Have you heard? Censored and cleared

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan had a relatively easier encounter with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as compared to his last outing, Pathaan. Director Atlee's Hindi debut has been cleared with a ‘U/A' rating after the makers complied with the recommended seven changes. While the visuals of suicide were toned down, a violent scene that featured a beheaded body was removed. Apparently, an ‘out of context' reference to the President of India was modified to ‘Head of State'. Quite a few dialogues were asked to be altered. In the line ‘tab tak beta vote daalne…' the phrase ‘paide hoke' was deleted, while ‘usse use karo' was inserted in place of ‘ungli karna'. In the dialogue about ‘ghar, paisa… ki buniyaad par', the word, ‘sampradaay' was added. Not only were the supposed ‘irrelevant references' to National Security Guards (NSG) removed, but the term ‘NSG' was modified to ‘IISG'. Sources claim the censor certificate was granted yesterday. The final cut of the September 7 release, which also stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra and Priyamani, is two hours and 49 minutes long.

Preparing for Gen Next

At the launch of his cousin Mansoor Khan's book recently, Aamir Khan shared that he is enjoying spending quality time with his family. Conceding that he is also overseeing the functioning of his production house during his ongoing break from acting, he said, "Earlier, I'd produce fewer films, now we're planning to make a lot more movies." He revealed his plans of creating a platform for youngsters to create and showcase content. He added, "The idea is to create a system so that we can quickly begin work on the subjects I like, and also make two-three movies at the same time."

Adventurous b'day for Vaani

Vaani Kapoor turns a year wiser today. She is celebrating her special day by gifting herself a getaway with her girl gang, comprising Akansha and Anushka Ranjan, and Raashii Khanna. Having previously preferred low-key celebrations, the actor, who has Mandala Murders and Sarvagunn Sampanna lined up next, is making an exception for her 35th birthday with an adventure in Dubai. "Vaani and her gal pals have planned a fun holiday. Apart from luxury shopping and gourmet dining, they will also indulge in adventure activities like dune buggy racing and desert safaris," reveals our source.

Splitting slate

A series of events has ignited speculation about the future of Disney+ Hotstar in India. Rumours are rife that Disney might be parting ways with Hotstar by the year-end. Insiders suggest that a separation of content could be imminent, citing differences in strategy and global ambitions. According to a source, "The Voot-Jio expansion has caused distress to Disney and Hotstar's joint slate. Passing on HBO content and losing the cricket bid to Jio have both been detrimental to Disney's subscriptions. The international conglomerate is relooking at its association with Hotstar and will take a call depending on the viewership numbers." The platform has reportedly lost 20 million-plus subscribers between September 2022 and June 2023. An industry insider explains that this could result in Disney content being commissioned to Hotstar on a fee-basis. He adds, "Hotstar is looking at hosting Hulu and FX content in India with an additional fee as well. These are so far at a discussion stage and no consensus has been reached on this." mid-day reached out to Disney, but they declined to comment.

In the firing line

It appears that Vijay Deverakonda is being too candid for his own good. During a promotional event of his upcoming film Kushi, he opined that a few flops don't make any difference to the stardom of superstars like Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi. Since then, fans of the two superstars have been slamming him on social media. "Stop talking so much. You don't need to have an opinion on everything," said one, while another commented, "Not sure this statement is even a compliment to the superstar."

Farhan reveals his plans

After Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti clarified that Jee Le Zaraa is very much on the cards with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, now director Farhan Akhtar has confirmed the stance. He told an international publication that he is waiting for his heroines' ‘dates to align' before he can start with the road film. He said, "My focus is currently on Don 3, and Jee Le Zaraa will be picked up post that." But before that, he will be seen in two films. Farhan shared, "In January, I will start a film that is being produced by Aamir Khan. Later, I will do another film for Excel Entertainment, which will start in June or July [2024]. [After completing these two movies as an actor], I get into directing Don 3."