SCOOPS: Irrfan Khan's 'Hindi Medium' sequel to be titled 'English Medium', Katrina Kaif gets injured

Radhika Madan and Radhika Apte have been approached for the film 

Irrfan, who was undergoing treatment for Neuroendocrine cancer in London, returned to Mumbai around 10 days ago. Since then, there has been speculation that the actor will start shooting for the sequel of his hit film Hindi Medium (2017), soon. But we have learnt that the movie is likely to go on the floors only in the first week of April.

Says our source, “The makers have approached Radhika Apte to play Irrfan’s wife. TV actress Radhika Madan, who made her Bollywood debut with Pataakha last year, will be mostly seen as Irrfan’s teenage daughter.”

The source further adds, “Also, since the story this time around will be about Irrfan’s beti wanting to go abroad for further studies, the film will be shot in the US and London. Even the title is likely to change. The producers are planning to call it English Medium.” Homi Adajania will be directing the second instalment. 

Fukrey actor Manjot Singh will be seen in a pivotal role in his next, Dream Girl headlined by Ayushmann Khurrana. Manjot, we hear, plays the Badhaai Ho actor’s best friend and his partner in crime, humour as well as adventure. Says Manjot, “I am thrilled to work with Ayushmann and director Raaj Shaandilyaa. It is one of the funniest scripts I have read in a while and the journey has been super fun.” Dream Girl will see Ayushmann experimenting with his voice and speaking in three different accents. 

Shamita Shetty had a memorable experience shooting for the latest season of the reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi (KKK) in Argentina and while she braved several challenging stunts like the other participants, she suffered various injuries shooting for it as well. As a child, she had almost drowned once which left her with some terrible memories and a phobia of water. It was during the shooting of the show that she decided to face her fear and overcome it.

She managed to do all the underwater stunts to the best of her abilities. Says Shamita, “It’s paralysing to let any fear control you and I felt it was time to work on it and get rid of it, which is exactly what the show helped me with. I took a few swimming lessons as well before I left for the show which really helped me.” 

In the wake of the recent attack on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Pulwama, Indians everywhere are uniting in their grief and coming forward to help the deceased’s kin. According to sources, Amitabh Bachchan will donate Rs 2.50 crore to the families of the jawans who sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Currently, the thespian is finding out from government sources how and where this amount can be distributed in order to expedite the process.

Confirming the same, his spokesperson said, “Mr Bachchan will be giving Rs 5 lakh to each of the families of the martyred CRPF jawans and is currently finding out the correct process to do so.” The legend of Hindi cinema, who was supposed to be a special guest of at a high-profile event today, has also cancelled his attendance. In the recent past, Big B has donated Rs 2.25 crore to the kin of martyrs in Maharashtra, who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

Navjot Singh Sidhu’s comments on the Pulwama attack have cost him The Kapil Sharma Show (TKSS). Sidhu had said, “For a handful of people, can you blame the entire nation and can you blame an individual? It (the attack) is a cowardly act and I condemn it firmly. Violence is always condemnable and those who did it must be punished”. His comment did not go down well with netizens as well as people from the film and TV fraternity.

BN Tiwari, President, Federation of Western India Cine Employees, expressed the displeasure of the organisation and wrote to Sony Entertainment Television asking them to ban the former cricketer from TKSS until he apologises unconditionally for his remarks. The letter further stated that until this was done, none of the members shall be working on the sets of the show.

After the backlash, sources say that the channel decided to take a stand on it and told the production house to take action. “Sidhu has already shot for three episodes, a call is yet to be taken on what will be done with those. Meanwhile, Archana Puran Singh had shot for two episodes earlier this month because Sidhu was not available due to some personal commitments. Now, the makers have decided to continue with her for future episodes. She, however, is yet to sign the contract.”

—Chaya Unnikrishnan

Last year, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan had signed two brands together. This year, they have added one more to their kitty. A digital portal recently released a report called ‘The Bold, the Beautiful & the Brilliant’, which analysed Bollywood celebrities’ brand valuations. The power couple grabbed the third spot right after Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli. Though the Nawab of Pataudi and his Begum haven’t been seen together on the big screen since Agent Vinod (2012), their brand value continues to remain steady. Their individual endorsements when counted together currently stand at 27, as per the report.

—Harshada Rege

Katrina Kaif, who has been shooting her final portions for Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bharat, was spotted with a crutch two nights ago. The actress has hurt her ankle and has been advised some rest. For the next few days, she won’t have scenes to shoot for the Salman Khan-starrer as the team is busy filming other sequences with the superstar. Kat was present at the screening of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt’s Gully Boy, when the paparazzi took note of her injury. She’s recuperating now and will soon be back on sets to shoot for a dance number with her Tiger Zinda Hai co-star, which will be used as a promotional dance number for sister Isabelle Kaif’s debut Hindi film Time To Dance. 

(Pic: Yogen Shah)