While he has set boundaries on screen over the years, Rajkummar did bare it all in his first film. “In LSD, I was butt naked in a scene. Of course, it wasn’t cleared by the censor board; it was blurred, but I was scared to do it,” he told India Today, adding, “I also knew that it was my first film and big break, and I couldn’t turn around and say that I’m not comfortable doing it. I didn’t know when I’d get my first film again.”

He was also glad about his parents’ reaction to it: “My mum said, ‘You’re an actor. If your role demands it, then go ahead and do it.’”

While Rajkummar was paid Rs. 11,000 for LSD, Nushrratt didn’t get any money for it. “I always wanted to work with (director) Dibakar Banerjee. When I watched Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), I said that I would work for free with Dibakar and that’s what happened. I didn’t get paid for the film, not a single penny,” she told Zee News in an interview.

LSD marked the entry of many new faces in Bollywood, including Rajkummar Rao. “For my first audition, I wore atrangi clothes, as per the brief. I was asked, ‘What are you wearing? Do you have anything else?’ I said, ‘No’. I was like, ‘S***, I’m gone, he doesn’t like it’,” the actor recalled on the podcast with Raj Shamani.

However, he got a call back and was asked to shed weight from his face. “In one week, I lost a lot of weight. I ran a lot,” he said. While his performance was loved, it left his now wife, actor Patralekhaa “creeped out”. After seeing LSD, she refused to do a music video with him.

Director Dibakar Banerjee had revealed that producer Ektaa R Kapoor was shocked after seeing the film for the first time. And interestingly, it wasn’t because of the content on voyeurism and free-for-all invasion of privacy, but due to the treatment and format of it. The film was shot in a digital format with a hand-held camera, and thus Ektaa asked Dibakar why the camera was shaking so much? She even doubted who will watch the film. Reportedly, the director shared that his producer initially didn’t believe that such an unusual and shocking film would be viable. She also got so paranoid after watching the film that after coming out of the theatre after watching the movie, she was looking for bugs and cameras everywhere around her.

A sequel to the film, LSD 2, was released last year, but it’s journey started on Bigg Boss 16. Ektaa went to the house to cast the female lead, actor Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia. But, she didn’t do the film. Dibakar had said during LSD 2 promotions that the casting on Bigg Boss was just a “PR stunt”.

The comedian-actor Kapil Sharma returns to the screen with the sequel to Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (2015). After months of searching, the makers have found the leading lady in television actor Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia, marking her debut in Hindi films. Director Anukalp Goswami kicked off the shoot yesterday, with Ahluwalia set to join the crew in February. The team has planned a two-month-long schedule spanning Mumbai and international locations.

A source reveals, “Kapil will juggle the new season of the Netflix show, The Kapil Sharma Show with the film shoot. After Zwigato [2023] and Crew [2024], the actor is keen to headline a film. He loved the script and decided to do it this year.”

The actor, who is a household name thanks to his comedy specials, reprises his role in this sequel. Insiders confirm that the film will retain its comedy-of-errors theme but with a fresh twist.

The source adds, “The shoot for Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 will follow a packed two-month schedule. The team starts filming in Mumbai before moving to international locations, giving the sequel a grander scale. The makers hope to wrap production within 45 days.”

The team aims to finish principal photography by April, eyeing a potential release later this year

Physical prowess aside, Khatron Ke Khiladi also tests its contestants’ resilience. Shooting for the reality show’s 14th season in Romania was Nimrit Kaur Ahluwalia’s way of reaffirming what her journey had taught her—that she is stronger than she thinks. The actor, who was diagnosed with depression in 2019, says the past five years have made her realize her inner strength.

“I was diagnosed with burnout, anxiety, and depression due to the long working hours during the shooting of Choti Sarrdaarni. I also had no personal life and experienced loneliness. After my diagnosis, I took a 40-day break, then continued working and started taking anti-depressants,” she recalls.

While Ahluwalia shot to fame with Choti Sarrdaarni, her personal life went through peaks and troughs. After being on medication for a year, the actor switched to homoeopathy. In 2022, she opened up about her battle on Bigg Boss 16.

“About a month before entering Bigg Boss 16, I stopped taking medication to wean off them. I never struggled to find work. In fact, I was at the peak of my TV career. While the world might not see me as a winner, my biggest victory was recovering mentally and physically from the changes my body experienced over the years.”

It is with this renewed sense of confidence that she is building her way ahead. She hopes that sharing her experiences will inspire others, and more importantly, raise awareness about the benefits of seeking help.

“My journey taught me that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes. It’s even more important to reach out for help. I’ve learned that taking care of my mental health is paramount. Success is important, but it means nothing if you’re not happy and healthy inside.”