What a dreamy debut
Addressing recent buzz, Riddhima Kapoor has clarified that she is not romantically paired opposite Kapil Sharma in her much-talked-about debut with mother Neetu Kapoor. Speaking to mid-day, she said, “Actually no, I’m not opposite him, but it’s an exciting role and I’m glad I agreed to play it.” Reflecting on her experience with Kapil, she added, “Kapil and I had a few scenes together, and he’s an amazing colleague.” The film marks Riddhima’s long-awaited Bollywood debut. While pairing rumours may be unfounded, Riddhima is brimming with excitement to take the plunge.
Not getting bullied by critics
Bhumi Pednekar
Actor Bhumi Pednekar has candidly opened up about handling criticism and online trolling, insisting she has learnt to tell the two apart. Speaking on Fashionably Pernia, she said, “One thing that I did well was that I developed the ability to separate the critics from the trolls because I’ll be acting for the rest of my life. And if I have space to improve, it’ll be the death of me if I don’t take in feedback.” She doubled down on her resilience, adding, “I’m not going to be bullied by you. I’m too strong.”
Mahabharata with a modern twist
John Abraham
In a casting coup, Bollywood star John Abraham is reportedly set to play Duryodhana in director Arun Gopalan’s upcoming film, Duryodhana. Sources say John was instantly drawn to Gopalan’s contemporary spin on the Mahabharata and described the vision as “fresh and bold”. Filming is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, with pre-production kicking off early next year. The project is being co-produced by John along with Sandeep Leyzell. Meanwhile, John is juggling an action-packed slate — he is gearing up to revive the Force franchise under Bhav Dhulia’s direction and has also committed to Rohit Shetty’s Rakesh Maria biopic, slated for a 2026 release.
Fresh on-screen pairing
Lakshya and Rasha Thadani
Actor Lakshya, basking in the praise for Aryan Khan’s Netflix series The B**ds of Bollywood, has signed his next opposite Raveena Tandon’s daughter, Rasha Thadani. The untitled action-romance will be produced by Jay Shewakramani’s Northern Lights Films and directed by Anirudh Iyer of An Action Hero (2022) fame. This marks Lakshya and Rasha’s first feature collaboration after their sparkling chemistry in an advertisement earlier this year. The film, a cocktail of youthful love and high-octane action, is expected to go on floors in early 2026. While Lakshya continues to headline three Dharma Productions films, this is his first venture outside the banner. For Rasha, who won praise despite her debut Azaad (2024) underperforming, the project adds to a promising line-up that also includes a Telugu outing with Jaya Krishna.
