Have you heard? Aamir Khan, Suriya to lead pan-India Ghajini 2

Suriya, Ajay Devgn, Aamir Khan and Mohanlal

Twice as nice

In June 2023, reports first emerged that Mohanlal and Ajay Devgn would simultaneously work on the Malayalam and Hindi versions of Drishyam 3. A couple of months ago, Jeethu Joseph, director of the Malayalam original, revealed that while he has an idea to end the third edition of the thriller franchise, he is yet to crack the screenplay. Now, it looks like Aamir Khan and Tamil superstar Suriya might make Ghajini 2 sooner. Reportedly, Madhu Mantena, the producer of the 2008 Hindi film, pitched an idea to Aamir, who liked it and asked him to develop the script. On the other hand, Allu Aravind, who backed the 2005 Tamil original, approached Suriya, who was excited by the idea of taking the narrative forward. With major star films releasing pan-India, both Madhu and Aravind are now keen to make the Hindi and Tamil versions simultaneously. "The Tamil film releasing earlier would take away the novelty from the Hindi version. Moreover, the team of the Hindi film is looking to avoid the remake tag. Taking these factors into account, the producers felt it would be best to make the two movies around the same time," said a source. He also added that both Suriya and Aamir have been kept in loop regarding the plan. Aamir's Ghajini was the first Hindi film to cross the Rs 100-crore mark at the domestic box-office.

Double exit

Shruti Haasan, who will next be seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, starring Rajinikanth, recently opted out of two movies - Dacoit: A Love Story, and Chennai Story. She had begun filming with Adivi Sesh for Dacoit and posted pictures from the shoot on her social media handle. However, sources claim that Shruti exited the Shaneil Deo-directed action drama owing to creative differences with Adivi. On the other hand, there are no reasons given for Shruti's walk-out from Chennai Story. She was to play a detective in the Indo-UK production being helmed by Philip John. Samantha was the first choice for the film, which is an adaptation of Timeri N Murari's novel, Arrangements of Love.

What cameo?

Recently, rumours have been rife that Shah Rukh Khan will have a cameo in Ayan Mukerji's War 2. It is being said that just like Hrithik Roshan had a special appearance in Tiger 3, SRK's Pathaan will be seen in the action thriller that also stars Jr NTR, and marks the next offering from YRF Spy Universe. While there is no official word on it, some industry insiders claim that Duggu's cameo in Tiger 3 was an indication that his character Kabir Dhaliwal was returning in the next espionage thriller from Aditya Chopra's production house. "After War 2, YRF's next spy film is Alpha, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari. So, Pathaan making a special appearance in the Hrithik-Taarak thriller could be misleading," said the source.

Balancing reel and races

A few weeks ago, there was a strong buzz that Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar is quitting acting as he is returning to racing. However, we now hear that the Valimai actor is not hanging up his boots. While he is getting ready for a comeback to racing after 15 years, he is planning to maintain a balance by doing only one film a year. Ajith will return to the racing circuit as he will participate in 24H Dubai 2025 and the European 24H Series Championship in the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup class. The actor has Vidaamuyarchi and Good Bad Ugly releasing next year.

And the award goes to...

The MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 concluded yesterday with the award presentation ceremony. The six-day fest saw 110 movies from over 45 countries in over 50 languages. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi was honoured with the Excellence in Cinema Award for her outstanding contribution to the movies. Amit Dutta's Rhythm of a Flower (Phoolon ka Chand) bagged the Golden Gateway gong while the Silver Gateaway went to Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan's Nocturnes.

The Special Jury Prize was presented to director Raam Reddy's The Fable, starring Manoj Bajpayee, while Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha's production venture, Girls Will Be Girls earned the Special Mention. Shuchi Talati's directorial venture also bagged the NETPAC Award, and Min Bahadur Bham's Shambala, and Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbó's Agent of Happiness got the NETPAC Special Mention. Girls Will Be Girls also won the Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award for challenging traditional gender stereotypes and advancing nuanced narratives. The Dimensions Mumbai jury presented the Gold Award to Shreela Agarwal's BMCLD, and the Silver Award to Sameeha Sabnis' A Tale of Two Cities and Bhagyesh Rajeshirke's I Was Painted Red.

Realty gains for the Bachchans

Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan are building on their immovable assets. According to registration documents reviewed by real estate portal Square Yards, the duo has acquired 10 apartments, collectively worth about Rs 24.95 crore in Mulund West, Mumbai. Their new acquisitions comprise three-and four-bedroom luxurious homes in an upscale residential project. While eight apartments are spread across 1,049 sq ft each, two measure 912 sq ft each. Of these, Big B has bought four, while Bachchan Junior has bought six, costing Rs 14.77 crore. Earlier this year, Abhishek bought six apartments in the same developer's premium project in Borivali East, collectively said to be worth Rs 15.5 crore.