All eyes are on Dil Raju’s upcoming production that is rumoured to star Salman Khan. Even as reports suggest that the yet-untitled film may see Khan sharing screen space with Nayanthara for the first time, we might see the superstar in another fresh pairing, courtesy filmmaker duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, better known as Raj-DK.

Last week, mid-day reported that the actor is in early discussions with Raj-DK for a superhero film (A retiring superhero, March 6). Now, sources have revealed that Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who featured in the filmmaker duo’s second season of ‘The Family Man’, is the frontrunner for the movie.

“Samantha is very much in the conversation. She shares a strong creative equation with the makers, and they feel she fits the part,” said the source. The producers are aiming to take the project on floors by August. 

Before facing the camera with Prabhu, Khan will kick off Raju’s production that is being helmed by Telugu film director Vamshi Paidipally. Another source shared, “Nayanthara has emerged as the frontrunner for the female lead, though talks are ongoing. It will be a pan-India action entertainer, and should roll by April.”

After several reports claimed that Mohit Suri, 44, has roped in actor Ranbir Kapoor, 43, for his next project, touted to be a gangster-backed musical love story, the filmmaker rubbishes the claims.

Mohit tells us that there is no film in place yet, largely because he is still writing his next script. “No, no, it’s not (true). I’m still writing my film,” he tells us, adding that he hasn’t even reached the stage where casting conversations begin.

While the two did meet recently, he insists that it was more of a casual setup than a professional discussion. “He did call me up. So it’s just an informal discussion, but not about a film, we just met,” he shares, adding, “Ranbir has always been praising me and talking highly about me in the past… so this was not a conversation to talk about a film.”

Setting the record straight about his next project, Mohit says he is still writing the script. “The fact is the film (last directorial, Saiyaara) released in July (last year)… I need about one to two more months to at least finish my script. I’m not there yet,” he says.

Watching Kajol on screen is a delight. However, we haven’t seen more of the actor since her June release, Maa (2025). Naturally, when we caught up with her, we were curious if she had locked her next. “I’m listening to a lot of scripts. I have two-three things that I’m working on. But I have nothing concrete to tell you,” said the actor.

Kajol, in her 34-year career, has always taken her sweet time to choose scripts that resonate with her. She intends to keep doing just that. Besides a powerful script, there is another criterion that helps the actor decide whether she wants to front a film.

She revealed, “It’s important to me that I work with people whom I can relate to and talk to. [On a set], you spend 50 days with people and if you don’t like them, those 50 days can feel like 500!”

It’s through these things, big and small, that Kajol has defied the industry’s norms for female actors and shaped a career on her own terms. She fronted female-driven scripts right at the start of her career, played a villain in Gupt (1997) when heroines would steer clear of such parts, and took a sabbatical at her peak to focus on family life. Is her insistence to defy norms the reason why she continues to enjoy relevance today?

“I feel I was very stubborn and foolish, and I was proved right fortunately. But I see so many women doing this all the time without being given any awards for it. I have made my own decisions, and I stand by them. I am grateful that all my eccentricities have been loved.”

Paying tribute to a legendary singer with an 80-year career spanning nearly 45,000 songs is no easy task. Yet, that is precisely what Shreya Ghoshal achieved at her concert Letters To Lata Didi held at Jio World Garden on Saturday night. The evening was unlike the typical large-scale concert spectacle. There were no confetti bursts, fireworks or pyrotechnics; only pure music, delivered straight from the heart. With no costume changes and no breaks, she sang non-stop through more than 50 songs, each unfolding like a musical letter to the timeless legacy of Lata Mangeshkar, whose voice defined generations of Indian cinema and music.

She opened with a traditional Ganesh vandana, followed by the classic Aayega Aanewala. Setting the emotional tone for the evening, Ghoshal addressed the audience

“Aaj ki yeh shaam mere liye sabse khaas, most important, sentimental and emotionally close to my heart evening hai. And main shayad kitni bhi tayaari kar loon, aaj ke din ki tayaari poori nahi hai. I think you will sense my vulnerability my emotion today. We are all here celebrating the legacy of Maa Saraswati, hamari pyari Lata Didi. This tribute is from all of us fans, from me and the musicians and isko sametne ke liye humne yeh ek zariya apnaya hai. Didi ko hum itna upar rakhte hain, unka jo sthan bhagwanon ke jagah hai. Hum sab fans ke taraf se hai yeh show and iss legacy ko celebrate karne ke liye aap sab saath mein gaiyega zaroor. I am sure Didi is smiling upon us from the heavens.”

The evening’s narrative unfolded through music interspersed with audio-visual segments featuring messages and memories from people who knew and worked closely with Lata Mangeshkar. Tributes from Nitin Mukesh, Anandji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji), Prasoon Joshi, Sachin Tendulkar and Prakash Peters added a deeply personal dimension to the concert. Shreya also shared memories of how Lata Mangeshkar’s voice shaped her own musical journey since childhood.

“Uss choti si ladki ko zara bhi andaza nahi tha ke yehi woh awaaz hai jo uska haath thaamkar usse uske aane wale kal ki oor le jayegi. I was too young but Lata Ji ke awaaz ne mujhe iss tarah khincha ki maine music se pyaar karna shuru kar diya. We formed a spiritual bond, that’s the asar of her voice. Karodo Bharatiyon ki tarah maine unhe sunne se zyada mehsoos kiya. Aur inn jazbaaton ko hum sabne jiya hai, lekin shayad unhe poori tarah jata nahi sakein. Toh aaj ki yeh shaam unhi unkahi baaton ko inn khaton ke zariye aapko samarpit karte hain.”

The singer also recalled her first meeting with Lata Mangeshkar in 2005. “I was recording in her studio and she came there. I ran down to meet her and when she saw me, unhone mujhse kaha, ‘Tum Shreya ho na?’ Main unhe kuch bhi nahi bol payi. I was so stunned, meri bolti bandh ho gayi. Uss din main unse mil nahi rahi thi, mujhe uss din Lata Didi ke darshan ho gaye the. Uss waqt kuch nahi sujha, main thank you bhi nahi bol payi. Aaj mujhe Didi ko thank you bolna hai, for the soul, music you were for me.”

Selecting songs from Lata Mangeshkar’s vast repertoire proved to be one of the biggest challenges confessed Shreya. “Today, we are trying to cover all the eras of Lata Didi’s blockbusters,” she said. 

“There are songs with so many composers including S D Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji and so many hit duets with the likes of Mohamad Rafi, Kishore Kumar. She worked with Laxmikant-Pyarelal for around 35 years and sang around 700 songs with just them. There are so many eras of her songs, her repertoire is simply massive. Ek se ek behtareen gaane hain unke. Main kya chunu? Finally, we just had to pick chits of which ones to sing!”

Introducing the song Aa Jaan-E-Jaan, she noted with a smile, “This was probably the only cabaret that Lata Didi ever sang. If you listen to this song you will realize that even in a cabaret there can be so much divinity, spirituality and itna apnapan and pyaar, even though it is a seduction song.” The evening featured several Lata Mangeshkar duets performed with singers Javed Ali and Kinjal Chatterjee.

Speaking on the eve of International Women’s Day, Shreya highlighted Lata Mangeshkar’s enduring influence beyond music. “Lata Didi has always inspired us. Woh sabse badi feminist hain and tomorrow we are celebrating Women’s Day. She has inspired us not just as a musician but also as a human being, living by her own terms. She gave us a sense of purpose. Aisi kitni auratein thi 40s, 50s and 60s ke daur mein jinhone kitna kuch iconic kiya.”

More than 40 musicians performed live on stage, including the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra and a choir, recreating the grand orchestral feel of the golden era of film music. Praising the ensemble, Ghoshal said, “Aaj lag raha jaise Lata Didi ke recording studio mein sab kuch live hota tha, waise hi hum conductor ke haath pe tike hue hain. I feel all this energy is very much missing in today’s film music.”

Among the distinguished guests present were members of the Mangeshkar family, Nitin Mukesh, Anandji Shah and Shantaben, Sonu Nigam, Prasoon Joshi, Kumarmangalam Birla, Dr Neerja Birla, Virender Sehwag and Anjali Tendulkar.

After the concert, Usha Mangeshkar was invited on stage and blessed the singer. “Aaj mere samne sirf Didi dikh rahi hai aur uski awaaz aa rahi hai mere kaon mein. Bachpan se main Didi ke saath recordings mein jaati thi, aakhri gaane tak. Ek ek cheez yaad aa raha hai. Bahut accha gaya Shreya. Bhagwan aapko hamesha Didi ka ashirwad zaroor denge!”

As the evening drew to a close, Ghoshal performed songs such as Lukka Chuppi, Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon, Naam Gum Jayega and Rahein Na Rahein Hum.

For the final song — which she described as “a hug from all of us to Lata Didi” — the audience switched on their phone flashlights as she sang the immortal Lag Jaa Gale. Overcome with emotion, Ghoshal teared up on stage as the crowd rose to its feet in a standing ovation.

Mumbai: After a string of underwhelming Bollywood sequels—War 2, Dhadak 2, Mastiii 4, Jolly LLB 3 and De De Pyaar De 2 — the industry is watching whether Dhurandhar 2 can buck the trend. Exhibitors and distributors are citing strong early demand that suggests the film could break the jinx at a time when Bollywood is grappling with box office volatility and old formulas that are no longer working.

According to film trade analysts, the film will release in India on 5,000–5,500 screens and is likely to record Rs 75-80 crore in collections on opening day, March 19.

Audience appetite has been whetted by the blockbuster success of espionage actioner Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and others. Released in 2025, Dhurandhar is one of the biggest films ever, having grossed Rs. 1005.8 crore in India alone and close to Rs. 300 crore in the overseas markets, according to box office data research firm Sacnilk.

In overseas markets, the sequel has generated advance or pre-release ticket sales worth $800,000.

“This is not an ordinary sequel. Audiences have already bought tickets worth more than Rs 5 crore for preview shows (March 18) alone,” said Shaaminder Malik, a film distributor and trade analyst. “They don’t want to know spoilers before their theatre experience. Tickets are being sold in a premium price range of Rs 300 to Rs 2,500 for a four-hour film. This shows the audience’s eagerness.”

Experts said Dhurandhar 2 is a proper tentpole release expected to drive significant box-office momentum.

“It is already reflected in its ticket sales,” said Gautam Dutta, CEO, revenue and operations, PVR Inox. “It will be the biggest release in terms of screens in India. In fact, a comforting factor is that the film has at least two weeks with no major release, which means the scope for record collections is high.”

Optimism about Dhurandhar 2’s performance increased recently with the release of Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups being delayed--it was to have debuted on the same day.

“The postponement of Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups has effectively cleared the competitive landscape for Dhurandhar 2,” said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films. “When two highly awaited big films don’t clash, exhibitors typically allocate 40–50% more premium screens and show slots to the releasing film, which can materially strengthen its opening-day collection. In theatrical economics, clashes create headlines, but clear release windows create box office records.”

Dhurandhar 2 will be dubbed in all four southern languages, unlike the original, which was released only in Hindi.

“The sequel is dubbed in multiple southern languages, which broadens its reach in the southern territories, thereby significantly boosting its India collections by at least 25–30%,” said producer Rajesh R Nair. Screen density, especially single-screen halls, and overall screen share (over 50%) in the southern markets is higher than in the rest of India.

Conservative estimates by trade analysts suggest the film could record an opening weekend collection of Rs 250-300 crore.

“In the absence of competition, I think the film’s collections could easily be boosted by at least 25%,” said Girish Johar, film producer and industry expert. “Given the high audience interest, I foresee an opening weekend collection of Rs 300 crore for the film.”

On a busy street, a young filmmaker walks into traffic. This is a shoot, but for your phone screens. For weeks now, this young crew has been relying on social media and funny content to get the word out about their film. As they criss-cross India in a caravan, their pit stops double up as trailer screenings, NGO visits, and the occasional scenic halt for a quick reel. Months earlier, the same team was detained in Germany for trying to publicize their film without permission.

This is the team of Nukkad Natak, a social drama set to release on February 27 on the big screen. And, they are doing all they can to market and distribute their film from their own pocket.

Another first-time filmmaker, Sriram Emani, is preparing for his film Jam Boy’s world premiere just blocks away from where immigration policies are written in the US. For a film about an Indian immigrant who may never be allowed to leave the country, premiering at the DC Independent Film Festival 2026 in Washington, DC, on February 15, this is no easy feat.

Neither project has a studio or a marketing budget worth the name. Together, Nukkad Natak and Jam Boy offer a sharp snapshot of what making it looks like today.

Directed and produced by Tanmaya Shekhar, Nukkad Natak is an independent Hindi feature. The film follows two college students who are forced to confront life outside their elite campus after being expelled and sent to work with children in a nearby basti. The idea, Shekhar says, came from growing up around an IIT campus and seeing “two Indias existing within a few kilometres of each other, without ever meeting.”

From the start, the film was conceived as independent. “I always knew this would be an indie,” he says. Years of pitching scripts taught him how slow and uncertain the process could be. So, he wrote practically, avoiding scenes he couldn’t afford to shoot. Even then, money ran out more than once. “The day we finished shooting, we didn’t have money to pay all the vendors,” he admits. Fundraising continued long after the camera stopped rolling.

Speaking about the experience, he says casting, especially a 13-year-old girl from the basti, was one of the toughest challenges. The team conducted acting workshops in government schools near their shooting location, slowly building trust. “We didn’t want a preachy film,” Shekhar says. “We wanted something emotional, where people connect to the characters.”

But finishing the film was only half the battle. Releasing it without a producer or distributor meant inventing a new playbook.

That playbook is now playing out on Instagram feeds and city streets. With Architaa Chawla joining as head of marketing and PR in the final months, the team launched a road-trip campaign across India. They are currently visiting cities where the film would screen, meeting audiences directly, performing with children, collaborating with NGOs, and documenting everything online. They have made humorous reels, launched a series called How to Enter Bollywood, created a Hindi alphabet song, and turned their own learning curve into content. “We wanted to connect directly with people,” Chawla explains. “The film itself is called Nukkad Natak. So we went to the nukkad.”

The now-viral Germany arrest happened during an overseas festival run, when the team tried promoting the film on the streets without clearance. Instead of burying the incident, they posted about it. The honesty worked.

Their strategy also leans on data. One key metric: interest numbers on BookMyShow. “If we can show one lakh people are interested,” Shekhar says, “we can tell theatre owners that audiences exist.” For small films competing with star-driven releases, show timings are everything.

Lead actress Molshri says the pressure is constant. “If this doesn’t work, we go home,” she says plainly. “It’s all or nothing.” But the team has also seen something else on the road: Young artists in smaller cities recognising their own futures in this journey. “They tell us, ‘If your film works, maybe we can do this too,’” says Shekhar.

Jam Boy unfolds in a far quieter way. Written, directed, produced, and performed by Sriram Emani, the dystopian short film follows a successful Indian immigrant in the US who begins to realise that freedom, especially the freedom to leave, may be slipping away.

The film draws directly from Emani’s lived experience. “Once I went to the US, I became very hyper aware of all the parts of myself that I was erasing to belong — my name, my food, my accent, my habits. They want your brain, but not your food or your culture. That contradiction felt like something we needed to talk about,” he says. The film asks what happens when the model immigrant story stops feeling like success and becomes a performance.

Emani chose sci-fi because it allows fear to be visualised. In Jam Boy’s world, visas are needed not to enter the US, but to leave it. The anxiety is familiar. “I should not be afraid to get on a flight and see my mom,” he says. “That happens in jail, not in a country you live in.”

Food becomes the film’s emotional anchor, a memory, a resistance, and an identity rolled into one. “They can change how you dress or speak,” Emani says. “But they can’t change how you eat.”

Unlike Nukkad Natak, Jam Boy has taken the festival-first route. The film will premiere in competition at the DC Independent Film Festival on February 15, followed by screenings at the Boston Independent Film Festival and the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival. For Emani, festivals were always a strategy, not an afterthought. “Making the film is only half the work. The other half is figuring out how it enters the world. As a debut filmmaker today, you are not just a storyteller. You are building a community, a distribution strategy, and a conversation.” 

He adds that where a film premieres shapes how it is read. DC, he felt, was the right place to frame the story as emotional rather than partisan, as he wants the film to be a conversation about belonging rather than policy alone. “Film festivals were never just about screening the movie for me. They are where the film starts a conversation with audiences, policymakers, other filmmakers. Where a film premieres becomes part of its identity,” he explains. 

The response has surprised him. “I underestimated how much it would resonate,” he admits. The film has sparked Q&As, community conversations, and interest from programmers and distributors who scout festivals for new voices. Emani sees this as part of a larger shift. As film equipment is cheaper and barriers to entry are lower, it’s increasingly easier to make a film. But attention, however, is harder to hold. “Indie films grow through communities before they grow through algorithms,” he says. Distribution, he believes, is no longer just a business decision but has become storytelling.

What connects Nukkad Natak and Jam Boy isn’t genre or geography, but the absence of a safety net. One film fights for screen space in Indian theatres. The other fights to start a conversation in policy-heavy rooms. Both are navigating an industry where studios feel distant, money is scarce, and visibility has to be earned inch by inch.

Neither route guarantees success, but both reveal a generation of filmmakers refusing to wait for permission. Could these two films act as case studies into how first-time filmmakers can break into the industry? Quite possibly. 

What they do reveal is how independent filmmakers can’t simply rely on their filmmaking skills alone. As Emani puts it, “Independent films today grow through communities before they grow through algorithms. Unless you have very deep pockets for marketing, word of mouth and genuine connection are the only ways forward.”

At the screening of a documentary feature in the city recently, the attendees were in for a pleasant surprise as actor-producer John Abraham joined them. John, who has been championing the cause of animal welfare, spoke about co-existence and more at the screening of Oslo, which tells the story of a Siberian Husky with a strong Pune connection.

“I’m proud to be associated with this project because it’s a topic close to my heart. I always say ‘Adopt, don’t shop’. At the same time we all should understand that this world is a shared platform. It doesn’t belong to us humans alone,” John told us.

He added, “Cruelty to animals should ends and laws need to change. There are good people in this country and world who work for animals and I wish that tribe grows. We stand up for shared existence and hope the best happens to animals around us.”

Ishita Dutta, recently in Goa for the shoot of Drishyam 3 starring Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Shriya Saran, describes the state as one of her favourite escapes.

“Goa is close to Mumbai, the weather is similar, and it’s ideal for travelling with kids. The resorts and food are wonderful; I often say Goa has some of the best restaurants in the country. I find immense peace and freedom by the beach,” shares Ishita, who spent time here during both her pregnancies.

She reveals that resuming work after having her second baby was unplanned. “I didn’t expect to return so soon. I was planning a family trip when the Drishyam team called. My husband Vatsal encouraged me to take it up, and I’m glad I did. By the time filming began, our daughter Veda was six months old," shr says.

The actress went through a difficult health phase. Diagnosed with gallbladder stones during her second pregnancy, she underwent surgery two months after delivery. “It was an extremely painful period. I lost around 16 kilos in an unhealthy way and became very weak. The first few months with my baby were challenging,” she shares.

Balancing work and motherhood is possible because of family support, she says. “With two young children, you need family. My parents and in-laws have been my biggest strength," adds Ishita.

The Urdu Academy in Lucknow was housefull as writers, professors, theatre practitioners, historians, veterans and cultural figures gathered to welcome literary stalwart Javed Akhtar on the occasion commemorating theatre doyen Shankar Dayal Tewari’s 105th birth anniversary. At the event, the free-wheeling conversation on art, literature, society and cinema naturally opened with Lucknow, as Javed Akhtar spoke about the pride he feels in having spent his early formative years in the city.

Lucknow’s influence, he said, has never faded. “From etiquette to morality, everything I am, comes from here, and even today, that influence remains. Main jab Lucknow aata hoon, toh ehsaas hota hai logon ke manners, taur-tareeqa, baat-cheet mein ki aaj bhi kitna Awadh baaki hai. You see people who left Lucknow 25 years ago, settled elsewhere, still hold pride that they are from this city. They know that if you’re from Lucknow, you have to carry yourself in a certain language and demeanour.”

Drawing a vivid metaphor, he compared his relationship with the city to a fish and water. “It’s like a fish living in water. As long as it’s there, it doesn’t realise the value of water. But when the fish goes out and then comes back, only then does it truly understand what water means. That’s Lucknow for me,” he said.

Lucknow’s distinctive Language, too, became part of the discussion. “It is interesting that people of Lucknow traditionally do not use main; they use hum. People who are not from Lucknow find it a symbol of arrogance. The reason was never pride. Hum speaks of promoting a neutral gender. It is almost vulgar to say, “main jaa rahi hoon or main jaa raha hoon that’s a crude way to talk.”

An alumnus of Colvin Taluqdars College, Akhtar credited the school with shaping his ambition and taste. Recalling an anecdote when he got taunted for asking for expensive shoes, “Children today are born and brought up with sensitivity; it was not the case during our childhood,” he said.

“Today’s parents talk about childcare and understand sensitivity, abhi toh sheeshe ke bachche hain. Hamare zamaane mein jab chaaha peet diya, jab chaaha kuch keh diya. Ya toh mujhe meri aukaat ke hisaab ka school milta, par mujhe Colvin bhej diya. I was around eight years old and wanted the expensive shoes my classmates wore. Rona dhona macha kar, mujhe vo joote dila diye gaye the. Later, I was taunted so much for it that it is still etched fresh in my mind, ‘Bhai, inke toh ameer shauq hain. 19 rupaye ka joota pehente hain, jo ki school fees se zyada ke hain. 17 rupaye school fees aur 15 rupaye inki tuition fee hai’. So altogether I was an expensive child of the family,’’ he laughs.

Javed, who spent days struggling on the roads of Mumbai before finding his footing, reflected on his journey from Jaadu to Javed Akhtar. Asked whether he inherited literature or struggle from his father, the veteran lyricist-poet Jaanisar Akhtar, he expressed, “A child, while growing up, never receives lectures on upbringing. However, the environment involuntarily affects him. Through the osmosis process, he somehow absorbs the air of the atmosphere he lives in.”

That atmosphere, he said, was steeped in literature. “The kind of home I grew up in, there used to be detailed discussions of poets and literature on a day-to-day basis. Poets were discussed like important people. Ghar mein kitaabon ki baat hoti thi. Kaafi literary magazines toh free mein aa jaati thi because of Majaaz Lakhnawi, the famous poet and writer. He was my maternal uncle. ”

Reflecting on his personal life, Javed Akhtar spoke with usual candour about his marriage to ex-wife Honey Irani and his relationship with actress Shabana Azmi. “I have been fortunate in these matters. Honey is an exceptionally good person. It’s okay if our thoughts, value system, thinking and aesthetic had big gaps. However, fundamentally, a person who might share a different personality from you can also be an amazing person. The fact that I share such a cordial bond with Honey goes to her more than me. Both of us have been very civilized right from the beginning,’’ he said.

Their priority, he said, was always the children. “We made sure nothing touched them, that the father isn’t saying one thing and the mother another. Both of us were sensitive that things should not go sour. There is no parting which is not painful, but it’s the job of civilized people to minimize that. If you ask me who my three best friends are today, Honey would definitely be one of them. In this whole scenario, there was also a great deal of grace, large-heartedness and maturity from Shabana too. She never resented these matters. In fact, she was always helping and cooperating with Honey, which resulted in no collateral damage to the kids. Now they are very good friends. I think all the parties have behaved extremely maturely and civilized, which is rare.”

Asked about growing up in the city of Nawabs, the legendary lyricist-screenwriter held forth on his Awadhi roots, expressing, “Once I was having a debate with someone on language, and he said but weren’t you born in Gwalior? Yes, I was, but I stayed there for only a few months. I came to Lucknow as a child and left when I was 12. Psychologists say that by the age of eight, your personality is already shaped. So if there’s anything good or bad in my personality, Lucknow is responsible for it,” said Akhtar.

Shifting to contemporary cinema, when asked how present-day storytelling can reflect the anger of today’s youth, Javed Akhtar said that while aggression continues to exist, society has grown increasingly uncomfortable acknowledging emotional vulnerability. “We all have a lot of aggression. However, society has developed a morality where people do not want to accept that they are hurt.”

Drawing a comparison with Hindi cinema of earlier decades, Akhtar pointed out how emotional expression has significantly changed. “In an average Hindi film of the 1950s and 1960s, you would find at least two sad songs. Today, you hardly see that. We are no longer ready to accept our hurt and our defeat. For us, everything appears hunky-dory. In such a pretentious world, if a middle-class individual grows up, how will he express his anger? He develops a complex about showing sadness,” he said.