Mum’s the Word

It was a fine way to announce she's a mum, with a glass of champagne in one hand, and a breast pump in the other. Many opinions were bandied about but Radhika Apte was too busy enjoying the BAFTAs in London. Last seen in the indie dark comedy Sister Midnight (2024), she will soon be in Netflix's mafia series Akka. And yes, there is a sequel to Netflix's 2020 mystery movie Raat Akeli Hai, which starred Apte and was directed by Honey Trehan. The sequel is being filmed in Lucknow.

Vijay's Kingdom

He is still shooting for the movie Kingdom in Visakhapatnam but its trailer seems designed to create hype. A reincarnation story, the film sees Vijay Deverakonda in full soldier mode, ready to burn everything down. Once Deverakonda had been ready to do so in his role as a doc­tor who broke all the rules for his love in Arjun Reddy (2017). Now he plays a man willing to do the same for his kingdom.

Shetty's Shivaji

After the lion's cub, it is now time for one of the original bearded gents to roar into our screens again. After Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava, now Rishab Shetty of Kantara (2022) fame has decided to portray Shivaji Maharaj for the producer Sandeep Singh, the man whose unlimited funds and super patriotism continues to mystify industry watchers. The upcoming movie The Pride of Bharat: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is to be released early in 2027.