Have you heard? Nargis lays down her wishlist

Nargis Fakhri

Nargis Fakhri, who was recently seen in the streaming series Tatlubaaz, said that she loved how director Sandeep Reddy Vanga sketched his characters in the film Animal. The Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, which released last year in December, polarised the audience over its treatment of female characters and the dominance of the "alpha male" characters. "I love how the character was sketched for Ranbir Kapoor in Animal. The way he explored alpha energy was truly impressive! And look at how well he drafted characters for even the females in his film. Even though they weren't the ‘leads', they had the juiciest parts too," she shared, further expressing interest in working with Rajkumar Hirani. "I feel his films are like a breath of fresh air that's loaded with light-hearted moments. Lastly, I'd also like to work with Kabir Khan, and his high-octane action films like Ek Tha Tiger. I admire his passion for storytelling."

Nachke dikha

Sharvari, who will be seen in Munjya, said she has wanted to perform a dance number ever since she aspired to become an actor in Hindi cinema. "I was always fascinated by them. I have been mesmerised by the leading ladies of Hindi cinema, as well as the dancing icons across generations, who have belted out those big chartbusters that the entire nation has danced to. These party tracks have time and again also given recognition and validation to actors who have aced their performances in them," she said.

Leverage cinema's soft power

Prime minister Narendra Modi says that he met the film fraternity despite ideological differences to harness cinema's soft power. "I did many workshops after being voted to the Prime Minister's Office in 2016. I did workshops with start-ups and sports-persons. Not just this, I had meetings with people belonging to the film fraternity. I know the film fraternity is different in terms of its ideology, but as a prime minister, it is my job to talk to them and understand their problems. If Bollywood proves to be beneficial to us in the global market, if Tamil or Telugu films can prove to be profitable across the world, then for me as a PM, it's important to capitalise on the power that cinema can lend to our country," he said.

Dhadak again

Following his 2018 offering Dhadak, Karan Johar has returned with the next edition of the film, which will release in November. Posting a video online, Johar wrote, "This story is a bit different. Once, there was a king and a queen, both of whom belonged to different castes. End of story. Dhadak 2, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, will release in cinemas on November 22." The video highlights various texts pertaining to the lives of Dalits and the resistance against the practice of casteism.

A favourite place

Ahead of the release of Mr & Mrs Mahi, Janhvi Kapoor visited the Muppathamman temple, which she said was her "mumma", late actor Sridevi's favourite place in Chennai. Kapoor took to her Instagram account to share a gamut of pictures from her temple visit. "Visited Muppathamman temple for the first time. Mumma's most favourite place to visit in Chennai (sic)," she wrote in the caption. In Mr & Mrs Mahi, Kapoor pairs up with Rajkummar Rao.

First love

Saif Ali Khan has officially reunited with his Ta Ra Rum Pum director Siddharth Anand after nearly 17 years. The filmmaker delighted fans by sharing a couple of pictures, apparently from film sets, as he got back together with his ‘first hero'. Posting a picture from Budapest, Hungary, with Khan, he wrote: "Back on set with my first hero! How can nothing change? Love you, Saif!" He did not share details relating to the venture, but it is anticipated that they have collaborated on Jewel Thief, which is touted to be a Robbie Grewal-directed venture. Anand backs the production. Meanwhile, Khan was last seen in Adipurush (2023), co-starring Prabhas and Kriti Sanon in key roles. He will also be seen in Jr NTR's upcoming Telugu film Devara, also starring Janhvi Kapoor.

For the good

John Abraham, Raveena Tandon, Sunny Leone, and Jacqueliene Fernandez have called for "stricter laws" to safeguard the lives of animals after a string of cases of abuse have been brought to people's attention. Following a recent case of animal abuse reported from a society in Greater Noida, where a stray dog was thrown from the 15th floor of a residential tower, Abraham stated that the surge in "cruelty to animals deeply wounds our collective conscience." "Governments must not falter; they must implement stringent penalties to deter perpetrators and invest in comprehensive educational programmes to foster empathy and reverence for all life forms," he said. Tandon shared, "Research shows that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals are often repeat offenders who move on to hurting others, including humans. It's imperative for the safety of all of society - humans and other animals alike - that perpetrators are caught and punished."