A crowded Diwali 2024!
Uh oh, it appears that it is going to be a crowded Diwali, next year. As many as four films are being lined up to arrive in cinemas during the festival of lights in 2024. Earlier this month, the makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 said that they will be releasing the horror comedy, starring Kartik Aaryan, on the occasion.
Then came the announcement that Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again will also release in the festive period. The action drama also marks Deepika Padukone’s entry into the filmmaker’s cop universe. Moreover, the makers of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Sanjay Dutt’s comic caper, Hera Pheri 3, are also reportedly eyeing the same window. If that’s not enough, Salman Khan and Sooraj Barjatya are also considering the festive period for the release of Prem Ki Shaadi, their fifth family entertainer together. Filming for Singham Again begins in July, while Prem Ki Shaadi is slated to roll in November. The last time four films released simultaneously on Diwali was in 2004 — when Akki’s Aitraaz, Shah Rukh Khan’s Veer-Zaara, Abhishek Bachchan’s Naach, and the all-new fully-coloured version of Mughal-e-Azam vied for the box-office pie. With over a-year-and-a-half to go for 2024’s festival period, it remains to be seen how many eventually meet the date.
Comfortable is boring for PCJ
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is gearing up for the release of her web series, Citadel, and her film, Love Again. During a recent promotional interaction, she was asked about moving to Hollywood when her Bollywood colleague Shah Rukh Khan was quoted as saying that he saw no reason to move to the west when he is comfortable in India. Promptly responding with: “comfortable is boring,” the desi girl asserted that she doesn’t need the validation of executives to make her decision. “I am willing to take auditions, I am willing to work. I do not carry the baggage of my success in one country when I walk into another country.” Attagirl!
Change in plans?
Rumours are rife that Shah Rukh Khan and director Atlee may consider another release date for their film, Jawan. The makers will wrap up the shoot this month. The actor-producer apparently feels that a movie of this scale requires enough time for post-production, and they shouldn’t hasten the process to meet the June 2 release date. On the other hand, the director is said to be confident of locking the final edit within their set deadline. Sources claim that after completing the shoot, SRK and Atlee will meet to discuss the progress, and if need be, consider moving the release date to October. “Neither SRK nor Atlee wants to compromise on the content and quality. So, they will analyse the situation after they wrap up the shoot,” says the source.
First Telugu, now Mallu
After the Telugu film, Agent, Dino Morea will make his Malayalam debut with Bandra. Coincidentally, the film’s title is the same as the Mumbai suburb that has been home to Dino for all these years. He plays a baddie in the tragic love story that stars Dileep and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead. “It is as challenging as it is exhilarating to play the anti-hero,” the actor enthuses. He adds, “I play a vicious and dark character that gives me a lot to work with in terms of performance. I can’t wait to see how the audiences react to it.”
