Have you heard? From extended cameo to the lead role

It is known that Shah Rukh Khan is teaming up with Siddharth Anand to produce an action thriller which also marks the bigscreen debut of his actordaughter Suhana Khan While the superstar was initially said to have an extended cameo in the Sujoy Ghosh directorial venture now rumours are rife that he will play the lead in the film tentatively titled King while Suhana will essay the parallel lead Apparently the screenplay has undergone quite a few changes As a result SRKrsquos charactermdashwho is a mentor to Suhanarsquos character and rescues her a few times in the narrativemdashhas gained greater significance Sujoy and Sid are now looking to begin preproduction next month and take the bigbudget thriller on floors this August In the wake of these changes the makers are contemplating a late 2025 releaseMay date for geopolitical thrillerIn the wake of the Lok Sabha elections which begin today several film releases have been rescheduled Consequently save for Rajkummar Raorsquos Srikanth on May 10 and Manoj Bajpayeersquos Bhaiyya Ji on May 24 there is no noteworthy movie arriving next month However talk in the trade is that John Abraham and Manushi Chhillarrsquos Tehran could salvage the dry summer month in cinemas Debutant director Arun Gopalanrsquos geopolitical thriller was initially slated to arrive in the Republic Day 2023 window It was deferred after the Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukonestarrer Pathaan in which John played the antagonist was announced for the same date Now talk in the trade is that Tehran makers are eyeing the May 17 window to have a solo release ldquoThe final decision will be taken in a couple of daysrdquo said a sourceSudden change in plansOn Wednesday multiplexes announced April 19 as Cinema Lovers Day and that they would sell movie tickets at R99 on the occasion Soon enough the makers of todayrsquos releases Do Aur Do Pyaar and Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 also came out with ads promoting the offer However most netizens were not too excited by the offer Pointing out that theatres across India already celebrated Cinema Lovers Day on February 23 they questioned the intent as April 19 also marks the start of the first phase of voting for the Lok Sabha elections Wondering if the discounted price would discourage people from voting one social media user wrote ldquoThey could have instead combined this offer with voting whoever shows the inked finger gets a discountrdquo Tagging the Election Commission of India the netizen added ldquoIf schools colleges and offices are closed why canrsquot movie theatres be closed for the polling dayrdquo Eventually the multiplexes withdrew the offer last morning much to the shock and surprise of the two filmsrsquo producers and distributorsA brsquoday tributeChiyaan Vikram turned 58 on Wednesday To mark the special occasion Jio Studios and Studio Green Films which are backing his next Thangalaan paid him a tribute with a dekko of the muchanticipated period action thriller The filmrsquos director Pa Ranjith said ldquoThangalaan is a vision to present a historical adventure story based on true events backed by phenomenal effort from Vikram sir and the entire teamrdquo Excited by the collaboration of the two studios he expressed confidence in the movie reaching its target audience The filmmaker added ldquoOn the occasion of Vikram sirrsquos birthday this tribute video is to showcase the efforts he has put in which helped the film get its due attention and create huge expectationsrdquoFun times aheadNora Fatehi who is currently basking in the response to her last release Madgaon Express is said to be in the reckoning for two more comedies Reportedly the actordancer is being considered for a principal part in Bhoot Police 2 The first instalment of the horror comedy starred Saif Ali Khan Arjun Kapoor Yami Gautam Dhar and Jacqueliene Fernandez The other film in question is with director Akshat Varma who scripted Delhi Belly 2011 and helmed Saifrsquos Kaalakaandi While things on these two films are yet to be finalised Nora has Remo DrsquoSouzarsquos Be Happy with Abhishek Bachchan and Matka with Varun Tej lined up News is also that director Sajid Khanrsquos new comedy 100 percent that will be revived with a revised script