Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 923
11:05 PM
WILL THE KERALA STORY 2 RELEASE TOMORROW?
A dry period has begun in Bollywood and it will continue until March 19, when Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic clash at the box office. There’ll be no release in the first two weeks of March – on March 6 and March 13. Exhibitors hoped that this Friday’s release, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, would have got some audiences to the cinemas. Sadly for them, the film’s release might be pushed at the last minute.
As the title suggests, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is the second part of The Kerala Story series. The first part was released in 2023 and managed to open well, at Rs. 6.75 crores, due to the controversial trailer and eye-catching promotions. It went on to do a business of Rs. 220.84 crores. While the first part starred Adah Sharma in the lead role, the second installment features Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in leading roles.
The trailer was released last week and immediately became a talking point. Some called it a realistic film and the need of the hour. But a section of the audience felt that the film was an attempt to harm the reputation of Kerala. The timing of the release was also questioned since the state goes to elections in a few months. Also, unlike the first part, which focused only on the characters of Kerala, the second part has characters from Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This also led many to question why the film was named The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond.
The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’s advance booking began on Tuesday, February 24, and until Thursday, February 26, it was underwhelming. It was clear that it won’t open like The Kerala Story. But on the afternoon of February 26, the Kerala High Court put a stay on the release. Theatres across the country began to keep bookings on hold. Meanwhile, the makers immediately filed an appeal at the Kerala High Court. This bench reserved the order passed earlier but is yet to grant its verdict.
Hence, there are chances that once the High Court lifts the stay, the film would be released. At present, there’s no clarity on whether a judgment is expected tomorrow and at what time. But it seems like no morning show of the film will take place. At best, shows can begin from late afternoon or evening on Friday or else, it’ll have a full-fledged release on Saturday, February 28.
Without these hassles, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond would have opened at Rs. 2-3 crores. It now remains to be seen if this controversy helps the collections and whether it can trend extraordinarily just like the first part.
A dry period has begun in Bollywood and it will continue until March 19, when Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Toxic clash at the box office. There’ll be no release in the first two weeks of March – on March 6 and March 13. Exhibitors hoped that this Friday’s release, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond, would have got some audiences to the cinemas. Sadly for them, the film’s release might be pushed at the last minute.
As the title suggests, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond is the second part of The Kerala Story series. The first part was released in 2023 and managed to open well, at Rs. 6.75 crores, due to the controversial trailer and eye-catching promotions. It went on to do a business of Rs. 220.84 crores. While the first part starred Adah Sharma in the lead role, the second installment features Ulka Gupta, Aditi Bhatia and Aishwarya Ojha in leading roles.
The trailer was released last week and immediately became a talking point. Some called it a realistic film and the need of the hour. But a section of the audience felt that the film was an attempt to harm the reputation of Kerala. The timing of the release was also questioned since the state goes to elections in a few months. Also, unlike the first part, which focused only on the characters of Kerala, the second part has characters from Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. This also led many to question why the film was named The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond.
The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’s advance booking began on Tuesday, February 24, and until Thursday, February 26, it was underwhelming. It was clear that it won’t open like The Kerala Story. But on the afternoon of February 26, the Kerala High Court put a stay on the release. Theatres across the country began to keep bookings on hold. Meanwhile, the makers immediately filed an appeal at the Kerala High Court. This bench reserved the order passed earlier but is yet to grant its verdict.
Hence, there are chances that once the High Court lifts the stay, the film would be released. At present, there’s no clarity on whether a judgment is expected tomorrow and at what time. But it seems like no morning show of the film will take place. At best, shows can begin from late afternoon or evening on Friday or else, it’ll have a full-fledged release on Saturday, February 28.
Without these hassles, The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond would have opened at Rs. 2-3 crores. It now remains to be seen if this controversy helps the collections and whether it can trend extraordinarily just like the first part.
(Crisp) Movie Review: THE BLUFF by FENIL SETA
11:28 PM
The Bluff, which was released today on Amazon Prime Video, is a Hollywood film fronted by Priyanka Chopra. The story is simplistic and the 106-minute-long film progresses at a quick speed. The story moves forward from the very first scene. The action scenes are entertaining. Though it’s a period pirate film set in the Caribbean, one is not reminded of the Pirates Of The Caribbean series as the action takes place on an island. On the flipside, there’s no twist or suspense. One can guess from a mile away what’s going to happen next. Since it's predictable, it gives a been-there-done-that feeling. Thankfully, the film is saved by Priyanka Chopra’s performance. She single-handedly takes the film to dizzying heights with her performance and action. It's also a proud feeling that an Indian actress is bagging such a fun, lead role in a big Hollywood film. Karl Urban is apt as the villain. Safia Oakley-Green (Elizabeth) is decent. Vedanten Naidoo (Issac) is fine, but one wonders what the reason was to show him as handicapped; it served no purpose to the story. Temuera Morrison (Quatermaster Lee), David Field (Pastor Bradley) and Gary Beadle (Custode) have small but crucial roles and perform ably. All in all, The Bluff is a timepass action entertainer and worth watching for Priyanka Chopra.
My rating - *** out of 5!
My rating - *** out of 5!
O'Romeo collects 47.25 cr in 10 days; Tu Yaa Main 5.15 cr
3:34 PM
Box Office India Trade Network
O'ROMEO had a dull second weekend collecting just 7.25 crore nett adding to the 40 crore nett in the first week which takes the film to 47.25 crore nett. The drop in collections from the first weekend is around 75% and this is too high when the opening collections are not good. You need to be dropping 50% or ideally even less. There was the match on Sunday but even putting that aside, the weekend was going nowhere.
This director-actor combo has had films like KAMINEY and HAIDER which saw modest results but even those AVERAGE results are a dream as the film FLOPS badly. Its almost two months into the year and four major films have released. While BORDER 2 and MARDAANI 3 are fine, O'ROMEO joins IKKI as the second dud of the year.
The numbers for O'ROMEO till date are as follows.
Friday - 7,50,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 11,00,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 8,25,00,000 apprx
Monday - 4,25,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 4,25,00,000 apprx
Wednesday - 2,75,00,000 apprx
Thursday - 2,00,00,000 apprx
Week One - 40,00,00,000 apprx
Friday - 1,75,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 2,75,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 2,75,00,000 apprx
Second Weekend - 7,25,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 47,25,00,000 apprx
TU YAA MAIN has collected 5 crore nett plus in ten days It will do a little more than the likes of HAPPY PATEL KHATARNAK JASOOS and RAHU KETU released last month but that is no consolation prize.
The collections of TU YAA MAIN are as follows.
Friday - 50,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,35,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 75,00,000 apprx
Monday - 40,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 45,00,000 apprx
Wednesday - 35,00,000 apprx
Thursday - 30,00,000 apprx
Week One - 4,10,00,000 apprx
Friday - 25,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 40,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 40,00,000 apprx
Second Weekend - 1,05,00,000
TOTAL - 5,15,00,000 apprx
Do Deewane Seher Mein collects 4.05 cr in 3 days; Assi collects 4.10 cr
3:29 PM
Box Office India Trade Network
DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN did poorly on Saturday as collections were pretty much flat as it collected under 1.50 crore nett. The collections were never going to be much but at least the film should show some sort of jump especially on the Saturday. The film got a helping on Friday at PVR. That maybe the reason as the bulk of collections are from there and it has gone up by just 2 lakhs nett.
When 55% of your collections go up by this measly amount, then there is little chance of growth though other places the growth is more. However, that's hardly an achievement.
The collections DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN are as follows.
Friday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,40,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 2,65,00,000 apprx
ASSI has fared better than DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN but again that hardly matters as overall it is also doing poorly. The film managed to jump around 60% which is good in comparison to the competition but for even a chance of a result the growth had to be at least 100%. The film collected a little more than 1.50 crore nett for a two day total of 2.50 crore nett plus.
The collections of ASSI till date are as follows..
Friday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,60,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 2,60,00,000 apprx
------------------------------------
DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN collected 4 crore nett over its first weekend with a dull trend as Saturday did not grow much while Sunday was never going to do much as the film has nothing for the core Hindi circuits.
The collections DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN are as follows.
Friday - 1,25,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,40,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 1,40,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 4,05,00,000 apprx
The other release, ASSI, collected a similar amount of 4 crore nett it though had a better trend but it wont matter much as the collections are so low. The general assumption is that these films will not work at the box office but if they are good, they will have a better trend especially with no other film really collecting.
The collections of ASSI till date are as follows.
Friday - 1,00,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,60,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 1,50,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 4,10,00,000 apprx
Shah Rukh Khan visits Salim Khan at Lilavati Hospital
3:22 PM
Salim Khan has been admitted since Feb 17 following a minor brain haemorrhage. Other celebs who visited him on Saturday include Malaika Arora, Zeeshan Siddique, and Avinash Gowariker
HINDUSTAN TIMES (February 23, 2026)
Saturday evening saw actor Shah Rukh Khan visit veteran screenwriter Salim Khan at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, extending support to the Khan family after the 90-year-old’s recent health scare.
Salim, father of actor Salman Khan, has been admitted since February 17 after suffering a minor brain haemorrhage. Pulmonologist Dr Jalil D Parkar had earlier told the media that Salim’s condition is stable and he is under observation in the ICU following a medical procedure that did not require surgery.
SRK spent over an hour at the hospital before leaving late in the evening. Soon after, actor Malaika Arora, former wife of Salim’s son, actor-producer Arbaaz Khan, was also seen arriving to check on the veteran writer. Zeeshan Baba Siddique, son of late politician Baba Siddique who was a close associate of Salman, along with photographer Avinash Gowariker, were also spotted visiting the same evening.
Hospital authorities have said that the veteran screenwriter is responding well to treatment. Meanwhile, the Khan family has requested privacy as Salim continues his recovery.
"Shatrughan Sinha's face was morphed on porn": Lawyer on personality rights case
3:21 PM
Natasha Coutinho (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 23, 2026)
Days after the Bombay High Court granted ad-interim relief to actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha by restraining certain websites, social media accounts, AI-linked entities, and others from misusing and exploiting his personality rights, his lawyer explains what the order entails and why it was necessary.
“Various forms of illegal exploitation of his persona were being done for commercial gain. This included merchandise being sold on online platforms without his permission, such as mugs, fridge magnets, etc. People were making money out of it.”
Hiren Kamod, counsel and IP expert, Bombay HC, tells us. He adds, “There were a lot of fake profiles in his name. The third infringement was distorting his pictures to make GIFs and memes. There was also pornographic material on which his face was morphed. We wanted to curtail this rampant usage.”
However, this order does not stop comics from mimicking Shatrughan and his iconic dialogue, ‘Khamosh’. Kamod explains, “If Sunil Grover or any comedian wants to imitate him, there can’t be any injunction against them; there is no commercial exploitation. What you can’t do is sell any product with the actor’s name or mannerisms like ‘Khamosh’. None of the personality rights protection orders can stop any actors from impersonating/mimicking artistes.”
Anil Kapoor told me, ‘Tell me about today and tomorrow. Don’t tell me about yesterday. And I’m not kidding’-Suresh Triveni
3:14 PM
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; February 23, 2026)
It’s not every day in the industry that a one line idea gets a star to commit to a film. But filmmaker Suresh Triveni tells us that rarity happened when he narrated the idea of Subedaar to Anil Kapoor. “Our man said yes and then asked, ‘Kab banana hai?’” the director recounts the phone call he had with Kapoor.
The Prime Video film, also starring Radhika Madan, tells the story of a former army man (Kapoor) coming to terms with the civilian life. For his protagonist, Triveni drew inspiration from Kapoor’s iconic characters of the ‘80s.
“He is one actor, who has over the period of time, adapted himself beautifully in different roles. But we can never forget Munna from Tezaab (1988) or Mr India (1987). He has a presence, which is cinematic. So that inspired me. And I wanted to write a story of a man of the soil. That’s where it started,” he shares.
And it’s only been a joy ride for him to direct the star, not only for his dedication towards his craft but his hunger as a performer, despite his four-decade long experience in the industry.
“Anil sir does not like to be reminded about his past work. He says, ‘Tell me about today and tomorrow. Don’t tell me about yesterday. And I’m not kidding’,” the director says, adding that he has his lead star’s professionalism to thank for being able to wrap up the film in just over 40 days.
“He is so particular about the details [of the character]. Like, he’s got a book of records where he has actually noted down that what’s his hair growth and moustache growth like. He maintains a diary. His team knows that. That’s the amount of professionalism he brings to a film. Otherwise, I won’t be able to shoot a film in 44 days. It’s impossible. He is not complacent at all.”
Streamers now shoot for satellite rights to step up play
3:08 PM
Move helps players in reducing competition with linear TV, besides giving them opportunity to monetize these rights later
Rajesh N Naidu (THE ECONOMIC TIMES; February 23, 2026)
Mumbai: Pure-play streamers have begun actively exploring and acquiring satellite rights, particularly for mid- and small-budget movies, over the past two months, according to producers and legal experts involved in negotiating these deals, marking a shift that could further cement the growing dominance of such platforms in the film distribution ecosystem.
A partner at a leading law firm in India said that, in the past two months, both pure and hybrid streamers had been showing clear interest in buying satellite rights.
"If streamers are in an advantageous position, then they ask for satellite rights. But if producers are in a precarious situation, then they bundle satellite rights with digital rights and sell them to streamers," said the lawyer, who didn't want to be named.
India's cinema ecosystem is witnessing a structural shift, said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films.
"Streaming platforms are moving upstream in the content value chain," he said. "Streamers are increasingly acquiring digital streaming and satellite rights, sometimes across all languages."
He cited films such as Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 and Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (for all languages), the satellite and digital rights of which were acquired by streamers JioHotstar and Zee5, respectively.
According to film trade analysts, valuations of satellite and digital rights have changed considerably, largely because of meagre growth in television advertising (less than 5%) compared with the digital space (growing at over 20%). Consequently, digital rights contribute at least 75% of a film's non-theatrical revenue, followed by satellite rights, which contribute 20-25%, analysts said.
Also, the merger of Viacom18 and Disney Star has triggered a power shift as it has reduced opportunities for producers in satellite deals. "Today, satellite rights valuations have declined sharply, in the range of 80-90% in many cases," said producer Sunil Bohra, cofounder of Bohra Brothers. "Channels have become more selective in acquiring films. In this ecosystem, producers can no longer rely on satellite rights as a primary revenue stream. Therefore, producers are bundling satellite rights with digital rights and selling them to streamers."
Apart from the declining valuation of satellite rights, another factor behind pure streaming platforms buying satellite rights is their competition with linear television players. "For pure-play streaming platforms, acquiring linear rights is a defensive masterstroke," said Anushree Rauta, equity partner and head of media, entertainment and gaming practice at ANM Global. "By 'ring-fencing' content, these platforms can effectively limit competition with linear television to preserve digital exclusivity and drive subscriber growth."
In addition to reducing competition with television and enabling the migration of traditional TV audiences to streaming platforms, streamers may monetize these rights in the future, producers said.
"Streamers are building multi-language catalogues that can be monetized later through syndication, bundled licensing or strategic broadcasting deals," Wadhwa said.
O'Romeo collects 41.75 cr in 8 days; Tu Yaa Main 4.35 cr
10:26 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
O'ROMEO collected 1.75 crore nett on its second Friday which is around 15% down from the previous day. The buy one get one free offer still remains which will be adding to the business though maybe in the 10-20 lakh range. However, that still can be around 10% of the business for the film. The offer is there on Saturday also when the film can show growth even without it but obviously it wont be the same growth.
The film now stands at 41.75 crore nett and should get some good growth over the weekend but it will hardly matter as the first week is dull and actuals will be even less than 40 crore nett due to the film being helped along through the week.
The numbers for O'ROMEO till date are as follows.
Friday - 7,50,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 11,00,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 8,25,00,000 apprx
Monday - 4,25,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 4,25,00,000 apprx
Wednesday - 2,75,00,000 apprx
Thursday - 2,00,00,000 apprx
Week One - 40,00,00,000 apprx
Friday - 1,75,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 41,75,00,000 apprx
TU YAA MAIN has limited collections on the second Friday and is going nowhere.
The collections of TU YAA MAIN are as follows.
Friday - 50,00,000 apprx
Saturday - 1,35,00,000 apprx
Sunday - 75,00,000 apprx
Monday - 40,00,000 apprx
Tuesday - 45,00,000 apprx
Wednesday - 35,00,000 apprx
Thursday - 30,00,000 apprx
Week One - 4,10,00,000 apprx
Friday - 25,00,000 apprx
TOTAL - 4,35,00,000 apprx
Do Deewane Seher Mein collects 1.25 cr on Day 1; Assi collects 1 cr
10:22 AM
Box Office India Trade Network
There were two new releases this week with DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN and ASSI with neither taking much of an initial which is expected as they have nothing much in them to get the audience to the theatres, be it star cast or music. Its just down to public reports but when a start is at these levels, then the reports have to be very good with the target audience which is limited to make a change to the scenario.
DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN is a little better at 1.25 crore nett but it had some tie up with the PVR app and its mainly the PVR total that has come out better than ASSI with the rest being in a similar range. The film is a romantic drama but like last week's TU YAA MAIN, these sort of male leads in commercial genres will not be able to bring and audience. These genres need some sort of start as reports cant be strong as concept films.
ASSI collected close to 1 crore nett on its first day and its a female social drama and probably has chances to get more growth than DO DEEWANE SEHER MEIN. But it has to be more than double just to stay in the race. The film looks like one of those pre-pandemic female content type of films but today they need to be updated in some way due to this content being hugely prevalent on television.
Its another dull Friday and its all about Eid now with the second part of historic blockbuster DURANDHAR and TOXIC (dubbed) unless THE KERALA STORY 2: GOES BEYOND can spring a surprise next week.
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