Actor Naseeruddin Shah visited Shivaji Park on October 2 to support Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijeet Dipke during his protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The report says Shah has supported Dipke since his movement over an alleged NEET paper leak through student protests in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities. The CJP has raised three demands: the Election Commissioner's resignation and criminal proceedings against him, a pause on the SIR exercise, and restoration of the January 2025 voter list. During the meeting, Dipke became emotional and hugged Shah. The actor praised Dipke’s work, thanked him for inspiring people to raise their voices publicly, and said he wanted to thank him.

T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar has become Bollywood’s richest man, with an estimated wealth of ₹36,300 crore, according to the Hurun India Rich List 2026. His wealth is more than the combined fortunes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan. Kumar took control of T-Series after his father Gulshan Kumar’s death in 1997, when he was only 19. Under his leadership, T-Series expanded into music, films and distribution. The company now has more than 300 million YouTube subscribers. Its channel has over 353 billion views. T-Series also holds around 35% of India’s music market.

President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner on September 24, bringing together leading technology and business figures. Forbes estimated that the combined net worth of the attending or expected-to-attend tech moguls exceeded $2.4 trillion, with Elon Musk accounting for nearly 40% of the total. Guests included Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Tim Cook, Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. The gathering came as AI, trade and US-China technology relations remained major issues surrounding the Trump-Xi meeting. 

Allu Arjun and director Atlee's upcoming film 'Raaka' has set a Guinness World Record for the "Most People Motion-Captured in Real-Time." A total of 37 performers were captured at the same time. Producers Sun Pictures announced the news on Monday, September 21, sharing that Allu Arjun and Atlee received the official certificate. Guinness lists the record as achieved in Mumbai on September 15. The makers had teased fans for days with a poster carrying only the number "37." The announcement came on Atlee's birthday. The film's first look, released on Allu Arjun's birthday, showed the actor in a rugged, warrior-like avatar. (PC: X)

Marathi psychological thriller Gondhal, directed by Santosh Davakhar, has been selected as India’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India announced Friday. Set in rural Maharashtra, the film uses the Gondhal ritual to explore tensions between cultural traditions, personal desires and human vulnerability. It follows Suman, an unhappy married woman drawn into a dangerous plan involving her husband and a Gondhali performer. The film stars Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni and Nishad Bhoir. Davakhar won the Silver Peacock for Best Director at IFFI 2025. Released theatrically in Maharashtra on November 14, 2025, Gondhal is the fourth Marathi film to represent India in the Oscars race.

The Hindi remake of The Intern, starring Amitabh Bachchan, is reportedly set to begin production after facing several delays since its announcement. Directed by Amit Sharma, the film is an adaptation of the 2015 Hollywood comedy-drama featuring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. Bachchan joined the project after Rishi Kapoor, who was initially attached to the role, passed away. Recent reports say the Hindi version will not be an exact copy of the original and will have its own treatment. However, reports about Deepika Padukone’s involvement have differed, with earlier reports saying she would continue only as producer. (PC: Moneycontrol)

Ladakh filmmaker Stanzin Jigmet has won the Gold award in the Narrative category at the 53rd Student Academy Awards for his film ‘The Dragon Letter’. The awards ceremony was held on September 14 during the Toronto International Film Festival. Jigmet, who studied film directing at ESCAC in Barcelona, was among the student filmmakers recognised this year. The competition received 2,972 entries from 894 colleges and universities worldwide. ‘The Dragon Letter’ is now eligible for consideration at the 99th Academy Awards. Jigmet earlier dedicated the achievement to his family, cast, crew and supporters, calling the journey from Ladakh to the Academy “unreal.” (PC: X)

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag has been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest recognition for contribution to cinema. The Press Information Bureau announced the honour on September 16, with the award scheduled to be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia, Gujarat, on September 22. Nag becomes the second Kannada actor to receive the honour after Dr Rajkumar, who was awarded it in 1995. Born Anant Nagarkatte in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district in 1948, Nag moved to Mumbai at 11 for further studies and developed an interest in theatre. He performed in Kannada, Konkani and Marathi plays, building a theatrical foundation that later shaped his film performances across his career. (PC: The Indian Express)

The Supreme Court has given actor Rajpal Yadav a final two-week chance to deposit ₹2 crore in an ongoing financial dispute. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant expressed doubts about Yadav’s past conduct in the case. “He’s perfect in doing drama and acting in Bollywood, he’s doing same thing in Court also,” the CJI said. Yadav’s lawyer assured the court that he would deposit ₹2 crore and provide surety for the remaining amount. The court continued his protection from arrest until October 5 but ordered him to surrender his passport. The dispute involves unpaid dues linked to his film *Ata Pata Laapata*.  

‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ has earned ₹194.38 crore at the box office in 12 days. The Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi and Divyenndu-starrer saw a drop in collections during the second week. The film opened with ₹25.75 crore and had a strong first week, earning ₹148.45 crore. Its second Monday collection stood at ₹5.5 crore. On Day 12, the film earned ₹4.18 crore, its lowest daily collection so far. Despite the midweek dip, the film is expected to cross the ₹200 crore mark by the end of this week. It is the first big-screen film from the popular ‘Mirzapur’ universe.