Edward Norton may not have had a lot to say during the virtual interaction for The Invite, but when the conversation turned to India, the Oscar-nominated actor lit up with memories from his travels. Speaking alongside director Olivia Wilde, who also stars in the movie, Norton reflected on his visit to India and the kind of dinner party he’d love to host.

Norton revealed that he has fond memories of travelling through the country. Recalling his favourite experience, he said, “I have travelled through India and loved it. My favorite area was up in Uttaranchal (now known as Uttarakhand), way up near Nepal. I went trekking there and hiking for days and days. It was so much fun. I loved it.”

When the conversation turned to Indian movies and which film he has watched, he quickly said, “RRR.”

Discussing his ideal Hollywood house party guest, Norton said, “I don’t know who. There are quite a few people I haven’t had over for dinner yet but would love to.”

The Invite released in India last week across PVR Inox. Directed by Olivia Wilde, The Invite is a sharp relationship dramedy set over the course of a single dinner party. The film stars Seth Rogen and Wilde as a married couple whose strained relationship is tested when they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbours, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, for an evening that quickly spirals into an emotionally charged exploration of love, desire and commitment. Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the film is inspired by Cesc Gay's acclaimed Spanish film The People Upstairs.

After OMG 2, filmmaker Amit Rai could have easily followed up with a bigger, star-led commercial film. Instead, he has returned with Ohh My Dog, a film led by a 12-year-old boy and an indie dog. Rai says, “The urge to tell that story is always the main reason to go forward, irrespective of whether it is a big or small budget film. Stars, studios and budgets are subservient to the story and not vice versa.”

He admits he could have mounted a larger commercial film after OMG 2. “I chose to tell this story because it came to me organically. I have a dog who is like my son, and I have been amazed by the love and loyalty he has. It was he who inspired this story.”

Rai is also unsparing in his assessment of where he believes the Hindi film industry is headed. “The problem with our industry is that we are not making films but mounting projects. There is something essentially wrong in the way we approach storytelling. Character graph ke pehle business graph ki baat karte hai yahan, scene construction se jyada PPT, pie charts aur territory par focus hai.”

He believes storytelling has taken a backseat. “Many of us have forgotten that film is essentially about story, characters, situations and human emotions. Film business is because of the story and not vice versa. Given the myopic approach of the decision-makers, the room for meaningful storytelling has shrunk. It is a rat race here. No one is eager to take risks with unique concepts. I am not a fan of formulas. I follow stories. I reinvent myself with every story — that is the only formula I follow.”

Drawing a comparison with regional cinema, Rai says audiences are rewarding originality over formula. “In the era of digital and content saturation, you cannot keep offering the same content. That is the reason Hindi films are losing relevance and business to regional films, who are offering cinematic experiences, right from Pushpa to Manjummel Boys, Dasavatharam, Kantara and Mahavatar Narsimha.”

Veteran actor Jeetendra took a trip down memory lane while celebrating 60 years of Hema Malini’s career at a recent event, sharing an anecdote that underscored how destiny shaped both their careers. Interestingly, when Hema Malini made her debut, she was largely paired with senior stars, beginning with Raj Kapoor in Sapno Ka Saudagar. Jeetendra became one of the first young leading men to be cast opposite her, and the actor revealed that it almost didn’t happen.

“I was new, and I made a lot of mistakes in those days,” he said, adding that he had already signed a film with veteran filmmaker L.V. Prasad when Subodh Mukherjee, known for Junglee (1961), approached him for another project.

He further explained, “In those days, Hema Malini was one of the biggest stars, so I told Subodh Mukherjee that I wanted the Dream Girl as my heroine. He said, ‘Main toh usse janta nahi.’ Toh maine kaha... main Hema Malini ko leke aata hoon.”

At the time, Hema Malini was staying at a hotel in Churchgate. Jeetendra personally called the hotel, spoke to her mother, introduced himself, and conveyed that Subodh Mukherjee wished to cast Hema opposite him. Hema agreed, and the very next day, Jeetendra fetched her and took her to the filmmaker’s home, where she was signed for the film.

Confident that he had landed a major project, Jeetendra then requested L V Prasad to release his dates for the film with Hema. Prasad agreed, but the story took an unexpected turn.

“Just three days later, I read in the newspapers that Hema Malini had been signed by Subodh Mukherjee opposite Shashi Kapoor! Picture mein se mujhe hakal diya aur bataya bhi nahi. Aap sochiye mujh pe kya beeti hogi,” he shared.

The actor added that, eventually, he and Hema went on to star in many films together, including Gulzar saab’s Khushbu and Kinara.

Akash Jagga, a TV actor, talks about how payments often get delayed by 90 days and is a common practice in the industry now

After TV actor Shehzada Dhami alleged that a production house owes him Rs 30 lakh in unpaid dues, the spotlight turns to the industry’s long-standing culture of delayed payments, particularly for those who are new to the screen

Tanisha Banerjee (MID-DAY; July 12, 2026)

For millions of viewers, television actors are familiar faces who appear in their living rooms every evening, often associated with fame and success. But behind the polished sets and prime-time popularity lies a far less glamorous reality. Over the years, several actors have publicly alleged delayed or unpaid remuneration, exposing the financial uncertainty that exists within the industry.

That conversation has resurfaced after TV actor Shehzada Dhami (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai) alleged that a production house owes him Rs 30 lakh in unpaid dues. Speaking up in his support, actor Shilpa Shinde (Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai!) described some television producers as “white-collar mafia”.

Their claims join a growing list of similar complaints in the television industry. Actors including Nupur Alankar (Diya Aur Baati Hum), Kishwer Merchant (Hip Hip Hurray), even the family of deceased actor Manmeet Grewal (Aadat Se Majboor) have, at different points, spoken about delayed payments, financial distress, or the irregular cash flow that often accompanies television work.

While producers’ bodies have occasionally disputed individual allegations or cited contractual and production-related complications, the recurring nature of these complaints points to a systemic issue rather than isolated disputes.

TV actor Akash Jagga, who is best known for his roles in Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2020) and Sasural Simar Ka 2 (2021-2022), entered the television industry in 2020. He says that delayed payments are not an exception but an accepted part of the profession. It is an unspoken standard practice for actors, especially newcomers, to be paid 90 days after the shooting of a particular show. His conversations with senior actors reveal how drastically the payment culture has changed over the years.

“I’ve heard from seniors that actors used to receive payments almost immediately. Then it became a week, then a month, then two months. Today, many actors are paid nearly three months after an episode is telecast,” he says.

Unlike film stars with multiple revenue streams, many TV actors rely on regular shooting schedules for a steady income. Payments are frequently staggered, and speaking out against delayed dues can carry the risk of being labelled “difficult” in an industry driven largely by relationships and reputation. As more actors come forward with their experiences over time, the spotlight is shifting from standalone individual disputes to questioning how financially secure are the faces that dominate Indian television screens?

TV actor Shreya Sinha [name changed] recalls an incident that exposed the power imbalance many television actors face when it comes to getting paid. During one of her projects, she says the production house attempted to pay her only half of what had been agreed upon when she was cast.

“They sent me only half my payment. That wasn’t what we had discussed. I stood my ground and told them that if I had worked, I deserved to be paid in full,” she says. After repeatedly following up, Sinha eventually received the full amount in her next payment cycle. However, she says several of her co-actors, who were hesitant to question the producers for fear of being replaced, did not get their dues.

Such delayed and partial payments are not uncommon. “We were paid once every three months, and sometimes only around 20 per cent of the total amount would come. Some of my co-actors went six to eight months without receiving their dues.” She believes newcomers are especially vulnerable. Many young actors, eager for visibility, accept salaries as low as Rs 15,000 a month despite working a 12 to 14-hour shifts. “You can’t even pay your rent in Mumbai with that. They do it because they want an opportunity, but that’s exploitation,” she says.

While contracts may allow established actors to negotiate payment clauses, Jagga believes newcomers have little bargaining power. Eager to secure their first break, they often accept whatever terms are offered. “As soon as actors ask for a better budget, makers can easily replace them with someone new who’s willing to work for less. That’s why television budgets have kept shrinking.”

Jagga admits he, too, accepted such conditions when starting out. But reality catches up. “We spend long hours on set, sacrifice our personal lives, and our health, yet the pay doesn’t reflect the amount of work we put in.”

Shehzada Dhami’s allegations are not an isolated case. Last month, actor Satendra Soni (Laapata Ladies 2023) broke down in an emotional Instagram video, alleging that he had not been paid for his work and claiming he was threatened after repeatedly asking for his dues. His video struck a chord with many within the industry, once again highlighting the financial insecurity that can accompany life in television. While not every project is affected, payment disputes remain a recurring concern across India’s entertainment industry, underscoring the absence of uniform safeguards for freelance creative professionals.

Offering the producers’ perspective, actor, producer, director, and Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) chairman for TV and Web Jamnadas Majethia says delayed payments are rarely intentional and are often a consequence of mounting financial pressures within the television ecosystem.

Majethia explains that payment delays often arise when a producer suffers financial losses or faces cash flow issues. In such situations, producers prioritise immediate operational expenses, including payments to daily wage workers, studios, and essential vendors, while actors and suppliers often receive their dues later.

“A producer has to ensure the shoot doesn’t stop. If the studio isn’t paid rent on time, the production comes to a standstill,” he explains, “And delayed deliveries can cause a further loss due to late delivery penalties.”

Majethia maintains that delayed payments are not an industry-wide norm but individual cases that receive greater public attention because of the industry’s visibility. He believes producers today are operating under unprecedented pressure.

“A producer is the most vulnerable person in the entire system,” he says, “Producers have to deliver the same quality of content despite significantly dropped budgets.” With television viewership declining and advertisers increasingly shifting their spending towards OTT platforms, production budgets have shrunk considerably for the television industry. “So where will the money come from?” he asks.

A yellow Ambassador glides onto the red carpet. Flashbulbs erupt as Shanti Priya (Deepika Padukone) steps out in blush pink silk, her wave choreographed for stardom. Moments later, the fabric catches Om’s sleeve, setting in motion one of Hindi cinema’s most cherished meet-cutes. Years earlier, audiences had travelled to an altogether different world, where Helen danced to Mehbooba Mehbooba inside a cave lit by flickering torches. One film recreated the glamour of 1970s Bombay. The other conjured a ravine that never existed. Both persuaded millions that these worlds were real.

If you’ve ever visited the Harry Potter studio outside London, wandered through Warner Bros’ archives in Hollywood or admired K-pop exhibitions in Seoul, you know some entertainment industries preserve their history behind glass. Bollywood, for some reason, has never done so. Here, the cave comes apart plank by plank, the palace becomes plywood again, costumes disappear into garment bags and props are counted, labelled and packed into trucks. Still almost nothing is truly discarded.

“Most costumes and many props are hired,” says veteran filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar. “You use them for the shoot, return them afterwards and pay the rental.” Furniture, crockery, chandeliers, doors, windows and architectural fragments all begin another journey once the cameras stop rolling. Every item is checked against an inventory, packed away and stored until another script calls it back into service.

Ad filmmaker and photographer Sunhil Sippy says production designers often become collectors by default. “Many own prop houses themselves, or they’ve spent years building collections from Chor Bazaar and antique markets.” It’s not unusual for things from their own homes and studios to even find a way into frames. “For close-ups, I’d often bring something from my own house, an object I lived with every day because I knew I wouldn’t find it in a rental house. The right object gives a frame its truth.”

Cement brains and books

Not every prop returns to a rental house. Some end up at Many Many Things, a Versova prop studio run by production designers Shaira Kapoor and Dhara Jain, whose work covers Gully Boy, Bombay Velvet and The Archies. Over the years, productions have left behind what many would see as a museum-worthy collection of collectibles: a miniature red vintage car sourced for a Lays commercial featuring Ranbir Kapoor, gold bricks made for a smuggling sequence in Bombay Velvet, even two cement brains created as paperweights for a radio station set in Tumhari Sulu.

“We never planned to start a prop house,” says Kapoor. “Some pieces stayed back after productions, others came from family, and many were simply too special to let go.” Every object is catalogued, barcoded and tracked before heading out to its next assignment.

That, they insist, is how Bollywood has always worked. Doors, windows, plywood, lights, furniture and fabrics are dismantled, stored and reinvented. “We pride ourselves on making the same object look completely different,” Kapoor says. “A new lampshade, fresh upholstery or different artwork can transform it.” Nothing illustrates that better than Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies. The pair sourced nearly 10,000 vintage books, along with vintage cookware and utensils, for Betty’s (Khushi Kapoor) home from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ooty, Bangkok, and international Etsy sellers. Once filming ended, most were sold on. “We don’t know exactly where they went,” Jain says. “But they’re still in the ecosystem. They’ve simply moved to another shelf.”

History in mulmul

While a handful of props are preserved, Kakkar says that remains the exception. “Commercials work on rentals. Keeping elaborate sets after a shoot isn’t practical. The economics just don’t support preserving every unique creation.”

Costumes have had an even more uncertain fate. Academy Award-winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya treated preservation as second nature, says her daughter, Radhika Gupta. “She never folded old saris or fabrics. She rolled them, wrapped them in mulmul cloth and stored them in steel trunks.”

Even that could not protect them from the weather and termites that infested them. Athaiya began designing in 1953, long before climate-controlled storage. Studio lights generated intense heat, makeup stained fabrics and colours faded under harsh lamps. “The costumes didn’t survive very well,” Gupta says. “More importantly, they belonged to the production houses, not to her.” Until the 1970s, few studios archived costumes. Raj Kapoor was among the exceptions, though many garments, including costumes from Mera Naam Joker, were later lost in the RK Studios fire. Gupta still remembers actors arriving at their home to try on costumes as tailors and embroiderers worked around them. “My mother was a director’s designer,” she says. Directors described the character and mood of a scene, and Athaiya translated them into attire, even using colours in the black-and-white era to create tonal contrasts on screen.

Not quite Narnia

Looking back, Gupta believes preserving costumes is about far more than saving clothes. “As Indians, we don’t really have a strong culture of preservation,” she says. “We tend to discard things and take them for granted.” Conservation, she adds, requires time, expertise and sustained funding.

Some of Athaiya’s surviving work has reached the public through the People of Mumbai exhibition at CSMVS, where costumes, sketches and archival material traced both her career and the city’s cinematic journey. “Bhanu Athaiya became a natural choice because her journey from the Sir JJ School of Art to costume design reflects that evolution,” says the exhibition’s architect, Nandini Somaya. Displaying the collection required a careful process. Costumes were protected under acrylic sheets, while larger garments—including the landmark sari worn in Gandhi—were mounted on custom plastic supports and enclosed in protective cases to prevent stress on the fragile fabric. But such examples remain rare.

Madhav Agasti, who tailored costumes for more than 350 films, including Mr India and Andaz Apna Apna, says costumes usually remained with producers once filming ended. Mogambo’s military-inspired uniform, he believes, is still with Boney Kapoor. Lead costumes are never really reused, Kakkar explains. Designed for one actor and one character, they often end up with producers, collectors or members of the crew. Sometimes they become personal keepsakes. Shivam Hingorani, an assistant director on Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, still treasures the brown AllSaints jacket worn by Ranbir Kapoor. “The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted it.” And once production wrapped up director Ayaan Mukerjee handed it to him.

And, thus, Bollywood’s best stories survive in fragments: a sari wrapped in mulmul, a villain’s uniform in a producer’s cupboard, or a prop on someone’s shelf. They may never draw museum crowds, but for the person who recognises one from the screen, those ordinary objects still possess the power to collapse time, carrying them back to the moment the story first came alive.

DHAMAAL 4 had an excellent Saturday as collections almost doubled up as it collected 10 crore nett which takes the film to around 110 crore nett in nine days. The film is super strong in mass belts but even at metros, the jump was huge on Saturday despite the competition of THE ODYSSEY which is doing fantastic in these centres.

The film consolidated the Friday hold very well on Saturday. In the Hindi circuits, THE ODYSSEY is not competition as, on Saturday, DHAMAAL 4 was ahead across UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat. The film has 15.25 crore nett up on the board over two days of the second week and there will be a big Sunday to come.

THE ODYSSEY is set to emerge a HIT film in India at the very least as collections jumped well on Saturday as it collected 20.75 crore nett after collecting 16 crore nett on Friday taking its total to 36.75 crore nett. The growth is 30% but its a premiere format film and many of these properties are getting full in advance. So, there is a limit to the growth as much of the audience of this film wants to watch in these premiere formats and this can be seen by the advance for Monday in these properties.

The director of the film Christopher Nolan has a following in the metros of India be it North or South and its rare for this to happen. In the South, it happens but in Hindi markets, its rare. It may only be the likes of Mumbai, Pune and NCR but there is no Hindi film director today who has such a name and can pull audiences in even in these cities.

The collections of THE ODYSSEY over the first two days are as follows.

Friday - 16,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 20,75,00,000 apprx

Last week, Priyadarshan unveiled the first look of Haiwaan, showcasing Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in gritty avatars. After four back-to-back comedies, Kumar portrays a menacing antagonist in the movie. But what if we told you that the superstar wasn’t originally meant to be a part of Haiwaan? Priyadarshan revealed to mid-day that his original choice for the villain was Bobby Deol.

The filmmaker recalled, “When I narrated the film to Saif first, he asked me who would play the antagonist. I approached Bobby Deol, who wasn’t happy about his role, but I cannot blame him for that. I thought of Akshaye Khanna and told him that I wanted to narrate a story to him. He invited me over to meet him. I thought that if he refused, I would go to Suniel Shetty. [Before I met Akshaye], I mentioned the film to Akshay casually while shooting for Bhooth Bangla. After I narrated the story to him, he told me, ‘Why can’t I do the movie?’”

Priyadarshan hadn’t initially considered Kumar as he felt the role would go completely against the superstar’s current image of a humorous, happy-go-lucky guy. But the actor was certain that he wanted to bet on the role. The filmmaker added, “Akshay loved the character. While we were shooting, Saif told me, ‘By doing this role against me, Akshay has given me the best gift’.”

Comedy may be the filmmaker’s forte, but with Haiwaan, he is glad to shift gears. He said, “Some people have assumed Haiwaan is a comedy; it’s not. It’s about a cat-and-mouse game between the hunter and the hunted. I am returning to an action thriller after 16 years, and it’s one of the slickest movies I have ever made.”

Before the trailer of Ramayana: Part 1 drops online on July 24, portions from the preview have already made their way on social media. On July 18, the makers unveiled the trailer of the Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, and Yash-starrer to select guests at the Pratham Sankalp event in New Delhi.

Within hours of the screening, a one-minute-28-second excerpt from the trailer was circulating across social media platforms, leading the makers to launch an aggressive takedown.

Sources indicate that producer Namit Malhotra and director Nitesh Tiwari have activated their anti-piracy partners and legal teams to remove unauthorized uploads and issue copyright notices.

“The takedown process has been underway since Saturday night. It was pulled down from Reddit by the morning of July 19, but X remains more challenging,” said a source.

It is being said that the leaked footage was recorded during the Pratham Sankalp screening. The source added, “The leak appears to have originated from an attendee’s phone recording. It shows Rama’s entry sequence as well the scene where Rama agrees to honour his father’s promise to Kaikeyi.”

Composer Tanishk Bagchi on Saturday claimed he is yet to receive `8 lakh in royalties for the title track of Saiyaara, a year after the film’s release. However, Yash Raj Films (YRF) said all payments have been made as per the contract.

Marking the film’s first anniversary, Bagchi shared a note on Instagram, saying he poured everything into the song, his first collaboration with YRF Music.

“Whatever YRF had paid me, all of that nominal amount was used to do the live and mixes... what was left was zero. That’s what I earned from a song so big.”

He added, “What hurts the most is that, as per the royalty statement, I’m yet to receive just Rs 8 lakh in royalties for a song that has gone on to do millions of streams and views across platforms. Honestly... Rs 8 lakh feels like peanuts.”

Responding to the claim, a YRF spokesperson said the Saiyaara title track was composed by Tanishk Bagchi along with Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami, and royalties are shared equally among the three as agreed.

“Royalties for the title track have been shared and will continue to be shared by YRF equally between all three composers... The production house has paid every collaborator their due, as per contract, all within mutually agreed terms and time,” the statement said.

Bagchi clarified that his post, adding, “This experience has changed the way I look at this industry. From now on, I’ll only work with producers and directors who value creativity, honesty and the people who build their music.”

He also said he respected director Mohit Suri and lyricist Irshad Kamil from the film.