Have you heard? Border 2 revives Sandese Aate Hai; Anurag Kashyap finds new love for acting in South

Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade, Shadab Khan, AFP, Instagram

Bringing back India's favourite patriotic song

Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, and Diljit Dosanjh

The makers of Border 2, the sequel to Border (1997), have reportedly acquired the rights to the iconic song Sandese aate hain for an undisclosed record sum, reimagining it as Sandese aate hai 2.0 with Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh lending their voices. Reports suggest that the song will be picturised on Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, and Diljit Dosanjh, among others, and will serve as a tribute to the Indian Army. We have learnt that the new version will seamlessly blend the original with a modern touch, retaining the evocative essence of the timeless song. The film, directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta, Bhushan Kumar, and Nidhi Dutta, is touted to be India's biggest war film and is slated for release on Republic Day 2026. With the shooting currently in full swing, the makers aim to wrap it up by August. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan War.

‘I thought I am terrible, not made for cinema'

Vijay Sethupathi and Anurag Kashyap

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, might be bitter about his experience in Bollywood in the last few years, but he is loving working in the South Indian film industry after shifting to Bengaluru. He recently opened up about his stint with acting, particularly in South Indian films, and loving it. At a recent event he credited Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi for convincing him to act in Maharaja (2024). The filmmaker-turned-actor recalled, "He [Vijay] said there's this amazing story.... Then I said, ‘Listen, I have to get my daughter [Aaliyah Kashyap] married, and I don't think I can afford it." Anurag shared that at this point Vijay told him, "We'll help you," and that's how Maharaja happened. Anurag revealed that he initially considered himself "terrible" and "not made for cinema" as an actor, but has since enjoyed acting, especially during the current filmmaking crisis. His breakthrough in acting came after he acted in Sonakshi Sinha's Akira (2016) to pay off debts, jokingly calling himself the "highest paid unpaid debut actor".

When Shatrughan Sinha was told he can't afford Rs 60 rent

Javed Akhtar and Shatrughan Sinha

In mid-day's latest episode of Sit with Hitlist, veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar revealed that when he first came to Mumbai, he shared a small room with a person for a monthly rent of R120 while he was struggling to making ends meet in the city. He also shared that Shatrughan Sinha, who was also trying to make a career in films, approached him to share the room. However, Akhtar jokingly refused, saying, "Pagal ho tum? Har mahine tum Rs 60 de sakoge? Impossible." Akhtar, however, admitted that he had noticed Shatrughan's confidence and style that would make him a star. Akhtar and Shatrughan went on to collaborate films as part of the screenwriting duo Salim (Khan)-Javed, including Dostana (1980), Kaala Patthar (1979), Kranti (1981), and Zamana (1985). These films showcased the actor in key roles alongside Amitabh Bachchan and others.

Dostana 2 comes home

Vikrant Massey; SreeLeela and Lakshya

Karan Johar had announced in 2019 that they were making Dostana 2, the sequel to Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham, and Abhishek Bachchan's Dostana (2008), with Kartik Aaryan, Lakshya, and Janhvi Kapoor. However, the project did not go through. Now we have learnt that Advait Chandan will helm the project, which will reportedly directly release on Amazon Prime Video. mid-day had earlier reported that the film will have a fresh cast, with Vikrant Massey replacing Kartik, and Lakshya, with Sreeleela expected to play the female lead (After old fight, new friends, May 6). Reports also suggest that the script is being written to suit the dramedy.