Vijay Krishna Acharya's Next
The industry is buzzing with news that Vijay Krishna Acharya, aka Victor, has signed Hrithik Roshan for his next. After wrapping Ashutosh Gowariker'sMohenjo Daro, we hear that Roshan is gearing up for his next, which is Acharya's next film under the Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner. It's not a sequel to Dhoom but a period, epic love story.
We also hear that Aditya Chopra is taking special interest in the film as it is said to be the most ambitious project ever under the YRF banner. Although the makers are still scouting for the leading actress, pre-production work has begun at YRF Studios and the film will start rolling by the end of this year.
WB to Premiere In Dubai
Firoz A Nadiadwallah is known to make films on a larger-than-life canvas, which is evident in his latest film Welcome Back set to release on September 4. We hear that the makers have decided to hold a BIG premiere in Dubai, where most of the film was shot. The makers have booked the famous Real Cinemas next to the Grand Hyatt for the mega event. The entire star cast of the film will head to Dubai for the grand premiere, which will obviously be followed by a grand after-party.
Housefull 3 Gets Bigger
Sajid Nadiadwala sure has his finger on the pulse of the audience and also knows how to promote his films. There was a time when, like all other filmmakers, Nadiadwala used to announce only the release dates of his upcoming projects so that he would book his slots. Now the producer has also announced a mega-marketing strategy for his next, Housefull 3, which he has planned well in advance.
Housefull 3, part of the superhit Housefull franchise, will start rolling in London next week. Housefull was mounted on a grand canvas and with its sequel, Nadiadwala made it even bigger. Now the producer has decided to make the third instalment even grander and the film will be shot in London's most exotic locations. Promotions of the film will start with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016, on a large scale. The film features Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Lisa Haydon, Jacqueline Fernandez and Nargis Fakhri. Directed by Farhad-Sajid, the film will hit cinemas on June 3, 2016.
PK released in December 2014 and then Aamir Khan got busy with his next film Dangal based on the real-life story of wrestler Mahavir Phogat. The actor underwent intensive training and gained 20 kgs for the role. The shooting, which was to start in April, was postponed because the makers were not happy with the casting for Phogat's daughter. Now that everything is locked, the film starts rolling from September 1 in Haryana. The film will be shot in two schedules - the September schedule will last till December, which will show Khan as an elderly gentleman training his daughters. After that, another schedule will start, in March next year, where Khan will drop the extra kilos in just three months, to look younger. The film will also be shot in Kila Raipur and other regions where the rural Olympics are held.
Now Finding Nimmo
Deepika Padukone's Finding Fanny grabbed many eyeballs because of its title and content last year. Now there's another film whose Hollywood-like title will grab attention. It's called Finding Nimmo. No, it's not a sequel to Finding Fanny; it's a coming-of-age love story, where a boy sets out to find his childhood love. The film, which will start rolling early next year, is being produced by Kumar Mangat's Panorama Studios.
PS: In all probability, the makers of Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? will soon announce a sequel to the film.
Sonakshi Sinha's Dedication
Sonakshi Sinha, who is juggling her film Akira and television show Indian Idol Junior 2015, is excited for her next film to be directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It's a biopic on Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar. Since she (Haseena Parker, not Sonakshi Sinha) was known as the underworld queen' and used to live in Mumbai's Nagpada area, the film will be shot entirely in Mumbai in places like Bhendi Bazaar and Nagpada. The prep for the film starts in January 2016 and the film will start rolling in February. The actress will be attending workshops to get into her character.
Diverse Films
Earlier this year, many films were announced for release on October 2, a national holiday. Slowly, the release dates of these films changed as these projects were either advanced or postponed. Recently, Rocky Handsome was postponed to early next year as a chunk of shooting is left. October is considered a good date in the trade and the audience will get to watch two diverse films on that date. One is Prabhudheva's Singh Is Bliing starring Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson, an out-and-out commercial masala film. On the other hand, the audience will also get to watch a diagonally opposite genre, which is Meghna Gulzar's Talvar starring Irrfan and Tabu. The film is currently doing the rounds of many international festivals and will soon be promoted here.
Sameer Turns Producer
Box Office India was the first to tell you that Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi will be seen together in a film. The film, which is based on relationships, will go on the floors in September and will be directed by Nishant Tripathi and Aparna Singh, a co-writer on Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal. We now hear that Sameer, the famous lyricist who has worked in the industry for over 25 years, has taken a step forward and is turning producer with this film.
Film On Sultana Daku
Ekaa Films Pvt Ltd, a Delhi-based boutique production house that has consistently created high quality, award winning content has bought the rights to the book titled The Confession Of Sultana Daku from Siddharth Jain of iRock Films. The book is authored by Sujit Saraf, who previously wrote the Peacock Throne.
When contacted, Jain said, "Yes, Madhureeta Anand of Ekaa Films has bought the rights of the book The Confession Of Sultana Daku. I personally have loved the story of Sultana Daku and was looking for an apt director but couldn't find one. But when Madhureeta approached me with the script she had written based on the book, I was blown away. She is a filmmaker herself and also owns Ekaa Films so I sold the rights to her and my company will be co-producing the film along with them."
Guess Who?
This is what happens when you start thinking you are the cat's whiskers. And it's not the first time this has happened in our industry. More to the point, this filmmaker believed that everything he touched turned to gold. But look what's happened to him now! Although his last film was a moderate success and he's announced a couple of projects, sources in his company tell us that not one of these projects he's announced will be going on the floors in the near future. To make matters worse, he's finding it difficult to even get actors on board. And last but not least, we're told that a few of his close associates have either left the company or are planning to quit. Sigh!
Hindi TV Shows
Bindi
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Jodha Akbar
30