Expresso Bollywood News Update at 11:30 am on 21 June 2023

In our top story. The mega-budget big-screen Ramayana adaptation Adipurush has crashed at the box office. After a massive record-breaking weekend, Adipurush witnessed a steep drop with collections sinking by a whopping 75 per cent. Box Office India reported that the Hindi collections for the movie were in the range of Rs 8-9 crore nett. T-Series, Adipurush’s producer, shared that the worldwide gross of the film so far was Rs 375 crore, which means that the film earned only Rs 35 crore more. The Prabhas starrer, since its release became a subject of ridicule over its poor VFX and terrible character design, which eventually snowballed into a national controversy.

Moving on. Filmmaker Karan Johar revealed the first teaser of his upcoming film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani — a new romantic drama starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh on Tuesday, 20th June. While the teaser doesn’t reveal the plot, it shows the lavish world that the filmmaker has created for his grand theatrical comeback. This is Karan's first theatrical release since 2016’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The teaser was launched by Shah Rukh Khan, Karan’s close friend and frequent collaborator. The star shared - “Karan, 25 years as a filmmaker. Have always told you to make more films because we need the ethereal magic of love being brought to life as only you can do."

Actor Tabu thanked comedian Kapil Sharma for being part of The Crew. Helmed by Rajesh Krishnan, the Rhea Kapoor production, which also stars Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon, alongside Tabu in lead roles, is set against the backdrop of the struggling airline industry. Kapil will be making a special appearance in the film. Putting an end to all previous speculations, Tabu took to social media to confirm his presence in the project and expressed her fondness for the actor-turned-comedian. Tabu shared - "From the bottom of my heart thank you for being part of The Crew. From being on your show to having you as my co-actor, it has always been a delight and joy."

Meanwhile, Rashmika Mandanna on Tuesday, 20th June took to her social media platforms to share that she recently wrapped up the film Animal. The actor also wrote a long note describing her experience working on Sandeep Reddy Vanga's directorial with Ranbir Kapoor. Sharing how much she loved working on the sets of Animal, Rashmika wrote - "Everyone who I worked with on set is so professional and yet so kind-hearted." Rashmika also heaped praise on her co-star Ranbir and shared that before starting the film she was “super nervous” to share screen space with him. She revealed - "God has really taken his time to make him perfect! Brilliant actor – An amazing human."

Sai Kabir Srivastva’s Tiku Weds Sheru is getting ready for release after multiple postponements, but the fact that the film features 49-year-old Nawazuddin Siddiqui romancing 21-year-old Avneet Kaur has sparked controversy on social media. The recently released trailer, which unveiled a scene of Siddiqui kissing Kaur, triggered swift reactions, with many expressing their discomfort and denouncing the portrayal as “gross”. Siddiqui himself has now responded to the controversy and, while defending being paired with Kaur, asked: “Why will there be a problem?” Asserting that romance is ageless, Siddiqui told India Today - “The problem is that the young men now have no romance left." The movie is scheduled to have its worldwide premiere on June 23.

Meanwhile, actor Harman Baweja has made a resounding comeback and filmmaker Hansal Mehta is the happiest. The director says Harman has made everyone proud with his impressive turn as ACP Shroff in the director’s latest series Scoop and silenced all his "critics” with his performance. Harman began his career with Love Story 2050 opposite Priyanka Chopra in 2008. The film sank and so did his next few films, making him quit the industry after his 2014 film Dishkiyaoon. Hansal Mehta took to Instagram and posted a note for Harman which read, “Giving it another chance! Harman Baweja has truly been a revelation. And in the process making all of us proud.”

Akshay Kumar, with his 2021 release Sooryavanshi, was credited with bringing the audience back to theatres but that narrative changed when Akshay had a string of flops in 2022 and another big disaster with Selfiee in 2023. In a chat with Financial Express, Akshay was asked if box office numbers bother him and the actor, without missing a beat, said, “Of course, they do. We are made or we are broken because of the box office numbers. The audiences tell us when we are right and where we are going wrong. If a film does not work, that means people didn’t come to see it. And it means that’s the time for you to change.”

Lastly, it has been a decade since Aanand L Rai’s Raanjhanaa was released in theatres and since then, the film has often been criticised for glamorising stalking. In the film, Dhanush’s character Kundan pursues Sonam Kapoor’s Zoya character relentlessly, and the film, it appears, encourages his behaviour. Abhay Deol, who was also part of Raanjhanaa, recently spoke about it. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Abhay said, “The film portrayed things that do happen and was true to the subject. The filmmaker’s motive was also to have empathy. But there is no doubt, this formula that Hindi films go for, which is to add glamorisation. The film lost the essence of its message, which was about love".

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