Have you heard? Omicron scare to push movie releases?

Several bigbudget films up for release face the fear of postponement amid the rising concerns over the Omicron variant of the virus The Ram Charan Jr NTR Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgnstarrer RRR releases on January 7 SS Rajamoulirsquos multilingual period drama is the first big release of 2022 The producers are worried about the increasing Omicron cases and the night curfew in certain parts of the country Strict COVID19 protocols will also affect the occupancy and footfalls in cinema halls Prabhas and Pooja Hegdersquos bilingual Radhe Shyam hits screens on January 14 Those backing Radha Krishna Kumarrsquos directorial venture are also concerned about the romantic dramarsquos release They are hoping that there is no replay of the situation in March when the second wave of the pandemic forced theatres to down shuttersA day marked by announcementsOn Monday to mark his 56th birthday Salman Khan announced that there is a possibility that he and Shah Rukh Khan will collaborate on a film The duo feature in extended cameos in their upcoming projects Tiger 3 and Pathan respectively During a media interaction outside his Panvel farmhouse where he rang in his big day the superstar said that Tiger 3 should release by December 2022 and Pathan will hit screens earlier He added that after Tiger 3 he begins work on the longintheplanning sequel to No Entry 2005 followed by Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali He also informed that the sequel of Bajrangi Bhaijaan 2015 is titled Pavanputra BhaijaanNot without IuliaSalman Khan cut his birthday cake at the stroke of midnight along with niece Ayat who turned two Apart from family and industry colleagues who made their way to Panvel including Bobby Deol Sajid and Wardha Nadiadwala Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh Sallursquos rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur was also present Deanne Panday shared a click with the Romanian actorsingerLove and lightThough several industry colleagues extended birthday greetings to Salman Khan Katrina Kaifrsquos birthday message for her Tiger 3 costar attracted attention The superstarrsquos close pal and former rumoured girlfriend wrote on Instagram Story ldquoHappiest birthday to you May all the love light and brilliance you have be with you foreverrdquo She also added a heart emojiThe joy of giving and sharingManiesh Paul spread festive cheer among underprivileged children by donating 500 pairs of footwear The actoranchor tied up with the NGO Khushiyaan Foundation for the endeavour One of his team members dressed up as Santa Claus and presented the gifts while partying with the kids Last year Paul had helped 40 migrant workers return to their hometown and provided them with footwear He had also showcased his philanthropic side by helping those hit hard by the pandemic with ration kits Paul who wrapped up the shoot of Jug Jugg Jeeyo alongside Anil Kapoor and Varun Dhawan believes that giving is caringTroubled notesOn Monday lsquoArrest Sunny Leonersquo started trending on Twitter after a section of netizens demanded an apology from her for featuring in the Madhuban music video The song rendered by Kanika Kapoor is facing flak for hurting religious sentiments After Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishrarsquos warning the music label released a statement that ldquothey will be changing the lyrics and the name of the song in the next three daysrdquoThe besties are backAfter recovering from COVID19 Kareena Kapoor Khan and Amrita Arora Ladak are up and about making sartorial statements The besties soaked in the festive spirit at Karisma Kapoorrsquos home on Sunday night Bebo caught up with Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor at the bash After being in quarantine for almost two weeks there was a lot to gossip about She shared a picture with Amrita on her Instagram Story and wrote ldquoWe are backrdquo Bebo is determined to make up for the lost timeNot pipinghotWhile there is no word on the new season of Koffee With Karan host Karan Johar has been conducting Koffee Shots With Karan on DisneyHotstar His latest episode featuring Atrangi Re actors Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan was part of Aanand L Rairsquos filmrsquos promotions as it dropped on the OTT platform In July this year the filmmaker posted a hint about a new season of a piping hot read controversial Koffee With Karan While itrsquos taking a while to brew Koffee Shots With Karan is proving to be lukewarm in comparison as it is a mere tool to promote digital films and shows