DHAMAAL 4 had a good first week collecting almost 95 crore nett as it scored a good weekend and then has also held up well over the weekdays though there was a noticeable fall on the last two days of the week. The first week has turned out a little better than WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE and it should also do more than that film post week one.

It was DHAMAAL 4 which stopped WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE becoming a bonafide HIT as collections dropped on the third Friday due to the release of the former. DHAMAAL 4 was also for the same audience with minor regionality difference. This should not be an issue for DHAMAAL 4 as it should complete a solid 3-4 week run and emerge a HIT. If this happens, it will be only HIT of this summer season and the fourth HIT film of the year.

The film got a big thumbs down from the media and the digital world and even most of the industry is looking at as a poor film. But when the audience may well take the film to 150 crore nett, then what does it matter what is being said as whatever the makers did was right and the rest can go and jump in a well as its always about the WATCHERS and not TALKERS. If it was about the TALKERS, then a film like MAIN VAAPAS AAUNGA would have done double or treble or even more of what it is doing now.

The collections of DHAMAAL 4 till date are as follows.

Friday - 14,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 22,50,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 28,00,00,000 apprx

Monday - 8,25,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 9.50,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 6,75,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 5,75,00,000 apprx

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DHAMAAL 4 had a very good hold on its second Friday as it collected 5.25 crore nett which is just a 10% drop from the Thursday despite competition from a big release from Hollywood like THE ODYSSEY. But THE ODYSSEY could not make much of a mark in the Hindi speaking circuits which meant DHAMAAL 4 was not affected much in these places.

The second Friday number confirms that DHAMAAL 4 is a HIT and it will get through week three comfortably which WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE could not. The next text will be SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY in the fourth week, which will hit it more than THE ODYSSEY. But by then, the job will will be done for DHAMAAL 4 and collections will be at lower levels.

The collections of DHAMAAL 4 till date are as follows.

Friday - 14,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 22,50,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 28,00,00,000 apprx

Monday - 8,25,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 9.50,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 6,75,00,000 apprx

Thursday - 5,75,00,000 apprx

Friday - 5,25,00,000 apprx

ALPHA is heading for 100 crore or near worldwide finish as it collects 94.50 crore worldwide in two weeks. The performance of the film is a little better Overseas but there also films that started well but could not do much after the first weekend due to content. Still the film is going to finish only 10% less than COCKTAIL 2 and will also be competing with the likes of WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE and DHAMAAL 4.

Female stars like Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone lead the overseas star factor and here, these leading ladies are bigger than a lot of the leading male stars as far as overseas box office draw goes. The presence of Alia Bhatt means respectable business in Overseas which ends very close to COCKTAIL 2 despite that film having much more potential for Overseas.

The heroines which have managed a draw in overseas over the last thirty years have basically been a branch out of Shah Rukh Khan films and this is where Kareena Kapoor and Alia Bhatt stand apart. Gulf is best in Overseas as it collects around $ 1.1 million followed by USA/Canada which is around $875k.

The worldwide collections of ALPHA till date are as follows. 

India -  65.75 crore (54.25 crore nett)

Overseas -  28.75 crore ($3 million)

Actor Paresh Rawal claimed on Vickey Lalwani’s podcast that OMG 2 grew from an idea he had shared with director Amit Rai, but that he received no credit for the concept. He has now clarified that he never claimed to have written the film and only wanted acknowledgment, not money. He also insists he has no problem with Akshay Kumar.

He tells us, “Arre bhaiya, Akshay and I are doing Bhagam Bhag 2 next, which is Ashwin’s film. Bhooth Bangla bhi ki abhi. Meri Akshay se genuinely koi problem nahi hai.”

On Friday, co-producer Ashwin Varde and director Amit Rai rejected Rawal’s version.

Recalling his conversations with Rai, Rawal says, “I told him one day, ‘Ek idea hai, hum sex par kuchh bana sakte hain, ek chhota baccha hai, masturbate karta hai’... vahaan se baat shuru huyi.” He adds that he never claimed to have written the film. “Screenwriters association ke paas aapka hi naam hai. But when you share ideas with each other, uss mein concept mera tha. I was just asking for that credit, and not paisa.”

Responding to Varde’s allegation, the 71-year-old says he did not want to cash in on the franchise. “If I really wanted to do OMG 2, I would have told Akshay... I said I don’t want to encash on the franchise.” 

Rawal maintains that Rai wrote the film, but feels his contribution could have been acknowledged. “Chalo maine Amit ko 50 ideas diye, and he rejected 49. But the one he liked… you can be generous enough na? And rightfully also... I have lots of love and compassion for Amit. Jisko jo bolna hai bol sakta hai.”

For Dia Mirza Rekhi, 2026 is a special year. She marks 25 years as an actor, and was seen in Ikka with Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna and opposite Anil Kapoor in Alpha. She also has web series Operation Safed Sagar in the offing.

And it all started thanks to her co-star. “AK (Anil) is responsible for convincing me to become a part of films,” the 44-year-old reveals, adding, “He met me right after my Asia Pacific pageant (in 2000). He and Anupam Kher were very keen that I do the film that they were working on, and they were the ones who helped me get my first film.”

For Dia, starring opposite Anil “felt like a beautiful full circle moment”: “The first time I met him in the lobby of a hotel in Hyderabad, he had told me, “You have so much grace, you would be so beautiful on screen, you must become an actor’.”

Dia is also all praise for Sunny and Akshaye. “I’ve done some films with Akshaye’s father (late veteran Vinod Khanna) and we shared a very special bond, and I’ve known Rahul (Khanna, Akshaye’s brother). I’d actually approached Akshaye to act in a film that I was producing, but that didn’t work out. So, it was cool to finally work with him,” she shares.

Their film also featured a scene of her slapping Akshaye. “I was terrified, and then Sunny sir was quick to jump in and say, ‘Listen, you’re playing my wife, so you shouldn’t be scared’. And I was like, ‘Have you seen Khanna sa’ab’s fan following?’” she laughs, adding, “It’s only in the last eight years that I have been appreciated and my films have done ridiculously well at the box office. The last 25 years have been preparation for what is to come.”

Three years after OMG 2 was released, the film is back in the news after Paresh Rawal claimed on a recent podcast with Vickey Lalwani that he had developed its original idea with director Amit Rai but was neither credited for the story nor the concept. “The saddest part is that I wasn’t even given credit for the story or the concept. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere,” Rawal said.

Calling these allegations “shocking, untrue and unsubstantiated”, the film’s co-producer Ashwin Varde and Rai have strongly rejected Rawal’s claims. Varde alleged that Rawal had been given a producer credit despite making “zero contribution”, but chose to pass it on to his wife, Swaroop Paresh Rawal, and business partner Hemal Thakkar. He also claimed that Rawal was paid a stipulated amount for the credit.

Varde says Rai had written the film in the OMG format at Rawal’s suggestion. “When I first heard it, my immediate reaction was that this subject resembled the format of OMG totally,” he said, adding that he was concerned because the franchise’s intellectual property rights belonged to Akshay Kumar. 

According to Varde, Rawal had told Rai that the IP belonged to him. “He was trying to make a version of OMG under a different name, which is unethical and unprofessional. For me, that is nothing short of a theft.”

On Rawal’s claim that several actors had rejected the film, Varde says, “They all told him — this is OMG and that is Akshay’s film. Why should we tread into something that belongs to him?”

Varde says his company later acquired the screenplay, which remains registered solely in Rai’s name. He also alleged that Rawal wanted to keep Akshay out of the project, was given a producer credit despite making “zero contribution”, and was paid a stipulated amount: “Nobody tried to cheat Paresh of anything. The only thing we are guilty of is stopping him from doing the same.”

Rai also dismissed Rawal’s claim: “Woh kis tathya ke aadhaar pe yeh keh rahe hain? He is merely making a claim. Kehne ko toh woh kuch bhi keh sakte hain.”

Asserting his authorship, he adds, “Jahaan tak mujhe yaad hai, uss film ka janak bhi main hi hoon, uska karta bhi main hi hoon, school bhejne wala bhi main hi hoon aur college bhejne wala bhi main hi hoon.” Rai says the registered script and Screenwriters Association certificate carry his name.

The release and subsequent takedown of ‘Satluj’ from Zee5 may have a ripple effect on OTT films. Discussions are said to be underway within the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) about amending the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and requiring films premièring on streamers to obtain certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

This comes seven months after the I&B Ministry had informed the Parliament that OTT platforms would continue to be regulated under the IT Rules.

A source told mid-day, “At present, films released directly on OTT platforms are not required to secure the CBFC certification, unlike theatrical releases. Under the new proposal, a film would not be permitted to stream in India until the certification process is complete.”

According to sources, another idea being considered is to have the CBFC examine not all, but those films whose certification proceedings remain pending.

The source added, “One proposal is to ensure that if a film has been submitted for certification, like ‘Satluj’ was, it cannot stream unless the matter has been resolved.” The discussions are at an early stage. mid-day reached out to the CBFC, which didn’t respond till press time.

- Currently, OTT content falls under the purview of the IT Rules, 2021

- Content is classified based on age groups

- Streamers have a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism, with the first level being self-regulation by the platform. An independent body forms the second tier, while Inter-Departmental Committee oversees the final tier

Sixteen years ago, Raghav Juyal was a background dancer trying to make ends meet. Today, he is promoting his first outing as a leading man, Bhai Tera Star Hai, after the success of Kill (2024) and Netflix’s The Ba***ds Of Bollywood (2025). What’s ahead for him? The actor has a clear picture of what his future should look like.

“I want one of my films to do Rs 500-600 crore business. One day, when the credits roll, it should read, ‘Raghav Juyal — Superstar.’ That’s the dream,” he said.

It may be a hard road ahead, but that doesn’t worry him. The road up to here wasn’t easy. “When you’re a background dancer, you’re just trying to survive. I didn’t know whether this industry would accept me. Every small opportunity mattered. So, when I look at where life has brought me today, I don’t take it for granted.”

That hunger explains why Bhai Tera Star Hai, also featuring Sanjay Kapoor, feels important. Vivek B Agrawal’s directorial venture is a comedy, but Juyal insists it isn’t built on familiar tropes.

He elaborated, “It’s got the innocence of Govinda’s films and the madness of Priyadarshan films. I’d say it’s like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro [1983] meets Welcome [2007].”

Juyal’s character in the movie is driven by delusion. Strangely, he believes that’s also an actor’s greatest asset. “In acting, delusion is probably the most important quality. This industry is full of sharks. If you start believing what everyone tells you, that you can’t do this or you’re not enough, you won’t survive. You have to wake up every day believing impossible things. Sometimes I tell myself, ‘I have slayed dragons’. It sounds crazy, but it keeps you going.”

Later this year, Raghav Juyal will also be seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s Christmas release ‘King’. About working in another Khan production after ‘The Ba***ds Of Bollywood’ (2025), the actor said, “I am grateful to be in this phase. These are opportunities every actor dreams of.”

Yashvardhan Ahuja’s Bollywood debut is turning into a family affair. While Yash is all set to make his debut with Ekta Kapoor’s Hero Ki Horrorine (previously titled Hundred), his mother, Sunita Ahuja, will also be making her Bollywood acting debut by playing his onscreen mother. We have now learnt that Govinda, too, is set to join the film for a special dance number with his son.

According to sources, Govinda will soon shoot a special song with Yash over a two-day schedule, marking their first on-screen collaboration. Besides adding to the film’s appeal, the song will also mark Govinda’s return to Bollywood after he was last seen in Rangeela Raja (2019).

nterestingly, the development comes shortly after Govinda announced his comeback to the big screen with Roopa, a film he is also producing. While Roopa marks his return as a leading man, Hero Ki Horrorine will see him make a special appearance alongside his son as Yash embarks on his Bollywood journey.

We reached out to Govinda and the production house, but they did not respond.

Incidentally, in an earlier conversation with us while discussing her stint on Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, Sunita had confirmed that she would be making her Bollywood debut in a film starring her son. The reality show contestant had exited the series voluntarily owing to health issues.

Recalling the circumstances that led to her departure, she had said, “I got upset at that moment because everyone knew about my health condition. I was expecting food to be sent to me, but it didn’t happen, and I became very emotional. My diabetes also started getting worse because of the stress. I hadn’t eaten, yet I had to take my diabetes medication. I want to clarify that whatever I said was out of anger. I have a lot of love and respect for Netflix and Ekta Kapoor. From the very next day, they took great care of me. My doctor visited me three times a day, my diet was changed, and I was given food suitable for my diabetes. I’m truly grateful for all the care and support. I would love to work with Ekta again. In fact, I’m doing a film with Ekta that stars my son. Thank you so much.”