Bollywood News

Odisha born Sriya Lenka has become the first Indian K-pop star. The 18-year-old has joined as the new member of  the South Korean group Blackswan. She joins new member Gabi Dalcin from Brazil after the duo trained for months under the group’s label, DR Music. Following the departure of member Hyeme in November 2020, DR Music announced global auditions to find new members to join Blackswan. As per reports, Lenka and Dalcin were scouted from over 4,000 applicants. They moved to Seoul in order to begin their training. The news was announced on May 26 via Instagram account of the label. "Sriya and Gabi were finally selected as members of Blackswan after participating the global audition program for last 6 months. With their debut, we will be back with the new Blackswan," the statement read.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by DRmusic (@drenter_official)   View this post on Instagram  

Akshay Kumar’s next is Yash Raj Films’ first historical, Samrat Prithviraj , which is based on the life and valour of the fearless and mighty King Prithviraj Chauhan. He is essaying the role of the legendary warrior who fought valiantly to protect India from the merciless invader Muhammad of Ghor in this visual spectacle. We have learnt from sources that Akshay Kumar, director Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi and YRF is planning to give the grandest salute to Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan in the release week of the film.   As per our informers, Akshay Kumar, Manushi Chhillar and the director will be visiting Somnath Temple and Varanasi with Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan’s flag and seek blessings post which they will travel to Rai Pithora, the king’s fort, in New Delhi to put the flag there in his honour! Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi confirms this saying, “Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan was the last Hindu Samrat of our country who stood up to protect Bharatmata’s freedom and dignity from merciless invad

The Kangana Ranaut-starrer  Dhaakad  was released last Friday, May 20. Despite the limited buzz and strong competition from  Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , it was expected that the actioner would take a respectable opening at the box office. However, its day 1 collections were a mere Rs. 50 lakhs. It showed no growth on the weekdays, and it crashed in the weekdays. The first week's collections will be in the range of Rs. 2.15 crores. Dhaakad  has today entered its second week. As expected, the screen count has reduced to a shocking low. A source told  Bollywood Hungama , “ Dhaakad  was released on May 20 with around 2100 screens. By Sunday, May 22, around 300 screens discontinued it, especially the single screens. The screen count was reduced even more from Monday onwards. By Thursday, it was out of many cinemas as Tom Cruise-starrer  Top Gun: Maverick  had an early release on May 26.” The source continued, “In Week 2,  Dhaakad  is playing in only 25 cinemas in India. In other words, it ha

Currently, the box office favourite for the audience remains to be the horror comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 featuring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani. The film is setting new records post the pandemic lull that the industry is trying to recoup from. Considering all these factors, this franchise has become quite special to the producers too. In a recent conversation with the website Pinkvilla, producers Bhushan Kumar and Murad Khetani spoke about considering Bhool Bhulaiyaa and yet another film Kabir Singh as a franchise. Speaking about the same, Bhushan Kumar revealed his desire to spin Kabir Singh into a franchise. Producer Murad Khetani mentioned that it is a popular character too. Agreeing to the same, the owner of T-Series said, “It’s an iconic character and can be taken into a second part.” Interestingly, the Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani film in itself is a remake of the popular Telugu film Arjun Reddy which featured Vijay Devarakonda and Shalini Pandey. On the other hand, the Ka

Bollywood Hungama  was the first one to break the news that filmmakers Ajay Kapoor and Subhash Kale are collaborating on the ambitious project  Garud . The film is mounted on a large scale and will present a heartening story, which will be inspired by the true events of the Afghan rescue crisis. Now, Ajay Kapoor has signed the international director Rotem Shamir, known for globally acclaimed successes like  Fauda ,  Hit & Run ,  Hostages  etc. to helm their big-budget project.  Garud  will also mark Rotem Shamir’s Indian film debut. Mounted on a large scale, Ajay Kapoor and Subhash Kale have been devising the best treatment for the ambitious film and hence, roping in the best team possible. Taking the first step towards the visionary aim, Ajay Kapoor has taken on board the international director Rotem Shamir, for his first Indian project. Announcing this development, Ajay Kapoor shares, " Garud  is a huge project for me. I'm emotionally driven to the film and want to gi

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is eyeing his International association these days. While taking to his social media, the actor shared a picture of himself along with the director of his upcoming International venture Laxman Lopez director, Roberto Girault, and writer Sammy Sarzoza as he finishes up his reading and is all set to start the shoot from this Christmas. He further wrote the caption, "Just finished the virtual reading of #LaxmanLopez in this beautiful weather & now thinking about filming this during the Christmas Month in New York with my Director #RobertoGirault & Writer #SammySarzoza P.S - ठंड की सोच के अभी से कप-कपी छूट रही है ।"   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@nawazuddin._siddiqui) Laxman Lopez is a very special one for Nawazuddin as it is an international project in which he will be seen headlining the same. He has an interesting lineup of films which includes Tiku Weds Sheru , N

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon sequel is officially happening. For years, there were speculations around the sequel but cast wasn't confirmed. But, now, Lee Yoo Mi, Ong Seong Wu, Byun Woo Seok, Kim Hae Sook and Kim Jung Eun have been confirmed to star in the sequel titled  Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon . Squid Game and All Of Us Are Dead breakout star Lee Yoo Mi will be headlining the project with the two males played by More Than Friends star Ong Seong Wu and Record Of Youth actor Byun Woo Seok. According to Korean tabloid Soompi, "The sequel will revolve around Do Bong Soon’s distant cousin Kang Nam Soon, who has immense strength. Not only does she have great power, but so does her mother Hwang Geum Joo and grandmother Gil Joong Gan." Taking on the titular role, Lee Yoo Mi will play the role of Kang Nam Soon who is cheerful young woman with great abilities. She was a missing child in Mongolia and came to Gangnam to find her parents. Kim Hae Sook, veteran South Korean acto

Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur starrer Jersey , which started to stream on Netflix last week is soaring high-reaching fans all over the world. Directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri and produced by Allu Aravind, Jersey has received love, admiration, and appreciation from fans in less than a week of its Netflix debut. The film is already in the global Top 10 Non-English films on Netflix, and is presently trending at #2 in Films in India! The film has also made it to the Top 10 in Films In 11 countries across the world, including UAE, Bangladesh, and Qatar. In the first week since the film arrived on the streaming platform, the film has been watched for 4,470,000 hours. Talking about  Jersey on Netflix, Shahid Kapoor shares, “ Jersey is one of the films that is very close to my heart because the film says something that has stayed with me- In Arjun Talwar’s words: ‘Zindagi Lambi Nahi Badi Honi Chahiye’. I am extremely excited to see that people are loving the film worldwide with Netflix and

Gaten Matarazzo, who appears as Dustin Henderson in the Netflix thriller series Stranger Things , recently announced that he will be making his return to Broadway this summer in the Tony Award-winning production of Dear Evan Hansen . According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 19-year-old actor will mark his return to the Great White Way as Jared Kleinman, the sarcastic (and slightly inappropriate) friend of titular character Evan Hansen, on July 19. The role follows Matarazzo’s 2011 Broadway debut in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert , as well as roles in the 2013 Godspell cast and the 2014 revival of Les Misérables . The Stranger Things star will reportedly be joined by the return of Ann Sanders as Cynthia Murphy, Noah Kieserman and Ciara Alyse Harris as Connor Murphy and Alana Beck, respectively, from the show’s North American tour. “Words could never express how truly honored I am to be a part of this company,” Matarazzo said in a statement. “This show has taught me so much about my

Johnny Depp returned to the stand on Wednesday and testified in his defamation trial against Amber Heard that he helped his former wife Heard secure her breakthrough role as Mera in Aquaman, denying Heard’s claims who previously testified that Depp didn’t help her secure a spot in the DC movie. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Depp spoke about the role to Warner Bros. Executives who were concerned about Heard’s legal troubles in Australia, where the movie was shot. Heard in 2016 was prosecuted in Australia for illegally bringing her dogs into the country. The charges were dropped in exchange for Heard pleading guilty to making a false customs declaration by indicating that she had no animals when she arrived. Amber Heard had previously testified that Depp didn’t help her in any way to land the role, to which Depp responded, “It’s not exactly true.” After Heard auditioned for Warner Bros. in 2015, Depp said that Heard was anxious about Warner Bros.’ concerns of whether she would

Akshay Kumar-starrer historical drama Prithviraj was recently caught up in a controversy owing to its content. Just like the historical dramas in the past, this film too was facing issues over its release. However, just few days ago, reports had it that Karni Sena, who had expressed their concern over the film, gave a green signal after viewing it. However, they further demanded for a title change, asking filmmakers to add ‘ Samrat’ to the title. But now it has been decided by the production house, Yash Raj Studios themselves that the title will not be changed. A source close to this development said, “Yash Raj Films have decided that they will not be changing the title. There are hardly few days left for the release for the film. They do not want to change the title now. We can safely say that we have portrayed the king in all his glory and we have tried to retain as much history as we can.” In an earlier report, Surjeet Singh Rathore from Karni Sena had spoken to ETimes where he

In his new Tamil rom-com  Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal  Vijay Sethupathi plays a man sandwiched between two women, played by Nayanthara and Samantha. However, there is a mention of a third woman at the end of the film. And she is none other than Katrina Kaif. Vijay, who is currently shooting with Katrina for Srirram Raghavan’s  Merry Christmas , actually took Katrina’s consent before using her name in   Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal . This seems like a refreshing change from other South Indian films where actresses are casually named in conversations. Vijay says that it is a pleasure to work with Katrina. “It’s lovely to work with her. She is professional and very committed to her part. Sriram has collected a terrific team for Merry Christmas, and I can’t wait to see how it finally shapes up.” "I can’t think of a more unlikely screen combination than this." Says the director Sriram Raghavan, always known to venture into forbidden territory is bringing Kaif and Sethupathi to

Hungama Digital, India’s leading digital entertainment company, announces the honourees of its initiative, Hungama Game Changers - 2022. A total of 50 professionals from the industries of music, video, and gaming were honoured as Game Changers. With a goal to encourage diversity and more women in executive, creative, behind-the-scenes, and leadership roles in entertainment, Game Changers amplifies change-makers and future role models for young women. The achievers for 2022 were chosen by a multi-faceted advisory panel through multiple rounds of selection. The panel included Megha Tata - Managing Director, Discovery Communications India, Kanan Rai - Ex Business Head, Google Play, Preeta Sukhtankar - Founder, The Label Life, Nirmika Singh - Poet, Journalist and Music curator, Merlin D'souza - Music Director, Arranger, Composer, Ashvini Yardi - Hindi Film Producer, Raunaq Roy – Vice President, Hungama Digital Media and Soumini Sridhara Paul – Senior Vice President, Hungama Digital M

Kartik Aaryan, who is riding on an all time high after delivering the biggest opening weekend of the year with his latest, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 , has always been one to value his team and is ready to make time for his close ones, no matter how busy. Amidst extremely hectic promotions, as per a source, Kartik has ensured to take time out to attend the wedding of his manager on the 26th, even though his days are jam packed. He had already said that there was no way he was going to miss it, so he will be travelling out for the same tomorrow.   With an opening day collection of Rs. 14.11 cr., and then an opening weekend collection of Rs. 55.96 cr., Kartik celebrated his history making opening of the film at Gaiety Galaxy and a Juhu theatre with his fans on the Sunday of his release post which the star headed out to Varanasi. He is one of the most loyal superstars to his fans and the people around him. He recently returned from Varanasi where he visited Kashi Vishwanath temple and did Gang

Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced his next directorial venture, an action film. Celebrating his 50th birthday today, Johar took to social media on Wednesday to make an official announcement. Post Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani , his next would be an out-an-out action project which will commence in April 2023. "This is a note of reflection and one of immense excitement! I turn 50 today (a number that seemed like a distant nightmare), while I know it's kind of a mid-point of my life but I can't help my wannabe millennial self from existing. Some call it a mid-life crisis, I proudly call it just 'living life without any apologies'. I have worked in the movie industry for over 27 years and I'm blessed to have had the best experience ever!!! Telling stories, creating content, nurturing talent and watching the finest artists perform in front of my privileged eyes... these years are like being in a massive dream that made all the sleeplessness seem worthwhile. I am

The artist lineup for the highly anticipated biopic Elvis’ soundtrack was revealed on Monday (May 23). The star-studded artist lineup includes musicians like Eminem & CeeLo Green, Stevie Nicks, Jack White, Tame Impala, Jazmine Sullivan, Gary Clark Jr. and many more. As revealed by Warner Bros. in an Instagram post accompanied by a quote from Presley himself: “Do something worth remembering.”, the soundtrack will feature original songs by Presley, as well as songs performed by the film’s star, Austin Butler along with other iconic artists like Ann Nesby, Alton Mason, Chris Isaak, Denzel Curry, Doja Cat, Eminem & Ceelo Green, Gary Clark Jr., Jack White, Lenesha Randolph, Jazmine Sullivan, Kacey Musgraves, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Les Greene, Maneskin, Nardo Wick, Paravi, Pnau, Rufus Thomas, Shonka Dukureh, Stevie Nicks, Swae Lee & Diplo, Tame Impala, and Yola.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by ELVIS (@elvismovie) As noted

DC Films chief Walter Hamada appeared via video at the Johnny Depp's $50 million defamation trial to deny Amber Heard's claims about her Aquaman 2 role being reduced and said that it wasn’t reduced due to the reason she alleged in court. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Hamada testified at Depp-Heard trial on Tuesday that the studio considered for several weeks recasting Heard as Mera in the upcoming film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom . Hamada said the studio’s concern was about the lack of chemistry between Heard and Jason Momoa, who stars as Aquaman . “They didn’t have a lot of chemistry together,” Hamada said. “The reality is it’s not uncommon on movies for two leads to not have chemistry and it’s sort of movie magic and editorial — the ability to put performances with the magic of a great score and how you put the pieces together, you can fabricate that chemistry.” He continued, “At the end of the day when you watch the movie, it looks like they have great chemistry.

West Side Story’s Rita Moreno has officially joined the highly-anticipated action film to play Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto’s grandmother. On Tuesday, Vin Diesel took to Instagram to officially announce the Oscar-winning actress’ casting in the film. “It’s been my dream forever to work with Rita Moreno, and the fact that she’s here playing my grandmother makes my soul smile,” Diesel shared, sitting between Moreno and his longtime co-star Michelle Rodriguez. “I’m so blessed.” Diesel then pans the camera to focus on Moreno, as she says, “You know what, I think I was getting … I think my old age was waiting for you to invite me. Isn’t that nice? And I’m here. And the answer is yes, I’ll do it.” “And yes, not only do it, but I’m tickled,” she adds, “I’m tickled to hell to do it. I’m so thrilled. It’s going to be such fun!” After exchanging “thank you’s” and “I love you’s,” Rodriguez chimes in at the end of the 42-second clip, exclaiming, “Rita Moreno in the house, baby!” Rita Moreno

Samuel L. Jackson is joining Chris Pratt in the upcoming animated Garfield movie currently in the works at Alcon Entertainment. Jackson will play a brand-new character, Garfield’s father, Vic. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Pratt was earlier announced to voice the lasagna-loving, Monday-hating comic strip feline Garfield in the new animated movie based on a script written by David Reynolds and directed by Mark Dindal. Sony Pictures is distributing globally (excluding China). DNEG Animation is animating and producing the film with Alcon Entertainment. John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner are producing alongside Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, as well as DNEG CEO Namit Malhotra and President Tom Jacomb, with Davis, Amuse’s Bridget McMeel and Craig Sost executive producing. The upcoming animated film will be the first in the Garfield franchise since 2009, following the movie Garfield’s Pet Force . Meanwhile, the live-action/computer animated hybri

Vir Das is now all set to soar our spirits even higher. This time alongside his comedy bits on stage, one will now be able to enjoy a light and crisp beer called Faaaak It, which is being brewed and distributed by one of India’s most innovative craft breweries - Great State Aleworks. The team along with Vir, spent over a year to find the perfect blend of flavours before the final brew was locked in. The marriage between stand up comedy and a good time over a beer go hand in hand, making this a perfect collaboration and a perfect step into an entrepreneurial journey for Vir. Currently the beer will be available across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad. In terms of a flavour profile, the beer is a clean, crisp and easy drinking beer with low bitterness and a fruity & dry finish. Vir said in a statement, “Our motto was to spread happiness. And after a maybe stressful day you might want to literally say Faaaak It and have a can of beer to unwind yourself. Also we wanted the beer