Shirley MacLaine at 92 makes rare appearance to promote 1969’s ‘Sweet Charity’ screening

Mumbai, July 28 (IANS) Actress Medha Rana, who has worked in London Files and Dancing On The Grave, will be seen playing the role of Bollywood star Varun Dhawan’s ladylove in the upcoming war drama “Border 2”.

Speaking about the decision to cast Medha, producer Bhushan Kumar shares, “It was imperative for us to find someone who could naturally embody the dialect, spirit, and rooted essence of the region. Medha impressed the team not just with her raw talent, but with her effortless command over the regional dialect and her emotional range as an actor. We truly believe she will bring depth and realism to the role.”

The film marks a pivotal moment for Medha, who comes from an Army family.

Producer Nidhi Dutta shared that Border 2 is not just a film; it’s an emotion.

Talking about casting Medha, she said: “Every choice we’ve made, from the director to the cast, is driven by our vision to tell a story that feels honest, powerful, and relevant. Medha Rana opposite actor Varun Dhawan will bring freshness and sincerity that aligns beautifully with the tone of the film.”

Border 2 is helmed by director Anurag Singh and is set to hit screens on January 23, 2026.

Set against the backdrop of valour, sacrifice, and national pride, Border 2 is the sequel to the 1997 film “Border”, an epic war film, based on the events of Battle of Longewala (1971). Directed by J. P. Dutta, the film is set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

It stars Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Akshaye Khanna, Sudesh Berry, Puneet Issar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Tabu, Raakhee, Pooja Bhatt and Sharbani Mukherjee.

Backed by a powerful production team including Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, J.P. Dutta, and Nidhi Dutta, and directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is presented by Gulshan Kumar & T-Series, in association with J.P. Dutta’s J.P. Films.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Oct 16 (IANS) Filmmaker Kiran Rao, who is over the moon with her directorial ‘Laapataa Ladies’ bagging 13 Filmfare Awards, has shared the key logistics of her film, and the landscape that was chosen to suit the visual texture of the film.

Kiran recently spoke with IANS celebrating her film’s record win. Talking about the landscape that she imagined for the film, she told IANS, “We were trying very hard to create a fictitious state called Nirmal Pradesh, and in our minds it would be somewhere in the Bundelkhand region, somewhere between UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, that belt. And from whatever I could see, there were many many areas that were very typical to Gangetic plains which were much more lush”.

She further mentioned how the production decided to go with what is visible in the frames of the film, an arid landscape that still has life, and is not deserted.

She said, “When you come into the more central India belt, it is a little drier. So we ultimately realised that this is actually a topography that can work in any of these states. So when we were creating our own state, we wanted something that was not very typical. Not very tropical, green, not too dry like say you would get in Chambal or Rajasthan or somewhere”.

“So we went for something in between and the visual texture of the film has a drier quality to it. And that’s also because we found our locations more or less around Bhopal and that was kind of the landscape there”, she added.

Presented by Jio Studios, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ is directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan and Jyoti Deshpande. The film has been made under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions.

–IANS

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Mumbai, Jan 1 (IANS) Actor Sidharth Malhotra reflected on the year 2025 as a year full of growth. He admitted that his life changed for the better in 2025, bringing a major shift that added depth and a softer strength to his personality.

Adding Harry Styles’ “As It Was” as the background score, Sidharth dropped a video compilation of some of the major highlights of 2025 for him.

From accompanying his better half, Kiara Advani, to her Met Gala debut to welcoming his daughter Saraayah Malhotra, to shooting his projects “Param Sundari” and “Vvan”, 2025 has truly been a wholesome year for Sidharth.

Putting 2025 in perspective, Sidharth shared a lovely note on social media that read, “Somewhere between sets and home, life shifted forever and for the better, adding a new depth, a softer strength and a reason to see the world a little differently Grateful for the growth, the grace, the cinema. Cheers 2025 (sic).”

The ‘Shershaah’ actor steps into 2026 with a lot of gratitude and a clear purpose.

“Walking into 2026 with a full heart, a clearer purpose and endless gratitude. Happy New Year, everyone. Big love!,” he added.

On Wednesday, Sidharth’s better half and Bollywood beauty Kiara Advani revealed that 2025 made her heart expand in ways she could not have ever imagined.

Treating her InstaFam with a string of unseen photos of some precious moments from the year gone by, Kiara penned on her IG, “2025 – The year my heart expanded in ways I couldn’t imagine , a year of firsts, of learning , of becoming, of evolution and sweetest blessings.”

Kiara welcomed 2026 with some immense gratitude and excitement.

“Hello 2026, my heart is ready for you…Stepping into this new year with gratitude , excitement and the cutest tiny hands that hold my whole world,” she added.

On July 16, 2025, Sidharth and Kiara announced the arrival of their baby girl on social media, claiming that the little one has changed their world forever.

–IANS

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