Actor and former Lok Sabha MP Paresh Rawal has backed Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, whose statewide food-safety crackdown has targeted several prominent eateries, analogue paneer and hygiene violations across the state. Mundhe, a 2005-batch IAS officer, is also known for his frequent transfers, with his current posting reportedly his 25th in 21 years. On August 9, Rawal took to X to urge Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to ensure Mundhe is not transferred or “shunted out” of the FDA.

Explaining why he spoke up, Rawal tells us, “The kind of hygiene standards we are following, it is very frightful... So, when officers like Tukaram Mundhe come in, you are always happy and you celebrate.”

Calling food adulteration a “huge sin”, Rawal adds, “If there’s adulteration in paneer and milk, what should one eat?” He also urges people to back officers taking strict action: “Why just industry, even common man can come and raise their voice and say that we need this gentleman.”

With Mundhe’s tough-action image drawing comparisons online with Nayak (2001), the parallel is especially apt for Rawal, who played the CM’s secretary in the film and later assists Anil Kapoor’s character when he becomes CM for a day and pushes through sweeping changes.

Rawal quips, “It’s all fictional! But I wish Tukaram Mundhe stays for years to come.”

Actor Kirti Kulhari says she is feeling “good and surely better” after navigating through a harrowing experience involving an online credit card scam and a subsequent health scare.

Reflecting on, Kulhari shares, “It was one thing after another. It started with the credit card scam, followed by the whole process of filing a complaint and visiting the police station. That eventually took a toll on my health, leading to gastritis and hyper-acidity, which landed me in the hospital after two days of failed medication at home. I think skipping meals for four or five hours at a stretch while dealing with the fallout of the fraud could be the cause, but such is life.”

Recounting the moment the fraud unfolded, she adds, “I was at a movie screening, and later in the evening, during the interval, I checked my phone and saw a notification that a sum in USD had been charged to my credit card. It was for 2.42 lakh, and I was like, ‘Yeh kya hai? Is it some kind of mistake?’ I thought about waiting, assuming it would be reversed. Just like before, when I was in Kerala, a similar transaction for a smaller amount of 35 USD occurred and was immediately reversed. I remember temporarily blocking my card, but everything was fine then.”

“I came back, and raised a dispute with the bank. Next day I connected to the cyber helpline and then completed the process of filing an FIR and bank visits for the next two days. All our lives today are on our mobile and in today’s time it’s difficult to spot frauds that easily, you can’t be too careful, kabhi kisi din ho jata hain,” shares Kulhari.

Regarding the ongoing investigation, Kulhari remains hopeful. “It usually takes a 30 to 45 days period. The investigation is conducted at various levels. Banks will work at their end and so will the cyber cell and Police department to find out what actually happened. At my end I am hoping that the amount has not gone as its credit card and I did block it immediately. So I believe I should be able to hold the amount back and it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Finding a silver lining, she adds, “Today I know that acidity is a big issue and I need to be eating on time, so everything in life happens for a purpose. It happens multiple times in our lives when things are not going in our favour and a person gets caught into a whirlwind of affairs. So it’s just a matter of time, it can be at your side or against you and I feel we as humans can only surrender as everything passes.”

Despite the stress, the actor maintains her professional momentum. “Kaam toh rukta nahin hain,” she notes, as she prepares to head to the Melbourne Film Festival for her film, Full Plate, which has been doing the festival rounds for several months. Additionally, Kulhari has wrapped up her latest film, Kinaare, which is currently in post-production.

Actor Amruta Khanvilkar has issued a legal warning after reports about her marriage to actor Himanshu Malhotra sparked speculation about a separation. On Monday, her legal team shared a statement on Instagram, calling the reports “baseless, defamatory” and privacy-invading content about her personal life. The team warned that those creating or sharing unverified allegations could face legal action, adding that such instances were being monitored and documented.

This comes days after a report claimed that Khanvilkar and Malhotra, who have been married for over 11 years, have been living in separate homes for around 18 months. The report, citing a source close to the couple, said there had been no discussion of divorce or legal separation and that the two remained in regular touch. At the time, the actors had commented they were still married.

The two met as contestants on India’s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj and subsequently began dating, before tying the knot in Delhi in 2015.

Actor Govinda has responded to wife Sunita Ahuja’s repeated claims about his alleged extramarital affairs, saying he sees affection even in her public criticism of him.

Speaking to ANI, he said, “Itne pyaar se gaali deti hain mujhe, aur main khaata bhi hoon unke haath se... She has a rightful claim over the many children in our family who have now grown up. She was also kind to them.”

However, Govinda also questioned why one needs to “bad-mouth” one’s own people to find success. “There are many things that remain unexpressed, things that can never be put into words. If I were to offer just a glimpse of these matters from the outside, would there really be a need to cast aspersions to create a distance? People often view that as an escape. Is it essential to say bad mouth your own people to gain success? That is a bit easy. Sunita does it tactfully. She offers four words of praise or perhaps the praise comes naturally and then voices a criticism. I see more love in that.”

The couple tied the knot in 1987 and have two children, Tina and Yashvardhan.

At a time when filmmakers are grappling with the unpredictability of what will connect with audiences, actor Saurabh Sachdeva believes uncertainty might actually be cinema’s biggest creative advantage.

The actor, known for his roles in films such as Animal and Jaane Jaan (2023) and most recently Satluj and Ishqnama, says, “We don’t know what kind of success we will get from which project. We don’t know which film will work or not.”

He adds, “I always think that’s the best place because uncertainty is the mother of creativity. The more uncertainty we have, the more curious we will be and the more on the edge we will be to make the right project.”

The actor’s remarks come amid conversations around increasingly formula-driven filmmaking and after Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj recently made headlines when it was removed from ZEE5 in India just two days after its digital release.

For Sachdeva, unpredictability should encourage filmmakers to experiment rather than retreat to tried-and-tested formulas. “If we start playing safe, then we will get bored and we will start making bad films, which was happening,” he says, adding, “The formula that we are trying is not working, so it’s better to do something new.”

However, the actor acknowledges that creativity cannot be divorced from commerce. “Business and creativity have to go together,” he says, but cautions against reducing films solely to their box-office numbers. “With the numbers, the film cannot be judged… We are only running after that.”

Salman Khan’s journey is taking him to Afghanistan. On screen, at least. mid-day has learnt that director Vamshi Paidipally has recreated an Afghan village at Prime Focus Studio in Film City, Goregaon, for the ongoing schedule of his next with Khan, the working title of which is ‘SVC63’. 

The set comprises mud-plastered structures, narrow lanes, and weathered homes, designed specifically for several crucial action sequences.

A source revealed, “Nayanthara has joined Salman for this portion of the shoot. The duo will feature together in key action set-pieces. The Mumbai schedule, which began on August 6, is among the most important stretches during which the director plans to wrap a chunk of the action material.”

We’ve learnt that Jackie Shroff will also join the unit in the leg that will go on till early September. The veteran actor apparently plays a pivotal character who steps in when Khan’s protagonist finds himself in a difficult situation.

Operation Safed Sagar is Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s second web series of the year after Daldal. Interestingly, the actor-director has yet to helm an OTT series. There’s a good reason for that. “I have thought of directing for the web, but I will not direct a series when a platform tells me how to direct it,” he told mid-day.

The strong stance comes from years of observation as he acted in four to five series. Almost each set showed him that the director unfortunately had little creative control of their material. “They are all good directors. It’s a three-year project for them. In the first year, they write and rewrite. Second year, they shoot and reshoot. Third year, they edit and re-edit. When the show comes out, they’re gasping for breath,” he shared.

Citing an example of a series he shot a few years ago, Mahadevan recalled, “We did a great scene. Somebody sent the scene to the [streamer], then a person from the streamer came to reshoot that scene. I don’t understand. These are not filmmakers; they have to prove and earn their salaries. Why do they do this to directors, who have a reputation and track record?”

Admittedly, the filmmaker has a few subjects for long format shows, but he is “petrified” of approaching platforms. He said, “Their development [of material] goes into redevelopment faster than the buildings in Mumbai. I’d rather be acting in web series than directing them.”

Imagine Sunny Leone haunting you as a ghost. Does the idea scare you? Well, that’s what writer and director TLV Prasad is going for with his horror comedy, Chudail, which sees Leone in the titular role. The actor recently wrapped up filming in Uttar Pradesh.

So, what’s Chudail all about? Also starring Rahul Dev and Mandana Karimi, the horror comedy is along the lines of the blockbuster Stree, which subverted the idea of evil female spirits. It sees Leone and Karimi in conflict with each other, while Dev portrays a priest who drives the spirit away. 

A source shared, “Set in North India, Chudail sees Sunny as a spirit haunting the streets of Bulandshahr and luring men. But her character isn’t an all-black witch. As the story progresses, it’s revealed that she faced grave injustice in her lifetime and that sparked her need for vengeance in the afterlife. Extensive VFX has been used in the movie to showcase Sunny’s transformation from a beautiful woman to a spirit with glowing eyes and reversed feet.”

For Mahendra Dhariwal, Chudail is a significant project as it marks his 50th movie as a producer. He is planning its release on a grand scale, as he told mid-day, “It’s designed as a pan-India movie, shot in Hindi and dubbed in other languages [Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu]. We shot the film in a haveli in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. Sunny’s Ragini MMS 2 [2014], where she played a possessed woman, was a big hit, and now she is returning as a chudail in the horror comedy. It’s also a musical. We are planning a theatrical release in September-end.”

Almost six months after filmmaker Kabir Khan called action on his yet-untitled biopic on kickboxer Tajamul Islam, the film has entered its final stretch. mid-day has learnt that the team has kicked off the last schedule at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) office in Fort today, after which they will move to Saki Naka mid-week. That is when lead actor Kartik Aaryan will join the shoot.

A source close to the production revealed that Khan has left some of the story’s key portions for the last leg. “The BMC office is one of the first locations, after which they will have an extensive schedule at Saki Naka. After Kartik joins mid-week, he will shoot throughout the month till early September,” said the source.

The movie is being designed as a biographical drama about Islam’s journey to becoming the two-time world kickboxing champion. According to reports, Aaryan plays her coach.

After the actor completes the sports drama, he is expected to face the camera for director Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 4. The buzz is that the horror comedy will begin production in October.

- Islam is India’s youngest two-time world kickboxing champion

- She won the gold medal in the Under-8 category at the 2016 World Kickboxing Championship in Italy

- She repeated the feat in the Under-14 category in the 2021 World Kickboxing Championship

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE has finished its run barring a lakh or two more to come with a little over 130 crore nett. The third week was always going to be the litmus test due to the release of DHAMAAL 4 which caters to the same audience with minor regional variances. The film got badly hit as much of its potential audience post the second week went to DHAMAAL 4.

That third Friday was the big hurdle it could not go through as it added less than 8 crore nett post the second week which is something a film like PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO manages to do due to limited competition. So, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE could have added much more but it was not to be. The film got made with budget constraints and had many issues and would have turned out to be a HIT with a better release date. However, nothing could have been done about the release date.

It was a race against time to get the film ready and the film had to be released in the first half of the year due to the digital deal. So, despite it being a packed period, the date could not be changed. The others around maybe could make changes but WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE had to come. Still the film is a Semi Hit and a good success.

The collections of WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE are as follows.

Week One - 92,04,00,000

Week Two  - 30,51,00,000

Week Three  - 6,00,00,000

Week Four - 1,49,00,000

Week Five - 42,00,000

Week Six - 7,00,000