Have you heard? Looking beyond Hindi

Sidharth Malhotra and Ranveer Singh

Never mind what Bollywood folk say about south cinema, several actors are eager to team up with southern directors. Ranveer Singh, who is in talks with Jailer (2023) director Nelson Dileepkumar (Seeking southern directors, January 29), is now said to be discussing a possible collaboration with another of Rajinikanth's filmmakers. This time around, Ranveer is said to be in the reckoning for Kabali (2016) and Kaala (2018) director Pa Ranjith's biopic on Birsa Munda. Over the last couple of years, the filmmaker has been working on a script centred on the life of the tribal leader and freedom fighter against the British Raj. Ranjith plans to begin filming by this year-end. While Ranveer has liked the subject, he hasn't committed to it yet. The actor, who has Shaktimaan trilogy with Basil Joseph, isn't the only one south-bound. Sidharth Malhotra is reportedly in advanced stages of discussion with Malayalam Drishyam maker, Jeethu Joseph for a thriller. But before that, he could very well be working with another non-Hindi film director for a BR Films production. All that is known about the yet-untitled thriller is that it apparently revolves around African diamonds. The director's name is being kept under wraps for now and will be known only after the Yodha actor finalises the terms for the project.

Lots in a name

We hear that Arjun Kapoor's antagonist in Rohit Shetty's Singham Again is called Danger Lanka. "Rohit and his team gave a lot of thought to the villain's character arc before they began filming. There's a reason why he is called Danger Lanka and the cinegoers will understand that better when the film releases this year," said an informer. The third edition of Ajay Devgn-led Singham franchise, the action thriller also features Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh returning as Veer Sooryavanshi and Sangram Bhalerao Simmba respectively. The film also stars Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff as the new officers in the cop universe. After his look was unveiled on social media, Arjun had said, "I'm ecstatic that a filmmaker like Rohit Shetty saw the potential in me to play the villain in his massively mounted Singham Again which boasts of so many stars! I know I've given it my all and I'm looking forward to seeing how people react to me after the film releases."

New direction

Director Aanand L Rai is all set for his OTT debut. "There are people making fantastic thrillers and mystery series, but I'd love to do something different. All I can say is that I'll be dealing with romance and drama. You can expect the show this year," the filmmaker shared. Recalling his earlier conversations with streaming platforms asking him to create content for them, he conceded, "But I wasn't convinced as it's a new format of storytelling." Rai also has Tere Ishq Mein with Dhanush lined up this year.

From sports to showbiz

Seerat Mast, who played Indian Air Force pilot Naina Jaisingh in Fighter, shares acommon factor with the aerial action thriller's leading lady, Deepika Padukone. Just as DP followed into her legendary father Prakash Padukone's footsteps and aced badminton before she forayed into showbiz, Seerat pursued a career as a professional squash player following in the footsteps of her family's athletic legacy. "Despite reaching the pinnacle of my career by being selected for nationals at just 15, an injury diverted my path," says Seerat, who now indulges in squash purely for enjoyment.

Third schedule done

Even as his evil-personified avatar in the upcoming Eid release, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan has piqued audience interest, Prithviraj Sukumaran is working on his next directorial venture. The Malayalam actor-filmmaker recently wrapped up the third schedule of L2: Empuraan, the sequel to his directorial debut, Lucifer (2019), starring Mohanlal. Sharing the update on his political action thriller, Prithviraj posted online a picture of himself from New York, saying, "End of Schedule 3. US #L2E #Empuraan (sic)." Planned as a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, the film went on floors last October and has been shot in various foreign locations. Already, there is tremendous buzz around the film that is being readied for release later this year.

Sequel to kickstart soon

Last month, we reported that Salman Khan is teaming up with director AR Murugadoss for Sajid Nadiadwala's production (An action-packed collaboration, February 14). Now, we hear that the film is being called Kick 2. For some years now, Sajid has been contemplating on a sequel to his directorial debut, Kick (2014). However, he hadn't been convinced about the ideas, until Murugadoss came up with a script.

While Sajid felt it was perfect for Salman, the superstar gave his nod the moment he heard the narration. Sources claim that since the narrative seemed appropriate to take forward the story of Kick's protagonist, Devi Lal Singh aka Devil, the trio decided to call it Kick 2. While the first film was an adaptation of Telugu star Ravi Teja's 2009 hit of the same name, the Hindi sequel is said to have borrowed no inspiration from his 2015 hit, Kick 2. Filming is slated to begin this May.

Fast forward

The television show Pyaar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan is set for a seven-year leap. In the wake of this development, Manit Joura has been signed up to play Radhika's husband, Yug, a media baron. While he is everything a woman would want in her perfect man, air of suspicion surrounds him, making audiences wonder if he is too good to be true. Manit, who joined the cast soon after quitting Kundali Bhagya, says, "The new role is a bunch of surprises. Yug is a layered character and I can only begin to let the audience peel the layers gradually with every episode." Declining to reveal more, he promises, "All I can say for now is that the audience will get to see a very new side to me as an artiste."