Sizzling Samachar: Janhvi Kapoor's Ulajh shoot in Delhi postponed due to floods; Arshad Warsi confirms being a part of Welcome 3 and Jolly LLB 3; Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Shatters Advance Bookings in India

Welcome to Sizzling samachar, your daily dose of entertainment news. I'm your host Nikhil. Top stories first.

Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif's Merry Christmas moves up release date to avoid box office clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki

The much-awaited thriller Merry Christmas, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif, has moved up its release date from December 25 to December 15. The film, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is reportedly being released early to avoid clashing with Rajkumar Hirani's Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki, which is slated to release on December 22.

Merry Christmas is being simultaneously filmed in both Hindi and Tamil, and each language has a different supporting cast. The Hindi version of the film includes Vinay Pathak, Tinu Anand, Sanjay Kapoor, and even a cameo by Raghavan's Andhadhun lead Radhika Apte. The Tamil version of the film boasts of a cast comprising Kevin Jay Babu, Radhika Sarathkumar, Rajesh Williams, and Shanmugaraja.

Raghavan is known for his dark comedies and crime noir films, such as Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddaar. Merry Christmas is expected to be a departure from his usual fare, but it is still sure to be a stylish and suspenseful thriller.

The film’s new release date will give it a clear run at the box office, as there are no other major releases scheduled for that week. It will be interesting to see how Merry Christmas performs, as it is a unique collaboration between two of the most popular actors in India.

Janhvi Kapoor's Ulajh shoot in Delhi postponed due to floods

The Delhi schedule of Janhvi Kapoor's upcoming film Ulajh has been postponed due to the ongoing flood crisis in the city. The shoot was originally scheduled to begin on July 10, but the production team has decided to delay it until mid-August.

The film, directed by Sudhanshu Saria, is a patriotic thriller set in the world of Indian Foreign Services (IFS). It stars Kapoor alongside Gulshan Devaiah and Malayalam star Roshan Mathew.

The flood crisis in Delhi has made it impossible to shoot in many of the locations that were originally planned. The production team has decided to wait until the situation improves before resuming filming.

Ulajh is a stylised international thriller set in the intriguing world of Indian Foreign Services (IFS). The film follows the story of a young IFS officer who becomes embroiled in a personal conspiracy within her family of patriots.

The film is directed by Sudhanshu Saria, who is known for his work on films such as Manto and Lipstick Under My Burkha. The cast of Ulajh includes Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, Roshan Mathew, Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Sachin Khedekar, Rajendra Gupta, and Jitendra Joshi.

Meanwhile, Kapoor is currently busy promoting her upcoming film Bawaal, which is set to release this week on July 21.

The sequel to Dibakar Banerjee’s cult comedy Love Sex Aur Dhoka begins production

Dibakar Banerjee has begun filming the sequel to his critically-acclaimed 2010 hit Love, Sex Aur Dhoka, also dubbed LSD. Banerjee has carved a niche for himself as one of the most experimental Indian filmmakers who has proven his skills with cult comedies such as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. His last directorial Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, which he co-wrote along with Varun Grover, didn’t make a dent at the box office but was regarded as a taut thriller by critics.

LSD 2 is being described as a modern-day love story which is set in a world obsessed with the internet and is likely to explore themes such as betrayal and complications arising in relationships much like the first film. 

Love, Sex Aur Dhokha featured a star-studded cast, including Rajkummar Rao, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Anshuman Jha. The sequel is yet to announce its cast, but it is scheduled to be released on February 16, 2024.

Arshad Warsi confirms being a part of Welcome 3 and Jolly LLB 3

Arshad Warsi fans are in luck! The 55-year-old comedy actor has recently announced that he will be featuring in two comedy sequels: Welcome 3 and Jolly LLB 3. Warsi was the lead in Jolly LLB , the first film in the franchise where he played a relentless lawyer who goes the length to seek justice for his clients. Warsi was however replaced by Akshay Kumar in Jolly LLB 2, a sequel that didn’t quite size up to the first film in terms of a compelling story and box office performance. Warsi is best known for comedy hits such as Munna Bhai M.B.B.S and its sequel Lage Raho Munna Bhai where he played the affable Circuit along with Sanjay Dutt. Warsi has, in recent years, managed to make a dent in the OTT space by headlining the Voot series Asur. And we’re stoked to hear there’s a lot more in store for the comic genius.

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Shatters Advance Bookings in India

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is set to have a massive opening in India, with over 2 lakh tickets already sold in advance. The film, which stars Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt, is a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who led the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb.

Advance bookings for Oppenheimer have been strong across the country and the biopic is likely to be the highest grossing Hollywood film ever. In PVR, over 50,000 tickets have been sold, while Inox has already sold 30,000 tickets.

The strong advance bookings are a testament to Nolan's popularity in India. His previous films, such as The Dark Knight Rises and Dunkirk, have both been box office successes in the country.

Oppenheimer is expected to have a strong opening weekend, with some analysts predicting that it could collect over ₹30 crore. The film will face competition from Barbie, which is also releasing this weekend. However, Oppenheimer is expected to emerge as the clear winner, as it is surely going to appeal to a larger audience keen on a big screen spectacle.

The strong advance bookings for Oppenheimer are a sign that Nolan's films continue to have a strong following in India. The film is expected to be a major box office success, and it could help to further cement Nolan's status as one of the most popular directors in the world.

Well that's all we got for today's episode, until the next one it's your host Nikhil signing out.

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho

Written by Kunal Guha