Have you heard? Diljit to join Sunny, Ayush

Diljit Dosanjh, Sunny Deol and Ayushmann Khurrana

It appears that Sunny Deol, Ayushmann Khurrana and Ammy Virk have got company in their war film, Border 2. Talk in tinsel town is that Diljit Dosanjh is the latest addition to the sequel of JP Dutta's Border (1997). The Punjabi superstar will play a real-life fauji in Anurag Singh's directorial venture that is based on true events. Diljit, who earned acclaim for his portrayal of Amar Singh Chamkila in Imtiaz Ali's biopic on the late Punjabi singer, is excited about joining Sunny and Ayush on their new reel mission. While details of his character are being kept under wraps, the actor is set to begin his prep later this month. The war drama is slated to go on floors later this year.

Twice is nice for NTR Jr

Even as his Devara: Part 1, the first of his two-part film with director Koratala Siva, is being readied for a September 27 release, NTR Junior is in talks with Hi Nanna (2023) maker, Shouryuv for a project. The actor, who was previously seen in SS Rajamouli's RRR (2022), has approved the concept and asked the filmmaker to develop the screenplay. The yet-untitled action drama is being planned as a two-part project. "If all goes well, then Shouryuv can begin filming with Taarak in early 2026," says a source. By then, the actor will wrap up YRF's War 2 with Hrithik Roshan, Siva's Devara: Part 2, and Prashanth Neel's Dragon.

Helping the needy

Rashmika Mandanna seems to believe that actions speak louder than words. The Animal (2023) actor decided to do her bit for those affected by the Wayanad landslide. She has reportedly donated R10 lakh to the Chief Minister of Kerala's relief fund to help those hit hard by the recent calamity. Even as rescue operations continue in the south Indian state, reports state that nearly 300 people have died in the landslide caused by floods.

Reunion times

Pragya Jaiswal has been confirmed as the lead for Nandamuri Balakrishna's 109th film. This marks a reunion for the two actors after their blockbuster, Akhanda (2021). Helmed by Bobby Kolli, the action drama, tentatively titled NBK 109, also features Bobby Deol as the antagonist. Pleased to team up again with the lead actor of one of her biggest hits, Pragya said, "I am thrilled to be reuniting with Nandamuri Balakrishna sir and working under the direction of Bobby Kolli. NBK 109 is a fantastic project, and such a talented ensemble with Bobby Deol and NBK sir. I can't wait for the audience to see what we have in store." Pragya is currently gearing up for her Independence Day release, Khel Khel Mein, starring Akshay Kumar.

Nora says sorry

Nora Fatehi has now clarified her statements on feminism that triggered widespread outrage. Apologising for the same, she maintained that the words were taken out of context. Explaining that her criticism was aimed at the radical feminism that is prevalent in the West, Nora said in a recent interaction, "I would like to clarify that this is not a problem in India. We still uphold tradition and values. But in the West, we have too many people now who encourage the ideology that ‘I can do everything myself', ‘I can even have kids by myself'. Of course, you can, but why are we encouraging that? Should we not encourage nuclear families?" Sharing that she herself came from a broken family - her parents divorced when she was about 11 - Nora reportedly said, "If people were upset, I would like to genuinely apologise for hurting them, but that was not the intention at all."

Birthday boos

Kriti Sanon turned a year wiser recently, and celebrated her 34th birthday in Europe with sister Nupur and friends. It appears that Kriti's rumoured beau, Kabir Bahia, is part of the celebrations too. The Sanon siblings shared glimpses of their vacay on social media. However, a picture of the Crew actor vaping has further fuelled the controversy that started after images of her smoking appeared online. Considering the actor's anti-smoking stance, some netizens criticised her actions, saying, "Send it to her mom directly," and "Someone show this to Geeta [Sanons' mother] aunty." Her supporters countered, saying, "This is normal! Don't be that CCTV aunty."