It took Ektaa R Kapoor’s intervention to reunite filmmaker Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar after 16 years. Despite collaborating on six films earlier, the duo hadn’t worked together since Khatta Meetha (2010). That changed when Kapoor approached them with the script of Bhooth Bangla, which releases next month. The script “excited both of us”, shares Priyadarshan, adding that the actor had suggested Kapoor approach him to direct the project.

Priyadarshan says he took the story from the writer but developed his “own screenplay”. Bhooth Bangla draws heavily from “Indian folklore and mythology like the English werewolf. Soul-switching, controlling souls, and black magic is the core of the film. [The idea] — tele-transportation, where one soul inhabits the body of another human [is significant] even in the Bible and Indian philosophy. It is funny because I am a psychology student and I don’t believe in ghosts,” laughs the director. He adds that the film unfolds from the perspective of a non-believer who suddenly encounters a soul.

Unfazed by comparisons with the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise, Priyadarshan insists that the Kumar, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Tabu-starrer is “being made on a grander scale.” He adds, “People will smile and then the eeriness will creep in. The climax is one of the biggest ends ever shot on a huge canvas.”

The director reveals that Tabu — with whom this horror-comedy marks his fifth collaboration — “looks as beautiful in it as she did in Virasat [1997]. Without Tabu’s character, there’s no logic in the story.” He recalls that the actor was equally excited to reunite and work with him again.

However, it is Rajpal Yadav’s comic timing that the filmmaker cannot stop praising. “He is hilarious in the film and a character you will remember,” he notes, adding that while he has no plans to turn Bhooth Bangla into a franchise, “Maybe, Ektaa can take it forward.”

Filmmaker Anubhuti Kashyap, sister of directors Anurag and Abhinav Kashyap, may come from a family closely associated with Hindi cinema, but she insists that their legacy does not dictate the way she approaches storytelling.

Her latest release, Accused, starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Pratibha Ranta examines the #MeToo movement from an unusual perspective — that of a woman in power who finds herself under investigation.

While Anurag, best known for the Gangs Of Wasseypur films, has already watched the project, Abhinav — who directed Dabangg (2010) and Besharam (2013) — is yet to see the Netflix film. “Abhinav has been very, very caught up, and in a place where he does not have network. He wants to see the film with me,” she shares.

Comparisons with her filmmaker brothers may be inevitable, but Anubhuti says they rarely occupy her mind: “We are very contrasting as filmmakers, just as we are as people. I’m somewhere in between how Abhinav and Anurag are, as some sort of a balance. That also reflects in my voice as a filmmaker.”

This reflects in the genres of her projects, which she admits is rarely a calculated decision in her filmmaking. Her earlier show Afsos leaned towards black comedy, while Accused unfolds as a thriller. She says, “Drama and thriller come naturally to me, but my favourite genre is black comedy... I want to try my hand at everything.”

Times have changed, and for actors who ruled the ’90s, keeping up is no longer optional. Even those at the top are sharpening their social media presence. Is the transition easy? Not quite. Kajol, who continues to lead both theatrical and OTT projects, tells mid-day that the pressure feels real when she is compared with the younger generation of actors.

“When it comes to social media and the subsequent scrutiny, I think it’s more pressure for us because we come from a different time. To compare the two would be unfair,” shares Kajol, who commends new-age actors for managing it beautifully.

It was Kajol’s daughter, Nysa Devgan, who nudged her to join Instagram. “I enjoy it up to a point. And there’s only so much that I can and want to do. I think my team has resigned to it. I’ve drawn [my line] very clearly.” She adds that her team understands her boundaries and won’t push her beyond her comfort zone.

Kajol also credits today’s generation of artistes for being able to openly talk about their struggles. “If they cannot manage, they openly go for therapy. Getting help is getting help. Back then, living in joint families, everybody talked to everyone. But we lead very isolated lives now. Who has the time in this day and age to talk? That’s why we need therapy,” she asserts.

Almost nine years after the last instalment of the Sarkar franchise, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has announced its fourth chapter. The director tells mid-day, “The writing is done. I am starting the shoot in [mid-2026].”

Of course, it is impossible to imagine Sarkar without its principal cast — Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. Asked if the father-son duo will return for the fourth film, Varma confirms, “Both Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan will be a part of the film.”

The story began in 2005 with Sarkar, followed by Sarkar Raj (2008) and Sarkar 3 (2017). While the Bachchan duo remained a constant through the franchise, the rest of the cast changed with each instalment.

While Varma chose not to divulge the names of any additional cast members, he revealed that he aims to wrap up Sarkar 4 within the year. Post that he will begin work on his previously announced thriller, Syndicate. The director says the project is currently in the casting stage.

A much-in-love couple’s world comes crashing down when the girl is diagnosed with a memory loss condition. She goes missing one day, and the musician hero uses a song to find her.

This is not just the plot of Mohit Suri’s directorial Saiyaara (2025), but of the 2019 YouTube short film Khwaabon by Amit Jadhav. These glaring similarities are the basis of Amit’s allegations of plagiarism against the makers of the Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda starrer, made in a now-viral Instagram Reel.

Talking to us, Amit, an actor, singer, and filmmaker, shares that he was about to convert his short into a feature film. “I had got producers, too. We were going to shoot in 2025, but then Saiyaara happened and everything got derailed,” he shares, adding, “I went into depression and one day, when sloshed, I almost committed suicide. But my parents saw me and stopped it from happening.”

Amit says that the entire ordeal dates back four years. “I had tried speaking up about this last year, too. In 2022, I received an Instagram DM from YRF Talent (a division of Yash Raj FIlms, which produced Saiyaara) about getting in touch with me. I asked which project they were reaching out for, but they did not respond. I did not know anyone there, nor had I given any auditions.”

After the release of Saiyaara, Amit’s friends pointed out the overlaps. “My friends said, ‘Tera toh story same tha’. I was shocked. I tried reaching out to them, even going to their office, but my friends told me they won’t entertain me... I wrote YRF two mails seeking clarification, but got no answer.”

When asked if he got his story or script registered, Amit admits that he did not. “I am a part of the Screenwriters’ Association, but I did not get the story registered in 2019 because it was a short film and out on a public platform as proof,” he says.

Now, all he is seeking is acknowledgement: “I should get some credit. Or maybe I can be cast in a role in some project. That’s all I am seeking.”

We reached out to both Mohit and YRF for comment on the matter, but did not receive a response till the time of going to press.

Filmmaker Siddhant Shelar (left) with Naseeruddin Shah (centre) and a friend

What does one do when breathing becomes equivalent to smoking? When there seems to be no relief despite months of suffering? We asked a filmmaker, and he asked Naseeruddin Shah!

Siddhant Shelar is a copywriter and filmmaker. For his debut though, he chose to go out with a bang. Frustrated with the AQI skyrocketing around him, he decided to make his first short film AQI: Yeh Q Hai about that same subject. The coolest part? He cold-emailed acting legend Naseeruddin Shah to be part of his film and he said yes!

“There is a theory that you’re only six people away from someone,” says Shelar, “I have seen many dreams, like I’ll reach out to Sachin Tendulkar,” he says in a comical voice, “But when you send out a mail like that, you don’t expect to hear back. But I’m delulu. I knew I was only six handshakes away from him [Shah].”

Shelar’s short is a PSA which compares the AQI to how many cigarettes you’re inadvertently smoking. Along with a film, he starts a mission asking his viewers to mass-mail the Ministry of Environment and demand some accountability. His film sits at 30,000 views on Instagram on the day of release. 

We ask Shelar what it was like working with a legend? “He has this aura; you get intimidated. But his humility overtakes everything. We constantly hear complaints of nepotism in Bollywood. But he is gracious enough to give anyone a chance,” says Shelar. 

The funniest anecdote from set? “I wanted to get a terrace shot of him like in A Wednesday [2008]. We couldn’t manage that, so we decided to shoot indoors,” Shelar says, “Sir said, ‘Why don’t you take a low angle?’ and just in the flow I said, ‘We can try it but I don’t think it’ll work’. He asked, ‘But why?’ The moment I said it I thought, ‘What have I said?’.” You don’t leave Naseeruddin Shah unanswered, so Shelar explained, “You take lower angles to show a villain, to make him seem scary. But we wanted to show him as a common man, so I wanted to meet his eye level.” Shah did oblige, but Shelar still doesn’t know what he thought. He’s too nervous to ask anyway.  

“We all have ideas sitting in our notes apps. We keep saying, ‘Someday I’ll make it.’ Today, I’m in that timeline of my life,” he says with a beaming smile. If you haven’t already, check out his film on Instagram @ahyperactivepsyche and tap on the link in his bio to join his mission.

What is next for him? “I want to give space to people and NGOs who have been working on this cause for longer me. I have mailed dozens of them. My dashboard on Instagram is at 4 lakh views right now and I only have 1000 followers. I can give NGOs eyeballs.” If you’re an NGO that wants to connect with him, you can reach him on Instagram.

When Chandrika Ravi appeared in Diljit Dosanjh’s music video Saanvle, the word itself was evidently the message that both Ravi and Dosanjh were making. The title translates to “dusky”, which is an uncomfortable word that has existed in Indian beauty culture. In the video, Ravi stands exactly for every contradiction that the word offers. When she sits down for a conversation with Sunday mid-day, she starts with why the project felt personal.

“What got me the most excited about the project was that someone like Diljit, having the global impact he has, was putting a song out celebrating something I have been championing for as an Indian actress for years. The visibility, especially for young girls, that they are beautiful as they are and our brown skin should be celebrated was what I needed growing up.”

It is a simple idea, but for Ravi it has been a long fight. Long before she became a viral sensation or a global face of Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS, Ravi was a young woman growing up outside Melbourne, convinced her future needed to be better. “I come from very humble beginnings. I was born in a small town outside of Melbourne to immigrant parents born in Singapore. But I had always told everyone around me that I was going to move to Los Angeles and be an actor, without knowing how or when I could do it,” she says.

Ravi had already been training in dance and acting since the age of three, but Australia’s film and television industry felt limited in ways she couldn’t ignore. “I was starting to feel a lot of discouragement in Australia because they simply weren’t writing parts for people of colour. I took the leap of faith and booked a ticket with whatever money I had, packed three suitcases and left for LA with USD 500 in my bank account and a dream. It’s the best decision I have ever made. I learnt resilience and determination as a person. As an artiste, I have trained with the best, and have learnt the ins-and-outs of the industry.”

But the journey toward confidence did not arrive without bruises. Some of the deepest ones came from the place she felt most connected to — India.  “India broke me. It was essentially the Indian film industry that broke me as a person and performer. I was devastated,” she says.

The pain, she explains, was not about failure. It was about something far more difficult to accept. “It was a very hard concept to grasp that my talent wasn’t enough to be cast in something in India. That ultimately, the colour of my skin would dictate whether or not I got a part. Having trained my whole life on my craft, and having represented India and Indians on a global stage, it felt like I was constantly being rejected by my own people. I had to keep reminding myself that I had to keep fighting, not just to prove my worth, but for the other young boys and girls who grew up feeling like they too weren’t good enough because of colourism,” she says.

If Ravi speaks openly about rejection, she speaks just as openly about pride. “A constant reminder has been how much my skin colour and features are celebrated in America. I love when people ask me if I’ve come back from a vacation because my skin looks sun-kissed, but it’s my blessing of being born as an Indian woman.”

The larger point, she says, is about resisting a culture that constantly tells women they need fixing. She says, “In a world where women are especially picked apart and constantly made to feel like they have to be a certain way with beauty standards constantly changing, I am proud to still stand strong with my decision to not alter my appearance and embrace how God made me.”

In the age of paparazzi nicknames, Ravi has acquired one she finds both amusing and flattering: Chandrika Kardashian. The comparison emerged around the same time she became the first Indian woman associated with Kim Kardashian’s brand SKIMS. “It’s very flattering, I’ll take it!” she laughs, “She is confident, hot, and has great style!”

For Ravi, the irony isn’t lost. “Being associated with a name and a brand that is synonymous with being sexy — as an Indian woman sometimes does not feel real, especially when I was always told I was undesirable because I was so different.”

For her, being called desirable now feels like an inversion of the rejection she experienced earlier in life. She says, “Curves, long hair, strong features, and a glowing tan. Being called a sex symbol is a label I embrace with open arms. Being seen as desirable for being authentically myself in a country where I once fought to even have a seat at the table is a battle well fought. Being seen as desirable after being born in a Western country where I was told for years that I was not attractive enough to be in front of the camera means I became the representation I needed growing up of a confident, sexy Indian woman who was unapologetically herself.”

The next chapter of Ravi’s career may also be her most ambitious. She is currently co-creating and starring in the official biopic of cult screen icon Silk Smitha, popularised by Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture [2011]. “What drew me to her story was how misunderstood she was,” she says, adding, “What she did, no one has ever been able to recreate. The command of attention she had with just a glance in your direction. The number of films she starred in less than two decades. The confidence she had to be seen as a sex symbol at a time where it was seen as taboo. The amount of turmoil she was facing in her personal life yet she was still able to have constant box office hits.” In many ways, reclaiming Silk Smitha’s story is also Ravi reclaiming her own.

Subhash Ghai's box-office smash Hero (1983) offered a bouquet of chartbusters, such as 'Tu Mera Jaanu Hai', 'Pyar Karne Wale Kabhi Darte Nahi' and 'Ding Dong Baby Sing A Song.' But the number which seems to have aged best with time is 'Lambi Judaai', a melancholic track that Pakistani folk singer Reshma infused with soul.

Madhu Malhotra, who dressed in a multicoloured gypsy attire lip synced that song of ache on celluloid, and who was one of the leading ladies in the superhit multi-starrer, 'Satte Pe Satta' (1982), passed away in Mumbai on Friday, according to 'Film Information', a trade magazine. She was 71.

Madhu was a familiar face in the Hindi films of 1970s and 1980s acting in over 100 movies though mostly in minor roles. She was a regular in Ghai's movies doing cameos in 'Vishwanath' (1978), 'Karz' (1980) and 'Vidhaata' (1982) as well as the horror films of Mohan Bhakri such as Khooni Murda (1989) and Roohani Taqat (1991). In Satte Pe Satta, she was paired with comic actor Paintal.

Old-timers might recall her as the joyous girl in a beach hat in the song, 'Mausam Mastana'. "She had a small role in my film, Shradhanjali (1981). She was a thorough professional," said film director Anil Sharma.

O'ROMEO took its four week collection in India to almost 60 crore nett and and there is not much to come as it could add another 1 crore nett on a best case scenario. The film has seen dropping collections every week despite the limited competition. Moreover, the initial was not good also as the film saw a 27.50 crore nett first weekend and that was with adds.

The overseas figures are no better as the the market which could have done well was USA/Canada but that will be wrapping up with a little $1 million. The rest never had much of a chance and the film has done $2.3 million and is running in very few cinemas this week. This takes the Worldwide figure to 93 crore.

For a comparison, KAMINEY did 71 crore worldwide and HAIDER did 79 crore worldwide but the former was released in 2009 and the latter was 2014 and the costs were much lower. KAMINEY and HAIDER were moderate successes due to the costs while O'ROMEO becomes a huge flop because of far higher costs.

The worldwide collections of O'ROMEO till date are as follows. 

India - 72 crore (59.50 crore nett)

Overseas - 21 crore ($2.325 million)