Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much – this maxim perhaps best describes the journey of upcoming film Bellbottom, as it completed its start-to-finish schedule in the pandemic, the first film in the world to do so. 

In a fortnight, director Milap Milan Zaveri and his team will roll out Satyameva Jayate 2. John Abraham, who played the central character in the first outing of the franchise, will be back in the second one, too, performing action scenes that are powerful and heroic. Actress-producer-director Divya Khosla Kumar joins John as his leading lady. The film’s setting has been changed from Mumbai to Lucknow, and now, we hear that the makers — Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani, Madhu Bhojwani and Monisha Advani — plan to bring out the film on Eid 2021 (May 12). 

2019 was a career-defining year for Kiara Advani with Kabir Singh and Good Newwz. The actress had hoped to keep the momentum going with four releases this year, till the coronavirus-triggered pandemic played spoilsport. Now, finally, Indoo Ki Jawani, a-coming-of-age story of a free-spirited, small town girl from Ghaziabad, is gearing up for release over the next couple of months and Kiara is smiling again. “None of us had imagined that our lives would pause like this. Last year, I was showered with so much love and support that multiplied with every release. I’m excited to reach out to the audience who have been so positive amidst the pandemic and bring joy in these gloomy times,” she exults. 

Akshay Kumar plays a spy from the ’80s who’s racing against time to save 212 Indians on board an ill-fated flight in an espionage thriller currently being shot 

Mirror was the first to report that Kaashvie Nair’s as-yet-untitled cross-border love story, featuring Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead, will resume filming from August 24 at Mumbai’s Film City Studio. Also, on the sets will be John Abraham, Neena Gupta and Kanwaljit Singh. The 10-day shoot took off on schedule on Monday with an actress also present, Aditi Rao Hydari, who plays John’s love interest and the younger version of Neena’s character, Arjun’s grandmother. Their track is set in 1947, around the time of India’s Independence. John, who is producing the film with Nikkhil Advani and Bhushan Kumar says, “When I heard the script, I instantly knew that this would be a special part, and when Kaashvie suggested I play it, it was difficult to refuse.” 

Director Kaashvie Nair’s debut, a cross-border love story featuring Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh in lead, was 14 days away from completion when the coronavirus-triggered pandemic brought production to a halt. Now, Mirror has learnt that the yet-untitled film produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham, is all set to resume shooting at Film City Studios from Monday. Confirming this Nikkhil says, “Kaashvie, John, Bhushanji and my team have worked hard to make sure that all actors are safe and comfortable. We’ve taken them through all the safety protocols certified by the state government through the Film’s Producers Guild. It will be a 10-day shoot with the entire cast. After this, we will be left with a four-day schedule, which will happen after the rains, around Septemberend. We had initially planned to film from March 21 to the beginning of April, but the lockdown hit that plan for a six.” 

As the lockdown in the country and across the globe is gradually easing, makers of the high-end espionage film, Bellbottom, are ready to take their film on the floors. The much-anticipated thriller, starring Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Lara Dutta, is the first film to commence shooting after the long lockdown. The schedule of the movie, written by Aseem Arrora and Parveez Shaikh, begins one month from now, and the entire team will be heading to the UK for the same. 

Akshay Kumar has a bouquet of films in his kitty and among them is the espionage thriller, Bell Bottom. Now War actor Vaani Kapoor has been finalised as the female lead opposite Akshay in the film. The film is set to release on 2nd April, 2021. Talking about the film, Vaani said, “I am excited to share the screen space with Akshay Sir. It is definitely a script I instantly clicked with and knew I wanted to be part of. I am also thrilled to partner with Pooja Entertainment who have already made me feel at home at this initial stage of our film. I’m eagerly waiting to start shooting Bellbottom.” 

For a production house where two-thirds its leadership is female, EMMAY Entertainment has taken the gender mandate further. Founded in partnership with filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, producers Madhu Bhojwani and Monisha Advani realized that in its ninth year, the company’s body of work has reflected agnostic genres from real-life thrillers like Batla House, Airlift to mass dramas like Satyameva Jayate and Marjaavaan. Conscious of dialing up the volume on content that represents women in a stronger, positive and empowered manner, they realized the answer was not just in the story; for that, they needed the right storytellers. The company has proudly signed four strong women directors with diverse film grammar and yet an aligned agenda - INCLUSIVITY. These filmmakers include Kaashvie Nair (whose upcoming film starring Neena Gupta, Arjun Kapoor & Rakul Preet), Madhumita (critically acclaimed director of the award-winning Tamil feature film KD), Mitakshara Kumar (directing a period epic for an international OTT) and Ananya Banerjee (debuting with two web series this year). 

The duo teams up for the first time in a love story being produced by Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani, John Abraham; film rolls this month After collaborating on Batla House, Satyameva Jayate and it’s already announced sequel which goes on the floors in February, Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham are gearing up for yet another collaboration. Mirror has learnt that the trio will produce a yet-untitled family dramedy headlined by Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh. 

Last week, Kiara Advani started shooting for her new film, Indoo Ki Jawani, in Lucknow. Now, Mirror has got hold of the actress’s look from the Bhushan Kumar and Nikkhil Advani production. The titular character of the Abir Sengupta-directed comedy, Indoo is a feisty, nononsense girl from Ghaziabad who tends to get judgmental about people. Also featuring Aditya Seal, the film revolves around her experience with online dating, when she signs up on an app at the behest of her close friend following a bitter breakup. Kiara recently shot at a mall in the Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow. The sequence required her to beat up goons. “I’ve been prepping for the character ever since I signed the film. It’s finally time to live the character. Indoo is a part of every young Indian girl; she’s endearing, lovable and quirky. It’s going to be a cracking entertainer,”she gushes. 

Ever since the high-octane vigilante action-drama, Satyameva Jayate hit the screens last year and turned out to be a huge success, a sequel to the film has been highly anticipated. Ending the wait, the makers have now announced the second instillment in the Satyameva Jayate franchise. John Abraham, a vigilante who goes on a spree, killing corrupt cops in the first part, is pairing up with Divya Khosla Kumar to bring Satyameva Jayate 2. The sequel, to be directed by Milap Zaveri and produced by T-Series and Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures, will go on floors soon 

Kiara Advani who is presently shooting for the Vikram Batra biopic, 'Sher Shah', with Sidharth Malhotra, has given her nod to a coming-ofage comedy titled 'Indoo Ki Jawani'. Produced by Nikkhil Advani, Niranjan Iyengar and Ryan Stephen, it features Kiara as Indoo Gupta, a feisty girl from Ghaziabad, whose left swipes and right swipes with a dating app results in hilarious chaos. It will be the Bollywood debut of Bengali writer-filmmaker Abir Sengupta and is expected to go on floors in September. 