SRK the Soloist

It was revealed many months ago that one of the first films Shah Rukh Khan will begin shooting for after his long hiatus from the screen will be Rajkumar Hirani’s next. But there has been no formal announcement either from the star or the filmmaker on the same.

Apparently, Hirani is still working on the script with his regular collaborator Abhijat Joshi. Trusted sources have revealed that the Munna Bhai franchise director originally had a two-hero project in mind that he wanted to make with SRK and Salman Khan. But Shah Rukh was reportedly keen on doing a solo-starrer, so it was back to the drawing board for the filmmaker.

After locking on a subject that both star and director could agree on, Hirani has been working on drafts and routinely sharing them with his leading-man-to-be. With SRK, it has apparently been a back-and-forth exercise, exchanging ideas and moulding the script with his inputs. It is Hirani himself who has asked the superstar to hold off making an announcement till a final script is locked.

Timing the Blockbuster

Hrithik Roshan’s mum Pinkie Roshan sure has a sense of humour. She posted stills of Jaadu, the ET-inspired alien from her husband Rakesh Roshan’s film Koi Mil Gaya, on Instagram recently pleading for him to return and help with the current global crisis.

But on a more serious note, it raises a question about the next Krrish film, which had been confirmed by both Rakesh and Hrithik but which has failed to make much progress. The film had been pushed initially after Roshan Sr was diagnosed with cancer and was advised to focus on his treatment and recovery. Then there was some talk that Hrithik’s Kaabil director Sanjay Gupta might helm the project—the filmmaker had confirmed that he had written a script—but there is no further talk about it since.

Priyanka Chopra, who played Hrithik’s romantic interest in the last two films of this franchise, has repeatedly said she would happily return if they decided to do a fresh instalment. But it appears that like us, she too might have to wait for any news on that front.

Meanwhile, a Bollywood bigwig tells us that when the film business bounces back from Covid-19 and new films are ready to go into production, it is very likely that the Roshans will make an announcement on Krrish 4. “For the foreseeable future, the theatrical business may only be able to sustain tentpole, blockbuster films. And Rakesh Roshan is smart enough to know that Krrish is exactly the kind of film fans would throng the cinemas to watch.”

The Art of Giving Differently

Last weekend, during the biggest Bollywood-led fundraiser for Covid-related relief and charities, viewers were surprised that at least a handful of A-listers were absent. These included a muscled superstar, who, as it turns out, had been approached to participate in the ‘giveathon’ but chose to give it a miss reportedly because of the involvement of his former business agent. The superstar and his agent had an ugly falling out some years ago, and according to well-placed sources, he did not want to ‘promote’ any cause she was so closely associated with. He did, however, gather actor and model friends who he’s been isolating with, and shot a video of them donating sacks full of foodgrains to needy families.

The other A-lister missing from the fundraiser was a top female actress who has never particularly enjoyed being part of something where the spotlight isn’t shining exclusively on her.

But news is also coming in that a handful of actors are upset that they weren’t invited to participate. A young actor with solid acting chops is ‘hurt’ that he wasn’t approached.

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Rajeev Masand

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