Monali Thakur: Beats of Heartbreak

Monali Thakur is the iconic voice behind the songs 'Sawaar loon' in Lootera (2013) and 'Moh moh ke dhaage' in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015). But even the brightest of stars can suffer the cruellest of heartbreaks. Thakur lost her mother in 2024 while she was performing in Bangladesh. But that hasn't deterred the National Award-winning singer and she has poured all her pain and anguish into a new single, 'Ek Baar Phir'.

Runaway Star

He ran away from home at 15 because he failed in Class 11, but the Kanpur-born Priyank Tiwari is the breakout star of Dhadak 2. He plays the role of the mag­netic Shekhar, a student activ­ist based loosely on the Dalit research scholar Rohith Vermula, who took his own life in 2016. Shekhar tries hard to recruit Nilesh, the new Dalit student, who is portrayed by Siddhant Chaturvedi. "I want to stay out of politics," says Nilesh to Shekhar. "You entered politics the minute you were born," says Shekhar. It is a role that should get Tiwari much acclaim and more work.

Kumail's Cool

Being in a James L Brooks' romcom is a rite of passage for Hollywood comedic actors. So Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani, who often plays Indians onscreen, should consider himself fortunate as he has a supporting role in Brooks' forthcoming movie. 'Ella McCay' stars Margot Robbie-lookalike Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis and Woody Harrelson. Is Brooks still as good as it gets at 85? We'll find out soon.