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By:

Bharati Dubey

17 May 2026 at 1:38:10 am

After Don-3 controversy, Ranveer’s next film goes on floors

Mumbai: After months of attention surrounding his reported exit from Don 3, Ranveer Singh has finally moved on to his next major cinematic venture. The actor’s ambitious survival spectacle Pralay has officially gone on floors in Mumbai today, marking the beginning of filming on one of the most ambitious and scale-driven projects in Indian cinema. Headlined by Ranveer Singh and directed by Jai Mehta, Pralay is an original end-of-the-world action thriller that promises to take audiences into a...

After Don-3 controversy, Ranveer’s next film goes on floors

Mumbai: After months of attention surrounding his reported exit from Don 3, Ranveer Singh has finally moved on to his next major cinematic venture. The actor’s ambitious survival spectacle Pralay has officially gone on floors in Mumbai today, marking the beginning of filming on one of the most ambitious and scale-driven projects in Indian cinema. Headlined by Ranveer Singh and directed by Jai Mehta, Pralay is an original end-of-the-world action thriller that promises to take audiences into a world on the brink of annihilation. Produced by Ananya Birla’s Birla Studios, Hansal Mehta and Sahil Saigal’s True Story Films, and Maa Kasam Films, the film combines large-scale spectacle with a deeply human story of survival, courage and the instinct to fight for what matters most. The film marks Ranveer’s next major motion picture following Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar – The Revenge, which emerged as the highest-grossing film of all time. With Pralay, the actor once again ventures into unexplored cinematic territory, taking on a disruptive new concept that demands both physical intensity and emotional conviction. Ranveer will also serve as a producer on the film. The project comes at an important point in the actor’s career. His reported exit from Don 3 had generated considerable buzz, particularly as he was expected to carry forward one of Indian cinema’s most iconic franchises. With Pralay, Ranveer now turns the page with an entirely original story rather than stepping into another established universe. Joining him is Lokah breakout actress Kalyani Priyadarshan, who plays a pivotal role in the film and brings together another exciting performer from the new generation of Indian talent. For Ananya Birla, Pralay represents Birla Studios’ ambition to push the boundaries of mainstream Indian cinema by collaborating with contemporary creative forces. For True Story Films’ Hansal Mehta and Sahil Saigal, the project reflects their commitment to disruptive storytelling and content-driven cinema. Behind the camera, Jai Mehta leads the ambitious project. His work on Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which he co-directed with Hansal Mehta, and Lootere has earned widespread acclaim. With Pralay, he steps into a significantly larger canvas, bringing together an ensemble of creative and technical talent from India and around the world. Set against the unmistakable pulse and landscape of Mumbai, Pralay follows a relentless journey of survival against the terrifying possibility of an end-of-the-world catastrophe. The film aims to marry breathtaking spectacle with an emotional core, exploring what people are willing to do to survive when the world as they know it begins to collapse. The makers are shooting extensively at live locations in and around Mumbai, embracing the physicality and unpredictability of real-world environments. The approach is designed to add scale, texture and realism to the apocalyptic world while creating an immersive theatrical experience. The film had already undergone several months of highly technical and intensive pre-production before cameras began rolling. Its ambitious mounting and unusual premise have made Pralay one of the most talked-about upcoming projects in Indian cinema.

Borrowed Prosperity

Maharashtra’s latest Economic Survey has arrived with the usual fanfare of optimistic projections. According to the pre-budget document tabled in the State Assembly, the economy is expected to grow by 7.9 percent in 2025–26, comfortably ahead of the national estimate of 7.4 percent. For a State that prides itself on being India’s economic powerhouse, the headline numbers appear reassuring. Yet beneath this confident arithmetic lies a far less comfortable reality of a fiscal trajectory increasingly defined by debt.


Maharashtra’s services sector, which is the engine of its urban economy, is expected to expand by a robust 9 percent. Industry is projected to grow by 5.7 percent, supported by manufacturing at 5.9 percent and construction at 7.8 percent. Taken together, these figures suggest a diversified economy still capable of outpacing the national average.


But the same survey reveals that Maharashtra’s total debt has climbed to Rs. 9,32,242 crore. Servicing that debt now requires annual interest payments of Rs. 64,659 crore. The state’s debt-to-GSDP ratio has risen to 18.3 percent, a level that, while not catastrophic by international standards, is nonetheless a sharp escalation within the Indian federal context.


Put differently, each resident of Maharashtra now carries an implicit debt burden of roughly Rs 75,000. That figure may be an abstraction for policymakers, but it represents a tangible fiscal claim on future taxpayers.


The pace of accumulation is particularly striking. In 2019–20, Maharashtra’s total debt stood at Rs 4.51 lakh crore. In just six years, that figure has more than doubled. Such a rapid expansion inevitably raises questions about fiscal discipline and the long-term sustainability of the state’s spending priorities.


Defenders of the government argue that borrowing is not inherently problematic. Infrastructure investment, welfare programmes and economic stimulus often require substantial upfront expenditure. If loans finance productive assets, they may well generate the growth needed to service them.


Yet the composition of spending matters. The survey notes that grants amounting to Rs. 58,528 crore are being distributed even as the state’s debt continues to mount.


The risk is that Maharashtra is beginning to resemble a household that funds routine expenses with borrowed money while celebrating short-term prosperity.


The growth projections themselves invite caution. The agricultural sector’s expected expansion of 3.4 percent represents a steep slowdown from the 9.1 percent estimated in the first revised estimate for 2024–25. The industrial sector’s performance remains moderate by the standards of a State seeking to position itself as India’s manufacturing hub.


A debt-heavy fiscal structure also reduces policy flexibility. As interest obligations rise, governments find it increasingly difficult to respond to economic shocks.


For Maharashtra, which contributes roughly a sixth of India’s economic output, the stakes are particularly high. Its financial health shapes not only regional prosperity but also national economic stability.


Without renewed fiscal discipline, the burden of today’s optimism may ultimately be borne by tomorrow’s taxpayers.

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