Have you heard? Booking stalemate

A still from Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire; (right) Dunki

Talk in the trade is that the distributors of Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki and Prabhas' Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire are yet to arrive at a middle ground with respect to the sharing of screens and shows in single screen cinemas across India. Interestingly, several single screens haven't been allowed to open bookings for Friday for the SRK-starrer, which releases on Thursday. Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 cineplex and Maratha Mandir cinema, has already voiced his displeasure. A veteran producer-distributor-exhibitor, on condition of anonymity, told us, "This stalemate will continue till late Wednesday." Pointing out that it's not right for a distributor to make unreasonable demands after reports of a film's actor-producer seeking fair play for both releases, he said, "Eventually, this stalemate could end in a 60:40 ratio. In the southern territories, Salaar will get 60 per cent preference, while Dunki will get as much in the rest of India." Addressing the comparison between the collections, our industry insider adds, "The numbers won't give a clear picture because tickets are reasonably priced in south India as compared to west and north."

Waiting for MunnaBhai 3

Talking of Dunki, Rajkumar Hirani's directorial debut Munna Bhai MBBS completed 20 years of its release yesterday. Arshad Warsi, who played Circuit, can't believe it has been two decades. Alongside a picture with Sanjay Dutt, who played the titular role, the actor shared an incident on social media, saying, "After many years, we went back on the sets of a project and it was shocking. The unit couldn't believe it, and wanted to take pictures with us because we were in our costumes as Munna and Circuit. It was flattering to see the new young generation and the old ones identify with us. Guess, that's the magic this film has created." Celebrating the ‘laughter, emotions and a whole lot of jadoo ki jhappi', Sanju wrote, "A journey filled with unforgettable moments. Grateful for the love and support that made this film a timeless classic. Hoping that Munna Bhai 3 will be made soon!" We also hope that Hirani is listening.

Quash the case please

Jacqueliene Fernandez has reportedly petitioned the Delhi High Court to have the FIR against her and the additional chargesheet issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) set aside. She also claimed that the law enforcement agency has behaved in a partisan manner in registering cases against her. In her plea, Jacqueliene has apparently stated that the evidence submitted by the ED could well serve as proof of her innocence and of becoming Sukesh's target. It is also stated that since there is no indication of her involvement in helping him in the money-laundering case, she cannot be prosecuted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Inspired by Saif

During a recent actors' roundtable, Kareena Kapoor Khan said actor-husband Saif Ali Khan encourages her to take on challenging roles. "Saif is quite a cinematic mind himself because he watches a lot of movies and we discuss many of them. He has been a risk taker, he is wild in his thoughts, and he reads a lot," she said. Revealing that he watches a lot of actors' interviews till 3 am and even wakes her up to discuss what international actors have said, she added, "We push each other and I respect that."