THE SABARMATI REPORT had a good hold on Monday dropping 15% from the first day. if you take out the partial holiday factor, then collections are probably at the same level as Friday. The 1 crore number was a must for the film on the Monday and it has got that. Now it remains to be seen where it goes.

The film is seeing external support from a political angle and that is why the film doing better from Sunday. The collections so far for the film are 7.50 crore nett and due to this, it has a long way to go. The first week will be in double digits and the next target is a second week which is in double digits or close.

The collections for THE SABARMATI REPORT till date are as follows.

Friday - 1,30,00,000

Saturday - 2,10,00,000

Sunday - 3,00,00,000

Monday - 1,10,00,000

KANGUVA (Hindi) fell badly pretty much as expected. The film has collected 10 crore nett in Hindi so far while the all India total is 51.50 crore nett as it collected 3 crore nett on Monday after a 48.5 crore nett four day weekend.

The collections of KANGUVA (Hindi) so far are as follows.

Thursday - 3,25,00,000

Friday - 2.25,00,000

Saturday - 1,75,00,000

Sunday - 2,00,00,000

Monday - 75,00,000 

SINGHAM AGAIN, like BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3, also saw a drop on Monday due to Friday being a partial holiday. The film collected 1.15 crore nett which takes the total collections of the film to 224 crore nett.

The third week collections stand at 12 crore nett and its looking a 15 crore nett apprx from SINGHAM AGAIN. The trend here means the film will not reach the 250 crore nett mark and its looking a close of around 235 crore nett or 240 crore nett at a best case scenario.

The plus of the film is Mumbai circuit which is still on course for 100 crore nett but overall its an AVERAGE fare. Even the Average mark is a good result today but its a franchise film with a huge budget. In that context, it has to be doing far more business.

The collections of SINGHAM AGAIN till date are as follows.

Friday - 3,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 3,50,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 4,35,00,000 apprx

Monday - 1,15,00,000 apprx

BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 collected 1.85 crore nett on its third Monday which is a drop from Friday but those Friday collections were inflated due to a partial holiday. This was also why the growth did not come on Saturday and if we take the drop from Sunday, it is more normal.

The total collections of the film now stand at around 225 crore nett and its looking like a third of 21 crore nett. Now its about whether the film can add another 20 crore nett to get to 250 crore nett. That will be the best case scenario for the film which is more than good enough.

The film now has higher totals than SINGHAM AGAIN in all the circuits apart from Mumbai, Nizam/Andhra and TNK and in Nizam/Andhra it should go ahead by the end of the week though in the other two it will remain behind. Even in circuits like Bihar and Odisha BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 is now comfortably ahead. In fact, in Bihar, there is a 1 crore nett gap now in favour of BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 and this a mass action circuit.

The collections of BHOOL BHULAIYAA 3 till date are as follows.

Friday - 4,25,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 5,00,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 6,00,00,000 apprx

Monday - 1,85,00,000 apprx

Over the weekend, Ajay Devgn sent the internet into a tizzy as he announced that his next directorial venture would be fronted by Akshay Kumar. This would be the two superstars’ seventh collaboration after Suhaag (1994), Khakee (2004), Insan (2005), Simmba (2018), Sooryavanshi (2021) and Singham Again. Now, it looks like the project could get more star-studded. mid-day has learnt that the film is a two-hero action comedy, and Devgn is keen to cast Vicky Kaushal as the parallel lead.

A source tells us that the superstar has been deeply impressed by Kaushal. “Ajay likes the actor’s dedicated approach to work. Since the entertainer sees the two lead characters playing off each other, Ajay felt it would be novel to team up Akshay and Vicky. Meanwhile, Akshay loved the story, as it sees him doing not only action, but also comedy—a genre he excels at,” says the source.

Things are, however, at a nascent stage, with the first draft being ready at the moment. Devgn is planning it such that the project can roll by September-October next year. After all, Kumar and his dates are blocked until then. The source adds, “Ajay is currently shooting for Son Of Sardaar 2, after which he has De De Pyaar De 2, Ranger, and Indra Kumar’s Dhamaal 4.”

Global pop sensation Dua Lipa is set to serve up a slice of musical heaven to her Indian fans. The songstress would be performing in India for the second time (she first performed in 2019) as a part of her Asia tour for her album Radical Optimism. As the three-time Grammy winner gets into a conversation with Bombay Times she talks about her return to India. Excerpts followed…

With India holding a special place in her heart, Dua’s enthusiasm performing in the country is palpable. Dua says, “I always love an excuse to come to India. It is such a beautiful country, and I have tons of fond memories from visiting. With all my shows, I’m always wanting to create a fun and energetic space to reconnect with so many of my fans that I have not been able to see in so long.”

Talking about the show she mentions, “There is going to be lots of dancing and lots of sweating – it’s going to be epic.”

With just a few days away from the tour, Dua admits she “cannot wait”. “We just officially kicked off the Radical Optimism Tour earlier this month in Singapore, and each show has been an absolute blast. We unfortunately didn’t get to bring the Future Nostalgia Tour to Asia the last time around, so we are making up for a lot of lost time, and it’s been so much fun.”

Dua was last in India for a personal trip last year. She called it “magical” back then in a post. “It was so magical! I met so many incredibly kind and wonderful people on my trip and just left feeling so inspired. Between the delicious food and the beautiful places, it was a trip that has always stayed with me, and as soon as we started planning this tour, I knew India had to be included.”

In 2023, a netizen had created a mashup of Dua’s hit number Levitating and a popular Bollywood track Woh Ladki Jo (from the film Badshah), which featured Shah Rukh Khan and Twinkle Khanna. The mashup caught on really quick and started trending online. The New Rules singer, who had also heard the track back then, says, “I was blown away when I first heard the mashup of Woh Ladki Jo and Levitating. It was amazing!”

Revealing who her favourite Bollywood actor is, she says, “I love Shah Rukh Khan!”

2024 is also special as 10 years ago in 2014, Dua was signed by the label she is represented by. “It’s insane to think about,” she says, adding, “I’m so grateful for everything the last decade has brought, and each year is even better than the last. This year I got to fulfill a huge dream of mine to headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, and next year we’ve got two sold out shows at Wembley Stadium! It’s mad!”

As she reflects on her decade long journey she adds, “I think it’s so important to look back and recognize how far you’ve come. Having that perspective really helps keep everything grounded and centered for me.”

Dua was also recognized as one of the most influential people in the world in 2024. However, she doesn’t look at it as a “responsibility”. “I take it as a huge honor but it’s always a beautiful thing to hear from fans that my work has influenced their life in a positive way,” she signs off.

Pop icon Kylie Minogue was part of an A R Rahman song Chiggy Wiggy (Blue, 2009) and even after 15 years, she has fond memories of that collaboration with Akshay Kumar. In the wake of the 17th album of her career, Tension II, the Grammy-winner (for Padam Padam) shared her views on the ever-evolving landscape of pop music, her exciting collaborations and adventures in Mumbai.

I think pop music will continue to surprise us and that’s what keeps it exciting, and it certainly keeps me excited. Pop does us all a service and it will consistently change. It’s cyclic and then something seemingly new happens. Yes, I’ve been doing this for a number of decades and of course, a lot has changed. I’ve changed. My fans have changed. We’re all growing up. I feel like now I’ve got some younger fans as well, so they’re on this voyage of discovery.

One day I will perform Chiggy Wiggy in India. I’ve been saying it for a little while, that’s my mission. I’ll see if I can make it happen. And who I would like to collaborate with today... I know I should have a clear answer for that, but I never do, because there’s so many artistes that I admire and look up to. Some are in my lane, which would make sense, and others are in another world of music. For those reasons, it would be great. I’m just going to leave the gates open, and we will see what happens.

All of it, really. Mumbai was a complete whirlwind! Just to be on a Bollywood set was kind of crazy, in the best way. It was such a warm welcome. I only wish I could have stayed longer, and I only wish that I had been back sooner. I’m working hard to rectify that. Maybe Akshay will invite me over for lunch again.

I think I just ride them out and see them through. I know they’re perfectly normal moments. When I hit a creative block, I just keep going and trying other things. I work on countless songs and only the select few make it to the album. I talk a lot about the successful songs, but I do want to fly a flag for the songs that didn’t make it because without them we wouldn’t have the big tracks. Sometimes it’s hard to say that a song didn’t work, or you have to say, park that song or say goodbye to it though you are attached to it for different reasons.

It was phenomenal. Firstly, Madonna is an icon, a legend and something of a mystery. She’s Madonna, full stop. To have the opportunity to sing with her on stage, also with it being a surprise, was just magical. What I saw, which people wouldn’t have seen, was how she works is quite different to how I work. That’s what I love about collaborating with people. You get a little window into how other people work, and everyone’s process is slightly different. My best memory was standing on stage with her during the song and looking over and seeing the light in her eyes and seeing how hard she was working. I recognized that. I was able to see myself in her just for a second. I really admire her hard work and determination. She did possibly more for me than she knows.

I don’t know if it’s the best piece of advice, but it’s certainly a piece of advice that I could have benefited from hearing a few times. There’s only one you, so don’t spend too much time trying to be something other than you. I think you should push yourself as far as you can. You should be exploratory, be brave and be okay when things don’t work out, which is easier said than done. Be yourself, be prepared to make mistakes and remember that you’re not alone in this creative pursuit. Anyone who’s putting themselves out there has probably or will go through something similar.

It took me a little while to really get on board with social media, particularly TikTok. But with Padam Padam, it all happened very fast, and it finally made sense to me how this works and what a great platform it is, particularly TikTok. For music, for how it works so organically. Yes, so that community and I now understand how they get into it and why they're into it and how much fun they can have with it, how much connection they can have with it. Digital streaming, we're all understanding that more and more. I'm not sure how long ago it was now when it first appeared, and everyone freaked out. It seems that the industry has found a way that it works for everyone and personally, I enjoy listening to music that way.

You're very good at putting two questions into one question. I'm going to separate these. Yes, I'm excited for Tension 2 to be out in the world, obviously. The main focus for me now is looking ahead to early next year when I prepare my tour and start my world tour in February in Australia. It's a hugely exciting time. I can believe it, but it's still astonishing and moving that my first real-life show would have been in 1989. That's a lot of time on stage, a lot of time with people, a lot of a lot. Here we go for a little bit more. I'm so excited to see everyone.

It was initially meant to be a repack for Tension so it wasn't intended to be another album, an accompanying album. But I had been invited to be part of three collaborations, which I did, which was for those artist albums, so those songs were living in the world, so we added them to this album.

But I think that the songs Padam Padam and Tension and the Tension album opened a lot of doors and there was just such opportunity to work with different writers, a new audience. That we ended up with a body of work that felt like it was enough to be another album. Not a new album, a sequel to Tension, very much in the Tension world. So I'm thrilled that there's all of this new music to share with people and to really have so much to play with on the Tension tour.

Dilip Joshi, who’s best known as Jethalal from Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, has addressed rumours surrounding his alleged altercation with the show’s producer Asit Modi. According to reports, the two had a heated argument during which Dilip grabbed Asit by the collar and threatened to quit the show. The incident, which reportedly occurred in August, was said to have been triggered by a leave request.

However, in a statement, Dilip has dismissed the reports. He said, “I just want to clear the air about all these rumours going around.”

Dilip said, “There have been some stories in the media about me and Asit bhai that are completely false, and it really saddens me to see such things being said. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is a show that means so much to me and millions of fans, and when people spread baseless rumours, it hurts not only us, but also our loyal viewers.”

He added, “It’s disheartening to see negativity being spread about something that has brought so much joy to so many for so many years. Every time such rumours pop up, it feels like we’re constantly explaining that they are untrue. It’s tiring, and it’s frustrating because it’s not just about us — it’s about all the fans who love the show and get upset reading these things.”

The statement further read, “Earlier, there were even rumours about me leaving the show, which is completely false. It’s disappointing to see such things popping up again and again, and sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if some people are just jealous of the show’s continued success. I’m here, I’m working every day with the same love and passion for the show, and I’m not going anywhere.”

A camera attendant named Vineet Kumar Mandal died after getting electrocuted on the sets of the TV show Anupamaa on November 14. In its aftermath, the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has strongly reacted to the incident. AICWA president Suresh Gupta has written a letter to the Maharashtra CM demanding immediate action.

In the letter, the organization alleged that the cause of death was disregard for safety protocol, calling the incident an “institutionalized murder”.

A part of the letter read, “The worker’s death occurred due to electrocution caused by faulty equipment on the set. The production house resumed shooting blatantly ignoring the gravity of the situation. The hazardous conditions on sets, perpetuated by the use of old, damaged and poorly insulated electric wires patched with plastic tape, created a death trap for workers.”

AICWA’s demands include lodging an FIR under Section 302 against the producers of Anupamaa, the channel and the managing director of Film City, along with a compensation of Rs. 1 crore to the victim’s family. We reached out to Anupamaa’s director Rajan Shahi but there was no response.

Actor Michelle Yeoh says that Indian cinema has fascinated her for long. About the possibility of working in an Indian film, Yeoh, who won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), says, “I would love that. I love India. I’ve been to India quite a few times. I love the culture and the whole extravaganza of Indian movies because I think Indians truly love movies. They love the whole culture of movies. So, I would immediately respond with a resounding, ‘Please call me’.”

While she says that she has “quite a list” of people she would love to collaborate with, she playfully refrains from naming anyone. “I know some of them quite well, and I would love to be able to work with them, especially someone behind the camera. But I’m not going to tell any names. I’m going to get myself in trouble,” says Yeoh, who is known for her roles in films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021), and A Haunting In Venice (2023).

Yeoh will be seen as Madame Morrible – Shiz University’s regal headmistress and Dean of Sorcery Studies – in the musical, Wicked that is set to release on November 22. Ask the 62-year-old Malaysian actor if she drew any parallels between Wicked and the Indian films she’s seen, and she says, “It’s very similar — the whole concept of song and dance, big sets. It’s very Indian, if you look at it and compare it that way,” adding, “I feel that our Indian friends and fans out there would really take your heart with Wicked.”

When asked about what drew her to the musical, Yeoh reveals that it was director Jon M Chu. She shares: “I used to be such a huge fan of musicals. And I think for some years, partly because of Covid, partly because I had been so busy with work, I stopped going. And then, Jon brought me back to the theatre and rekindled my love for musicals.”