Have you heard? Ajay Devgn to shoot in Ooty forest for his next; Sonakshi Sinha addresses her interfaith marriage

Ajay Devgn

Ranger Devgn

mid-day had earlier reported that Ajay Devgn is set to do a jungle adventure thriller (Ajay Devgn to shoot for ‘Ranger' which will see him as a forest officer, November 2024). Now we have heard that the actor will begin filming in Ooty's dense forests in the second half of March. In the movie he will play Ranger Singh, a rookie forest officer combating animal poaching. It is also being reported that Sanjay Dutt will join the sets later as the antagonist. The film will be helmed by Jagan Shakti. It is expected to wrap up by September and release in the secold half of 2026. Before Ranger, Ajay will complete patchwork for Raid 2 and begin filming for Dhamaal 4. The actor has a packed 2025 as he is also shooting for Raid 2, Son of Sardaar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2.

Marriage of hearts

Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal tied the knot in a private ceremony in June 2024. Ever since their wedding, Sonakshi has been questioned if she is contemplating converting to Islam. Addressing the topic, she said, "There was never a question of conversion. We love each other, and that was enough." She emphasised that their marriage is built on mutual respect, and added, "We appreciate and understand each other's cultures. We respect each other's traditions and family." Sonakshi's father, veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha, was apparently unhappy with the union, but he attended the wedding, putting the speculation to rest.

Myth in method acting

Paresh Rawal has expressed disagreement with method acting, citing Ranveer Singh's experi-ence of playing Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat (2018). Just after Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film had released, Ranveer had revealed that the character's intensity stayed with him much after filming, even causing depression. Rawal argued that this approach is flawed, emphasising the importance of maintaining a "witness attitude" to separate one's personal life from the character. He questioned the extremes of method acting. He said that becoming one with the character can be risky. He advised young actors to have a balanced appraoch towards acting and not let it affect their persoanal life.

Clearing controversies

Akshay Kumar's new single with Palash Sen, Mahakal chalo, had sparked controversy after a priests association accused it of insulting the Sanatan dharma. The association objected to scenes in the song that showed Akshay embracing a Shivling. Akshay addressed the controversy at the trailer launch event of Kannappa in Mumbai on Thursday. He said, "Since childhood, my parents taught me that Bhagwan hamare maata pita hai [God is like our mother and father]." He added that he gets "strength" from hugging his parents and if someone "misunderstands" his devotion for God, then it's not his fault.

Not a matter of ‘time pass'

Tara Sutaria's mother, Tina Sutaria, appears to have taken a subtle dig at Aadar Jain, who recently referred to his past relationships, including one with Tara, as "time pass". Taking to social media, Tara's mum shared a note advising women to stand up for themselves if their partner is disrespectful. Her note suggested that if a man can't say something to his mother or daughter, he shouldn't say it to his partner. Although Tina didn't tag anyone, the timing of her post has raised eyebrows.