BY SUNIT JANGIR

Kochi, April 4 - Superstar Mohanlal's action thriller L2: Empuraan has topped 100 crores gross collection at the Indian box office, becoming only the 4th Malayalam movie of all-time to achieve the feat. ## Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran, Empuraan scored approximately 4.50 crores gross collection on its 8th day, which took its total to around 103 crores gross domestically. The collection includes approximately 71.50 crores gross in the home state, Kerala. ## Empuraan is the 4th Malayalam film after Manjummel Boys (167.50+ crores gross), 2018 (110.50 crores gross), and Pulimurugan (100 crores gross), and the second for Mohanlal to score the milestone of 100 crores gross in the domestic market.## The film might become the biggest Mollywood grosser in India, but for that to happen, it needs to perform strongly outside Kerala, which hasn't happened due to mixed word of mouth. The controversy surrounding the films hasn't helped it much either, as it has minted around 31 crores in the rest of India market in 8 days. ## Meanwhile, Empuraan is nearing the top Manjummel Boys (241 crores) at the global box office to become the biggest Malayalam grosser of all time. In 8 days, it has grossed around 236 crores worldwide and is likely to claim the number 1 spot by the second Saturday (10 days). ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 3 - Superstar Salman Khan's action drama Sikandar gets another hit as it dropped further by around 40% on its first Thursday, after witnessing a drop of 50% on Wednesday, which is a concerning trend.## According to early estimates, the AR Murugadoss directorial movie scored in the range of 5.50-6 crores net collection on the fifth day. With this, the total collection of the film is around 90 crores after 5 days, and the 7-day week is heading towards 100 crores net. ## The movie is likely to hit a century on Saturday, but keep the record of Salman Khan intact post-pandemic, but it is no longer a milestone to brag about for a movie featuring one of the biggest stars of the country. The challenge for the film is to reach 150 crores lifetime total, but even that seems to be a big struggle. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 3 - Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan is gearing up for back-to-back films with producer Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. The actor has Johar's Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, slated to hit screens on Valentine's Day 2026, and has now signed one more film with the blockbuster producer. ## According to the latest reports, Kartik will be doing a high-concept creature comedy film, which will be produced by Karan Johar and Mahaveer Jain. Fukrey fame Mrigdeep Singh Lamba has written the script, and he will be directing this mega-budget film. The makers are looking to lock a newcomer to play the female lead role. ## Meanwhile, according to the report by Bollywood Hungama, the yet untitled movie was initially offered to superstar Akshay Kumar. The actor had initially shown interest in it, but eventually backed out due to its concept. The film is touted to be a one-of-a-kind high-concept comedy with a snake as the antagonist. ## It is said that Akshay was not convinced by the conflict of snake vs human, and didn't want to venture into this genre again after Jaani Dushman. The producers had multiple rounds of discussion with Akki, and when they backed out, they decided to reset the project with Kartik Aaryan, who loved the idea and instantly signed on for the movie. ## The film is expected to go on floors by October this year after Kartik completes shooting for director Anurag Basu's untitled love story and Sameer Vidwans' Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri. The actor's film with Mrigdeep Singh Lamba is expected to hit the big screens in the second half of 2026.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 3 - The much-anticipated trailer of superstar Akshay Kumar-fronted Kesari: Chapter 2 was launched on Thursday in Delhi, and during the trailer event, the Khiladi Kumar confirmed that he will be making Kesari 3. ## Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, Kesari 2 is based on the life of C Sankaran Nair, a lawyer who fought for the truth behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Akshay announced that the third instalment of the franchise will be based on the life of Hari Singh Nalwa. ## Hari Singh Nalwa was a prominent Sikh warrior and military commander who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He served as the Governor of Kashmir, Hazara and Peshawar and gained fame for his victories against the Afghans.## Akshay had earlier hinted at making a film of Hari Singh Nalwa during an old interview with Fever FM back in 2022, and now, he is set to bring this legendary warrior's life to the big screen. The details about the project will be shared on a later date. ## Meanwhile, Kesari 2 is produced by Dharma Productions, Cape of Good Films, and Leo Media Collective. It is based on the life of C Sankaran Nair, a lawyer who fought for the truth behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and shook the British Empire. Akshay plays the role of Nair alongside Ananya Panday and Madhavan in key roles. ## The film is scheduled to hit the big screen on April 18. ## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Hyderabad, April 3 - Superstar Ram Charan's next film Peddi is one of the most anticipated movies in the making for a 2026 release. The film is directed by Uppena Buchi Babu Sana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers in association with Vriddhi Cinemas and Sukumar Writings.## Peddi is an important movie for Ram Charan, as his last film, Game Changer, performed poorly at the global box office. However, despite the gloomy result of the last movie, the trade is excited for Peddi and is seeing it as a potential big comeback for the Telugu superstar. ## The film is currently in production, and according to the latest update from the makers, the film's music rights have been sold to T-Series. It is said that the music company has acquired the audio rights of Peddi in 25 crores price which is among the highest for an Indian film. ## Peddi is a sports drama reportedly set in the 1980s rural Andhra Pradesh, when a spirited villager unites his community through sports to defend their pride against a powerful rival. It stars Ram Charan alongside Janhvi Kapoor, Shivarajkumar, Divyendu Sharma, and Jagapathi Babu among others in prominent roles. ## Meanwhile, the makers will release the first glimpse of the film on April 6, on the occasion of Shree Ram Navami. The film is scheduled to hit the big screens in the summer of 2026 in multiple languages. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 3 - Bollywood star Shraddha Kapoor is upping the ante after delivering one of the biggest blockbusters of Indian cinema history in the form of horror-comedy Stree 2. The actress is reportedly being flooded with scripts, and she has reportedly finalized a couple of films as the follow-up to Stree 2. ## According to the report by Pinkvilla, Shraddha has been offered films by T Series, Dharma Productions, and Excel Entertainment, among others. While the actress has shown interest in some of the films, she is reportedly teaming up with Tumbbad director Rahi Anil Barve for a unique high-concept thriller.## The yet untitled film will be produced by Ekta Kapoor, who has been discussing multiple scripts with Shraddha, and they have zeroed in on the script developed by Rahi Anil Barve. The script is locked and the actress was bowled over by the uniqueness that Rahi's story has to offer. ## It is said that the director will take around 3-4 months in pre-production, and the makers aim to start shooting by July/August 2025. It is expected to be Shraddha's immediate next after Stree 2, which was released in August 2024 and went on gross over 850 crores at the worldwide box office. ## Shraddha already has Stree 3 in the pipeline, but the report says that she will do at least 2 films before starting this Maddock Films' tentpole. Apart from the film with the Tumbbad filmmaker, the actress is in talks to reunite with her Aashiqui 2 team of director Mohit Suri and actor Aditya Roy Kapur for a love story, which will also be produced by Ekta.## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 2 - Superstar Salman Khan's action drama Sikandar has had an underwhelming first three days during the Eid weekend at the domestic box office with around 74.50 crores net collection, and to make things further gloomy, it has witnessed a big drop of around 50% on its first Wednesday. ## According to the early estimates, Sikandar has scored in the range of 9.50-10.50 crores net collection on its 4th day, pushing the total collection to around 84 crores. The drop was expected as word of mouth is poor, and the fact that it was coming after the Holiday weekend. ## The film is likely to enter the 100 crores net club by Friday or Saturday, but that's no longer a milestone to brag about, as the movie is clearly failing to meet the massive expectations the trade had from it. It is now more about reaching a respectable total which will still be a tough ask going forward. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 2 - Superstar Salman Khan recently confirmed that he is next doing an action film which will also feature Sanjay Dutt, who also confirmed the news independently. Now, more details have been revealed regarding this 2-hero project. ## According to the report by Bollywood Hungama, "Salman and Sanju are coming together for a rustic action film titled Ganga Ram, with the duo in the titular role. It's a film developed by Salman and his SKF team in-house, and everyone is very excited to get back the OG's on the big screen in the action set-up". ## Krish Ahir, who has been an associate on multiple films produced by Salman Khan over the last 5 years, will make his directorial debut with Ganga Ram, which aims to bring in the mass audience to the big screen like never before, as it would celebrate the two giants together. ## The story of the film is loaded with macho elements, and both Salman and Sanju have Alpha Male characteristics. The film will be produced by Salman Khan Films in association with another studio, and it is set to go on floors around June/July this year for a 2026 release.## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Chennai, April 2 - The anticipation is building up for Thalapathy Vijay's political action thriller Jana Nayagan, which is potentially the swan song of the actor's acting career. The film is directed by H. Vinoth, marking his first collaboration with the Tamil superstar. ## Jana Nayagan is scheduled to release on January 9, 2026, during the Pongal festivals, and there is a massive buzz among the trade for the obvious reasons. The movie, produced by KVN Productions, is currently under production, and according to the latest reports, the makers have locked the post-theatrical digital deal. ## It has been revealed that Jana Nayagan's post-theatrical streaming rights have been bagged by Amazon Prime Video in all languages at a huge price of around 120 crores. Interestingly, the reports suggest that the film will have an 8-week theatrical window, which is unlike Tamil movies of the post-COVID era. ## The movie will be released in multiple languages, including Hindi, and as per reports, it will have a proper theatrical release in the Hindi dub as the makers have reportedly agreed to keep an 8-week window, which is a must for a Hindi film.## Jana Nayagan stars Vijay, Pooja Hegde and Bobby Deol in the lead roles, alongside Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, Narain, Priyamani, Mamitha Baiju, Jisshu Sengupta, Monisha Blessy and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. ## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Los Angeles, April 2 - John Wick is set to return for at least one more time as Lionsgate has officially confirmed the fifth installment of this action thriller franchise at the CinemaCon event 2025. ## Taking to the CinemaCon stage on Tuesday morning, Lionsgate announced John Wick 5 with star Keanu Reeves set to return as the nunchuck-wielding hitman along with director Chad Stahelski. The story for the movie has been finalized. ## Meanwhile, the action franchise is expanding with an animated prequel film and a Caine-centric standalone adventure from director-star Donnie Yen. Additionally, there is the spin-off, Ballerina starring Ana de Armas slated to hit the screens on June 6. ## The fourth instalment, John Wick: Chapter 4 of this decade-long franchise, was released in 2023 and grossed over $440 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the series. In the movie, John Wick seemingly died as it ended with Ian McShane's Winston and Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King standing at a grave showing Wick's name.## Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, April 1 - After the underwhelming first two days of around 55 crores net collection, superstar Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna's action drama Sikandar has shown a much better hold than expected on its third day at the domestic box office. ## The AR Murugadoss directorial is showing a drop of around 30% from the Eid day, as early estimates suggest the collection to be in the range of 19-20 crores net on the first Tuesday. It has the benefit of the Basi Eid Holiday today as total collection is around 74 crores after 3 days. ## The audience word of mouth is poor, so there was the fear among the trade that the movie might collapse after Eid day, but the good hold has reignited some hope for the makers.## The real test for Sikandar will begin from Wednesday, though it is now certain to enter the 100 crores club as there is not much competition leading to the second weekend. The lower-than-expected first two days have almost sealed but confirmed the film's fate, but it can still manage to reach a respectable lifetime total by showing similar hold going forward. ## Stay tuned...

BY SACNILK TEAM

Mumbai, April 1 - The third installment of the iconic Hera Pheri franchise is one of the most anticipated films, and the buzz skyrocketed after it was confirmed recently that director Priyadarshan would return to helm it.## Hera Pheri 3, which will mark the return of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal, is supposed to start by the end of this year. While the fans are excited about it, director Priyadarshan has a disappointing update regarding the start time of this much-awaited threequel. ## The recent interview of the director confirmed that Hera Pheri 3 is unlikely to start before the end of next year and this is opposite to the public expectation. During an interview with ETV Bharat, Priyadarshan shared that he plans to start writing the film by next year. ## The director is currently shooting for the Akshay Kumar-fronted Bhooth Bangla which releases in April next year, and Hera Pheri 3 will be the follow-up for the filmmaker. "I plan to start work, start writing Hera Pheri 3 sometime next year. It is going to be very challenging to make the third part because there will be too many expectations", the director said. ## The director accepted that writing Hera Pheri 3 is going to be a challenge, as a lot of things have changed since the first Hera Pheri, which came 25 years ago in 2000. "Characters have gotten older, and accordingly, people should believe... these are important things. I am taking it as a challenge. Let's see how it works", he expressed.## Stay tuned...