Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 907
11:49 AM
WILL HAQ, JATADHARA MANAGE TO FIND BOX OFFICE SUCCESS?
November is here and there will be an exciting release every Friday. The film to watch out for tomorrow, November 7, is Haq. It stars Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi and is inspired by the Shah Bano case, a landmark ruling.
The trailer is intriguing and it looks like a quality product. The casting has also caught interest. Often, such films can come under the ‘propaganda’ category but this one doesn’t seem to be in that zone. That would give it a wider appeal.
However, due to the subject and treatment, it is clear that Haq is not a mass film. It should open around Rs. 2-3 crores. A good jump on Saturday is essential. Ideally, it should cross the Rs. 10 crore mark on the weekends. Then, it can stand a chance on weekdays and hopefully, in the second week as well.
The other release of the week is Jatadhara, starring Sonakshi Sinha in an evil role like never before. It is a Telugu film, dubbed in Hindi and also stars Sudheer Babu, Divya Khossla, Shilpa Shirodkar and others. The film’s promos and songs have failed to entice the audience. Hence, the advance booking in both the original Telugu and dubbed Hindi versions has been poor. As a result, the film will find it tough at the box office, unless the word of mouth is extraordinary.
Lastly, the Hollywood film, Predator: Badlands, will get a wide release in multiple formats. The film looks like a visual spectacle and a fun entertainer. However, the buzz in India is limited and it remains to be seen if it manages to find a sizable audience.
November is here and there will be an exciting release every Friday. The film to watch out for tomorrow, November 7, is Haq. It stars Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi and is inspired by the Shah Bano case, a landmark ruling.
The trailer is intriguing and it looks like a quality product. The casting has also caught interest. Often, such films can come under the ‘propaganda’ category but this one doesn’t seem to be in that zone. That would give it a wider appeal.
However, due to the subject and treatment, it is clear that Haq is not a mass film. It should open around Rs. 2-3 crores. A good jump on Saturday is essential. Ideally, it should cross the Rs. 10 crore mark on the weekends. Then, it can stand a chance on weekdays and hopefully, in the second week as well.
The other release of the week is Jatadhara, starring Sonakshi Sinha in an evil role like never before. It is a Telugu film, dubbed in Hindi and also stars Sudheer Babu, Divya Khossla, Shilpa Shirodkar and others. The film’s promos and songs have failed to entice the audience. Hence, the advance booking in both the original Telugu and dubbed Hindi versions has been poor. As a result, the film will find it tough at the box office, unless the word of mouth is extraordinary.
Lastly, the Hollywood film, Predator: Badlands, will get a wide release in multiple formats. The film looks like a visual spectacle and a fun entertainer. However, the buzz in India is limited and it remains to be seen if it manages to find a sizable audience.
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat collects 65.90 cr in 14 days; Thamma 112.75 cr
10:49 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT finally went ahead of THAMMA on Monday which was the 14th day of release for both films. It should have happened earlier but THAMMA was being propelled by the Buy One Get One Free offer on various days. The offer was there on Monday also but at some point EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT was going to catch up as the trend in most of the circuits was better.
EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT collected around 1.50 crore on its second Monday while THAMMA was in the 1.25 crore nett range. Even one of the most up market centres in the country, Gurgaon, saw EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT edging past. The status quo should remain from here with EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT remaining ahead.
Both films will have collections in the same range in week two of around 15 crore nett but this is good for EK DEEWANE KI DEEWANIYAT which had a 57 crore nett extended first week while THAMMA was coming from a 100 crore nett plus extended first week which is a huge drop.
This is also shows that this BOGO hardly makes much difference as there is a limited audience out there who will just come to watch a film because they are getting a free ticket or discounted ticket. It has just happening too frequently with practically every other film but does not really change the bottom line. If a film is to work it will work and BOGO or feeding, which is also prevalent, is not going to change that.
Baahubali: The Epic collects 4.30 cr in 4 days in Hindi; The Taj Story 7.25 cr
10:45 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
THE TAJ STORY showed a good hold hold on Monday collecting in the same range as Friday with collections of 1 crore nett. This takes the total collections of the film to 7.25 crore nett and with the discounted Tuesday to come to give a lift, it should be standing at 10 crore nett plus by the end of the week.
The film has found an audience as most would have expected this to be out by now but now the test becomes the second Friday and if it maintains there then this film could actually do 20 crore nett. There are some releases on Friday with HAQ being the main film but this should not come in the way of THE TAJ STORY holding its collections. The film could beat the collections of films like MAALIK and DHADAK 2 while it is sure to cross EMERGENCY. All are far bigger films.
The collections of the THE TAJ STORY over the weekend are as follows.
Friday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 2,25,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 3,00,00,000 apprx
Monday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 7,25,00,000 apprx
BAAHUBALI: THE EPIC (Hindi) faded on Monday which was expected as Saturday and Sunday could not perform. The collections of the film were under 50 lakhs nett on Monday which takes the film to around 4.25 crore nett and the week can be a little over 5 crore nett. The film has also fallen in the South with the all India collections in the 1.50 crore nett. The total collections on all versions stand at 23.50 crore nett and it might close around the 30 crore nett mark.
The collections of BAAHUBALI: THE EPIC (Hindi) are as follows.
Friday - 1,10,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,35,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 1,50,00,000 apprx
Monday - 35,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 4,30,00,000 apprx
Ali Abbas Zafar's upcoming project with Ahaan Pandey is set in England; recce to begin soon
10:40 AM
With 2025’s breakout star Ahaan Panday readying for his next, set in England, sources say director Ali Abbas Zafar to conduct recce across London and other cities
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 5, 2025)
What is Bollywood’s newest star, Ahaan Panday, doing after the smashing success of Saiyaara? Moving full-throttle into his second film, an action drama to be helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar.
mid-day has learnt that the director is headed to the UK in December for a month-long recce before the shoot kicks off in February 2026.
Sources tell us that the action drama, produced by Aditya Chopra, will be primarily shot in London, Birmingham, and Manchester, with some portions planned in Leeds.
A source breaks it down further, saying, “Ahaan’s Saiyaara made upwards of Rs 550 crore globally. That has given Ali and Aditya Sir the confidence to go all out with his second film. For most part of December, the director will scout for locations in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds that will add to the storytelling when they are presented on the big screen. Almost 80 to 90 per cent of the movie will be shot in England.”
We’ve heard that Panday is simultaneously prepping for the project, especially since this will be his introduction to the action genre.
The source adds, “His debut film presented him as a devoted romantic hero. With the second venture, Aditya sir wants to project him as an action-romance star. He has been undergoing hand-to-hand combat training and weapon training.”
3 hours late, boring: Madhuri Dixit’s Toronto show leaves fans disappointed
10:39 AM
HINDUSTAN TIMES (November 5, 2025)
Actor Madhuri Dixit’s UK-Canada tour opened with a storm in Toronto on November 2, when attendees arrived at the venue expecting a full performance, only to be kept waiting. One attendee posted a Reel, claiming that the event began at the scheduled time of 7.30pm, but Madhuri (58) only took the stage nearly three hours late at around 10pm (see inset).
Several angry fans commented over the alleged format shift: instead of a dance-based concert as advertised, the evening largely consisted of a talk-show style segment, with the actor dancing only briefly. One Instagram user wrote: “Worst show ever, full of lame talks.”
Several fans demanded refunds for the “$200 tickets”, and many walked out before the performance ended. However, some loyal followers defended her, suggesting that organisers should bear responsibility for the event’s execution.
As of now, neither Madhuri nor her team have commented on the controversy.
Celina Jaitly hopes for brother’s safe return amid unclear detention in UAE
10:38 AM
Deep Saxena (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 5, 2025)
Actor Celina Jaitly is pinning her hopes on the Delhi High Court for the release of her brother, Maj (Retd) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who has been detained under unclear circumstances in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) since September 6 last year. After retiring from the armed forces in 2016, Vikrant was running a cybersecurity firm in Dubai with his wife.
Narrating the details, Celina’s advocate Raghav Kacker tells us, “The incident occurred on September 6, 2024 when Vikrant went shopping with his wife Charul in Emirates Mall, Abu Dhabi. When Celina couldn’t reach her brother for 22 days, she contacted his wife who informed that he had been detained in the UAE. Charul said that they were in the parking lot where he was ‘abducted’ by two guys and later detained. Nothing has come on record till date. Charul has relocated to Bengaluru and is not responding to Celina.”
Following this, Celina approached the consulate but did not receive any response. Now, the court has asked the government to file a status report before the next hearing on December 4.
Meanwhile, Celina expresses her faith in the government: “I am feeling very hopeful. My brother suffers from lifelong injuries incurred as a Special Forces officer in the line of duty for our nation. Now, it’s time for the nation to stand behind him and bring our soldier back home safely.”
I want the audience to watch Baramulla and Google later and say, ‘Oh, this is real’-Aditya Jambhale
10:37 AM
‘Baramulla’ director Aditya Jambhale discusses viewing Kashmir through the lens of its tales and driving a point home with the horror film
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; November 5, 2025)
As someone who graduated in electronics and telecom engineering, Aditya Suhas Jambhale is a science buff. Yet, the engineer-turned-director loves worlds where one can imagine beyond what is “scientifically justified”. It is from this instinct that his second Hindi feature, Baramulla, is born.
“I didn’t want jump-scare horror in Kashmir. The challenge was whether we can make something rooted in whispers that locals grow up with,” starts the director about the upcoming Manav Kaul-starrer.
Producer Aditya Dhar first floated the idea of a horror film set in Kashmir, even sharing a three-page draft. Jambhale took it and disappeared to Goa for months.
“I told Aditya, ‘If I’m doing this, I have to change everything’,” recalls Jambhale. He finally returned with a 120-plus-page new script that was approved almost instantly by Dhar.
The upcoming Netflix film weaves the lore of the Valley as it tells the story of Kaul’s police officer investigating the mysterious disappearance of children in Kashmir. Jambhale’s research began in Goa, where several Kashmiris now live, before he travelled to Kashmir and heard their tales — about not stepping out after sundown in certain parts of Baramulla, and winter evenings that turn the Valley a smoky grey. He won’t reveal specifics because a lot of it is crucial to the movie’s suspense.
“I want the audience to Google later and say, ‘Oh, this is real’. I want to resist spoon-feeding. If you explain every myth, it kills the magic.”
But he’ll underline one thing — that the supernatural is often influenced by geography. “Every place has its horror. Kashmir’s lore can’t be separated from its sociopolitics,” he observes.
The director shot the Kaul and Bhasha Sumbli-starrer in Srinagar, Baramulla, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam over 23 days, in minus eight degrees. Plus, the shadow of politics lingered. “Locals worry about portrayal. But as a filmmaker, my job is to be truthful to the story,” he says, adding that Baramulla — like his previous offering Article 370 (2024) — makes a point.
“Expect neutrality from the media, not from artistes. If I empathize with a character’s pain and am biased toward them, that’s storytelling. You may disagree with my ideology and that’s democracy. Baramulla carries a point too and I’m proud of that.”
Can cinema help us understand Kashmiri culture beyond strife? “The idea is to show Kashmir in a different light. A film like this shows how empathy should work.”
Haq is not singling out people from a certain community or maligning it-Emraan Hashmi
10:34 AM
Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi meet the winners of HT City Stars in the City as they talk about their upcoming film and its hopeful impact
Compiled by Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 5, 2025)
Emraan Hashmi and Yami Gautam Dhar were in Delhi recently to meet the winners of the latest edition of HT City Stars In The City. The actors, who will soon be seen together in Haq, were game for any questions that came their way.
The conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor-Entertainment & Lifestyle, began with a light-hearted chat about Delhi and its food, but soon ventured into serious territory. The duo’s upcoming film, revolving around the landmark Shah Bano case, deals with a sensitive theme: a divorced Muslim woman fighting for maintenance from her husband.
Sharing how he approached the role and the nuances it demanded, Emraan said, “I had to see it from the lens of a Muslim for the first time. The script wanted to humanize the man a bit, although in retrospect, it might seem like a patriarchal angle. Hero vs villain would have been typical; that’s what we generally do in Bollywood to sell our films. But this film takes a very unbiased look at the case.”
As for Yami, who has often been labelled the ‘poster girl of nationalism’ and is now taking what could be seen as a ‘risk’ with Haq, she said, “I have been in the industry since 2012. I made my debut with a film unconventional for its time, Vicky Donor (2012). I’m trying to stick to being that person I always was. The only reason I should exist here, or mean something to someone, is through my work. For that, my role, my script, and my team are very important.”
On a scale of 1-10, when you heard that Haq is inspired by the Shah Bano case, how jittery were you thinking this is controversial?
Yami: Controversy, debate, discussion — that is not the first thought as an artiste. It’s always how I feel after reading the script. Of course, it’s the powerful story of a very courageous woman back in the 1980s. Today, there are multiple conversations to express what we want, what can be done to make things better. Back in the day, there was nothing of that sort. That woman did it without the intent of making it controversial, but just to literally do what every mother does for their child. How can she provide the best for her children? I thought Haq was a wonderfully written script.
Emraan: There were questions when I signed this film. I have done films of a certain nature. But it’s very important as an actor to do a gamut of characters. That, for me, is growth as an artiste. If you don’t risk things, that’s not art, that’s empty marketing. You do those popcorn flicks that release and are forgotten after the first week of theatrical release, which is fine, that’s part of business. But films (like Haq) are important, too. You want to do films that leave behind a message and will stay in people’s conversations... Haq is not singling out people from a certain community or maligning it. It’s about people from a community; it could be any community.
Yami, you have the image now of being the poster girl for nationalism. People think you are sticking to tradition when other women in Bollywood are more westernized. Were you told that Shah Bano’s case supports a nationalistic cause of common laws in the country, and was that a reason to do this film?
If there is any other motivation for me to choose the kind of roles that I do other than creative, the whole purpose of being an artiste fails.
Emraan, your recent role in The Ba***ds Of Bollywood went viral. How’s it been?
First of all, that line ‘Akkha Bollywood ek taraf, Emraan Hashmi ek taraf’ was a masterstroke by writers Bilal Siddiqui and Aryan Khan (also director of the series). That was not the original scene written for me! At first, (my character) was supposed to be at a film premiere, and (actor) Raghav Juyal’s character starts crying as he sees me. But one month before the show’s shoot, (the role) became an intimacy coordinator. Aryan called Bilal, and then I was asked if I was okay doing it. I was like, ‘If I can’t play an intimacy coordinator, nobody else can!’ Shah Rukh (Khan, actor) sir loved the idea, and we shot the scene. There was a lot of improv… Raghav’s crying had us in splits. We didn’t expect that he would go to that level of OTT (over the top)! You don’t know what goes viral and sticks with the audience.
How did your son Ayaan react to the show’s popularity?
Life hasn’t changed after the show; I realized it’s something fans have been missing, a vintage version of what people had seen. My son, though, is embarrassed about it. In school, they had to facilitate things, either head a certain society or something. All his friends said, ‘Why don’t you become an intimacy coach?’ He’s like, ‘You have ruined things for me at school! (laughs)’
I felt a punch to my heart when Irrfan Khan passed away-Adil Hussain
10:29 AM
Harshada Rege (BOMBAY TIMES; November 5, 2025)
At the Dharamshala International Film Festival, Adil Hussain reflected on the craft of acting and the mark Irrfan left on audiences. When asked about overcoming the challenge of being different in films of the same genre, he said, “It will be always different if you are truly yourself, even if the genre is the same, if you don't fall into the cliches of acting. It is extremely difficult. When you are not that person who is wearing a social mask, the one you wear when you are with your parents or lover or husband or when you are at a party and nobody is watching you and therefore, you are quieter, and from there when you act, you will be different. And the one actor who comes to my mind who was like that was Irrfan.”
Adil opined that Irrfan embodied a rare honesty in his work. “He tried his best to do that and that’s why when he died, I was shocked despite knowing that he was suffering from a terminal disease. I had a tough time accepting his demise. He tried his best to be as vulnerable and as transparent as possible. Did you see him very different in different characters? No. He was trying to be as open and vulnerable as possible. Not in all films. He was brilliant in The Warrior, The Namesake and Qissa - he was at his best in these films.”
Despite meeting Irrfan only a handful of times, Hussain recalled the deep personal impact his passing left on him. He shared, “I had met Irrfan only thrice during the promotions of Life Of Pi. I never had any conversation with him about acting or anything, but despite that, I felt a punch in my heart when he passed away. I was surprised about the way I felt.”
Amitabh Bachchan sells two luxury apartments in Mumbai for Rs 12 crore
10:28 AM
Kailash Babar (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; November 4, 2025)
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has sold two adjoining luxury apartments spread over a total 3,640 sq ft in a high-rise residential tower in Mumbai’s western suburb Goregaon for a total of Rs 12 crore.
Both apartments are located on the 47th floor of the building and measure 1,820 sq ft each. The first transaction was registered on October 31, for Rs 6 crore, while the second on Saturday, for the same amount. The deals attracted a total stamp duty of Rs 60 lakh.
The transactions were executed separately with individual buyers, showed the documents accessed through realty data analytics platform CRE Matrix. The agreements include two car parking spaces each.
ET’s email query to Bachchan’s team remained unanswered until the time of going to press.
The sale adds to a series of recent property transactions in Mumbai involving high-value assets owned by film personalities. Bachchan and his family hold multiple real estate properties across the city, including residential holdings in Juhu and other prime areas.
In recent months, several prominent transactions have been recorded in the city’s premium housing segment, reflecting continued activity among high-net-worth individuals and professionals from the film and business community.
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