Have you heard? Show me the money

Salman Khan

While everyone is talking about the OTT version of Bigg Boss being deferred to February, we have some dope on the reality television show. Yes, Salman Khan will return as the host when the show goes on air this October. News is that he has asked for a huge fee hike for this year's edition of the reality TV series. Industry insiders claim that the Radhe actor has sought more than double his remuneration for Bigg Boss season 16. Apparently, he didn't get the expected increment in the last few seasons. Hence, Salman has apparently quoted a fat fee this time around. Pre-production has reportedly started and work on the set will commence in another couple of weeks. The actor is scheduled to wrap up his next production, tentatively titled Bhaijaan, before he steps into his hosting avatar
for the reality TV show.

Janhvi goes Bihari

mid-day had reported how Janhvi Kapoor bagged Good Luck Jerry, the Hindi adaptation of Nayanthara's 2018 Tamil hit, Kolamaavu Kokila (Role recall, June 19). Since Siddharth Sen's directorial venture sees her as a small-town girl from Bihar, Janhvi had to learn the region's dialect before she began filming. The actor, who trained extensively for the dialect with a couple of coaches, also attended a workshop to get her pronunciation right. Moreover, as part of her prep, she had to listen to Bihari songs and was even made to mouth Bihari expletives to get the nuances right. "The whole process was a lot of fun eventually. I am thankful about getting to know the syntax of that section of our country," she said.

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Cheeky humour, anyone?

Arjun Kapoor and Tara Sutaria have become good friends while working together on Ek Villain Returns. Their buddy bonding is evident in the pictures he shared on social media. Seeing her obsession with his cheeks, Arjun wondered, "Can someone explain why this Villain is obsessed with pulling my cheeks?" Tara promptly replied, saying, "Because the cheeks are just too darn squishy! Also I was going post this, Arjun Kapoor." That's so cheesy, er, we mean cheeky. No?

Underwater challenges

Aadil Khan underwent extensive prep to play an Air Force pilot in the web series, Shoorveer. The toughest part of the war drama was to shoot an underwater sequence. The actor, who had learnt swimming in lakes and rivers in his hometown, Bhopal, says, "The biggest challenge was to swim underwater with my hands and legs tied. I had to hold my breath for more than a minute for those scenes." On the plus side, the shoot went smoothly without any hiccups. Aadil adds, "I'm elated that I could push myself and did what was expected of me. I can't wait for audiences to see the series."

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A good filmmaking jodi

For any actor, venturing into production or/and direction is a natural career progression. Ranbir Kapoor is no different. During the promotion of his upcoming release Shamshera, he shared that he has always wanted to direct a film. Though Ranbir turned producer with Anurag Basu's Jagga Jasoos, he said he doesn't have the necessary production experience. "During the lockdown, I have also written a story, which I like very much. But I don't have that skill to write, to share it with people and make a film with them," he revealed. Reiterating that he gravitates towards direction rather than production, he added, "My wife [Alia Bhatt] is a producer and is very good [at it]. So maybe she can produce my film." Alia makes her debut as a producer with Darlings, for which she has joined hands with Shah Rukh Khan's company.

75 films and counting

Talking of Nayanthara, she is currently filming Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan under the direction of Atlee in Mumbai. Even as she is slated to wrap up the schedule by July-end, her next, also her 75th film, has just been announced. Nayanthara, who has been acting for almost 20 years, is known as Lady Superstar in the south. Not surprisingly, the new movie is tentatively titled Lady Superstar 75. Written and directed by S Shankar's erstwhile assistant Nilesh Krishnaa, the film sees Jai, Sathyaraj and Redin Kingsley as part of the principal cast. Nilesh feels it is surreal that "the one and only Lady Superstar leads the cast" of his directorial debut. "As this is her 75th film, I'm deeply committed to delivering the trust and confidence she has in us," he avered.

Also Read: Arjun Kapoor: Tara Sutaria and I have natural chemistry with each other!

Cameo call

And talking of Jawan, buzz is that Shah Rukh Khan's next with director Atlee will feature another starry cameo. Even as there's no update yet on Vijay Sethupathi signing on to play the antagonist, reports are rife that Tamil star Vijay will make a special appearance in it. The Master actor is said to have committed a day to shoot his cameo with SRK. The special sequence will be filmed in Chennai in September. Interestingly, Vijay shares a great equation with Atlee, having collaborated with him on three hits - Theri (2016), Mersal (2017) and Bigil (2019). Given his warm equation with SRK, he reportedly is not charging any fee for his cameo either.

Pain no bar

Aamir Khan is dubbing his portions for Laal Singh Chaddha. A key part of the narrative sees the titular character instinctively go on a cross-country marathon, when he is left heartbroken by his childhood sweetheart. We hear that he suffered knee injury while filming the running sequences. Besides undergoing physiotherapy, he popped painkillers to ensure the shooting, already behind schedule due to the pandemic, didn't suffer any more delays.

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