Have you heard? New direction for comedy franchise

Tarun Mansukhani, Akshay Kumar and Ritiesh Deshmukh

It appears that the 'Housefull' franchise is in for an overhaul. Before you get alarmed, let us tell you that while the essence of the comedy franchise remains intact, director Tarun Mansukhani been brought on board to give it a fresh take. Akshay Kumar, who has been a part of producer Sajid Nadiadwala's comic franchise, shared a poster announcing the director and its Diwali 2024 release. Ritiesh Deshmukh, who has been a constant part of the franchise since the first 'Housefull' (2010), will be reuniting with Akki for the fifth outing as well. Watch this space for regular updates on the franchise.

Naamkaran

Ram Charan and Upasana Kamineni Konidela have finalised a name for their daughter, whom they welcomed earlier this week. Sharing pictures from the naming ceremony on social media, Upasana wrote, "Klin Kaara Konidela… Taken from the [sacred text] Lalitha Sahasranamam, the name signifies a transformative, purifying energy that brings about a spiritual awakening. A big hug to our daughter's grandparents."

Twice as nice

Sonam K Ahuja, who returns to the movies with Blind after embracing motherhood, says that now she'd rather focus on two projects every year. The actor, who welcomed son Vayu with husband Anand Ahuja in 2022, says, "Two years are not done yet and I have signed on for two projects - one show and one film that I will start working on. It will release in another year, because that is how films work. Then my idea is to do two pieces of content every year, that's it, not more because I want to spend time with my family as well." Sonam was recently seen attending UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's reception at 10 Downing Street to represent India and its cultural impact globally. She says, "International brands are roping in Indian actors as ambassadors and they are showcasing them more because they realise the power of Indian celebrities to understand how far reaching they are."

Sequel wanted

Sharman Joshi recently shared that Rajkumar Hirani is keen on taking forward the story of '3 Idiots'. "He came up with some ideas, but later said they didn't work out." Conceding that it would be fun reuniting with Aamir Khan and R Madhavan, Sharman said that the director is aware of the audience's interest in the sequel. He added, "Whenever it happens, I'm sure we will have a blast working on it and the audience will enjoy watching it."

Ekta's southern sojourn

Ekta Kapoor is the latest Bollywood producer to collaborate with her southern counterparts. She is joining hands with AVS Studios and Connect Media, the production houses behind Telugu-Tamil film, 'Vrushabha', to take it across India. Ekta met the movie's lead actor, megastar Mohanlal, at YRF Studios yesterday, and inked the deal. Though it was announced last year, the Nanda Kishore- directed venture has been in prep for a while. To be mounted on a huge scale (costing R200 crore to make), the magnum opus will go on floors soon. It will release in cinemas across India in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

Copy that !

During a recent interaction, Deepika Padukone was asked to reveal one weird aspect about herself that only her near ones know. Sharing that she is a good mimic, the actor said that she can mimic only in front of Ranveer Singh and her sister Anisha Padukone, Deepika said, "I am a great mimic hidden in the closet. When my husband makes me mimic someone in front of people, it does not happen. But with my sister and my husband, I'm a fantastic mimic."

The date is blocked

The makers of Ajay Devgn's yet-untitled film with director Abhishek Kapoor have finalised February 9, 2024 as its date with cinemas. The action adventure marks the debut of Ajay's nephew Aaman Devgan, and Raveena Tandon and Anil Thadani's daughter Rasha Thadani. They have completed a few schedules and shooting is expected to be wrapped up by September.