Have you heard? What the devil!

Prashanth Varma and Ranveer Singh

It appears that Ranveer Singh's collaboration with Hanu-man director Prashanth Varma will not happen. They were to team up for Rakshas, a pre-Independence action drama set against a mythological backdrop. The actor was to play the protagonist with grey shades in the Hanu-Man director's next film. But they have reportedly parted ways due to creative differences. Only last month, Ranveer had flown down to Hyderabad for a photo-shoot to announce the project that was being backed by Mythri Movie Makers. A source claims that the actor and the director tried their best to resolve the issues, but in vain. "Ranveer and Prashanth decided to move on and team up when a suitable project comes up in future," said our source. Prashanth will begin casting afresh for Rakshas. After wrapping up that film, he will move on to Jai Hanuman, his sequel to Hanu-Man.

Thrice as nice

These days, Rashmika Mandanna is collecting air miles as she shuttles between Mumbai and Hyderabad. The actor is currently working on three movies - Pushpa 2: The Rule with Allu Arjun, Kubera with Dhanush, and The Girlfriend, with Dheekshith Shetty. While Kubera is being filmed in Mumbai, Pushpa 2 and The Girlfriend are being shot in the Charminar city. However, the Animal actor is not letting the frequent travel bog her down. "It is definitely challenging, but Rashmika is loving every moment of it," says a source close to the actor. He adds, "The travel and long hours are just part of her journey, and she is fully committed to delivering her best in all the films." Before these three films, Rashmika will be seen in the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj biopic, Chhaava, with Vicky Kaushal, and the Tamil-Telugu bilingual, Rainbow.

Not such a welcome idea

After shooting a couple of schedules for director Ahmed Khan's Welcome to the Jungle, Sanjay Dutt is said to have opted out of producer Firoz A Nadiadwallah's comic entertainer. It was only last December that lead actor Akshay Kumar shared the news of Sanju being a part of the movie after they shot together in Madh Island. Apparently, the Munna Bhai actor was not too pleased with the changes in the script and the unplanned manner in which the shoot was happening. He apparently conveyed his reservations to Akki, who understood his predicament. Now, it remains to be seen how the makers treat his character. "Whether they will cast another actor and re-shoot those portions or retain Sanju's scenes and justify his absence creatively in the narrative, will be known in the coming weeks," said a source.