Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has once again collaborated with his father and filmmaker David Dhawan for their upcoming film Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hi Hai. The duo recently appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show to promote their film. During the episode, Varun spoke about his experience of working with his father and revealed that David often gives him references from Govinda while shooting scenes.

Varun added, “Now, whatever scene gets written, every time he remembers Govinda. He thinks about how Chichi bhaiyya would do the scene. Then I tell him that I have to perform for my audience too, but I have a very tall order to live up to. He always keeps giving me references of what Salman Khan, Govinda, or Anil Kapoor would do. But I have to figure out how Varun would do that scene.”

David also shared his thoughts on the new generation of actors, saying they tend to ask many questions and prefer to read the script before agreeing to a project. He recalled that actors from earlier generations would often commit to films without even reading the script.

Varun added that directors today are generally very polite with actors and do not verbally criticise them too much. However, he said his father works differently and would openly criticise actors on the microphone if he felt they had not performed well.

David Dhawan and Govinda have delivered several popular films together, including Partner, Hero No. 1, Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Coolie No. 1, Biwi No. 1, and Raja Babu, among others.

The romantic comedy was earlier scheduled to release on 4 June. However, after Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash, postponed its release to the same date from 19 March due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, the makers of Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hi Hai decided to shift their release date to 12 June to avoid a box-office clash.

Director Balachandra Menon revealed that Kamal Haasan exited the Tamil remake of ‘Ammayane Sathyam,’ titled ‘Kanden Seethaiyai,’ after just ten days of shooting. A discussion on set about a female character in disguise reportedly sparked an idea for Haasan to play a similar role, leading him to withdraw from the project.

Veteran filmmaker and actor Balachandra Menon recently opened up about an incident from the past involving legendary actor Kamal Haasan. In a recent interview, the director revealed that Kamal Haasan had once agreed to star in the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film ‘Ammayane Sathyam.’ The film was a success in Malayalam with plans to remake it in Tamil under the title ‘Kanden Seethaiyai.‘ However, the project was unexpectedly dropped after shooting had already begun.

‘Kanden Seethaiyai’ shoot stopped after 10 days

According to Balachandra Menon, the Tamil remake had officially started production, and the team had completed around ten days of filming in Ernakulam. Kamal Haasan had joined the project and initially showed strong support and enthusiasm for the film. The cast and crew were working smoothly on the sets, and everything appeared to be moving in the right direction. But during the shoot, some of Kamal Haasan’s friends, including writer Crazy Mohan, visited the location. A discussion happened on the set about the story and the characters, which later led to a sudden change in the actor’s decision.

‘Kanden Seethaiyai’ shoot stopped after 10 days

Speaking with Can Channel Media, Balachandra Menon explained that the discussion on the set focused on a character where a female actor appeared in a male disguise. During that conversation, someone suggested that Kamal Haasan himself could try playing a character in a female disguise. This idea reportedly attracted the actor’s interest. Soon after, Kamal Haasan decided to step away from the remake project. The director believes that this thought eventually led to the creation of the film ‘Avvai Shanmugi,’ in which Kamal Haasan famously appeared in a woman’s role. The comedy film was later directed by K. S. Ravikumar and became a major hit.

Director reflects on Kamal Haasan’s sudden decision

Even though the project ended abruptly, Balachandra Menon said he does not openly show any anger toward Kamal Haasan today. He described the actor as someone who is very focused on his own creative ideas. According to the director, Kamal Haasan was initially cooperative but later chose to follow a different creative direction after hearing the suggestion from his friends. Interestingly, the original ‘Avvai Shanmugi’ was made in 1996, and it was later remade into Hindi as ‘Chachi 420’, which Kamal Haasan directed and starred in. The episode is still remembered in the director’s long career.

The stage is set, the red carpet is in place, and Hollywood is gearing up for its biggest night of the year – the Oscars. Adding a touch of star power to the ceremony, actor Priyanka Chopra is set to take the stage as one of the presenters. If you’re wondering how to catch the glitz, glamour and big wins live, here’s everything you need to know.

The 2026 Oscars will be broadcast live across television and digital platforms worldwide. In India, viewers can stream the ceremony on JioHotstar, which will also offer an on-demand replay after the live telecast concludes.

For those watching on TV, the awards will air on channels including Star Movies, Star Movies Select and Colors Infinity.

The red carpet festivities are set to kick off at 3:30 AM IST on Monday, March 16, building up to the main awards ceremony, which begins at 4:30 AM IST. For those unable to tune in live, the ceremony will also be repeated later in the day at 9:00 PM IST.

In the United States, the ceremony will be broadcast on ABC, with coverage also available on Hulu and E!. Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the event on ITV, while audiences in Australia can tune in via Channel 7.

When it comes to the nominations, Sinners is leading with a stunning 16 Oscar nominations, shattering the previous record of 14 held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016). Sinners is up for Best Picture, Actor Michael B. Jordan, Supporting Actress Wunmi Mosaku, Supporting Actor Delroy Lindo, Director and Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Music Score, Song I Lied To You. Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Makeup & Hair, Casting and Visual Effects.

It is followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another with 13 nominations. The other big films that are vying for multiple wins include Hamnet, Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein.

The competition for the Oscars’ top prize: Best Picture includes Sinners, The Secret Agent, Blue Moon, Bugonia, F1: The Movie, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value and Train Dreams.

Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) are in the race to pick up the Best Actor trophy. Other contenders in the category include Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another) and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).

In running for Best Actress are Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Emma Stone (Bugonia), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue).

Priyanka Chopra will represent India on the global stage. She will be joining the award ceremony as a presenter. Some of the other presenters at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony include Will Arnett, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The previously announced Oscars presenters include Adrien Brody, Javier Bardem, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani, Maya Rudolph, and Zoe Saldaña.

Apart from Priyanka, Indian American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir has earned two nominations for two different films. Her film The Perfect Neighbor is nominated in the best documentary feature category, while The Devil is Busy is in the running for best documentary short.