Bollywood
‘RRR’ release postponed, makers promise to bring back glory of cinemas at right time
Considering the rising Covid cases across the country and the tightening of civil restrictions, the makers of Ram Charan and Jr NTR-starrer ‘RRR’ have decided to postpone the release date of the film till further notice.
Earlier on Saturday, the film’s director S.S. Rajamouli flew down to Mumbai for a meeting with the stakeholders of the film. The outcome of the meeting was shared by DVV Entertainment, the production company which made the announcement with regards to the same on Twitter.
They tweeted, “Keeping the best interests of all the involved parties in mind, we are forced to postpone our film. Our sincere thanks to all the fans and audience for their unconditional love. #RRRPostponed #RRRMovie”.
The creative shared by the production company read, “Inspite of our relentless efforts, some situations are beyond our control. As many Indian states are closing theatres, we are left with no choice but to ask you to hold on to your excitement. We promised to bring back The Glory of Indian Cinema, and at the right time, WE WILL.”
Enlisting the impact of the move, media and internet research analyst Karan Taurani said, “This will be a big negative for exhibitors as it will also postpone other large Hindi and regional releases slated for January; cash burn for the chains would go up substantially even if cinemas are open without large scale content as it’s a high operating leverage business. It was only large scale content that was driving larger footfalls in the last 3-4 months of operation.”
“We don’t expect a large film to be released at least until March/April basis the normalcy of current situation; we may go back to the same situation of cinemas being asked to shut in some states or reduce occupancy cap, reversal of this takes at least 6-8 weeks in our view, which would be much lower this time around as compared to wave 1 and wave 2, wherein reversals took anywhere between 12-24 weeks,” he added.
Independent film and trade analyst Sumit Kadel says that it’s a good move on the makers’ part. He shares, “It’s a sensible decision from the perspective of the ‘RRR’ makers. Otherwise, it would have badly affected their collections.”
He adds, “The Tamil Nadu government’s recent directive of running cinema halls at 50 per cent occupancy made the makers postpone the film as it is one of the most important markets for Rajamouli films. Both ‘Baahubali 1’ and its sequel did exceptional business in the state. In the coming days more states would come up with restrictions, some will put a cap on the occupancy, some will shut the theatres.”
The state of Andhra Pradesh is also facing issues with regards to ticket pricing. Upset with the state government’s crackdown on rising ticket and refreshment prices, several theatre owners in the state have shut down their establishments saying that the price cap by the government is eating into their profits and impeding the recovery of cinemas.
In addition, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government recently issued a yellow alert asking cinema halls to shut down in the national capital in order to quell the bug. Mumbai too is expected to witness shutting of cinema halls as it registered 5,600 cases on Friday, a number which is likely to go up in the days to come, pushing the hub of financial activities and entertainment into partial or full lockdown.
A number of states are curtailing civil movements to avoid the explosion of the virus into a third wave, a move which will thereby dent the showbiz further.
Bollywood
Bombay HC Reserves Order On Sunil Shetty’s Plea Seeking Protection Of Personality Rights

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty seeking protection of his personality rights and an injunction against unauthorised use of his name, image, and likeness on social media and various websites.
A single-judge bench of Justice Arif S Doctor briefly heard arguments from senior advocate Birendra Saraf, representing the 64-year-old actor, and remarked that “it is scary what people can do with the unregulated use of AI on social media.” The court is expected to pass an ex parte ad-interim order in due course.
Shetty, who has acted in over 100 films, has filed a commercial intellectual property rights infringement suit against several social media platforms, websites, and unknown persons (John Doe defendants) for what he described as “extensive and ongoing infringement and unauthorised commercial exploitation” of his persona.
The plea highlights that his photographs and deepfake images, including those with his grandchild, were being used for commercial gain by real estate agencies, gambling and astrology websites, and merchandise sellers — all without his consent or authorisation.
Some of these instances involve AI-generated content, including deepfake videos and counterfeit merchandise like T-shirts and posters featuring his image.
Saraf submitted that such unauthorised usage and impersonation dilute the actor’s reputation, goodwill, and contractual commitments with third parties. “The infringement acts are causing irreparable harm to the plaintiff’s immense goodwill built carefully over the years,” the plea stated.
It further argued that the business models of such websites were designed to unlawfully monetise Shetty’s persona and “debase the goodwill and reputation that the plaintiff has cultivated over many years.”
The actor has sought a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from misusing his personality rights — including his name, image, likeness, voice, or any other attributes — in any form, especially through AI-generated or deepfake content.
He has also sought directions to take down infringing content and prohibit the manufacture or sale of counterfeit merchandise using his likeness.
Justice Doctor had earlier, while granting interim relief to singer Asha Bhosle in a similar plea, observed that using AI tools to imitate a celebrity’s voice without consent violates their personal rights.
Bollywood
Mumbai: Farhan Akhtar’s Family Driver Misuses Actor’s Cards To Fill His Pockets, Booked For ₹12 Lakh Fraud

Mumbai: The police have registered a case against the driver of actor Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, and an employee of a petrol pump near Bandra Lake. The accused driver, Naresh Singh, 35, used Akhtar’s cards to fill fuel in Irani’s cars. However, he merely swiped the cards at the petrol pump and an employee there, Arun Singh, 52, gave him cash after keeping his share for the deal.
On October 1, Irani’s manager filed a complaint with the Bandra police against Singh and the petrol pump employee for allegedly cheating them of Rs 12 lakh. According to the FIR, Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia, 36, while checking the fuel accounts, discovered that a Maruti car with a diesel capacity of 35t was recorded as having received 621t.
When Bhatia questioned Singh, he gave unsatisfactory answers, claiming he only had one card to fill petrol and diesel. The manager examined the cards’ history. She discovered that Singh had used three cards, all registered under Akhtar’s name. She further found that Singh had purchased vehicle oil for a car that had been sold seven years ago. She arranged a meeting with Trani, during which Singh confessed to cheating them.
Singh revealed that in 2022, he obtained three cards from Akhtar’s former driver, Santosh Kumar. After obtaining the cards, he always filled petrol and diesel at the SV Road petrol pump near Bandra Lake, where he conspired with the petrol pump employee. Singh frequently swiped the cards without filling petrol or diesel and was given cash after a deduction of Rs 1,000- 1500.
A case has been registered under Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 3(5) (general provisions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Bollywood
‘Stranger Asked For Nude Pics’: Akshay Kumar Reveals Daughter’s Disturbing Online Game Incident; Warns Parents Of Cyber Threats

Mumbai: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, known for keeping his personal life private, revealed a disturbing incident involving his 13-year-old daughter. Speaking at a cyber awareness program, the actor recounted how an unknown individual tried to target his daughter while she was playing an online video game.
Kumar explained, “A few months ago, my daughter was playing an online game. Some games allow interaction with strangers. While she was playing, she received messages like ‘Thank you,’ ‘That was great,’ ‘You’re doing so well,’ ‘Fantastic’ – very courteous messages that seemed harmless.”
However, the tone soon changed. “Suddenly, the person asked where she was from. She replied, ‘Mumbai.’ The conversation continued politely at first, but then the stranger asked, ‘Are you male or female?’ She answered, ‘Female.’ Shockingly, the stranger then requested her to send nude pictures,” Akshay said.
Nitara immediately closed the game and informed her mother, Twinkle Khanna, about the incident. Akshay praised his daughter’s quick thinking and her decision to share the matter with her parents.
“This is exactly how such incidents start. Children are often trapped online, later extorted for money, and in many cases, these crimes have even led to suicides,” Kumar warned.
The actor urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities and stressed the importance of awareness about the dangers on gaming and social platforms.
“Parents must educate their children, supervise online interactions, and teach them how to respond to strangers in digital spaces,” he added.
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