A Lebanese man who returned to his village in southern Lebanon after the temporary ceasefire was announced removes the Israeli flag from Beaufort Castle (Qalaat al-Shaqif). The castle which dates back to the 12th century is in the Nabatiyeh Governorate.
Published On 18 Apr 2026
Three’s already a crowd with Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, and Pooja Hegde featuring in Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. What if we told you that another stunner has joined the mix? mid-day has exclusively learnt that Dhawan’s Bhediya (2022) co-star Kriti Sanon has a cameo in the upcoming comedy, featuring in a post-credit song. Apparently, the duo filmed the high-energy number — being described as the film’s “big celebratory finale” by insiders — at the Santacruz restaurant, Eve, on April 16.
According to a source close to the production, the team had been planning a glamorous end-credit track, but Sanon’s involvement was a late addition. “It was meant to be a fun, youthful track that captures the film’s spirit. Getting Kriti on board was an inspired choice, given her crackling chemistry with Varun in Dilwale [2015] and Bhediya [2022],” said a source.
‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ sees Varun Dhawan romance (L-R) Pooja Hegde and Mrunal Thakur
The song is your classic party number with a packed dance floor, neon-lit visuals, and fast beats. The source added, “Director David Dhawan wanted it to feel like a celebration, not just for the characters, but also for the audience walking out of the theatre.”
NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is going through an uncharacteristic lean patch in IPL 2026. Known for troubling the best batters in the world, Bumrah has been taken apart this season, with little going his way. In five matches so far, he has conceded 164 runs without picking up a wicket, operating at an economy rate of 8.63.Against Punjab Kings, there were expectations of a turnaround, but the struggles continued as he returned figures of 0/41. The frustration was visible, with Bumrah seen in a viral video collecting the ball after his over and hurling it in anger.
Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan also analysed Bumrah’s dip in form on his YouTube channel and pointed to a possible reason. He highlighted the excessive use of slower deliveries by the Mumbai Indians spearhead.“Wickets from Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling are very important. There is no major issue with his form, but his average speed this season has been around 130 kmph. He has been using the slower ball about 44 per cent of the time, meaning almost every second ball is a slower one,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.“Now why is Jasprit Bumrah doing this? I think this needs a deeper look. If he bowls more fast deliveries and reduces the percentage of slower balls, the results will come. It is a very simple solution. Bumrah does not need coaching, but the numbers are showing what is happening,” he added
“44 percent slower balls and an average speed below 130 kmph means he needs to increase his pace. Obviously, if you bowl more slow deliveries, your average speed will drop. But if you bring the slower ball percentage down to around 35 percent. If you keep it around 30 to 35 percent and bowl more fast deliveries, your slower balls will become more effective. And if you also get seam and swing, then you can dismiss batters as well,” Pathan said.Mumbai Indians have now slipped to their fourth straight defeat of the season and are placed ninth on the points table. They will next take on Gujarat Titans on April 20.
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement will cross 200 million tonnes of capacity after commissioning three grinding units totalling 8.7 million tonnes on Friday, cementing the Aditya Birla Group company’s position as the world’s largest cement producer outside China, with capacity nearly double that of the United States and exceeding the whole of the European Union. The milestone marks a rapid ascent: in 2019, UltraTech stood third globally outside China, with 100mn tonnes of capacity.“This scale is unprecedented. No other company in any sector in India has ever reached this capacity milestone,” group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said. The new units include units at Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Patratu (Jharkhand), and Vizag (Andhra Pradesh). The company also has capacities in the UAE, Bahrain, and Sri Lanka.Birla reiterated that the company is targeting an increase in capacity to 240 MTPA by the end of FY28, at an investment of Rs 16,000 crore. Nearly two-thirds of its sales come from rural India, he added.
Since the success of KGF, RRR, and Pushpa, there has been talk of Bollywood losing its mojo, while films from the South seem to know what audiences want. It had resulted in everything from passionate debates to proclamations about the Hindi film industry only making films for ‘Bandra and Juhu’. And then came along films like Chhaava, Saiyaara and Dhurandhar to bust these notions and remind everyone of what Bollywood was capable of.
Writer Rohan Shankar, who just so happened to write the dialogues for Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara and recently worked with Priyadarshan on the screenplay and dialogues of Bhooth Bangla and Haiwaan, chimes in on the Bollywood vs South discourse with Hindustan Times. (Also Read: Is Bhooth Bangla anything like Bhool Bhulaiyaa? Did Akshay Kumar improvise on set? Writer Rohan Shankar reveals)
Rohan says the conversation has shifted in 2026, and explaining the current scenario, he says, “I don’t think it’s about Bollywood vs South anymore. It’s about storytelling that connects with audiences. The films that have worked, whether from the South or Hindi cinema, have strong conviction, clear emotion, and a larger-than-life cinematic experience.” Giving the example of Saiyaara, he says they didn’t expect the film to do as well as it did. The proof of its success was in the videos of young, heartbroken lovers everywhere shedding tears and fainting in theatres.
Rohan also says that, as writers in the film industry, their work depends on what producers and audiences want. He admits that if a film becomes a hit, it usually leads to the idea of making more such films. “As writers, we don’t really decide the ‘safe zone.’ It’s driven by what producers and audiences respond to. If a certain kind of film works big, that becomes the trend. Going forward, I think we’ll see more diversity in storytelling, because audiences today are open to everything, as long as it’s engaging and honest.”
One such diverse film, one hopes, will be Rohan’s next collaboration with Priyadarshan, Haiwaan. The film is an adaptation of the filmmaker’s 2016 Malayalam blockbuster, Oppam, starring Mohanlal. “Adaptations are always tricky because you’re balancing two responsibilities, staying true to the original while making it feel fresh for a new audience,” says the writer. For Haiwaan, Priyadarshan had a clear vision of how he wanted to adapt the story, he adds.
Rohan says that they took the emotional core and structure of Oppam and reinterpreted it with a different context for Haiwaan. “Certain changes were necessary to make the film relevant for today’s audience and also to suit the Hindi film space. The most challenging part is always the tone…making sure the story feels contemporary without losing the essence that made the original special. That balance is where most of the work goes,” he adds.
Shooting for Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan-starrer Haiwaan was wrapped in December 2025, and it’s expected to hit screens in August this year. Rohan has teamed up with Mohit Suri again for his next project with Saiyaara stars Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday.
For Hardik Pandya, IPL 2026 is beginning to unravel at an alarming pace as Mumbai Indians continue to flounder. With four defeats in their first five games, the five-time champions already find themselves staring at a season slipping away far too quickly, and their skipper has looked increasingly out of sorts in the middle of it all.
The strain is beginning to show. Beyond the losses on the field, there’s a sense that the pressure has crept into Hardik’s mindset—his body language betraying frustration, his composure wearing thin. It has been a campaign where things just haven’t clicked, and the toll is visible.
Following MI’s seven-wicket defeat to Punjab Kings, Hardik did not hold back, pointing to a lack of application from his batters, with remarks that seemed to be aimed at players like Tilak Varma. With the season threatening to spiral further, the question lingers—would a step back from captaincy offer Hardik the breathing space he needs to reset and return with clarity?
Former India batter Manoj Tiwary believes it is high time Mumbai Indians bring back Rohit Sharma as captain to restore stability. Rohit led MI to five titles, but was removed as captain in 2023, with Hardik Pandya taking over the role. Tiwary said that Hardik has not lived up to expectations and that Rohit should be reinstated, adding that his removal as captain was unjustified in the first place.
“If they want a solution for this, then Hardik Pandya should take a break from captaincy, and Rohit Sharma should be brought back in, and given that responsibility. When Rohit Sharma was removed as captain, it was an injustice. The expectation was that Hardik Pandya would deliver a trophy, but the way things are going, it does not seem that he will be able to do that,” Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
While Hardik has struggled as captain, he hasn’t been at his best on the personal front either. In four games, he has taken only two wickets, conceding at an economy rate of 11.16, which is on the higher side. With the bat, he has managed just 81 runs at an average of 27. From no angle has Hardik looked like his usual self, with the pressure clearly beginning to show.
As if Hardik’s struggles with leadership and on-field performances weren’t enough, his rapport with teammates has also come under the spotlight. Following the match against PBKS, a video went viral showing Jasprit Bumrah visibly unhappy with the skipper.
At a crucial juncture in the game, Hardik opted to set the field according to his own plan, a decision that didn’t align with Bumrah’s thinking. The two were seen exchanging words, with Bumrah initially appearing unconvinced, before eventually going along with the call, though his disappointment was evident.
Although the current situation looks grim for Hardik and Mumbai Indians, all is not lost by any means. The franchise has often been a slow starter. In IPL 2014, they began their campaign with five consecutive defeats but still managed to reach the playoffs. A year later, in 2015, they started with four losses before turning things around to win the title.
That history offers plenty of inspiration if MI are to script a comeback. Going by past trends, both Mumbai and Hardik will believe they can bounce back when they face Gujarat Titans on April 20 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, starring Ranveer Singh, has reached a major global milestone on Day 30 of its theatrical run, even as its domestic momentum continues to slow.Dhurandhar 2 ReviewThe film began its fifth week on a subdued note, collecting approximately Rs 2.70 crore net on Friday. Its gross earnings for the day stood at around Rs 3.24 crore, marking its lowest single-day performance since release.
Despite the sharp decline, the film has maintained an extraordinary cumulative run. Its India net total now stands at Rs 1,105.82 crore, underlining its long-term box office strength despite waning daily collections.According to estimates from Sacnilk, the film has also accumulated an India gross collection of Rs 1,323.73 crore and an overseas haul of Rs 418 crore. This brings its global earnings to Rs 1,742 crore, a landmark figure that places it among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
With this achievement, Dhurandhar 2 has equalled the lifetime worldwide total of Pushpa 2: The Rule, starring Allu Arjun. However, the Ranveer Singh-led film reached the milestone in just 30 days. By comparison, Pushpa 2 had collected around Rs 1,407.17 crore by Day 30 and went on to add more than Rs 335 crore over the remainder of its theatrical run, closing at a significantly higher final total.
While its overall trajectory remains historic, Dhurandhar 2 has shown a steep week-on-week drop after its explosive opening:Week 1: Rs 674.17 croreWeek 2: Rs 263.65 croreWeek 3: Rs 110.60 croreWeek 4: Rs 54.70 croreDespite the slowdown, Dhurandhar 2 now stands as the second-highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, trailing only Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which holds the record with lifetime earnings of approximately Rs 1,788 crore.
The three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), continue to spiral downward. The franchise remains the only team winless in the 19th edition of the T20 tournament, with just one point from six games, and is at the bottom of the points table. On Friday, it was another hapless and disappointing showing as KKR went down against the Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With the recent string of losses, KKR’s management, especially head coach Abhishek Nayar and skipper Ajinkya Rahane, have been under the most criticism.
Amid the lacklustre showing in the tournament, former England captain Kevin Pietersen made a bold prediction, saying Brendon McCullum would be the next KKR coach come the next IPL season, and one can bookmark his prediction. It is worth noting that as of now, McCullum is contracted with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and his tenure is all set to expire as the England men’s team coach in the end of 2027.
“Baz McCullum will be the coach of KKR next season. Bookmark this tweet,” Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
McCullum is no stranger to KKR, having coached the team for three years from 2020 to 2022, and he left the role after being named Test coach of the England national team. On the other hand, KKR elevated Nayar to head coach ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo and Tim Southee are all part of KKR’s coaching staff for IPL 2026, but despite the presence of such big names, the three-time champions continue to struggle in the tournament.
The absence of a figure like Gautam Gambhir is clearly evident in the KKR dugout, as the management has run out of ideas amid the team’s lacklustre performance in IPL 2026 so far. The current leadership group has been ringing in changes by the minute, and nothing has clicked for the franchise so far.
It is worth noting that all of KKR’s titles have come when Gambhir was involved with the franchise in some capacity. He won two tournaments as captain, and the third piece ofsilverware came when he became the mentor.
KKR has also been plagued by injuries, as Harshit Rana was ruled out of the IPL 2026 season before the tournament began. Matheesha Pathirana has also missed the franchise’s opening six matches. The Sri Lankan pacer has received his NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket; however, no one knows when exactly he will take the field for KKR.
Skipper Rahane’s performances has also left much to be desired and his ugly hoike on the opening ball he faced against Gujarat Titans just summed up his and KKR’s campaign so far. The franchise continue to remains at the bottom of the points table with just 1 point from six matches. The lone point came owing to an abandoned game against the Punjab Kings.
The term – kokushobi – translates to “cruelly hot”, “brutally hot” or “severely hot”, and comes after Japan’s hottest summer on record.
Action superstar Tiger Shroff has once again captured the internet’s attention with a powerful and emotional post paying tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, whom he considers his idol.
Sharing a striking video on his Instagram account, Tiger captioned it, “He taught me everything I know about movement. About presence. About what it means to give a stage everything you have.”
Adding to the moment, Tiger is seen performing to the iconic track Billie Jean, one of Michael Jackson’s most celebrated songs, known for its instantly recognisable bassline and unforgettable performances that shaped pop culture across generations. The choice of track brings a strong sense of nostalgia while staying true to the spirit of the tribute.
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The tribute has struck a chord with audiences instantly, with MJ fans flooding social media with praise, calling it a fitting homage to one of the greatest performers of all time. Known for his unmatched dance ability and stage presence, Tiger has often credited Michael Jackson as a key influence in shaping his journey as a performer – making this moment feel deeply personal and authentic.
Interestingly, this comes shortly after Tiger teased a Michael Jackson-inspired look, which was even reposted by the official page of the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic – further fueling speculation around a larger pop culture moment, especially with the film slated for release on April 24, 2026.
Whether it’s a tribute, a moment, or something more, one thing is certain – the internet is loving this ode. And once again, Tiger Shroff proves why he remains one of the few Indian superstars with true global pop performer energy.
Michael stars Colman Domingo and Nia Long as family heads Joe and Katherine Jackson, while Miles Teller will play Jackson`s attorney and advisor John Branca.
Larenz Tate will star as Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, while Laura Harrier will portray pioneering female music executive Suzanne de Passe and Kat Graham will appear as the legendary Diana Ross.
Other cast members of the film include Jessica Sula as La Toya Jackson, Michael`s older sister; Liv Symone as Gladys Knight; Kevin Shinick as Dick Clark; KeiLyn Durrel Jones as Jackson`s former security-turned-trusted friend and confidante Bill Bray; and Kendrick Sampson as industry icon Quincy Jones, who first met Michael Jackson when he was just 12 years old, reported Variety.
