Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi are teaming up for the first time on the Karan Johar production, Selfiee. It is directed by Raj Mehta and is currently under production. According to our sources, Dharma Productions have signed an open-ended contract with Disney+ Hotstar.

“The film is made on a very limited budget, ensuring backend profits for all stakeholders from just the pre-release deals. It’s an interesting structure that has been curated for Selfiee. Karan Johar and Akshay Kumar decided on signing an open-ended contract with their digital platform, Disney+ Hotstar,” revealed a source to Bollywood Hungama, adding further, “Basically, the team has locked two deals with the platform – one being direct to digital premiere followed by a Television premiere for a handsome amount, and second being, a four-week gap between theatrical and digital release. A final call on the mode of release will be taken on seeing the final print of Selfiee.” 

Both Akshay and Karan want to bring Selfiee during the Christmas week, but it’s already crowded and hence, the discussion of OTT is back again in the Dharma office. “Selfiee isn’t exactly an out-and-out commercial film, but more of a comic thriller. Though there are big names involved in the film, this isn’t a theatrical genre and no one is sure about the numbers that the film will do theatrically in a non-holiday season. It’s all ifs and buts and that’s the sole reason for an open-ended contract, to safeguard the financial interests from all ends. A theatrical release would put some sort of burden on the film to perform, whereas a digital release would give big returns to everyone.”

Those unaware, Disney+ Hotstar was announced as the digital partners of Selfiee during the announcement itself.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi celebrate schedule wrap of Selfiee with cake, watch video

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South Korean female group Oh My girl’s Arin makes a generous donation to mark Coming of Age Day.

According to Korea Joong Ang Daily, Arin donated 20 million won (over Rs.12 lakhs) to the Beautiful Foundation to celebrate Coming of Age Day on Monday. Coming of Age Day in Korea falls on the third Monday of May. The donated money will reportedly be used to support 18-year-olds that have grown up in orphanages to establish an independent life after they leave the facilities.

“Just like any other young people who are celebrated on Coming of Age Day, I hope becoming independent can be something joyful and exciting for them as well,” Arin shared.

Meanwhile, Oh My Girl recently renewed their contracts with their agency with one member opting not to.

Also Read: Jiho shares a handwritten note with fans addressing her exit from Oh My Girl; K-pop group to promote with five members

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Abhimanyu Dassani made an impressive debut in the quirky action-comedy, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2019). The film went unnoticed but Abhimanyu proved his worth. His next film, Meenakshi Sundareshwar, was produced by Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment and had a grand release on Netflix on Diwali 2021. The actor will now be seen in his third outing, Nikamma. It is expected to be his most commercial film to date, as indicated by the motion poster which was unveiled recently.

Before Nikamma’s trailer gets released on Tuesday, May 17, Bollywood Hungama has stumbled upon an interesting aspect of this film. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Nikamma is the official remake of the super-hit Telugu film, Middle Class Abbayi (2017). The film is also addressed as MCA. Just like the character in the original film (played by Nani), Abhimanyu Dassani’s character also has a photographic memory. In other words, Abhimanyu’s character has the magical ability to recall a visual or any episode from his with high precision. This aspect of his personality forms an important part of the film.”

The source continued, “Interestingly, Ajay Devgn also played a character with a flawless photographic memory in the recently released film, Runway 34. As Captain Vikrant Khanna, he is able to land the airplane in a near-impossible situation using his powerful memory.”

The source added, “Of course, both Nikamma and Runway 34 are as different as chalk and cheese. However, the common factor between the both is the protagonist’s powerful memory and how it serves as a catalyst and drives the plot.”

Nikamma also stars Shirley Setia and this is the first theatrical Bollywood film of her career. Shilpa Shetty also stars in an important role in this film. Shilpa was last seen in Hungama 2 (2021). Since it was released directly on Disney+ Hotstar, Nikamma marks her return to the silver screen after nearly 15 years. The film is directed by Sabbir Khan, of Heropanti (2014) and Baaghi (2016) fame. Nikamma would be released on June 17, 2022.

An industry insider commented, “Abhimanyu Dassani in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota couldn’t feel pain. In Nikamma, he can’t forget anything. He seems to attract scripts in which the protagonist has superhero-like powers!”

Also Read: Abhimanyu Dassani, Shirley Setia and Shilpa Shetty starrer Nikamma to release on June 17, 2022

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It’s confirmed! Season 3 of Bridgerton will spotlight the romance between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Feathington. The news was confirmed on Sunday by Nicola Coughlan herself who plays the role of Penelope, alias Lady Whistletown.

According to Netflix TUDUM, at the Bridgerton For Your Consideration panel in Hollywood, Nicola Coughlan announced that Season 3 of the regency romance will focus on the relationship between her own Penelope Feathington and Penelope’s long standing crush, Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). This is an exciting shakeup from Bridgerton’s inspiration, Julia Quinn’s books of the same name; Penelope and Colin’s love story is told in the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, rather than the third.

Coughlan learned she would be Bridgerton’s next heroine during what she assumed was a routine phone call last year with Season 3 showrunner Jess Brownell. With a few months to adjust to the surprise, the Irish actress now thinks a bumped-up Polin season makes sense. “I feel like if you see Penelope fawning over this boy for another season, you’ll be like, ‘Get it together! Come on, move on and get over it,’” Coughlan told Tudum before the FYC event. “Jess has talked to Luke and I through the season, and I think people are going to be really obsessed. I think book fans are going to be happy.”

Coughlan’s on-screen love interest is equally excited to dive into their starring season. “I love Polin,” Newton said brightly over Zoom in the days leading up to the announcement. His “favorite” hobby is occasionally peeking at the Polin ship hashtag. “There’s so much love for that relationship. Which brings its pressures because there are people that are really excited about this story to come to the forefront,” he said. “But also it really warms me.”

In the season 2 finale, Colin Bridgerton tells a group of men that he would “never dream of courting” Penelope which leaves her heartbroken. “That very last comment is what I’ve got the most stick about from fans since we’ve finished,” Newton said.

“Maybe that’s Colin’s excuse: He’s not looking for [love] at all,” Newton explained. “If he was actively out there constantly looking for the right person and she’s right in front of him, you’d be even more frustrated. Maybe he needs to focus on love and romance, rather than his business pursuits or his desire to travel.”

“I’m hoping that he has sort of a more sensitive side to him,” Newton said. “I love that we are exploring a relationship that so many people have had, where you form a friendship and you get to know each other down to the core. Then it sparks something from there.”

Actors Johnathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, on whom the season 2 was focused, will return in season 3 as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma along with the Bridgerton cast.

ALSO READ: Bridgerton recasts Francesca Bridgerton for season 3, Hannah Dodd to replace Ruby Stokes

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Jayeshbhai Jordaar, starring Ranveer Singh, was released on May 13 amid high expectations. However, the buzz was low and the response was mixed. Yet, when reports came in that it had collected just Rs. 3 crores on day 1, the industry and trade were left shocked. The growth was minimal on Saturday (Rs. 4 crores). The weekend collections are expected to be around Rs. 11.50-12 crore. From today, that is, Monday, Jayeshbhai Jordaar is expected to have poorer collections.

However, it has come to light that Yash Raj Films (YRF), the producers of Jayeshbhai Jordaar, have asked exhibitors to retain a certain number of shows in their properties till Thursday. If the theatre owners fail to do so, there’s a fear that YRF won’t release their next films, Prithviraj, starring Akshay Kumar, and Shamshera, starring Ranbir Kapoor, in their cinema halls.

A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Jayeshbhai Jordaar showed a flat trend over the weekdays. Hence, many exhibitors wanted to considerably reduce their shows and replace them with films that are doing well like KGF – Chapter 2, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and the Marathi, Gujarati, and Punjabi films. However, YRF has categorically asked theatres to ensure that Jayeshbhai Jordaar has a respectable number of shows in their theatres. The exhibitors argued that it’s not feasible for them. After all, when audiences haven’t turned up to watch Jayeshbhai Jordaar in big numbers on the weekends, how can they be expected to come on the weekdays?”

The source continued, “YRF, however, remained adamant and insisted on retaining a certain number of shows, that too during prime time. The exhibitors agreed as no one wants to take panga with them. They have Prithviraj and Shamshera next. Both are big-budget spectacles. Then, next year, they’ll release Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Salman Khan’s Tiger 3. All these films can work big time. Hence, the exhibitors decided that they’d play Jayeshbhai Jordaar this week the way YRF wants rather than risk not getting these biggies in their cinemas.”

A three-screen multiplex owner, on condition of anonymity, spoke to Bollywood Hungama, “If I was given a free hand, I would have given only one show to Jayeshbhai Jordaar from Monday. However, I was told to play three shows. KGF – Chapter 2 and one regional film are doing very well. It hurts that we can’t increase its shows to keep up with the demand because of this diktat.”

He also remarked, “2 weeks back, Heropanti 2 had similarly flopped. Then, I played just one show on the weekdays; the distributor had allowed us to do so.”

On the other hand, a few exhibitors claimed that they haven’t got any such directive from YRF. Some of them have discontinued Jayeshbhai Jordaar while the rest of them are playing the film in 1 or 2 shows in their multiplex.

Also Read: Ranveer Singh starrer Jayeshbhai Jordaar gets fanart tribute, see photos

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