Have you heard? Now, a dance-off too

Hrithik Roshan and Junior NTR

Now, a dance-off too

It is known that last week, Telugu superstar Junior NTR joined Hrithik Roshan for an action-packed schedule of Ayan Mukerji's War 2. Now, we hear that the two actors will also have a dance-off in the new thriller from the YRF spy universe. While it was a foregone conclusion that the Aditya Chopra production would include a dance number featuring Duggu, it seems that the makers have come up with a situation to involve Taarak's character in showcasing his nimble-footed skills as well. Especially after his smooth moves in the Oscar-winning song, Naatu naatu from SS Rajamouli's RRR (2022) co-starring Ram Charan. Reportedly, Pritam has created a pacy track that is said to be one of the high points of the thriller. Considering that Hrithik's song, Jai jai Shivshankar, with Tiger Shroff in War (2019) was a chartbuster, the makers are leaving no stone unturned in upping the ante in all aspects, from scale and action to emotions and music. At this point, it is not known if leading lady Kiara Advani will join Duggu and Taarak in the high-energy dance number. Aditya and Ayan have announced August 14, 2025, as War 2's date with cinemas.

Hoping for his biggest year

Tahir Raj Bhasin, who turned 37 yesterday, believes 2024 will be his biggest year in the industry so far. Reason, the second season of his web series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein drops on OTT this year. "To have a huge project like this under my belt that is a sequel to my super hit series on Netflix makes this birthday really thrilling for me," beams the actor, who has earned praise for his performances, from Mardaani (2014) to Sultan of Delhi (2023). Feeling creatively satisfied with the shoot of Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein 2, Tahir adds, "I'm an actor who wants to constantly reinvent myself on screen and I'm blessed that those reinventions have been loved and appreciated by the industry, media as well as audiences."

Papa kehte hain, phir se

The trailer of Rajkummar Rao's upcoming release, Srikanth, included a portion of the song, Papa kehte hain, from Aamir Khan's Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). Today, the perfectionist actor will unveil the track from Tushar Hiranandani's directorial venture that tells the real-life inspiring story of the visually-challenged industrialist, Srikanth Bolla. Apparently, the actor was pleased to hear that his '80s song would celebrate Srikanth Bolla's journey. What's more, a band of visually-challenged musicians will also perform the song live at the event. Aamir is said to be excited about taking this trip down memory lane.

Rakul is inspired by Kamal sir

Rakul Preet Singh, who tied the knot with Jackky Bhagnani in February, will soon begin filming De De Pyaar De 2 with Ajay Devgn. Most of Luv Ranjan's production venture will be filmed in London. Rakul has an interesting line-up for releases for the year ahead. First up is S Shankar's Indian 2 with Kamal Haasan, coming in June. She is excited about collaborating with the cinema legend for the sequel to his 1996 superhit. Reiterating that he is an institution by himself, she elaborates, "There is so much to learn from him. He has heavy prosthetics, so he would come to the set early in the morning because it took him four hours to get ready. It is not easy to move around in that, more so, it would get very hot too. Then, it would take two hours to remove the prosthetics after the day's shoot. He was so determined to do something different that it would motivate us too. It is just amazing to work with someone who truly celebrates each frame of being in front of the camera." Rakul also has Mere Husband ki Biwi with Arjun Kapoor, and Ameeri with Neena Gupta.

Best friends forever

More than six years after their divorce, Rajiv Rai and Sonam Khan continue to remain best friends. She recently turned up for the recording of composer Viju Shah's new track for the filmmaker's next, Zora. Sonam also shared pictures on her social media handle along with a long note. She wrote, "How can you talk about a marriage that lasted over 25 years with threats, living in various countries, cities, continents mostly out of suitcases with an autistic kid in hand?" She further stated, "You only feel love, care and respect which was there and will continue." Asserting that "Rajiv was, is and will always be" in her heart tucked away forever, Sonam maintained, "Despite all his troubles, he always made me live like a queen. Thank you Rajiv for everything you did for me, our son and my parents. You gave me the biggest hit of my career #Tridev and my wonderful son!"

Tragic times

Pankaj Tripathi lost his brother-in-law Rakesh Tiwari in an unfortunate road accident yesterday. His sister Savita Tiwari has been hospitalised after sustaining injuries. The incident reportedly occurred around 4.30 pm at Nirsa Bazaar on the Delhi-Kolkata National Highway 2 when Savita and Rakesh were travelling from Gopalganj district in Bihar to West Bengal. The couple was rushed to a hospital in Dhanbad, where Rakesh was declared dead on arrival. There has been no official communication from Pankaj or his family.

Getting sporty

After making her Hollywood debut with Heart of Stone last year, Alia Bhatt will next be seen in Jigra, which she is also producing with mentor Karan Johar. Helmed by Vasan Bala, the rescue drama revolves around siblings, with The Archies (2023) actor Vedang Raina playing her on-screen brother. We now hear that Alia plays a basketball player in the film and underwent extensive training for her part. Moreover, she extensively practiced the key moves of the game, like dribbling, double dribbling, passing, and dunking the ball. If that's not enough, Vasan also got a coach on set to ensure that the choreographed basketball sequences looked authentic.. Currently in post-production, the film is being readied for September 27 release.