Upala KBR (MID-DAY; January 21, 2020)

High on the success of Total Dhamaal (2019), filmmaker Indra Kumar had announced the sequel to the comic caper. However, before he rolls out the ensemble comedy, the director will wield the directorial baton for a project featuring Ajay Devgn and Sidharth Malhotra. mid-day has learnt that the two-hero film will be a departure from the mindless entertainers that Kumar is known for, and will drive home a social message, laced with comedy.

A trade source says, "The filmmaker had narrated three scripts to Ajay. Since he has done a spate of serious movies including biopics, actioners and historical dramas, the actor was looking for a light-hearted comedy. Ajay zeroed in on this script as he liked the larger point the story tried to make while eliciting laughs. The film is along the lines of the Munna Bhai series as it revolves around two bumbling do-gooders with hearts of gold, who are out to reform society. It has been Indra Kumar's passion project; he had been scripting it for years. He is thrilled that the story will finally be translated on screen."

The movie, also featuring Rakul Preet Singh, is likely to go on floors in May after Devgn wraps up the shoot of S S Rajamouli's RRR and Abhishek Dudhaiya's Bhuj: The Pride of India, and Malhotra completes Shershaah. "Sidharth is thrilled about the project as this is the first time he will try his hand at comedy. Currently, the filmmaker is fine-tuning the script, following which pre-production will start in March."

Producer Deepak Mukut, who backed Anubhav Sinha's Mulk (2017) earlier, says, "The film is dramatically different from what Indra Kumar used to make earlier. We will make a formal announcement shortly."

Stationed In The South
Ajay Devgn is set to commence shooting for S S Rajamouli's RRR today. A source close to the production says, "It's a 25-day intense shooting schedule in Hyderabad. The team has been working on the pre-production, and has been building massive sets in the city. Ajay will shoot along with South megastars Ram Charan and Jr NTR over this schedule." The ensemble cast also includes Alia Bhatt, and foreign actors Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris. The makers are eyeing a year-end release in 10 languages.