SCOOPS: Ranbir Kapoor to attend Akash Ambani's bachelor party, Ranveer Singh begins prep to play Kapil Dev

After Isha Ambani Piramal’s wedding, it’s her brother Akash Ambani’s turn to tie the knot soon with Shloka Mehta. Though a date hasn’t been announced yet, preparations seem to be underway. Rumour has it that the Ambani scion will head to Switzerland for his bachelor party with his buddies between February 23 to 25. Besides the groom-to-be’s friends from his social circle, a few B-Town men are also likely to join the party. Ranbir Kapoor, who is a close friend of Akash, will apparently join the contingent flying from Mumbai. Karan Johar, too, may be a part of this gang of boys.

Reportedly, two flights carrying around 500 guests will take off on February 23. For those who came in late, Isha’s engagement took place at Lake Como, while the pre-wedding celebrations were held in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. She got married at her family abode, Antilla, located at Altamount Road in South Mumbai, which is where Akash’s engagement took place in June 2018. Considering the fact that Isha and Anand Piramal’s shaadi was easily the wedding of 2018, all eyes will be on the next big celebration in the Ambani household.

Sonam K Ahuja was the latest guest to be part of Kareena Kapoor Khan’s radio talk show What Women Want. The two actresses who have been part of Veere Di Wedding last year, discussed the topic of sexual orientations and why the societal pressures surrounding the same need to be challenged. The two headstrong heroines, who have always championed the cause, also spoke about letting love be. But right at the end, Sonam decided to wind up the conversation with a subtle message. “Bebo, I’ll see you on Veere Di Wedding 2 set,” she smiled. Was this a confirmation to the reports of a sequel? It certainly looks like!

Bhumi Pednekar is blown away by Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, that too, even before she has watched it! Having seen glimpses of the trailer, the Toilet: Ek Prem Katha actress says, “What Kangana has done with Manikarnika is brilliant. I haven’t watched it but will do so soon. I have a lot of respect for her as an actor. She has gone all out, right from the war sequences to the sword-fighting. More power to her. It’s exciting to see women leading the way in magnum opuses and making them successful. It’s cool of her to do it.”

In an industry where there is cut-throat competition between actors, it’s refreshing to see Bhumi going all out and praising another actress.

The second track of Total Dhamaal — the reprised version of Mungda — featuring Sonakshi Sinha, was unveiled yesterday. It was superstar Akshay Kumar who stepped in to help his friends Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi, Indra Kumar, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit-Nene in a unique way. The 2.0 actor launched the number on his social media handle. When he saw the song recently, he really liked it and requested the team to let him do the honours. Ajay and Akki, who share a great rapport, will also be part of Rohit Shetty’s cop universe soon.

When he’s not making movies, it’s music on Farhan Akhtar’s mind. The actor-filmmaker-singer has taken off to the UK to launch his album, Echoes, the third single of which was released recently.

The album is said to be about the chapters in his life and the voices in his head that have influenced his writing. “Most of us have our personal journeys through life and love. At times, we struggle to make sense of our emotions and of the world around us. So, Farhan’s album is about him penning down his journey as honestly as possible. He’s going to be in the UK till February 8 and will unveil his album there,” says a source.

Sania Mirza has her set of friends in Bollywood. Farah Khan and Parineeti Chopra are among her closest buddies. But not many know that she recently bonded with another B-Town heroine as well. Athiya Shetty and the ace tennis player were to do a photoshoot together. Sania flew down all the way from Hyderabad and they clicked a set of pictures in Mumbai. The two ladies became friends quickly and have stayed in touch since then. Seems like the start of a new friendship.

Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh’s last blockbuster, Simmba, had him playing a policeman who needed to show brute force on screen. However, he wasn’t required to sport a chiselled body with six packs. The logic he was given by the creative team was simple. He was told that our desi cops (especially the Mumbai Police) are reasonably fit and they are also the best at what they do. Having said that, a few of them have six-pack abs, the kind that the likes of John Abraham, Tiger Shroff and Sonu Sood display on screen.

So, keeping in mind that he was required to be fit but not ‘too shapely’, Ranveer was lax about his diet and ate everything under the sun. However, since last month, the actor has sharpened his time-management skills and changed his gym routine. Now that he has begun his physical training to play Kapil Dev in Kabir Khan’s multi-lingual film ’83, the powerhouse performer will be seen in a leaner look as compared to his muscular avatar in Simmba. “He is working on becoming fully athletic. Soon, he will be looking like a true-blue sportsman who keeps pace with the wind,” says a source.