Rajkummar Rao, Keerthy Suresh starrer Raftaar gets new release date; film to arrive in theatres in October

Actor Rajkummar Rao's upcoming movie Raftaar has finally set a new date for its release. The film also stars Keerthy Suresh in the main role and is now planned to show in cinemas on October 16, which is during the extended Dussehra weekend.

  

Raftaar, an Amazon MGM Studios Original, is directed by Aditya Nimbalkar and made by Patralekhaa under Kampa Film.

 The film is also executive produced by Tarun Bali, with the story and script written by Rohan Narula. PVR INOX Pictures will handle the theatrical release. Alongside Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, the film also includes Anurag Thakur, Rohan Verma, Tanya Maniktala, and Rajat Kapoor in important roles.

For Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa, this film is an important step in their journey as producers in the theatrical industry.

 Rajkummar shared a heartfelt message on social media to announce the new release date. He wrote, "They say building a dream takes time, but living it takes even more hustle! RAFTAAR is not just a film, it’s our first step into the theatrical world, a labour of belief, grit and countless dreams. When something is this personal and special, it deserves the time to grow into something truly memorable. That's why we are now arriving, in cinemas, on 16 October for the extended Dussehra weekend. When you see RAFTAAR, you won't just watch a film, you'll recognise the hustle, the ambition, the fear and the hope that drive every dream. Thank you for being our strength. We're almost there. (Our dreams’ speed) full on hai (and) hustle also. Catch you on 16th October in Theatres."

Raftaar is set in the fast-growing ed-tech industry in India and follows the journey of a start-up and the intense ambition of its main characters.

 The story is about a determined man and an ambitious woman dealing with success, greed, power, and relationships in a world where moral lines are often unclear.

The makers say the film combines emotional drama with themes like ambition and modern entrepreneurial culture, while also looking at the personal costs that come with success.

 With the Dussehra holiday period expected to give a strong audience for theatrical releases, Raftaar is preparing for a wide release later this year.

Chand Mera Dil collects Rs. 3.75 crore on Friday; Lakshya and Ananya Panday starrer aims at a Saturday jump

Lakshya and Ananya Panday's movie *Chand Mera Dil* has started well at the box office in India. Early estimates show the romantic story made between Rs. 3.5 crore to Rs. 4 crore on Friday, which matches what the industry expected before the film came out. The first day's success was partly because of lower ticket prices, which helped more people watch the film.

The first day sets up a good chance for the movie to do well over the weekend, with higher earnings on Saturday and Sunday.

 However, it's not enough on its own. The film needs steady business on Monday to truly be successful in the long run.

*Chand Mera Dil* will be in theaters for two weeks before the release of *Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai* on June 5.

 The team hopes the movie will do well on Monday and then keep up a steady performance. For Lakshya, this is a great start. His box office numbers are about 400% higher than his first film, *Kill*, which opened around Rs. 1 crore.

The production costs are under control, but the film still needs to perform well to be a success in theaters.

Richa Chadha And Ali Fazal to launch New Zealand’s first Indian Film Festival; Girls Will Be Girls screening planned for June 2

Actors Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal will be at the official start of New Zealand’s first-ever Indian film festival, called The Indian Film Festival of New Zealand (TIFFNZ), on June 2, 2026. The event will also include a special showing of *Girls Will Be Girls*, the first movie the actor-producer pair made together. This film has already been shown at several big international film festivals, like Sundance and the Independent Spirit Awards.

TIFFNZ is set to begin in October 2026 and will be the first Indian film festival focused solely on Indian cinema in New Zealand.

 The festival was started by Petrina D’Rozario and aims to celebrate Indian films and promote more creative and cultural work between India and New Zealand.

The launch of TIFFNZ will be a big deal for Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, as they have been growing their careers beyond acting into film production.

 They have worked on projects that mix popular appeal with unique storytelling and support films that have a global audience.

In a joint statement, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal said, “We’re really happy to be part of TIFFNZ’s launch.

 Film festivals help build conversations and give space for different stories. It feels great to bring Indian cinema to New Zealand in a special and celebratory way. We’re excited to support this new chapter and connect with audiences there.”

The TIFFNZ festival is planned as a four-day event in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

 In addition to showing films, the festival will have workshops, cultural events, and discussions to bring filmmakers, audiences, and industry people from both countries together.

The organizers say the first edition of TIFFNZ will include almost 30 films, both long and short.

 The selection will show the variety of Indian cinema and also give more attention to South Asian voices in New Zealand.

*Girls Will Be Girls* remains an important part of Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s work as producers.

 The movie got a lot of attention at international film festivals for its coming-of-age story and has helped the couple gain recognition on a global stage.

As TIFFNZ gets ready for its first event later this year, the launch event with Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal is expected to start a new cultural and cinematic connection between Indian and New Zealand film industries.

Vashu Bhagnani vs Tips-Dhawans row gets UGLIER; a source hits back, “Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has NOTHING to do with Biwi No. 1; Dhawans paid Rs. 16 cr. from their own pocket to save Coolie No. 1 vendors from suffering”

Vashu Bhagnani had a big press meeting on May 22 with some reporters. He said that producer Ramesh Taurani of Tips can't use songs from his old movie, Biwi No 1 (1999). He also said that the story of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai might be similar to Biwi No 1. Source talked to someone who gave the other side's story.

Source spoke to a person who gave the other side's version.

 This person spoke without saying their name. They said, "Vashu Bhagnani lost the case in the Supreme Court. That's why the Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai team is going ahead with the trailer tomorrow. If Bhagnani's claims were true, why would the makers act so confidently? Bhagnani said he wanted to make a sequel to Biwi No 1 with David and Varun. But Varun had never worked with Puja Entertainment again after Coolie No 1, not even for Biwi No 1. So, why is there a question about Varun being part of this new film?"

At the press conference, Vashu Bhagnani said, "I wasn't really in charge of Coolie No 1 (2020).

 David ji handled everything. I gave him a lot of money to make that film—almost Rs. 70 crores, which wasn't even fair."

The source responded sharply, "This is ridiculous.

 Vendors weren't paid for Coolie No 1. It was Bhagnani who had to pay them. But the Dhawans paid nearly Rs. 16 crores from their own money to clear debts because their reputation was in trouble. They did it so that people working on the film weren’t left out. Now, instead of acknowledging this, Bhagnani is talking like this in public."

The source added, "Also, David Dhawan was never paid Rs. 70 crores.

 If he had been, he would have been the highest-paid director in the country. Can Bhagnani show any proof or documents to back this claim? He should release the agreement or payment details. Until then, it's just a wild guess."

The source continued, "He's saying that the Dhawans didn't talk to him.

 But did he talk to them? He didn’t. Some people tried to reach out to Bhagnani, but he didn’t answer. So it's unfair to say only one side should have tried to talk. Communication is a two-way street. It's also strange that it was known months ago that 'Chunari Chunari' is part of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. Yet, he filed the case just a month before the release. Why wait so long? Why create all this noise just when the trailer is about to come out?"

The source said, "Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has nothing to do with Biwi No 1.

 That film was about a married man having an affair. This one is about a double pregnancy. The stories are completely different. Just because David Dhawan is directing the film and an old song is being used, it doesn't automatically mean it's a remake or similar to Biwi No 1. Anyway, the trailer will be out tomorrow, and everyone will see the truth. Once the trailer is out and people know the film has nothing to do with Biwi No 1, will Bhagnani and Puja Entertainment apologize?"

The source ended with a pointed comment, saying, "The Dhawans have stayed quiet for a long time, but that doesn’t mean they are weak.

 They have protected their dignity, paid people from their own money when needed, and moved on. But if false stories are being made now, the facts also need to come out."

Namit Malhotra contemplating a masterstroke to prepone Ramayana to October 30, 2026, a week before Diwali

The Ramayana, produced by Namit Malhotra, is planning to come out on Diwali 2026. For this movie, Namit has gathered a big and famous group of actors, including Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, Sai Pallavi, and Sunny Deol, all directed by Nitesh Tiwari. Earlier this year, the first teaser was released and it made a lot of people interested in the film.

Now, there is some talk that the release might be moved up to October 30, 2026, which is a week before Diwali.

 This decision is being considered by Namit to make sure the film gets good attention before the festival. He wants the film to be well-known and talked about before Diwali so that it can do really well during the second week of the festival. This move is meant to change how films are released before Diwali and to make sure the second week of the film does even better than the first because of the festival period. The decision to move the release date is still being discussed, and a final decision is expected soon.

According to a source, the exact release date will be announced once the makers have finalized the distribution deal for the film.

 Rumors say that top distributors are offering around 450 crore rupees for the rights, and a final choice about who will get the film is yet to be made.

Meanwhile, the second part of the Ramayana is set to release on Diwali 2027, a year after the first part of this big epic.

Varun Dhawan in talks for Hollywood debut? Here’s what we know!

 Varun Dhawan might be about to take a big step in his career, with news suggesting he is talking about starting his Hollywood journey. Although there is no official word from Varun or his team yet, the talk about this international project has already started getting attention from fans online.

A report from Pinkvilla says that talks about the project have been going smoothly in recent weeks.

 The report says that a source mentioned, "Varun has been offered a Hollywood project, and the discussions have been moving forward steadily over the past few weeks. He recently met with Lawrence Kasanoff, and both sides are currently in advanced talks. While things are still being finalised, this project could be a major step for Varun in his global career."

This news is even more exciting because Varun had previously talked about wanting to start his Hollywood career.

 During an appearance on the podcast Be A Man, Yaar! earlier this year, he shared his earlier ambitions and said that acting had always been his dream.

He explained, "I took part in many acting classes.

 My plan was to debut in Hollywood to impress my father. I wanted either Steven Spielberg or Anurag Kashyap to launch me. Papa ko jhatka sirf in dono cheez se lag sakta hai (my father would have been shocked only by these two things). But he was also shocked when Karan launched me."

Recently, Varun was seen in Border 2, which came out earlier this year in January.

 He is now busy promoting his upcoming film, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. The romantic movie has him in key roles and is set to release on June 5.

While the official trailer has not been released yet, the makers have already shared the teaser and some songs from the film.

Pritam REACTS to ‘Mashooqa’ plagiarism accusation; says trolls have become his “unpaid PR team”

The song "Mashooqa" from Cocktail 2 has created a lot of talk online, not just because of the chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, but also because of a new debate about plagiarism involving composer Pritam. The song shows a scenic road trip and the growing romance between the main characters, and it quickly became a trending topic on social media after it was released.

Featuring Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon in glamorous outfits, "Mashooqa" shows the duo slowly opening up emotionally while traveling through beautiful landscapes.

 The track is meant to be a fun and lively romantic number from Cocktail 2, which also stars Rashmika Mandanna in an important role. However, the conversation around the song soon moved from its visuals and mood to accusations about musical similarities.

Some people on social media claimed that the main beat and tune of "Mashooqa" were similar to the 1993 Italian comedy song "Se So Arrubate A Nonna" by Bibi & Coco.

 The comparison spread quickly online, especially because Pritam has faced similar plagiarism accusations before in his career. Memes, comparison videos, and criticism started appearing on social media just hours after the song was released.

Reacting to the controversy, Pritam addressed the accusations through his Instagram Stories and made a sarcastic comment about the online critics.

 He wrote, "Every time I release a song, there are self-appointed music detectives who create a new genre called 'imaginary similarities'."

He added, "Same people, same 'inspired by' theory.

 Boss, at this point you are my unpaid PR team. I just want to say guys NOT NICE."

Despite the controversy, "Mashooqa" continues to get a lot of attention online, mainly because of the chemistry between Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon, and the song’s visually appealing presentation.

 The track has also boosted the excitement around Cocktail 2, which is one of the most highly anticipated Bollywood films of the year.

Directed by Homi Adajania, Cocktail 2 is set to release in theaters on June 19, 2026.

 The film is a spiritual sequel to the 2012 hit Cocktail. The makers are also planning to release the film’s trailer on May 29, 2026.