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Toxic debacle effect: The Odyssey storms back into IMAX screens across India just 2 days after being ousted

On August 26, Bollywood Hungama reported that The Odyssey’s shows were taken out of IMAX screens after a historic 40-day run in order to accommodate Yash-starrer Toxic. The Odyssey consistently drew audiences and managed to collect a record Rs. 90 crores, that too from just 34 IMAX screens. Remarkably, the film continued to register encouraging occupancy right until the end of its run. As a result, our report was widely shared and discussed, sending shockwaves among fans. It has now come to light that due to the underperformance of Toxic, The Odyssey has been brought back to all IMAX screens in the country, except Bengaluru. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Even on its last day, The Odyssey ran with 43% occupancy, which was unbelievable. It proved that there was a lot of gas left in the tank. Warner Bros, which distributed The Odyssey, asked for just one show in IMAX, considering the continued demand, from August 26. Sadly, the demand was not accepted as the distributors of Toxic wer...
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EXCLUSIVE: Rangbaaz Season 4 shooting begins next week; Grahan director Ranjan Chandel to helm new season

ZEE 5’s flagship crime drama Rangbaaz is returning for a fourth chapter. A little over a month after its official announcement, Rangbaaz Season 4 is moving into production. Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learned that shooting will begin next week in Bhopal, where the team will shoot extensively for about two months, with plans to wrap the schedule by November. The new season is being directed by Ranjan Chandel, best known for helming JioHotstar’s 2021 critically acclaimed crime drama series Grahan. Sources say the makers have brought him on board to raise the bar of the franchise even further with a more violent, brutal and action-oriented narrative rooted in crime, politics, ambition and power. The show will mark his first major project since he stepped away from Ekta Kapoor’s The Sabarmati Report (2024) over creative differences. Rangbaaz Season 4 will be mounted on a larger scale than the previous seasons and promises a wider canvas, a larger narrative and more intense conflicts...
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EXCLUSIVE: Akshay Kumar’s niece Simar Bhatia lands her second film; to romance Roshan Mathew in a romantic comedy

Akshay Kumar's niece Simar Bhatia, who made her Bollywood debut with Sriram Raghavan's Ikkis earlier this year, has bagged her second project. Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learned that Bhatia will star alongside Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew in an upcoming romantic comedy. The film is said to be a heartwarming, character-driven romantic drama that blends emotional beats with quirky and comedic elements. The makers are looking to create a fun-filled, entertaining love story, with Bhatia and Mathew coming together as a new on-screen romantic pair. Adhiraj Bose, who previously worked as an AD on Ek Thi Daayan and Talvar and has directed several short films, including the Naseeruddin Shah-starrer Interior Cafe Night (2014), will helm the yet-untitled film. He makes his feature directorial debut with this project. The film will be produced by Aayush Maheshwari under his BLM Pictures banner, which has previously co-produced films such as Dhak Dhak, Loop Lapeta and Yaariyan 2. S...
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Last Man In Tower to hit theatres on September 11 starring Manoj Bajpayee, Divya Dutta and Boman Irani

Aravind Adiga’s bestselling novel Last Man in Tower is set to make its way to the big screen, with the film scheduled to release in Indian theatres on September 11, 2026. Directed by Ben Rekhi and produced by Rana Daggubati’s Spirit Media, the film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani, Divya Dutta and Sukant Goel in key roles. The film explores themes of personal conviction, changing relationships and the difficult choices people face when circumstances around them begin to change. At its centre is Masterji, a retired school teacher who finds himself standing alone as people in his community begin to make choices that differ from his own. His determination to remain firm in what he believes creates tension among the people he has known for years. Among those whose decisions clash with Masterji’s is Mrs Puri, whose own aspirations and compromises are influenced by the possibility of a different future. As the situation develops, the story looks at the choices people make when an opportuni...
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Waheeda Rehman to attend inaugural Indian Film Festival of New Zealand; Teesri Kasam to open, Pakeezah to close the fest

New Zealand, where almost 5 per cent of its population is of Indian origin, will finally get its own Indian film festival. Spread across 3 days and 3 cities, the Indian Film Festival of New Zealand promises 30 film screenings, industry panels, Q&A post-screenings, networking events, and an awards evening. The first edition will showcase 10 features, 16 shorts, and 4 special screenings. With 11 languages, including Gujarati, Bengali, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, French, Japanese, Hindi, English, Nepali, Kashmiri, Punjabi, and Kumaoni, and even a silent film, the festival is celebrating languages and storytelling from across India. The highlight for the year is celebrating films that have been restored by Film Heritage Foundation and NFAI-NFDC. The opening film is Teesri Kasam, which was recently restored by NFAI-NFDC and has legendary actress Waheeda Rehman and Raj Kapoor in lead roles. The first edition will have legendary actress Waheeda Rehman attend the opening night scre...
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Swiggy Dineout launches 'Order-in-Cinemas' feature, lets moviegoers get food delivered to their seats

On August 25, 2026, Swiggy announced the launch of a new ordering experience within the eating-out landscape with the launch of ‘Order-in-Cinemas’ on Swiggy Dineout. The feature debuts in partnership with top multiplex brands, Cinepolis and Asian Cinemas, across multiple screens, opening up a brand-new touchpoint for theaters to engage with audiences. In addition to this, Swiggy Dineout has also partnered with a leading PoS aggregator, Impact (owned and operated by UFO Moviez) as well as with Showbizz, a leading Cinema Software Solutions provider for PoS aggregation. The integration with multiple PoS aggregators is currently underway. By leveraging technology to elevate F&B and the cinema experience, the ‘Order-in-Cinemas’ offering on Swiggy Dineout is set to redefine the food ordering experience at cinemas. Designed around a simple four-step journey- Scan, Browse, Order & Pay, and Delivery, customers can simply scan a QR code placed in the cinema halls, browse the cinema’s me...
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SCOOP: Ayan Mukerji in advanced talks with Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra to come on board as studio partner for Brahmastra 2

A few days ago, Bollywood Hungama broke the viral news that the makers of Brahmastra 2 were in talks with Jio Studios, but the premier studio eventually backed out. Earlier, Dharma Productions and Yash Raj Films had also been in discussions, though those talks too did not materialize. Now, we have learnt that another prominent producer, Namit Malhotra, has shown interest in coming on board. A trade source told Bollywood Hungama, “Ayan Mukerji’s production house, Starlight Pictures Private Limited, was one of the producers of the first Brahmastra and the banner holds the rights to the film’s IP. Starlight will be producing Brahmastra 2 and is currently looking for a studio partner to come on board. The makers recently got in touch with Namit Malhotra of Prime Focus.” The source continued, “Incidentally, Prime Focus was also one of the producers of Brahmastra (2022). The company is among the best in the world when it comes to VFX, and its expertise has only grown further after working o...
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