Have you heard? Vikrant Massey in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s love story, Rashmika Mandanna set to return to work

Vikrant Massey and Rashmika Mandanna. Pics/Yogen Shah, Instagram

The superstar project can wait

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

Vikrant Massey is set to headline Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's next directorial venture, a small-town love story that the filmmaker plans to shoot before embarking on his ambitious ‘Karna'. The romantic drama, which is an "intimate project" for the filmmaker, has reportedly been with him for some time. A short shooting schedule of 30 days is being planned. We have learnt that the film will be a classic romantic drama with a refreshing twist. Meanwhile, pre-production on ‘Karna' will continue.

Salman Khan

Salman Khan's ‘Karna'
Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra's ambitious two-part ‘Karna', backed by Excel Entertainment, has been in development for five years. Salman Khan is set to play the titular Mahabharata character, with the war epic expected to go on floors in August 2027

Life with an activist wife

Shabana Azmi with Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar knows exactly what happens when "the old Shabana" wakes up. In a recent podcast, the lyricist recounted wife Shabana Azmi calling him from London to announce she was heading to Delhi for the NEET protests. "I knew she would. It's the call of the conscience," he said, adding, "I'm proud of her." Javed also revealed that her activism has earlier seen him bail her out of a police station. "She's gone for a hunger strike in Mumbai. She's been quite active," he said with a laugh.

Back to the grind

Rashmika Mandanna

Rashmika Mandanna is ready to trade her quiet recovery days for the chaos of film sets. Nearly a month after suffering a hip injury while shooting Mysaa, the actor has announced that she will soon return to work. Sharing glimpses of her downtime, from performing puja to solving puzzles and spending time with her dog, she wrote, "I am getting back to work soon, and I am definitely going to miss all of this!"

‘Tumcha mulga' Badshah

Badshah in ‘Chimna'

Badshah has ventured into Marathi hip-hop with Chimna, a high-energy track celebrating Maharashtra's culture and community. Produced by Hiten, the song features Badshah alongside Divya Kumar and Nagesh Morwekar, and blends a traditional rural hook with explosive rap. Calling regional music a "goldmine", Badshah, in a statement, said, "I want to celebrate every corner of it." Describing Chimna as his "love letter to Maharashtra's rich creative canvas", he dedicated the track to his "day one Maharashtrian fans".

Badshah's dance anthems
From ‘Naina' (2024) and ‘Morni' (2024) to ‘Daaku' and ‘Kokaina' (2025), Badshah has consistently delivered party-ready tracks. His recent Bollywood number was ‘Bahli Sohni' from ‘Baaghi 4' (2025).