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Ranbir, Ayan on ‘Brahmastra’: We had the opportunity to create our own Marvel

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Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji’s upcoming magnum opus ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva,’ is now moving towards the finishing line after years in the making.

The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Nagarjuna Akkineni and Mouni Roy.

Based on Indian mythology, the film is set in contemporary India, where a secret society called the Brahmansh has guarded ‘Astras’ created in ancient India for generations. The most powerful among these, the Brahmastra, is now waking up and it threatens to destroy the universe, reports ‘Variety’.

Constructed as a trilogy, which is part of an ‘Astraverse’ created by Mukerji, the first part follows the protagonist Shiva (Kapoor), who is in love with Isha (Bhatt). Their lives are changed forever when Shiva learns that he has a mysterious connection to the ‘Brahmastra’ and a great power within him that he doesn’t understand just yet – the power of fire.

“It’s deep rooted in Indian culture, and we had the opportunity to create our own Marvel, which Ayan is trying to do with his Astraverse,” Ranbir told Variety.

He added: “Any film, any good compelling story, made in your culture, in an authentic way, in a true form, will connect to a large audience.”

“There is a little luck to play to it – like what kind of release you get, what kind of exposure you get. And in our case, we have Disney. And there’s nothing better than that. So, I believe that ‘Brahmastra’ is in a great place where we have that opportunity, where a world audience can witness it.”

“We were just three best friends, Alia and I, sitting and dreaming this film with Ayan, and being soldiers to him,” said Kapoor. “We were really excited and really privileged to be part of this film and part of this vision so selfishly as an actor that I would do it over and over again.”

Kapoor will get to do it at least twice again in the remaining two parts of the ‘Brahmastra’ trilogy.

“‘Brahmastra’ is not an end in itself, but it’s a means to a larger end. We have part two and part three ahead of us, we have the potential to really take the storytelling in many diverse directions even beyond ‘Brahmastra,’ and there is no way to do it at the scale at which I hope to do it, unless our audience base does not increase. So that’s definitely part of the ambition,” Mukerji told Variety.

“Let’s start with some strong baby steps with part one. I think we’ve gotten far enough with this with having, over time, gotten Disney to lay their attention on the film, help us to push the release a little wider, and I’m hoping that can bring in bigger and wider returns for us.”

According to ‘Variety’, the benchmarks for Indian action films this year have been set by ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ which collected USD 161 million and ‘RRR’, which has grossed USD 155 million so far. The latter is directed by S.S. Rajamouli, also known for the ‘Baahubali’ franchise. Rajamouli is presenting the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language versions of ‘Brahmastra’ which will also release in its original Hindi language.

“Certainly, with all humility, definitely, I think our ambition is larger than that (‘RRR’) number overseas. And I hope that, as a key step with Disney coming on board, just our overseas distribution before it even crosses over to the western audience, I hope it’s able to reach the subcontinent audience in the western world in a much wider fashion, so that we can actually see that return on box office numbers,” says Mukerji.

Bollywood

Ajay Devgn’s ‘Dhamaal 4’ gets a release date, movie to hit theatres on July 10, 2026

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Mumbai, June 10: The makers of ‘Dhamaal 4’ have officially announced the theatrical release date of the much-awaited comedy entertainer.

Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn on Wednesday, shared a brand-new poster from the film, revealing that the latest installment of the popular ‘Dhamaal’ franchise will arrive in cinemas on July 10, 2026.

Earlier on Tuesday Ajay had shared another poster that featured Ajay Devgn himself and veteran actor Sanjay Mishra hanging precariously from a rocky cliff as they appear to be on a treasure hunt.

Sharing the poster on, Ajay wrote, “Inn dono ka hai ek hi goal, to get their hands on gold.”

Directed by Indra Kumar, Dhamaal 4 will bring back the franchise’s signature blend of slapstick humour, treasure hunts and larger-than-life comic situations.

The film stars Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi and Sanjay Mishra in key roles.

The ensemble cast also includes Esha Gupta, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Anjali Anand, Upendra Limaye, Vijay Patkar and Ravi Kishan.

For the uninitiated, Dhamaal franchise began with the 2007 hit Dhamaal, followed by Double Dhamaal in 2011 and Total Dhamaal in 2019.

Produced by Ajay Devgn, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ashok Thakeria, Indra Kumar, Anand Pandit and Kumar Mangat Pathak, Dhamaal 4 is presented by T-Series in association with Devgn Films, Maruti International and Panorama Studios.

Earlier, Riteish Deshmukh had also unveiled a quirky new character poster from the upcoming comedy entertainer. The poster showed Riteish hanging precariously from a cliff edge in the middle of a dense jungle while a frightened Anjali Anand is seen struggling to hold on to him. Adding to the chaos, a monkey is seen swinging nearby and a snake is wrapped around his leg.

Sharing the poster, Riteish wrote, “Get ready to join the most unplanned and unstoppable treasure hunt ever”.

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Actor Salim Kumar under expert medical supervision in Kochi hospital

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Salim Kumar

Actor Salim Kumar under expert medical supervision in Kochi hospital Kochi, June 6 Popular Malayalam actor and National Award winner Salim Kumar has been admitted to Amrita Hospital in Kochi following health related concerns. The 56-year-old actor, who had been undergoing treatment for various health issues over the past few days, has been placed on ventilator support after doctors assessed his condition to be serious. A team of specialist doctors of the hospital is closely monitoring Salim Kumar’s health and continuing treatment. However, hospital authorities and family members have not released detailed information about his present medical condition.

Salim Kumar has been facing liver-related health issues for the past few years. The actor had earlier spoken about being diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and clarified that the condition was not related to alcohol consumption but was a hereditary health issue. He had revealed that his brother, who did not even consume tea, had also suffered from a similar condition.

Salim Kumar had also spoken about the emotional challenges he faced while dealing with his illness, including periods of isolation and personal struggles related to the deadly disease. Known for his exceptional comic timing and natural style of acting, Salim Kumar has been one of the most popular and versatile performers in Malayalam cinema. Starting his career with comedy roles, he later established himself as a serious actor through powerful character portrayals.

His performance in films across different genres earned him critical acclaim, and he went on to win the National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’. He has also been recognised with several state and film awards for his contribution to Malayalam cinema. The news of his hospitalisation has led to an outpouring of support from colleagues, fans and well-wishers, who have expressed hope for his recovery. Known for his liking for the Congress party, the hugely popular actor has time and again come out in support of the party, especially during the election times.

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Don 3 Row: FWICE Withdraws Non-Cooperation Directive Against Ranveer Singh Following Legal Notice, Says ‘No One Has Won Or Lost’

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Actor Ranveer Singh received major relief in the ongoing Don 3 controversy, with the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) officially withdrawing its non-cooperation directive against him. The decision was announced on Wednesday (June 3) after discussions involving several key industry bodies, including the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA), the Producers Guild of India (PGI) and the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA).

The move comes days after FWICE issued the directive over Ranveer’s reported exit from Farhan Akhtar’s much-awaited film Don 3. The matter later escalated when the actor sent a legal notice to the organisation.

Speaking to reporters, FWICE president BN Tiwari confirmed that the directive had been revoked with immediate effect.

“We are taking back our non cooperative directive from immediate effect after a request by IMPAA, the producers’ guild and CINTAA. We have been told that we should all sit together with the producers’ body and take an appropriate decision where neither the producers and directors nor the actor face any issues,” FWICE president BN Tiwari told reporters in Mumbai, according to PTI.

Tiwari also clarified that the organisation does not view the development as a victory or defeat for either side. “No one has won or lost in this matter. Our legal department will respond to his legal notice,” he added.

The controversy began on May 25 when FWICE announced a non-cooperation directive against Ranveer following a complaint filed by Farhan and his producing partner Ritesh Sidhwani with the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA).

The matter was subsequently referred to FWICE for intervention.

According to reports, Don 3 has been in development for nearly three years and is yet to go on floors. The producers have reportedly claimed that more than Rs 45 crore has already been invested in the film’s pre-production process.

Amid the growing dispute, Ranveer Singh chose not to comment publicly on the issue. However, his spokesperson issued a statement emphasizing the actor’s respect for everyone associated with the project and the film industry.

“Throughout the recent developments surrounding ‘Don 3’, he has consciously chosen to maintain silence, believing that professional discussions and personal equations are best handled with dignity, maturity and mutual respect,” the statement said.

The spokesperson also stated that Singh continues to hold “deep respect and goodwill” for all those connected to the film and the industry.

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