Have you heard? Party toh banti hai

Shah Rukh Khan has lots lined up tomorrow. For starters, it is his 58th birthday and he’s leaving no stone unturned in making it memorable, especially since the last few years have been rather low-key

Shah Rukh Khan has lots lined up tomorrow. For starters, it is his 58th birthday and he’s leaving no stone unturned in making it memorable, especially since the last few years have been rather low-key. The eventful day will begin with the unveiling of the teaser of Dunki, his next release with Rajkumar Hirani. It will be followed by a screening for and an interaction with fans travelling to Mumbai for his special day. Later in the evening, SRK will host a mega bash at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, which will be attended by his industry friends like Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Kajol, Siddharth Anand, Alia Bhatt and Atlee. Sources say his Khan dosts—Salman and Aamir—are likely to join the revelry too. Insiders claim that the day will also mark the celebration of his unprecedented comeback with blockbusters, Pathaan and Jawan. 

Dhanush to play Raaja 

Chatter in Chennai is that Dhanush is set to play music maestro Ilaiyaraaja in his biopic. The project is being backed by Connekkt Media, which is also producing Mohanlal’s pan-India period action drama, Vrushabha. Interestingly, a few months ago, the legendary composer’s son Yuvan Shankar Raja had said that he would love to see the Captain Miller actor play his father in his biopic. A fan of Ilaiyaraaja’s work, Dhanush is immensely excited to portray the icon on screen. We hear he will be prepping extensively before the movie goes on floors early 2024. 

Siddhant-Navya’s dinner date 

For a while now, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Navya Naveli Nanda, grand-daughter of Amitabh Bachchan, are said to be dating. However, they have always refrained from talking about their relationship to the media. The rumoured couple were recently spotted when they went out dining together. Siddhant and Navya were accompanied by his Gehraiyaan director, Shakun Batra. Reportedly, the young entrepreneur’s mother Shweta Bachchan Nanda also joined them soon. After dinner, Shweta was the first to step out of the venue. Later, Siddhant, Navya and Shakun left together in the same car. Reports of Siddhant and Navya being a couple first appeared after Karan Johar’s 50th birthday bash last year, when videos of them dancing together went viral on social media. Since then, even though they are said have been on holidays together, they have always remained non-committal about their relationship. 

Completing deal with incomplete film? 

Talk in the trade is that  Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar’s The Lady Killer will release this Friday in theatres, in an incomplete avatar. Reason: the producers had inked a lucrative contract with a streaming partner and are keen to deliver as committed. Any delay in the theatrical release would jeopardise their OTT deal, which would cause substantial losses. Rumours are rife that the producers pulled the plug despite a week’s shoot left as Ajay Bahl’s directorial venture crossed the stipulated budget. Apparently, they’ve tried to salvage the film with smart editing and dubbing to show the lead characters as narrators for the missing portions. It is also being said that The Lady Killer will have a limited release to meet the specific clauses in its OTT deal. 

Direct to OTT 

Even as filmmakers are vying for the best release dates to make the most for their delayed movies, we hear that Ishaan Khatter’s period drama Pippa will arrive directly on OTT. Industry sources claim that the makers signed the deal with a streaming giant for its OTT premiere to cut their losses. Helmed by Raja Krishna Menon and also starring Mrunal Thakur, the war drama is said to have gone over-budget and the delay in release only added to the producer’s woes. According to a source, “Releasing Pippa in theatres would also add the P&A (print and advertising) costs to the overall budget. Despite several movies having done well in cinemas, one can’t say for sure what will work with the audiences. Rather than risking additional expenditure, the makers preferred to minimise their losses by going the OTT way.” 

Wedding festivities begin 

Tollywood couple, Varun Tej and Lavanya Tripathi kicked off their destination wedding festivities in Tuscany on Monday night with a cocktail party. The venue turned out to be a starry specatacle with the arrival of the groom’s cousins, Allu Arjun and Ram Charan, who was accompanied by wife Upasana. The couple had a haldi ceremony yesterday morning followed by mehndi in the evening. Varun and Lavanya will take the pheras tomorrow. 

Thrilling times ahead 

Sunny Deol, who will soon begin working on Aamir Khan’s production, Lahore, 1947, with director dost Rajkumar Santoshi, has reportedly finalised his next with Abbas-Mustan. This marks Sunny’s first collaboration with the men in white, who have previously made five films with his brother Bobby. In keeping with director duo’s love for the genre, the yet-untitled movie will be an action thriller with Abbas-Mustan’s trademark plot twists.  

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