Have you heard? Exploring an epic role

Rakul Preet Singh

Rumour has it that Rakul Preet Singh could well be the latest addition to the cast of Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayan. The actor is said to be in advanced talks for the character of Shurpanakha, the sister of demon-king Raavan. Those familiar with the mythological epic will know that Shurpanakha played a pivotal part in setting the stage for Raavan's abduction of Sita, and consequently, Lord Ram and Laxman's war against him and Lanka. Apparently, Rakul is excited about playing the negative character and has done look tests for the part. If things work out, this epic trilogy will be her first project after wedding with actor-producer Jackky Bhagnani this month. Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Sunny Deol as Hanuman, Yash as Raavan and Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi are said to be already on board the project. Nitesh is scheduled to start filming in March.

In recovery mode

Mithun Chakraborty, who was rushed to a private hospital in Kolkata on Saturday morning, reportedly suffered Ischemic Cerebrovascular stroke. A host of doctors, including a neuro-physician, cardiologist, and gastroenterologist, are attending to him. He is responding well to treatment and is likely to be discharged in the coming days. The hospital issued a statement about the veteran actor's health, saying he is "well-oriented" and "fully conscious". Pathikrit Basu, director of Mithun's next, Shastri, visited him at the hospital and shared that the actor is doing well. He said, "I met Mithun da and he is better. He also said that he would resume shoot after a few days. He talked about the things he would be doing when he comes back on the set."

Crossover cameo

Over a year ago, Rajkummar Rao and Aparshakti Khurana's characters from Stree made a special appearance towards the end-credits of Varun Dhawan's Bhediya (2022). Since then, it has been known that Varun will have a cameo in director Amar Kaushik's next, Stree 2. Now, we hear that the actor recently shot his portion with Shraddha Kapoor for the sequel to the 2018 hit. Apparently, his scenes are quite funny, and will be one of the highlights of the film. While Stree 2 is slated to release this August, Bhediya 2 will roll in 2025.

Twice as nice

Navneet Malik believes that diligence and perseverance pave the path to success. He is currently juggling the recently-premiered television show, Aankh Micholi, and the film, The Virgin Tree. The actor begins his day at 7 am on the set of his TV show, after which he rushes for his film shoot. "There have been days when I slept in the vanity van during lunch breaks. But, I'm blessed to have good work," he says. Admitting to being a greedy actor, he adds, "Aankh Micholi is one of those rare shows, where a male character has so much to offer. The Virgin Tree gave me the opportunity to step in the shoes of the iconic Sanjay Dutt [as his younger avatar]. No way would I have let go off either. I'd rather work twice as hard to do both."

Laugh you must

It appears that Vaani Kapoor is more than making up for her absence from the screens during 2023. The actor, who joined the cast of Ajay Devgn's Raid 2 last month, has added another film to her slate.

This time around, she is teaming up with Aparshakti Khurana and Paresh Rawal for director Navjot Gulati's yet-untitled family dramedy. Shooting for the movie about dysfunctional relationships in today's times is slated to begin soon. The makers are planning to wrap it up in a marathon start-to-finish schedule in London. Vaani and Aparshakti play siblings while Paresh has an author-backed role in this comedy.

Reunion times

Over 23 years since Pukar (2000), Rajkumar Santoshi is teaming up with ace cinematographer Santosh Sivan for his next, Lahore, 1947. The duo first collaborated on Barsaat (1995), which marked Bobby Deol's acting debut. Interestingly, the only time Santoshi faced the camera was for Santosh's directorial venture, Halo (1996). Incidentally, Lahore, 1947 marks several reunions for Santoshi.

First, with his Andaz Apna Apna (1994) actor Aamir Khan, who is producing the period drama. Secondly, after 28 years, he is teaming up with Sunny Deol, having previously worked together on Ghatak (1996), Damini (1993) and Ghayal (1990). AR Rahman, who composed the soundtrack of The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2003), joins hands with the filmmaker again after 20 years.