Three’s already a crowd with Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, and Pooja Hegde featuring in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. What if we told you that another stunner has joined the mix? mid-day has exclusively learnt that Dhawan’s Bhediya (2022) co-star Kriti Sanon has a cameo in the upcoming comedy, featuring in a post-credit song. Apparently, the duo filmed the high-energy number — being described as the film’s “big celebratory finale” by insiders — at the Santacruz restaurant, Eve, on April 16.

According to a source close to the production, the team had been planning a glamorous end-credit track, but Sanon’s involvement was a late addition.

“It was meant to be a fun, youthful track that captures the film’s spirit. Getting Kriti on board was an inspired choice, given her crackling chemistry with Varun in Dilwale [2015] and Bhediya [2022],” said a source.

The song is your classic party number with a packed dance floor, neon-lit visuals, and fast beats. The source added, “Director David Dhawan wanted it to feel like a celebration, not just for the characters, but also for the audience walking out of the theatre.”

For years, Bollywood’s favourite ‘badlands’ lay along the UP-Bihar belt of dusty highways and men with guns and grudges. Now, that compass is swinging North-East, once barely on the mainstream filming map.

In just three years, the region has become the backdrop for Hindi cinema and streaming’s biggest crime and thriller titles. Filmmakers are digging into folklore, cross-border politics, forest corridors, trafficking routes and scenarios where drug deals are struck, ministers beheaded, borders breached, and relationships tested. Basically, a fresh set of tensions and terrain for filmmakers to tap.

‘Anek’ director Anubhav Sinha’s conversations with his Tai Chi teacher from Nagaland led him to explore the churn caused by the stalled 2015 Naga Peace Accord to questions of identity. Varun Dhawan-starrer ‘Bhediya’ draws from Arunachal’s shape-shifting werewolf lore, Kangna Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ was shot across Assam, including Kaziranga and Karbi Anglong, and ‘Fighter’ staged key action scenes at the Tezpur Air Force Station.

And then came the OTT surge. ‘Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke’ shot in Meghalaya’s dense Tura jungles, ‘Paatal Lok 2’ filmed deep across Kohima using Nagamese and local actors. ‘The Family Man 3’ was set in hill and border towns like Kohima, Khonoma, Jakhama, and Jotsoma.

If you ask Simanta Shekhar, chair of the Assam State Film Finance and Development Corporation, this shift was enabled by the building of key infrastructure like roads and airports. The region is also not the tinderbox many outsiders still imagine. “There is less instability and crime indices are low, and people roam till midnight.” He adds, “Almost all the north-eastern states have a woman-centric society, which is reassuring to cast and crew who tend to ask, ‘kitna safe hai?’”

James Handique, the go-to line producer who facilitates shoots in the region, agrees. “People haven’t faced any tensions during shoots,” he says. Only Manipur, with unpredictable shutdowns, remains sensitive.

Where the region still lags is logistics. “Accommodation, availability of equipment and transport often decide whether a production stays or shifts mid-shoot to Thailand or Malaysia which have similar terrain,” explains Handique, adding that govts are now expanding homestays, developing community tourism projects, improving roads and investing in film infrastructure. “Compared to 2011, a lot has changed,” he says, but flying in 300 people from Mumbai is still pricier than shooting in Bangkok.

It’s why, for decades, Handique’s memories of filming in the region were limited to “a few sequences of the film ‘Koyla’ in Arunachal”. Oddly enough, it was reality TV that broke the ice.

“When MTV Roadies rolled into Nagaland, Assam and Arunachal around 2011-12 with a large crew and long schedule, they were amazed. They discovered three distinct visual worlds. Sikkim and Arunachal with snow-capped mountains, Assam with the Brahmaputra plains and rice fields, and Meghalaya with its caves and waterfalls.”

The big wave arrived after the pandemic, when the UP-Bihar template had been stretched thin. The NorthEast — visually spectacular, culturally layered — became an obvious next frontier.

When filmmakers dwell on the region’s darker side, Simanta doesn’t object, as long as the storytelling is fair. “They can show it, but in a positive way of how it’s tackled,” he says. Handique says that The Family Man 3’s depiction of Nagaland as a corridor for narcotics moving from Myanmar “is not factually wrong at all”. If done responsibly, he says, it “can bring the right kind of attention and awareness.”

States have sharpened their pitch. Assam’s new film policy — awaiting cabinet approval — promises “lucrative subsidy” and faster permissions. To help writers explore the region’s hidden histories and tales, Handique says a new writers’ room is forming. “I’ve handpicked regional writers and experts and connected them to national creative teams.”

Folklorist and Guwahati University professor Meghna Choudhury — part of this writers’ bench — hopes filmmakers begin noticing more than “forests, insurgency and inaccessibility”. Locals ensure that the nuances are captured right. For instance, filmmaker Tiakumzuk Aier doubled up as dialect coach, teaching Nagamese and fixing “small details” like names and pronunciation. His troupe from Dreamz Unlimited — among Nagaland’s biggest YouTube channels — turned up in force.

Aier himself appears as a cop in ‘Paatal Lok’ and a Naga minister in ‘The Family Man’. The unit, Handique says, had a crew of 2,000 per day, “out of which 200-300 were locals which gave them experience and training”. Anungla Longkumer joined ‘Paatal Lok 2’ as cultural consultant and was involved in things like scanning the script to making sure costumes of Naga tribes were in the right style and colours. On set, she had authority to remove anything that might “hurt the sentiments” of their communities.

She now wants writers to look beyond familiar tropes. “The region is far more than the headhunter or warrior tribe stereotype.”

Vampires, in director Aditya Sarpotdar’s mind, were an out-and-out Western concept. Think biting cold, dark nights, Gothic architecture, all lending mood to the legend. But he was in for a surprise. “When we were researching, we realised that the idea of betaals preceded the concept of vampires. There are several articles referencing how the Western vampire might have been an offshoot of the betaal idea from the Indian subcontinent,” he shares. That seeded the idea of his vampire dramedy, Thamma.

The Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer is the latest addition to the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU). As he set out to create an Indian world of vampires, Sarpotdar took inspiration from the classic Hindi TV serial, Vikram Aur Betaal.

“Betaal there was quirky, smart, and cunning. He used to pose riddles to Vikram, then let out a distinct laugh and disappear. Nawaz’s character is, in many ways, modelled on that version. He is mischievous, unpredictable, and a bit mad,” he says.

With creator Amar Kaushik and writer Niren Bhatt, Sarpotdar — who previously made the horror comedy, Munjya (2024) — slowly crafted Thamma’s world. The director remembers the first moment he felt this “madness” truly come alive on set. It was during a night shoot at Film City in Goregaon.

Sarpotdar says, “We were shooting in our massive Betaal World set at Film City. When the actors put on their fangs and began performing the physicality of betaals, it felt crazy. After a few nights, it felt like that was where we belonged.”

When it came to casting, the first betaal Sarpotdar finalized was Mandanna. She cracked the first look test, he remembers. “In the look test, when she came out in costume and we gave her the fangs, the first pose she struck was perfect — this without even a brief. There was a certain dread and coldness, yet so much likeability. The way she has used her eyes and body to express that raw, jungle-like quality was exactly what the character needed.”

As much as fans loved the new characters in the MHCU, they equally loved seeing an old resident of the cinematic universe — Varun Dhawan aka Bhediya. A crossover between the MHCU films is a given. In Thamma, it materialised as a crucial Khurrana-versus-Dhawan fight sequence. The director breaks it down saying,

“In the script, we always had the Bhediya versus Thamma face-off planned. Varun does action very well, and Ayushmann has a high-energy style. They had to go at each other at a Batman-Superman level. Varun’s Bhediya is extremely loved, so his entry had to be kickass — that whistle-worthy slow-motion reveal. Then there’s the werewolf’s reveal. Both are designed as big moments.”

With the MHCU being populated by Stree and her rival Sarkata, werewolves, and now vampires, where is this world headed next?

The director smiles, “A lot of people feel there is huge potential for this universe to unfold further. After Stree, Bhediya, and now Thamma, we’re holding on to one wild card — a massive betaal versus werewolf showdown. The animosity between the two has been set up, and when they finally go at each other, it’s going to be a battle of two big superheroes. We want it to unfold in the most fun and mightiest way possible.”

What if we told you that ‘Thamma’ creator Amar Kaushik, writer Niren Bhatt, and director Aditya Sarpotdar go regularly to online forums and glean fan theories? “All three of us love reading fan theories,” laughs Sarpotdar, before adding that the practice inspires them to make the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe richer.

“We go on forums anonymously, read discussions about our films, and bring those ideas back to the drawing board. We all share this mindset of creating something crazier, something that nobody has ever seen before.”

Shraddha Kapoor in ‘Stree 2’; Aneet Padda will lead ‘Shakti Shalini’; Varun Dhawan in ‘Bhediya’; A still from ‘Thamma’

First came ‘Stree’ (2018). Then ‘Bhediya’ (2022), ‘Munjya’ (2024), and ‘Thamma’ followed, each film giving us a unique character and its world. Now, it looks like there’s another new entrant in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU) — Artificial Intelligence (AI). mid-day has learnt that producer Dinesh Vijan is exploring the possibility of creating a full-fledged AI-driven big-screen spectacle that will be a part of the MHCU.

Sources tell us that the idea is currently in the development stage. “There are exciting titles ‘Bhediya 2’, ‘Stree 3’, ‘Shakti Shalini’ with Aneet Padda, and ‘Chamunda’ with Alia Bhatt. The makers want to integrate an AI film into the slate as well. They have high ambitions with the MHCU, and an AI film feels like a natural fit that will widen the possibilities of what can happen in that universe. Things are, however, in the nascent stage,” reveals a source.

‘Shakti Shalini’ is the immediate film the banner is focusing on. Led by ‘Saiyaara’ star Padda, the horror comedy was officially announced with a teaser attached to MHCU’s latest offering, ‘Thamma’. The project is likely to roll early next year. Another source shares, “Work on the AI film will go on simultaneously. If it lands, it may prove to be path-breaking for Hindi cinema.”

mid-day reached out to Maddock Films, which didn’t respond till press time.

The cast of ‘No Entry 2’ has undergone another reshuffle. After Diljit Dosanjh’s recent exit, now Varun Dhawan has reportedly bowed out of the film too. The makers of the Boney Kapoor production, directed by Anees Bazmee, are now scouting for two actors who will bromance with Arjun Kapoor.

The initial cast line-up had Dhawan, Arjun, and Dosanjh in triple role that had fans buzzing. “Varun was very excited about ‘No Entry 2’,” shares a source close to the production, adding that the changes in dates after Dosanjh’s exit “made things a bit complicated”. 

“Now Varun’s dates are locked for ‘Bhediya 2’.” Dhawan will apparently only be free by mid-2026. With both Dhawan and Dosanjh stepping away, the ‘No Entry 2’ team is now back to the casting board. “We’re figuring out the new combinations. Arjun Kapoor is still very much on board.”

Meanwhile, the ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ actor has turned his attention to Amar Kaushik’s ‘Bhediya 2’, which will go on floors by the year-end.

Actor Kriti Sanon recently opened up about how the exhausting demands of film promotions can take a toll on an artiste’s mental health.

“Promotions can be very tiring. I almost had a breakdown when I was promoting Bhediya (2022),” she revealed during a recent episode of YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, adding, “That year, I had two or three other releases, so I had already done promotions two or three times before.”

The 34-year-old highlighted the hectic itineraries followed by the cast during promotions: “We were travelling to different cities back-to-back. We even took a charter at night, jumping cities, sleeping at night, going to another city, doing interviews and repeating the same things again and again. I wished I could have my answers on a tape recorder. Like, dial 1 for this question and 2 for another. By the end of it, both Varun (Dhawan, co-actor) and I had memorized each other’s answers.”

Sanon also recounted her breakdown on the final day of the promotions while getting ready for an appearance on a reality show: “I was getting ready in my vanity van. And during some random conversation, I started crying. I said, ‘I’m very tired; I can’t do this. I’m exhausted.’ Everyone around me froze. Of course, it affects your mental health. Whenever you’re doing things that internally don’t make you happy or you don’t enjoy doing, then you get stressed,” she said. 

As she takes her first steps into Bollywood, Anjini Dhawan has her actor-uncle Varun Dhawan as a guiding force. To the youngster, who is making her debut with Binny And Family, Varun’s filmography also serves as a reference point for the kind of career she wants. She says she wants to emulate Varun’s versatility.

“I want to be able to do an action film, a romantic film, a drama, a comedy, and not limit myself to a specific genre. Varun bhaiyya has exhibited variety. As a teenager, Student Of The Year [2012] was the coolest film for me. He did [comedies], then romantic films. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania [2014] and Badrinath Ki Dulhania [2017] are two of my top 10 movies. [At the same time], I love his Bhediya [2022] and Badlapur [2015]. Now, he is coming with an action film, Baby John,” she says.

Away from home, Anjini is inspired by two actors, whose choice of projects and acting prowess have influenced her. “Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone are my definite favourites. I love their films,” she marvels.

According to Niren Bhatt, we “live in Sarkata’s world”. The writer of Stree 2 is not far from the truth. Through its villain Sarkata that attacked progressive women, Stree 2 depicted the ugly face of patriarchy and championed women’s empowerment. The horror comedy’s runaway success unfolds at a time when the Hema Committee Report and the RG Kar rape-murder case have reiterated the lack of women’s safety in India. Bhatt acknowledges the irony, and hopes the franchise will further the conversation on female agency.

“By itself, a film can never change society. Movies further conversations. The movement in Malayalam cinema is mirrored in a big-screen experience [through films on patriarchy and gender issues]. This blend of reality and fiction sparks conversation and spreads awareness,” says the writer.

The Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer’s domestic gross collection crossed the Rs 500-crore mark. But for writers, the bigger win is to see their messaging resonate with the audience. Is Bhatt conscious of what he shows on screen?

“Writers are also concerned about a movie’s box-office fate. If a film doesn’t work, their future projects come into doubt. Messaging is important to me, but I don’t want to sermonise. I want to deliver it with sarcasm and satire. Bala [2019] was a satire about self-image, Bhediya [2022] talked about the environment, and Munjya’s last scene was about not being a jilted one-sided lover. Stree 3 will take feminism and female agency ahead!”

There has been much chatter about who should be credited for Stree 2’s success. In such a scenario, does the writer benefit from the success? “Yes, we get to tell more stories,” he smiles. But the power that a writer wields has unfortunately changed over time. The recent docu-series, Angry Young Men showed how  Salim-Javed, in the ’70s, would call the shots on their projects. Is such creative freedom afforded to today’s successful writers?

“OTT platforms have empowered writers. But in mainstream films, it will take time. Like Aamir Khan says [in the documentary] that if a writer can sell a film on their name, s/he can command [high] fees. As of today, I don’t see writers [being in a position to charge] Rs. 1 crore more than the leading man. Personally, I don’t think about money first. I’m greedy for better work. But if some writer is able to bring that, it would create a change. Stories over stars is the future.”

In the past week or so, Abhishek Banerjee has become 10 years younger. “That’s what validation does to you,” he smiles. The actor had a stellar week; he was seen as the innocent Janaa in Stree 2 and the cruel local leader Jitender in Vedaa, both films showcasing his range as a performer. He is happiest that they have earned him praise from his father.

“My dad saw both films back-to-back, and was happy that people were hooting at my entry. He never thought I could be an actor, and praise coming from him feels like an achievement. I’m glad he could see this day because we often hear that by the time one delivers a hit, their parents aren’t around to see it,” he reflects.

Banerjee’s fears were not unfounded. The movie industry can be a harsh place, and his journey hasn’t been easy. “Today, the success doesn’t feel delayed at all. I’ve worked hard to be here and enjoyed everything along the way. Also, because I am a casting director, I can assure people that no one ever rejects a good actor. If you’re good, you’ll get [a break]!”

His big break came in Paatal Lok (2020). Before that, he had caught the audience’s attention as Janaa, the lovable friend of Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky, in Stree (2018). Banerjee admits he is emotionally attached to the character.

“He is so innocent and pure that even evil energies are nice to him. Stree let him go [in the first part]. Bhediya is a beast, but is Janaa’s friend. Every time I play him, I feel my soul is cleansed. Janaa is the child version of me. My daak naam [nickname] is Bhola. I trust easily, love a lot, and have faith. Mumbai hasn’t eroded my simplicity. Janaa aligns with who I am. He is the 4 am friend of every superhero in this universe.”

That he is a part of this horror comedy universe with director Amar Kaushik makes it all the more enjoyable. The actor believes there is a lot of Janaa’s simplicity in Kaushik too. “He can give me a look, and I know exactly what he wants. I can read his face. We’re a bit of lovers,” he laughs, remembering how they first bonded.

“I’m the first actor Amar ever directed. He was the second unit director in No One Killed Jessica [2011], and I played a pickpocket. It’s crazy how far we’ve come.”

A popular folk story from the interiors of the Konkan coast has made its way to a popular Bollywood horror franchise. Writer Niren Bhatt and director-writer Amar Kaushik, who made Stree 2 and Bhediya, decided to fashion a folklore into a classic horror comedy—a medium they ace. And thus, Munjya came into being. 

In the teaser this week, the makers introduced the first CGI actor of India, named Munjya. 

Bhatt tells us that the story first came into their lives because of Yogesh Chandekar, who brought to the production house, Maddock Films, a legend from his part of the world. “In a man’s life, there are traditionally considered to be four stages: Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (retirement, originally involving leaving the city to live in a forest), and Sannyasa (renunciation). The Upanayan or Thread Ceremony, known as Munja in Marathi, marks the initiation of a child into the student phase. Sod Munja is another ceremony, usually performed as part of marriage rituals, signifying the end of the student phase and the beginning of the Grihastha phase. If a man dies unmarried after his munja has been performed but before his Sod Munja, he becomes a Munjya: A spirit who resides in peepal trees or near wells. The Marathi expression ‘Baaraa pimpla varcha munjya’ refers to someone with a restless spirit, akin to moving from one peepal tree to another,” Bhatt explains.

A practical explanation for this belief is that peepal trees, with their large canopies, release significant amounts of carbon dioxide after dark. The fear of munjya likely discouraged people from sitting under them after sunset. But where’s the mystery and lore in sciences or logic?

Bhatt and Kaushik developed the story over three years, and for research, visited several wadas and orchards around Dapoli and Ganpatipule where Munjas have been ‘tied down’. “Everyone has a munjya story but has never actually met a munjya,” Bhatt explains.

“Kissi ke sarr pe baith gaya; kissi ko pathar se maara. A ceremony is conducted to control the bal rakshas. He is a monster but a child because he died young. He bothers people to fulfill his desires, and usually wants to get married. Munjyas aren’t typically malicious; just juvenile, petty nuisance. They really seem to like pelting stones at those standing underneath trees.”In their story, the munjya somehow breaks free of the peepal tree and wreaks havoc.

At this point, Kaushik who was in a shoot, steps in. We ask whether three years of reading and researching ghosts and spirits plays on their mind.

“Sometimes,” Kaushik says, “during the writing process, we wondered whether munjya visited in our dreams. Our films are made out of our nightmares; whenever we are writing, we are perpetually scared. If someone overhears conversations from the writers’ rooms, they’ll think we’re tantrics. A lot of it we carry home and it does play on our minds because Niren reads some 10 books. We then dissect and go watch YouTube videos on real stories of such incidents. By the end of it we have a mix of bizarre, boring and cinematic. The funny stories however come from the locals, when we go on recce. Most of it is not written anywhere. What we forget is that when it comes to ghosts, everyone has a story and it is not scary in itself but in how it is told. Sometimes at the end of a long writing session, we go through our own material and wonder, What on earth are we writing? But ‘more outrageous, more hilarious’ has worked for us.”

Such haunting folklore from varied sub-cultures is new to mainstream movies. After the success of Kantara last year, there is an increased emphasis on finding tales grandmothers narrated: Of kings and demons, and spiritual connection between humans and spirits.

“If you see the movies we have worked on,” Bhatt says, “they also tell the tale of the milieu. Stree is from Chanderi; there are over 42 archaeological sites in the vicinity. So her legend is born out of that world. The architecture, the heartland tropes all indicate why such a tale would have come about. It is steeped in history. Similarly, Bhediya is from the jungles of North East. Local beliefs and ideas get woven into the film. In Munjya too, there is an attempt to weave in the subculture of the Konkan belt, their fears and beliefs make up the composite of the story we have written. The sea is a big part of the belief system.”

This affinity to tell a story authentically pushed Kaushik to pass the director’s baton to Aditya Sarpotdar, best known for his Marathi horror flick Zombivili. “You can’t make good films if you accept baggage,”

Kaushik says, “There is no pressure to make you laugh. There is no pressure to send a message. We wanted to bring back nani ki kahaniyan. To remain as pure in storytelling. It’s about the story and the characters, the world and in the end, it should be entertaining. Pressure of any kind brings competition, and the minute you compete in any way, you stop being you. You are no longer unique. The beauty of this world and all the horror comedies we tell and want to tell is that they have to be unique. We look for why this legend first appeared and what makes it so popular. Legends tell you everything you have to know about the people and that society. The ghost, spirit, monster, is also a character. We treat it with much empathy: What’s his backstory? Who was he in human form? What was his state of mind when he died? What are his unfulfilled desires?” 

Will Munjya and Stree have an Avengers-like reunion in the near future? “If a film works, it has the legs to be more—a sequel, a spin-off, a multiverse. We didn’t write Munjya as the male equivalent of Stree. We didn’t write Bhediya with the potential to cross wires with Stree either. But it’s a good thing that there are cross connections. The possibilities are endless,” says Kaushik.

Director Amar Kaushik is busy with the post-production of Stree 2, the sequel to Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor’s 2018 horror comedy. Meanwhile, another sequel is vying for his attention. Sources tell us that as soon as Stree 2 reaches the finish line, the filmmaker will focus on the script of Bhediya 2, which will see Varun Dhawan reprise his role of a shape-shifting werewolf.

It turns out Niren Bhatt, who penned the script of Bhediya (2022), has begun writing the second instalment on the basis of the plot that Kaushik and he have discussed. “Bhediya was always envisioned as a franchise. It’s a part of producer Dinesh Vijan’s horror comedy universe. After Stree 2 is delivered to the studio by March, Amar and Niren will sit on the script of Bhediya 2 and have the final draft ready by mid-2024,” says a source.

The film is expected to roll later this year. The source adds, “Varun is shooting for Atlee’s production, after which he has three more projects. He will then turn his attention to Bhediya 2.”

Aparshakti Khurana enjoyed playing a key character in filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s OTT release Jubilee, something he hasn’t done a lot in Bollywood. Has OTT been a better platform for him in terms of getting meatier characters? “As an actor, I am not limited to one type of role. Main sab kuch karta hoon. I am not the one who will say, ‘Mujhe OTT hi karna hai’. I take everything with a pinch of salt. Jo aata hai, kar leta hoon,” he says.

The 35-year-old goes on to share that like OTT, even films are exploring offbeat subjects these days. “Variety toh har jagah hi hai. It’s just that on OTT, the stories are explored in depth. A lot of different kinds of films are being made in Bollywood too, Bhediya, Drishyam 2 and An Action Hero (all 2022), for instance. They all have an audience too. So, I won’t say sirf OTT par hi alag cheezein ho rahi hain,” says the Dangal (2016) and Stree (2018) actor.

Shedding light on the advantage of working on web shows, he says that characters get more time to become believable. “Writers can do more justice to the world and characters. Films mein aap nahin dikha paate ho ki hero ke baap ke dimaag mein kya chal raha hai. Sometimes, you can’t even do that with the protagonist in a two-hour film,” says Khurana, who will next be seen in the film Berlin.

In her showbiz journey over the last nine years, Kriti Sanon has been a part of films of diverse genres. After making her debut with Heropanti in 2014, she made a mark as the quintessential Bollywood heroine in several big-ticket films. But she didn’t stop at that. She went on to pick roles that gave her a chance to push the envelope and showcase her range as an actor. In 2021, Kriti won immense appreciation for her role as a surrogate mother in Mimi and the Filmfare Award for the Best Actress, which was followed by the creature comedy Bhediya last year, a genre that hasn’t been explored in Bollywood much. In a conversation with BT, the actress talks about how she’s constantly changing gears in her career and the surprises she has up her sleeve for the audience this year. Read on...

Success at any time is what we all are looking for, especially in times like these where films are struggling a bit to do what they should do or would have done in another time. So, when Bhediya got the reactions it did and performed well, it gave me a little more confidence in my own choices.

It was one of those films that I was extremely sure of when it came to content. Also, I knew we had done something unique in terms of its VFX. When you are absolutely sure of something and that doesn’t end up working then you start questioning your thought process, your choices and decisions. You start wondering if your choices are still resonating with the audience and that is a scary feeling. Bhediya was, in fact, one of the first few films that I was not nervous about. Sometimes you are aware that the part that you are playing in a film isn’t long in terms of screen time, but it is relevant and there is meat in it. I also did the film for that one twist (in the climax). I am glad Bhediya got the love it deserved.

The audience can probably look forward to far more versions of me. It starts with a very glamorous one which is a family entertainer, followed by probably my biggest film, Adipurush, which I am extremely proud of. Then there is a lot of action coming in with Ganapath, something I have done for the first time. You will see me ride a dirt bike, throw kicks and punches and also use a weapon. I am also doing a quirky love story with Shahid Kapoor. We are teaming up on screen for the first time, so you will see fresh chemistry. Then there is The Crew, which has three women (Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and me) coming together, having a lot of fun and creating something amazing.

No. I don’t think we can make our future choices in retrospect. It isn’t a good way to move ahead. We can’t say... ‘Achcha this has worked, so let me do this’. Because that film has worked at that time. I believe that every film and genre have the right timing. Timing is important in terms of when the film is releasing and what the audience is craving for. I go by my gut feeling and instinct. When I hear a script, I try to see if it gets me excited as an actor, as an audience or both. I don’t want the audience to put me in a box where they say if it is a Kriti Sanon film toh aisi hi hogi. I want to give them a variety of content and characters. After Bareilly Ki Barfi, I was getting small-town roles one after the other. So, I did the war epic drama Panipat. Then I took up a strong and meaty role in Mimi and moved on to the next level. I want to shift the gear constantly and not stay in one particular zone. You have to move on and think what’s next, otherwise you will stagnate.

I have been here for nine years and I am glad that finally people are seeing the actor in me. Having said that, I don’t think I have reached even 50 per cent of what I can do. There is a lot more I can offer. Sometimes the opportunity you get gives you a lot to do and you shine. Sometimes it is limited in terms of what the role is or what the screenplay is. There is only so much for you to perform and do. Then there is a film like Mimi, which gives you the range and kind of scenes where you can go all out and shine. So, it is a matter of getting the right opportunity at the right time. I am just glad that people are seeing me in different zones. I am glad Om Raut saw me as Janaki for Adipurush, Vikas Bahl saw me kicking ass as Jassi in Ganapath, Rohit Dhawan saw me as this glamorous urban girl for my upcoming film, Shehzada. I feel excited and blessed in this phase, which probably is the best of my career. It took a lot of consistency, passion, hard work and belief in myself to get here. It is only when you believe in yourself that someone else will believe in you. I’m happy with where I am today, but I still feel that I am not even close to exploring half of my potential. I want to do more. So, you just believe in yourself and hold on closely to the people who are with you when you are not doing well! I think that is very important, too.

THE KASHMIR FILES remained the biggest grosser of the year as far as outright Hindi films go though if the film did not get sponsored screenings, the business would have been less than the likes of DRISHYAM 2, BRAHMASTRA and BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2. It is impossible to tell what is the actual organic collection of the film but the facts say it is the highest grosser of the year. However, if all things were equal it would had been DRISHYAM 2 as the top outright Hindi film of the year.

The total collections of the top 25 films amounted to 1859 crore and there will probably be another 5 crore nett to come from the films still running. So lets say a total of 1865 crore nett from the top 25 films. The same in 2019 was 3500 crore with the top ten films alone easily covering the 1865 crore of 2022. This 47% down from 2019; its a huge drop and the figures show the dire situation. Its a horrible scene outside the top five grossers.

Basically business has gone back ten years as in 2012 the top twenty five films picked up around 1950 crore while in 2011 it was 1500 crore. The overall picture is not too bad as there was KGF - CHAPTER 2 (Hindi) and RRR (Hindi) but this will not happen every year. If same time next year, we are up 50% it would be a good result and anything more will be a bonus. Obviously you want to see the major 25 films put up 3000 or 3500 crore like in 2019 but it may take longer to get there.

The top twenty five grossers of 2022 are as follows.

1. The Kashmir Files - 2,46,91,00,000

2. Drishyam 2 - 2,32,00,00,000 (52 days; Still Running)

3. Brahmastra - 2,30,23,00,000

4. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 - 1,81,65,00,000

5. Gangubai Kathiawadi - 1,26,32,00,000

6. Vikram Vedha - 79,53,00,000

7. JugJugg Jeeyo - 78,53,00,000

8. Ram Setu - 72,72,00,000

9. Samrat Prithviraj - 68,06,00,000

10. Bhediya - 60,25,00,000 (45 Days; Still Running)

11. Laal Singh Chaddha - 59,58,50,000

12. Bachchhan Paandey - 49,00,00,000

13. Raksha Bandhan - 45,23,00,000

14. Shamshera - 41,05,00,000

15. Ek Villain Returns - 39,74,25,000

16. Cirkus - 35,75,00,000 (18 days; Still Running)

17. Runway 34 - 33,51,50,000

18. Thank God - 32,98,50,000

19. Uunchai - 28,65,00,000 (59 Days; Still Running)

20. Heropanti 2  - 24,91,00,000

21. Doctor G - 24,33,50,000

22. Jersey - 20,46,50,000

23. Badhaai Ho - 18,97,00,000

24. Jayeshbhai Jordaar - 16,59,25,000

25. Jhund - 14,30,50,000

This year, the Hindi film industry has seen more shockers than surprises. Some highly anticipated – even heavily promoted – films saw a tepid response at the box office. On the other hand, south films like Vikram and Ponniyin Selvan - Part 1 are sending cash registers ringing across India, while RRR is making waves globally. It’s also been an especially good year for the Kannada film industry, that gave hits like KGF - Chapter 2 and Kantara.

In Hindi film industry, while Gangubai Kathiawadi, The Kashmir Files, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Brahmastra and Drishyam 2 struck gold, there were also many disappointments.

Still, the industry insiders says that it has been a year of immense learning, and one that is winding up with a lot of hope and promise. In a panel discussion, filmmakers, exhibitors and trade experts discuss the ups and downs of 2022, the myths that need to be busted and how the chaos has given them clarity for the way ahead. Excerpts:

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures, agrees that the exhibition industry has been slow to recover since the pandemic. However, he adds, “I think, for the lack of a better word, there has been a lot of negativity in the media about people not going to the theatres in big numbers. It is maybe partly correct for some languages, but for the whole cinema exhibition business, when you compare 2022 with 2019 (pre-COVID times), the admissions are down only by 10-15%.”

Having said that, he says that the box office collections are where they were in 2019, since ticket prices have gone up by 14-15% or more. “One could argue that we have lost out on business from 2020 to 2022, therefore, the collections now should have been 10-15% more, but we, as exhibitors, are taking solace in the fact that people have gone back to the theaters in such large numbers despite the two year-break. It’s true that a good number of films in several languages – Hindi films most notably – have underperformed. But it’s also true that our business is of peaks and valleys and we have had similar phases in the past. We are drawing a lot of confidence and inspiration from the learnings of 2022, and I think 2023 will hopefully correct some of the anomalies that we have seen in Hindi cinema and some other languages,” says Kamal.

Director Abhishek Pathak, who delivered one of the biggest Bollywood hits of the year with Drishyam 2, which he also produced, excitedly adds, “I think Drishyam 2 broke the myth that only spectacle films are bringing back the audience. We didn’t rely on songs or heavy promotions. It is pure content that drove the audience to watch the film. The franchise also has a fan following that helped the film. Today, the audience knows what they want to watch. The myth that people won’t come to the theatres has been broken. People don’t want to sit at home and watch movies on OTT all day, they want to go out and watch films on the big screen.”

Director and producer Nikkhil Advani whose Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures has backed films like Batla House, Marjaavaan, Indoo Ki Jawani and the web series like Unpaused, is convinced that a certain section of people can’t control the narrative anymore,

“The big learning this year has been that the spin doctors have to pack up their business. They can’t spin anything. Pre-pandemic there was the notion that they could control the narrative by putting out reviews, ratings and influencers to talk about the film. You can’t rely on that anymore. The guy who has paid for the ticket is on a chat group where he will send a message to 300 other people and by evening, the word will be out. Why did people go to watch KGF 2, RRR, Kantara? It is because they felt they would get value for their money. The narrative has now become universal. I think 2023 is going to be a big year.”

Vikram Malhotra, CEO and founder, Abundantia Entertainment, who has backed films Ram Setu, Jalsa and Shakuntala Devi, is all charged up about the slate of films in the coming year and believes that the recent learnings have given him a lot of clarity for the way ahead. He says, “I am walking into 2023 with some mixed feelings, but a whole lot of clarity. Mixed feelings because we are coming out of a challenging year, especially for the Hindi film industry, but what we are positively happy about is that there’s an absolute demand and people are willing to come to the theatres in big numbers. An industry goes into a challenging situation and existential crisis when the demand dries up. What we are seeing with films like Drishyam 2 is that people are willing to come in and spend their time and money, provided they see value in it. The reason I am saying we have some clarity is because we know content is what is pulling people back to the theaters. We even know that the conventional markers of what would draw people to the theatres and result in success – whether it was star appeal, budgets, or genres – we have to throw all of that out of the window. For the last decade or so we have been dealing with truckloads of myths. Self-created myths and markers – like ‘this hero will work or won’t deliver’, ‘this genre will work’, et al. What we now know is that we cannot go back to the audience with sub-standard content or take them for granted.

Stressing how the second half of 2022 brought a lot more stability with it, Akshaye Rathi, Director, Saroj Screens, explains, “The first half of 2022 was shaky, but in the second half, we started seeing a degree of stabilization and consistency, in terms of footfalls. Earlier this year, we were seeing a lot of mid-segment films not making any impact at all. But films like Bhediya, which is still running, brought back the audience for the non-tent-pole films. There was a notion that only films like KGF - Chapter 2 and Brahmastra would work, so it was good to see Bhediya do well, and Drishyam 2 perform exceedingly well. Let’s face the fact that the two years of sitting at home and consuming online content changed the audience’s palate. Unfortunately, a lot of movies that were made before the pandemic had to bear the brunt of rejection from the audience. The failures and successes of all these films will make our industry and our entire value chain wiser. We are now moving towards consistency and we will end the year with a bang.”

Excited about the bouquet of films awaiting us on the other side of 2022, trade analyst Girish Johar says, “I am bullish about 2023. We have big titles coming our way, also from the Hindi film industry (which has taken a beating this year). The other languages have come up in a big way too. Today, the screen no longer matters, it’s the content that is the key here. Earlier we would say that the audience can see the trailer and decide, now we say that they can smell the product. One thing I see increasingly diminishing is the language barrier. Earlier, the audience who consumed Hindi movies knew of Rajinikanth, Mohanlal sir and a few big south stars. Today, so many of them are household names. It is a positive sign.”

If 2022 has been a year of introspection for Varun Dhawan, he is approaching the coming year with only one thing in mind: action. The actor will open the year with Bawaal, which gave him the opportunity to collaborate with Nitesh Tiwari — a director who had long been on his wish-list. Working with the filmmaker was everything he had hoped for.

“I am excited about Bawaal. Ajju bhaiyya is a character I loved playing. The film will be a fun ride,” he says of the love story that also features Janhvi Kapoor.

Besides Bawaal, the actor has the Indian version of Citadel, helmed by Raj-DK, in the pipeline. Rumours also suggest that he will team up with director Anees Bazmee for an action comedy. “Anees sir and I will work together at some point; it’s only a matter of when. But right now, there’s nothing [on the cards]. He is making another film.”

While Bazmee is certainly on his wish-list, some more directors have piqued his interest with their distinct voices. “There are so many directors I want to work with — from Lokesh Kanagaraj, to Atlee. I would also love to reunite with Shashank Khaitan and Amar Kaushik.”

Chances of Dhawan reuniting with Bhediya director Kaushik are high. Fans are speculating that the actor will be seen in a cameo in the director’s next, Stree 2, after Stree’s leading man Rajkummar Rao made an appearance in Dhawan’s monster comedy.

“Dinesh Vijan [producer] and Amar are keen to revisit the Bhediya character. You saw Stree’s characters [make an appearance] in Bhediya, and now, [it will be vice versa].”

The evolution of a ‘shared universe’ — which primarily consists of a franchise featuring an umbrella of multiple movies, each telling its own stand-alone story focusing on a different character (or group of characters) and set within the same continuity — appears to be the direction the film industry is headed. And like the West, which regularly releases blockbusters through the Star Wars, Marvel and DC universes, Bollywood also appears to have adapted to the trend.

Take, for instance, Singham (played by Ajay Devgn), Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar), and Simmba (Ranveer Singh), who assembled to fight the baddies in Rohit Shetty’s film Sooryavanshi. In fact, the filmmaker has even announced the fourth instalment in this ‘copverse’, Singham Again, which has a new addition: Deepika Padukone, his first female cop!

Another instance of this trend infiltrating Bollywood can be seen in the works of producer Dinesh Vijan, who has already begun creating the characters for his horror-comedy universe. The latest release, Bhediya, starring Varun Dhawan, included a special cameo by actors Rajkummar Rao and Aparshakti Khurana (from the cast of Stree, 2018).

Hardik Mehta, who helmed Roohi (2021), also by Vijan, tells us, “A good film [regardless of universe or franchise] will last longer. I was pleasantly surprised by Bhediya’s end, though. What I liked about it was that the main story was not dependent on Stree.”

Hussain Dalal, the writer of films such as Mere Pyaare Prime Minister and the upcoming Shehzaada, says, “This universe is a format that guarantees success. It’s an intelligent thing that the West taught us.”

Dalal also wrote the dialogue for Brahmastra (part of Astraverse), which was a big hit and audiences will see the plot unfold in its pre-declared trilogy. From a producer’s perspective, too, exploring this seems to be a lucrative option, as Anand Pandit notes: “I think it’s very interesting. As a producer, you can stick to your genre and create loyal viewers. This universe concept will absolutely work. And if the content is good, that will be an add-on.”

However, trade expert Atul Mohan says the Hindi film industry “always copies the trends in the West”. “The problem with us could be that unlike Hollywood, where they work on it (franchises) properly, here they look at franchises as a gimmick,” he adds.

To Varun Dhawan, his career so far could well be divided into two distinct phases — pre- and post-pandemic. Such has been the shift in his choice of films during the period. His recent choices have been evolved — be it JugJugg Jeeyo that saw him as a man dealing with his parents’ divorce while his own marriage is falling apart, or Bhediya that had him play a shape-shifting werewolf. He says the movies are the result of a much-needed introspection.

In a year when most Hindi films struggled to open to respectable numbers, Dhawan is happy that the audiences headed to theatres to watch his offerings. “It has been such a strange year, [with films] trying to get people back to theatres. I expected Bhediya to do [better box-office] numbers than it did. Having said that, I am grateful that people have seen the film in cinemas, and its [collection] is higher than that of many. It tells you that you should try and do better.”

In the past 10 years, the actor became synonymous with mainstream masala movies. But one can’t forget that he also attempted unconventional stories in Badlapur (2015) and October (2018). The learnings from these films reflect in his present work. Going forward, Dhawan is happy to do such movies, while ensuring that they are commercially viable.

“Honestly, when I have to cut down my price to do these films, I will do it because a film calls out to [the artiste] in you. Similarly, when I have to do a Bhediya, or movies that have a larger vision, I’ll make it in a certain way. My approach is simple — we should make a good film, and the producer should not lose money. Box office is important, but sometimes, I want to do movies because they are unmissable for the actor in me.”

Is the sequel going on floors soon? That has been a constant query of cinephiles over the past four years since Stree (2018) became a sleeper hit at the box office. In some ways, the Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer brought the genre of horror comedy to the fore in Hindi cinema, and amassed a loyal fan following. While reports of Stree 2 being in development have been doing the rounds since last year, mid-day has learnt that director Amar Kaushik will take the second instalment on floors in March 2023.

Kaushik, who had been busy with Bhediya over the past few months, is now giving his undivided attention to the Rao-starrer. The unit has begun pre-production for the film that will roll in Delhi. “While Stree was shot extensively in Chanderi and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, this time around, the narrative moves to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The film will be shot in four cities, beginning with Delhi and the outskirts. The team will then move to Uttar Pradesh for an extensive month-long schedule. The final draft of the script is ready, and Amar is currently locking the three cities that will serve as the backdrop,” reveals a source.

Hailed for its themes of gender role reversal and feminism, Stree revolved around a witch who is believed to abduct men at night. Rao’s Vicky and his friends — essayed by Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee — set out to find the truth behind the legend after they suspect a mysterious woman, played by Kapoor, of being the witch. While the quartet will reprise their roles in the sequel, Pankaj Tripathi is likely to give it a miss. But there is said to be an addition to the cast.

The source adds, “Varun Dhawan will make a special appearance. Amar and the writers have woven in his character from Bhediya, thus bringing together the universes of the two distinct horror comedies.”