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Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor

Buzz in B-Town is that Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar are set to team up with Akshay Kumar again. This time around for Sajid Nadiadwala's Housefull 5 (HF5). To be helmed by Dostana (2008) and Drive (2019) director Tarun Mansukhani, the comic entertainer is slated to go on floors by May-end. The film also stars Riteish Deshmukh, who has been a constant part of the comedy franchise with leading man Akki since the first Housefull (2010). Previously, Anil and Nana wowed cinegoers with their hilarious antics as Majnu bhai and Uday Shetty respectively in Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015). However, they don't feature in Firoz A Nadiadwallah's Welcome to the Jungle, which is currently under production. The fifth edition of the Housefull franchise also features Chunky Panday reprising his character, Aakhri Pasta. Interestingly, HF5 also marks a full circle for Nana, who had to exit HF4 (2019) in the wake of Tanushree Dutta's #MeToo allegations. The actor was replaced by Rana Daggubati. Like its predecessors, the upcoming edition of HF will be shot in the UK.

On a war-path

Last week, Hrithik Roshan began filming his next, War 2, with director Ayan Mukerji. The actor reprises his role of Kabir Dhaliwal, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) agent who went rogue to counter the enemies in War (2019). Duggu is currently shooting his introductory sequence for the Aditya Chopra production that also stars Junior NTR and Kiara Advani. While Ayan apparently shot two short schedules abroad with the actors' body doubles and a few stuntmen, we hear Hrithik and Taarak have allotted about 100 days each for the YRF spy thriller. The two actors will also shoot high-octane sequences with international action directors. Adi is keen to release the film on August 15, 2025.

Chalo Noida

Earlier this year, Boney Kapoor, along with a real estate company, bagged the rights to develop a new film city in Noida. Yesterday, the veteran producer met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to submit his documentation for the proposed project. "Boney's meeting with CM Yogi ji went well. They were pleased with his plans for the project that is close to the upcoming Noida International Airport," said a source, adding that work is expected to start soon.

Comedy calling

Rumour has it that Kunal Kemmu has a cameo in his directorial debut, Madgaon Express. The comic caper stars Divyenndu, Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary. Kunal, who began scripting the film five years ago, has proved his comic timing in films like Rohit Shetty's Golmaal franchise. A source reveals, "Comedy is Kunal's forte and his presence will only add a different flavour to Madgaon Express." However, details of the first-time director's special appearance are said to being kept under wraps. Guess, in the coming days, we will know about his cameo in Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's production venture that promises audiences a trip down memory lane.

Teja joining Kalki team?

Hanu-Man actor Teja Sajja was recently spotted with Kalki 2898 AD producer Aswani Dutt at the Dubai airport. Since then, rumours are rife that he has a special role in director Nag Ashwin's futuristic thriller starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone. However, Sajja, on his part, remains non-committal. "There are some very exciting projects in the pipeline and fabulous collaborations under consideration. I am eagerly waiting for the right moment to reveal more about my line-up," was all he was willing to say when probed about the Kalki 2898 AD reports. Let's see what the Hanu-man star has on his cards next.

Maximising cinematic experience

During the trailer launch of Ajay Devgn-starrer Maidaan recently, producer Boney Kapoor shared that they will be releasing the sports drama in IMAX too. Now, talk in the trade is that the makers of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan are also planning to release the Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff-starrer in the same format. As a result of this development, it could be the first time in Indian cinematic history that two Hindi films will arrive in IMAX on the same day. In recent times, three films missed out the big experience. Last year, Adipurush couldn't release in IMAX due to a clash with Hollywood's The Flash, while The Marvels got only two days in the format as Salman Khan's Tiger 3 stormed the screens during Diwali. Previously, '83 (2021) missed out due to Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections. So, while Maidaan will be Ajay's third IMAX offering, BMCM could well be Akki's fourth release in this format.

Shaadi time for Pulkit and Kriti

Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda kick off their wedding celebrations in Delhi today. The couple chose the National Capital Region as it is home for both families. The duo will have an intimate Punjabi wedding with only families and close friends in attendance. Pulkit and Kriti, who got engaged in January this year, have reportedly booked the ITC Grand Bharat resort hotel in Manesar, Delhi for the festivities. First up is the mehndi ceremony this evening. The haldi ceremony is scheduled for Thursday morning, followed by sangeet in the evening. The couple will take the pheras on March 15, and round off the celebration with a grand reception later in the evening. Industry friends of the couple like Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar-Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani, Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh and Mika Singh are said to attend the celebrations.