Have you heard? It’s a girl for Deepika and Ranveer

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh

Sunday morning marked a new beginning in the life of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. The couple welcomed their first child yesterday. They announced the news on social media, with the caption reading, "Welcome baby girl! 8.9.2024. Deepika & Ranveer." Soon enough, the new parents were flooded with congratulatory messages from their industry friends like Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor, Pooja Hegde, Kriti Sanon, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Parineeti Chopra, Malaika Arora, Suniel Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood and Jacqueliene Fernandez. Kareena Kapoor Khan commented, "Congratulations mommy and daddy. From Saifu [Saif Ali Khan] and Bebo. God bless the little angel," punctuated with red heart emojis. Arjun Kapoor wrote, "Laxmi aayi hai! The queen is here!!" Deepika had got admitted into a hospital on Saturday, on the special occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The previous day, Ranveer and she visited Siddhivinayak Temple to seek blessings for their bundle of joy. The mother and daughter are doing well. Our congratulations to the couple.

Salman's angry new avatar

Salman Khan is currently shooting for director A Murugadoss's Sikandar for producer-friend Sajid Nadiadwala. Now, we hear that his character exposes a major racket in the narrative. "The crux of the story is such that it will resonate with audiences across ages and strata," said a source, adding that the plot is high on emotions and backed by a strong social message. Our informer also shares that Salman's protagonist is fuelled by rage from a past incident, which drives him to fight against the system, for the common man. In a way, Sikandar will mark Salman's return as the angry man in a new avatar. The film, which also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Sathyaraj, arrives on Eid 2025.

Bonded by food

Kishori Shahane Vij, who plays the antagonist in the television show, Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gaye, shares a family-like bond with her co-actors off-screen. She recently treated Arjit Taneja, Sriti Jha, Hemangi Kavi and remaining cast members to home-made palak paneer, parathas, dal fry and jeera rice. The actor, who also got sheera to end the lunch on a sweet note, said, "We have been working hard day and night to entertain our audiences. So, I thought everyone deserves a treat. The team often enjoys my lunch box, so I thought why not get some delicious food specially cooked by me for them."

Don can wait

It appears that Don 3 might be delayed again. Farhan Akhtar had first planned to kickstart the third edition of his action thriller franchise, with Ranveer Singh in the titular role, around this time, but had to defer it to early 2025. However, now that he has begun shooting 120 Bahadur, his next as an actor, his directorial venture has been pushed ahead by about four months. Farhan plays Major Shaitan Singh PVC in the period war drama, which revisits the Battle of Rezang La during the India-China War of 1962. Since the production of 120 Bahadur spans quite a few months, he has reportedly decided to finish his acting assignment before donning the director's hat. Sources claim that Don 3 will go on floors around June next year. By then, Ranveer will have wrapped up his next with director Aditya Dhar.

Celebrating Bappa!

Perhaps no other festival is celebrated with so much pomp and vigour in B-Town as Ganesh Chaturthi. Several actors brought the deity home to host him with festivities, food and music.

Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Suniel Shetty, Govinda, Esha Deol, Tusshar Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Divya Dutta, Manish Malhotra were some of the celebrities who continue the years-old ritual of bringing the elephant god home for two to 11 days.

Following in his father Jeetendra's footsteps, Tusshar performed the traditional puja and aarti at the family residence on Ganesh Chaturthi.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra's enthusiasm remained unmatched as she performed the immersion of her eco-friendly Bappa yesterday, regaled the visitors with her dhol skills and her energetic dance moves, along with husband Raj and daughter Samisha. Pics/Satej Shinde