Have you heard? Raj Kapoor Film Festival gets extended; Masti 4 goes on floors

(From left) Sujoy Ghosh, Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu

Murder and mind games, again

Raise your hand if you had wished for a sequel to Badla (2019). Well, we weren't the only ones; it turns out Taapsee Pannu did too. Now, the actor, who led director Sujoy Ghosh's razor-sharp mystery thriller along with Amitabh Bachchan, has hinted at a possible second instalment. At a recent event, Taapsee acknowledged that several of her films have the potential for a second part. "People especially expect a second part of Badla because of the way it ended. Sujoy and I talk about it quite often. Ab dekhte hai unke dimaag mein kab idea aata hai," she said. Will Sujoy develop an original follow-up story to Badla, which was an adaptation of the Spanish film, The Invisible Guest (2016)? Here's hoping!

See you in summer

The makers of Anushka Shetty's Ghaati announced that the film is set to release on April 18, 2025. This announcement was made through a video featuring Anushka, director Krish Jagarlamudi, and the producers. The release date poster showcases the leading lady in a fierce avatar, wearing a black saree, with blood running down her face. It is the second collaboration between Anushka and the director, following the success of their blockbuster Vedam (2010). Ghaati will be released across multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.

More Masti for you

There are sequels we want, and then there are sequels we get. On Sunday, the fourth edition of the Masti franchise, starring Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani, went on floors. Aftab made the announcement on Instagram, with a series of pictures, and a video featuring director Milap Zaveri and Riteish. Masti (2004) was a sex comedy directed by Indra Kumar and starred Ajay Devgn alongside the trio. It was followed by Grand Masti (2013) and Great Grand Masti (2016).

Celebrating the legend

Shyam Benegal turned 90 on Saturday. While the filmmaker doesn't believe in celebrating birthdays, his actors wouldn't let him get away easily. Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajit Kapoor, and Divya Dutta came together to celebrate the director, who made Hindi cinema richer with gems such as Ankur (1974) and Manthan (1976).

The show goes on

The Raj Kapoor Film Festival, which was to conclude yesterday, has been extended due to public demand. On Sunday, the Film Heritage Foundation announced that the retrospective, celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the showman, will continue till December 19. Fans of the legendary actor-filmmaker can watch some of his finest creations, including Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker (1970) and Bobby (1973), at select theatres. On December 13, a day before the showman's birth anniversary, the Kapoor clan kicked off the festival with a grand celebration that saw the film industry turn up in full force.