Days after comedian Sunil Pal was kidnapped near Meerut, actor Mushtaq Khan has revealed that he too was kidnapped in a similar fashion on November 20. The actor’s business partner stated that Khan was tortured for 12 hours before he could escape.

Khan’s business partner Shivam Yadav stated that the actor was called for an award show in Meerut on November 20. He even received the advance payment in his bank account and flight ticket details. However, when the Stree 2 actor landed in Delhi, he was made to sit in a car, which was then driven to the outskirts of Delhi, near Bijnor, and the actor was kidnapped.

The report stated that the Welcome actor was kidnapped and tortured for 12 hours, and the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore. They then took Rs 2 lakh from the actor and his son’s account.

The next morning, Khan heard azaan at the place where he was held captive, and realising that a mosque was nearby, he managed to run away from the place and reached the mosque. He then sought help from the people there, who contacted the police, and Khan managed to return home.

Yadav said that they are now in the process of filing an FIR and they have all the proofs of flight tickets, bank account transactions and CCTV footage from outside Delhi airport. “Khan also recognises the neigbhourhood, even the house where he was kept. I think the police team will surely get the culprits soon,” he said.

It was only last week that comedian Sunil Pal was invited for an event in Delhi, but was then kidnapped and taken to Meerut. He was eventually let go after he paid a ransom of Rs 7.5 lakh.

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar on Monday shared that he is excited to be on set with his favourite director Priyadarshan as he started shooting for his next “Bhoot Bangla”, which he revealed is set to hit the screens on April 2, 2026.

Akshay took to his Instagram, where he shared a new poster of the film and captioned it: “Beyond excited to be on set with my favourite @priyadarshan.official as we begin the shoot of our horror comedy #BhoothBangla today.”

“Yeh darr aur hasi ka double dose aapke liye ready hoga 2nd April, 2026 ko! Tab tak ke liye aapke best wishes chahiye,” he added.

Along with Akshay, actors Paresh Rawal, Asrani and Rajpal Yadav will be seen in the upcoming horror comedy “Bhoot Bangla” by filmmaker Priyadarshan.

The film is set to begin production in early 2025, with a theatrical release planned by the end of the year. The casting process is still ongoing, with three female lead roles yet to be filled. Akshay has previously worked with Paresh in films such as “Hera Pheri”, “Phir Hera Pheri” and “Garam Masala”.

The “Khiladi” star shared screen space with Rajpal in “Bhool Bhulaiyaa” and “Bhagam Bhag”. Asrani and the “Khel Khel Mein” actor worked together in “Khatta Meetha”. On his 57th birthday on September 9, Akshay announced that he is joining forces with director Priyadarshan once again after 14 years for the film.

Akshay took to X, formerly called Twitter, where he shared the motion poster of the film. In the image, Akshay could be seen holding a bowl filled with a black cat standing on his shoulder. “Thank you for your love on my birthday, year after year! Celebrating this year with the first look of ‘Bhooth Bangla’! I’m beyond excited to join forces with Priyadarshan again after 14 years,” wrote the actor, who last worked with the filmmaker in 2010 in the film “Khatta Meetha”.

“This dream collaboration has been a long time coming. can’t wait to share this incredible journey with you all. Stay tuned for the magic!” Akshay and Priyadarshan have given several blockbusters together including “Hera Pheri”, “De Dana Dan”, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa”, “Garam Masala” and “Khatta Meetha” to name a few.

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, on Monday (December 9), stated that superstar Allu Arjun should not be blamed for the stampede which happened during the special screening of Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4 in Hyderabad. For those unversed, the actor was also booked, along with the theatre management, for the stampede. A 37-year-old woman died and her son was injured in the incident.

Taking to his official X account, Varma stated that stampedes happen when a huge crowd gathers to get a glimpse of celebrities. He also said that police should not have given permission for the event if they knew the actor would attract thousands of people at the venue.

Defending Allu Arjun, the director wrote, “It is truly ridiculous to blame @alluarjun for the unfortunate death of a woman in a stampede outside a theatre playing #Pushpa2. Celebrities by their very appeal draw huge crowds whether they are Film Stars, Rock stars and even Gods for that matter… and stampedes happen very commonly when there are huge crowds and this is not the 1st time a stampede happened.”

He added, “On one hand if Allu Arjun or his team, if they themselves publicised his upcoming visit, then that information is public and isn’t it then the police’s responsibility to ask him not to come? If they did not do it, it means that they too didn’t anticipate which makes the incident an accident. Stars visiting theatres has been happening since years and crowds throng all the time and this is just a rare unfortunate incident.”

Varma also said that such special shows should not be banned. He also questioned why political rallies and not banned after people die in stampedes. “So even if one wants to take action either the police or theatre management should be made responsible for whether a star should be given permission to come but why ban BENEFIT SHOWS? Also there were hundreds of BENEFIT SHOWS all over the state and #Alluarjun just came to one theatre and so instead of putting restrictions on a star attending a theatre, to ban BENEFIT SHOWS is like BANNING TRAFFIC because of an ACCIDENT. People die in the political meeting stampedes or mela‘s stampedes, are the meetings or mela’s being banned?” he asked.

Allu Arjun reacts to the stampede

Allu Arjun expressed his condolences over the death of the woman at Sandhya Theatre due to the stampede. He also announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh to help the bereaved family.

He said in the video, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family. We understand that no words or actions can ever compensate for the loss you are bearing. I would like to extend financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family as a goodwill gesture… we will also take care of the medical expenses.”

Earlier, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand reportedly said that there was no intimation from the side of theatre management or Allu Arjun’s team that he will be visiting the theatre. He also stated that there was no designated entry or exit for the actor and his team, despite the theatre management being informed in advance about their arrival.

For those unversed, Allu Arjun decided to attend the screening of the film and his fans went berserk to see him. As hundreds of fans rushed to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun, the main gate of the theatre collapsed. Local cops resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.