Entertainment Highlights: Welcome 3 Next Christmas, Farhan Akhtar Breaks Silence On Don 3 Casting

During an interview with ETimes, Nushrratt Bharuccha who essayed the female lead in Dream Girl, opened up on getting replaced with Ananya Pandey in the sequel. She expressed her lack of understanding about the makers' decision to replace her. She said, ““I was a part of Dream Girl 1 and I love that whole team. I terribly miss working with them. But why they didn’t cast me in Dream Girl 2, I think only they can answer. I don’t know, there is no logic and there is no answer to it. But why didn’t they cast me? I am a human being, so of course it hurts. And of course it feels unfair. But I get it, it is their decision. Cool, no problem.”

During an interview with Grazia India, Vicky Kaushal opened up on his marriage to Katrina Kaif. Moreover, he revealed that although he and Katrina never discussed the core aspects they seek in a partner. Reflecting on this bond, Vicky expressed, “On a heart and soul level, you will find things you like about each other. We both look at life in a very simple way, prefer keeping professional and personal lives separate, and our family values have always aligned – that’s how our connection found its place.”

Japanese Ambassador to India, Hiroshi Suzuki, danced to Rajnikanth’s latest release, Jailer’s hit song Kaavaalaa. He collaborated with a YouTuber and demonstrated his love for the superstar. Sharing the video of his performance, he wrote, "Kaavaalaa dance video with Japanese YouTuber Mayo san. My Love for Rajinikanth continues." The video clip spanned for 17 seconds and opened with YouTuber Mayo San imitating the steps by Tamannaah Bhatia, after which the camera then spun towards the ambassador, who joined in to perform the signature move alongside Mayo.

Actor Arjun Kapoor had a relaxing weekend, and on Thursday, the actor gave his fans a sneak peek into it. Sharing a bunch of photos from his Instagram handle, Arjun can be seen showing off his weekend routine. In the first photo, we see Arjun shirtless watching something on his laptop while he also enjoys his meal. In another pic, he is seen spending some time in a pool, while on the other, he is busy working out and strolling the place. He captioned the post: "Life is short, make your weekends long."

Actress Priyanka Chopra has pulled back from the operations of her New York-based restaurant, Sona, which opened in 2021. She opened the restaurant in partnership with businessman Maneesh Goyal. As per reports, Priyanka has now opted out of the partnership, but the restaurant will continue to be operational. People Magazine reported on Wednesday that the actress will no longer be connected to the restaurant. "Priyanka has stepped away from her partnership with Sona," a representative of the actress confirmed to the outlet. They also added, "Stepping away from Sona allows her to broaden these ambitions on a more global scale, and she’s excited about the possibilities that await." Sona co-founder and Priyanka's former business partner, Maneesh K. Goyal, said in a statement, "We're grateful for her partnership and support. While she will no longer be involved as a creative partner moving forward, she remains in the Sona family and we are excited for our respective new chapters ahead."

Singer Arijit Singh has surpassed international singers Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, taking the third position as the most followed artist on Spotify. On the other hand, Jungkook of the K-pop sensation BTS has overtaken his own group with around 35,407,241 monthly listeners on the music app.

A video of Priyanka Chopra going viral on Reddit shows the star handing out snacks to event staff at the Jonas Brothers’ concert that was held in New York. Her fans are lauding her sweet gesture. We can see PeeCee wearing a sequined white crop top with a matching mini skirt and knee-high boots. She offers packets of snacks to a lady working as the event staff.

Actor-director Kamal Haasan on Tuesday released a revamped version of his 2000 acclaimed movie Hey Ray on YouTube to celebrate India's 77th Independence Day. Taking to social media, the actor shared the news with his fans and wrote, "Today on our country’s Independence Day, my ode to Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi)." Hey Ram is written, directed, produced, and headlined by Kamal Haasan and also starred Shah Rukh Khan, Hema Malini, Rani Mukerji, Saurabh Shukla, Atul Kulkarni, Girish Karnad, Vaali, Abbas, Nassar, Vasundhara Das, Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Om Puri. Its music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Hey Ram also won three national awards at the 47th National Film Awards.

International pop singer Britney Spears and her husband, Sam Asghari, have headed for divorce just a year after they got married in a fairytale wedding in June. As per a report by TMZ, Spears has split from her husband, Iranian-American model Sam Asghari, following allegations of cheating. As per a source, Sam confronted Britney a few weeks ago regarding rumours of her infidelity, and a massive argument broke out between the couple. The singer has denied cheating on him. Sam has filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" and mentioning that they had a prenuptial agreement, so Britney's financial assets won't require negotiation. However, according to rumours, Sam has threatened to reveal embarrassing information about Britney if the prenup is not renegotiated. Sam has moved out of their shared house and is currently living separately. An insider was quoted by NBC News saying, "They're separated, and it's the best decision for Britney."

Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar has broken his silence on the massive backlash he got for casting Ranveer Singh in Don 3, who will be replacing Shah Rukh Khan. The announcement was made earlier this month and was met with mixed reactions. Addressing the same, Farhan pointed out that he faced a similar reaction when he decided to remake Amitabh Bachchan’s Don and added that Ranveer will do an amazing job in Don 3. Addressing the criticism, Farhan told BBC Asian Network, "Ranveer is amazing. He’s great for the part. He’s also, as you can imagine, really excited and really nervous, about the thing. You’re filling some big shoes before you. But we went through the same emotional process when Shah Rukh did it and everyone was like ‘Oh my God, how can you replace Mr Bachchan?’ That whole thing happened then." He then added that it is also his responsibility as a director to make the sequel work, Farhan added, "It really is about an actor coming in and owning the part and making it really like, giving it their style and their flair. And he has that, he has that in spades. So, he is going to do a great job. I think the responsibility is more mine now to make sure that the script and the film work out the way I imagine."

The Superhit Welcome franchise’s third installment has been announced. The third part has been titled "Welcome to the Jungle" and will release in Christmas 2024. Backed by Firoz Nadiadwala, it will have an ensemble star cast including Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, and Suniel Shetty. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh, while sharing the bug update, wrote, "FIROZ A NADIADWALA LOCKS CHRISTMAS 2024 FOR ‘WELCOME 3’… #WelcomeToTheJungle is the title of the third instalment of #Welcome franchise… Producer #FirozANadiadwala has decided to bring the family entertainer in #Christmas2024." As per reports, the iconic duo of Majnu and Uday Bhai - Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor will not be a part of the third installment. They have been replaced by Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi. A report by Pinkvilla stated, "Of the 3 films under Firoz Nadiadwala’s banner, Welcome might be the first to take off as the script is ready a while back. The filmmaker is planning to bring a spin to the narrative of this comic caper by getting Sanjay Dutt and Arshad to play the notorious gangsters – Majnu and Uday. The duo have already shown their chemistry as Munna and Circuit and now it will be time to explore the dimension in a new franchise."