Emotional casting

After embracing motherhood last year, Kiara Advani is set to take on a new challenge in Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, starring opposite Yash. Talking about her casting, director Geetu Mohandas has revealed why Kiara was her “first and only choice” for the role of Nadia, describing the character as embodying “fragility and ferocity at once”. She added that Kiara’s screen presence feels “deeply human” and stems from instinct rather than logic. Praising her process, Geetu noted the actor “participates in building the emotional architecture” of the character. The movie also stars Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, and Tara Sutaria.

A middle class star

Varun Dhawan and David Dhawan

Actor Varun Dhawan has reflected on his modest upbringing, revealing that he grew up in a lower-middle-class household despite being the son of filmmaker David Dhawan. Speaking on a podcast recently, he said, “I got more love in childhood than wealth. We were very lower middle class because my dad’s career hadn’t taken off.” He recalled travelling to school by auto and added, “If a film didn’t work, we had to cut down on expenses,” highlighting the family’s financial struggles.

The duo’s next

Varun Dhawan’s next film, ‘Hai Jawaani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’, co-starring Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde, is directed by David Dhawan, The film is scheduled to release on June 12.

Romance, not allowed

Aamir Khan

Superstar Aamir Khan has revealed that he was not allowed to watch romantic films while growing up in a strict household. “We were not allowed to watch films. Romantic films were definitely not allowed,” he said, recalling his childhood. The actor shared that he mostly watched old black-and-white classics instead. He added that even today, he “barely watches films”, calling it a “strange” trait for someone in the industry.