Have you heard? Next stop: BAFTA

Deepika Padukone

Come Sunday, Deepika Padukone will be seen at the prestigious BAFTA Film Awards. The Fighter actor will present an award at the prestigious event that will take place at the Royal Festival Hall, London. It is not yet known for which category DP will present the trophy. The other presenters include Cate Blanchett, Dua Lipa, Idris Elba, Emma Corrin, Emma Mackey, Gillian Anderson, Himesh Patel, Hugh Grant, David Beckham, James Martin, Rebecca Ferguson, Taylor Russel, Adjoa Andoh, and Lily Collins. Deepika shared the news on her social media, expressing "Gratitude" for the honour. Last year, she presented the Best Song award to RRR at the Oscars, and the year before that, served on the jury of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

Mark the date

On the occasion of World Radio Day yesterday, it was announced that Sara Ali Khan's next, Ae Watan Mere Watan, will drop on Amazon Prime Video on March 21. The Karan Johar production, helmed by Kannan Iyer, is based on the journey of freedom fighter Usha Mehta, who also ran an underground radio station during the British Raj for the people of India. The period drama also features Emraan Hashmi in a pivotal role as socialist political leader Ram Manohar Lohia.

Batting for teleplays

Gulki Joshi is glad that teleplays are reaching a wide audience. Being active on the theatre circuit too, the Kaalchakra and Bhaukaal actor says, "Teleplays are a brilliant way of reintroducing our generation to theatre because it is forgetting about the power and beauty that theatre has. Teleplays are a great way to connect them to some powerful narratives."

Old title, new heist story

It is known that Saif Ali Khan and filmmaker Siddharth Anand are teaming up again for an action thriller that will release directly on OTT. Helmed by Robbie Grewal, the film also features Jaideep Ahlawat as the parallel lead. Reportedly, the movie is being titled Jewel Thief as the narrative revolves around a diamond heist. However, sources claim that the Saif and Jaideep-starrer is not inspired by director Vijay Anand's 1967 classic starring Dev Anand, Vyjayanthimala and Ashok Kumar. Robbie has finished shooting and Sid is planning to release the film later this year.

An action-packed collaboration

Some months ago, reports were rife that Salman Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala were teaming up again. Never mind the Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan fiasco, we hear that the duo has reportedly zeroed in on a subject for their next collaboration. Interestingly, credit for this reunion goes to AR Murugadoss, director of Aamir Khan's Ghajini (2008) and Akshay Kumar's Holiday (2014). The filmmaker, who had been in talks with Sajid for a film, suggested Salman's name for the action-packed entertainer. Not surprisingly, when the producer discussed it with his actor-buddy, his response was an immediate yes. Apparently, they are planning to take the yet-untitled film on floors this summer, with schedules in multiple European countries. Moreover, this film is being planned as Salman's Eid offering for 2025.

Lots in a name

Akshay Kumar has finalised the title and locked the release date of his Soorarai Pottru remake. The film is called Sarfira, and will arrive in cinemas on July 12. Sharing the update on social media, Akki wrote, "Dream so big, they call you crazy." Guess, that explains their choice for the title of Sudha Kongara's directorial venture that is inspired by the life of Capt GR Gopinath, as described in his memoir, Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey. South actor Suriya, who produced and fronted the original Tamil film, has a cameo in the Hindi adaptation that also stars Radhika Madan.

Preity, Sunny team up again

Over the last two decades, Preity Zinta and Sunny Deol have acted together in multiple movies, from Farz (2001) to Bhaiaji Superhit (2018). They are now reuniting for Rajkumar Santoshi's Lahore, 1947, produced by her Dil Chahta Hai (2001) co-star, Aamir Khan. All praise for his leading lady, Santoshi reportedly said, "She completely invests herself in her characters, so much so that it makes the audiences feel she is made for those roles." Stating that the on-screen pairing has always been loved by cinegoers, the filmmaker added, "Above everything else, this script demands a pair that is as accurate as Sunny and Preity."