Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt will feature alongside Telugu actor Ram Pothineni in filmmaker Puri Jagannadh's upcoming film Double iSmart, the makers announced Saturday.
The film, backed by the filmmaker and Charmme Kaur's banner Puri Connects, is a sequel to Pothineni and Jagannadh's 2019 sci-fi action film iSmart Shankar, about an assassin who helps the police when a slain cop’s memories are transferred to his brain.
The banner shared the news of Dutt joining the follow-up movie's cast on social media to celebrate the actor's 64th birthday.
"Double ISMART is now Double MASS Team #DoubleISMART welcomes on board the powerhouse performer @duttsanjay for the most dynamic role #BIGBULL" Puri Connects tweeted.
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The studio also unveiled a character poster for Dutt in which he is seen sporting a funky hairdo with a beard, and wearing a suit with earrings, rings, and a tattoo on his face and fingers.
In a tweet, Dutt said he is thrilled to have teamed up with Jagannadh and Pothineni for the "sci-fi mass entertainer". "It takes me immense pride to be working with the director of the masses #PuriJagannadh ji and the young energetic Ustaad @ramsayz Glad to be Playing the #BIGBULL in this sci-fi mass entertainer #DoubleISMART. Excited to be teaming up with this super-talented team," the actor tweeted.
Double iSmart went on floors a few days ago in Mumbai.
Well-known Hollywood cinematographer Gianni Giannelli has been roped in for the film, which will be released on March 8, 2024, in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.
Besides Double iSmart, Dutt will be seen in Tamil movie Leo, featuring superstar Thalapathy Vijay and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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