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Nitesh Tiwari, Sai Pallavi, Yash and Ranbir Kapoor
Epic new beginnings
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It is known that the makers of the Ramayana trilogy are undeterred by the debacle of Om Raut’s Adipurush, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan. Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari and his team are not only prepping for their retelling of the mythological epic, but are said to start work on their magnum opus in early 2024. Reportedly, Ranbir Kapoor, who plays Lord Ram, and Sai Pallavi, who essays the role of Sita, will commence shooting in February. Apparently, the first part, revolving primarily around Lord Ram and Sita, will end with her abduction by the demon king Raavan. Yash, who has screen-tested for the part of Raavan, will have a brief role in the first part, but will dominate the narrative in the second instalment. Sources claim that he will shoot for the first part in July. Nitesh is looking to wrap up the first edition by August next year. Meanwhile, work on the VFX of the ambitious trilogy is on in full swing. However, it is being said that while ensuring his adaptation is a visual delight to watch, the filmmaker is more focused on the storytelling and inter-character dynamics.
Coffee pe charcha
Last week, mid-day reported that Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty were heading to Hyderabad for a 45-day schedule of Singham Again (Super cop gets a south posting, September 28). Interestingly, before taking off for the Charminar city, the actor and his director-friend shot for an episode of the next season of Karan Johar’s chat show, Koffee with Karan. Reportedly, Ajay and Rohit had a blast filming the episode with the host. The actor and director duo also spoke at length about their friendship over the decades. However, the rapid fire round with some new elements is said to be the highlight of the show. “Expect the unexpected,” is all sources are willing to say about it for now.
Write choice
It has been a year since the reports of Junior NTR’s collaboration with Prashanth Neel first appeared. The latest update on the film, the working title of which is NTR 31, is that it will go on floors in April 2024. While the director is currently gearing up for the release of his Prabhas-starrer, Salaar: Part 1—Ceasefire, the actor is filming Devara with Janhvi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. Prashanth, who is also known to write his movies, is said to be putting together a unique action thriller for Jr NTR, considering his penchant for high-octane spectacles.
Ayush to join Sunny paaji
Following the stupendous success of Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2: The Katha Continues, sequels of his yesteryear hits are on the cards. We hear that JP Dutta’s Border 2 will be the first to go on floors. Talk is that Ayushmann Khurrana is being roped in for a parallel lead with Paaji for the war drama that is being called a ‘spiritual sequel’ to the 1997 hit. Ayushmann, who is known for picking quirky subjects, is said to be excited about stepping into this territory and collaborating with Sunny for the first time. Apparently, Kartik Aaryan was offered the part initially, but things didn’t materialise with him.
Arjun readies to be waxed
Allu Arjun is gearing up to go global. Last month, he won the Best Actor National Award for his performance in Pushpa: The Rise. Now, the south superstar, who is filming Pushpa 2: The Rule with director Sukumar, has earned a place at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Dubai. Preparations for his wax replica are in full swing. He recently visited the museum for the measurements for his statue. Apparently, Arjun regaled the team with interesting stories and lesser-known nuggets about himself. We hear that they were impressed by his non-starry airs and easy-going attitude.
Focus on films
Ace lensman and producer Atul Kasbekar has resigned as a partner at Bling Unplugged. Reason being that he wants to focus more on producing films through Ellipsis Entertainment, which has made movies like Neerja, Tumhari Sulu and Looop Lapetaa among others. Bling Unplugged was set up by Piya Sawhney, Shanti Sivaram and Swati Iyer along with Atul. The talent management company continues to manage actors like Vidya Balan, Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah, Konkona Sensharma, and author-producer Twinkle Khanna.
Not so amusing this!
Bhumi Pednekar, Shehnaaz Gill, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh and Shibani Bedi recently shot an episode of India’s Got Talent for the promotion of their film, Thank You for Coming. Admitting that she is no adrenaline junkie, Bhumi said that the ART (Abhishek from Uttar Pradesh, Rahul from Jaipur, and Tejas from Mumbai) trio’s larger-than-life swing on the song Lahu munh lag gaya reminded her of the day when she accidentally got on a rollercoaster ride for the first time. When Badshah probed her about it, the actor shared, “During a trip to London, I went for this festive fair called Winter Wonderland. There were photos of kids at the entrance, so I thought it was a kids’ ride. It was dark inside and when I sat on it, it turned out to be a rollercoaster. I have pictures from that day, realising that I’ve been tricked so badly.”
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