Mumbai, Sep 10: Actor Akshaye Khanna recently caught up with his good friend and filmmaker Rajat Rawail over a relaxed lunch in Mumbai.

Rajat Rawail, on Wednesday, sharing a candid glimpse of their get-together on his social media account, wrote, “super luncheon with my best best buddy, the super talented acting juggernaut akshaye khanna & rajat rawail bandra © wed 9/9/36 © friends for ever n ever.”

In the picture, the two friends can be seen seated across a table at a restaurant, posing for the camera.

Talking about Akshaye Khanna, the actor meanwhile, continues to be in the spotlight for his choice of different roles.

After making an impact with his recent performance in Dhurandhar, the actor is now preparing to surprise audiences with another striking transformation in the upcoming mythological film ‘Mahakali’.

In the film, reportedly Akshaye Khanna will be seen as Shukracharya, the guru of the Asuras. The makers had recently unveiled the first extended glimpse, titled ‘Shukracharya’s War Cry’, showcasing the actor in an intense and dramatically transformed avatar.

Directed by Puja Aparna Kolluru and written by Prasanth Varma, Mahakali is part of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe. The film also stars Sriya Reddy, Bhoomi Shetty and Rohit Saraf. It is slated to release in theatres on January 8, 2027.

For the uninitiated, Akshaye Khanna has also been riding high on the success of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, in which he delivered a performance as Rehman Dakait which received widespread appreciation.

The action thriller, headlined by Ranveer Singh and featuring Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal, released in theatres on December 5, 2025. Akshaye Khanna enjoys a lunch date with longtime friend Rajat Rawail, latter shares rare pics Khanna reprised his role in the franchise’s sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which released on March 19, 2026.

Mumbai, Sep 9: Actor Suniel Shetty wished his ‘Hera Pher’ co-star Akshay Kumar with a special social media post as he turned 59 years old on Wednesday.

He wrote on his X (Previously known as Twitter) timeline, “Some bonds don’t need too many words. Years go by, life gets busier, but the warmth respect and affection remain exactly the same. So many memories behind us… and plenty more ahead. Happy happy Birthday Akkii…have a great one. @akshaykumar (sic).”

Suniel even dropped a picture where he was seen posing alongside the birthday star.

Talking about the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise, the primary instalment made under the direction of Priyadarshan, starring Akshay Kumar (Raju), Suniel Shetty (Shyam), and Paresh Rawal (Baburao), reached the audience back in 2000.

‘Hera Pheri’ was initially a sleeper hit, but later turned into one of Bollywood’s most beloved comedies, gaining cult status.

6 years later, in 2006, the makers released ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, bringing back the beloved trio of Akshay, Suniel and Paresh.

Now, the third instalment, ‘Hera Pheri 3’, is in the works, featuring both Akshay and Suniel.

It must be noted that apart from the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise, Akshay and Suniel have shared the screen in various other projects such as ‘Mohra (1994)’, ‘Waqt Hamara Hai (1993)’, ‘Sapoot (1996)’, ‘Dhadkan (2000)’, ‘Awara Paagal Deewana (2002)’, ‘Aan: Men at Work (2004)’, Deewane Huye Paagal (2005), and ‘De Dana Dan (2009)’.

Talking about Akshay’s promising lineup, he will be seen reuniting with Saif Ali Khan after a long gap in Priyadarshan’s forthcoming thriller, ‘Haiwaan’. The project that will also see Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami in crucial roles is a remake of the Malayalam drama ‘Oppam’.

In addition to this, Akshay has also joined the ensemble cast of Rohit Shetty’s ‘Golmaal 5’, alongside Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Kemmu, and Sharman Joshi.

Akshay has further been roped in for Anees Bazmee’s untitled next. Touted to be a family comedy, the movie will also see Vidya Balan and Raashi Khanna in important roles.

Mumbai, Sep 8: Aamrapali Dubey, one of the most successful female stars of Bhojpuri cinema, says her journey to stardom was rooted in her acting rather than merely her popularity and added that she was fortunate to be offered diverse roles in an industry where female actors are often restricted to ornamental parts.

Asked if she believes the Bhojpuri industry gave her enough respect as an actor, or did it mostly value her star power, Aamrapali told media: “They did give me extreme and a lot of respect because of my acting skills, which is very rare for female actresses in my industry because most of the time, being a female actress in regional cinema constrains you to limited, ornamental kinds of roles.”

Aamrapali, who made her acting debut with the television soap opera Saat Phere – Saloni Ka Safar in 2009. Following her known portrayal of Suman in Rehna Hai Teri Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein. She ventured into Bhojpuri films with Nirahua Hindustani in 2014, considers herself very “lucky.”

“ I’ve been offered and I’ve done films which have different concepts and there’s a lot to perform in them. So, as an actress, I’ve been able to play a lot of different roles,” she said.

Talking about her performance, she said: “I’ve played the role of a Pakistani girl, I’ve also played the role of a Hyderabadi girl. So I’ve played a lot of different roles in the Bhojpuri industry, and people gave me a lot of love for those roles. After that, I’ve been given the title of a star. So that’s that.”

Aamrapali is currently seen in the 20th edition of Bigg Boss which started on September 6.

It has a diverse lineup of 16 celebrity contestants including names such as MC Mary Kom, Kanika Mann, Mahhi Vij, Kushal Tanwar, Aman Gandhi, Isha Rikhi, Arishfa Khan, Qazi Touqeer, Asif Khan, Aamrapali Dubey, Rhiti Tiwari, Uditi Singh, Tanmay Singh aka ScoutOP, Rohed Khan, Yung DSA and Love Gill.