Filmmaker R Balki is known for directing light-hearted films like Cheeni Kum, Paa, Shamitabh, Ki & Ka, and PadMan. But now, looks like the filmmaker wants to step out of his comfort zone and make something different.
According to a report in Pinkvilla, R Balki is all set to direct an edge-of-the-seat thriller and Dulquer Salmaan has been roped in to play the lead role.
A source told the portal, “He had been toying with the idea of making a thriller for a while now and the lockdown gave him the time to explore that space on paper. He worked on the idea and developed it into a full-fledged screenplay. Given the way his script shaped up, Balki and his team felt that Dulquer Salmaan would fit the bill and be apt for the protagonist’s part in the film.”
“The female lead and other actors of the film will be locked soon, and a formal announcement is on the way,” the source added.
Reportedly, Balki has already started the pre-production of the film.
Dulquer Salmaan is a star down South, especially in the Malayalam film industry. The actor made his Bollywood debut with the 2018 release Karwaan which also starred Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palkar. His second Bollywood movie was the 2019 release The Zoya Factor.
Currently, Dulquer has two films lined-up, Kurup and Hey Sinamika. On 1st January 2021, the actor had posted the first look poster of Kurup and had announced that apart from Malayalam, the movie will also release in other languages including Hindi.
Human pageviews on Wikipedia dropped around 8% compared with 2024.
Search engines and AI chatbots providing direct answers are replacing traditional site visits.
Wikimedia Foundation is taking steps to maintain engagement and support volunteer contributors.
Direct answers shift user behaviour
Wikipedia has reported a significant decline in human pageviews, with an 8% drop compared to the previous year. The decrease is linked to the rise of search engines and online platforms that deliver answers directly to users, often drawing on Wikipedia content. This means fewer people are visiting Wikipedia itself, even though the site’s information is still widely consumed indirectly.
Younger audiences, in particular, are increasingly turning to social media and video platforms for information rather than the open web. Wikimedia notes that this trend is mirrored across other publishers and content platforms, reflecting a broader change in how people access knowledge online.
Bot traffic and data reclassification
Earlier in 2025, unusually high traffic was recorded, much of it from automated bots attempting to appear human. Wikipedia revised its traffic data after updating bot detection systems, giving a clearer picture of genuine human engagement. While bot activity can strain Wikimedia’s infrastructure, the main driver of declining pageviews is the convenience of direct answers provided by AI systems and search engines.
Sustaining the knowledge ecosystem
Despite fewer direct visits, Wikipedia remains a key source of trusted information globally. Almost all large language models and search platforms rely heavily on volunteer-created content.
To ensure continued engagement, the Wikimedia Foundation is improving mobile editing, supporting new volunteers, and experimenting with projects to bring Wikipedia content to younger audiences via social media, games, and videos. Users are encouraged to visit Wikipedia, click through to original sources, and recognise the human effort behind the content to sustain this free knowledge ecosystem.
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