Priyanka Chopra gets birthday surprise as new Varanasi photos unveil fresh look from SS Rajamouli film

Priyanka Chopra Jonas turned 40 on July 18 with a special surprise for fans as new photos from her upcoming movie, Varanasi, were shared online.The actress is making her return to Indian cinema after almost seven years, and her work with filmmaker S.S.Rajamouli has already created a lot of excitement.The new images give fans another look at her character, Mandakini.

On her birthday, the team behind Varanasi posted two new pictures of Priyanka on social media.

They wrote, “TEAM #Varanasi wishes their ‘MANDAKINI’ aka @priyankachopra a very Happy Birthday and many more adventures beyond the horizon.”

The cast also sent her birthday wishes.

S.S.Rajamouli wrote, “Grace when she smiles.Fire when she doesn’t.Mandakini… @PriyankaChopra in #Varanasi.” Mahesh Babu shared the same photos with a birthday message, “Happy Birthday to the one and only 'Mandakini' Have the most amazing year ahead PC...Sending you lots of love and wishing you happiness always!!!#VARANASI @priyankachopra.”

The photos show two different styles of Priyanka from the movie.

In the first picture, she is wearing a black outfit with a sheer corset design, a messy bun, and bold eye makeup.She looks intense and confident, suggesting a strong, maybe action-filled part of her character.

In the second image, she appears more relaxed and casual, dressed in denim jeans, a white tank top, and a beige shirt worn as a shrug.

She also has casual shoes, a watch, and a high bun, making her look easygoing and breezy.Fans are curious about how these different looks fit into the story of the film.

It is believed that the black outfit might be part of a song scene, but there is no official information about the context of the images or the scenes they belong to.

The photos were first shared by Entertainment Weekly earlier that day.

Interest in Varanasi has been growing since the character poster was released last year.

The poster shows Priyanka in an action-packed look in a yellow saree, introducing Mandakini and showing her important role.

Varanasi is expected to be a large-scale, globe-trotting action adventure film and will be released in many languages.

It stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran and will have music by Oscar-winning composer MM Keeravani.

This is Priyanka’s first film with S.S.

Rajamouli and her highly anticipated comeback to Indian cinema.It will also mark Mahesh Babu’s return to acting three years after his film Guntur Kaaram (2024).As the excitement continues to build, the movie is expected to come out in cinemas in April 2027.

Imtiaz Ali and MahaveerJain to introduce a new face as the female lead in hilarious friendship film Side Heroes

 Source was one of the first to share the news last year that Imtiaz Ali and Mahaveer Jain Films are making a movie called Side Heroes.It’s a warm and funny story about friendship, remembering the past, and finding happiness again.Now, we have learned that the producers are going to cast a new actress as the female lead.

A source told , “Imtiaz Ali and Mahaveer Jain will introduce a new face as the lead actress in their coming-of-age friendship film, Side Heroes.

The film’s team auditioned several girls before finally choosing the right one.”

The source added, “It’s a dream for every actress in India to work in an Imtiaz Ali film.

So, there will be a lot of interest in finding out who has been selected.Right now, the makers are keeping her identity secret and plan to announce her soon.”

Side Heroes stars Abhishek Banerjee, Aparshakti Khurana, and Varun Sharma.

It is produced by Imtiaz Ali’s Window Seat Films and Mahaveer Jain Films (Neetu Mahaveer Jain, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, and Shikha Karan Ahluwalia).It is directed by Sanjay Tripaathy and written by Siddarth Sen (director of Good Luck Jerry) and Pankaj Matta.

The film follows the story of three childhood friends who meet again after a long time.

It’s a heartwarming and humorous tale about friends rediscovering the real meaning of happiness, and it explores themes like dreams, love, memories, and life.

The source also shared an update, “Side Heroes will start filming later this year.

The team feels the film can connect with audiences a lot because it’s funny and has emotions that are easy to relate to.”

The India Story trailer to be unveiled on July 18 ahead of July 24 release

The creators of The India Story are preparing to show the trailer of the film tomorrow, July 18, giving people a better idea of the strong story that has already created a lot of excitement through its posters and ads.The film is meant to be a drama about court cases and deals with a topic that affects people's daily lives, while also offering an exciting movie experience.

The India Story shines a light on the serious problem of using pesticides in farming and how it affects society.

The film explores a growing worry that affects millions of people throughout the country.It features Kajal Aggarwal and Shreyas Talpade in key roles and wants to start discussions about food safety, public health, and who is responsible.The story aims to make people aware of a danger that is often overlooked, even though it has big effects on many lives.

The movie is made by Zee Studios along with MIG Production & Studios.

It is directed by Chettan DK and written and produced by Sagar B.Shinde.The film will be shown in theaters worldwide on July 24, 2026 in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.With the trailer coming out tomorrow, viewers can look forward to seeing more of the film’s main conflict, the courtroom drama, and the important social message that the story conveys.

The project is supported by co-producers Swati Vinayak Saindane, Anita Jadhav, Vinayak Saindane, Kalpesh Shah, Devyani Khorate, and Prem Joshi.

The technical team includes cinematographer Nishant Bhagwat, music composer Mangesh Dhakde, editor Ashish Mhatre, lyricist Shakeel Azami, and sound designer Anmol Bhave.

Dhamaal 4 Box Office: Scores a SOLID first week, all set to GROW in the second weekend

It was a strong first week for Dhamaal 4 as the movie did very well all throughout the week.It started off nicely, and the real increase happened on Saturday when the movie rose by more than 50%, which was impressive.Even if Sunday had only slightly increased, that would have been good, but the momentum kept going and led to more growth, which made the weekend very successful.

The weekdays also went well, with both Monday and Tuesday being very solid, though there was a slight drop on Wednesday and Thursday was similar, which was expected.

Overall, the first week saw consistent footfall and also gave one of the best collections for a Bollywood film in 2026, after Dhurandhar The Revenge and Border 2, which is quite impressive.In fact, if the film had also had paid previews, the total collection could have gone up by about Rs.2-3 crores.

Right now, the film has earned Rs.

94.45 crores and is expected to cross the Rs.100 crores mark today.The first week is actually better than the previous instalment, Total Dhamaal, which had collected Rs.94.55 crores.While the lifetime collection of Total Dhamaal was Rs.154.23 crores, that is the first target that Dhamaal 4 is aiming for in the coming weeks.There isn’t a major Hindi film for the next few weeks, though The Odyssey may compete at larger multiplexes.Still, there is expected to be good growth again tomorrow and the next day with family audiences coming in, which should help the film become a hit overall.

Paresh Rawal calls Akshay Kumar’s Rs 25 crores legal notice over exit from Hera Pheri 3 “an emotional reaction”: “How could he say no to me?”

Months after the controversy around his leaving Hera Pheri 3, experienced actor Paresh Rawal talked about why he stepped back from the project.In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, he explained that his decision was not related to Akshay Kumar and instead had to do with contract issues involving the rights of the franchise.

Last year, Paresh's exit from the film became a topic of discussion after Akshay Kumar's production company, Cape of Good Films, sent him a legal notice asking for Rs 25 crores in damages.

They claimed he broke the contract and caused financial loss.However, the situation was settled when Paresh agreed to come back for the film.

"I needed Firoz Nadiadwala's approval," Paresh said, explaining the situation.

"There was never any problem with working with Akshay Kumar.It wasn't about feeling uncomfortable.It was about a contract.If I wanted to do the film, I needed Firoz's approval because he owns the Hera Pheri franchise and other films like Awara Paagal Deewana and Welcome.Without his approval, I couldn't commit."

He also mentioned that the legal issues made him decide to walk away: "When the legal notice came, I thought, 'Why am I getting involved in this?

Am I here to enjoy making the film or get stuck in legal problems?' I told myself I didn't want to be part of it anymore."

Paresh also shared his thoughts on the Rs 25 crores legal notice sent by Akshay's production house.

Instead of seeing it as a personal attack, he thought it was more of an emotional reaction: "I really believe the legal notice was more of an emotional response.He might have felt upset or confused when I said no."

He added that even though there was a disagreement, he and Akshay didn't need to talk about it for long: "We didn't sit down and discuss everything, but we worked together afterwards.

Sometimes, you don't even need to say the words.That's just the polite way to handle things."

Paresh's exit from Hera Pheri 3 last year caused a lot of talk among fans of the franchise.

Shortly after his announcement, Cape of Good Films claimed Rs 25 crores in damages, accusing him of breaking the contract and sabotaging the film.

Awarapan’s first part to re-release in cinemas on July 31; to CLASH with Spider-Man: Brand New Day

The buzz around Awarapan 2 is really big, and people in the movie business think it will start strong when it comes out.Taking advantage of this excitement, it has been announced that the first part of Awarapan (2007) will be shown again in theaters two weeks before the launch of Awarapan 2.

A source told , "Awarapan will be shown again on July 31.

The first part still has a lot of appeal because of the cast, the story, the emotions, and the big moments.Plus, the music is still popular and timeless.That’s why it was decided to show it again before the release of Awarapan 2."

The same source added, "It will be shown at the same time as the big Hollywood movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which comes out in India on July 30.

Spider-Man is expected to be a huge hit, and it’s not surprising if Awarapan’s re-release also gets a lot of people coming to the theaters."

An industry insider explained, "Even though Awarapan didn’t do well when it first came out, it became a cult favorite through TV, video, and streaming.

There are also many people who were too young or not even born when it first came out.They would love to watch it on the big screen.Many fans also wish they had seen it in theaters at first.This feeling of missing out has made people more interested in seeing it again.Similar movies like Tumbbad, Sanam Teri Kasam, and Laila Majnu did badly at first but became big hits with re-releases for the same reason.Awarapan is expected to follow the same path when it comes back to theaters on July 31."

Awarapan was made by Mohit Suri and had Emraan Hashmi, Shriya Saran, Ashutosh Rana, Ashish Vidyarthi, Shaad Randhawa, Purab Kohli, Mrinalini Sharma, and others.

Awarapan 2, on the other hand, stars Emraan Hashmi, Disha Patani, and Shabana Azmi, and is directed by Nitin Kakkar.It will be released in theaters on August 14.

Box Office Day 6 comparison: Dhamaal 4 vs Welcome To The Jungle

The competition between the two big comedy movies, Dhamaal 4 and Welcome to the Jungle, has now reached its first important test on a weekday.Both movies started their first Wednesday hoping to keep their momentum after a usual drop on Monday and a small recovery on Tuesday.So far, Dhamaal 4 has done better than Welcome to the Jungle on Day 6, doing better in all the main areas.

On Day 6, Dhamaal 4 earned Rs.

6.65 crore, which is a steady performance with a 28.72% drop from the previous day's Rs.9.33 crore.The total earnings for the film after six days are Rs.88.51 crore.The movie was shown in 12,013 screens across the country, with an overall attendance rate of 13.2%, and it attracted 355,002 viewers on Wednesday alone.

Welcome to the Jungle, on the other hand, saw a bigger drop.

It collected Rs.6.00 crore on Day 6, down 30.88% from its previous day's Rs.8.68 crore.The total revenue, including paid previews, is now at Rs.86.39 crore.The film was shown in 11,073 screens and had an attendance rate of 13.1%, with 328,475 tickets sold.

Both movies are doing almost the same in terms of how full the theaters were (~13.1% to 13.2%).

But Dhamaal 4 is currently ahead because it had nearly 1,000 more showings than Welcome to the Jungle.This wider reach helped Dhamaal 4 make an extra Rs.65 lakh on Wednesday, increasing the gap between the two films.

As the first week comes to an end, everyone is watching closely to see how these two big-budget movies do on Thursday before the second weekend starts.