Entertainment

Shoojit Sircar at the Content India Summit 2025 at Taj Land’s End in Mumbai

Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar (Piku, Sardar Udham) has weighed in on the whole ‘can India make an Adolescence?’ debate. 

The hit Netflix miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham has been universally praised for its craft, performances and exploration of complex themes. The four-part British drama centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate, unravelling the influence of misogynistic online content on impressionable young boys. 

Indian filmmakers like Sudhir Mishra and Anurag Kashyap have praised the series while questioning if streaming platforms would support such content in India. The series also registered a strong viewership in India.

“There’s been a lot of discussions around this,” Sircar said on a panel at the recent Content India Summit in Mumbai. “I can talk about myself and my films. The kind of stories that I wanted to tell, I was able to. So I do not go with that argument about Adolescence, because there are films which were made here—many kinds of films that are relevant to social issues or whatever—that do not have that populist side to them but have strong storytelling, which is evident in a lot of places.” 

The filmmaker, whose banner Rising Sun Films has backed path-breaking films like Vicky Donor and Pink, took a hopeful view of India’s content landscape. 

“I think it’s the strength of the director and the writer that they go with. I mean, somebody mentioned Richie Mehta. He made and proved his point with Delhi Crime and Poacher. Look at the kind of writing and production that he did. So, I’m not debating on that. My point is that we will need those kinds of stories and writers who will do it and be at it.” 

Nevertheless, Sircar highlighted rising and impractical costs of production that often stymie powerful content. 

“The problem I and many of my friends are facing is the cost of production. If you have a story, the cost of production is rising due to many factors. But if somehow we can use the Indian jugaad system and make that film possible, there is a chance of at least breaking even. That has always been my idea—somehow just break even.” 

The Content India Summit 2025 was a symposium on the Indian entertainment landscape attended by top creators and industry leaders. It was hosted by Dish TV in collaboration with C21Media.

Veer Pahariya made an impressive Bollywood debut with Sky Force. In his very first film, the newcomer shared screen space with Akshay Kumar, Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur. While the film did not exactly set the box office on fire, Veer’s performance definitely struck the right chord with cinephiles.

One of the biggest highlights? Veer Pahariya’s song Rang — which turned into a viral sensation, all thanks to his iconic one-leg dance move.

And now, guess who has joined the trend? None other than choreographer-director Farah Khan. In a fun video she dropped on Instagram, Farah is seen grooving to Rang with a group of girls — and yes, she totally nails the signature step.

The best part? Veer Pahariya himself joins Farah Khan on the dance floor, and together they serve some killer moves. The video ends on a sweet note with the two sharing a warm hug. 

In her caption, Farah Khan wrote, “I have been dying to do this step ever since I saw Veer Pahariya doing it ! Agar kisi cheez ko dil se maango.. (pls remember im 60 now)”

Reacting to the post, Rasha Thadani wrote, “Too cool.” Producer Afeefa Nadiadwala Sayed commented, “By mistake u have put zero 60 instead of putting 1 before . Sweet 16,” and we totally agree.

Just a few days ago, Veer Pahariya opened up about embracing both the “good and bad” that’s come his way since the release of Sky Force. He also spoke about how the buzz around the Rang hook step has not slowed down – even months after the film’s release. 

“I am grateful to the audience for giving so much love to the film, my performance and my character. With anything big, there is going to be good and bad, I am open for it,” Veer told PTI.

The actor added, “And, in terms of the dance step, I can’t be more grateful to have an iconic dance step that will stay with me and that too so early in my career.”

Veer Pahariya also confirmed that he has a bunch of exciting projects lined up – not just for this year, but the next as well.

A still from ‘Maanaadu’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Looks like Japan is the latest destination for all Indian biggies! Just days after the release of Jr NTR’s film Devara: Part 1, Silambarasan and director Venkat Prabhu’s time-loop thriller Maanaadu is getting a release in the island country.

The film’s producer, Suresh Kamatchi, took to his X handle to confirm the news. The Tamil post written by the producer translates to “A good film is like a beautiful bird. It will be loved across continents. Maanaadu is currently set to release in Japan in May. There is hope that this loophole screenplay will captivate the hearts of the Japanese.”

Maanaadu follows an NRI and a police officer who are trapped in a time loop on the day of a public conference and forced to live the same day over and over again. Simbu plays the lead, while the rest of the cast includes S. J. Suryah, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Manoj Bharathiraja, S. A. Chandrasekhar, Y. G. Mahendran, Karunakaran, Premgi Amaren, Aravind Akash and Anjena Kirti.

Last seen in Pathu Thala, Silambarasan has multiple films coming up. The actor has teamed up with Parking filmmaker Ramkumar Balakrishnan. He will also produce his upcoming movie with Desingh Periyasamy. The two movies are tentatively titled STR 49 and STR 50 respectively. He is also collaborating with Dragon director Ashwath Marimuthu for a film that’s tentatively titled STR 51.

Silambarasan is also a part of Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life, which also stars Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Abhirami and Nassar.

Ajay Devgn, Vaani Kapoor met the press at the trailer launch event of Raid 2 in Mumbai on Tuesday. Vaani Kapoor plays Ajay Devgn’s wife in the second instalment where as Ileana D’Cruz played the part in Raid.

When a journalist asked about Vaani Kapoor replacing Ileana D’Cruz in Raid 2, Ajay Devgn said, “That’s true, but the character can change. I mean if you see a lot of Hollywood films also, you know Sean Connery is no more James Bond. It’s the character you follow.”

The trailer opens with Ajay Devgn banging on the door of a powerful politician Riteish Deshmukh (Dadabhai) for his 75th raid.

Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn’s character) is back and he won’t sleep in peace until he excavates the black stashes at Dadabhai’s place. But it won’t be an easy investigation as Riteish Deshmukh won’t surrender until he plays all his cards.

The bottom line of the trailer is summed up in one dialogue – Riteish Deshmukh asks Ajay Devgn, “Pandava kab se Chakravyuh rach ne laga?” “Kaun kaha mein Pandava hoon, mein toh pura Mahabharat hoon,” comes Ajay Devgn’s reply.

The trailer is replete with nostalgic elements as Saurabh Shukla (he was the villain in Raid) has a few cameo appearances, reminding the audience of Amay Patnaik’s indomitable spirit. Vaani Kapoor plays Ajay Devgn’s wife in the film. 

The film will be released on May 1, 2025 in theatres. The film has been directed by Raj Kumar Gupta. 

Sunny Deol is all set to wow fans with his upcoming film Jaat. The Gopichand Malineni directorial will be released on April 10. While fans are counting the days, Sunny recently shared an update about his other film — Lahore 1947.

Originally slated for a Republic Day weekend release this year, Lahore 1947 has now been delayed. The reason? Extra time in post-production. According to Sunny Deol, producer Aamir Khan is aiming for nothing less than perfection — and that means taking a little longer to get everything just right.

In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Sunny Deol shared, “Woh film (Lahore 1947) definitely aa rahi hai. Woh kya huya woh film maine pehle shuru ki thi. Uski kaafi shooting poori khatam ho chuki hai. And uske baad maine Jaat shuru ki hai. But usme thoda sa waqt isliye bhi lag raha hai because Aamir (Khan) is the producer and he wants to take his time, wants to edit, wants to see everything, he wants to be very perfect about everything. (That film is definitely coming. I started that before and its shooting has also wrapped. I started Jaat after that. But that is taking slightly more time because Aamir Khan is the producer and he’s aiming for perfection in editing).”

Lahore 1947 marks a much-anticipated reunion between Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi. The duo has previously delivered iconic films like Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.

Apart from Sunny Deol, Lahore 1947 also features Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal and Karan Deol in key roles.

Coming back to Jaat, the action thriller boasts a stellar star cast including Regina Cassandra, Randeep Hooda, Vineet Kumar Singh and Saiyami Kher.

The project has been bankrolled by Naveen Yerneni, Ravi Shankar Yalamanchili, TG Vishwa Prasad and Umesh Kumar Bansal under the banners of Mythri Movie Makers, People Media Factory and Zee Studios.

Ajay Devgn in ‘Raid 2’.
| Photo Credit: T-Series/YouTube

The official trailer of Raid 2 is out. The sequel to the 2018 Hindi movie dives into the world of corruption, power, and high-stakes drama. Ajay Devgn returns as the Income Tax officer Amay Patnaik as he takes on his opponent Dadabhai, essayed by Riteish Deshmukh.

The trailer unveils Devgn’s signature intensity along with Deshmukh’s promising new avatar as an influential politician. Deshmukh’s character is a power-hungry antagonist while Devgn plays the role of an unshakable lawman.

Helmed by Raj Kumar Gupta, Raid 2 is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak and Krishan Kumar. The film is presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series and is a Panorama Studios production.

Raid 2 set to release theatrically on 1st May 2025. Vaani Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Supriya Pathak and Amit Sial round out the cast. Raid was ostensibly inspired from actual income tax raids in the 80s. The film was about an honest IT officer holding the huge mansion of a corrupt politician under siege to unearth the hidden black money.

The Hindu review of the movie said, “Devgn does the same old hooded eyes-dour face-faux intense turn yet again, with nothing new to offer other than some newly grey hair and cracked heels peeping from the sandals (yes watch out for his intro scene).

“His chemistry, thanks to some dramatic confrontations, is much better with his bête noire Shukla who almost walks away with the film were it not for the character of his mother”

ALSO READ:Ajay Devgn announces AI company to revolutionise storytelling

Devgn’s last film was Singham Again and an extended cameo in Azaad. Besides Raid 2, he is also buckling up for Son of Sardaar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2.

Here is the trailer of Raid 2:

Sonnalli Seygall, best known for her role in Pyaar Ka Punchnama, just dropped a series of unseen pregnancy pictures on Instagram – and they are all kinds of beautiful.

The actress and her husband Ashesh L Sajnani welcomed their baby girl, Shukar, in November last year.

On Tuesday, Sonnalli Seygall treated us to a slew of snaps. The actress’ pregnancy glow had our undivided attention. While she looked pretty in every frame, her baby bump definitely stole the show.

In the first pic, Sonnalli was seen in a pastel blue bodysuit paired with white bottoms. Another image showed her posing in front of a helicopter, while one frame captured her holding her bump at the beach.

Ashesh also made an appearance in a few photos. Some mirror selfies were also a part of this throwback post.

“Pregnancy pics that never made it to the gram,” read the text attached to the post.

Sonnalli Seygall and Ashesh L Sajnani welcomed their daughter, Sukhar, on November 27, 2024. The couple revealed her name in December last year.

Announcing the name, the actress wrote, “Introducing our beautiful daughter, Shukar-a name that embodies the gratitude we’ve carried in our hearts throughout our lives. She is our little miracle, a living testament to the abundance of love, joy, and blessings that surround us. May she grow to always recognize the beauty in each moment and live a life filled with thankfulness, just as she has been a blessing beyond words to us. Welcome to the world, our Shukar-our miracle of abundance.” 

In August this year, Sonnalli Seygall and Ashesh L Sajnani announced that they were expecting their first baby. The actress dropped a bunch of pics on social media to share the happy news. 

In the first one, Sonnalli was flaunting her baby bump while snacking on chips and chocolates. Meanwhile, Ashesh was holding a beer bottle in one hand and a baby’s milk sipper in the other. Oh, and their dog also made an appearance in the pics.

The side not read, “From beer bottles to baby bottles… Ashesh’s life is about to change! As for me, some things stay the same. Was eating for 1… now eating for 2! Meanwhile Shamsher is taking notes on how to be a good big brother. Overjoyed & Grateful. Keep us in your prayers. December 2024. baby coming.”

Sonnalli Seygall and Ashesh L Sajnani got married in June 2023.

On the work front, Sonnalli Seygall has appeared in films like Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and Jai Mummy Di and Jai Mummy Di. She has also worked in shows such as Illegal – Justice, Out of Order and Anamika.

Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh, who was recently seen in the Netflix original Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, opened up about the time when his debut film flopped at the box office. 

Mimoh’s first film Jimmy‘s teaser was played in theatres along with Salman Khan and Govinda’s Partner (2007). Mimoh also talked about how Salman Khan has always stood by him through thick and thin. 

He said, “Salman bhai has helped me a lot. He has always been there. He has been an elder brother. He loves dad. Salman bhai suggested my father that we should show Jimmy’s teaser with his film Partner in theatres. Partner was releasing at that time. The title of the film Jimmy was given by Sohail Khan.”

Mimoh recalled how the superstar lifted his spirits years later while filming Sultan. “He called my mom and said, ‘Send him to the set.’ I went and spent the day with him. He pointed at me and told his assistant director, ‘You think you’re struggling? At least you have a chance. Look at him-he’s not even getting the opportunity to struggle.’ That line hit me hard. He told me to hang in there, and said he would stand by me when the time was right.”

Mimoh also looked back at the time when he felt like a star at 24. But his joy was short-lived. After his film flopped, he didn’t have the courage to leave house for a year.

 “I went to the theatre to see Partner with my whole family. Partner was housefull, Govinda was also making his comeback with it, and when the teaser appeared, people went silent but after 5 seconds they started clapping. I was 24 at that time, I had thought I have arrived. People saw my dance and they started whistling and dancing. 

“I was on cloud nine. I thought I have become a star. It felt good. But on Friday afternoon, after the film released, the phone stopped ringing, cheques bounced – all within a flash. At that time, my whole world crashed. I felt my life was over. I didn’t leave the house for a year,” he recalled.

Jimmy, directed by Raj N Sippy, also featured Vivana Singh and Rahul Dev. The film earned only Rs 1.86 crore at the box office.

A still from ‘Chhorii 2’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Chhorii 2 – April 11

The highly anticipated sequel of its original horror franchise, Chhorii, set in the unexplored realm of underground caves, Chhorii 2 follows back into Sakshi’s haunting world, now even darker, deadlier, and more perilous. Haunting rituals, ghostly figures, and unsettling folklore build an atmosphere thick with dread as she confronts malevolent supernatural forces to protect her daughter, Ishani. Under the banner of T-Series, Abundantia Entertainment, Psych, and Tamarisk Lane Production, directed by Vishal Furia and stars Nushrratt Bharuccha and Soha Ali Khan in a pivotal role, alongside an ensemble cast featuring Gashmeer Mahajani, Saurabh Goyal, Pallavi Ajay, Kuldeep Sareen, and Hardika Sharma.

G20 – April 10

In the upcoming political thriller G20, when the G20 summit comes under siege, U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Academy Award winner Viola Davis) becomes the number one target. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders in this action-packed thrill ride. Directed by Patricia Riggen and written by Caitlin Parrish, Erica Weiss and Noah Miller, the action-thriller stars Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson, and Ramón Rodríguez in pivotal roles. G20 will premiere exclusively on Prime Video from April 10 in English, with dubs in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

A still from ‘Chhorii 2’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 – April 9

Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 follows June’s unyielding spirit and determination to pull her back into the fight to take down Gilead. Luke and Moira join the resistance. This final chapter of June’s journey highlights the importance of hope, courage, solidarity, and resilience in the pursuit of justice and freedom. The series stars Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Sam Jaeger, Ever Carradine, and Josh Charles. The finale season is set to premiere on April 9 with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly.

Spy High S1 – Now Streaming

Spy High is a four-part docuseries that explores the story of 15-year-old Blake Robbins, who filed a lawsuit claiming that his prestigious public school was spying on him when he was accused of selling drugs. Beneath this juicy suburban scandal lie more troubling revelations, with implications in a larger war over digital privacy being waged in schools today. From Mark Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas and directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz, the series features Blake Robbins, Paige Bardhoshi, April Duran and Mark Haltzman amongst others. All four episodes are now streaming. 

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux Season 1 – Now Streaming

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Season 1 follows Amate Yuzuriha, who is a high-school student living peacefully in a space colony floating in outer space. When she meets a war refugee named Nyaan, Amate is drawn into the illegal mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battle. Directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, the anime series stars Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yui Ishikawa and Simba Tsuchiya. The series is now streaming with new episodes dropping weekly and dubs in Hindi.