Have you heard? Mawra Hocane's pic removed from Sanam Teri Kasam poster; Ibrahim Ali Khan opens up about speech impediment

Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane

Sanam goes missing

The new poster of Sanam Teri Kasam

Days after Harshvardhan Rane announced he won't feature in Sanam Teri Kasam 2 if Pakistani actor Mawra Hocane joins the film, her picture was removed from the music and streaming posters of the 2016 original. The posters, which earlier featured both Harshavardhan and Mawra, now shows the former alone. Neither Harshvardhan nor anyone else from the team has responded to the development. The internet, however, had a field day as many netizens deemed the makers' decision absurd and unnecessary. Harshvardhan's comment against working with Mawra came amid escalated tension between India and Pakistan last week. The Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru-directed romance that marked Mawra's Bollywood debut had failed at the box-office when it first released, but later gained audience on television. Upon its re-release this January, it became a runway hit. That's when Harshvardhan announced the sequel, sparking rumours of Mawra's return to Hindi cinema.

A lifelong struggle

Ibrahim Ali Khan

Navigating life's challenges with courage and vulnerability, Ibrahim Ali Khan has bravely spoken out about his lifelong struggle with a speech impediment. It's no secret that his dialogues in his debut film Nadaaniyan were dubbed, but Ibrahim and his team never publicly acknowledged it until now. In an interview with GQ, he shared the root of his struggles, revealing that jaundice at birth affected his brainstem and hearing, impacting his speech. "I went on to lose quite a bit of my hearing, and that impacted my speech. My speech is something that I've had to work hard on since I was a child," he shared. Ibrahim's upcoming projects include Diler with Sreeleela and Sarzameen with Kajol.

The king's got a new boss

Anil Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan

The buzz is that Anil Kapoor has come on board Shah Rukh Khan's King, which will be helmed by filmmaker Siddharth Anand. Reports suggest that Anil will playmentor to SRK's character, who is apparently playing an assassin. mid-day had reported that King, which will be Suhana Khan's big-screen debut, will go on floors soon. King's first schedule is set to begin in Mumbai around May 20 (After conflict, before normalcy, May 12). We have learnt that the movie will be shot over a 100-day period in India and then the team will go abroad and wrap the film. King is slated to release in cinemas between October and December, next year.

Ignorance is not bliss

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut slammed youngsters in a viral video who couldn't name President Droupadi Murmu, sharing a screengrab on Instagram Stories with the caption, "War won't kill us but grasshopper brain cell generation surely will." The video, doing rounds on social media, showed participants struggling to identify the President. Kangana's comments came amid recent border tensions between India and Pakistan, following Operation Sindoor.

‘Pan-India is a massive scam'

SS Rajamouli and Anurag Kashyap

Anurag Kashyap recently slammed the "pan-India" film phenomenon. At a recent event in Bengaluru, the filmmaker expressed his reservations, stating, "For me, [the term] pan-Indian [films] is a massive scam. A film is pan-India if it performs pan-India. How can a film be pan-India before it is even made?" However, he praised filmmaker SS Rajamouli as an exception, noting that his films have gained international recognition.

Waiting for the right time

(From left) Jim Sarbh and Amit Sadh in the poster of Pune Highway

The release of Pune Highway has been postponed from May 16 to May 23, citing unforeseen circumstances following Operation Sindoor. The makers have announced the change, stating they look forward to audiences seeing the film in cinemas. Directed by Bugs Bhargava Krishna and Rahul daCunha, Pune Highway stars Amit Sadh and Jim Sarbh. The film follows the lives of three childhood friends thrown into chaos after discovering a dead body. The movie previously premiered at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to glowing reviews.