Have you heard? A release date, finally

Kangana Ranaut

After losing out on critical dates, Kangana Ranaut has finalised the release of her upcoming directorial venture, Emergency. The period drama will now arrive in cinemas on November 24. She also portrays the role of Smt Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, who declared an emergency, in 1975, besides helming and producing the movie. The actor has been earning praise for not only nailing the look of the former PM, but also the finer nuances in her portrayal, going by the response to the posts from the making, which she shared on social media from time to time. On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the Emergency yesterday, Kangana shared the release date, saying, "Emergency is one of the most significant and darkest chapters in our history that young India needs to know. It is a crucial story, and I want to thank my super-talented actors like the late Satish-ji [Kaushik], Anupam-ji [Kher], Shreyas [Talpade], Mahima [Chaudhry], and Milind [Soman] for embarking on this creative journey together. I am excited to bring this extraordinary episode from India's history to the big screen. Jaihind!"

Franchise building plans

It is known that the post-theatrical streaming rights of Ajay Devgn's three films - Drishyam 3, Raid 2, and Black Magic - with producer Kumar Mangat have been acquired by JioCinema. Two of which are franchises. Not many know that it was Ajay's idea to turn Raid (2018) into a franchise. He motivated director Rajkumar Gupta to work on the second instalment. Considering the success of franchise films in Hollywood and India, the actor-filmmaker knows the value of their IP rights and their box-office potential. Ajay, Kumar, and Rajkumar plan to take Raid 2 on floors next year, after the actor has wrapped up Singham Again with Rohit Shetty. The Raid sequel is said to be bigger and better tha the first instalment.

Never again

Filmmaker Ramanand Sagar's great-granddaughter, Sakshi Chopra, has accused Netflix and the makers of their reality show, Social Currency, of sexual harassment. In a post on Instagram, the social media influencer-singer wrote, "I only signed because one call a day was promised in my contract." She claimed that the makers chased her for a year, despite her refusing to be part of the reality show. She also complained about being objectified and how her bold avatar was used for viewership. "After what one contestant, Mridul, openly said about my breasts and ass, for them to record and play it for everyone to hear, plus make me hear it and hope for a reaction, just for the sake of your ratings, after assuring me for one year it's only a game show - what? I cannot even explain how suffocating that was." The streaming giant has yet to issue a statement on the incident. Sakshi, however, has vowed to never participate in a reality show again.

Let's team up

Ever since Sara Ali Khan made her debut, filmmakers have wanted to pair the father, Saif Ali Khan, with his daughter on screen. The duo has been offered a number of movies in the past. However, back then, Saif felt it was too early for them to collaborate. Now that she has gained some experience and showcased her acting chops, Daddy Khan has agreed to team up with her for an ad film. They recently shot for an insurance commercial, and from what we hear, they rocked it with their cool chemistry. "They perfectly used their real-life equation to bring out the chemistry of their reel characters," says a source. Wonder who will be the first to bag the coup of casting them together in a movie.