Have you heard? Batting for cinema

Huma Qureshi

The recently concluded 77th Cannes Film Festival saw India score big wins on the global scene. While several actors and filmmakers graced the red carpet and interacted with audiences following their films' screenings, it appears that Huma Qureshi wasn't too pleased to see that quite a few celebrities attended the prestigious event only for their brand associations. The actor, who made her French Riviera debut in 2012 for her maiden film, Gangs of Wasseypur, wrote on social media, "Cannes Film Festival is a film festival where art is celebrated for art's sake." She wrote, "I really hope some of these brands/companies that spend hundreds of dollars sending people who have nothing to do with films, instead now find a way to support small and independent films." Congratulating the winners, Huma signed off, saying, "I really am so proud of all the incredible women who have brought home such glory. More power to them and to our home-grown storytellers." Last seen in the third season of her web series Maharani, the actor has completed filming Gulabi and is currently working on Jolly LLB 3 with Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi.

Maharaj gets a date

Over four years ago, Junaid Khan began preparing for his foray into acting. Subsequently, he bagged his debut, YRF's Maharaj, based on the 1862 Maharaja Libel Case. Last October, director Siddharth P Malhotra wrapped up the shoot of the film, which also stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey and Sharvari. Later, it was announced that the period drama would release directly on Netflix. Now, we hear that Maharaja will drop online on June 14. The streaming giant has chalked out a marketing strategy that will kickstart with the trailer's release on June 5. Junaid has even completed shooting his second film with director Siddharth and co-starring Sai Pallavi. He is set to begin filming his third, a remake of the Tamil romcom, Love Today (2022), with Khushi Kapoor.

Bips books her next

Bipasha Basu Singh Grover is set to turn author. The actor will pen a personal account of instances that have shaped her life journey so far. The part-memoir and part self-help book will retell the many anecdotes, reflections and illustrations as the actor-author reveals why she pursued happiness over everything else. Stating that her life has been challenging and blessed in equal measure, Bips reportedly said that she is looking forward to this new chapter of her life. "What has got me through and this far is a conscious decision to focus on the bright side of life and to choose sunshine every day! I felt it is time to share my learnings with my fans and readers," the actor has been quoted as saying. She also expressed delight in having found an enterprising team in The Sunflower Seeds and LAP Ventures who will be working closely with her "on making this dream come true." The book is slated to release next year.

Triple treat for Aneet

Aneet Padda of the hit series Big Girls Don't Cry is tipped to be the next YRF heroine. She is said to have impressed studio boss Aditya Chopra with her auditions and has been signed on for their next production venture. "Adi has always punted big on newcomers and invested in launching them with big talking-point movies. He feels Aneet is a talent to watch out for and has signed her for a three-movie contract. Moreover, she will be managed by the studio studio's talent division." Aneet is one of the four new faces to be launched by the studio over the next 12 months.

Making history in Cannes

Actor Anasuya Sengupta and director Payal Kapadia did India proud at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Anasuya won the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard segment of the prestigious festival for her performance in The Shameless. This makes her the first Indian to win the acting honour at the film gala. Payal bagged the Grand Prix for her film, All We Imagine As Light. It is the first Indian film after 30 years since Shaji Karun's Swaham to compete in the main competition. Dedicating her award to the queer community and other marginalised communities around the world, Anasuya said, "You don't have to be queer to fight for equality, you don't have to be colonised to understand that colonising is pathetic - we just need to be decent human beings." In her acceptance speech, Payal also said, "Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don't wait 30 years to have another Indian film."

Readying for his next

On the occasion of his 52nd birthday on Saturday, Karan Johar announced his next directorial venture on social media. Alongside a picture of himself holding a script, stating, "Untitled narration draft. Directed by: Karan Johar," he wrote, "Get, set, go!" While the details are being closely guarded, we remember the filmmaker had announced on his 50th birthday that he would be making his first action film. Wonder what happened to it after Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani's release got pushed from February 2023 to July 2023?

It's a wrap!

Aryan Khan has wrapped up the shoot of his directorial debut, Stardom. Set in the entertainment industry, the web series stars Lakshya, Bobby Deol and Mona Singh in principal roles. They recently celebrated with a wrap-up party where Aryan cut a three-tiered cake. Gauri, Suhana, AbRam and Shah Rukh Khan, who has recovered from the heatstroke in Ahmedabad last week, flew to Chennai to cheer for their team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (RH).