Have you heard? Gearing up for Fighter blitzkrieg

Siddharth Anand and Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand are looking to score a hattrick of hits with their upcoming collaboration, Fighter. The actor and the director, who previously teamed up on Bang Bang (2014) and War (2019), are set to unveil the teaser of their third film together early next month. Even though the film is in various stages of post-production, the duo is said to have chalked out a 50-day plan for the marketing blitzkrieg of the action thriller that also stars Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. Insiders claim that Sid and Duggu are keen to take cinegoers on a never-experienced-before ride with the first glimpse of their aerial extravaganza. "They have finalised the asset that they feel will not only become the focal point, but also set the tempo for Fighter," says a source. The actor and the director are looking to continue building anticipation for the film with every asset they release - from the teaser and the trailer to the various songs - leading up to the film's date with cinemas on January 25.

Back to the beginning

After the success of Kantara (2022), the makers of the Rishab Shetty-starrer announced another film, leading to speculations of a sequel. Now, it looks like they will be taking audiences back in time to a younger Siva with the prequel. Hombale Films, which produced the film, shared on social media, "Stay enchanted for a glimpse into the unseen! Kantara Chapter 1: First look out on November 27 at 12:25pm."

Khushalii still gets the chills

Khushalii Kumar, who is gearing up for the release of Starfish, trained extensively to become a certified diver for her role. However, shooting the climax was a traumatic experience. Reason: Her character, Tara, has overdosed on drugs. She claims it took her a while to get out of that space after shoot. "I still feel the blood rush within me when I revisit it. That feeling was different and weird," says Khushalii, adding that the scene was "mentally heavy". "I could not sleep for nights, and I avoided staying alone in a place since flashbacks would occur."

Working with the jawans

Vicky Kaushal underwent intense prep before and during the making of Sam Bahadur, director Meghna Gulzar's biopic on late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. The actor recently shared a video from the Indian Military Academy, where he shot a portion of the film with real cadets. "They said they would finish their drills with 10 knuckle pushups. So, it became a ritual for me as well," he wrote alongside. Vicky added that no matter how exhausted they were at the end of the day, it wouldn't be complete without the ritual. He added, "Pack up would only be called when I did those 10 knuckle pushups with them. Such spirited boys at the IMA! One of the most disciplined and inspiring places I have been to."

Bachchans' house khaas

For decades, the Prateeksha bungalow in Juhu has been synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan. While the actor and his family have moved on to make Jalsa their home, his first bungalow remains iconic. Now, we hear that Big B has decided that the landmark has a new owner. He has presented the house to daughter, Shweta Bachchan Nanda. Reportedly, the deed for the property, said to be worth R50 crore, was signed on November 8. The document names Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan as the donors and Shweta as the donee. Prateeksha is said to be close to Big B's heart and where he has hosted several parties, including his famous Holi bashes in the past. It is also where his late parents, Harivanshrai and Teji Bachchan, lived with him.

Ileana's man

Ever since Ileana D'Cruz shared that she was going to become a mother, there has been buzzing curiosity about the man in her life. Speculations continued even after she welcomed son, Koa Phoenix Dolan, on August 5. Now, the actor has finally introduced partner, Michael Dolan, to the world. She responded to the repeated question: "How are you single-parenting your child?" with a picture of Michael and wrote, "I am not."