The Week That Was! From Mandar Kulkarni's arrest to Prasad Oak's next 'Hirkani' - here's what made headlines

The upside of the entertainment industry is that it never sleeps. From exciting movie announcements to films facing flak, the Marathi film industry is always in the news. In case you missed catching up on the latest news from the entertainment world, here are the highlights of all the happenings that stole the limelight in ‘The week that was’

Marathi actor and assistant director, Mandar Sanjay Kulkarni was arrested for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl on the pretext of auditioning her for an acting assignment. Reportedly, the 34 years old actor forced the minor to wear a bikini and molested her during a photoshoot, a month back. The minor has claimed that Kulkarni sexually harassed her by clicking her semi-nude photographs forcefully. The girl, her mother and advocates Chinmay Bhosale and Dhanashree Pawar, lodged an FIR with the Deccan Gymkhana police against Mandar Sanjay Kulkarni, a resident of Shaniwar Peth. The police have invoked different sections of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act , 2012 against the actor.

Marathi cinema's actor-turned-director Prasad Oak is one of the most respected names in the Marathi film industry. He gained name, fame and love of the audience thanks to his phenomenal performances. The filmmaker shared the motion of the poster of his next film, ‘Hirkani’, who was a brave woman and an amazing mother who lived near the Raigad Fort in Maharashtra during the time of Shivaji Maharaj. The makers are yet to disclose the identity of the actress who is portraying the character of 'Hirkani'.

Marathi cinema's popular actor-director Pravin Tarde met with a major accident on September 27. The incident took around 11 pm on a sharp turn in front of Mahadev Temple in Saswad. While speaking to Etimes, Pravin said "It's miracle we survived. I was travelling with assistant director Vishal Chandne and actor Ramesh Pardeshi and we were returning from our upcoming film 'Sarsenapati Hambirrao' location. There was no reflective signboard on the road, which was completely dark. We survived because of airbags and seat belts. Currently, I am busy with my shooting schedule in London, but after returning from London, I am personally going to put a reflective signboard near the temple to avoid accidents in the future.” The star is also gearing up for his historical biopic on Maratha braveheart Sarsenapati, titled 'Hambirrao Mohite'.

After entertaining the audience with sneak peeks from the film, the makers of the ‘Fatteshikast’ released the first teaser on social media. The one-minute-eighteen second's clip begins with a catchy background voice narrating the story of India's first historical surgical strike, which was led by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1663 AD. The teaser also introduces the characters of Mrinal Kulkarni as Rajmata Jijau and Mrinmayee Deshpande as Kesar. Marathi star, Chinmay Mandlekar will play the warrior character of Shivaji Maharaj. The thrilling teaser is high on the action.

Marathi cinema's popular playback singer, Anand Shinde met with a major car accident on Pune - Solapur highway. The accident took place around 2.30 am at the Varkute village near Indapur. As per a report, Anand was headed to Sangola town from Mumbai with four others. Shinde suffered some injuries on his leg but his condition is said to be stable. However, the condition of his driver is apparently serious. The incident took place when Anand was heading to his village because his son Utkarsh is planning to contest the elections.