Richa Chadha has described 2026 as a particularly significant year for her husband, actor Ali Fazal, as she reflects on the professional journey that has brought him recognition across both streaming and theatrical projects. While Richa has been taking a slower approach to returning to acting after becoming a mother to their daughter Zuneyra Ida Fazal, she has continued to support Ali and celebrate his recent work.

Richa is currently balancing motherhood with her professional commitments. She is shooting for a Netflix India show and is also set to launch her travel series Musafiri on her new YouTube channel Phull Stop on September 25. The weekly series, which she has written and narrated, explores Mumbai through its cultural, architectural and anthropological history.

Speaking to SCREEN in an exclusive interview, Richa explained how motherhood influenced her decision to finally bring the project to life. “Questioning the world also comes from motherhood. That’s why people ask, ‘What will we leave behind for our children?’ This is a big reason for me to do the show. I’ve had this research document for 12 years, but I finally acted on it after becoming a mom,” she said.

Richa also opened up about the challenges of managing motherhood alongside her production company, Pushing Button Studios, which she runs with Ali. She admitted that balancing parenting, production, acting and her own well-being has been difficult. “It’s very difficult. I cry out of frustration. I’ve come back from something so transformative, and now have to multitask like a pro. “This is just that phase of my life where I have to raise a child, run a production company, focus on my acting career, and get back to my own health,” she said.

Despite stepping back from acting for a while, Richa has remained vocal about Ali's recent professional achievements. His work across Raakh, Lust Stories 3 and Mirzapur: The Movie has brought him both critical attention and commercial success. “What a year he’s having! How can I not champion him?,” she said.

Reflecting on their long relationship, Richa said she has witnessed Ali's struggles before his current phase of success. “Of course, it’s more complex than just being supportive, but not this year. We’ve been together for a long time. We’ve been married for six years. When I see the culmination of all the hard work he’s done over the years in 2026, there’s no complexity. There’s just pure happiness. I’ve seen him at the time when he lived in a shanty and owned a bicycle. He’s not only my partner, but also my friend. To see him overcome everything is just a very different feeling. I feel like maine iss din ke liye isko paal pos ke bada kiya hai,” she said.

Richa also recalled how some people from the industry had doubted Ali's prospects when they began their relationship. “When I announced my relationship, two members from the film industry called me and said, ‘Iss ladke ka kuchh nahi hoga‘,” she recalled. She further pointed to the response to his Hollywood film Victoria & Abdul, adding, “I can tell you that two people had said about that film, ‘Isko kaise mil gaya?’ To hold your own in front of Judi Dench is very hard,” she said.

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Shah Rukh Khan has retained his position as the richest Indian actor in the Hurun India Rich List 2026. According to the latest ranking, the actor’s estimated net worth stands at Rs 10,000 crores. His wealth includes his business interests, including production company Red Chillies Entertainment and his involvement with Knight Riders Sports.

While Shah Rukh Khan continues to lead the list, his reported net worth has declined compared to the previous year. The Hurun India Rich List 2025 had estimated his net worth at Rs 12,490 crores. This marks a drop of Rs 2,490 crores, or around 20%, in the latest estimate. Earlier this year, the Hurun Global Rich List had placed his net worth at Rs 10,800 crores. A significant part of Shah Rukh Khan’s wealth is linked to his business ventures. Red Chillies Entertainment, which he runs with his wife Gauri Khan, is among his key business interests. The company has been involved in film production as well as visual effects through its associated ventures. The actor is also associated with Knight Riders Sports, the group behind cricket franchises including Kolkata Knight Riders. His involvement in the sports business forms another part of his overall financial portfolio. Shah Rukh Khan has been away from the big screen since 2023, when he starred in Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki. All three films were released in the same year and marked his return to leading roles following a period away from the big screen. The actor is now preparing for his next theatrical release, King. The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and stars Shah Rukh Khan alongside his daughter Suhana Khan. King is scheduled to release on December 24. With his latest reported net worth of Rs 10,000 crores, Shah Rukh Khan remains at the top among Indian actors featured in the Hurun India Rich List 2026. His reported wealth, however, is lower than the estimate recorded for him in the previous edition of the list.

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This year, December is going to be a treat for moviegoers. Shraddha Kapoor’s much-awaited period drama, Eetha, will release on December 4. Two weeks later, December 18 will witness the epic clash between Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three. A week later, on December 24, Jumanji: Open World will clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s highly anticipated flick, King. While there’s tremendous excitement among audiences to watch these four diverse films during the holiday season, there’s also concern over how screen-sharing will play out. Many expect an intense tussle for screens, especially at single-screen cinemas.

Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke with Kamal Gianchandani, Chief Business Planning & Strategy at PVR INOX Limited and CEO of PVR INOX Pictures Limited, about this aspect. When asked whether he expects screen-sharing problems to arise, he replied, “It’s a good problem to have! We have a very experienced team who have been doing it for ages. We’ll handle it. There’s no problem with respect to capacities. In India, we have enough and more capacity to now handle 2 or 3 big releases in the same week. We’ll handle it easily.”

Two days from now, on Friday, September 25, Avengers Endgame: Encore will release and is expected to open with a bang. Kamal Gianchandani predicted, “The advances are fantastic. It’ll smash all re-release records without a doubt.”

Interestingly, the hype surrounding the re-release of Avengers Endgame: Encore also indicates the enormous anticipation for the next film in the franchise, Avengers: Doomsday, which is expected to put up a huge number on its opening day.

Kamal Gianchandani agreed, “It’s a foregone conclusion. If Endgame is having this sort of a response, you can imagine the response that Doomsday will have. It’ll be a monstrous December with Doomsday, Dune: Part Three, Jumanji: Open World and King. December is shaping up to be absolutely massive this year.”

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Filmmaker Aditya Dhar attended the 72nd National Film Awards with wife and actor Yami Gautam, as their 2024 film Article 370 emerged as one of the major winners at the ceremony. The film won Best Feature Film, while Yami was honoured with Best Actress for her performance. Article 370 also won Best Music Direction for Shashwat Sachdev.

However, when Aditya Dhar was asked about his much-anticipated film Dhurandhar during a red carpet interaction, the filmmaker kept the focus firmly on the film being celebrated that evening. Aditya Dhar says, “Today, it is all about Article 370” During the interaction, Aditya Dhar was asked about making what was described as one of the biggest films in the Indian film industry. While the question referred to Dhurandhar, Dhar pointed out that the occasion was about Article 370 and its National Award recognition. “We are here for Article 370, we will discuss Dhurandhar hopefully if we come next year also. But, today, it is all about Article 370,” he said.

The comment comes as Dhurandhar continues to remain a major talking point around Dhar’s upcoming work. Since the current National Film Awards recognise films from the 2024 eligibility cycle, Dhurandhar is not part of this year’s awards. The film could be considered for a future edition, subject to the applicable eligibility rules.

Watch | We will discuss Dhurandhar if we come next year also, but today it's about Article 370: Dhurandhar Maker Aditya Dhar at Ektanagar in Gujarat for National Film Awards with his Actress Wife Yami Gautam pic.twitter.com/AxsgUcaMBV — DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 22, 2026

Yami Gautam Dhar calls National Award the “biggest validation” For Yami Gautam, the evening marked a major milestone as she received her first National Film Award for her performance in Article 370. Speaking about the honour, the actor said, “It feels great. We were just discussing, this is the biggest validation for any artist. I think it is the highest honour presented to you by your country. I don't think I will be able to express right now. I am smiling, but from inside I am feeling like an energy of a newcomer for whom everything is so big, everything is so new and special,” Yami said.

The actor's win came alongside Article 370 being named Best Feature Film and Shashwat Sachdev receiving the award for Best Music Direction. Article 370’s National Film Awards recognition Directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale, Article 370 was among the films recognised at the 72nd National Film Awards. The ceremony was held on September 22, 2026, in Ekta Nagar, Kevadia, Gujarat. It marked the first time the National Film Awards ceremony was held outside Delhi.

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Nani, Sonali Kulkarni, Raghav Juyal and Kayadu Lohar attended the press meet of The Paradise in Mumbai. On September 21, it came to light that the action entertainer was passed by an ‘A’ certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Nani was asked about it and he explained the rationale behind the rating.

Nani said, “Of course, when your film has received an ‘A’ certificate, you’ll miss out on kids and a chunk of moviegoers. But I also understand where it's all coming from. There’s a lot of violence in The Paradise.”

He continued, “There are some films, which are fully focused on violence and have violence for the sake of violence. The Paradise is not like that. Our film is a solid drama. It’s an emotional, commercial film and everybody will relate to it very well, regardless of the age group. Even families can come and watch it. You can go with your parents and watch it. You’ll enjoy it completely. But children can’t view the film because there’s a lot of violence.”

Nani further stated, “Everything that happens in the film is what we see around and what we can relate to. There’s drama, emotions and a love story; that is, everything which films, in general, have. But the violence portions are a little higher than other films.”

Did the makers try to secure a U/A rating? Nani replied, “No. We were prepared while shooting itself that we would receive an adult rating.”

The Paradise releases in cinemas on September 24.

The censor cuts

The makers were asked to replace alternate visuals of crow on National Flag. The visuals of a pregnant woman in the beginning were asked to be modified. A foul word was allowed in one place and muted in the rest of the scenes. A scene of a character having a tattoo with a foul word was covered with CGI. The word 'denotified tribe' was asked to be deleted.

The duration of violent stabbing visuals was reduced. In fact, ten other violent scenes replete with torture and blood spills were removed. In three places, words on armed struggle against the country were modified or muted. A reference to a real-life assassination and historical event was muted. Similarly, a reference to a real-life cigarette brand was asked to be censored.

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Richa Chadha has praised Salman Khan for speaking out against online trolling and body-shaming during the latest Bigg Boss 20 Weekend Ka Vaar episode. Salman’s remarks on age, weight, appearance and motherhood have sparked conversations about the scrutiny faced by women, particularly new mothers, over their bodies.

Salman addressed the issue without naming anyone. Speaking about the tendency to troll people over different aspects of their lives, he said, “Why do you want to troll? Uske wazan par, uske looks par, uske khaandaan par, kisi ke smile par, kisi ke flop par, kisi ke maa banne par, aap apni upbringing dikha rahe ho."

His comments came amid online discussion around the trolling faced by Katrina Kaif following her appearance at the Ambani family's Ganpati celebrations with husband Vicky Kaushal. Katrina, who recently became a mother, was subjected to comments about her postpartum appearance and weight. Richa Chadha REACTS to Salman Khan’s comments Reacting to Salman’s remarks, Richa Chadha told News18 that she welcomed the actor addressing the issue. She also spoke about the role of men in online trolling and the scrutiny directed at women's bodies. “I didn’t know he spoke about it but it’s great! It’s a magnanimous thing to do. One shouldn’t pay heed. Poor men are so limited in their thinking capacities and they’ll never have the profound experience of giving birth," Richa said.

The actor also criticised people who mock women, particularly mothers, over changes in their bodies after childbirth. “They cannot exist without us. All of them came from a womb. In the natural order of things, if you start to make fun of mothers, it backfires very badly. Every single individual, who sat with a stupid paunch and a receding hairline and made comments on women’s bodies, is unhappy with their own body."

Richa's comments come from her own experience of dealing with body image pressures in the film industry. The actor has previously spoken about facing body-shaming and battling an eating disorder amid pressure to fit the conventional image associated with a Bollywood heroine.

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Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar has opened up about how films portray patriotism differently, comparing her 2018 directorial Raazi with the more action-driven Dhurandhar. According to Meghna, the difference lies in the stories being told rather than the level of patriotism displayed by their characters.

The filmmaker discussed the subject during her appearance on the podcast Learn By KK Create. Asked about Dhurandhar and whether her approach to patriotism differs from that seen in other films, Meghna said that the characters in Raazi are not less patriotic simply because their patriotism is expressed differently on screen.

“The difference is in the story. I don't think Raazi's characters aren't any less patriotic than Dhurandhar's characters. It is their actions because of the way the story is. That is how they are depicted. One does not have to be right, and the other has to be wrong. Patriotism and prayers don't need volume. And they aren't expressed in one particular way. Every individual has their own way of expression,” she said. Meghna Gulzar on patriotism and moral choices in Raazi Released in 2018, Raazi starred Alia Bhatt as Sehmat, a young Indian woman who is recruited as an undercover operative and sent to Pakistan during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The film explores her mission through personal relationships, sacrifice and the moral consequences of her actions.

For Meghna, the character's patriotism does not necessarily translate into an absence of moral conflict. When asked whether there was a limit to the kind of patriotism she would portray on screen, she said the character's own boundaries were what mattered. “There is no limit. If the character does not have a limit, how will I have a limit? And there was no limit of Raazi's character's patriotism. She had a limit when it came to her moral compass,” Meghna said.

On the professional front, Meghna Gulzar is currently gearing up for her latest directorial, Daayra, which stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran.

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