Entertainment Highlights: Shah Rukh Khan's Comedy Drama Dunki Releases TODAY; Govinda Turns 60

Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, who is gearing up for his next release, Salaar, which is releasing in cinemas on December 22, recently broke his silence at the box office clash with SRK-Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki, which was released today, December 21. Speaking to News18, Prithviraj said, "I'm really looking forward to watching Dunki. I'm a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan, and of course, I'm a huge Rajkumar Hirani fan." He added, "As a film lover, I think this is the greatest holiday season ever in Kerala. We have Salaar, Dunki, and Neru. We get to see three big films at the box office. I don't know about you, but I'm watching all three."

Television actor Karanvir Bohra recently, in an interview with HT, defended Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, which has been slammed for its misogynistic and violent themes. Bohra compared his role of Viraj Dobriyal from the soap drama Saubhagyavati Bhava and explained, “People who are criticizing it are denying the truth. Moreover, when it comes to showing such stories, I don’t think there is anything wrong or right. When it comes to cinema and making art, one may hold a certain perception and may choose to show a story according to that. Others may not agree with it but that does not mean it’s wrong. I am okay with showing misogynistic characters but I am not okay with skin show. However, it’s my personal opinion. You cannot curb creativity. It’s all fictional but it’s all taken from real life. And even if people take the wrong message from it, I think women today have become very smart to not become a victim of misogyny.”

Director Rohit Shetty reacted to the box office failure of his film Cirkus on Karan Johar’s chat show, Koffee With Karan 8. He said, “Rohit Shetty failed as a director. Yes, we went wrong and it was a film made in the pandemic. It was made before Sooryavanshi released. Somewhere me, as a director went wrong with that film. And godo it was a small film that I went wrong with, not a big one. Three days later, I was shooting for my web series.”

Actress Prachi Desai recently shared a pic with her debut serial ‘Kasamh Se’ costar Ram Kapoor from a cafe in Mumbai. The two played Mr Walia and Bani in the show. Sharing the photo, Prachi wrote, “And that kids, is HOW I MET MR. WALIA!!!! 2000’s kids IYKYK.” Ram Kapoor also posted the same cnap and said, “Look who I ran into at boojee cafe this evening… Prachi Desai still looks like the little baby girl I knew 18 years ago… hope you never grow up my darling !!” The pic has now gone viral, with fans demanding a reunion.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga recently, in an interview with Galatta Plus, revealed that he took inspiration from director Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill to shoot dramatic action scenes in Animal. He stated, “The inspiration is from Kill Bill. In Kill Bill there is a fight sequence that is never ending. I was hooked on it. I saw it multiple times and saw it holding my attention. First, when I saw that scene in Kill Bill, I thought it was so smartly done. That remained in me. When I read in the reviews that Kill Bill style action was used in Animal, then I realized it.”

On Thursday, Raveena Tandon took to her IG handle to wish her darling friend and actor Govinda on his 60th birthday. Sharing a video clip of the first song they shot, which is from their 1998 film Dulhe Raja. The film also stars Kader Khan, Monish Bahl, and Johnny Lever. Replying to her post, Govinda commented, “Thank you so much for your wishes my dearest Rav, @officialraveenatandon Believe me I knew it too I told Harmesh ji apki picture se zyada aapke gaane chalenge aur gaane se bhi zyada apke Hero Heroine Zintak hai😉! Lots of love♥️ Jai Bholenath Har Har Mahadev.”

Ajay Devgn took a nostalgic trip down memory lane as his maiden production, Raju Chacha, turned 23 on December 21. The film released in 2000 was directed by his late brother, Anil Devgan. Ajay reminisced about the old days and shared pics of the cassettes of the movie. Sharing the pics, he penned a heartfelt note on how the film holds a special place in his heart and also thanked his wife Kajol for her support during the making of Raju Chacha.

Romantic drama "Dono," starring newcomers Rajveer Deol and Paloma Dhillon, will have its worldwide digital premiere on ZEE5 on December 29. The film is directed by first-time filmmaker Avnish Barjatya, son of director Sooraj Barjatya. It was released in theatres on October 5. "Dono" is jointly produced by Rajshri Productions and Jio Studios. Rajshri Productions shared the date of the film's digital premiere on its official Instagram page. "Dono mile at a friend's wedding; is it a meet-by-chance or is destiny planning something? Premieres 29th December, only on #ZEE5," the banner wrote on Thursday. Rajveer, son of actor Sunny Deol, and Paloma, daughter of actor Poonam Dhillon, were announced as the leads of "Dono" in 2022.

Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, and Nana Patekar starrer Welcome completed 16 years today, December 21. Directed by Anees Bazmee, the comedy flick has become an iconic film that is getting its third installment, titled Welcome to the Jungle. On the occasion, Kumar took to his Instagram page and dropped a BTS video from the Welcome 3 sets featuring Sanjay Dutt and wrote, “What a lovely coincidence that we celebrate 16 years of #Welcome today while I am shooting for the franchise’s third part #WelcomeToTheJungle. And it’s wonderful to welcome Sanju Baba in this one. What do you think?” Welcome 3 is scheduled to be released in theatres on December 20, 2024.

As Shah Rukh Khan’s third film of the year, Dunki, released today, December 21, the actor shared a message for his fans on his X account. Sharing a poster of the film, he wrote, “Yeh Dunki jaha se shuru huyi thi...Hum bhi wahin se karenge start...Ab aa bhi jaao Cinemas mein...Our rollercoaster ride is ready to depart!” Dunki is directed by Rajkumar Hirani and also stars Vicky Ksuhal, Tappsee Pannu, and others.

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan’s son Taimur turned 7 on Wednesday, December 20. The family celebrated the occasion at Pataudi Palace. Taimur’s aunt Karisma and her son Kiaan, who also joined them for the celebrations, Taking to Instagram, Karisma Kapoor shared a bunch of pictures from Taimur's football-themed birthday bash and gave a look at the cake. Sharing the pictures, she wrote, “Happy birthday to our Tim Timmy. #familylove.” The cake was decorated with edible miniatures of Messi's FC Barcelona jersey, a football, and a trophy.

Bollywood actor Govinda turned 60 on December 21 and celebrated the occasion by cutting cake with his family, wife Sunita, and kids Yashvardhan and Tina. A video shared by the paparazzi page showed the quartet dressed in black cutting the cake outside a restaurant in Mumbai. Govinda also fed tiny pieces of the cake to his family members.