Have you heard? Cross-border thriller next

Some months before The Immortal Ashwatthama was put on the backburner buzz was that director Aditya Dhar was considering Ranveer Singh for the titular role in place of Vicky Kaushal It is now known that the filmmaker is moving on to another actionpacked subject The yetuntitled film is said to be based on the recent terrorist killings in Pakistan Ranveer is reportedly being finalised for the highoctane thriller Apparently the actor was taken by the subject that is set against the backdrop of Indian intel agencies and gave his nod after the first narration itself Whatrsquos more he is said to have asked his team to prioritise Adityarsquos directorial venture Sources claim an official announcement can be expected after the contracts are signed The director is keen to begin filming by JuneNo major censor hurdlesIt appears that Shaitaan fared better with the Central Board of Film Certification than the Gujarati film Vash 2023 of which it is a remake Vikas Bahlrsquos directorial venture which stars Ajay Devgn R Madhavan and Jyothika was cleared with a UA rating after the makers complied with the four recommended alterations including disclaimers that the horror thriller doesnrsquot support or endorse black magic and a static message against alcohol consumption On the other hand the makers of the Gujarati film had to make eight modifications before getting an A certification After Shaitaan releases this Friday we will know how much it has been toned down in terms of violence and gore compared to Vash The Hindi adaptation has a runtime of 132 minutesWill Shahid be Prem againLast month midday reported that Salman Khan has opted out of Sooraj Barjatyarsquos next due to creative differences Hum saath saath no longer Feb 9 Now talk is that Shahid Kapoor is being considered to step in the superstarrsquos shoes The filmmaker has already begun reworking the screenplay for a younger actor after Salmanrsquos exit Sasha has apparently liked the idea but hasnrsquot yet committed to the project If all goes well the film could mark his reunion with Sooraj over 18 years since Vivah in which he essayed the lead character Prem The actor is currently working on director Rosshan Andrrewsrsquo Deva with Pooja HegdeAgents of changeEver since the first reports of Junior NTR being signed on for War 2 appeared it has been believed that he will play the antagonist opposite Hrithik Roshan After all the sequel was taking off from the 2019 hit in which Tiger Shroff essayed the baddie Now it is being said that the RRR actor is the newest agent of the YRF Spy Universe after Salman Khanrsquos Tiger Hrithikrsquos Kabir and Shah Rukh Khanrsquos Pathaan Producer Aditya Chopra apparently has plans to explore Jr NTRrsquos character with various shades and also extend its trajectory beyond Ayan Mukerjirsquos directorial venture Besides introducing the Telugu superstar in a bigscale spy thriller the filmmaker is contemplating spinoffs and cameos in other titles of his spyverse While Duggu resumes filming with an action sequence tomorrow Jr NTR is slated to join the team by early May The makers are looking to bring the film to cinemas during the August 15 2025 weekendLucky number 13While Kiara Advani has been announced as Ranveer Singhrsquos leading lady in Don 3 wersquove now learnt that another actor was also in the reckoning Sources claim that director Farhan Akhtar had zeroed in on two heroines for the role the other being Kriti Sanon Reportedly Ranveer conveyed that he shares a comfortable and friendly equation with Kiara so that would help in their intercharacter dynamics and chemistry Having signed War 2 she is said to have asked a higher fee of about R13 crore After some back and forth she was finalised as the new Donrsquos mollBatting for women writersOn the eve of International Womenrsquos Day producer Anand Pandit calls for more women writers in the industry He says ldquoWe have so many exceptional women writers today and we must invest more in them and also in cinema that challenges malecentric filmmakingrdquo The producer adds ldquoWomen bring a unique perspective to the table When womenrsquos voices are heard and represented in the creative process it leads to richer and more impactful storytellingrdquo