Have you heard? Face-off for Ajay, Anil

Ajay Devgn, Rakul Preet Singh and Anil Kapoor

Face-off for Ajay, Anil

It is known that Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh are set to begin filming De De Pyaar De 2 in June. Debutant Anshul Sharma will helm Luv Ranjan's production venture this time around. The first instalment revolved around Ajay's 50-year-old businessman character taking his 26-year-old girlfriend, played by Rakul, home to meet his family and ex-wife. The sequel will showcase the family's reaction to their unusual love story. News is that Anil Kapoor is being roped in to play Rakul's father in the movie. Apparently, he was intrigued by the film's idea and the humour. "Moreover, the dynamics shared by Anil's and Ajay's characters is one of the highlights of the narrative," says an industry insider. He adds, "They have never had this kind of face-off on screen before, which makes this project all the more interesting." How Ajay and Rakul's characters win over her family forms the crux of the film. It also remains to be seen if Tabu, who played Ajay's ex-wife in the first instalment, will reprise her role.

No, sorry boss

Sahil Khan has flown down from Dubai to Mumbai for questioning by the Crime Branch's Special Investigative Team (SIT) in connection with the Rs 15,000 crore betting app scam. He has apparently been offered a few crores to participate in the third edition of Bigg Boss OTT. "Sahil declined the offer as he is not interested in the reality show at this point in time," said a source. The actor is looking forward to his next film, scripted by Milap Zaveri and directed by Sam Khan. The masala entertainer also marks his reunion with his Style (2001) and Xcuse Me (2003) co-star Sharman Joshi. The title of the film is expected to be announced soon.

Second time lucky

Babil Khan is teaming up with Shoojit Sircar for his next. The yet-untitled movie is a heart-rending love story helmed by ad filmmaker, Dhiraj Banerjee. It features a new leading lady opposite Babil, but her identity is being kept under wraps. Dhiraj, who kicked off the movie in Darjeeling earlier this month, is set to wrap up the shoot by May-end. Shoojit is planning to release the movie later this year. Interestingly, this is Babil's second collaboration with the filmmaker who made Piku (2015) with his father, the late Irrfan Khan. Their first film together is The Umesh Chronicles. Directed by Pooja Kaul, it is a slice-of-life story about growing up in small-town India. The film also features Adil Hussain, Vivek Gomber, and Zayn Marie Khan, with Amitabh Bachchan in an extended cameo. However, The Umesh Chronicles remains unreleased over two years since its completion.

Bhumi's new project for a cause

Bhumi Pednekar, who uses her star power to highlight the need for environmental conservation, has been roped in for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for The Weather Kids. The idea behind the global campaign is to raise awareness about climate change and drive the world towards taking meaningful action for it. Joining her in this initiative is Oscar-winning actor, Michelle Yeoh. Bhumi, who is also UNDP India's national advocate for sustainable development goals, said, "Together, we can make a difference and create a more sustainable and resilient world for future generations."

Landing another deal

It appears that Amitabh Bachchan is expanding his real-estate inventory. He recently purchased a 10,000 sq ft plot in Alibaug. While the sprawling development project was launched last April, Big B's deal was officially registered last week. Apparently, he paid R10 crore for the property. He dealt with the same developer a few months ago, when he made a considerable investment in the seven-star project being planned in Ayodhya.

A don forever

Shah Rukh Khan is not returning in Farhan Akhtar's Don 3, but it looks like there is no escaping the character of don for him. The superstar is said to play a don in King, which he is also producing with Pathaan (2023) director, Siddharth Anand. Helmed by Sujoy Ghosh, the action thriller was to initially see SRK in an extended cameo as he played mentor to the protagonist, essayed by his daughter Suhana Khan. Now, he is said to have a full-fledged lead role in it. In keeping with the requirements of his character, he is sporting long hair and a stubble. Reportedly, the title is in keeping with SRK's character, who is the underworld's kingpin
in the film.

Arjan goes international

Arjan Bajwa is looking forward to his maiden international film, Demon Hunters. Helmed by Mei-Juin Chen, the Indo-Taiwanese joint production stars JC Lin, Regina Lei, and Jack Kao. The first footage from the action-comedy will be exclusively showcased at the Cannes Film Market next month. "It is an exhilarating character, and I am thrilled to have been chosen to portray a computer geek seeking vengeance for his grandfather's death," said Arjan. Pleased with his experience of working with the international team, the actor added, "I am eagerly anticipating an exciting 2024."