Have you heard? Mumbai to go Toxic; Atlee to take a break from Bollywood

After wrapping up the Bengaluru schedule of Toxic, Kannada star Yash was spotted at Kalina airport as he arrived in Mumbai for the next leg for the upcoming film. Dramatic and intense scenes are lined up for the upcoming schedule that will begin next week. A couple of days ago, a pregnant Kiara Advani— the film’s leading lady— was also spotted on set, as she began preparations for the shoot with Yash. Toxic, a period gangster drama, is directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film is being shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, with plans for a pan-India release in multiple languages, and is scheduled to hit cinemas on Eid next year.

Taking a break from Bollywood

Vijay Sethupathi, Shahid Kapoor and Atlee

Atlee has reportedly put his production ventures on hold, following the underperformance of Baby John (2024). Several projects under his banner, A for Apple, have been stalled, including a film with Vijay Sethupathi and Shahid Kapoor, and an action thriller with Sky Force (2024) actor Veer Pahariya. We have heard that this decision comes as the filmmaker wants to “avoid distractions” and focus on his mega-scale period saga starring Allu Arjun, touted as his most ambitious project to date. Notably, the Telugu star is charging R175 crore (India’s most paid star, March 22) for this film.

Learn from the south

Sunny Deol

At the trailer launch event of Jaat in Mumbai, Sunny Deol praised south Indian filmmakers, saying they make “cinema with love”. As Jaat is being produced by Hyderabad-based Mythri Movie Makers, he urged producers in Bombay to “learn” from their southern counterparts. “They focus on the subject, rope in the director, show trust in his vision. The story is the hero,” he said. He also added that Bollywood’s definition of success of films needs to change. He said, “If we stop measuring cinema by the box-office yardstick, any good film will become a hit.”