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Disha Patani’s Deep Neck Dress Triggers Backlash

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Disha Patani has landed in the middle of a social-media controversy after attending the Ambani family’s Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai. The actress arrived in a red lehenga featuring a deep-neck, bralette-style blouse, with a dupatta draped over one shoulder. While several people appreciated her glamorous festive look, a section of social media users criticised the outfit as inappropriate for a religious celebration. The debate has once again brought celebrity fashion and the idea of “appropriate” dressing at traditional occasions into the spotlight.

Similar Backlash For Kriti Sanon

Interestingly, Disha’s controversy comes weeks after Kriti Sanon faced similar criticism for her Raksha Bandhan advertisement for jewellery brand GIVA. Kriti appeared in the campaign wearing a bralette-style blouse with a cape and draped skirt while celebrating Raksha Bandhan and tying a rakhi. A section of users questioned the outfit and the portrayal of the festival, while actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut also criticised the campaign. GIVA eventually withdrew the advertisement following the backlash, while Kriti defended herself, arguing that culture and traditions should not be judged by a woman’s neckline or clothing.

Fashion Freedom Vs Festival Etiquette

Disha’s latest controversy has therefore revived the same debate: should celebrities be expected to dress traditionally at religious and cultural celebrations? Critics argue that festive occasions such as Ganesh Chaturthi call for more conventional attire, especially when celebrities are attending public religious events. On the other hand, the backlash has also raised questions about the disproportionate scrutiny faced by women over their clothes. Importantly, there has been no reported objection from the Ambani family or the organisers themselves. For now, the controversy remains largely a social-media debate, much like the one surrounding Kriti’s Rakhi campaign.

Rashmika Mandanna to Lead MS Subbulakshmi Biopic Film

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Rashmika Mandanna has been officially announced as the lead in the highly anticipated biopic of legendary Carnatic vocalist and Bharat Ratna recipient M.S. Subbulakshmi. Titled MS – A Legacy on Screen, the film marks a significant milestone in bringing the iconic singer’s life story to the big screen.

Rashmika Mandanna Confirmed for Subbulakshmi Role

The makers officially revealed that Rashmika Mandanna will portray M.S. Subbulakshmi in the biopic. While initial reports suggested that Sai Pallavi was being considered for the role, inside sources later indicated Rashmika’s involvement, which has now been officially confirmed.

Known for her versatile performances across South Indian cinema and Bollywood, Rashmika has consistently delivered blockbuster films, making her one of the most bankable stars in the industry today.

Gowtam Tinnanuri to Direct

The biopic will be directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, known for his critically acclaimed sports drama Jersey. The film’s music will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander, whose involvement adds significant appeal to this prestigious project. The production will be helmed by Allu Aravind, Bunny Vasu, and Rockline Venkatesh.

Grand Launch on September 16

The official launch event of the M.S. Subbulakshmi biopic, starring Rashmika Mandanna, will take place on September 16, 2026, at The Music Academy in Chennai. The date holds special significance as it coincides with the legendary singer’s 110th birth anniversary. Kamal Haasan will grace the launch event, adding gravitas to the occasion.

M.S. Subbulakshmi (1916-2004) was the first musician to receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, and remains an iconic figure in Carnatic music history.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey Mints $500M from IMAX Alone

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Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron. Based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic, the film follows Odysseus’ perilous journey home after the Trojan War, encountering mythical creatures, deadly obstacles and powerful enemies along the way. Nolan directed and co-wrote the film, with Hoyte van Hoytema as cinematographer and Ludwig Göransson composing the score.

A Massive Critical And Box-Office Success

The Odyssey has received exceptional reviews, with critics praising its scale, performances and visual spectacle. It opened globally to $263.8 million, marking Nolan’s biggest opening ever, before turning into a phenomenal long-run success. The film has now crossed $1.68 billion worldwide, becoming Universal Pictures’ highest-grossing film ever, surpassing Jurassic World. It is also Nolan’s highest-grossing film globally, further establishing the film as one of 2026’s biggest theatrical successes.

The $500 Million IMAX Record

The film has now achieved an extraordinarily rare feat by becoming the first movie ever to cross $500 million from IMAX screenings alone, with IMAX contributing roughly 30% of its worldwide gross. The Odyssey was shot entirely using IMAX film cameras, helping turn its theatrical presentation into a major part of the event. For Nolan, this blockbuster run represents a spectacular return to commercial dominance after Tenet struggled at the box office during the pandemic. From a pandemic-era underperformer to a $1.68-billion epic and IMAX record-breaker, Nolan has made a remarkable comeback.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit Unstoppable: ₹308 Cr in 25 Days

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Bethlehem Kudumba Unit continues its unstoppable run at the box office, emerging as a record-breaking blockbuster. Starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju, the romantic comedy directed by Girish A.D. has mesmerized audiences with its magical entertainment since its Onam 2026 release.

Fans are still flocking to theatres for repeat viewings, driving the film to unprecedented heights. Released on August 21, the film has shattered multiple records and established itself as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.

25-Day Collection Breakdown

TerritoryCollection
All India Tracked Gross₹157 Cr
Kerala Tracked Gross₹124 Cr
Kerala Actuals₹140 Cr
All India Actual Gross₹173 Cr
Overseas Gross₹135 Cr
Worldwide Total₹308 Cr

The film’s tracked gross stands at ₹157 Cr across India, while Kerala’s tracked collections have reached ₹124 Cr. However, the actual gross paints an even stronger picture, with Kerala actuals at ₹140 Cr and all-India actuals around ₹173 Cr. Combined with an estimated overseas gross of ₹135 Cr, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit‘s worldwide total stands at approximately ₹308 Cr.

The Unstoppable March to ₹150 Cr in Kerala

The film is now just ₹10 Cr away from becoming the first Malayalam film to cross ₹150 Cr gross in its home state of Kerala. This milestone would be a testament to the film’s unstoppable theatrical run and its massive appeal among Mollywood audiences.

Produced by Bhavana Studios, Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, and Syam Pushkaran, the film marks the first collaboration between Girish A.D. and Nivin Pauly, following the director’s earlier successes. The heartwarming story of first love and second chances has resonated deeply with family audiences, particularly during the festive Onam season when it dominated the box office.

With its consistent performance even in the fourth week, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit shows no signs of slowing down, cementing its position as one of 2026’s biggest Indian cinema success stories.

Irumudi 25 Days Collections: Ravi Teja’s Blockbuster Chasing ₹250 Cr

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Ravi Teja’s Irumudi theatrical run is approaching a crucial phase as the film nears ₹238 Cr in worldwide gross after 25 days. While the blockbuster continues to draw decent collections on weekends and holidays, its upcoming OTT release is set to significantly impact its theatrical journey.

25-Day Box Office Collections

Irumudi has been maintaining steady collections even in its fourth week, with the 25-day worldwide gross standing close to ₹238 Cr. The film opened to massive numbers and has sustained well across all regions, particularly showing strength during weekend and holiday periods.

However, with the film arriving on Netflix this Friday (September 18), the theatrical run is expected to witness a significant drop in footfalls as audiences will have the option to watch from home.

Remaining Milestones

MilestoneTarget CollectionCurrent Status
Worldwide Gross₹250 Cr ClubClose to ₹238 Cr
Telugu States Gross₹200 Cr+Race Against Time
Telangana Territory₹100 CrYet to Achieve

It remains to be seen whether Irumudi can cross the prestigious ₹250 Cr club worldwide before its theatrical run comes to an end. The film also has a narrow window to achieve the ₹200 Cr+ gross benchmark in the Telugu States and the ₹100 Cr mark in Telangana before the OTT release impacts collections.

All-Time Blockbuster Status

Even if Irumudi falls short of the remaining milestones, the film has already cemented its place as an all-time Blockbuster in Ravi Teja’s career. More significantly, Irumudi is the most-watched Telugu film of 2026, having enjoyed an exceptional theatrical run with remarkable audience engagement across all centers.

The film’s phenomenal performance, which began with a massive opening day collection, has proven Ravi Teja’s continued star power and box office dominance in the Telugu film industry.

Haiwaan Disaster: Akshay Kumar Film Earns Just ₹9 Cr

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Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan‘s latest crime thriller Haiwaan has turned into a huge disaster at the box office. The Bollywood film, reportedly made on a budget of around ₹125 Cr, has struggled to post even double-digit collections in its entire 4-day run at the domestic box office.

Disastrous Box Office Numbers

The all-India tracked gross of Haiwaan stands at just over ₹9 Cr for 4 days. This includes the Ganesh Chaturthi holiday on Monday, which typically provides a box office boost. Despite the extended weekend and festival advantage, the film could not even cross ₹3 Cr nett in a single day.

For a multi-starrer featuring two of Bollywood’s biggest names, these are shocking numbers that indicate complete audience rejection.

ParameterPerformance
Production Budget₹125 Cr (reported)
4-Day India Gross9 Cr+
Peak Single-Day NettBelow ₹3 Cr
Box Office VerdictDisaster

The Remake Problem

Haiwaan is an official remake of Oppam, a 2016 Malayalam blockbuster. However, the Bollywood adaptation has disappointed audiences with its nearly scene-to-scene approach to remaking the original.

Indian audiences have clearly shown resistance to remakes from other industries, except for a select few films that manage to offer fresh perspectives or creative reinterpretations. The Haiwaan disaster at the box office proves that simply transplanting a successful regional film into Hindi without meaningful adaptation no longer works.

The film’s copy-paste screenplay failed to connect with audiences who increasingly seek original content or remakes that justify their existence with new creative vision.

Overall Verdict

Haiwaan has emerged as a catastrophic disaster at the box office. With collections barely touching ₹9 Cr against a massive ₹125 Cr production budget, the film represents a significant loss for all stakeholders.

The Haiwaan disaster serves as another reminder that remake success requires more than star power — it demands creative reimagination that respects both the source material and the target audience. For Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, this is one of their most disappointing box office outings in recent times.

Mirzapur Movie Run Hits ₹224 Cr in 11 Days at Box Office

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The theatrical run of Mirzapur: The Movie continues to perform strongly at the box office, despite showing signs of slowing down in recent days. The Bollywood adaptation of Amazon Prime Video’s popular web series has collected an impressive ₹224 Cr all-India tracked gross in its first 11 days.

Box Office Performance

The film witnessed its first single-digit collection day on Monday, coinciding with Ganesh Chathurthi. While the numbers have lessened compared to the opening week, the Mirzapur movie run remains on a solid trajectory toward the ₹250 Cr milestone, which it is expected to cross this week.

MilestoneStatusTimeline
₹224 CrAchieved11 Days
₹250 Cr ClubApproachingThis Week
₹300 Cr MilestoneChallengingUncertain

Adaptation Beats Expectations

Mirzapur: The Movie has emerged as a solid blockbuster, defying initial skepticism about theatrical adaptations of web content. Many industry observers believed that recreating the success of a popular streaming series on the big screen might not translate into strong box office numbers.

However, the film surprised trade analysts and emerged as one of the biggest hits of Bollywood this year. The success of the Mirzapur movie run demonstrates that well-executed adaptations can attract both existing fans of the series and new theatrical audiences.

Road to ₹300 Cr Looks Tough

While the ₹250 Cr club entry appears certain, reaching the ₹300 Cr milestone looks quite challenging based on current trends. The weekday drop indicates the film may stabilize in the ₹260-280 Cr range domestically, which would still mark it as a significant commercial success for a series adaptation.

The theatrical performance of Mirzapur: The Movie has proven that franchise recognition from OTT platforms can successfully drive theatrical footfalls when backed by strong content and marketing.

Sardar 2 Disaster: Karthi’s Sequel Crashes at ₹20 Cr

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Sardar 2, which was expected to be a strong performer at the box office, is heading towards a disastrous finish. The Sardar 2 disaster has become one of the biggest box office failures not only in Karthi’s career but in recent Tamil cinema history.

Released on September 10, 2026, the spy action thriller sequel was expected to build on the success of the 2022 original film. However, extremely negative word of mouth has resulted in catastrophic box office numbers.

Sardar 2 Box Office Collections

The 5-day performance shows the extent of the disaster:

TerritoryCollection
All-India Tracked Gross (5 days)₹15.26 Cr
Tamil Nadu Actuals₹8.5 Cr
Worldwide Gross (Estimated)₹20 Cr

These numbers are likely to be the closing collections for Sardar 2, as the film is unlikely to add significant revenue from today onwards. A worldwide gross of around ₹20 Cr for a sequel to a successful franchise marks this as a certified disaster at the box office.

Why Did Sardar 2 Fail?

Despite being a sequel with an established franchise, Sardar 2 could not even secure decent opening numbers. The word of mouth was so damaging that audiences stayed away from theaters right from day one.

Directed by P.S. Mithran, the film stars Karthi in a dual role alongside Rajisha Vijayan, S.J. Suryah, Malavika Mohanan, and Ashika Ranganath. While the first Sardar (2022) was well-received, the sequel failed to capture audience interest.

Being a sequel, Sardar 2 was expected to deliver at least decent collections through the opening weekend. However, the rejection was swift and comprehensive. This makes it comparable to other recent Tamil box office disasters like Dhanush's Kara, which also struggled to find an audience despite star power.

With closing numbers around ₹20 Cr worldwide, Sardar 2 will be remembered as one of the most disappointing sequels in Tamil cinema.

Mandaadi Monday Box Office: Eyes ₹100 Cr

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Mandaadi maintains its super-strong run on Mandaadi Monday, benefiting from the Vinayaka Chavithi festival holiday. The rural sports drama starring Soori has been hitting high notes since its second day and is emerging as a big box office success.

Monday Box Office Performance

With its superb hold on Monday, the worldwide gross of Mandaadi has crossed ₹60 Cr, and the film is now set to join the ₹100 Cr club.

TerritoryCollectionStatus
All-India Tracked Gross₹49.33 Cr5-Day Total
All-India Actuals (Est.)₹53 Cr5-Day Total
Tamil Nadu Gross₹40 CrLeading Territory
Worldwide Gross₹60 Cr+Milestone Crossed

The film’s 5-day all-India tracked gross stands at ₹49.33 Cr, while the actuals are estimated at around ₹53 Cr. Tamil Nadu collections alone are near ₹40 Cr gross, making it the strongest territory for this rural drama.

Holiday Advantage Fuels Growth

Mandaadi benefited significantly from the Vinayaka Chavithi holiday on Monday, maintaining the momentum from its strong weekend. The festival timing helped the film hold exceptionally well on what is typically a crucial test day for any release.

Similar to how Maharaja maintained strong Monday numbers with holiday advantage, Mandaadi is using the festive period to maximize its box office potential.

Audience Verdict Powers Success

When Mandaadi received average reviews on its first day, no one expected it to post such big numbers. However, audiences made it a superb success with their love and encouragement, proving that word-of-mouth remains the biggest driver for box office performance.

The film’s trajectory mirrors other recent surprise hits that grew through strong audience support, similar to Kantara Chapter 1's impressive Monday hold. With the ₹100 Cr milestone now in sight, Mandaadi is set to become one of the biggest successes of the season.

Mahendragiri Varahi Decent Collections: ₹2.5 Cr in 4 Days

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Sumanth’s mystery thriller Mahendragiri Varahi posted decent collections over its opening weekend, defying low expectations. While the numbers aren’t impressive by commercial standards, the film showed consistent hold at theaters thanks to its genre appeal.

About Mahendragiri Varahi

Mahendragiri Varahi, directed by Santosh Jagarlapudi, released on September 11, 2026. The film stars Sumanth alongside Malvika Nair, Aishwarya Rajesh, and Meenakshi Goswami, with Siddhu Jonnalagadda appearing in a special role. The mythological mystery thriller follows an atheist investigating mysterious deaths in Mahendragiri attributed to the goddess Vaaraahi.

The genre gave the film an advantage at the box office. Mystery thrillers typically attract niche audiences who provide steady footfalls even when initial buzz is limited.

Weekend Box Office Performance

The film’s collections over its first four days show modest but stable performance:

MetricCollection
All-India Tracked Gross (4 Days)₹2.5 Cr+

These numbers are relatively respectable given the film’s scale and Sumanth’s recent track record. The mystery thriller maintained consistency at a low level throughout the opening weekend, avoiding the sharp drops that plague poorly-received films.

Lenin Box Office Day 4: ₹41 Cr WW Gross, Decent Hold showed similar steady performance for a mid-budget film earlier this year.

Impact of Negative Reviews

Despite the decent collections, Mahendragiri Varahi received unanimous negative reviews from critics and audiences. The poor word of mouth severely limited the film’s box office potential.

With positive talk, the mystery thriller’s genre advantage could have translated into much bigger numbers. The film had the elements to attract wider audiences — an intriguing premise, a decent star cast, and production values that suited the genre.

However, execution issues and negative reception capped its growth. While it managed to gather some collections over the opening days, Mahendragiri Varahi lost the chance to emerge as a sleeper hit at the box office.