Rajkummar Rao’s recent appearance at the Bolti Khidkiyaan film fest set social media abuzz. The actor looked noticeably different from his usual self – a few kilos heavier, with thinner hair and a slightly haggard appearance – sparking widespread concern online. Fans on social media were quick to jump to conclusions, with unverified claims and chatter about his health and career doing the rounds.

When we reached out to Rajkummar, the actor told us, “It’s strange how people can jump to conclusions and get judgemental without even checking the facts. I gained around 10 kg for the upcoming biopic Nikam (based on Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor and politician, known for handling high-profile cases), for which I had to look older. I am also in the transition phase where I am preparing for Sourav Ganguly’s biopic. For that part, I need to lose weight, so I am between certain look tests and that’s how I showed up for the event. There is nothing to worry about. I am simply navigating two demanding biographical roles and hence, the change in my appearance is striking.”

The actor added, “For Bose, I went half bald. During Srikanth, I became the character even when cameras weren’t rolling. My focus is always on fully embodying the character I am playing.”

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On Monday morning, Rajkummar Rao put speculation to rest after his recent appearance sparked concern online. Taking to Instagram, the 41-year-old actor explained that the noticeable weight gain and altered hairline were part of his preparation for his upcoming biopic on Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam.

“It has demanded me to change physically, which I love doing. I’m not a believer in prosthetics as long as I can achieve the look through my hard work, be it gaining weight, looking old (to play a certain age) or to make my hair thin,” he wrote.

Rajkummar gained around 10 kg for the role: “I was eating two pizzas, a lot of sweets and my favourite aloo parathas, biryani, and not using anything glam to look like the part.”

The actor added that he is currently in the “transition phase”, losing the extra weight for a biopic on “our very own Dada”, former Indian cricket team skipper Sourav Ganguly.

Notably, this is not the first time Rajkummar has undergone an extreme physical transformation for his role. “Everyone told me not to go half bald for Bose: Dead Or Alive (2017), or not to stop eating and lose so much weight for Trapped (2017), or not to behave like a visually impaired person even when cameras weren’t rolling during Srikanth (2024),” he wrote, adding, “Hopefully, when you see Nikam, you will be able to see all that hard work... Will always work the hardest to engage you, entertain you through my work.”

Dinesh Vijan’s much-anticipated biopic on renowned public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has once again grabbed headlines after a major casting shift. After months of speculation, Aamir Khan—who was earlier attached to the project—has reportedly opted out. Now, all eyes are on Rajkummar Rao, who has emerged as the frontrunner to lead the film.

While Rao shares a strong rapport with Vijan and Maddock Films—he is currently promoting Bhul Chuk Maaf under the same banner—he has yet to officially sign on.

A source close to the development reveals, “Dinesh is keen on having Rajkummar play Nikam. He brings the right intensity and range to the role. Preliminary talks have been positive, but Raj is immersed in prep for Vikramaditya Motwane’s next, which is a physically and emotionally demanding script since he plays a sportsman. The dates will need to be worked out.”

Vijan is now recalibrating timelines and considering a tonal shift for the film.

“It was always going to be a compelling courtroom drama with a political undercurrent, but now the team is exploring a grittier and more grounded treatment that fits Raj’s style more, if he comes on board,” the source adds.

Nikam is known for handling several high-profile cases, including the 1993 Bombay blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The director of Oh My God and 102 Not Out, Umesh Shukla, wrapped up his next, Aankh Micholi, on March 6, just before the nationwide lockdown was announced. He is currently locking the final edit. “We shot for around 15 days in Switzerland, followed by a 40-day schedule in Punjab. We are lucky to have completed the film just in time,” admits Umesh who doesn’t make films only for laughs, but also weave a social message into the narrative. “This one talks of family values, it’s a blend of magic and logic. My films are clean and devoid of darkness because I want families to enjoy them.”

Prod him for details and he says, it’s a comedy in the Yash Chopra world. “Imagine Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as an out-and-out comedy and you get Aankh Micholi,” he quips. It features Abhimanyu Dassani and Mrunal Thakur and the director points out that his hero Abhimanyu showed spark in his comic scenes with Mahesh Manjrekar in Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota and even Mrunal is a blend of histrionics and humour.

The film, produced by Sony Pictures Films India with Umesh’s partner, Ashish Wagh, reunites him with Paresh Rawal after OMG Oh My God and Umesh informs that the two have known each other since 1986. “I started doing backstage work for his plays. Paresh bhai liked my temperament and made me an assistant director. Then, I acted with him in a couple of plays and finally, I directed him in two-three of them. It’s because of his large heart that I am here,” he says humbly.

Paresh was recently elected as the Chairman of National School of Drama. Considering that both come from a theatre background are there any plans of collaborating on NSD. “Yes, recently we discussed changes and improvements in the current structure. He has a bound progressive plan for the future of theatre and I will help him in whatever way possible,” he promises.

Meanwhile, Umesh’s next is a biopic of Ujjwal Nikam who worked on prominent criminal cases and helped prosecute suspects in the 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the Pramod Mahajan murder case, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, where he was the public prosecutor in Ajmal Kasab’s case. “Yes, my next is on public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam. The script is almost locked and I will start approaching actors soon, I am very excited,” he asserts, saying that, as a producer too, he will roll with multiple projects by early next year, one of them with Nawazuddin Siddiqui to be directed by Sejal Shah. “It’s an incredible story, you won’t believe it’s true,” he signs off.

You may be the biggest star in the country, but when your dad tells you to shut up, you meekly comply. In the wee hours of Sunday, Salman Khan posted a series of tweets about Yakub Memon's death sentence, airing an opinion that even former intelligence officials and retired Supreme Court judges have been favouring - while there is not an iota of doubt that the absconding Tiger Memon was the mastermind of the 1993 blasts and he deserves to be hanged, the same cannot be said of his younger brother Yakub. It was by far the biggest voice of support for Yakub outside civil society and a section of the intelligence community.

But within hours, a full-blooded backlash was on display, both on social media as well on the ground. As the tweets slamming Salman mounted, protests erupted at a few places in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena workers tarred posters of Salman's latest and forcibly stalled screenings.

Politicians weren't far behind. Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said those sympathising with Yakub Memon should also be punished. Others in the BJP went a step ahead and demanded that the actor's bail in the 2002 hit-and-run case be cancelled. The party's Mumbai president Ashish Shelar met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and submitted a letter requesting cancellation of bail. “Very disappointing to see Salman Khan ask for release of Yakub Memon. His (Salman's) bail should be cancelled on the basis of the support for crime,“ he said in a tweet. “Yakub Memon worked on the mission of mass murder. His sympathy can only come from fellow convict who fails to appreciate mercy shown to him.“

The BJP's youth wing protested outside the actor's Bandra home. Ujjwal Nikam, the special prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, also demanded that the actor must withdraw his tweets. “Tweets made by Salman Khan are highly objectionable“ and were an attempt to “undermine the image of the Indian Judiciary,“ he said.

“I would like to ask him whether he knew about the criminal conspirators, or did he term Yakub Memon as innocent from his personal knowledge,“ Nikam, who was the prosecutor throughout the marathon trial. “Does it not mean that by making such remark he is insulting the departed souls of 257 people who lost their lives in the attack on the city and (doesn't he know that) court of law has held Yakub guilty for such a terrorist conspiracy?“ Soon, Salim Khan, who has bailed out his son on several earlier occasions, had to step in and reprimanded Salman publicly. In four tweets written in perfect English unlike the early morning series, Salman retracted whatever he had said.

“I had tweeted that Tiger Memon should hang for his crimes and I stand by it. What i also said is that Yakub Memon should not hang for him,“ he tweeted. “I have not said or implied that Yakub Memon is innocent. I have complete faith in the judicial system of our country.“

In the pre-Twitter era, Salman may have gotten away with saying he was misquoted or quoted out-of-context. Even in the early days of Twitter, something like 'my nephew did it' could have been trotted as a likely excuse. But at a time when screenshots are taken with alacrity the moment someone of consequence says anything controversial, these excuses do not wash. If not Salman, Salim Khan seems to know this perfectly.

While the entire family either switched off their phones or politely refused to comment, sources told Mirror that the tweets seem to have been spontaneous. Yakub's first advocate Shyam Keswani told Mirror that the family did not reach out to Salman nor did he try to get in touch with them. In fact, Salman had mentioned in one of his early morning tweets that he has been thinking about airing his opinion for three days but was initially afraid to do so.

The worst thing about this one-day controversy is that there was virtually nothing wrong in what Salman said. It is a view that is slowly finding takers, especially after Rediff.com published an article by the late B Raman where the RAW man argues that Yakub's actions after he came back and the help he extended Indian security agencies counts as mitigating factor.

If anything, what is disturbing is that anyone can be browbeaten by the mob in the social media age, even if it is a star of the stature of Salman Khan. That and the small matter that the country's biggest star, aged 49, still shuts up when his dad says so.

While most of Mumbai slept, superstar Salman Khan unleashed a flurry of tweets against fugitive don and terrorist Tiger Memon, saying he and not his condemned brother Yakub be hanged for the 1993 serial blasts that killed 257 and injured 713. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Yakub Memon's last-gasp appeal against his July 30 execution today. Starting around 2 am, Salman posted 14 tweets in an hour. The explosive tweets, flaying Memon in English and Hindi, began with “Hang tiger'' and ended with “Hang that...fill in the blanks“. The actor's 13 million Twitter followers 'favourited' and re-tweeted them in a frenzy starting at sunrise. By sunset, a mellower Salman, rapped by his scriptwriter father for tweeting material that had the “potential to create misunderstanding“, retracted the tweets and apologized.

The earlier tweets roused social media, raising the hackles of politicians, religious activists and special public prosecutor in the blasts trial Ujjwal Nikam, who objected to the judiciary's 'undermining.' Protests broke out nationwide against Salman Khan's tweets on Sunday. The actor's effigies were burnt and demonstrations led by BJP workers were held outside his Bandra residence. Around 5 pm, Salman tweeted, “I would like to unconditionally apologize for any misunderstanding I may have created (sic) unintentionally.“

The actor's pro-Yakub tweets came a day before the Supreme Court was to hear the terror convict's plea to stay his hanging, fixed for July 30 at Nagpur Central Jail, where he is lodged in a solitary cell. Also on Sunday, more than a dozen prominent citizens, including senior lawyers, politicians, filmmakers and activists signed and submitted a fresh plea to President Pranab Mukherjee to pardon Yakub. The relevant tweet by Salman was: “1 innocent man killed is killing the (sic) humanity.“

Nikam said in the morning, “Salman is trying to undermine the image of the judiciary. This is objectionable. He ought to withdraw the tweets.“

But former special Tada judge P D Kode, who sent Yakub to the gallows in 2007, said the actor was “entitled to his opinion“. “People have a habit of expressing (themselves), knowingly or unknowingly, on matters without any basis.“

The actor's father, Salim Khan, seemed to agree. He said his son's “tweets are meaningless“. “He is ignorant about the issue and his tweets should not be taken seriously.“

Angry Shiv Sena workers blackened posters of Salman-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan at Satara and disrupted the movie's screenings, which were also disrupted at Mahad in coastal Konkan. Sena chief Uddhav Thackery, though, said such tweets must be ignored.

The BJP was more virulent in its reaction. The party's Mumbai president Ashish Shelar submitted a letter to governor C Vidyasagar Rao, requesting cancellation of bail granted to Salman by the Bombay high court in the 2002 Bandra bakery case.

State revenue minister Eknath Khadse said those sympathizing with Yakub should also be punished and offences should be registered against Salman, MIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and others. Lawyers said the actor should “desist from making irresponsible statements“ given his huge fan following.

Security for actor
The police deployed heavy security outside Salman Khan's Carter Road residence following his tweets on Sunday.By late morning, more than 100 BJP workers had gathered to protest against the actor. To counter them, a group of 20 Samajwadi Party (SP) workers led by the party's city unit chief Farhan Azmi arrived. Around 50 BJP workers and all of the SP gathering were detained. The police said Salman was at his Panvel farmhouse at the time. A senior police officer said that by making derogatory references to Tiger Memon, Salman has invited trouble upon himself as the gangster is a vindictive person. -- S Ahmed Ali