In a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie, you can be assured of three things — moving storytelling, visual grandeur, and swoon-worthy costumes and jewellery. The filmmaker’s upcoming project, ‘Love & War’, is expected to be no different.

We’ve heard that an exclusive jewellery collection inspired by the film is being planned for a December launch. The line is expected to feature pieces drawn from the period jewellery created for Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, and other actors in the movie.

Bhansali had joined forces with the leading jewellery brand, Tanishq, ahead of the release of ‘Padmaavat’ (2018).

A source shared, “The brand had launched a special collection in collaboration with the film, recreating jewellery inspired by the pieces worn by its characters. The same will be done with ‘Love & War’ as Bhansali has brought 1950’s jewellery — from chokers to elaborate bracelets and exquisite pearl pieces — with the love triangle, set in the 1950s and 1960s. It will be launched a month before the film’s January 2027 release.”

The filmmaker is currently locking the movie’s final edit, teasers, and deciding between the three different trailer cuts. “The jewellery line will be finalized by November-end after the trailer has been released,” added the source.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali had launched a special jewellery collection ahead of ‘Padmaavat’ (2018) release as well.

Mumbai: A 24-year-old man from Gurugram, who took inspiration from a web series about cybercrime, was arrested by the Bangur Nagar police for allegedly duping a management student of Rs 24.6 lakh. Alok K, the accused, had posed as a student counsellor and warned the victim that he would be debarred and his career prospects would be ruined if he did not pay up.

Upon arrest, Alok told the police that he was inspired by the antagonist on the OTT show ‘Pritam and Pedro’ and had planned to use social engineering and impersonation to deceive the victim. He also intended to erase his digital footprint.

The 21-year-old victim had enrolled in a distance-learning programme for an MBA (finance) with a prestigious management institute in Jan 2026. He paid an annual fees of Rs 1.12 lakh for admission and was assigned a seat by the institute.

Soon after, the accused (Alok) got in touch with him over phone and introduced himself as a student counsellor. The two met at a cafe in Juhu after which Alok helped the student complete his admission formalities. The student started to trust him.

In June, while the student was appearing for an exam online, an alert popped up on his device screen that copying had been detected. The student immediately called up Alok and informed him that he had not copied. On the last day of the exam, the same alert popped up again and the application crashed. At this, Alok called up the student and inquired whether he had been copying again. At this, the student once again denied any wrongdoing.

The student grew nervous when Alok warned him that he would be debarred and blacklisted and would never be able to get an admission in any other university in future. Alok offered to sort out the matter and started demanding money. He also promised to refund the money if he was unable to do the job.

The student transferred him Rs 24.6 lakh in installments. But Alok refunded him only Rs 1.15 lakh. When the student passed the exam but Alok continued to demand money, the student realized he had been taken for a ride. He then confided in his parents and they lodged a complaint at the Bangur Nagar police station earlier this month.

Police surveilled Alok’s phone records and the money trail before tracking his location to Gurugram. He was arrested on September 11. Police said Alok used to previously work at a call centre that had been contracted by the management institute to coordinate with all students regarding admissions and counselling. He got the victim’s phone number from the call centre’s database and targeted him. Police have seized two cellphones from him.

Actor Neena Gupta says that although she chose to raise her daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta, as a single parent, she feels “it is not fair on the child”. The 67-year-old has also apologised to Masaba for growing up without her father, former West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards, being around.

“I am so honest with her that many times I have said sorry to her that you didn’t have a father with you when you were young. It is my fault, but she understands. We all make mistakes. When we are young, our parents tell us certain things and we don't listen. That wisdom comes later,” she told Zoom.

Gupta, who is currently enjoying the success of her web series Chumbak, said she gradually told Masaba the truth as she grew up, answering her questions so she would not develop resentment towards either parent.

“I made her like her father. I told her why and what had happened as she grew up. So, there was no malice or anger towards me because I told her the truth. It is very important because, rather than her hearing something from outside, I thought it was better that I told her myself. I think that was a very sensible thing that I did.” she added.

Gupta had Masaba in 1989 with Richards, who was married to Miriam Richards at the time. The couple have two children, including former cricketer Mali Richards. Gupta raised Masaba as a single mother and later married chartered accountant Vivek Mehra in 2008.

Richards has remained a part of Masaba’s life as an adult. She attended his 70th birthday celebrations in Antigua in 2022, while he attended her second wedding to Satyadeep Misra in 2023.

The actor in ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’; (right) ‘Ramayana: Part 1’

Look at Sheeba Chadha’s line-up and you’re bound to be impressed. While Mirzapur: The Movie is unstoppable at the box office, the second season of Bakaiti will drop online next week, followed by the year’s biggest film, Ramayana: Part 1, in November. How does she react to this string of projects?

“It’s not something I get up in the morning and think of. It’s great if it has consequences in the work going forward. But there’s no way of knowing that,” Chadha told mid-day over a Zoom call. 

While this detachment helps the actor not pressure herself about a project, she doesn’t apply this approach to Mirzapur. As someone who has been a regular since the series premièred in 2018, seeing it becoming a big-screen success feels special.

She shared, “All of us have an emotional connect with Mirzapur. You think the audience is so used to seeing you in a series. So, the only thought in my head was whether it would sit well with them as a movie. I have so much gratitude for their love because wherever I travel to, the only thing I get asked about is Mirzapur. I’m sure it will set a trend in the industry of series being adapted into films.”

Even as she is moving from the film to another biggie in Ramayana: Part 1, Chadha’s focus remains on her character’s evolution. The actor, who plays Manthara in director Nitesh Tiwari’s epic, said, “People’s expectations aren’t unnerving for me. I’ve done my job as an actor.”

That said, what the film stands for in the landscape of Indian movies isn’t lost on her. “[I came on board] due to the enormity of the project. Nitesh sir is very nice to actors and clear about what he wants.”

Manthara was Queen Kaikeyi’s lady-in-waiting. She seeded the idea of demanding Ram’s exile, in Kaikeyi’s mind

As a Kashmiri, Vedang Raina had a special moment recently as he went back to his roots at the inaugural edition of the International Film Festival of Jammu Kashmir, where his film Main Vaapas Aaunga was chosen to close the festival last week.

“I was going back to Kashmir only for the second time in my entire life and that place is very special to me as it is home. I wanted an excuse to go to Srinagar and when this opportunity came, it was the perfect match. To go there with a film of mine, my parents felt the proudest and emotional that I was doing something to give back to the people of where I come from,” he says.

Main Vaapas Aaunga is about leaving your home and everything you have had, and the want to come back home, and the actor insists that feeling resonates with the people in Kashmir more so.

“They have faced very testing incidents be it the Partition, or what happened during the ’90s (with Kashmiri Pandits), while it was different, the emotion of leaving everything behind and then start afresh remains,” he says.

Getting appreciated and accepted from the people of Kashmir felt different for Vedang: “I didn’t even realize what kind of an audience Kashmir has for movies. I know that people there care about art and culture, but it’s through this film festival, I got to learn more about them. Whatever I can do to contribute to the culture of cinema being celebrated there, I wanted to do as it’s long overdue. Kashmir deserves a lot more theatre and connection to cinema, and being able to contribute to that feels special. People in Kashmir feel like family.”

Raving about Kashmir and its beauty and culture, Vedang says, “I just love the landscape. This time, I only got to go to Srinagar, but when you go to Pahalgam and Gulmarg, there's few places in India that are more gorgeous than that. Also the food, this time I had a proper Wazwan in Kashmir, which was amazing. I love Kashmiri food. And I also had the walnut fudge, and that is probably one of my favorite things. I got back home a lot too. Hopefully it'll survive for a while.”

Even though he is Kashmiri, it was actually filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, who turned out to be more well versed than him about the place.

“I have a connection with the place but Imatiz Ali sir knows Kashmir way better than I do. He knows even the smallest places there, and when me and Sharvari were thinking of where to go, what to eat, Imtiaz sir knew it all,” he laughs, adding that he hopes to do a film set in Kashmir with Imtiaz. “If there's an opportunity that takes me to Kashmir, and if it's for a film shoot, that's even better. It means I will get to spend so much more time there. If Imtiaz sir writes it, that would be a dream come true. If he decides to cast me in it, I hope that's something that comes to fruition,” he says.

Mumbai: Artificial Intelligence (AI) could upend the traditional entertainment studio model as falling production costs allow creators and smaller production houses to make more content, raise their own finance and retain more intellectual property, reducing their dependence on broadcasters, OTT platforms and short-video apps, industry executives said.

The shift is already visible in audio entertainment and microdramas, where generative AI is lowering production costs and accelerating content creation. If those economics extend to films and premium scripted series, they could challenge a studio model built around large teams, significant capital and specialized production infrastructure.

"Most people think that there's too much content and I think they haven't seen all of it yet. I think there's going to be way more content and the level of innovation that will come in content with AI is phenomenal, and people should get ready for that," JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar said recently.

India's large media companies are already moving AI from post-production into the production pipeline. JioStar has launched an end-to-end GenAI studio and released an AI-generated Mahabharat series, while Balaji Telefilms has begun producing AI-led shows. Kuku Technologies is building an AI-led production unit in Mumbai that it plans to expand to about 1,000 people by the end of the current financial year.

"Audio and microdrama platforms are already using AI extensively in content creation, and the same shift is likely to extend to long-form premium content," said a media analyst tracking the sector.

The economics are changing in audio. Pocket FM says the cost of producing an hour of audio drama has fallen from $2,500 under its traditional professionally generated content model to around $30 using AI. It says 100 hours of production that once took a year can be produced in a day.

Pocket FM CEO Rohan Nayak said AI can now handle much of the production pipeline, from writing and voice production to post-production, while the creative direction remains with the writer or creator. "Anyone can now produce a studio-quality audio drama at their home. They don't need a big budget. They don't need writers' rooms. They don't need big studios. They don't need a large team," Nayak said. 

Pocket FM says more than 550,000 creators are producing over 2.5 million hours of AI-powered content on its platform. As those costs fall, smaller production companies could finance projects themselves, retain their IP and approach platforms for distribution and monetisation. ShareChat CFO Manohar Charan said change is visible in China, where microdrama production has expanded even as traditional studio production declined.

The film survived a studio fire, a separation and two deaths along the way. Pakeezah, a film that Kamal Amrohi began shooting in 1956 as a tribute to the beauty of his wife, Meena Kumari — then a rising star, saw its fair share of hurdles in its journey till release. When the film finally arrived in 1972, Meena, who had become a huge star by then, passed away within weeks of its release.

This week, Pakeezah begins another chapter in its long journey. The Film Heritage Foundation’s new 4K restoration of Pakeezah will premiere at Festival Lumière in Lyon, France, before heading to the 70th BFI London Film Festival, scheduled from October 7 to 18. The London festival announced its lineup on Wednesday. The fest describes it as “one of the last great classical musicals of Indian cinema, the visually opulent and emotionally tragic Pakeezah is a Byzantine story of star-crossed lovers.”

FHF director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, who restored the film, tells us, “The restoration of Pakeezah took two years. It has been one of the most exciting yet one of the most challenging restorations I have worked on." Even cinema experts consider it one of the most moving and most extravagant productions in Indian film history. We take a look at the iconic film's arduous journey to restoration.

In an interview to Star and Style just a few days after the release of the film, Meena Kumari said, "Pakeezah is the beloved, which has been born of this filmmaker’s imagination nearly two decades ago. ‘Pakeezah’ is the vision which has haunted his soul for as long as I can remember. . . I have lived with ‘Pakeezah’ almost as long as I have lived with its creator . . . For Kamal Saheb, the filmmaker, it was to be his life’s work, his raison d’etre... But both of us went back eventually, and we finished this film together – he as its creator and I as its physical, spiritual and visual embodiment.”

In an interview to the same magazine, Ashok Kumar, who played the role of Nawab Shahabuddin, said, "Pakeezah kept me in touch with two of the biggest talents which the Indian screen will ever know – the poet-director Kamal Amrohi, and Meena Kumari, my co-star in Pakeezah and so many earlier films. She is, and will remain, probably the greatest artiste the Indian screen has ever known."

Pakeezah took fifteen agonizing years to make, from 1956 to its release on February 4, 1972 - plagued by a switch to colour, a studio fire, casting delays, and went over budget due to Kamal Amrohi's determination for perfectionism in each frame

The star Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi separated in 1964, leaving it abandoned as she struggled with alcoholism and cirrhosis. When her friends Sunil Dutt and Nargis saw the rushes, they convinced her to finish it in 1969. Along the way, German cinematographer Josef Wirsching and composer Ghulam Mohammed both died before seeing it completed.

It was released to critical acclaim; the film became a box office hit, but Meena Kumari died just weeks later. Cinema experts say that the film was released at a moment when cinema was moving away from the refined, Urdu-inflected literary style and studio aesthetic of the 1950s and 1960s toward more modern, urban, and action-oriented storytelling.

Late British film critic and historian Derek Malcolm described Pakeezah as one of the most extraordinary musical melodramas ever made.

The restoration team found that Pakeezah’s original negative was almost melted and unusable, but recovered an interpositive, a CinemaScope print and a colour reversal internegative (CRI) from archival sources. With no surviving original camera negative or principal crew to consult, the team used original shooting stills and memories of Kamal Amrohi’s children, Tajdar and Rukhsaar Amrohi, to help recreate the film’s colours.

The surviving elements had scratches, mould, fading, grain, halos, vinegar syndrome and colour inconsistencies, requiring extensive digital restoration and colour correction.

The sound was restored in 5.1 using the film’s sound negative and a release print, while the restoration sought to maintain consistency across the different surviving picture elements.

Pakeezah was restored in 4K by Film Heritage Foundation at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with Bilal Amrohi of Lionheart Cinema.

Ever since I forayed into the world of film restoration, it has been my dream to restore Pakeezah. I first watched the film as a child, with my grandmother, in a cinema in Dumraon, Bihar, and it has stayed with me since.

The restoration took two years and was among the hardest I've worked on. When I went to inspect the original camera negative and saw that it had almost melted, my heart sank. In my mind, I could see each frame like a painting saturated with colours, the opulent sets and the luminous beauty of Meena Kumari and the songs of Ghulam Mohammed were ringing in my ears as if it was yesterday, but not a single cast or crew member survived from the film and I wondered how I would be able to restore Kamal Amrohi’s original vision with what I had to work with.

We couldn’t have asked for a better showcase for the restored Pakeezah than the Festival Lumiere in Lyon, the birthplace of cinema, which is helmed by Thierry Frémaux, Director of the Festival Lumière and the Cannes Film Festival.

The screening in France will be followed by the UK premiere at the London Film Festival at a gala screening at the BFI IMAX.

"Pakeezah was my father’s obsession, his dream, his oxygen that gave meaning to his life. He nurtured the film for over fifteen years like a child till it was fully matured and ready to be presented to the world. As a thirteen year-old, I witnessed the countless sacrifices my father made and the relentless dedication and perfectionism in the face of almost insurmountable challenges to make his vision a reality. I have preserved every bit of his legacy that remains in Amroha, but for years, I felt that my father’s legacy as a great master of cinema had been forgotten.

I only wish my father were alive to see his creation restored and reborn for the world to see fifty four years after it released. I cannot wait to see the restored film back on the big screen and I will be travelling to London to present the film.

I was at the grand premiere of Pakeezah in 1972 with my father and Choti Ammi (Meena Kumari) and the film cans arrived at Maratha Mandir in a palanquin. I never imagined that I would be presenting the restored film with my family at the gala premiere in London fifty fouryears later.

I would like to thank Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Film Heritage Foundation for restoring the film with so much passion and meticulous care and for bringing my father and his greatest work back to life so that new generations will see the unforgettable Meena Kumari and enjoy the beauty of the film.

I remember when I was a child, my father was deep into the making of Pakeezah. Everything in our lives revolved around Pakeezah. My father had put in everything he had in the film and whenever we asked him for anything as children, his response would always be, “After Pakeezah” Pakeezah was his life’s mission. I have so many memories of the film as I would regularly visit the sets on Floor No. 3 at Filmistan where much of the film was shot. The film has influenced generations of filmmakers and even today I am sometimes asked how did he achieve some of the shots.

At 77, Hema Malini has spent more than five decades in the public eye — first as one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring leading ladies, then as a celebrated classical dancer and, later, as a politician. Yet, she insists she has never simply stood still. In a candid conversation with Mumbai Mirror, the actress looks back at an era when stardom did not come with the relentless glare of social media and camera phones, shares her views on the industry’s obsession with appearance and ageing, and explains why she believes audiences have continued to remember her.

Having entered the film industry in the late 1960s, Hema has witnessed its transformation from close quarters. And if there is one thing she finds striking about the current generation of actors, it is the constant pressure to remain visible.

“Today there is too much exposure. We were never exposed like this. Now, before stepping out of the house, an actor has to think about what to wear, what bag to carry, how to walk, because somebody is photographing you from every angle. You go to the airport and people immediately click photographs with their mobile phones. Even if you’re not dressed properly, nobody cares. The picture is everywhere,” she explains.

She believes the chase for constant visibility has also changed the way younger actors approach fame. “Youngsters today want quick fame. For publicity, they are ready to do anything. We never had to do all that. We worked for 60 or 70 days on a film and then waited to see the result on screen. I always knew I had done my best. Whether the film became a hit or not was a different matter.”

The conversation then turns to another pressure that comes with living under the public gaze: the industry’s preoccupation with looking young. While cosmetic procedures have increasingly become part of the conversation around celebrity appearances, Hema believes there is a fine line between maintaining oneself and going too far.

“Ageing gracefully is very important because you have to maintain yourself. If there is something genuinely necessary for your appearance, one can definitely try it. As long as you are in the public eye, you have to be presentable. That’s all. But don’t overdo anything. Even if you wear something simple, be dignified. Women should dress up nicely. They don’t have to expose too much. Nowadays, young girls expose so much. Being a woman and being a mother, I don’t like it. It really hurts,” she adds.

While appearances and visibility may dominate the industry today, Hema believes her own longevity has come from something more substantial: never allowing herself to become creatively inactive. “People say they have not forgotten me, but that’s because I never stopped. Apart from acting, I continued with my classical dance. Then I became a Member of Parliament and I’m constantly working in my constituency. I’m always among people, doing some work or the other. So, I’m not remembered only as an actress. My dance became another identity and then my public work became another responsibility,” she signs off.

For nearly four decades, Dipika Chikhlia has been closely identified with one role that became far bigger than a career milestone. Her portrayal of Sita in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan (1987-88) made her a household name. While it brought her immense love and respect, it also shaped the kind of work that came her way. Today, the actress is not looking to distance herself from Sita, but to be seen beyond it. She wants to take on strong, meaningful roles that offer her creative satisfaction.

She says, “I think everyone gets stuck in an image. It comes with popularity. No one is to blame. You just have to give yourself time and gradually people begin to accept change.”

While Ramayan was the turning point in her career, it also influenced the choices she made thereafter. She recalls, “I started with films, but after doing my first film, I realised I wasn’t comfortable with people seetee maaroing at me. They wanted me to wear swimming costumes and do glamorous roles, but that didn’t align with my interests. I kept praying that I would do work that earned me respect. Things fell into place magically and Ramayan happened. If I hadn’t played Sita, I would probably have been just another heroine of the late ’80s and early ’90s, and my career would have been completely different.”

The image she built through Sita remains something she values, but Dipika now wants it to coexist with a wider range of work.

She adds, “I’m not going to call it a day until I get something meaningful. I want strong, powerful roles. I am a good actor, just give me a chance. There are so many opportunities today for actresses between 50 and 70. We can do much more than just play mothers and grandmothers. I’m slowly adapting myself to today’s times. I just want filmmakers to see me differently too. Unfortunately, we don’t get offered artistically satisfying work. Industry people are experimenting, and I hope they start experimenting with me now.”

Dipika is looking at films and OTT while ruling out the demanding schedule of daily television. She says, “I want to focus on films and OTT. I don’t think I can commit to television anymore because it is too time-consuming. I’ve received good offers, but working 22 days a month for 14 hours a day doesn’t work for me. I’ve never worked for money; I want creative satisfaction. I don’t want to reach the end of my career feeling that I played just one role and that’s what my life summarizes. I am far more.”