Stories

Kareena Kapoor Khan is one of the strongest actresses in B-town and she is on fire!!

She is breaking all stereotypes and changing the norms in the industry. Kareena not only returned to work almost immediately post her pregnancy, but she’s back to rule and maintain her spot as a A-list celebrity.

Still from Veere Di Wedding

With several offers flooded her way post Veere Di Wedding, she has allegedly accepted two big projects.

One of them will be Karan Johar’s new venture where Kareena will star opposite Akshay Kumar after nine years. Directed by Raj Mehta, the film will be a unique take of love and relationships, revolving around a married couple who is trying to have a baby. The film will go on floors in November, as soon as Kumar wraps up shooting for Housefull 4.

Another film in her kitty is Salute, a biopic on Rakesh Sharma directed by Mahesh Mathai. The film will kick start in September 2018. The titular role will be essayed by Shah Rukh Khan, as the first Indian man to travel into space. The duo was last seen in Ra.One in 2011.

Though there haven’t been official announcements made, both films are scheduled for release in 2019.

After taking a long hiatus from the silver screen, Esha Deol is making a comeback with short film titled Cakewalk. Actress Hema Malini took to Twitter to launch the first look of the poster, where Deol is seen donning a chef’s uniform and hat, along with a pair of tongs.

Sharing the first look of my darling daughter @Esha_Deol in the short film #Cakewalk directed by @Ramkamal in London which was unveiled by me. I wish them both all success. pic.twitter.com/TM6XqGAU6P

— Hema Malini (@dreamgirlhema) June 1, 2018

Ram Kamal Mukherjee, who also penned down Hema Malini’s autobiography in 2005, has directed the short film.

Cakewalk is a story revolving around Deol’s character of a chef, portraying the professional and personal journey of women in the Indian society. The film will also star television actor Tarun Malhotra, Anindita Bose and Siddhartha Chatterjee.

(L-R) Tarun Malhotra, Anindita Bose, Siddhartha Chatterjee

Talking about the project, Deol revealed “the idea came to Ram Kamal’s mind after he interacted with a couple of working women from various walks of life. He has beautifully woven those incidents in his narrative.”

The actress was last seen on the popular TV show MTV Roadies in 2015.

Actress Amruta Khanvilkar is riding high on success and new opportunities this year. After receiving tons of praise for her performance in the hit film Raazi, she is all set to prove her versatility with a new suspense-based show, Damaged.

Source: Amruta Khanvilkar

The show to be aired on Hungama Play Original will portray Khanvilkar as a prime murder suspect. Elaborating on her role she said, “This is a flawed character as you don’t see too many of those. It is liberating to essay the role of a woman who is strong, bold and unapologetic about her choices in life.”

Co-starring with the popular Marathi actress is actor Amit Sial, playing the role of a cop on a mission to solve the murder mystery revolving around the Khanvilkar’s character.

Gauging from the images and videos shared by Khanvilkar, Damaged is to be a thriller where her character appears to be of a mysterious and possibly lovestruck woman.

Source: Amruta Khanvilkar

While the makers have not disclosed much about the plot of the show, it is expected to launch next week.

Khanvilkar will also been seen in another Hindi film (also a suspense-thriller) titled Satyameva Jayate, opposite John Abraham and Manoj Bajpayee. The film is scheduled for released on August 15, 2018.

Biopics based on athletes require a lot of prep and dedication. Actors not only go through rigorous training to perfect the sport, but also achieve the right form and master the subject’s character.

This has been the primary cause for the delays in production for Saina Nehwal’s biopic, starring Shraddha Kapoor. The film was scheduled to go of floors in late 2017, but has been continuously getting stalled.

Source: Saina Nehwal

Reportedly, Kapoor underwent several gruelling Badminton sessions to pick the nuances of the sport and play like the champion herself. However, the actor seemed to struggle and even sustained a leg injury, which led to another delay in production.

The makers recently confirmed a second round of preps and workshops with Kapoor to perfect Nehwal’s style on the court as well as learn the Hisar dialect to speak like the athlete.

The untitled film is expected to commence its first schedule in September 2018.

Still from Bluffmaster

After nearly a decade, Priyanka Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan will share screen space in a Shonali Bose directorial.

The film is inspired by the life of Aisha Chaudhary, a young motivational speaker who was born with a severe immunodeficiency disorder. At the age of 13, she was diagnosed with a lung disease and underwent a bone marrow transplant. Even though Chaudhary struggled through life-threatening diseases, she was best known for her positive attitude and her book My Little Epiphanies.

She breathed her last at the age of 18 in 2015.

The Bluffmaster co-stars will essay the role of Chaudhary’s parents, Aditi and Niren Chaudhary.

Still from Secret Superstar

The role of Aisha Chaudhary has been offered to National Award winner, Zaira Wasim who has “given her nod to the project,” a source revealed.

Wasim has already made a mark in the industry with her talent in Dangal and Secret Superstar, proving her understanding of the craft. Playing a character of a girl who smiled through the pain each day will certainly be a challenge, but we look forward to Wassim doing justice to the role.

Chopra will be making her comeback in Hindi cinema with Bharat, co-staring Salman Khan. Meanwhile, Bhachchan has recently completed filming for Manmarziyan with Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal.

Taapsee Pannu is quickly becoming one of the busiest actresses in B-town. She has a packed year with two releases in July, one in September, and few more in the kitty.

Actress Kriti Sanon isn’t too far behind with at least four film releases before the end of the year.

Anurag Kashyap

And now the two are coming together for the first time in a film titled Womaniya. Produced by Phantom Films and conceptualized by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the story is inspired by real-life incidents of professional women shooters in India. Reportedly, the film will highlight issues faced by women shooters from Uttar Pradesh and their battle to earn medals for the country.

A source revealed, “The actresses will have to undergo training in rifle shooting to pull off the roles convincingly… The makers are keen on getting Olympic athletes, Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat, to train Kriti Sanon and Taapsee Pannu. They feel it will add to the authenticity of the movie and will also help them get the basics of shooting right. The preparation for the film will start by August.”

(L-R) Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat

This will be the Pannu and Kashyap’s second collaboration; the duo recently completed filming a romantic drama Manmarziyaan, also starring Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky Kaushal.

Kriti Sanon will be seen next in Arjun Patiala, opposite Diljit Dosanjh releasing in September 2018.

After the success of Padmavat, actress Deepika Padukone has been enjoying some time off from acting. However, reports have been making the rounds of her signing a two-installment deal for India’s first female superhero franchise.

Produced by Fox Star, the superhero avatar in the film is inspired by the Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman (2017).

Still from Wonder Woman

Padukone is expected to undergo intense mixed martial arts training to perform high-octane action sequences and hand-to-hand combat.

Speaking to a news publication, a source close to the production said, “Since this is a first-of-its-kind mega project, the timelines for pre-production will be long and the project will go on the floors [in 2019].”

The source also revealed “a special outfit is being designed for her character which will be custom-made to facilitate hardcore physical combat and movement.”

Image Source: Twitter @deepikapadukone

This will be the first superhero film in Bollwyood with a female actor as a lead.

Superhero films tend to perform exceedingly well overseas, but have unfortunately not been able to receive the same kind of appreciation in India. Films like Ra.One, Krrish, Flying Jatt showcased unique male superheroes but failed to turn into profitable franchises.

To improvise Diana (Wonder Woman), hope Padukone is “the man who can” become the hero Hindi cinema needs for a successful superhero franchise.

Actors Pankaj Tripathi and Jackie Shroff have started shooting for the Indian adaptation of BBC’s international series Criminal Justice. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the series will also star Vikrant Massey, Mita Vashisht and Anupriya Goenka.

(L-R) Vikrant Massey, Mita Vashisht, Anupriya Goenka

Tripathi has not revealed much about his role in the series, but is thrilled with the opportunity. “This is one of the most anticipated projects I’m working on… It is turning out to be all that I expected and wished it would. I cannot wait for audiences to see my character,” he said in a statement.

Elaborating on the series Shroff said, “It is mysterious, heart-pounding, unpredictable, thrilling and keeps you hooked and on the edge of the seat waiting for answers you thought you knew.”

Criminal Justice is a 2008 British crime drama series showcasing the journey of people through the justice system.