Have you heard? Sharing the profits

Allu Arjun will take home one-third of the total final revenue of the much-anticipated sequel of Pushpa that won him his first National Award

Talk in Tollywood is that Allu Arjun has declined to command his usual fee for acting in Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule. Apparently, the actor, who won the National Award for Pushpa: The Rise, will take home one-third of the total final revenue of the much-anticipated sequel that also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil. “According to their agreement, Arjun will take 33 per cent of the total final earnings of the film, which includes OTT and satellite rights, besides global box-office collection,” says a source. He adds that if Pushpa 2 earns Rs 1,000 crore from these multiple avenues, the leading actor will pocket R333.33 crore as agreed at the onset. Apparently, Netflix has acquired the streaming rights of the sequel for thrice the amount fetched by the first instalment. The action drama is slated to arrive in cinemas on August 15, 2024. Later, Arjun will reunite with his Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo director Trivikram Srinivas for a period action film based on the Indian freedom struggle. Trisha Krishnan is said to have been finalised as the leading lady for the yet-untitled project.

Giving credit where due

Those who went to catch Farrey, the debut of Salman Khan’s niece, Alizeh, were surprised to see Karan Johar get specially thanked in the opening credits. It turns out he indeed had a role to play in shaping up the film. Alizeh’s producer-father Atul Agnihotri reportedly shared that when they were looking to Indianise the Thai film, Bad Genius, they had a few names in mind to helm their production. It was KJo who connected them to Soumendra Padhi, who has previously directed Budhia Singh: Born to Run and the web series, Jamtara: Sabka Number Ayega. Moreover, the multi-faceted filmmaker also shares a good friendship with Alizeh’s mother and Salman’s sister Alvira. So, he was only too happy to help. 

‘Faltu ka feminism’

Neena Gupta minces no words when giving her opinion on various issues and topics. When the subject of feminism came up during a conversation on a podcast recently, she said, “It is not necessary to believe and think about ‘faltu feminism’ or the idea that women are equal to men. Instead, focus on being financially independent and pay attention to your work.” She further asserted a homemaker must not be looked down upon as it is a significant role. Stressing on the need to build one’s self-esteem and avoid thinking of oneself as small, she added, “Men and women are not equal. The day men start getting pregnant, that day we will be equal.” 

Hubby can cook too

Love is cooking for the partner, so Sidharth Malhotra seems to believe. The Mission Majnu actor decided to make something healthy for actor-wife Kiara Advani yesterday. Sharing a picture of his scrumptious preparation on social media, the Satyaprem Ki Katha actor wrote, “Sunday with the best chef Sidharth Malhotra. Healthy pizza has never tasted better.” She also added a pizza party song to her post.

Watch your weights

As much as he is known for his fitness, Akshay Kumar is equally known to avoid weights and modern gizmos for his exercise regime. The Khiladi Kumar, who has been following freehand kasratbaazi since the beginning of his acting career, yesterday introduced us to one of the secrets of his routine. Sharing a picture of himself with a heavy wooden club that is commonly found in akhadas, Akki wrote, “My father used to practice with it and watching him made me fall in love with a Mudgal. For years now, I swing my way to fitness everyday with this 6.5 kilo traditional Indian wooden club. Beats everything (not everyone)… Try it!” 

The lost Lagaan

Having worked with Aamir Khan on a few films in her career, Rani Mukerji recently spoke about why she couldn’t team up with him for his maiden production venture, Lagaan. She recalled that he wanted everyone on board to be at the location for about six months as he was shooting in a straight schedule. However, she had already committed 20 days to another film. Aamir couldn’t allow her fulfil her prior commitment as it would be unfair to other cast members. She recalled, “I asked the other producers if they would be okay if I left the film because I would really like to do Aamir’s film, as he’s a close friend of mine. But the producer refused to let me go. It was very sad.” 

Meeting the parent

Today’s episode of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa that is judged by Malaika Arora, Farah Khan and Arshad Warsi, will welcome the first guest of this season. Incidentally, the khaas mehmaan is Boney Kapoor. Interestingly, this will also be the first time the veteran producer will be on the same platform as Malla, who is in a relationship with his actor-son Arjun Kapoor. The celebrity contestants will perform to Sridevi’s hit numbers from Boney’s productions and also some of his actor-daughter Janhvi’s songs. We hear that Subhash Ghai had initially confirmed his participation as a guest. But he had to opt out at the last minute due to an emergency. Now, everyone is curious to see the equation Malla and Kapoor Sr share in front of the camera.

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