Rao opened with a rousing rendition of ‘Tose Naina Lage’ from Anwar, instantly winning the crowd over. But towards the end of the song, her microphone suddenly stopped working, and a crew member had to rush on stage to help. As she tried to thank the audience for their patience, her speech was cut short as well, and the next act began while she was still on stage attempting to address her fans. Audience members reported booing the organisers as the singer was left visibly upset, saying in Hindi, “Woh nahin gaane de rahe” — they are not letting me sing.

Later that night, Rao shared an emotional note with her fans. “Mumbai, a little piece of my heart broke tonight. It hurts deeply to have something so beautiful taken away from us like this,” she wrote. “But even when the music stopped, you did not. The way you kept calling my name, the love in your voices. I could feel it all. Our story tonight was left unfinished. I promise, I will come back. I love you, Mumbai. Forever and ever.”

The festival organisers have since issued an apology, citing venue curfew regulations and compounding delays from earlier performances as reasons beyond their control. The incident has sparked a wider conversation among fans about how live events treat the artists audiences pay to see — and whether a tighter schedule should ever come at the cost of a performer’s moment on stage.

The announcement of Spirit for Diwali 2027 had initially looked like a box-office face-off, since Ramayana had already staked a claim to the same festive window. But sources quoted in the report paint a very different picture, describing Ranbir and Vanga as close friends rather than rivals. Ranbir, reportedly aware that a delay to Part 2 was possible, is said to have called Vanga as soon as he was officially informed, and Vanga — with producer Bhushan Kumar in agreement — moved within hours to announce Spirit for the Diwali 2027 weekend.

The new date for Ramayana: Part 2 is expected to be announced shortly, most likely in a post-credits reveal attached to the first film, which arrives in cinemas on November 5. If the report holds, the episode says something about how the industry’s biggest calendar battles are sometimes settled: not with competing announcements, but with a phone call between friends.

The guest list read like a meeting of fashion, film and business, but two looks defined the evening. Rani Mukerji, a longtime friend of the designer, arrived in a metallic grey satin saree that proved festive dressing does not need heavy embroidery to make an impact. The lustrous drape caught the light as she moved, its cool grey sheen offering a calm, modern alternative to the bright colours usually associated with Diwali. She paired it with a matching sleeveless blouse with a V-shaped neckline, wore her hair open, and finished the look with bold red lips, a gold handbag and polished jewellery — understated, confident and quietly glamorous.

Masaba Gupta took the opposite route to the same destination: tradition, reimagined. The designer reinterpreted Bengal’s iconic white-and-red laal paar saree as a contemporary red-carpet ensemble, pairing a structured white strapless corset with a flowing satin-organza drape edged in a bold maroon-crimson border. Appliquéd paan motifs, delicate rhinestone embroidery and a tassel detail at the back kept the look rooted in Bengali heritage, while a deep maroon velvet hooded cape added drama for portraits on the Met’s rooftop terrace. A statement necklace and a maroon Sabyasachi handbag completed a look that was at once deeply cultural and unmistakably modern.

Sabyasachi himself set the tone for the night in a sharply tailored black bandhgala with white trousers — finished, characteristically, with a flash of bright pink socks. Actor Kal Penn and entrepreneur Anjula Acharia were among the other guests, and many in attendance wore the designer’s own creations, from embellished long jackets to lehengas and sarees.

The setting did as much talking as the clothes. Under warm, lamp-like lighting, the museum’s galleries were dressed with dramatic floral installations, cascading pomegranates, an elaborate grazing table and a peacock display — Diwali as Sabyasachi has always imagined it: light, food, ornament and generous hospitality, staged on an international scale. The evening follows his return to New York Fashion Week and the expansion of his New York flagship, and it reads as a deliberate statement about where Indian couture now belongs: not just at home for the festive season, but on the global luxury calendar.

Back in Mumbai, the festive fashion circuit kept pace. Italian house Valentino hosted its own Diwali celebration on October 23, drawing Khushi Kapoor in a monochrome look pairing a black cropped bolero top with a high-waisted ivory column skirt, Diana Penty in a flowing ivory draped gown with a cape, Aditya Roy Kapur in a classic navy double-breasted suit, and Fatima Sana Shaikh in a black faux-leather wrap blazer dress layered over a sheer floor-length skirt. A night later, at IBTIDA Ek Mehfil’s Diwali party on October 24, Shilpa Shetty chose an ivory lace saree with a corset-style blouse detailed with pearl, bead and crystal embellishment, while Huma Qureshi arrived in a rust-orange and gold anarkali rich with zari embroidery, gota patti and mirror work.

Taken together, the week told a single story about festive dressing in 2026: the classics are still here — the saree, the anarkali, the laal paar — but they are being worn looser, lighter and more personally than ever, whether on a Mumbai dance floor or inside The Met.

The film follows Barkaat, a man fleeing violence with his pregnant wife and young son, who reaches a remote police checkpoint where a demand for loyalty forces a life-altering choice. The story draws from true events. Veteran actor Adnan Shah Tipu leads the cast as Barkaat, with Areej Ayub and Fahad Hashmi co-starring. Faiq wrote, produced and directed the film under Autumn Pictures, with Umer Peerzada producing and Armeena Rana Khan among the co-producers.

The Tasveer victory builds on earlier festival success, including Best International Short Film at Canada’s Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival and a place among eight finalists for the short film program at the Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles, chosen from more than 50 Asian countries. Faiq has been clear about what qualification means and what it does not: this is not a nomination, but a place in a longlist of roughly 200 qualifying shorts from thousands submitted.

The team is already planning its awards campaign through 2027, including bringing an Oscar-nominated actor on board as an executive producer to represent the film at the Oscars. For a national industry that has long struggled with limited distribution and infrastructure, every qualifying festival award carries real weight — and The Last Glance has just turned a family story of flight and forced choice into an international calling card.

The Times Square moment is the latest sign of how deliberately Ramayana is being positioned as a worldwide event rather than a domestic release. The film, which stars Ranbir Kapoor as Rama opposite Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana, with Sunny Deol as Hanuman, is shot for IMAX and premium large formats and carries a score by Hans Zimmer and A. R. Rahman. Its international trailer, unveiled earlier this month, leaned hard into the central confrontation between Rama and Ravana, and the New York screening extends that pitch to a street audience far beyond India.

The countdown is now short. Ramayana: Part 1 arrives in cinemas worldwide on November 5, with advance bookings already running well ahead of release and Part 2 planned for Diwali 2027. If the applause in Times Square is any indication, the film’s opening weekend will be watched well beyond the box office — as a test of whether an Indian epic can command a global stage on its own terms.

1. It is a first-time pairing. Tara Sutaria and Aditya Roy Kapur have never shared the screen as a lead pair before, and the announcement leans into that freshness. T-Series has billed the combination as fresh and much-awaited, positioning the film as a new romantic pairing rather than a reunion of familiar faces.

2. Music is at the heart of it — with an edge. The film is described as an intense, violent and musical love story, a blend of passion, conflict and strong emotion in which the soundtrack is expected to play a central role in the storytelling. That combination of romance and high-stakes drama sets it apart from a straightforward love story.

3. It reunites Tara with a familiar team. The project brings Tara back together with producer Bhushan Kumar and director Milap Milan Zaveri after Marjaavaan, and it marks her third association with T-Series following Ek Villain Returns. She is returning to a team she has already worked with, this time in a very different romantic setting.

4. Aditya brings serious musical-romance pedigree. Aditya’s association with the genre runs through Aashiqui 2, one of Hindi cinema’s defining musical romances, as well as Malang and the recent ensemble musical Metro… In Dino. Reports also say Shaad Randhawa, his Aashiqui 2 co-star, is joining the new film, reuniting that duo after 13 years.

5. Plenty is still to be announced. The title, the full cast and the story details have not been revealed yet, and no first look has been shared. What to watch for next is the title announcement, the first poster and the first song — the three moments that will show whether this pairing can turn anticipation into the kind of soundtrack-driven buzz the genre depends on.

Ingredients — Grains and lentils: 1 cup wheat berries (gandum), or cracked wheat (daliya); 1/2 cup barley (jau); 1/2 cup chana dal (split chickpeas); 1/4 cup masoor dal (red lentils); 1/4 cup moong dal (yellow lentils); 1/4 cup mash dal (white urad dal).
Ingredients — Meat: 1 kg boneless beef or mutton, cut into large chunks (shank or shoulder works best); 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons ginger-garlic paste; 1/2 cup oil or ghee; 2 teaspoons red chilli powder; 1 teaspoon turmeric powder; 2 teaspoons coriander powder; 1 teaspoon cumin powder; 1 teaspoon garam masala; salt to taste.
Ingredients — To finish and garnish: 1 large onion, thinly sliced and fried until crisp and golden (birista); 2 tablespoons ghee; fresh coriander leaves, chopped; ginger, cut into fine matchsticks; green chillies, sliced; lemon wedges; chaat masala.

Method:

1. Rinse the wheat, barley and all the lentils together until the water runs clear, then cover with plenty of fresh water and soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The long soak is what lets the grains break down into a smooth porridge instead of staying gritty.
2. Heat the oil or ghee in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Fry the sliced onions, stirring often, until deep golden. Lift out half the onions and set them aside for garnish.
3. Add the ginger-garlic paste to the pot and fry for a minute until fragrant, then add the meat, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Stir well so the meat is coated in the spices.
4. Pour in enough water to cover the meat generously, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is falling-apart tender. Check now and then and top up with hot water if the pot looks dry.
5. Meanwhile, drain the soaked grains and lentils, put them in a second large pot with fresh water to cover by a few inches, a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of salt, and simmer until everything is completely soft and mushy, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally so nothing catches on the bottom.
6. Lift the meat out of its pot, discard any bones, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Keep the cooking liquid.
7. Blend the cooked grains and lentils with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender, until smooth and porridge-like. A few small bits of texture are fine, but there should be no whole grains left.
8. Return the shredded meat and its cooking liquid to the pot with the blended grains. Stir everything together and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring and mashing with a sturdy wooden spoon or traditional ghotni as you go. This beating step is what gives haleem its prized sticky, stretchy consistency — keep at it until the mixture pulls away from the spoon in soft strands.
9. Stir in the garam masala and the reserved fried onions, and adjust the salt and chilli. If the haleem is thicker than you like, loosen it with a splash of hot water; it should be thick enough to mound on a spoon, not runny.
10. Ladle into deep bowls while hot. Finish each bowl with a drizzle of melted ghee, a pile of crisp fried onions, julienned ginger, chopped coriander, sliced green chillies, a good pinch of chaat masala and a lemon wedge on the side. Serve with warm naan.

Tips for the best haleem: Do not skip the overnight soak — it cuts the grain cooking time dramatically and gives a far smoother finish. Bone-in meat, or a few marrow bones added to the pot, adds body and richness to the stew. Haleem thickens as it cools, so cook it slightly looser than your target consistency. Leftovers keep beautifully: refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months, and reheat gently with a splash of water.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The opening is modest in absolute terms, but it still puts Udta Teer ahead of several other non-franchise comedies released this year, including Vibe, Nayyi Navelli and Ayushmann’s own Pati Patni Aur Woh Do. Mumbai emerged as a stronger market than Delhi-NCR on day one, and early audience reaction has ranged from mixed to positive, giving the film something to build on rather than a verdict to overturn.

What happens next matters more than day one. With a reported budget of around ₹50 crore and no major release crowding next weekend, Udta Teer needs a clear jump across Saturday and Sunday to turn a soft opening into a respectable run. The premise gives it room to grow: Ayushmann plays a Pakistani agent who loses his memory after crossing into India and begins to develop feelings for the very country he was sent to infiltrate, with Sara Ali Khan leading opposite him and Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and the late Mukul Dev in support. If weekend audiences warm to that comic twist, the film’s second act at the box office could look very different from its first.

The appearance comes as security around the actor has been visibly tightened. Days earlier, Mumbai Police reportedly stepped up arrangements outside his Bandra residence, with armed personnel and officers in bulletproof jackets stationed around the building, restrictions on vehicles stopping outside, and upgraded window glass installed as a precaution. Salman already holds Y-plus security cover, but the added measures underline the industry’s unease following the October 18 firing incident in Juhu, when shots were fired at Tiger Shroff’s car as he left a football ground. Shroff escaped with minor burn marks from gunpowder debris while his driver was injured; four accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody till October 26 as investigators continue probing who ordered the attack.

The IIFA 2027 press conference — announcing the 27th edition of the awards — turned into one of the week’s buzziest Bollywood gatherings. A warm hug between Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan at the same event also went viral on social media, while Varun Dhawan was among the other stars spotted at the venue.

On the work front, Salman has the war drama Maatrubhumi — whose shoot is reportedly complete but whose release date remains undecided after a postponement — and an upcoming film with director Vamshi Paidipally that is being eyed for an Eid 2027 release.

The announcement follows a fortnight of speculation around the actor’s health and future. Last month, a cryptic entry on his Tumblr blog sparked retirement rumours, which he later deflated by clarifying that he had simply been going to sleep for the night. Earlier this month, he appeared less energetic than usual on an episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18, skipping his customary opening monologue and revealing he had suffered a fall on the set the previous day — pointing to his left knee as he reassured the audience.

For now, there is no indication of anything more serious: Bachchan continues to have a full slate, including a return as Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin’s sequel to Kalki 2898 AD alongside Prabhas and Kamal Haasan, and his ongoing stint hosting the current season of KBC. Fans across the industry will be hoping the break is exactly what he says it is — a few days of rest.