May has been busy for Saiyaara (2025) star Aneet Padda, who was shooting the final schedule of her next, Shakti Shalini. Like all good things, this one came to an end too. On May 27, director Aditya Sarpotdar wrapped the horror comedy at Chitrarth Studio in Powai, where they filmed an elaborate sequence that sees the celebration of the protagonist’s victory over evil.

The latest chapter in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe sees Padda in a double role — as an ordinary woman-turned-protector Shakti, and an evil spirit Shalini. The story revolves around the vengeful ghost who punishes men, as she was betrayed and killed in a brutal manner, and her eventual face-off with Shakti.

About the last day of the shoot, a source shared, “Massive sets depicting a Rajasthani village and the interiors of a house were built. The sequence shows the village people, especially women, celebrating the defeat of evil.”

Things have progressed briskly on Shakti Shalini — also starring Vishal Jethwa and Viineet Kumar Siingh — since the horror comedy rolled in March. In early May, Padda and the team headed to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The source elaborated, “Viineet, who portrays the antagonist, and Aneet shot the climax across Chambal, Datia, Antri, Panihar, Gwalior, and Morena in Madhya Pradesh. They filmed significant portions in Dholpur and Barkhandi in Rajasthan. Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas joined the unit in May.”

Matka King’s trailer teased a story fronted by Vijay Varma, Sai Tamhankar, Kritika Kamra, and Gulshan Grover. But as director Nagraj Manjule’s maiden web series drops on Prime Video today, we’ll see another actor in the cast. Towards the end of the series, Viineet Kumar Siingh is seeded as a character, who goes on to become important in the already planned second season.

Insiders revealed that Manjule deliberately kept Siingh away from the promotions to maintain intrigue. “His character comes towards the end, but it’s meant to shift the narrative. The actor shot his portions mid-2025. His character leaves things at a point where you know he will matter a lot, going forward,” said an insider.

Set in Mumbai of the 1960s, Matka King revolves around a small-time cotton trader who starts a gambling racket.

Everyone has wanted to see more of Aneet Padda ever since she broke out with the sleeper hit, Saiyaara (2025). What if we told you that you’ll see two of her in her next, Shakti Shalini? mid-day has exclusively learnt that Padda plays a double role in Aditya Sarpotdar’s directorial venture, which is the next chapter in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe.

As the film’s title suggests, producer and co-writer Amar Kaushik and director Sarpotdar have etched out two powerful roles for the actor — the protector Shakti, and the evil force Shalini. From what we’ve heard, the horror comedy will see Shakti as an ordinary woman who transforms into an indestructible force when her family is attacked by an evil spirit.

A source told us, “Rooted in Bengali folklore and mythology, the movie revolves around the eternal battle between good and evil. The story is about a vengeful female ghost, dwelling in trees and water bodies, who punishes men, as she was betrayed and killed in a brutal manner. In Bengal, the goddess invoked to destroy evil spirits is Goddess Kali. She is recognised as the ultimate form of Shakti. Here, the character Shakti is pitted against the spirit.”

Sarpotdar took the project, also starring Vishal Jethwa and Viineet Kumar Siingh, on floors in Mumbai last month. The unit is currently shooting in Madh Island, where a massive set, depicting a small town in West Bengal, has been built.

The source added, “Next, they will head to Madhya Pradesh for an extensive schedule. Crucial scenes will be filmed in Datia, Gwalior, Morena, and other towns.”

A jilted husband-turned-gigolo is a role that Viineet Kumar Siingh had never been offered before. Naturally then, given his pursuit of novelty, the actor was immediately drawn to Rangeen. “I love to experiment. Just reading three episodes of Rangeen, I was sure I wanted to do it,” he smiles.

But before he said yes, the actor wanted to ensure he could trust the makers. The series, which also stars Rajshri Deshpande and Taaruk Raina, is created and written by debutants Amardeep Galsin and Amir Rizvi. “The subject is so sensitive that I needed to consider the people associated with it. I saw that Kabir Khan sir [producer] was there, as was Amazon Prime Video,” he says.

Rangeen tells the story of a woman who is stuck in an unfulfilled marriage and gets involved with a gigolo, which in turn makes her husband reevaluate his life. With the show examining the loneliness of the three prime characters, we ask Siingh whether he experienced loneliness over his two-decade career. “When you come to a city like Mumbai, your beginning itself is with loneliness,” he candidly shares. But to him, it’s not a disadvantage. If anything, he believes the sense of isolation can become an armour for an artiste.

“That emotion remains alive inside you and gives you strength. Your spirit will break, and so will your trust every day. This field shines from the outside, but there is emptiness, loneliness, and unemployment, until you create an identity as an artiste. You have to fight that fight alone. There are times when a role that you could do passes you by, but you have to be happy and headstrong.”

Evidently the actor speaks from his personal experience. Having started with smaller roles and finally landing a leading part in Mukkabaaz (2018), he enjoys a stronger position in the industry today with mainstream entertainers like Jaat and Chhaava behind him. He credits the actors before him, who made their craft their singular focus and rose to prominence, for making his path easier.

“It’s a long list — Irrfan [Khan] saab, Naseeruddin [Shah] saab, Nawazuddin [Siddiqui], Manoj [Bajpayee] bhai, Rajkummar [Rao], Vicky [Kaushal], and Vijay [Varma]. Ten people placed their trust in me because these actors [paved the way]. If such actors — whom the audience trusts and finds relatable — have gone ahead in their careers, they’ve helped me knowingly or unknowingly.”

The sudden closure of UAE and Qatar airspace late Monday night — after missiles were fired from Iran towards US bases in Qatar and Iraq — disrupted commercial air traffic. Actor Viineet Kumar Siingh, who had been in Dubai for a week, was scheduled to return to Mumbai that night and managed to reach home safely despite the tension.

Recalling the experience, the Chhaava actor said, “My flight was to take off at 9.40 pm and everything seemed normal at first. But suddenly, all activity at the airport came to a halt and passengers started panicking. I began receiving calls from family and friends in Dubai — that’s when I realized how serious the situation was. Kudos to the airport authorities and airline staff — we managed to get to India safely.”

His family, especially his pregnant wife Ruchira, was worried until he landed. “We’re expecting our baby in July,”

Viineet shared. “She was really stressed about my return and welcomed me with a tight hug.”

It’s been one celebration after another for Viineet Kumar Siingh. The actor, who has been widely appreciated for his work in films such as Jaat, Chhaava and Superboys of Malegaon this year, tells us that he and wife, actor Ruchiraa Ghormare are expecting their first child.

The couple, who got married in November 2021 talk to us exclusively and say they are “super delighted”. Viineet shares, “This time is so precious for both of us. We can’t wait for our baby to be with us.” Ruchiraa adds, “I am so happy. There’s too much happening; my emotions are all over the place!”

For his part, the dad-to-be says he wants to be “present for every moment”: “Main Ruchiraa ka khayal rakhne ki koshish karta hoon. Jaldi se jaldi kaam khatam karke ghar jaata hoon. I also plan to be on paternity leave post delivery in July.”

Ask if they’ve planned a babymoon before the baby arrives, and Viineet replies that they haven’t had the time: “I had releases, promotions and we were shifting houses, so it was quite hectic. Your priorities change with life and time.” Ruchiraa agrees: “This pregnancy has been a busy one for Viineet and me. [But] I’m a workaholic, so I am glad to be working in this phase of my life.”

Viineet also says the idea of parenthood has given him fresh perspective. He reflects, “Main sirf ek dimension se nahin dekhta hoon. Parent hona sirf yeh nahin ki aap ek bachche ke pita ho. You have to know that a mother goes through a lot... bahut badlav honge. Being a father isn’t just a responsibility towards your baby but also your partner. I’m going to work on being there for both of them.”