Even as there is talk that Akshay Kumar’s next, Mission Cinderella, may premiere on an OTT platform, a picture from its launch is making news for altogether different reasons. One would expect an image of the film’s leads to be doing the rounds, ahead of the film’s release. But looks like the Bhagnanis —who serve as the producers — had something else in mind. They have shared a picture that sees Vashu, wife Pooja, son Jackky and daughter Deepshikha take centre-stage, along with the lead actors. Industry sources say that leading lady Rakul Preet Singh, who is dating Jackky, has been welcomed into the Bhagnani fold. Do we hear wedding bells ringing?

Of family bonding

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Dharmendra and Tanuja cheered up our Friday as the Sholay actor shared a reel that sees them talking about their warm relationship. Not many know that the two families have shared a close bond that dates back to Tanuja’s grandmother Rattanbai Shilotri’s times. Posting the reel, he wrote: “An old loving family association  with Shobhana ji , Nutan and Tanuja. We are regular visitors to each other’s homes.” In the video, the veteran star talks about how he dotes on her. “Par kuchh log nazar lagate hain... Hell with them, na?” he asks, as a feisty Tanuja seconds his opinion.

Targeting a long weekend

Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone’s Fighter has a new release date. Director Siddharth Anand’s venture was to initially hit the screens over the 2023 Republic Day weekend, but gracefully bowed out of the race when Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan — also helmed by Anand — booked the window. Now, the aerial action thriller will arrive on September 28, 2023, on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad. It will get the advantage of a five-day weekend as the following Monday is Gandhi Jayanti. Talk about making a smart move.

Kiara to front swimming champ’s biopic?

She played prominent roles in two biopics — MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) and Shershaah (2020) – so far. It looks like the third time may be truly a charm for Kiara Advani. The buzz suggests that the actor is being considered for a biopic on world renowned swimmer Bhakti Sharma. Bhavani Iyer of Raazi fame is apparently scripting the film that will trace Bhakti’s initial struggles and her rise to the top.

Remake will have to wait

John Abraham, who recently signed Tehran, has reshuffled his dates to accommodate the project. Based on true events, Arun Gopalan’s directorial venture will go on floors as soon as the actor wraps up his work on Pathaan. As a result, he has put director Jagan Shakti’s remake of the Malayalam action-thriller Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020) on the backburner. The adaptation will see John step into the role essayed by Biju Menon in the original, while Arjun Kapoor will reprise Prithviraj Sukumaran’s part. So, when will the two actors face the camera for the remake? Your guess is as good as ours.

Starting on a festive note

Ankit Bhathla, who is currently seen in Ghar Ek Mandir — Kripa Agrasen Maharaj Ki, has been signed on for a murder mystery. The actor  will soon begin shooting for the yet-untitled English film in Mumbai. Sources say the movie will do the rounds of the festival circuit, including the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.  Now, that’s a dream come true for Ankit who always wanted to explore festival films.

Empowering women through films

It has been a great start to the year for Bhumi Pednekar, who has won praise for her performance in Badhaai Do. From playing a woman battling weight issues in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) to bringing a queer love story on screen with her latest release, the actor says she has constantly attempted to highlight different shades of women. “Every part that I play comes with varied challenges. Most of the women that I have played, have been distanced from the person I am. But the idea is to empower as many people as you can through these parts,” she says. She has a promising line-up that includes Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed and Sudhir Mishra’s Afwah.

Upendra’s pan-India plans

The mammoth success of the Baahubali series, KGF: Chapter 1, and Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise is inspiring more south stars to connect with the pan-India audience. The latest is Kannada actor-director Upendra, who hopes to wow cinegoers with his next that is named after him. Upendra will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. “It is the fans who created the story, wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the past 33 years. It is through their whistles and claps that I have always directed,” says the actor-director. Here’s hoping that the fans will make the film a success, too.