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SCOOP: Sanjay Dutt asks Rajkumar Santoshi to direct Khalnayak Returns; veteran filmmaker politely declines the offer

On April 24, Sanjay Dutt, Aksha Kamboj, Executive Chairperson of Aspect Global (Aspect Entertainment), Subhash Ghai and Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios announced Khalnayak Returns at an event in Mumbai. The intro teaser of Khalnayak Returns was unveiled at this event, and it received a thunderous response. Sanjay Dutt looked dashing, and the use of the iconic Khalnayak theme added to the excitement. Since Subhash Ghai had directed the original Khalnayak (1993), it was widely assumed that the Showman would return to helm Khalnayak Returns as well. Soon, Subhash Ghai confessed that he won’t be donning the director’s hat again. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Sanjay Dutt was keen that Rajkumar Santoshi should direct Khalnayak Returns. He felt that Raj ji has an understanding of commercial cinema and would be able to do justice. Moreover, the two powerhouse, talented individuals have never worked together. Hence, Sanjay Dutt felt that it would be great to finally join hands with Rajkumar...

FACT CHECK: Paresh Rawal has NOT quit Hera Pheri 3 again; old Bollywood Hungama report from 2025 gets picked up as fresh news

Exactly a year ago, Bollywood Hungama reported what was probably one of the biggest newsbreaks of 2025 – Paresh Rawal had quit Hera Pheri 3. It shocked the trade, the industry, fans and even the team of the film. A few days after this news broke, Akshay Kumar’s Cape of Good Films, the producer of Hera Pheri 3, sued Paresh Rawal for Rs. 25 crores. A couple of days later, Bollywood Hungama published another report stating that Paresh Rawal had returned the signing amount of Rs. 11 lakhs with 15% p.a. interest, along with some additional money for stepping away from the series. A few weeks later, Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar resolved the matter, and the former returned to the franchise. The issue was put to rest and had even become history. But now, amusingly, it is back in the news. On Saturday, reports started coming in that Paresh Rawal has once again quit Hera Pheri 3. Interestingly, these reports carried the same information that Bollywood Hungama had published exactly a year ago –...

Films more likely to star an actor called Chris or a talking animal than a woman over 60, study finds

Emma Thompson among voices supporting anti-ageism campaign, which has uncovered striking findings in top-grossing UK films over past three years Box office hit films are four times more likely to star a talking animal than a woman over 60, according to a new survey by Age Without Limits. The anti-ageism campaign studied the 100 highest performing films released in the UK in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and found that while five starred an older woman, about 20 featured creatures who chat. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/MQspqIX via IFTTT

Akshay Kumar teams up with Vipul Shah for alien action thriller Samuk; Hollywood creature and action experts join project

Actor Akshay Kumar is set to headline a new large-scale sci-fi action thriller titled Samuk, directed by Kanishk Varma and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. Positioned as an ambitious alien survival thriller, the film is currently in development and is expected to go on floors soon. The project marks Akshay Kumar’s return to a full-scale action role and will reportedly combine elements of survival horror, military realism, and alien thriller storytelling. The makers are also bringing together an international technical team with experience across several Hollywood franchise films. Speaking about the project, producer Vipul Shah said, “We always try to challenge ourselves with different genres, and Samuk is something Indian cinema hasn’t attempted before. Our aim is to create a world-class alien thriller for audiences.” Director Kanishk Varma, known for projects such as Sanak and Inside Edge, revealed that the idea for the film emerged from his interest in survival thrillers and elite s...

Cannes got it wrong this year by awarding Palme d’Or to Cristian Mungiu’s very moderate Fjord

Film about a couple on trial for child abuse isn’t a patch on the director’s previous Palme winner, while other disappointing films seemed to grab the jury’s attention These were the prizes for a Cannes under pressure. The Hollywood A-listers and big-hitters were A-listing and big-hitting at home this year. And what about the international heavyweights from Europe and Asia that highbrow festivaliers are always saying are loads better than the Americans anyway? Well, many of those only showed up in the physical sense. For me, most of the films from the accepted laureates and auteurs were very moderate, and I have to confess being sceptical about this year’s Palme d’Or, Fjord , by Romanian film-maker Cristian Mungiu (who won the Palme nearly 20 years ago with his searing abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). Fjord is, in fact, a perfect example of an established European star director using a big Hollywood name: Sebastian Stan, playing a grumpy and religious Romanian IT engineer,...

Cristian Mungiu wins second Palme d’Or at Cannes for child abuse drama Fjord

English-language debut by Romanian director who triumphed in 2007 with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days takes top prize Nineteen years after his searing abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the top prize at the Cannes film festival, Cristian Mungiu’s English-language debut, Fjord , has repeated the trick. The film – which stars Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan as Romanian religious parents who relocate to Norway, where they find themselves accused of child abuse – makes Mungiu, 58, the 10th director to have received two Palmes, following Alf Sjöberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Bille August, Emir Kusturica, Shōhei Imamura, the Dardenne brothers, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach and Ruben Östlund. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/gwJAmen via IFTTT

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai trailer launch's most EMOTIONAL moment: David Dhawan gets teary-eyed and says, "Everybody should have a son like Varun"

Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, Mrunal Thakur, David Dhawan, Ramesh Taurani, Anu Malik, Sameer, Maniesh Paul, Chunky Panday, Rajesh Kumar, Jimmy Sheirgill, Rajat Rawail, Ali Asgar, Girish Kumar, Kumar Taurani, writer Rumy Jafry and cinematographer Ayananka Bose attended the trailer launch of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai in Mumbai on May 23. David Dhawan was celebrated and every member of the cast spoke highly of him. Meanwhile, the most emotional moment of the launch was when David Dhawan got teary-eyed. Varun Dhawan said, “It’s amazing that this man (David Dhawan) is making a film at this age. We are living in times when every Friday, we are questioning cinema. We all love cinema, but we do ask, ‘Kya yeh film chalegi’. All I want to say is that this is a David Dhawan film. Yeh film inke conviction pe bani hai. It's an all-out entertainer to make you laugh. If my family has had one motto, it is to make people laugh. Mere father logon ko bas hasana chahte hai.”   View this post on Inst...

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai trailer launch: Ramesh Taurani BREAKS silence on legal feud with Vashu Bhagnani: "There's no problem...we are handling it"; Varun sings 'Jeena Laga Hoon' and asks, "Ramesh ji, iss gaane ke rights hai na?"

Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, Mrunal Thakur, David Dhawan, Ramesh Taurani, Anu Malik, Sameer, Maniesh Paul, Chunky Panday, Rajesh Kumar, Jimmy Sheirgill, Rajat Rawail, Ali Asgar, Girish Kumar, Kumar Taurani, writer Rumy Jafry and cinematographer Ayananka Bose attended the trailer launch of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai in Mumbai on May 23. The trailer launch was originally scheduled for May 21 but was cancelled at the last minute. Varun began the event by speaking about the rescheduling. Varun Dhawan said, “Thank you to the media and fans for coming again. I genuinely mean it, as you guys came twice, that too in this terrible Mumbai heat. Hence, each one of you will get Fast & Up and a free iPhone from Ramesh ji!” Maniesh Paul, in his trademark style, joked, “This has happened for the first time in the history of cinema that there was a rehearsal of a trailer launch! Aap log rehearsal pe aaye, bahut accha laga! And we are glad that you made it for the actual trailer launch as well (sm...

Wuthering Heights director regrets not showing Margot Robbie’s ‘extremely hairy armpits’

Emerald Fennell says period-realistic scene emphasising Cathy’s lack of razors was shot but did not make final cut The Wuthering Heights director Emerald Fennell said it was “unfortunate” that a scene showing Margot Robbie’s hairy armpits did not make the final cut, because women in period adaptations are often shown with clean-shaven underarms. Robbie’s character, Cathy, had “extremely hairy armpits” in the 2026 adaptation of the novel, but “unfortunately the scene that we see them didn’t make it in there”, said the director. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/jG9YsKF via IFTTT

The Birthday Party review – grimly compulsive unhappy occasion in deepest France

Cannes film festival: This could be better paced but the crisis which descends on an up-against-it dairy farm is delivered by some very memorable goons There’s nothing like a home-invasion suspense thriller to provide a change of pace in the Cannes competition, and Léa Mysius’s film – adapted from the French bestseller Histoires de la Nuit by Laurent Mauvignier – isn’t at all bad, although it runs out of narrative steam in the third act and one particular shock-twist appears to unshock and untwist itself. Yet the film certainly delivers some sinister rural strangeness in the France profonde countryside and some gonzo shootouts; plus there is a ripe turn from Benoît Magimel, who with every film seems to morph further into a cross between Gérard Depardieu and Christopher Walken. In a very remote bucolic village, Thomas (Bastien Bouillon) is a hardworking dairy farmer who took over the family smallholding after his father killed himself. After a whirlwind romance, he married Nora (Ha...

Passenger review – generic jumpscare horror offers bumpy journey to nowhere

A demonic entity attaches itself to travellers on the road in this competently directed but hopelessly indistinctive scare-free misfire As Obsession , a micro-budget horror made by a YouTuber , continues to overperform with critics and audiences, and as another twentysomething content creator prepares to break a potential record with the release of Backrooms , here comes a stodgy by-the-book Paramount horror that feels like someone’s embarrassing dad just gatecrashed a college party. While others might be trying to innovate, those involved with Paramount’s generic schedule-filler Passenger are perfectly content to keep things lazily trucking along as they always have. Even if it wasn’t stuck in an unfortunate gen Z genre sandwich, it would still be a struggle to see why anyone would want to hitch a ride with this one. Like February’s cursed misfire Psycho Killer , another junky on-the-road studio horror, Passenger plays like something that would have gone straight to unrated DVD back ...