BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 24 - Kaleem Production and Hombale Films' epic devotional action drama Mahavatar Narishma has created history as it has officially crossed the 300 crore worldwide mark in just 31 days, becoming the first-ever Indian animated film to achieve this historic feat. Made on a modest budget of around 10–15 crore, the film's phenomenal success has stunned trade experts and the industry alike. With a total collection of 301 crore worldwide after a month-long run, through the 5th Sunday, Mahavatar Narishma has not only proved the strength of storytelling in Indian animation but has also set new benchmarks for the genre. The film has also joined an elite league by becoming the 5th Indian film of 2025 to cross the 300 crore milestone, standing tall alongside big-ticket live-action blockbusters like Chhaava, Saiyaara, Coolie, and War 2. Its achievement is being hailed as a game-changer for the Indian animation industry. The movie's grand narrative, inspired by the Indian epic and presented with visually rich animation, struck a chord with audiences across age groups. The blend of divine storytelling, emotional depth, and cutting-edge visuals helped the film transcend the usual limitations of animated releases in India. Directed by Ashwin Kumar, Mahavatar Narsimha is the first film in the planned 7-part Mahavatar Cinematic Universe. Needless to say, the movie proved to be a perfect start to the franchise, which will only grow from hereon, and is likely to inspire other studios to follow the route with original animated stories. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 24 - Director Priyadarshan has reunited with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar for a crime thriller Haiwaan, also starring Saif Ali Khan in the lead role. The movie officially kicked off filming on August 23, with plans to release it in the summer of 2026. During a recent interview, Priyadarshan confirmed that Haiwaan is inspired by his 2016 Malayalam movie Oppam, but with several changes to the dialogues and screenplay. Ever since fans learned about this development, they have been wondering if Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who played the lead role in the original movie, will also make an appearance. Well, the veteran filmmaker has himself confirmed that Mohanlal will indeed play a cameo role in Haiwaan. "His character will definitely be a surprise for the audience," Priyadarshan revealed in a chat with Onmanorama, adding that after Haiwaan, he plans to direct his 100th film with Mohanlal in the lead. Haiwaan marks Priyadarshan's 8th collaboration with Akshay Kumar, including the upcoming horror comedy Bhooth Bangla. When asked about his frequent collaborations with Akki, the filmmaker said that it is all about comfort as he labelled him as Bollywood's Mohanlal. Priyadarshan also hinted that Hera Pheri 3, which will be his 9th film with Akshay, could be his last film as he is getting tired. Meanwhile, Haiwaan is produced by the leading Kannada production house, KVN Productions, marking its debut in Bollywood. The movie is currently being filmed in Kochi, and after that, the team will move to Vagamon, Ooty, and Mumbai. It also reportedly stars Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher, Boman Irani, and Asrani in key roles. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 24 - Actor Sidharth Malhotra has had an up-and-down journey in Bollywood with a mix of romantic dramas, action entertainers, and thrillers. Before the pandemic, he was a promising actor with a variety of films, but his trajectory took a downward turn after that, with not a single box office success . The actor's films used to deliver good opening-day numbers at the box office among his contemporaries, but things have changed over the last few years. One of the main reasons for the low openings of his films, as trade believes, is the lack of exciting content. With his upcoming release, Param Sundari, generating solid pre-release buzz, trade experts are curious to see if it can break into the actor's list of top openers. Sidharth's biggest opener remains Ek Villain (2014), which opened to a fantastic 16.70 crore net. It is closely followed by Brothers (2015), his big-ticket action drama alongside Akshay Kumar, which scored 15.21 crore net on day one. These two films remain miles ahead of the rest of his releases in terms of opening-day collections. In the third spot currently sits Thank God (2022), co-starring Ajay Devgn, which managed 8.10 crore net on its first day, despite clashing with big competition during the festive release window. His debut film Student of the Year (2012), directed by Karan Johar, made an impressive 7.48 crore net, marking a solid start for the actor's career. Rounding off the list is Marjaavaan (2019), a masala romantic action entertainer, which collected 7 crore net on opening day. With romantic-comedy Param Sundari, which has Janhvi Kapoor as the female lead, set to hit theatres on August 29, trade is anticipating a comeback for Sidharth. Early box office projections suggest that the film could take a double-digit opening, thereby pushing itself into the Top 3 Openers of Sidharth Malhotra's career. It is currently one of the most-anticipated Bollywood titles as per IMDb, and if the audience reception matches the hype, it could be a long-awaited comeback for the SOTY star. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Chennai, August 23 - It has been a week of joy and, at the same time, disappointment for superstar Rajinikanth's gangster action drama Coolie, and amid all this, the film has entered the all-time top 5 biggest grossers of Tamil cinema at the worldwide box office. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie had a record-breaking opening day, followed by the opening weekend, but it dropped drastically during the weekdays, which was expected, given the poor reviews and mixed word of mouth. But at the same time, it comes as a shock to the industry, which was anticipating it to become the biggest grosser of the film. Nonetheless, amid the disappointment of not achieving the ultimate goal, Coolie will still finish as one of the biggest Tamil grossers of all time. On its 10th day, the Rajinikanth-starrer surpassed the lifetime collection of Thalapathy Vijay's The GOAT (457 crores), and became the 5th biggest Tamil grosser of all-time. Ideally, Coolie should have done 500 crores or much more by now, but the mixed reception cut short its potential. The movie is now eyeing the lifetime collection of around 525 crores worldwide, which is nowhere near the high expectations trade had from it. Rajinikanth, meanwhile, now has three films in the top 5 biggest Tamil grossers. The legendary actor's sci-fi actioner 2 Point 0 remains the biggest Tamil grosser with around 700 crores, while his Jailer is the third in the list with around 605 crores. Vijay's Leo is the second biggest Tamil blockbuster with 606 crores, while Mani Ratnam's historical epic Ponniyin Selvan - 1 (488 crores) is currently the 4th in the list. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 23 - The anticipation is building up for Tiger Shroff's action thriller Baaghi 4, which is scheduled to hit the big screens on September 5. The makers are set to unveil the trailer on August 30, and are said to be confident that it to be the hype raiser. Meanwhile, the movie has already taken the spotlight as it climbed to the number one position on IMDb's real-time list of most anticipated Bollywood films of 2025. While earlier in January the film held the fifth spot behind other biggies like Sikandar and Coolie, its steady rise reflects growing audience interest. The upcoming action spectacle also gained buzz after its teaser, featuring Tiger Shroff in high-octane combat against Sanjay Dutt, received an A certificate from the CBFC, hinting at darker and more intense storytelling. The Baaghi franchise has always been synonymous with action-packed drama, and expectations are no different this time, though the upcoming film is completely different from the previous films, which were family-friendly. Baaghi 4 is the darkest and bloodiest film of the franchise yet. Nonetheless, the movie has been in the social media chatter, which also reflects in IMDb's most-anticipated titles, but the real question is, can this anticipation turn into box office numbers? The Baaghi franchise's past box office records present a mixed picture. The first two movies of the franchise were box office hits, but the third movie (2020) had to settle for an average verdict, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cut short its potential. It has been a long time since that, so the trade is not sure whether the upcoming film can still resonate with the masses, especially at a time when the franchise films are falling apart. With Baaghi 4 carrying a big budget, there are challenges ahead of it that it needs to overcome to become a box office hit. Despite the buzz soaring, the movie has to deal with franchise fatigue, which is real. As reported earlier, only one franchise movie, Raid 2, emerged box office hit, while others fell flat this year. For Baaghi 4 to join the Ajay Devgn-starrer, the makers will hope that the all-important trailer works well, and the movie manages to take a good opening, which has become a must for big-budget titles. The trade is also not sure whether Tiger's films still carry the same interest among the fans as they used to before the COVID-19 pandemic. The actor's last few films failed miserably, which is making the trade nervous about the upcoming film. It is a big challenge, which can be overcome with one good film which manages to strike a chord with the audience, and the makers would hope it does. The franchise fatigue, audience scepticism, and doubts over Tiger Shroff's box office pull following his recent underperformers are there, but if one thing is positive for the film is that the franchise still commands a loyal fan following, and Tiger’s popularity among action enthusiasts remains intact. To turn things in its favour as a whole, the film's trailer will be crucial in shaping audience sentiment ahead of its September 5 release. If early buzz translates into footfalls and the film delivers on scale and intensity, Baaghi 4 could emerge as one of the surprise winners of the year. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 23 - In Hollywood, the superhero fatigue has been real, especially post the Covid-19 pandemic, where MCU and DC films (barring a few) have not performed to the level of pre-Covid. This led to debate whether the audience is moving away from superhero films, other than die-hard fans who are still keeping those films alive. While superhero films may or may not survive this fatigue in the long run in the West, there is franchise fatigue brewing in the Indian cinema, especially in Bollywood, and it seems real. In 2025, there have been half a dozen franchise Bollywood releases so far, and barring only Raid 2, all other films failed to become hits at the box office. The first week of August 2025 saw the release of two highly anticipated Bollywood sequels, Ajay Devgn's Son of Sardaar 2 and Siddhant Chaturvedi-Tripti Dimri-starrer Dhadak 2. Both films carried the weight of their predecessors' names, but unfortunately, neither managed to ignite the box office, further showing the disconnection of audiences with sequels. While failure or success is the part and parcel of cinema, what was alarming was that these sequels struggled to even match the opening day numbers of their originals, sparking discussions about whether the franchises have reached their end. Even other franchise films like War 2 and Housefull 4 failed to take big openings, thus ending up as box office failures. Released on the same day, August 1st, Son of Sardaar 2 took an initial lead in the clash, with an underwhelming opening of around 7.25 crore. However, despite the better start compared to Dhadak 2, the film has grossed only around 65 crore worldwide in 3 weeks, ending up as a disaster. Ajay Devgn- On the other hand, Dhadak 2 fared even worse. Opening with a meagre 3.50 crore net, the film collected only 30 crores worldwide in 3 weeks. Despite featuring promising talent like Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tripti Dimri, the sequel failed to capture the cultural resonance that the first Dhadak—a remake of Sairat—enjoyed. The combined total of both films will be less than 100 crores, against over 260 crores of the original films. What made matters worse for both films was the dominance of Saiyaara, which has been on a record-breaking spree, and Mahavatar Narsimha, which continues to pull massive family audiences. With these two blockbusters commanding the majority of footfalls, Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 could not find breathing space at the ticket counters. In the end, while Son of Sardaar 2 clearly outperformed Dhadak 2 in raw numbers, both sequels have been branded as big flops. Their disappointing runs suggest that the audience's appetite for these franchises has dried up. Unless revived with radically fresh storytelling, this box office clash may well have hammered the final nail in the coffins of the Son of Sardaar and Dhadak series. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 23 - Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff returns to his Baaghi avatar with the much-awaited action entertainer Baaghi 4, which is gearing up for a release on September 5. Unlike previous films of the franchise, the upcoming film is different with an A-rated tone. As less than two weeks are left for the release, the makers are set to launch the action-packed trailer of the film on August 30, setting the stage for a grand reveal ahead of the film's theatrical release, according to the report by Pinkvilla. Tiger Shroff, known for his high-octane stunts and action-packed performances, is set to return to his blockbuster franchise with even more power and intensity. Joining him is Sanjay Dutt, who plays the antagonist alongside Sonam Bajwa and Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu as the female leads. The Baaghi franchise, known for its adrenaline-fueled action sequences, stylised combat, and emotional drama, has delivered big success at the box office since its debut in 2016. With each instalment, the scale and expectations have only grown. Baaghi 4, however, will take a different path. While the first three films were family-friendly, the upcoming one will be darker and the bloodiest film of the franchise yet. Director A. Harsha has left no stone unturned to design an uncompromised R-rated action film like the ones made in the West. The teaser of the film was recently launched, and drew mixed reactions from the audience, regarding the theme of the film. Backed by Sajid Nadiadwala's Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the film aims to cater to both mass audiences and action lovers. As the trailer release date nears, anticipation is at an all-time high, and fans are already counting down the days to witness Tiger Shroff and Sanjay Dutt together in this action-packed spectacle. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 23 - Leading Kannada production house, KVN Production, is venturing into Bollywood cinema with the crime action thriller Haiwaan starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, and the shoot for the same commenced on August 23, today. The film is directed by Priyadarshan, marking his 9th collaboration with Akshay. The Bollywood superstar took to social media to share a video, taking the first shot of Haiwaan. "Hum sab hi hain thode se shaitaan... Koi upar se Saint, koi andar se Haiwaan :)) Starting the shoot for #Haiwaan today with my absolute favourite captain of the ship, @priyadarshandir Sir. Great to be working with Saif after nearly 18 years. Let's get the haiwaniyat rolling!!" he wrote on X. While the official plot details are not revealed yet, Akshay will reportedly be portraying the negative role of a ruthless, cold-blooded killer against Saif Ali Khan, who plays a blind man in this crime thriller, after many years. The upcoming film also marks a long-awaited reunion between Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan after 17 years. Apart from Akshay and Saif, Haiwaan also reportedly stars Boman Irani, Sayami Kher, Asrani, and Shreya Pilgaonkar. The film will be released in 2026 in theatres worldwide. Hum sab hi hain thode se shaitaan…Koi upar se Saint, koi andar se Haiwaan :))Starting the shoot for #Haiwaan today with my absolute favourite captain of the ship, @priyadarshandir Sir. Great to be working with Saif after nearly 18 years. Let’s get the haiwaniyat rolling!! pic.twitter.com/fp8kCZz8Wy— Jolly Mishra - Asli Jolly from Kanpur (@akshaykumar) August 23, 2025 Meanwhile, Akshay is gearing up for the release of his much-awaited courtroom comedy drama Jolly LLB 3, co-starring Arshad Warsi. Directed by Subhash Kapoor, the film is scheduled to hit the big screens on September 19. He also has Bhooth Bangla with Priyadarshan, scheduled for April 2026 release, and Welcome To The Jungle and Hera Pheri 3 in the pipeline. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, November 8 - After six long years, director Aditya Dhar is gearing up for his first release since URI: The Surgical Strike (2019). The filmmaker teamed up with Ranveer Singh, who steps into the director's world of espionage with Dhurandhar, which also stars Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun, in prominent roles. Dhurandhar is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Bollywood films of the year. The first-look teaser of the film was recently launched, receiving a thunderous response across social media platforms. The movie is in the last leg of shooting, and the makers are ready for the trailer. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) The trailer of Dhurandhar was reportedly cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on August 22. The details reveal that it has been censored with a U/A (16+) rating, with an approved runtime of 2 minutes and 42 seconds. The trailer will be launched on November 12, three weeks before the release date. Produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, Dhurandhar is a one-of-its-kind spy thriller set against the backdrop of real-life incidents during the tenure of India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. The story is set in the 1970s and 1980s in Pakistan, when Doval worked as a spy. The movie is scheduled to release on December 5, 2025. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 22 - National award-winning director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri is gearing up for the release of political drama The Bengal Files, which is the third piece in Agnihotri's Files trilogy after National Award-winning movies The Tashkent Files (2019) and The Kashmir Files (2022). The upcoming movie revolves around the Calcutta riots of August 16, 1946, which were triggered after the All-India Muslim League called for Direct Action Day to demand a separate homeland. The movie has been in the media headlines for various reasons, which was expected. Recently, Bollywood star John Abraham shared his opinion on films like The Kashmir Files and Chhaava, and labelled them as the extreme right wing's ideological films, which he said are not good for society. He expressed that he would never make films like The Kashmir Files to "sway people in a hyper-political environment". Abraham's comments left many people furious, including director Agnihotri. During an interview with Padmaja Joshi of NDTV, the filmmaker, who worked with Abraham in 2007's sports drama Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, reacted to the actor's comment about The Kashmir Files. "John is not a historian, an intellectual, a thinker, or a writer. He has been making very, very jingoistic films like Satyameva Jayate, too. He made Diplomat and all those kinds of films. He must have said that for a variety of reasons. If you had told me some great historian had said this, I would have understood it. I don't care about what he's saying. When was India's atmosphere not hyper-political? When was it that Hindu-Muslim and caste issues never existed in India?" – Agnihotri The filmmaker further said, "He is known for driving motorbikes and showing his body and eating protein, he should focus on those things, film-on mein naa hi ghuse toh behtar hai (better if he doesn't get into talking about films)." Produced by Abhishek Agarwal Arts and I Am Buddha Productions in association with Zee Studios, The Bengal Files stars Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Simrat Kaur, Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Saswata Chatterjee, Namashi Chakraborty, Rajesh Khera, Puneet Issar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Sourav Das, and Mohan Kapur. It is scheduled to release on September 5th. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Mumbai, August 22 - The highly-anticipated box office clash between superstar Rajinikanth's gangster action drama Coolie and Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR's spy action thriller War 2 has turned into a dull affair where both films failed to live up to the pre-release hype. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie had everything to run riot at the box office, be it star power, a blockbuster director, a music sensation, and a reputed production house, but all went in vain as the story couldn't connect with the audience, which didn't turn up as expected post the weekend. Coolie had a record-breaking start, followed by a record opening weekend for Tamil cinema. However, once the weekend was over, the poor critics' reviews and mixed audience reception came to spoil the party as the film couldn't hold on to the expected lines during the weekdays. Have A Look At The First Week Box Office Comparison of Coolie and War 2 (Estimated)Region (State)War 2 1st Week GBOCCoolie 1st Week GBOCTamil Nadu₹5.55 Cr₹115.40 CrKarnataka₹16.80 Cr₹38.60 CrAP/TG₹62.40 Cr₹57.80 CrKerala₹1.80 Cr₹23.10 CrRest of India₹157.20 Cr₹37.10 CrOverseas₹70.15 Cr₹167.00 CrTotal₹314.00 Cr₹439.00 Cr The situation of Yash Raj Films' War 2 is even worse. Just like Coolie, the Bollywood tentpole also had everything to make a splash at the box office, but couldn't start well and later, the mixed reception didn't allow it to gather speed despite a big jump on Independence Day. Both Coolie and War 2 were projected to score over 2000 crores at the worldwide box office, but now, they are heading for a combined total of under 1000 crores, which is hugely disappointing. The failure of both movies will force the filmmakers to rethink how they need to approach pan pan-India market without taking much risk. Stay tuned...

BY SUNIT JANGIR

Chennai, August 22 - Young Tamil filmmaker-turned-actor Pradeep Ranganathan, who has impressed one and all with his choice of films so far, is heading for an unusual situation in his career, where he will be clashing with himself at the box office this Diwali. ## The rising star, who earned immense popularity with Love Today and Dragon, will now see two of his upcoming films, Love Insurance Kompany (LIK) and Dude, releasing on the same festive weekend of Diwali 2025. There were reports that Dude would be postponed to next year, but the makers stuck to the Diwali release. ## The announcement has taken fans by surprise, as it is rare for an actor to have two films competing directly against each other. While LIK, directed by Vignesh Shivan, is a science fiction romantic comedy entertainer in Pradeep's signature quirky style, Dude reportedly explores a fresher, mass-oriented space, promising something completely different for audiences. ## The Diwali holiday frame is such a massive weekend for any film in India; hence, releasing two films of an actor is definitely going to be a tricky situation, especially if both films receive favourable audience reception. With Pradeep’s growing fan base and strong youth connect, the festive season could still prove beneficial, as audiences might flock to theatres for both releases, but if the makers still stick to the release, there will be consequences. ## Whatever the outcome, Diwali 2025 is set to be a landmark moment for Pradeep Ranganathan's career, as he attempts to pull off what very few actors have dared – facing himself at the box office. After from his, there are other films which will hit the big screen during the same weekend. ## Stay tuned...