SCOOPS: Nitara's new nick name for daddy Akshay Kumar, Team Simmba to shoot with Kapil Sharma & Sunil Grover and more...

Akshay Kumar is possibly the happiest man today. Even as his latest release 2.0’s Hindi version is slated to become his highest earner till date, the actor, who is busy juggling work commitments, had a special surprise. His daughter Nitara has given him a new nickname. A source says, “She calls Akshay ‘Birdman’ after seeing the posters and promos of 2.0. The six-year-old hasn’t seen the sci-fi action thriller yet, but is quite intrigued about her father’s character. She wants to watch the movie. Akshay is planning to take her for it, sometime this week.” 

A superstar wife, who has been a pale shadow of herself in recent months, is likely to move to her parents home in another city, say sources. The biwi, who was a spunky person in the past, and was always courteous and bubbly even with the mediapersons, is completely out of sorts because her famous husband and she are obviously going through a very rough phase in their relationship. There are those who say that biwi ji and her kid are likely to move lock, stock and barrel to another city.

Aparshakti Khurana and Farah Khan have now joined Sunil Grover and Ali Asgar in Kanpur Wale Khuranas. Kunal Kemmu was to make his TV debut as the host of the show — he even shot for the promo —  but now Aparshakti is taking over. Producer Preeti Simoes says, “It happened yesterday. We had to take a call just before we began the shoot. Kunal got his dates for the climax shoot of Kalank for which he will be flying to Hyderabad on December 15. He will be there for 10 days.

Since our show is basically a round-up of the year, we cannot bank episodes. We were in touch with Aparshakti already as we were thinking that if the show gets an extension, he can be the host. But since this happened, he will be hosting it anyway. He himself has had a good year with films like Stree and Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi, so he will also be a part of the celebrations.” 

Aparshakti will not only be hosting it, but will also play one of the saalas to Sunil, who plays a Jijaji with six saalis in the show. Meanwhile, Farah, joins the show as Sunil’s padosan, who can’t see eye-to-eye with him. There will be a lot of give and take between the two of them which will lead to funny banter.

—Chaya Unnikrishnan

Rajkummar Rao is heading to his hometown Gurugram to shoot for his forthcoming film Turram Khan. This will not only be a homecoming of sorts for the star, who has been riding the success wave at the box office, but this trip will also have major nostalgic value for him.

We hear, the Stree actor, who tries to catch up with his childhood buddies every time he is in Delhi, will visit his alma mater, Blue Bells Model School, where he studied. A source says, “Rajkummar will be in Gurugram for a month to shoot for the social comedy, which is being directed by Hansal Mehta. Though he has a packed schedule, this weekend he has earmarked time for a visit to the institute where he studied.

Besides interacting with the students and teachers, the 34-year-old is likely to give a speech about the factors that one needs to keep in mind while choosing a career and also narrate a few of his experiences. He’ll play a game of football, too.”

The Simmba team, which has kicked off its marketing campaign with the trailer launch on Monday, will also be promoting the entertainer on a couple of TV shows. The movie’s team will shoot with Sunil Grover on December 6, while the following day, they will be shooting with Kapil Sharma for his show. We hear, it’s after completing this episode that Kapil will take a break for his wedding ceremonies.

The news of Sonali Bendre Behl’s cancer had shocked the entire film fraternity. The actress, who was one of the most prominent faces in the ’90s, was undergoing treatment in the US. But three nights back, she returned to the city and everyone poured their love on her. We hear Sonali has been responding well to the treatment and among many congratulatory messages, there was one that was extremely special. 

Manisha Koirala, who has herself been through the entire phase and emerged victorious, sent out a positive and loving tweet for the actress. She wrote, “Welcome dear.. discovering “the new normal” will be exciting.. navigating mindfully, it is indeed a soulful time !! You have shown grace n strength in trying times.. you are gorgeous inside out!! Big hug. (sic)”

Kapil Sharma, who is tying the knot with Ginni Chatrath on December 12, is leaving for Amritsar on December 8. The wedding, we hear, is in Jalandhar, Ginni’s hometown and not Amritsar, as has been reported so far. A source says that the stand-up comedian will be there for almost a week and will return to Mumbai on December 17 or 18. “He will immediately start shooting for his show,” adds the source. The reception for his industry friends will be held on December 24. On Monday (December 3) evening, Ginni had a chooda ceremony at her place.