Actor Divya Dutta has portrayed an ideal wife and daughter-in-law several times onscreen. However, off-camera, the 48-year-old candidly shares that she is open to love, but not marriage.

“You should get married for the right reasons. Marriage is an institution that needs two people who grow together. If that is something that I’m not finding right, then I will not get married,” says Divya, whose upcoming social drama show Chiraiya aims to raise awareness about marital rape in the country.

Divya explains, “Rather than have a tumultuous or a disturbed marriage, I’d rather be happily single. I feel I’m at a stage where what I need is companionship and not marriage. That’s my choice, and that’s how it is.” She adds that one should never say never: “I’m not saying no to anything. But as of now, that’s my situation. I’m very happy with it.”

When Salman Khan, one of India’s most famous bachelors, is mentioned, Divya responds, “I think ek Salman ki, aur ek meri, mujhe lagta hai aisi bahut audience hai jinko lagta hai ‘iski shaadi karwa deni chahiye’, pata nahi kyun. I have answered this question so many times. I want to say, ‘Theek hai bhai, meri shaadi karwa do’.”

Filmmaker Sajid Ali says the growing conversation around his next film, Heer Ranjha, a spiritual follow-up to Laila Majnu (2018), is reassuring for him as a storyteller.

“It warms my heart that people feel it is worth their time to talk about it,” Ali says about the buzz surrounding the project, as he is busy with the pre-production.

He adds, “It gives us a lot of confidence and also raises the bar so that we know that we can’t be underwhelming because there will be an obvious comparison to Laila Majnu.”

At the same time, he stresses that the film is still in a very early stage of development: “It’s a little too early because we’re still in the pre-production planning stage. We’re casting and looking at locations. Abhi, it’s quite kacha at the moment.”

There were reports recently that actors Sara Arjun and Rohit Saraf have been finalized as the leads in the film. However, Sajid denies these reports, saying, “I woke up to this rumour recently. People have been asking me, and I’m as clueless as anybody else.”

Reflecting on the journey of Laila Majnu, which was a flop initially but a superhit during its re-release in 2024, Ali says predicting audience behaviour is never easy. “When a film has been appreciated in terms of at least numbers, then you know that people have had their fun with it. They’ve gone out, and they’ve enjoyed it and probably seen it twice in the rerun.”

Shakun Batra’s 2016 family drama Kapoor & Sons, featuring late veteran Rishi Kapoor alongside Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Rajat Kapoor, clocks 10 years today. Sidharth portrayed Arjun, the younger son and underdog of the family. The character, modelled on Shakun’s relationship with his sister, harboured resentment toward his elder brother, Rahul (played by Fawad), for being the golden child.

Recalling how he came on board, Sidharth tells us, “When I first read the script, I remember finishing it with tears in my eyes. It felt so real, like stepping into a warm, chaotic Punjabi family where every character had a heartbeat. Playing Arjun was special because he was layered, vulnerable and carrying so much inside him.”

The 41-year-old says that this has been a deeply rewarding project. “10 years later, people still talk about the film, the scenes and the family dynamics. Like they’ve lived with these characters themselves. That kind of love is rare, and I feel grateful we got to bring that story to life,” he shares.

The 98th Academy Awards missing out on legendary Indian actor, late Dharmendra’s mention in the televised In Memoriam section has not gone down well with his fans. Social media, since Monday morning, has been reacting strongly to the miss on the televised ceremony. His name, along with other Indian icons including the late actor Manoj Kumar and B Saroja Devi, was added to the website, but it seems it all happened too little too late.

When we reach out to actor-politician Hema Malini, Dharmendra’s wife, she resonates with the fan’s sentiment, stating it to be a matter of “shame” for the Oscars to have done this. “Oscars should have mentioned Dharam ji’s name certainly,” she says. However, she also reassures his fans that the late actor placed little importance on such things.

“Personally, Dharam ji never bothered about all this. The love from his fans was above everything. I thank everyone for their concern and for remembering him with such affection even now. The love and respect people have for Dharmendra mean a great deal to us,” she adds.

With a career spanning five decades including hits like Dream Girl (1977), Pratiggya and Sholay (both 1975), Dharmendra was one of the biggest stars of Indian cinema. In February, the BAFTA Awards 2026 paid tribute to the late actor, making him the only Indian actor to be featured in the televised In Memoriam segment. However, the Academy’s failure of this inclusion, despite honouring Indian icons including Irrfan Khan and Sridevi in past, has sparked debate on its commitment to global inclusivity of cinema icons.

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Reiterating her mother’s stance, Esha Deol, tells us, stating that her father’s “heart has always been too generous to be concerned with things like these.” She says, “I don’t feel it would have made a difference to Papa at all... It was never about recognition or status, but about love, kindness, and the place he held in the hearts of people.”

(L-R) Lissy with Mammootty and Priyadarshan. Pic/Instagram

Celebrations are in order for Priyadarshan, who has reunited with his former wife Lissy a decade after they divorced. The two, who had tied the knot on December 13, 1990, had divorced in September 2016.

Murmurs of rekindling of their relationship surfaced in January this year, when the director and Lissy attended Malayalam film director Sibi Malayil’s son’s wedding together. The rumours gained credence on March 16 when Lissy, a former actor, posted a picture that saw her ex-husband and her with superstar Mammootty. 

A source close to the family told mid-day, “Now the reunion is official. After hearing news of them patching up, Mammootty asked them to come to Priyadarshan’s studio in Chennai where he was dubbing. The actor has known both closely as he worked with Lissy on several films, and has been directed by Priyan. He told them that he was happy to see them together again.”

The couple’s kids — actor Kalyani Priyadarshan, and Siddharth Priyadarshan — were among the reasons they found their way back to each other. “This decision was taken six to eight months ago. The couple won’t remarry. To them, marriage is just a certificate; friendship, companionship, and love are more important,” added the source. 

When mid-day contacted Priyadarshan, he confirmed the development, saying, “Except for a marriage certificate, we are living the same life together.”

A scene from ‘Homebound’, which is allegedly similar to that of (right) ‘Dihadi’. Pics/By Special Arrangement

"I’m not making allegations.” That’s among the first things director Mayukha Patel told mid-day, when we contacted her after watching her reel. On March 15, Patel posted an Instagram reel that pointed out similarities between her 2021 film Dihadi, and Neeraj Ghaywan’s acclaimed Homebound (2025).

Dihadi draws from an incident in Patel’s hometown, Himatnagar in Gujarat, where a migrant worker got lost in a village while trying to find the highway during the lockdown. Ghaywan’s film, starring Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa, is inspired by a real-life story and tells the story of two migrant workers who struggle to reach their hometown amid the pandemic-induced lockdown.

“It could be a coincidence. Sometimes, similar ideas can emerge,” Patel reflected.

Her idea behind posting the reel was bigger than levelling allegations. The director wanted to highlight how indie cinema makes meaningful stories.

She shared, “Independent filmmakers are already telling these kinds of stories before bigger studios make them. [We have] distribution challenges, platforms are not ready to take up indie films, and a film [like Dihadi] goes unnoticed. Then a movie with a similar topic comes along and wins praise. Our goal was to tell the audience to pay attention to independent films and makers, and support them so that they can raise funds and bring better stories.”

Twenty years ago, filmmaker Priyadarshan created a laugh riot as he told the story of a village chasing a lottery-winning ticket in Malamaal Weekly (2006). The laughs are set to return as mid-day has learnt that Malamaal Weekly 2 is in the works. Paresh Rawal and other members of the cast, which included Riteish Deshmukh and Rajpal Yadav, are expected to reprise their roles.

But there’s a change of guard — sources have told us that director Amit Sharma of Badhaai Ho (2018) fame will take up the baton from Priyadarshan.

“Amit is in talks to helm the sequel. He is excited to take the franchise ahead,” said an insider. 

The change is not only in the directorial department. Shailendra Singh’s Percept Picture Company and Sahara Motion Pictures, which produced the 2006 comedy, aren’t attached to the sequel.

When mid-day contacted Singh, he revealed, “Paresh contacted me on Sunday, asking for the sequel’s rights on behalf of an independent producer. We told him that the rights are placed between Sahara and someone else. I don’t have clear documentation in my possession.”

The recently released track Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke, featuring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt, has triggered widespread backlash online over its lyrics, with much of the criticism directed at lyricist Raqueeb Alam. The track, part of the upcoming pan-India film KD - The Devil, was originally written in Kannada by the film’s director, Prem. Alam’s role, he says, was limited to translating the lyrics into Hindi.

As criticism over the song continues to escalate, Alam spoke to Bombay Times, alleging he was wrongly credited with the song’s lyrics. Opening up about the sequence of events, Alam claimed he had refused to write the track when he was approached by Prem.

He says, “Koi bhi lyricist aisa nahi likhega. Mujhe jab Prem ne likhne bola toh maine mana kar diya. I told him yeh theek nahi hai. Then I was told to just translate the Kannada song (composed by Arjun Janya) word for word – like ‘This is my book’ to ‘Yeh meri kitab hai’. So, I translated it and gave it to him. Prem told me, ‘Main dekhta hoon, main manage karoonga isko’. He then adjusted it with the meter and recorded it.”

Alam further alleged that he had explicitly asked not to be credited for the song. He says, “When I gave him the translation, I had told him not to credit me as a lyricist for this song. After that, maine ek baar bhi woh Hindi translated song nahi suna. Kisne gaya, kahan record kiya, kuch bhi pata nahi tha mujhe. Only after the song was released did I find out that he had given my name in the credits, and I called him immediately. Maine uspe bahut chillaya, and I told him to remove my name and put his own or pull the song down completely.”

According to Alam, the director later agreed to take the song down. “Prem said that he would remove the song, and that eventually he did it, but by then the damage was done,” he said.

Calling the episode a "betrayal", Alam said, "Mere saath dhoka hua hai. This wasn't right. Mere bhi bacche hain, family hai. Main aise song ke saath kaise associate ho sakta hoon? Kal mere bachche mujhse puchenge ke aapne apne zindagi mein iss tarah ke gaane likhein? Toh mein kya jawab doonga?”

The lyricist, who has previously translated songs like Srivalli for Pushpa: The Rise - Part 01 and its sequel, as well as for films like Master, Jailer, Leo, and Varisu, among others, also underlined that he has consistently spoken out against vulgar content in music.

He said, “I have been someone who has spoken against vulgar songs in the past. Main khud bahut aware rehta hoon ki mujh se aise alfazon ka chayan nahi ho jisse hamare samaj pe, bacchon pe bura asar pade.”

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"Once you sign a contract for a film, you are bound to fulfil its requirements. I refused to be part of this track once I read the Kannada lyrics, but I was asked to translate them into Hindi, and I had to fulfil my role as per the contract. I had told the director (Prem) not to credit me as a lyricist for this song"

-- Raqueeb Alam

Dehradun: Non-Hindus, regardless of their background, will be allowed darshan at Badrinath and Kedarnath only if they submit an affidavit "affirming their faith in Sanatan Dharma", Badri Kedar Temple Committee chief Hemant Dwivedi said on Tuesday, even as BKTC announced a ban on entry of non-Hindus at the two shrines and 45 other temples under its jurisdiction in Garhwal.

Asked about Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan, who often visits Kedarnath, he said, "If she says that she has belief in Sanatan and submits an affidavit, we will allow her for darshan." He added that affidavits would be made available at the temples.

"Sanatan Dharma is vast, and its followers are present across the world. If any person, irrespective of background, expresses faith in Sanatan Dharma and submits an affidavit to that effect, darshan can be allowed at Badrinath and Kedarnath. All those who have faith in Sanatan Dharma are Sanatanis," Dwivedi said.

BKTC is the administrative body for Badrinath, Kedarnath and 45 other important temples in Uttarakhand and is responsible for their management and governance. Dwivedi told TOI that the guidelines were laid down by Adi Shankaracharya and had been followed since then.

"Tourism and religious tourism are the backbone of the state's economy. Unfortunately, some people are unable to distinguish between the two and are considering religious tourism the same as tourism. We need to take steps to ensure that norms and traditions are followed during pilgrimage, and this initiative is a small step in this regard," he added.

BKTC has also announced a ban on photos and videos inside temple premises. "Mobile phones will not be allowed inside the temple premises. Arrangements are being made to keep the mobile phones outside the temple. Photos and videos are not allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum and within the temple premises," Dwivedi said.

This year's Char Dham yatra is scheduled to commence from April 19 with the opening of the portals of Yamunotri and Gangotri Dham. Online registration began on March 6, and till Tuesday, over 6 lakh pilgrims had registered. The highest registration of 2 lakh was for Kedarnath, followed by 1.8 lakh for Badrinath, 1.6 lakh for Gangotri and 1.1 lakh for Yamunotri.