Have you heard? A busy year ahead for Ayushmann Khurrana

Anees Bazmee and Ayushmann Khurrana

mid-day had reported that Ayushmann Khurrana is teaming up with director Anees Bazmee for a horror comedy titled Bhootiyapa (Setting a date with spirits, April 10). Now, rumours are rife that the actor and the director, who have been keen on working together, are yet to lock on the subject. "At this point, it is not known if the project is a horror comedy, the double-role film that Shahid Kapoor was supposed to do, or an entirely different subject," says a source. Nonethless, the informer maintains that in keeping with Bazmee's forte, the movie will have a good mix of humour, romance and drama. Incidentally, this project marks Ayushmann's fourth collaboration with Junglee Pictures, after Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Badhaai Ho (2018) and Doctor G (2022). Ayushmann is slated to commence work on Karan Johar and Guneet Monga's spy comedy in July, followed by a vampire comedy with Samantha, and Vikramaditya Motwane's biopic on former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly. Bazmee is currently working on Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and is scheduled to commence No Entry Mein Entry in December. So, it remains to be seen which film will they eventually team up for.

Sand doesn't mean Dune

After considerable thought, the makers of Kalki 2898 AD have finally locked its release date. Sharing a new poster of the Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone-starrer on social media, the production house wrote, "All the forces come together for a better tomorrow on June 27, 2024." Initially slated to release in January this year, director Nag Ashwin's futuristic thriller was deferred to May 9 as the extensive VFX took longer time to create. However, the Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on May 13 compelled the makers to look for an alternative date with cinemas. Interestingly, Nag was recently asked about Kalki 2898 AD being compared to the Hollywood biggie, Dune, helmed by Denis Villeneuve. The filmmaker laughed it off, saying, "Yeah! That is because you see sand. Wherever you see sand, it looks like Dune." The film also features Kamal Haasan and Disha Patani in pivotal roles.

Jolly face-off begins

Over six years after Jolly LLB 2, director Subhash Kapoor has kick-started the third instalment of his courtroom drama franchise. Jolly LLB 3 revolves around the legal wrangle between the two Jollys - Arshad Warsi, who played Jagdish Tyagi aka Jolly in the 2013 film, and Akshay Kumar, who essayed Jagdishwar Mishra aka Jolly in the 2017 offering - in the courtroom of Judge Sunderlal Tripathi. Veteran actor Saurabh Shukla returns to play the judge for the third time. Apparently, Arshad begins filming first, with a month-long schedule in Rajasthan. Akshay is said to join the shoot later. It is learnt that Subhash has found a relevant case on which the latest instalment is centred. The names of the leading ladies will be known in the coming days. The film will open in cinemas next year.

Dance you must!

On the eve of International Dance Day, Nicktoons Motu and Patlu celebrated the occasion with mom bloggers and child celebs like Nitya Moyal, Azinkya Mishra, Vidhaan Sharma, Mahi Bhanushali and Arshiya Sharma, in association with Shiamak Davar Institute of Performing Arts. The idea was to also encourage imagination and individuality among children. Reiterating that one doesn't have to be a great dancer to shake a leg, Shiamak said, "Dance gives you a lot of power to be yourself, it has become a great form of self-expression." Sharing his belief that today's kids have the ability to take dance to new heights, he added, "For children, it is crucial to explore avenues beyond the digital realm and that is why dance needs to be a part of school curriculum. It equips them with the tools they need to thrive in whatever path they choose."

Talking movies

Nine years after Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), in which he lent his voice to the Mehra family's pet dog, Pluto, Aamir Khan is said to team up with Zoya Akhtar for a film. They recently met to discuss a movie on which she wants to collaborate with him. Aamir is said to have liked the slice-of-life narrative with a middle-aged protagonist. Since he is known to not finalise a film till he hears the complete script, he has suggested Zoya develop the screenplay and meet him again for a narration. If all goes well, the film will be a joint production between Aamir's banner and Zoya and Reema Kagti's Tiger Baby Productions. For now, he is busy with RS Prasanna's Sitaare Zameen Par, that is slated to release around Christmas 2024.

To new beginnings

Samantha turned a year wiser yesterday. On the occasion of her 37th birthday, she announced her maiden production venture, Bangaram, under her banner Tralala Moving Pictures. The actor will play the lead role in the Telugu movie that will be simultaneously released in multiple languages. Sam also shared the film's poster and a video clip on social media. Alongside, she wrote, "Not everything has to glitter to be golden." #Bangaram. Starting soon." The video features the actor in a riveting avatar, firing a double barrel gun. The film is slated to release next year. About her choice of name for her banner, a source says, "It is a fun name with a ring to it, inspired by the Boney M song, Brown girl in the ring, which was one of her favourite tracks growing up."