DHAMAAL 4 has comfortably crossed the 200 crore mark worldwide despite not doing so well in the overseas markets. The film will be doing less than COCKTAIL 2 and WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE and pretty much similar to ALPHA in the Overseas market. COCKTAIL 2 is the best performer Overseas of this summer period though its numbers are not good.

DHAMAAL 4 and WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE managed to do well in India but no film has done well in Overseas in this period. The $5 million of BHOOTH BANGLA looks impressive compared to these films. DHAMAAL 4 will beat TOTAL DHAMAAL in India but Overseas will be just 50% of the latter. That film had the presence of Madhuri Dixit who is a name overseas and adds value in the right film.

Despite a lackluster overseas, the film is still going on to do around 225 crore worldwide and it still becomes a good worldwide number even though Overseas is on the lower side. TOTAL DHAMAAL did 227 crore as it was a stronger Indian currency at that time and there is a chance that DHAMAAL 4 can reach that figure.

The worldwide collections of DHAMAAL 4 till date are as follows.

India -  180 crore (148.50 crore nett)

Overseas -  29.75 crore ($3.1 million)

The Tamil film, JANA NAYAGAN, saw a drop in collections on Monday as it collected around 9.50 crore nett across all versions. The film had collected 115 crore nett over its extended four day weekend which now takes the film to around 125 crore nett in five days. The first day was 39 crore nett. So, its a big drop from there but this happens with these big South films.

The film has been delayed and could not get a censor due to the male lead fighting the election to become CM of the state which he won. Around the same time, the film got leaked online. These collections are not good enough for the budget of the film but a huge chunk of this budget is the remuneration of the lead Joseph Vijay. Due to the delay, there are adjustments here. As a result, it will not be such a bad result for the producer as to what could have happened with a leaked film. The Indian theatrical recovery could come out to be in the 100 crore range.

The biggest Tamil film this year so far is KARUPPU, which has done around 180 crore nett across India and here JANA NAYAGAN is 125 crore nett in five days. But that does not mean it will get to 180 crore nett as these markets are very frontloaded especially for the local superstar films. The biggest South Indian film is PEDDI with around 225 crore nett.

The Hindi version (JAN NETA) collected 1 crore nett on Monday which is reasonable considering the first day was 1.50 crore nett and second day was 1.25 crore nett. The five day collection of the film is 7.50 crore nett and the first week should do around 10 crore nett but not much will come after.

Actor Kirti Kulhari has allegedly lost Rs. 2.44 lakh in a credit card fraud involving four unauthorised international transactions. Mumbai’s Amboli Police has registered a case against unidentified persons and launched an investigation, according to ABP news.

The incident took place on the night of July 24, when Kulhari was heading to a multiplex in Andheri West. She received a bank alert informing her that $2,525 had been charged to her credit card for a payment to Aeromexico Airlines. She immediately contacted the bank, which found that four transactions totalling Rs. 2,43,852 had been made and blocked the card to prevent further misuse.

Preliminary inquiries reportedly indicate that Kulhari had not shared her card PIN or banking details with anyone. Police suspect that her information may have been accessed digitally and are examining her banking records and other digital trails with the help of cyber experts.

The incident took place on the night of July 24. Preliminary inquiries reportedly indicate that Kirti Kulhari had not shared her card PIN or banking details with anyone.

At a time when weight-loss drugs dominate transformation conversations, actor-politician Ravi Kishan says he relied on dietary changes and exercise to lose 18kg.

“I was 90 kg and dropped to 72 kg. Prepare kar raha hoon apni body ko, ripped kar de raha hoon, shrink kar raha hoon,” the 57-year-old tells us. Political duties and visits to his Gorakhpur constituency led to some weight gain, he says, but he has now returned to a fruit-heavy diet to regain a leaner frame. He says, “I lost 18kg by changing how I eat.”

His changing screen appearances prompted the transformation. “Laapataa Ladies (2024) required me to look heavy, in Mirzapur: The Movie I will look lean, while in Naagzilla I have a super-fit body. When you are in your 50s, it’s not easy, but food changes can help, as 70-80% is what you eat and the rest is exercise,” he says.

Kishan clarifies that his regimen is flexible rather than strictly fruit-only. “It’s Mahadev’s blessing that he gives me the strength to be on a one-meal diet, intermittent fasting or exclusively on fruits,” he says, adding, “But I keep tweaking it to manage my political duties. These days, Parliament is in session, so I take soaked dry fruits and salad. As needed, I add protein, carbs and ghee too.” Avocado, kiwi, apples, bananas, oranges and fresh juices are among his preferred choices.

He also stresses the importance of exercise. “Your pant waistline is the biggest monitor, and it never lies. But along with diet, you need to exercise regularly for muscle health,” says Kishan.

Fruits are packed with micronutrients that can help digest and increase uptake or utilisation of other nutrients in our body, but they cannot replace a complete diet. Our body needs essential fats and proteins, and a complete meal should comprise cereals, pulses, dairy, vegetables and fruits, says nutritionist Rashi Chahal.

People with diabetes or kidney disease, pregnant or lactating women, older adults, those who are underweight, on medication or have a history of eating disorders should avoid restrictive diets without medical supervision.

Chahal calls it a short-term fad rather than a sustainable weight-loss plan. The initial drop may largely be water, glycogen and muscle, not body fat, and the weight can return once regular eating resumes.

“Celebs often have a short-term goal and access to nutritionists, trainers and medical supervision. What works for a two-month transformation cannot become a benchmark for everyday health.”

Inputs from Radhika Bhirani

Actor Raja Chaudhary, known for his stint in Bigg Boss 2, recently spoke about his strained relationship with his daughter, actor Palak Tiwari, and said that he is no longer involved in her life. The 51-year-old revealed that he does not know about her personal or professional lives, but would be there for her whenever she needs him.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Raja, who has remained distant from his daughter since his separation from ex-wife, actor Shweta Tiwari, said he does not want to know about Palak’s life unless she chooses to share it with him.

“I have no idea where she is, what she is eating, what she is doing, where she is living, whom she’s living with, whom she is working with. I don’t even want to know, unless she comes and tells me, ‘Dad, this is happening’. I’m there for her 24/7, if I’m needed. But I’m not needed in her life at all,” he said.

On rumours of Palak dating actor Ibrahim Ali Khan, he said that it did not affect him because he does not share a close relationship with her.

“I would be bothered if she was a part of my life but she doesn’t consider me a father. It matters to a father if the daughter has maintained a relationship. Ask her mother how she feels about it. Why should I care? I am just a biological father; that’s what I was told. I have nothing to do with her; I was told,” said the actor.

Raja also revealed that he has blocked everything related to Palak on social media: “I don’t want to see their photos, videos because I have done my level of begging. I have justified myself enough, saying how much I miss her. I don’t want to anymore,” he said.

Raja and Shweta got married in 1998, and welcomed their daughter, Palak in 2000. Shweta filed for divorce in 2007, complaining that she faced domestic violence due to his alcoholism. The couple was granted a divorce in 2012.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai has confirmed that he is not associated with the upcoming Tumbbad 2, citing creative reasons. The horror-thriller, which gained cult status after its re-release last year, is being produced by Sohum Shah and stars Alia Bhatt.

Explaining his absence from the project, Rai, who produced the 2018 film, says, “For some reason nahin, aur woh creative reasons hain. What you want is a certain kind of freedom to make decisions when you are creating something.”

Calling Tumbbad “a fantastic film”, he adds, “Mere liye, woh kahani jitni khoobsurat hoke wahaan pahunchi hui thi, main uske aage nahin jaana chah raha tha. But all the best to the team who is making it now. They will make a great film, but I keep the decision to myself what film I want to join.” Rai, who recently won a National Award for the documentary Statue Of Unity: Ekta Ka Prateek, says the honour has reinforced his interest in non-feature storytelling.

“Awards and rewards sar aankhon par, but it’s the love and being a vessel of a poignant story that matters to me. This kind of an award gives you confidence that your existence matters,” he says.

The filmmaker plans to begin work on his next directorial in 2027, with a possible release by the end of that year or in 2028. He adds that Indian filmmakers need to explore documentaries more deeply: “We need to learn more in the non-feature category. It’s a different form of storytelling and the filmmakers in our industry need to learn a lot more when it comes to this form,” he ends.

Actor and MP Kangana Ranaut has criticized participants in the CJP-led student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which had demanded then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and other examination irregularities. Pradhan resigned on July 25, following which the group called off its protest.

Reacting to videos from the agitation in a series of Instagram Stories (see insets), Ranaut criticized the protesters’ language and behaviour, describing the clips as “puke inducing”, “jarring” and “crass”.

In a subsequent Story, she turned her attention specifically to young Hindu women, writing, “Most appalling is the behaviour of young Hindu women, who want to imitate the lives of independent career women without earning that freedom.”

Ranaut said women who are truly independent make “rebellious choices”, express bold opinions, take unconventional career decisions and remain accountable for their actions. She referred to a section of “westernized Indian women” as “Generation Gutter” and alleged that some sought independence while continuing to live off their parents’ earnings.

Concluding with what she called a “gentle reminder”, Ranaut wrote, “Independent life needs to be earned. If you try to live independent without accountability you are just a distorted entity. Gutter chap.” 

Armaan Jain; (right) Raj Kapoor with Prithviraj Kapoor. Pics/By Special Arrangement, Instagram, YouTube

Some will tell you ghee makes all the difference in their dishes. Others swear by garlic. For Armaan Jain, the star ingredient of his recipes is something intangible — it’s a mindset. “Kanjoosi nahin karne ka. Even if you have Rs 5 in your pocket, feed people dishes worth Rs 10.”

That’s the culture Armaan, Rima Jain’s son and Raj Kapoor’s grandson, grew up imbibing. So, when he decided to turn his passion for feeding people into a business, this became the foundation for The Junglee Kitchen.

Kapoors and food is a love story as old as time. During the pandemic-induced lockdown, in the absence of cooks, Armaan thought of taking over the kitchen and experimenting with the recipes that he was raised with.

He told mid-day, “I didn’t ever imagine it becoming a business. [During the lockdown] I was missing some family recipes. So, I would keep calling up my cook who was on leave. Then, I innovated those recipes. When I fed my family, they liked them.”

That’s how The Junglee Kitchen was born. With the delivery kitchen that began operations out of his home in 2021, Armaan is serving the Kapoor khandaan’s favourite dishes, particularly his legendary grandfather’s, to the city.

The name isn’t exactly what you would associate with the Kapoor family. Is it an ode to his grand uncle, late Shammi Kapoor’s hit Junglee (1961)? Not really. The name, Armaan shared, has two personal meanings attached to it.

“The reason why I thought of the word ‘Junglee’ is because that’s my approach to cooking. I’m not a trained chef; just someone who has been exposed to food since he was five or six. Plus, our food is fiery and spicy,” he smiled, before adding, “One of our hero dishes is called Junglee Maas. It’s a dish the Kapoors have grown up devouring.”

Like Junglee Maas, each dish for Armaan is a walk down memory lane. One that evokes memories of the Kapoor family coming together, trading gossip, laughing, and bonding over food. While the entrepreneur, born in 1990, never got the opportunity to meet his grandfather, he vividly remembers the feast that his maternal grandmother, Krishna Raj Kapoor, would serve for the family. He is now serving that taste of his childhood — whether it’s the Junglee Maas that the Showman of Indian Cinema enjoyed or the dal makhani that his superstar-cousin Kareena Kapoor Khan swears by. The dishes start from Rs 250, going up to Rs 700. 

“Whether it was a small get-together or big, Junglee Maas was always there. The table would always be full, with 20 dishes on it. The other fixture was dal. Then two-three sabzis and [multiple] non-veg dishes. I also have strong memories of Punjabi dahi pakoda kadhi,” recalled Armaan.

What is his favourite dish on the menu? “I am a Punjabi who loves comfort food. So, I like my dal makhani. We have always had a Punjabi smoked dal at home. I improvised into a nice slow-cooked dal makhani in the COVID-19 days.” 

Going forward, The Junglee Kitchen will include ‘Desi Chinese’ in the menu. That’s almost expected, given how the Kapoor family members have often expressed their love for Chinese food. Armaan added, “I love my Chinese food. The dhaba Chinese — think Chicken lollipops, Chicken Manchurian, and Chilli chicken.”

While he expanded the delivery kitchen’s service to Bengaluru in 2025, the next goal is to make it a pan-India service. He wishes to incorporate flavours of India’s different regions while keeping his family’s recipes in focus. “I have currently four or five outlets. We’re looking to scale these up to about 100 outlets in the next two years, across five-six cities. I have always had people come over to our place to eat. There would be 50 people at a time at my grandmother’s place. So, I had the confidence that I could cook,” he smiled.

Dal. It was a fixture in every meal

Gulab jamun

Neetu aunty 

All of them just eat; they don’t cook [laughs]

Karisma Kapoor

In a city where everyone is hustling and determined to write their own success story, how about pausing and losing yourself in someone else’s story? That’s Shweta Tripathi’s advice for you. 

Over the past few months, the actor has been leaving books across Mumbai. Tucked inside each book is a handwritten note asking the stranger who discovers it to read it, enjoy it, and then leave it behind for someone else. A travelling book club, if you will.

When mid-day sat down with Tripathi, she said the idea was born from a simple thought — that people need to go back to reading in today’s age of information overload.

The actor reflected, “We’re constantly surrounded by other people’s opinions — what they’re thinking, eating, where they’re travelling, and so on. Reading is one of the few experiences where it’s just you and the book. It stretches your imagination, makes you question what’s right and wrong, and builds empathy because it allows you to experience lives completely different from your own.”

The seed for her public book-sharing initiative came after Tripathi read about actor Emma Watson leaving books around London as part of a reading movement. “I thought, why not adapt it? Whenever I travel in an Uber, I leave a book behind. If I’m at a café, an office, or an airport, I’ll leave one there with a handwritten note, asking the person who finds it to enjoy the book and then leave it somewhere else for another stranger. I love the thought of books travelling from one person to another, carrying not just stories, but moments of human connection,” she smiled.

Ironically, books weren’t always her first love. Growing up, she would be almost irritated by the reading culture at home. Finally, in her teens, a curious Tripathi picked up a book almost reluctantly. And then something happened. “It felt like I had discovered another universe,” she said, laughing. 

Soon, Nancy Drew books became an obsession. Then came The Da Vinci Code, followed by the Harry Potter series that she discovered when four books had already been released.

She recalled, “I still remember finishing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [the fourth book in the series]. Until then, there was always another Harry Potter waiting. Suddenly there wasn’t. I felt like my world had collapsed. I kept thinking, ‘Where are Harry, Hermione, Fred, and George?’ That’s what books do. They become your friends.”

Today, her reading habit is almost ritualistic. She is usually reading two or three books at a time. “When I’m reading, I absorb the emotional world of the book. When I was reading Shoe Dog, I felt so charged. While filming Mirzapur, I was reading The Forest of Enchantments, and Sita’s strength stayed with me throughout the shoot.”

She has her family to thank for inculcating the habit of reading. Even now, her father’s voice echoes in her head. “Papa always asked me two questions. ‘Did you exercise today?’ and ‘Which book are you reading?’ Back then I found it annoying. Today I realise those are probably the two most important questions you can ask someone you love,” she smiled.

- ‘Cock’ 

- ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’

- ‘Women who Read are Dangerous’

- ‘Independence’

- ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado Perez 

- ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio

- ‘My Friends’ by Fredrik Backman

- ‘Powerful’ by Nirupama Subramanian 

- ‘Scripting Bollywood’ by Anubha Yadav

- ‘The Palace of Illusions’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni