EXCLUSIVE: Sunny Deol joins forces with Excel Entertainment on a big action thriller; Filming begins in December
A source shared, 'The yet untitled action thriller will mark the first collaboration between Sunny Deol and Excel Entertainment. The two stakeholders have been in talks for a while now, and are excited to collaborate on a high-concept big-budget action thriller. Sunny loves the script and is excited to partner with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani on the film.' The source further informed that the film will mark the directorial debut of Balaji, who has worked on several Tamil blockbusters as an assistant and associate director.
We hear that the film goes on floors in December, and the team is presently working to design every aspect of the film for the big screen format. 'It's a larger-than-life feature film with Sunny Deol in an avatar that the audience loves to see him in. Excel too is going all out to ensure that their maiden collaboration with Sunny turns out to be a special treat for the cinema-going audience, with a lot of intense and high-on-drama moments' the source added. The industry is buzzing about this feature film as one of the exciting combinations of the recent years.
The casting for other key characters of this yet untitled action thriller is presently underway, and an official announcement with title and first look is around the corner. Talking of Excel Entertainment, the banner is all set with a string of theatrical slate in the coming two years – from 120 Bahadur, to Mirzapur: The Movie and the most awaited Don 3 among others. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
27 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Vidhu Vinod Chopra told Vidya Balan to get a nose job before Parineeta, she was terrified: ‘Tera naak bohot lamba hai, surgery karte hain'
Vidya Balan made a remarkable entry into Hindi cinema with Parineeta, an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1914 Bengali novella. Directed by the late Pradeep Sarkar and produced by veteran filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the film marked the beginning of her Bollywood journey. While she fondly remembers her association with Sarkar, who believed in her talent even as a newcomer, Vidya recently opened up about a moment that left her shaken just before filming began. In a candid conversation with Filmfare, the actor recalled how producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra suggested she undergo plastic surgery. 'He told me, 'Tera naak bohot lamba hai, surgery karwate hai.' Main dar gayi (He told me, 'Your nose is too long, let's get a surgery done.' I got scared). And I was like, 'I'm not going to do this'. And I'll tell you why, because to this day I have not touched my face. I get a facial done once in a while, and that's about it. I'm very particular, ki jaisa hai waisa hai, Bhagwan ne diya hai, bohot achha diya hai (The way it is, that's how it is. God gave it to me, and He gave it beautifully).' She also shared another difficult episode from her early years, before Parineeta, when she was working on a Malayalam film. The makers had asked her to change her surname, something she was deeply uncomfortable with. 'During my Malayalam film, they told me there is Manju Warrier, there is Samyukta Varma, who used their community names as their surnames. So you should also be called Vidya Iyer, not Vidya Balan. I changed my name and I cried, but my parents told me, 'You will always be Vidya Balan.' But again, they didn't know, right? The director and producer wrote to everyone saying, 'You're an Iyer anyway, so it's okay.' And then that film didn't happen. So I was very sure—if there is something I'm not comfortable doing, then it will definitely not work out. So when Mr Chopra told me, I was like, main dar gayi, and I came back and spoke to Dada (Pradeep Sarkar). I told him, 'Dada, aap sambhal lo…' and he was like, 'Nahi nahi, main manage kar lunga ('Dada, you handle it…' and he said, 'No, no, I'll manage it)'.' Also Read | Vidya Balan says Rekha is 'desire incarnate': 'I think she was made for the celluloid' Despite the pressures, Vidya reflected warmly on her experience working with Chopra's production house, calling it a 'protected environment' that helped her grow. 'I did my first three films with Vinod Chopra Films, so that's like my alma mater. I came from a protected environment, very disciplined, very professional. All the prep was done beforehand, you didn't waste time on set at all. These are things I learnt early on, and of course they added to my South Indian discipline anyway.' Last month, Parineeta completed 20 years, marking two decades of Vidya Balan in the Hindi film industry. She was last seen in the blockbuster horror-comedy Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Vicky Kaushal Reacts To Sam Bahadur's Three National Awards: 'So Proud'
Sam Bahadur is the third Vicky Kaushal film to have won a National Award. Vicky Kaushal's Sam Bahadur has won big at the 71st National Film Awards. The awards were announced on August 1, and Sam Bahadur became the Hindi film to win the most accolades. Now, Vicky Kaushal has reacted to the film's big wins and expressed his pride. Vicky congratulated the team of Sam Bahadur and lauded director Meghna Gulzar. Sharing a post on the film's awards, Vicky wrote, 'So proud. Congratulations, team!" Vicky Kaushal's Sam Bahadur won in the categories of Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social, and Environmental Values, Best Make-Up, and Best Costume. Have a look at Vicky's post here: Sam Bahadur explores the highs and lows of Sam Manekshaw's illustrious career and his journey to becoming the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. This biopic sheds light on Manekshaw's unparalleled contributions, showcasing his valour, strategic brilliance, and unwavering dedication to the nation. The film also delves into the intricate dynamics of military and political relations, adding depth to the narrative and providing a comprehensive understanding of Sam Manekshaw's impactful legacy. Interestingly, Sam Bahadur is the third Vicky Kaushal film to have won a National Award. Vicky Kaushal shared the National Film Award for Best Actor with Ayushmann Khurrana for his performance in Uri: The Surgical Strike at the 66th National Film Awards. Sardar Udham was awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, and it received several other national awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Audiography at the 69th National Film Awards. Meanwhile, films like Jawan, 12th Fail and Animal also won multiple accolades in the 2023 batch. Jawan won two awards, one for Shah Rukh Khan, who received his first National Award for Best Actor, and another for Shilpa Rao, who was honoured for the song Chaleya. Meanwhile, 12th Fail also won two awards, Best Feature Film and Best Actor for Vikrant Massey, marking his first National Award as well. The Kerala Story gave a neck-to-neck fight, bagging awards in the Best Cinematography and Best Direction categories. Animal won two awards as well, in the Best Sound Design and Best Music Direction categories. Meanwhile, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani also earned two awards, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Choreography for Dhindhora Baje Re. First Published: August 02, 2025, 12:23 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Four-year-old Pallavi Joshi was slapped on camera by director because she wasn't crying on cue: ‘My ego was hurt, didn't want to do films'
Actor Pallavi Joshi has been in the industry for over 52 years. She marked her acting debut with the 1973 film Naag Mere Sathi. She was just four. Even at that age, Pallavi was sure she didn't want to take up acting, however, competition with her brother Alankar Joshi made her say yes to director Shantilal Soni, who wanted to cast her as younger version of his female lead in the 1976 film Rakshabandhan starring actors Sachin Pilgaonkar and Sarika. In a recent interview, Pallavi Joshi shared how it was a task for the filmmaker to get her to cry in a scene. She revealed that the filmmaker got so annoyed with her that he ended up slapping her on camera. In an interaction with Friday Talkies, Pallavi Joshi recalled the time she first faced camera. 'Back in those days, there used to be a director named Shantilal Joshi. He was my father's great friend. Sachin and Sarika were the lead actors in the film, and it was being made in two languages: Hindi and Gujarati. When I showed interest in acting, he quickly cast me in his film. I played the young version of Sarika.' She added, 'They were shooting a song sequence where they expected me to cry. They narrated the scene to me. They said, 'You have to do a puja of Nag devta and then hold your face and cry.' The 4-year-old me found this very funny. They took several takes but I kept laughing. An annoyed Shantilal asked my father to slap me. My dad refused to do so but pretended to be annoyed at me. However, I knew he was acting. I laughed harder. After several takes, Shantilal walked up to me and slapped me hard.' 'The camera was rolling. This put me in shock. I was four. Nobody had slapped me before. My ego was hurt. 'Pure unit ke saamne mujhe kaise maar diya (How could he slap me before everyone?)'. I cried so hard. After the shot was done, I got up and yelled, 'I don't want to shoot for this film.' Even my father was shocked. He asked, 'How could you slap my daughter?'. Shantilal asked his unit to pack up. I was adamant that I will not shoot for the film. A couple of days passed and my dad got worried. In reality, Shantilal was waiting for me to calm down and when I did, we began to shoot again.' ALSO READ | Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi's Dhadak 2 seethes with the rage of filmmaker Shazia Iqbal However, this was not the end of her tantrums. Being a four-year-old, she played the role of a child who was abused by her aunt and was expected to do household chores. She was given torn clothes to wear. 'During one of the scenes, I was asked to mop the floor. I was wearing torn clothes. Suddenly, I saw the girl who was playing my evil cousin was dressed up in beautiful new clothes and wearing glittery ornaments. Looking at her, I began to protest: 'Even I need to look like that'. It took them so long to convince me that my role didn't allow that. Eventually, my mom had to promise me to buy me all those things for my birthday and only then did I resume the shoot.' Pallavi Joshi actively did films until 1999. However she took a decade-long break from the industry after her marriage to filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri in 1997. She made a comeback with the 2009 film Rita. Pallavi was recently seen in her husband's films The Kashmir Files, The Vaccine War and The Bengal Files. She also played an important role in Anupam Kher's film Tanvi the Great.
