Udta Punjab All Set To Roll
Abhishek Chaubey has completed the final draft of his next film Udta Punjab and has signed four stars - Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh - to play the main leads. As we all know, the film is based on growing drug addiction among youth in Punjab.
A source close to the film adds, "We are working on the looks of the star cast and soon a look test of Shahid Kapoor will be held in Mumbai, which will soon be revealed to the media. The director along with his team leaves for Punjab this weekend to finalise locations and the shoot will start at the end of February."
Shivaay Recce Done
It is a well-known fact that Ajay Devgn is all set to weild the megaphone once again and his next directorial venture, Shivaay, featuring himself is going to be one of the biggest entertainers the Indian audience has ever witnessed. And to make that possible, Devgn and his team are not leaving any stone unturned.
After months of recce, the team is expected to return to India tomorrow. The entire ADF team has been living in Canada and Poland for months, and after finalising each and every location and locking every last detail, they will be back.
But their work is far from over. After they get back, they will start working on the final pre-production in Mumbai and the shoot will start in April. The film will be shot on a start-to-finish schedule and will hit the screens during Republic Day week next year.
Promotion Time For Jr Dhawan
Varun Dhawan understands just how important the right kind of promotion is for every movie and we've always seen him go all out to promote his movies. Clearly, it's paying off because he's having a very successful journey at the ticket counter.
Since his next film Badlapur belongs to a different genre and his audience will be seeing him in a different avatar, he and his marketing and PR machinery has revealed just enough so that the audience knows what to expect from the movie. Now the final countdown has begun.
Currently shooting for Remo D'Souza's ABCD 2, Dhawan will go all out to promote Badlapur from February 1. Here's wishing Jr Dhawan tons of luck!
Is Singh Is Bling Shelved?
Last week we told you that Akshay Kumar-Kriti Sanon starrer Singh Is Bling might be delayed as the film was to go on the floors at the end of January but didn't. That suggested that the film might have got delayed. There was also talk in the film trade that the film had been shelved.
However producer Dhaval Gada clarifies that they are re-working the script and the film will go on the floors in April. "We are re-working and improving the script. We plan to go into production in April and release the film in October as decided earlier," he says.
Now Sequel To Tom, Dick And Harry
Actor-turned-director Deepak Tijori is all set to wear the director's hat once again while making a sequel to his 2006 film, Tom, Dick And Harry. A source close to the film adds, "Deepak initially wanted to work on a fresh script but then he had an idea that was similar to his 2006 Tom, Dick And Harry and decided to start working on the sequel. Aftab Shivdasani has been signed to play one of the lead roles."
Tijori confirmed the news, saying, "Yes, we are in the process of starting the sequel to Tom, Dick And Harry and are working on the casting."
Vishal Bhardwaj's Next - Julia?
A few years ago, Vishal Bhardwaj was talking to Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn and German actress Franka Potente to make a film called Julia. UTV Motion Pictures was to produce the film but they backed out at the very last moment and the film never took off. After the success of Haider, it seems the director wants to start working on his much-cherished project Julia, based on Mary Evans Wadia aka Fearless Nadia.
A source close to Bhardwaj reveals, "Julia has been with Vishal for a very long time and he wants to revive it. He has started working on the script once again and if all goes well, the film will go on floors by the end of this year."
PS: There are rumours that Bhardwaj has approached Deepika Padukone to play the lead.
Raees To Go On Floors
A lot has been said of Rahul Dholakia's Raees and the director is finally prepping to start the film, featuring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. Produced by Excel Entertainment, Raees will start rolling in March.
A source close to the film says, "Raees starts rolling from March end with the other star cast and Shah Rukh Khan will join the cast in the first week of April in Gujarat. The film will be shot in Gujarat and South Mumbai."
Manav Kaul's Next
Director-actor Manav Kaul is very selective about the films he signs. He also personally funds the films he directs. His next is called Tathagat, the story of a sanyasi who wants to come back from the Himalayas and live a normal life. The film has found a producer, Manish Mundra, who also produced 2014's Aankhon Dekhi.
Will He, Won't He?
A few weeks ago, Box Office India told you that JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Pictures' Agra Ka Dabra, featuring Ayushmann Khurrana, had been put on hold. It seems the makers are waiting to see how Hawaizaada fares at the box office. Our source close to the production house reveals, "Ayushmann's career is not doing all that well, so the makers decided to wait till Hawaizaada released and see how it fares as Ayushmann is drawing a lot of negative vibes in the industry. After that film, he has YRF's Dum Laga Ke Haisha."
Guess Who?
Some films are just jinxed. Take this film which was announced with much fanfare some time ago by this leading banner and featuring this reputed director. But the film didn't start rolling and it was postponed many times as it went through changes in its main leads.
Finally, it seemed everything had been settled, once and for all. The cast was in place and the director was to start on this film as soon as he finished working on his current project. However, now we learn that there's an unexpected spanner in the works. A writer has got in touch with the banner, claiming that although the director claims he is working with his own script, a substantial portion of it was written by him (the miffed writer) and he has not been given due credit or compensation. The writer has vowed to pursue legal avenues to ensure that the film doesn't see the light of day till he gets his due. Last heard, the production house was still wondering how to handle this latest hurdle in what has already been a lengthy obstacle race.
Sigh! Is it any wonder so many of our producers turn to divine intervention and seek auspicious mahurats to start their films?
Guess Who?
Sex and music are two the things filmmakers are using the sell their films. It definitely attracts the attention of prospective buyers but isn't it misleading? Recently, we saw one such trailer but it seems the director is not happy with way the producers and marketing team has projected the film, which now looks like a sex comedy. The director has been telling all his close associates that he's not made a sex comedy but his producers are trying to sell his film as one.
The director is very miffed with the people who backed him on the film but the producers believe this is the only way they can lure a buyer or else they will never be able to sell the film and end up losing their money.
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