Showbiz Spice: Window to the Entertainment Beat

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Priyanka Chopra Jonas is unlikely to forgo being in the cast of Farhan Akhtar’s female-bonding road movie with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, Jee Le Zaraa, because of her recent motherhood.

Writer V. Vijayendra Prasad reveals that an idea for the sequel to Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) was first mooted way back in 2018 and liked by Salman Khan. He is both amused and grateful for the actor putting the film on a fast-track by announcing the sequel Pawan Putra Bhaijaan recently. Details are being worked out.

Mithun Chakraborty joins the huge line of movie stars entering web series, with the thriller Bestseller produced by Siddharth P. Malhotra’s Alchemy Production LLP and directed by Mukul Abhyankar. An Amazon Original series, Bestseller boasts of a talented ensemble star cast including Shruti Haasan, Arjan Bajwa, Gauahar Khan, Satyajeet Dubey and Sonalee Kulkarni.

Urvashi Rautela, best known for her Kaabil cameo, and films like Great Grand Masti and Hate Story 4, has been appointed the brand ambassador of the Mission Paani Jal Shakti campaign. This will ensure clean and safe water for her home state, Uttarakhand.

Suniel Shetty is not amused at rumors that both his actor-children, Athiya Shetty (who is in a relationship with cricketer K.L. Rahul) and Ahan Shetty (whose flame is Tania Shroff) are marrying this year! In a tweet, he stated that he did not know whether to be “Pained or amused” and wished that people would verify facts before tweeting.

Raveena Tandon is thrilled that Season 2 of her successful web series, Netflix’s  Aranyak has been announced. In this, her character, policewoman Kasturi Dogra, will investigate the mystery of the half-man-half-leopard, who played a crucial role in Season 1.

Sinhalese singer Yohani, whose track Manike mage hithe has become an Internet sensation, was in Mumbai recently to record a cover of this song for the forthcoming Ajay Devgn film Thank You. She is also going to be soon out with her new track, Rider.

Vivek Oberoi, who has produced the film, Verses of War (released on YouTube) will be donating the profits from the film to the bereaved families of soldiers. He also acts in the film along with Rohit Roy.

Varun Dhawan has signed films with two excellent setups. He will play the lead in Nitesh Tiwari’s new film to be  launched in April (a welcome announcement from the Chillar Party-Dangal-Chhichhore director) and also in Made in India, a slice-of-life film produced by Rajkumar Hirani and directed by his assistant Karan Narvekar.

Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon are said to have signed a slice-of-life comedy whose details are awaited. The duo has been a part of the successful Aatish (1994), and also other films like Jeena Marna Tere Sang, Khauff, Jung, Zamaane Se Kya Darna, Vijeta and Kshatriya and LOC Kargil (films where they did not co-star romantically) in the 1990s and early 2000s. They also star in the forthcoming KGF 2.

Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty will also reunite in Samir Karnik’s film. This duo too was seen in multiple films like LOC Kargil again, Shootout At Lokhandwala, No Problem, Dus, Tango Charlie, Kaante, Dus Kahaniyan, Rakht, Annarth and Rudrakash. The two will be playing their age (Sanjay is 62, Suniel is 60) in the family comedy featuring Zayed Khan and Esha Deol. Zayed makes a comeback.  All four had starred in Dus (2005).

Tahir Raj Bhasin considers it a fortuitous coincidence that his new series, Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein is named after Shah Rukh Khan’s cult Baazigar song composed by Anu Malik and penned by Dev Kohli. He points out that SRK has been his source of inspiration as he too was a Delhi boy who came to Mumbai and made it without any godfather.

After the offbeat 2011 Dhobi Ghat, it will be a massy entertainer next for producer-director Kiran Rao, ex-wife of Aamir Khan. The non-star-cast film will be produced by the superstar, showing their continued rapport.

Hrithik Roshan and Saba Azad, actress, theatre director and musician and one half of the Mumbai-based electro-funk duo Madboy/Mink are said to be dating. Neither has confirmed or denied the rumors. Saba was in a relationship in the past with Naseeruddin Shah’s son, Imaad Shah.

Akshay Kumar has purchased a swanky apartment in Mumbai’s suburb of Khan for Rs. 7.84 crore. The apartment has a registered area of 2,155 square feet and has parking for four cars.

Sunny Leone is now a certified Scuba Diver. On a recent outing to Maldives, she completed a diving course.

Ranveer Singh has confirmed Rohit Shetty’s Simmba 2. He has just completed his third film with the director after Simmba and Sooryavanshi—Cirkus.