On Monday, a Thane court issued a show-cause notice to Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar on a defamation suit filed against him over his alleged remarks seeking to compare the RSS with the Taliban.

The suit which is filed by RSS activist Vivek Champanerkar in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate and joint civil judge (senior division), seeks Re 1 as a compensation from Javed. The court ordered the issuance of the notice returnable on November 12.

Earlier this month, the 76-year-old poet, lyricist and screenwriter triggered a controversy when he told a news channel that there is a similarity among right wing all over the country. Although he didn’t name the Nagpur-headquartered Hindutva organisation, the former member of Parliament was quoted saying, "The Taliban want an Islamic country. These people want to make a Hindu Rashtra.”

Advocate Aditya Mishra, who appeared for the complainant, argued in the court and claimed the defendant (Javed) had made "derogatory" remarks against the RSS while appearing in a show of a private news channel. In the petition, Vivek said that the statements made by Javed were aimed at destroying the RSS’s image in front of the general public.

Also Read: ‘Have lost faith in this Court’: Kangana Ranaut files a counter defamation case against Javed Akhtar after appearing in Court

Ever since the Maharashtra government announced that theatres in the state will be re-opening on October 22, it has been announcement galore in Bollywood. Since Sunday, filmmakers have been blocking dates for their film releases. On Tuesday, the makers of Ek Villain Returns announced that their film will be released in theatres on July 8, 2022.

John Abraham, one of the lead actors of the film took to his social media handle to make the announcement. "Iss baar eidi villain dega! Tareek aap yaad rakhna - 8th July 2022. #EkVillainReturns on EID 2022," he wrote along with a new poster.

 

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Directed by Mohit Suri, the film stars John Abraham, Disha Patani, Arjun Kapoor, and Tara Sutaria. The film had gone on floors earlier this year. While the first schedule was shot extensively across multiple locations in Mumbai, the second schedule happened in Goa. The makers wrapped the second schedule last month.

Ek Villain Returns is directed by Mohit Suri and jointly produced by T-Series & Balaji Telefilms. It is the sequel to the 2014 film that starred Shraddha Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, and Riteish Deshmukh.

ALSO READ: Disha Patani celebrates second schedule wrap of Ek Villain Returns

Rumours are rife that even before Nikamma has released, Sabbir Khan’s next is an interesting thriller with Sony Pictures once again. From creating blockbuster films, Sabbir has now branched into becoming a content curator as well. Bringing his versatility to the fore the filmmaker is diversifying his content game and he is set to produce content that does not limit itself to any particular genre or format be it shorts, features, or an extended series.

The filmmaker has been developing content over the last two years to set up Sabbir Khan Films holistically. From a robust creative team to multiple active writers room, Khan is collaborating with promising young untapped talents to bring forth unique stories. Backing diverse stories and voices is the agenda of his production house, he says.

This is evident as over the past few months, Khan has been busy prepping his second project, a new age thriller with an enviable ensemble of powerhouse performers. Talking about the same, Khan tells us, "This is an exciting time to not just be a content creator but a content curator as well. Our next feature resonates that. We are constantly brainstorming on ideas and concepts because as artists in 2021, we want to have a distinct voice and create something unique."

A trade insider tells us, "Sony announced its mammoth slate recently. There is a great buzz for Nikamma. Sabbir Khan over the years with his grand outings has earned the reputation of being a director whose commercial films are bang for the buck. The Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia starrer is just that. The folks at Sony are impressed with Nikamma and have loved Sabbir’s new script as well."

Khan diversifying his content game is also in sync with what Sony seems to be doing. Those who have seen the rushes of Nikamma say the film is a classic Sabbir stamp and now the Studio and the filmmaker have decided to come out with something completely different.

Netflix original series, Squid Game, from Korea, is taking the streaming giant by storm. The ranking of the series in viewership globally is increasing at a rate that might surpass current ratings record holder Bridgerton.

The addictive, violent survival drama, which premiered September 17 on Netflix, has transcended cultures and language barriers to reach No. 1 in 90 countries in 10 days, from Qatar and Oman to Ecuador and Bolivia.

Squid Game has reportedly entered the U.S. Top 10 list on September 19 at No. 8. It climbed to No. 2 the next day, and hit No. 1 on September 21 being the first Korean original series ever to do so, where it has stayed since, crossing the one-week mark. Its staying power in the top spot is comparable to such Netflix global hits as Bridgerton, Shadow and Bone, Ginny and Georgia and Who Killed Sara?

Earlier this year, Lupin, which became the first French series to reach no. 1 in the U.S., currently holds the position of Netflix’s second-most-watched original series with 76 million households who watched at least two minutes within the show’s first four weeks of release. However, Squid Game is on track to surpass that to become the biggest non-English-language Netflix series and possibly even top Bridgerton’s record 82 million households.

According to Deadline, on Monday, Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos said, “Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English-language show in the world, for sure. It’s only been out for nine days, and it’s a very good chance it’s going to be our biggest show ever.”

Apart from word of mouth, Squid Game also is benefiting from the rising popularity and acceptance of non-English-language content among U.S. viewers. The statistical data shows that since 2019, non-English-language viewing in the U.S. has grown by 71%, and 97% of Netflix’s US members have chosen to watch at least one non-English-language title in the past year.

The ramp-up is even more dramatic for K-dramas, whose US viewership has jumped over 200% between 2019 and 2021.

Also Read: Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor to star in Irish writer Naoise Dolan’s novel based rom-com series Exciting Times

Nominations for the Asia Content Awards were recently announced, and Ali Fazal bags the nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ispit Nair in Forget Me Not, one of the four films in the Ray anthology on Netflix. Directed by Srijith Mukherji, the story is a modern interpretation of Satyajit Ray’s story ‘Bipin Chaudhary Ka Smriti Bhram.’ Ali plays the role of a cut-throat corporate shark who never forgets anything and has a memory of a computer.

On the nomination, he says, "Wow! This was totally unexpected. I am so humbled to receive this nomination and it means a lot to be recognized by ACA. A lot of great content was produced this year in Asia and to land a nomination amongst such an impressive lineup of films and actors is an honour."

Nushrratt Bharuccha has also bagged the nomination for Best Actress for Ajeeb Daastaans on Netflix. The 3rd Asian Contents Awards (ACA) is run by the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)’s Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). The ACA aims to showcase outstanding TV, OTT, and online content from Asia. This year, the ACA was dominated by Korean drama and Netflix originals.

ALSO READ: Vishal Bhardwaj to direct Ali Fazal, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Ashish Vidyarthi in Netflix thriller Khufiya

After announcing the release of Sanak – Hope Under Siege on Disney+ Hotstar last week, the makers – Vipul Amrutlal Shah and ZEE Studios have now revealed the release date of the hostage drama, starring Vidyut Jammwal, Bengali actress Rukmini Maitra, Neha Dhupia, and Chandan Roy Sanyal among others.

Directed by Kanishk Varma, Sanak will be releasing on 15 October 2021 on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra. Along with the announcement, the makers have also unveiled a new movie poster featuring a determined Vidyut, holding a baby in one hand and a gun in another.

Expressing his excitement, Vipul Shah says, "I am very happy to announce the date of Sanak, which we shot under the most difficult circumstances of Covid-19. The sole purpose of putting all the effort was to keep entertaining people and again, as usual, we have tried to take the action a notch higher than the Commando series. I believe that we have achieved it."

"I hope audiences feel the same way when they see the action and emotion in Sanak. It will inhabit a very new space in Indian cinema; it's a hostage drama, a genre that has not been explored to its full potential. It would be interesting to see all the action and drama unfold in a hospital under a siege. I am very excited to share this date and looking forward to the film releasing on Disney+ Hotstar. Hopefully, we will get lots of love from the audience," the producer adds.

The movie marks the Bollywood debut of the gorgeous actress Rukmini Maitra, who enjoys huge popularity in the Bengali Film industry. Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd, helmed by Vipul Shah has treated the audiences with some interesting cinema spectacles. This time in collaboration with Zee Studios, his production ‘Sanak – Hope Under Siege’ is all set to bring out the emotional journey with action-packed sequences. While Vidyut plays the central character in the movie, he is pairing with the successful producer Vipul Shah for the fifth time in his career.

Starring Vidyut Jammwal, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Neha Dhupia, and Rukmini Maitra, Sanak - Hope Under Siege is presented by Zee Studios in association with Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd and will be streaming from 15th October only on Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex. It is a Vipul Amrutlal Shah production, directed by Kanishk Varma.

ALSO READ: ZEE Studios make multiple announcements in a single day; take a look at all the events that took place today