Salman Khan to star in Shuddhi

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After months of uncertainty over the fate of Karan Johar's Shhuddhi ever since Hrithik Roshan walked out of it, things are finally moving forward.

KJo has confirmed that Salman Khan will play the lead in the long-gestating project.

Karan, 42, took to Twitter to confirm the news. "Shhuddhi will star Salman Khan and will release Diwali 2016," Karan tweeted.

The leading lady of the film is yet to be announced.

Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor were initially slated to do the movie, to be directed by Agneepath helmer Karan Malhotra but the project kept getting delayed.

Roshan finally decided to quit the project due to health issues and Kareena too opted out.

There were reports that Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone may replace them but Karan later denied the news.

Salman is currently busy with Kick promotions and will start shooting Sooraj Barjatya's film next.

It is for the second time that Johar has teamed up with Salman after his 1998 debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Salman had a special appearance in the SRK-Kajol starrer.

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Director-producer Bejoy Nambiar, who is set to direct Amitabh Bachchan in his next thriller, finds the megastar "ridiculously humble" for his stature.

Bejoy, who last directed David and has produced the upcoming supernatural thriller Pizza, will direct the untitled movie, produced and written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

The film also stars Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari.

"For the kind of person he is, he is overtly and ridiculously humble. He makes you feel comfortable. In fact, the first thing he did when we met was that he cracked a joke.

"I was completely taken aback. He does not let his stardom come in between," Bejoy said in an interview in Mumbai.

The director, who will start the film in September this year, said he is still waiting for the "fanboy" in him to get out and look at Bachchan as an actor.

"I am in awe of him. I need to spend more time with him. I am waiting to overcome my 'fanboyness'," he said.

Pizza, a remake of the hit Tamil film of the same name, marks the directorial debut of Akshay Akkineni and stars Akshay Oberoi and Parvathy Omanakuttan in lead roles.

Director Anurag Kashyap, who is busy giving shape to his period metropolis drama Bombay Velvet, will begin shooting for superhero film Doga sometime next year.

Madhu Mantena of Phantom Films has announced that he will be backing Doga as a producer.

"We are happy to back Anurag's vision of Doga for the film. We have acquired the rights of the book, and in all possibilities would go on floors sometime next year," Mantena said.

Mantena plans to work closely with Manish and Sanjay Gupta of Raj Comics for exploring various others possibilities of taking the comic book character beyond films.

Kashyap said he was happy to see his Mumbai-based comic hero take shape.

"I am obviously quite happy, that Doga is now finally taking shape. It's something which has kept me excited over the years, and it feels great to know that Madhu is working out details to make it reach as wide as possible," Kashyap said.

Doga, a fictional vigilante, first appeared in Raj Comics in 1992.

As someone who suffered great injustice in his childhood, an orphan, named Suraj, fights against evil. He gets the name Doga for hiding his identity behind a dog mask. Doga does not believe in law and order as he considers it a part of the corrupt system.

With her last two releases Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain entering the prestigious Rs 100 crore club, Shraddha Kapoor is now gearing up to star opposite her childhood friend Varun Dhawan in ABCD 2.

Shraddha feels Varun, who was last seen in romantic comedy Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania, is the most versatile actor of current generation.

"I am excited to shoot with Varun because he is not only my childhood friend but also the most versatile actor of our generation.

"We have grown up together in the same film environment as we used to accompany our fathers during the shoots. He is my friend first than a costar and I really hope that our chemistry as friends translates onscreen too," Shraddha said in an interview.

Being directed by ace choreographer Remo D'Souza and produced by Disney movies, Any Body Can Dance 2 will go on floors next month for a release next year.

Shraddha is worried about matching the high-octane energy of Varun and is currently undergoing dance workshops in Mumbai.

"I am playing a professional dancer in the film. To match up with the energy level of Varun and other real dancers in the film is a challenge for me.

"I am rehearsing a lot with them. ABCD 2 is a great learning experience for me as I am getting to learn how to become passionate and dedicated towards your interest."

The sequel of last year's 3D dance film will also see the previous actors Prabhu Dheva, Lauren Gottlieb, Punit Pathak, Dharmesh Yelande reprising their roles besides Shraddha and Varun playing the lead.