Aman Verma may have been missing from television for a while, but the actor says he never really left the industry. Now seen playing a visually impaired paedophile in Yeh Fitoor Tera, Aman says the challenging role pushed him out of his comfort zone.

“If people are disgusted and worried for the girl, it means that I have been able to perform my part well. As an actor, I feel very happy when people say, ‘We hate you.’ I tell them, ‘Please hate me even more,’ because I know I’ve done a good job,” he says, adding, “Tomorrow I might play the role of a rapist. It doesn’t mean that I’ve become a rapist.”

Aman says he has largely been cast in supporting roles rather than as a conventional leading man, citing films such as Sangharsh and Baghban. However, he insists that this has never disappointed him.

He believes the industry’s changing dynamics have created more room for actors to experiment with varied characters. “That whole definition of being a lead actor just kind of changed. You needed to be somebody who could perform. Now it could be a positive or a negative role, or one with grey shades.”

Aman believes this is a good phase for actors, with increasing opportunities across television, films and digital platforms. “Every medium mein alag-alag kaam ho raha hai. Agar aaj ke daur mein aapko kaam nahi mil raha hai, that is not possible.”

Aman, whose marriage to actor Vandana Lalwani ended in February 2024 believes that relationships require patience and understanding, regardless of age. “Relationships require patience and understanding, regardless of age. Love is never easy at any age. You need tolerance,” he says.

Calling himself a “hopeless optimist”, he adds, “You just hope for the best, you put your head down, and you think that, you know, love will come your way. It doesn't matter, if not today.”

Actors Mallika Sherawat and Sunil Grover are set to explore a darker side of their craft with an upcoming digital show. The yet-to-be-titled series, a crime thriller that delves into the underbelly of the underworld, is being produced by Emmay Entertainment and is already on floors.

A source close to the production shares, “Mallika will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar. Sunil, on the other hand, will be exploring his non-comical actor side, just the way he has been exploring it of late.”

Mallika made her digital debut with the horror-comedy series Booo: Sabki Phategi (2019). She also featured in the web series Nakaab (2021) and was recently seen as a contestant on the second season of the reality show The Traitors India.

Sunil, who is popularly known for his memorable characters on The Kapil Sharma Show, has been exploring diverse roles across formats. He played a pivotal role in the crime drama Tandav and headlined the dark comedy Sunflower. He has also featured in United Kacche, Jawan and Blackout.

The series will be directed by Himank Gaur, who is known for directing the web series Dhindora and Taaza Khabar, including its second season. Gaur has also directed projects such as Lukkhe and Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya.

Earlier in an interview with us, Mallika spoke how directors are not able to see post her glamourous avatar. “People think glamour and depth cannot coexist, or that an outspoken woman cannot be thoughtful. Those are assumptions some people make. Some people couldn’t see past the glamour, the confidence or the boldness. That’s why many feel I wasn’t explored enough as an actor. I don’t look at it that way. I think this is a very exciting time for actresses because better parts are finally being written. I love comedy, but I’d also love to play a real-life personality one day. A biopic, like playing Kalpana Chawla, would truly challenge me as an actor,” she said.

For Sanjana Sanghi, festivals are as much about reliving childhood memories as they are about celebrating family rituals. From decorating the house with marigold flowers and diyas to helping her family with the much-talked-about Diwali cleaning, the actor cherishes the traditions that made the festival special while growing up in Delhi. Recently, she was in town for Lakmé Fashion Week, where she closed the show for designer Shaheen Mannan.

“I love the memories of the festive season, when one after the other there are so many festivals and reasons to dress up and eat good food. These days, I am especially thinking of the run-up to Diwali, when we are all engaged in the much-talked-about Diwali ki safai. And on Diwali day, when you see all the genda, all the diyas, all the decorations coming in and everyone gets together to do up the house, that fills the heart with so much joy,” she says, recalling how her mother would get stressed during the annual cleaning spree.

Living by herself in Mumbai has only made her miss home more. “Whenever I have been able to catch the chance to go back home to Delhi for Diwali, I always do that because it allows me to relive my childhood in the most special way.”

Coming from a multicultural family, Sanghi has grown up embracing different traditions. “My dadi is Punjabi, my dada is Marwari and my nana-nani are Gujarati, so I’m a mixture of all these different traditions of India,” she says, recalling playing Garba during Navratri with her maternal grandmother and playing cards with her paternal grandmother. Today, she celebrates with friends in Mumbai, decorating her home with fairy lights and diyas while praying for “general health and prosperity”.

As Sanghi closed the show for Mannan, her parents and brother cheered her on from the audience. Describing her look for the show, she says it felt “authentic yet classic and simple” — something that resonated with her personal style.

When it comes to fashion, she believes women should stop feeling pressured to follow trends. “We’ve to stop taking the pressure of subscribing to trends. I’ve never been able to understand trends.”

There are, however, a few styles she would like to experiment with. “I secretly love cute, short, tight dresses. I don’t do many of those, but they look stunning. I could pull it off; I should try that,” she says. Her wardrobe, meanwhile, is dominated by shoes, denim and white shirts.

Asked whose wardrobe she would raid for a day, Sanghi picks two stars with distinct styles: Rekha for her classic elegance and Deepika Padukone for her versatility. Over the years, her own relationship with fashion has evolved too. “I’m a lot more comfortable just being myself,” she says.

Mumbai: A proposal to change the reservation of the 1,005-sq-m plot housing the 105-year-old Alexandra Cinema in Byculla from cinema amenity to Residential/Residential Use Zone has received deemed approval, despite opposition from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators.

Opposition members staged a walkout on Thursday over the approval, after the proposal, first placed before the BMC Improvements Committee on August 10, was not decided within the stipulated period.

Congress corporator Ashraf Azmi said three proposals were deemed approved on Thursday under Section 64(3A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888, which applies when a committee fails to decide within 45 days. “The chairman is responsible. Why was the Alexandra Cinema proposal not taken up earlier? This will set a precedent for other theatres,” he said.

Congress member Meher Mohsin Haidar noted that DCPR-2034 requires a cinema/theatre facility on 30% of such plots or 300 seats, whichever is less. Sena (UBT)’s Sachin Padwal questioned the loss of local entertainment options if the reservation is changed during redevelopment nearby.

Kunal Kapoor: Oh, I was nursed in the wings here. My mother was still acting when I was a few months old. My early years were backstage. Then, it was watching my grandparents [Geoffrey and his wife Laura Kendal] perform Shakespeareana while in school.

Zahan Kapoor: For me, it was watching The Boy Who Stopped Smiling. I also vividly remember Zakir ji [late Ustad Zakir Hussain] performing at the Prithvi Memorial Concerts.

Kunal: That came first. My mother and grandparents would read me Shakespeare plays for my bedtime stories. My mother [Jennifer Kendal] opened the theatre in 1978, and hosted the first Prithvi Theatre Festival in 1983. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1984. I didn’t go out looking for it [the legacy]. It just landed on my shoulders.

Zahan: It was 2012 onwards, as a young adult that I began to get involved. Since then, it became a parallel exploration for me.

Zahan: I don’t know. There are too many. The classic one I remember is of Amjad Khan.

Kunal: Back then, the café was being run by Mrs Pinto [Meena Pinto] and her son. Amjad Khan was performing here. Amjad Khan, if anyone knows him, drank tea continuously. At one point, the café told him that they had run out of milk. The next day, at about 8 am, Amjad saab had deposited two buffaloes by the theatre. “Next time, don’t tell me that you ran out of milk”, he said. [Laughs] The stage has always been a place for stories, and traditions. I am sure there are more than a few..

Zahan: The performers often assemble in a huddle in the make-up room before the third bell. That’s a part of the stage ritual now.

Kunal: Few people know that every troupe that performs here leaves a tip for the café staff. They did that in the lockdown as well, despite there being no performances. One more tradition is that the stage is never dark. We set up my grandfather’s chair, with two ghost lights that stay on through the night.

Zahan: We are trying to document as much as we can [of the past]. The goal is to make that more accessible. That’s a fine balance to keep even as you evolve.

Kunal: Nothing has evolved. Trying to make the economics work is the biggest battle. The festival certainly facilitates that experience. I am fascinated by the curation this year, especially with Naseeruddin Shah’s take on Salman Rushdie’s experience in 27 Seconds?

Zahan: I am very curious about that as well.

Kunal: I think Salman Rushdie is curious about it, too. [laughs]

Kunal: Every single play.

Zahan: The idea is to celebrate. Watch everything you can, hang out at the café, come talk to us over tea.

RAMAYANA (Hindi) scored a good first day as it collected 43 crore nett though movement was slow on the day due to it being the pre Diwali period. The film had already racked up around 25 crore nett in advances and therefore added just 18 crore nett in current as much of the audience is pre occupied with Diwali festivities.

A film like RAMAYANA is also a film where much of the Muslim crowd will not be interested especially outside the metros so that potential crowd is also missing for the film. In Odisha, where it seems there is no pre Diwali affect, it has beaten the figures of DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE. That sort of tells the potential of the film if it was a normal day release. Just on this collection, you can say the film has been hit by at least 25 crore nett due to pre Diwali release.

This does not mean the film should not be releasing on pre Diwali as when such a huge film is made, you don't make to set first day or weekend records but its about the bigger picture. Diwali can fall right for the records to come but this year, its not one those years when it falls right. A pre Diwali release gives more potential in the final count as these pre Diwali days are like a bonus. Yes, if the film is not up to the mark then its best to come on the day after Diwali, but no one makes such a huge film on this budget and resources and then think its not up to the mark.

The film could have done more but the release in South India is weak for the Hindi version. Mysore has done well enough and got somewhere near its normal collections but Nizam/Andhra should be much better in Hindi. There is a shortfall of around 3 crore nett here which has nothing to do with pre Diwali but just these South distributors giving precedence to regional versions over Hindi when its Hindi with more potential.

Coming to the regional version, it has managed to get good collections of around 15 crore nett plus with Telugu probably being best. The Kannada version has the highest collections but there Yash is a star and even higher collections were probably expected. The release was much bigger than most other Hindi films. Its the third best collection ever for a Hindi film in its regional versions after ADIPURUSH and WAR 2. But the films being compared tells these collections are pretty much irrelevant and today when for the big budget South films, its about the Hindi markets, then for RAMAYANA, these also hold little importance looking at the bigger picture. 

The film will see a drop today but it will be and up down scenario over the weekend. The film seems to be getting a positive response but the real audience is yet to give its verdict yet. Its generally the class audience in premium formats or bigger multiplexes there and that wider audience will come from Monday onward and that will decide the fate of the film.

The film will trudge along over the next three days but you take 100 crore or 125 crore business that will come before the actual first day in terms of the wider audience. If Saturday can jump, then it can be a little more also. Although it will not be seen this way it is a great start for Pre Diwali. There is always hope to beat the circumstances but its never happened in the recent times though it has happened before but then the craze of cinema then was at a higher level.

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RAMAYANA has taken the sixth biggest opening day of all time when we include collections from regional versions. The collections of the other versions in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu have fetched healthy figures combined which paints a better picture for the film than the Hindi version alone. The issue of Pre Diwali is not there in the South unlike the Hindi version.

The collections are a little short of ANIMAL but better than PATHAAN and DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE leading the pack. Although DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE also had a release in multiple versions, it could not hit the theatres on the first day due to an issue with the prints. The ill fated ADIPURUSH is actually the second biggest opening day for a Hindi film in all versions due to the Prabhas factor in Nizam/Andhra.

Like ADIPURUSH, this film was also based on the epic Ramayan and picked up almost 73 crore nett on day one. However, it crashed from the next day. Generally the films below had a multiple version release barring DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION and STREE 2 but most of the big budget films are likely to go this way in the hope that one may just break out.

Its practically certain that RAMAYANA will beat the regional figures of films like JAWAN, ANIMAL and DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE but the best is ADIPURUSH at around 118 crore nett and if that could be challenged it can be called a result. This would not alter the fate of the film as that is all dependent on what happens with the Hindi version. A 100 crore from the South from regional versions with Hindi not doing well hardly matters except for being a record in the book.

The top ten openings by Hindi films including regional versions is as follows.

1. Dhurandhar The Revenge - 76,68,00,000

2. Adipurush - 72,75,00,000

3. Jawan - 72,02,00,000

4. Drishyam 3 The Conclusion - 62,44,00,000

5. Animal - 60,50,00,000

7. Pathaan - 57,47,00,000

8. Stree 2 - 52,69,00,000

9. War - 52,10,00,000

10. Thugs Of Hindostan - 49,75,00,000

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RAMAYANA has emerged the FIFTH highest opening ever worldwide for an original Hindi film thanks to a fantastic overseas performance. The film has just edged past the figures of ANIMAL to become the biggest opener worldwide for Ranbir Kapoor in Hindi. In India, it fell short of the collections of ANIMAL due to pre Diwali. RAMAYANA collected 90 crore apprx on day one worldwide it its original Hindi version.

The surprise on the list is DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION which is not in the zone of the other films dominated by high budgets, scale and action. There is STREE 2 also but that is far lower in the list. This thriller/drama film stands at almost 100 crore worldwide due to its extraordinary opening day in India. The expectations for RAMAYANA was a 100 crore plus worldwide opening as a few days before release, it looked it could hit 50 crore nett in India and the pending amount was always likely in Overseas. However, collections moved at a snails pace on day one at the box office in India.

DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE leads the pack and RAMAYANA was never a threat to this film unless it released post Diwali where it could have been the first HINDI film to hit the 150 crore benchmark worldwide.

The figures below are highest opening days for an original Hindi film worldwide. They are all like for like and ALL films are for one day only and also do not include the figures in other languages and that includes the figures for RAMAYANA. The multiple versions figure will be updated later where it will be move up in the pecking order.

1. Dhurandhar The Revenge - 134.54 crore

2. Jawan - 113.16 crore

3. Pathaan - 104.06 crore

4. Drishyam The Conclusion - 94.32 crore

6. Animal - 89.66 crore

7. War - 72.14 crore

8. Tiger 3 - 71.04 crore

9. Sultan - 70.74 crore

10. Stree 2 - 69.95 crore

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RAMAYANA did well on its second day as it collected a little over 33 crore nett which takes the film to 76 crore nett in its first two days. The drop is there and the collections have gone to a low level but hopefully this is the lowest day before the holiday period starts on Monday. It was the correct decision to release on pre Diwali instead of Monday but maybe one day could have been avoided and it could have released on Friday which would have avoided collections in this 30 crore nett plus range.

Generally the figure will be seen as low especially for such a huge release with such high expectations but this is how it goes pre Diwali. The drop is around 22% and its across the board with the film falling everywhere. The film is showing better results in the premium formats till date and that should mean good rebound on Saturday as these properties do best on Saturday. Also, as its Puja on Sunday, some of the Sunday audience will coming out on Saturday.

The growth looks very good at present but its a long day and generally current is running at a low pace. The realistic target for the film was 175 crore nett for the extended pre Diwali four day weekend and its not going to get there but it will easily get over 160 crore nett mark that is more than good enough. It is no surprise for a film to collect under expectations over this period and its been happening for years especially in this multiplex era. Eventually if the film has merits, then this is all a bonus as Monday will behave like the first day of the film and it can go on from there.

The regional versions have dropped more than the Hindi version but a 30% drop there is actually a good result for the film and it has around 27 crore nett in two days which is good collection with the Kannada and Telugu versions dominating. It means the total collection in all versions is around 93 crore nett in two days. If we include these it should be a four day weekend of over 200 crore nett.

The collections of RAMAYANA (Hindi) till date are as follows.

Thursday - 43,00,00,000 apprx

Friday - 33,25,00,000 apprx

HANUMAN ANSH is coming to the end of its run and will close its business at around 318 crore nett in the Hindi version. The film is continuing to run in the thirteenth week and may hit 100 days at some theatres despite the release of RAMAYANA this week. The biggest multiplexes around the country may still hold a show here and there in week fourteen.

The devotional film has seen a huge run from the fourth week onward practically smashing every record in the book from week four till week nine. It will take this type of film which is totally unknown before release to challenge these records as the expected BLOCKBUSTERS will not be breaking records post the fifth week unless its a film on par with SHOLAY and that's not likely to happen.

HANUMAN ANSH is a SUPER BLOCKBUSTER becoming the second biggest HIT of the year after DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE. It is also the second biggest biggest ever in the genre after the legendary JAI SANTOSHI MAA. The footfalls of the film will finish around 1.7 crore and and it will be very similar to DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION which will also end in that range. The performance of the film is best in CI, Delhi/UP and East Punjab in that order.

The film also collected around 3.75 crore nett in Telugu but could not really break out. It is better than MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE which collected 1 crore nett in Telugu.

The collections of HANUMAN ANSH till date are as follows.

Week One - 90,00,000

Week Two - 47,00,000

Week Three - 10,36,00,000

Week Four - 57,45,00,000

Week Five  - 83,55,00,000

Week Six - 76,91,00,000

Week Seven - 42,02,00,000

Week Eight - 27,46,00,000

Week Nine - 10,27,00,000

Week Ten - 4,58,00,000

Week Eleven - 1,98,00,000

Week Twelve - 64,00,000

Week Thirteen - 50,00,000 (3 days)

Telugu Version - 3,75,00,000 apprx

DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION continues to hold into its fifth week as it collects around 85 lakhs nett and this should enable the film to get in another good week before the release of RAMAYANA. The trend will be strong on Saturday as has been seen on all the holdover Saturdays. The collections of the film have reached the 363 crore nett and its probably looking it a close of 370 crore nett if it can add a little after week five.

The film is best in Mumbai circuit and is chasing the figure of TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR which did 143 crore nett. DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION stands at at around 139 crore nett and it is sure to get over 140 crore nett. But those last couple of crore will be tougher to reach. It is only the second film to reach 100 crore this year in Mumbai as the other grossers like BORDER 2 and HANUMAN ANSH did not reach the 100 crore nett mark.

The film will be the highest grossing film of Ajay Devgn but footfalls remain lower than TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR and hence, that is probably a bigger HIT. In Overseas, there is no doubt that the film is the biggest ever for Ajay Devgn and will close with around $13 million.

The collections of DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION till date are as follows.

Friday - 85,00,000 apprx

UDTA TEER collected 30 crore nett in its first week with a fair trend on the weekdays though Wednesday did see a drop. The film has done better in places like Mumbai and Bangalore while some places were affected by pre Diwali. The film will have a shortened second week with RAMAYANA coming on Thursday. Although its held well enough, it needed higher collections due to the limited window.

The first week collections of the film are better than PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO which did around 27 crore nett but it will still be difficult to match that film as PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO went to around 50 crore nett. For UDTA TEER, to match those numbers, it will have to do some decent business post the release of RAMAYANA. By decent, we mean in terms of shows as there will not be many.

The collections of UDTA TEER till date are as follows.

Friday - 4,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 7,15,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 8,00,00,000 apprx

Monday - 3,00,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 3,00,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 2,50,00,000 apprx

Thursday - 2,25,00,000 apprx

The other release of the week, PEHLA PYAAR DOOSRI BAAR, collected 2.35 crore nett in week one while there were other releases like TU HAI MERI KIRAN and TUM MERE HO which were even worse.

MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE is ending its run and will finish with business of 223 crore nett plus. Its a huge total for a non cast film and its the fifth highest grossing total for a non cast film after SAIYAARA, HANUMAN ANSH, THE KASHMIR FILES and URI. Barring URI, all the other films are post pandemic showing the change in business as it gets less and less star dependent.

The film has shown huge numbers in UP and Bihar with the latter being almost as high as a film like ANIMAL. DRISHYAM THE CONCLUSION will not reach the collections of MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE in Bihar despite being a 360 crore nett plus film across India. On top, the film is coming from a banner like Excel Entertainment which is known for films like DIL CHAHTA HAI and GULLY BOY which are or were industry favorites. However, much of the audience would not watch these films and if you tried, you would not be able to sit through them.

This is the change that will have to sweep through the industry if its to really get back on track. If you can get this crowd on side which MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE has got, you will see results but if you cant then its a difficult ride. The pattern is pretty much similar with the likes of SAIYAARA, TTHE KASHMIR FILES and HANUMAN ANSH as far as geographical demographics go.

The collections of MIRZAPUR THE MOVIE are as follows.

Week One - 1,44,84,00,000

Week Two -  54,60,00,000

Week Three - 16,31,00,000

Week Four - 6,87,00,000

Week Five - 52,00,000

Week Six -  20,00,000

Week Seven - 9,00,000

Week Eight - 1,00,000 (3 days)