’re getting them whether we wanted them or not: the modest resources had been spent, and so we now arrive at the last knockings which comprise this year’s most dutiful carnage. The mistake is to expand a morally gloomy universe that was better off self-contained; the more light Harlin and collaborators let in, the more their set-up presents as generic runaround, hopelessly out of place amid the recent horror renaissance. We’re deep into Strangers lore now, but last girl standing Maya (Riverdale graduate Madelaine Petsch, who surely hoped this was her Neve Ca...

Manoj Bajpayee replaces Govinda in Bhagam Bhag 2: Report

Bhagam Bhag 2, the sequel to one of Bollywood’s enduring comedies, has seen a notable change in its cast as production advances toward a scheduled start. Reports emerging from industry sources indicate that Manoj Bajpayee will join stars Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal for the follow-up, while original cast member Govinda is not expected to return. The original Bhagam Bhag (2006) featured Akshay Kumar, Govinda and Paresh Rawal in memorable comic roles and became a cult favourite over the years. As the sequel moves closer to production, the casting list is shifting. According toa report by Variety India, acclaimed actor Manoj Bajpayee is set to take on a significant role alongside Kumar and Rawal. Govinda, who played one of the lead comic roles in the first film, is reportedly not part of the new instalment. The report noted that discussions with him did not materialise into a confirmed role for Bhagam Bhag 2, and the casting change marks a departure from early expectations. The sequel...

Farah Khan develops double-role concept for Shah Rukh Khan in Main Hoon Na 2: Report

After the anticipation around Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film King reaches its peak, fresh reports suggest that the actor’s next project could be a sequel to one of his most beloved films, Main Hoon Na. According to an exclusive from Pinkvilla, discussions between Khan and filmmaker Farah Khan are progressing, pointing to Main Hoon Na 2 as a strong contender for his post-King slate. Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan to reunite If realised, this sequel would mark a reunion between Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan after nearly 12 years. Their collaborations in the past — including Om Shanti Om (2007) and Happy New Year (2014) — delivered significant box office results and helped define the commercial cinema of their respective eras. Sources quoted in the report say Farah Khan has devised an “exciting double-role concept” specifically for Khan. “Farah Khan has cracked an exciting double-role concept for Shah Rukh Khan, which has excited the superstar,” one insider told Pinkvilla. “The idea is s...

Purr-fect casting: is Orangey the most important movie cat ever?

A new retrospective celebrates the work of the cat credited with roles in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Comedy of Terrors and Rhubarb In the midst of Oscar season, it becomes evident just how much work it takes to win an Academy Award, both in on-screen work and off-screen campaigning. Consider, however, that multiple actors have won more than one Oscar. (Emma Stone, one of this year’s best actress nominees, won twice in the past decade.) Only a single cat, meanwhile, has twice won the Patsy – the Picture Animal Top Star of the Year. (The award, given by the American Humane Association, not to be confused with the Humane Society, was discontinued in 1986.) That cat is Orangey, the subject of a small retrospective at New York City’s Metrograph cinema. Plenty of rep houses will play a movie like Breakfast at Tiffany’s around Valentine’s Day; the Metrograph is going deeper into the Orangey catalogue for a wider variety of titles and genres. Breakfast at Tiffany’s does offer Orangey his mo...

Vivek Oberoi files suit in Delhi HC against AI-generated misuse and fake social accounts

Actor and entrepreneur Vivek Oberoi has approached the Delhi High Court, filing a civil suit seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights amid alleged widespread misuse of his identity through fake social media accounts, unauthorised merchandise and AI-generated content. In the petition filed through advocates Sana Raees Khan and Pranay Chitale, Oberoi asserts that his name, image, voice, likeness and other distinctive attributes associated with him are being exploited without his consent for commercial and other gains. The suit names entities such as Collector Bazar, ZoomMantra and Indiancontent among the defendants, alongside unidentified individuals labelled as John Doe. Oberoi’s legal team has sought a permanent injunction to restrain infringement of his personality rights, alleging that the defendants are actively impersonating him on platforms such as Instagram by operating fake accounts using his identity. The plea also highlights the sale of unauthorised merchan...

Relationship Goals review – Kelly Rowland and Method Man flirt through breezy romcom

The Valentine’s Day offerings begin with Amazon’s fast-paced, millennial-coded film that’s a fun enough watch even if its messaging is a little suspect On its face, Relationship Goals is a classic romcom, calibrated for viewers of a certain generation. The perennially resplendent Kelly Rowland is Leah, a boss babe morning TV producer in line to replace her retiring boss (the omnipresent Matt Walsh) as showrunner. Just as she’s poised to break the glass ceiling, the network higher-ups stick her in a bake-off with Jarrett, a ringer from her romantic past played with devil charm by Method Man. The promise of one of Destiny’s Children playing the will they/won’t they game with the hunk of the Wu-Tang Clan could well prove too strong a lure to stop the scores who grew up on their music from clicking on the Prime Video thumbnail just out of nostalgic curiosity. It’s a tractor beam made stronger by director Linda Mendoza’s extraordinarily fast pace. I mean, those 90 minutes just breeze by. ...

Not just Animal Park, is Sandeep Reddy Vanga planning a part 3 of Animal too?

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Ranbir Kapoor-starrer blockbuster Animal may be getting even bigger than originally planned. While Animal Park, the second instalment of the franchise, is still in the scripting stage, strong industry buzz suggests that Vanga could be contemplating expanding the narrative into a three-part saga. Though there has been no official announcement yet, sources familiar with the development indicate that the filmmaker’s creative ambitions for the sequel may have outgrown the idea of a simple two-part structure. “Vanga’s original plan was to tell the story in two films,” a source close to the project told this writer. “But while writing the second part, he realised the narrative had far more depth and material than could be contained in just one more instalment. That’s when the possibility of a third part entered the picture.” If this plan moves forward, Ranbir Kapoor is expected to remain the common thread across all three films. Interestingly, insiders suggest that th...

EXCLUSIVE: Adivi Sesh-Mrunal Thakur starrer Dacoit to release on April 10; makers of Pan-India action entertainer realign strategy amid multiple big releases

The exciting teaser of Dacoit was launched with much fanfare in December in the presence of its lead actors, Adivi Sesh, Mrunal Thakur and Anurag Kashyap. The Pan-India action entertainer was scheduled to release on March 19, 2026 and Bollywood Hungama has now exclusively learned that Dacoit has been pushed. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “With March witnessing multiple releases and announcements, the makers of Dacoit have thoughtfully realigned the film’s release plans, shifting the date to April 10. It was earlier set to arrive alongside Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic: A Fairytale For Grown-Ups, making it a time when multiple highly anticipated films were slated to release together. The team holds great respect for both Dhurandhar as well as Toxic and their creative teams, and firmly believes that every theatrical release deserves its own moment with audiences.” Trade sources believe that postponing the release date of Dacoit, previously described by the makers as a ‘gold fish...

Meryl Streep cast as Joni Mitchell in new biopic

The Oscar-winning actor will star in the Cameron Crowe-directed feature about the singer-songwriter’s life Meryl Streep is to play Joni Mitchell in a forthcoming biopic of the singer-songwriter directed by Cameron Crowe, according to record executive Clive Davis. Davis confirmed the rumours surrounding the casting at his pre-Grammys party on Saturday, reports Rolling Stone. Last year, Anya Taylor-Joy was linked to the project in the role of the younger Mitchell, as was Streep’s Mamma Mia! co-star Amanda Seyfried . Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/7CrTy6n via IFTTT