Weekend roundup: Tollywood's top newsmakers of the week

If you have missed the exciting news, gossip or latest developments that made headlines in Tollywood this week, here is a weekly roundup for you. Take a look:

Promising some adrenaline-pumping action, it seems Jeet will take the Hindi market by storm with his next film ‘Chengiz’, releasing in theatre this Eid. The handsome hunk is all-guns blazing in the Hindi teaser that introduces audiences to Chengiz and his colourfully lethal world. Apart from the intense action and fight sequences, thumping background score and whistle-worthy dialogues, the actor is seen in an entirely different deadly yet chic avatar in this thrilling mass entertainer with universal appeal. This will be the first Bengali film to be released in Hindi, simultaneously with its original Bengali version.

An official poster of Spanish football league La Liga has stunned everyone, especially those who are an avid follower of Bengali cinema. People couldn’t believe it when they saw Dhrubo Banerjee and Dev’s 2021 hit film ‘Golondaaj’ has impressed La Liga officials so much that they have created something unique. The official Instagram handle of the Spanish league termed Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski as ‘Golondaaj’ – a goal machine – for hitting the highest number of goals this season.

Salman Khan is keeping his date with Kolkata after all. One of the organisers of his show has now confirmed that the actor is set to perform in the city between May and June. After Salman’s January show, which was part of his Da-Bangg tour, was cancelled at the last moment due to some issues with the venue, it was rescheduled for April. But the news of life threats Salman has received via email had cast a shadow of doubt over his Kolkata performance. Some sources have claimed chat Salman’s Kolkata show is set to be cancelled over security concerns. However, the show's organisers maintain that the show will go ahead as planned and will happen in May-June.

Ram Kamal Mukherjee has finally wrapped up the shooting of ‘Binodiini’ which got stalled last week due to a viral infection almost everyone in the team was suffering from. Now, it’s a big relief for the director. An emotional Rukmini Maitra who plays the titular role in the film, based on Bengal’s iconic theatre artist Binodini Dasi, took to her Twitter handle and wrote, “#Binodiini A thousand words and a million memories. Where do I even Begin? Let's just say, something has changed from within. I am in tears as I type this at this very moment. Today a Dream has turned into Reality!” She also shared a new poster from the film.

Beauty is not a size or a shape, it is an essence and Madhumita Sarcar believes it to the core. She feels that the fact that appearances can sometimes be deceptive is known to many people but there are only a few who acknowledged it. Sharing her thoughts on our obsession with beauty stereotype Madhumita tells ETimes, “When you don't feel comfortable in your own skin, life can be hard…I spent a large part of my life chasing the goal to “look good”. I tried all the quick and typically unsuccessful weight loss tricks, beauty hacks... all the vain pursuit of a desired look that I never felt I could quite attain. However, once I shifted my focus to doing things that made me feel-good rather than "look good" I realized there is so much more to beauty than a dress size.”

Actress Swara Bhasker got married to Samajwadi Party's Fahad Ahmad earlier this month in Delhi. The couple later had a gala wedding reception also and several political leaders graced the occasion. However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee couldn’t attend the reception but wrote a heartfelt letter to the new bride congratulating Swara on her marriage.

When the news broke out that ‘Dostojee’ will have an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release on March 17 across 75 cities in the United States, alongside UAE, Australia and New Zealand, director Prasun Chatterjee had said ‘feels surreal’. And now, after receiving an overwhelming response since its release across US the Bengali film achieved another historic feat. In the history of Bengali cinema, this is the first time ever a Bengali film' teaser or trailer was playing on the Billboards of Times Square, New York City, with the big budget Hollywood movies and it has left Prasun all too emotional.