Have you heard? Sanjay Leela Bhansali goes solo for Love & War

Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal

It appears that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has decided to go solo for Love & War. Talk in the trade is that he will produce the Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal-starrer on his own. Even as the filmmaker is set to take his magnum opus on floors early next month, he is said to have inked a huge post-theatrical deal with Netflix. Backed by the success of his web series debut, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar on the international streaming giant, the filmmaker is said to have secured a base price of R130 crore, with scope to increase the figure in keeping with its box-office performance. Moreover, SLB is in the final stages of closing the deal for the music rights with Saregama for about R35 crore. That's not all. The filmmaker is also in advanced discussions with a leading network for the satellite rights, said to be in the range of R50 crore. The period war drama is set to cost about Rs 200 crore to make, without taking into account the remuneration of the artistes. Interestingly, Ranbir, Alia and Vicky are said to have finalised back-end deals with the filmmaker, with their fees coming from the theatrical revenue. The Animal (2023) actor will pocket the lion's share from the theatrical collections. Known to mount his movies on a grand scale, SLB is sparing no effort or cost in making this period drama a big-screen extravaganza.

Realty bites

Prithviraj Sukumaran is expanding his real estate footprint in Mumbai. The actor's production house has reportedly acquired a sprawling duplex in Bandra's Pali Hill. The luxurious property, said to be measuring about 2,971 sq ft, with four parking lots, is said to have cost Rs 30.6 crore. Moreover, Prithviraj Productions Pvt Ltd also paid a stamp duty of R1.84 crore on the transaction that was registered recently. This is the south actor's second property in the city. He, along with his wife Supriya Menon, also own another luxury apartment in the neighbourhood. They had bought it some years ago for about Rs 17 crore. Even as Prithviraj is currently readying his next directorial venture, L2: Empuraan, he will also be seen in Karan Johar's Sarzameen with Kajol and Ibrahim Ali Khan.

Empowering women through education

Noted math tutor and Padma awardee Anand Kumar unveiled the first look of the film, Aayushmati Geeta: Matric Pass yesterday. Helmed by Prradeep Khairwar, the movie marks the debut of Kashika Kapoor, who plays the titular role. Prradeep recalled telling composer Sanjeev Anand Jha about his wish to meet Kumar. "Since Super 30 was releasing then, I sought Anand sir's guidance to make a film about academics. He suggested that I should do something about girls' education. I promised him that I would work on that idea," said the director. He went back to him with the plotline and on getting the go ahead, developed the screenplay. Assured that Kumar was pleased with the screenplay, Prradeep set out to make the film. "After completing the film, when I showed the rough cut and the trailer to him, he assured me his support in taking it to the people," the director added. Kashika, a Bandra girl, shared that she prepped extensively for the part of Geeta, the protagonist. "Before we began shooting, I lived in a village and interacted with locals to get the nuances of how they talk, behave, and go about their daily life," she beamed. On his part, Kumar reiterated that he bats for girls' education, saying, "Most parents in our villages are not really keen on getting their girls admitted into schools. Our message behind this film is to encourage the empowerment of women, especially girls in rural India, through education."

Meet Mr and Mrs Adu-Siddhu

Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth recently tied the knot at a 400-year old temple in Wanaparthy, Telangana. They shared the news on social media with pictures from their south Indian wedding, saying, "You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars. To being pixie soulmates for eternity... To laughter, to never growing up... To eternal love, light and magic. Mrs & Mr Adu-Siddhu."