Latest Trade News
– Anand L Rai has finally found his leading lady for his much-talked about dwarf film. Deepika Padukone has been finalized to play Shah Rukh Khan’s love interest and she will begin shooting after the completion of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’. SRK will have to shoot the movie for a few weeks without his leading lady as ‘Padmavati’ will take time to wrap. Deepy will join him in the second schedule. Some media outlets were spreading rumours that SRK-Deepika will star in Yash Raj’s next (some even declared it as ‘Dhoom 4’) but the truth is, it’s Anand L Rai’s dwarf film for which this superhit onscreen ‘jodi’ has been paired, for the fourth time.
– Akshay Kumar who was the first to book Independence Day 2017 for ‘Crack’ with Neeraj Pandey, has postponed the movie after Shah Rukh Khan announced the same date for his respective next collaboration with Imtiaz Ali. Though this news is not officially confirmed yet, sources say, not only to avoid the clash but also because Akshay has already four releases lined up in 2017. ‘Crack’ may now release on Republic Day 2018.
– Bad news for ‘Aashiqui’ sequel lovers! You have to wait a few more years before you enjoy ‘Aashiqui 3’ in theatres. Yes, the third installment of one of the most loved franchise will now go on floors only in mid-2018. ‘Aashiqui 3’ was earlier planned to begin mid next year but now the makers have postponed it as they are not satisfied with the current screenplay and want to rewrite it so that it appeals even more to today’s audience. Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt have already been finalized for the leading roles and makers have asked them to clear their calendar for mid 2018.
Trade Announcements
– The first big clash of 2017, ‘Kaabil’ v/s ‘Raees’ has been finally averted, at least by a few hours! Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Kaabil’ will now release on 25 January, a day before ‘Raees’, and will be screened in theatres 6pm onwards that day. The decision was made after receiving a lots of requests from distributors. Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik’s father and the producer of the film, said in a statement that – “There have been instances in the past of movies being released mid-week especially if there is a big National Holiday following it. My director Sanjay Gupta and I are in agreement on this. After hearing what our distributors have to say, we thought it makes perfect sense to go with a January 25 release.”
– Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Remo D’Souza has started shooting for his next dance-based movie, after the ‘A Flying Jatt’ debacle. The new yet-untitled-movie stars the three most popular ex-participants of the dance reality show Dance India Dance – Raghav Juyal, Punit Pathak and Dharmesh Yelande, in the lead roles. The film revolves around these three boys and their take on love. Shooting has already begun in Varanasi and it’ll be wrapped up on 19 December, followed by the last schedule in Mumbai. It’s expected to release in March 2017.
– On other hand, Remo D’Souza’s film with Ajay Devgn and Sooraj Pancholi which was scheduled to mount the sets in September has been pushed again and it will now go on floors in February-March 2017.
– The trailer of ‘Jolly LLB 2’ will release on 19 December and may be attached with the prints of Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’. The first look poster of ‘Jolly LLB’ sequel was recently released, in which he is seen in the simplest attire of a lawyer. The poster shows him riding a scooter and wearing a white shirt, black trouser and sports shoes with a bag on his shoulder. ‘Jolly LLB 2’, a satire on the Indian judiciary system, is one of the most awaited film of next year and Akshay’s presence in a hit franchise has already made it worth to wait. ‘JLLB2’ also stars Huma Qureshi, Annu Kapoor and Saurav Shukla and is slated to release on 10 February 2017.
– So Kapil Sharma’s one heroine has run away! Yes, you heard it right. Tamannah Bhatia who was roped to play Kapil’s love interest in his next ‘Firang’, has opted out. The reason is believed to be Tamannah’s unhappiness playing the second leading lady. Her dates were also clashing with her South movies and that’s why she chose to leave this project. ‘Firang’ is Kapil Sharma’s second movie after ‘Kis Kisse Pyaar Karoon’ and it also stars ‘Drishyam’ fame Ishita Dutta.
– Buzz is that the 2003-superhit comedy ‘Hungama’s sequel is in pipeline. The original director Priyadarshan and producer Ratan Jain, after 13 years of its release, have teamed up once again to make it into a franchise. The script has reportedly been locked and the makers are now working on its casting. Ayushmann Khurrana has been approached for it and he has also shown his interest, but is yet to sign the dotten line. Paresh Rawal and Shoma Anand who played pivotal roles in ‘Hungama’, have also been offered this movie.
The Khans
– There have been reports that Mahira Khan’s scenes with Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Raees’ have been heavily edited! It appears that the Pakistani actress may not have the dream launch she expected!
– Salman Khan welcomed Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor on the sets of Bigg Boss season 10, where both lead stars danced to the tunes of Aditya Chopra’s ‘Befikre’.
– Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ ‘Fat to Fit’ video, which took social media by storm, has been widely seen as another marketing ploy for Mr. Perfectionist’s production.
Best Tweets of the Week
@akshaykumar – Fortunate to pass by the Giriraj Temple everyday.It is symbolic of Lord Krishna defeating Indra. Morning wishes to all,have a blessed day 🙂
@MadhuriDixit – Tremendous dancer and still everybody’s dream girl❤️ [Hema Malini]
@MaheshNBhatt – In a world full followers & conformists #DearZindagi is a game changer
@karanjohar – Thank you so much Salman for coming on our 100th episode of #koffeewithkaran ….#koffeecentury….
@AnushkaSharma – Mark your calendar guys – 11th August 2017 !! What you seek …. is seeking you ❤️@iamsrk #ImtiazAli
Box Office
– The Shah Rukh Khan-Alia Bhatt starrer, ‘Dear Zindagi’ has collected INR 470 million as at Friday in India and has crossed INR 300 million worldwide as at Saturday.
– Vidya Balan’s ‘Kahaani 2’, which released on Friday has collected INR 42.5 million on its first day.
Key Release Dates
Wajah Tum Ho – 16 December 2016
Runningshaadi.com – 3 February 2017
Commando 2 – 3 March 2017
Bareilly Ki Barfi – 21 July 2017