SCOOPS: Aamir Khan takes a break post Thugs Of Hindostan failure, Sanjay Dutt goes bald for Panipat and more...

After claiming responsibility for the failure of his latest release, Thugs Of Hindostan (TOH), Aamir Khan has flown out of the country to an undisclosed location. While there’s no official announcement of his next film, After Hrs had reported that the superstar was in talks to acquire the rights of the Oscar-winning Hollywood film, Forrest Gump (1994). Apparently, Aamir has been negotiating for the rights of the movie for a while. However, people in the know indicate that he is all set to strike a deal with the Hollywood studio that produced it. Based on American author Winston Groom’s 1986 novel by the same name, the Robert Zemeckis directorial depicts the protagonist Forrest’s life story spanning a number of decades as he witnesses historical moments in the 20th-century United States.

Rumour has it that after Secret Superstar, Advait Chandan will direct another film for the actor-filmmaker’s company. However, it’s not clear whether it’s this project or another one. At the last event Aamir attended before flying overseas, he shouldered the blame for the debacle of TOH, saying though they didn’t hold back from putting in all their efforts to make a good movie, they went wrong. “I’m feeling really bad that we didn’t succeed in entertaining the audience. So, next time we will try harder,” he assured. Wonder if he will make good on his promise with the adaptation of Forrest Gump.

Amyra Dastur, who is playing a hairstylist in her upcoming film Rajma Chawal, which features Rishi Kapoor and Anirudh Tanwar, prepared for her character by learning the craft. The lissome lass went to a prominent hair salon in Mumbai for over 20 days to learn the art of hairstyling. Says Amyra, “I love playing characters which come to me as a challenge. My character in the movie is of a hairstylist and as Leena (director Leena Yadav) wanted to keep it real, I had to undergo a professional training from a famous hair salon in Mumbai for about 20-25 days. I thoroughly loved the training and filming.” 

After backing the Punjabi short film Khoon Aali Chithi as a presenter, Richa Chadha has greenlit a feature film as a producer. With this, she’ll be launching her own banner, the name of which is not yet finalised. Her close friend, Suchanti Talati, with whom she studied in a Mumbai college, wanted Richa to produce the film. Suchanti is based in New York and has scripted the movie,  a coming-of-age teenage love story. 

“Production, according to me, is a natural way forward for an actor. I feel in today’s time, one cannot just do one thing, at least I can’t. I wish to be part of films in more ways than one,” says Richa, adding, “I’m glad that Shuchi asked me to produce this feature for her as it has given me an opportunity, too, for commencing my venture. I’m certain we have a strong story as our maiden project and I’m looking forward to it.” 
 
— Chaya Unnikrishnan 

Recently, Arjun Kapoor was spotted covering his head and most of his face to hide his look for his next, Panipat. The Namaste England actor has tonsured his head for his character Sadashiv Rao Bhau in Ashutosh Gowariker’s screen adaptation of the Third Battle of Panipat. Now, we hear that Sanjay Dutt, too, is going bald for the period drama. The veteran actor plays the antagonist Ahmad Shah Abdali in the film. 

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Sanju has shaved his head. He had previously sported a bald pate for his portrayal of the evil Kancha Cheena in Agneepath (2012). While his first look for the Hrithik Roshan-starrer had grabbed eyeballs back then, those in the know of Panipat say that his Ahmad Shah Abdali avatar is to watch out for, too.