Have you heard? Back on the big screen

Vidya Balan

Back on the big screen

Cinephiles have certainly missed watching her on the big screen! Vidya Balan is set to be seen in Neeyat, which will release on July 7. Touted as an intriguing whodunnit, the film reunites Balan with her Shakuntala Devi director Anu Menon. Neeyat also features Ram Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Neeraj Kabi, Amrita Puri, and Shahana Goswami, among others, in pivotal roles. It tells the story of an unlikely detective who investigates mysterious murders at a billionaire's party, where nothing is what it seems, and all suspects hide a secret or two. It marks Balan's return to theatres after her digital offerings like Sherni, Jalsa, and Shakuntala Devi. Her last theatrical offering was Mission Mangal, also featuring Akshay Kumar.

Arijit injured

Arijit Singh, who is currently touring the country, got injured during his live performance in Aurangabad. A slew of pictures are doing the rounds on social media
that see the singer reprimanding a fan who tries to pull his hand during his live performance. He can be heard telling the fan, "Why [did] you pull my hand? See, now I can't even move my hand. The fan caught him again when he went to speak to him. "I want you guys to have fun. But if I am not able to perform, then you won't be able to have fun. You're pulling me like that, and now my hands are shaking. Should I leave?" he was seen asking the crowd. He received treatment for the injury on stage, and resumed his performance.

Love in the pandemic

Priyanka Chopra Jonas spilled the beans on how her awkward kissing scene with her husband Nick Jonas in Love Again, came about. The script demanded that she kiss another character, however, since it was being filmed during the pandemic, the actor was apprehensive. "The director and I were talking at dinner about there being a ‘slow, sloppy kiss written into the scene.' And I was saying, ugh, during COVID, kissing a random person sounded very aggressive. And he was like, ‘What if we ask Nick since he's here anyway?'" Jonas had accompanied her to London, where they were shooting for the rom-com. "Nick had travelled to London because it was one of the first times I was traveling during COVID and he wanted to get me settled in. So, he just happened to be there. We asked him and he was an amazing sport about it. He did the scene, and it was the funniest day on set. I cannot even begin to tell you; it was just a giggle fest. Everyone was laughing. He was doing something which is the opposite of who we are, so it was just hilarious. I'm really glad Nick came to drop me off in London."

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Onir's next

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne wrapped up filming the first of four offerings under the My Melbourne project, with this venture being helmed by Onir and William Duan. The Arka Das, Mouli Ganguli, and Jackson Gallagher-starrer was shot over five days, and is based on grief and forgiveness. It follows the reunion of a queer Indian man, Indraneel, played by Das, and his father, Mihir, played by Ganguli, after many years of estrangement. Onir said, "I am happy to be part of My Melbourne as it is a unique [and] special film. It's the first time such a cross-country initiative has been taken to bridge cultural ties and bring the two communities together using the medium of cinema. My film tells the story of an integral part of diversity."

Big chop

Kirti Kulhari took to Instagram to flaunt her new look, a short crop, and penned a long note detailing the reason behind her decision. "Decided to do this a month back, and here I am, having done it. I work in an industry where being a heroine comes with its own set of restrictions and limitations. Long hair or at least shoulder-length hair is an unsaid mandate. Here I am, almost 15 years later, in the industry, doing my thing. I have no time to not do what I want to do, and each time I have done something which is not the norm, I have felt empowered," she wrote, quick to establish that her new look is not for any cinematic offering.

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Making a mark

Director Mani Ratnam's passion project Ponniyin Selvan II has raised over Rs 300 crore at the worldwide box office, the makers announced. The second part of the period action epic was released in theatres on April 28 in Tamil, along with the dubbed versions in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. Madras Talkies, Ratnam's production banner, shared the box office update on its official Twitter page. Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's popular 1955 Tamil novels of the same name, the franchise series, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, chronicles the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman, played by Jayam Ravi, one of the most powerful kings in the south, who went on to become the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I.