Have you heard? Casting coup on Basu’s mind

Recently reports were rife that Akanksha Sharma is in talks with the makersmdashproducers Mukesh Bhatt and Vishesh Bhattmdashto play the leading lady oppositeKartik Aaryan Now it appears that it is Sara Ali Khan who might be stealing the spotlight Insiders claim that Anurag is set to ignite sparks by reuniting Kartik and Sara on screen again The filmmakerrsquos admiration for Sararsquos talent knows no bounds especially after she shot portions of Basursquos nextmdashMetro In Dino Itrsquos not surprising then that insiders insist on having the Love Aaj Kal duo set the mercury rising again with their chemistry But the kahani mein twist is that the Bhatts are keeping everyone guessing as they refuse to divulge the name of the leading lady in Aashiqui 3Maddyrsquos new roleR Madhavan is on a roll The actorfilmmaker recently won the National Award in the Best Feature Film category for Rocketry The Nambi Effect Now he has been named President of the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India FTII Pune The news was broken on social media by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur He wrote ldquoHeartiest congratulations to R Madhavan ji on being nominated as president of FTII and chairman of the governing council Irsquom sure that your vast experience and strong ethics will enrich this institute bring positive changes and take it to a higher level My best wishes to yourdquo Maddy responded saying ldquoThank you so much for the honour and kind wishes Anurag Thakur ji I will do my very best to live up to all the expectationsrdquoSleepless before a songAfter seeing Sardar Udham if you thought essaying myriad emotions in front of the camera came easy to Vicky Kaushal then think again Apparently Vicky was a bundle of nerves a couple of days before shooting the song Kanhaiya Twitter pe aaja from his upcoming film The Great Indian Family ldquoYes I was sleeplessrdquo he admits adding ldquoBut we all were loving the vibe The environment was infectious and the countless dancers and crew added to itrdquo For the pacy number which is the actorrsquos introductory sequence in the family drama YRF built a massive set replicating a heartland town in IndiaHomage to Habib saabOn Habib Tanvirrsquos centenary as a tribute to the legendary playwright Karmic Films announced its acquisition of the rights to the theatrical masterpiece Charandas Chor The idea is to adapt the classic for the big screen and create a social commentary for the new generation Created in 1975 the globally renowned play received the prestigious Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Nageen Tanvir daughter of the late playwright says ldquoIt gives me great joy to see my fatherrsquos legacy thrive through this venturerdquoAcing social media gameItrsquos a hot topic among Bollywood enthusiastsmdashhow has Katrina Kaif managed to outshine Deepika Padukone on Instagram Despite joining the platform later posting sparingly and lacking movie releases this year Katrinarsquos follower count soared past Deepikarsquos Fans have their theories One theory suggests that Katrinarsquos social media account offers a more personal touch while Deepikarsquos account is businesscentric The intimacy that Kat shares with her followers sets her apart Another fan weighed in ldquoKatrina joined in 2017 trailing far behind Deepika To witness her not only catch up but surpass her is remarkablerdquo Guess thatrsquos a testament to Katrsquos magnetic charm noPicture thisAlia Bhattrsquos latest Vogue cover has set social media abuzz and Reddit users are unleashing their opinions Some claim that the National Awardwinning actor looks more like Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl than herself fueling speculation of excessive photo manipulation On the other hand critics argue that if this transformation was executed without Aliarsquos consent it is a breach of trust While photo retouching is a common practice in the fashion industry the debate over preserving an artistersquos identity rages on As the controversy simmers Alia herself has maintained a studied silence about it so farArriving soonerWith Prabhasrsquos Salaar vacating the last Friday in September the makers of Fukrey 3 have swooped in to grab the date Originally slated for a December release the third instalment of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwanirsquos comedy franchise is now arriving in cinemas on September 28 A production source informed ldquoAfter the success of Rocky Rani Kii Prem Kahaani there is a noticeable demand for lighter films especially comedies Fukrey 3 which features Pulkit Samrat Richa Chadha Pankaj Tripathi Varun Sharma and Manjot Singh perfectly taps into that need of the audiencerdquo