Have you heard? Bollywood box office to heat up this summer

Sidharth Malhotra, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ranveer Singh and Abhimanyu Dassani

It looks like 2022 is going to be a year of clashes at the box office. One can't entirely blame the filmmakers as they have pending releases, no thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. The latest is that Ranveer Singh's Jayeshbhai Jordaar has been slated to open in cinemas on May 13. Interestingly, this date first was booked by Sidharth Malhotra and Rashmika Mandana's spy thriller Mission Majnu last November. Last month, Ayushmann Khurrana's socio-political thriller, Anek, initially slated to arrive on March 31, was rescheduled to May 13. That's not all. Abhimanyu Dassani and Mrunal Thakur's ensemble comedy Aankh Micholi is also releasing on the same day. Incidentally, both Ranveer and Ayushmann are managed by the same talent division of YRF, which is also producing the former's upcoming release. And while Ronnie Screwvala is producing Mission Majnu, Anek is backed by T-Series. Now, which of these four films will alter their date with cinemas remains to be seen in the coming days.

New kids on the block

On Thursday morning, Karan Johar introduced the young cast of his next production venture, Bedhadak. Directed by Shashank Khaitan and also co-produced by him, the film features Gurfateh Pirzada, Shanaya Kapoor and Lakshya in the lead. Incidentally, Lakshya was to debut in Dostana 2, with Karthik Aaryan and Janhvi Kapoor. However, the film was put on the backburner after Kartik parted ways with the makers, owing to creative differences. Gurfateh was previously seen in the Kiara Advani-starrer Guilty, which was also produced by KJo's production house. As for Sanjay Kapoor's daughter Shanaya, there was talk for long that she would be launched by Kjo's banner.

A birthday release for Salman

For those who thought Salman Khan will be missing from the big screen this year, news is that Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, helmed by Farhad Samji and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala is slated to release on December 30. The cross-cultural love story with plenty of humour will be Salman's birthday release, though it comes three days after he turns a year older. With Tiger Shroff's Ganapath Part 1, and Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi's Merry Christmas clashing on December 23, Salman and Sajid felt it's better to sign off 2022 with their entertainer.

A time to introspect

Radhika Madan is excited about collaborating with National Award-winning filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria for his next, Sanaa. The Pataakha actor has been quoted as saying, "Sudhanshu has brought a remarkable amount of sensitivity to Sanaa and I'm glad to be signed on for it. It's an arresting character with an introspective and different brand of entertainment and I can't wait to get started on this special film." Saria, who is producing, directing and writing the movie, said, "It will echo with viewers across geographies and cultures."

Pleased as punch

Amaal Mallik is thrilled with the response to the romantic track, Jaan hai meri from the upcoming Prabhas-Pooja Hegde-starrer Radhe Shyam has garnered. He says, "We gave this song our all. It had been in the making for two years and for as long as it was in the making, we were thrilled about the response it would attract."

Angad in a kitchen story?

After being seen as Janhvi Kapoor's brother in Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Angad Bedi will next be seen as Sanya Malhotra's husband in the Hindi remake of the Malayalam film, The Great Indian Kitchen. After we reported on February 20 that the Dangal girl was signing up for the film, directed by Arati Kadav, she announced the same on social media on February 23. An industry source tells us that while Priyanshu Painyuli was being considered, it now appears that Angad has been finalised for the part. The story revolves around a newly married woman, who decides to break free, after she is expected to be a submissive wife that her misogynist husband and his patriarchal family expect her to be, and how she decides to break free.

Operation successful!

Randeep Hooda underwent a knee surgery at a suburban hospital recently. He had suffered an injury while shooting for his web show, Inspector Avinash. The surgery went well and the actor is glad it won't bother him again. The actor will later be seen in CAT, a Netflix original thriller, and Tera Kya Hoga Lovely with Ileana D'Cruz.