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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.

Say & accept ‘no’ sometimes; it can be empowering & liberating

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Say & accept ‘no’ sometimes; it can be empowering & liberating

CCCAround a decade ago, I read the book The Power of No: Because One Little Word Can Bring Health, Abundance, and Happiness by James Altucher which talks about how a “well-placed no will save you time and trouble.” Ever since, the ability to refuse a request and to accept rejection has caught my attention and each time I chance upon any piece that addresses this issue, my eyes and mind open up even more. I have lapped up quotes by spiritual gurus; listened to videos by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Eckharte Tolle and read pieces on how the ability to politely turn down a request can save you energy, time and stress and also help set healthy boundaries.

Be it spiritual gurus, life coaches or mental health experts, they will all tell you how empowering it can be to refuse a request—now that request can be an extra project at work, a loan you can ill-afford, emotional demands or even a relationship. On occasion, I still find it cumbersome and difficult to say the golden word—no. After all, aren’t we all secretly people pleasers?

But its relatively easier to say ‘no’ than to accept no. We’ve been raised in a culture of always saying yes and hearing yes. And yes, that’s what we subconsciously teach our children as well. “Don’t take no for an answer” is what modern corporate coaches or over ambitious parents will tell their children. It begins in childhood—a child demands, parents give in, sometimes after the initial hesitance or posturing. Rarely do we see parents reason it out with the child explaining why something cannot—and will not—be done or given. Loans are sought to buy a new bicycle or Xbox, screen time deadlines are extended when the teenager throws a tantrum and monthly allowances see a raise when the child cajoles the indulgent parents. Turning down a partner’s desire for a movie night can lead to fights and refusing to gift your wife an expensive solitaire is projected by marketing gimmicks as lack of love. And there we see the beginning of a problem that has the potential to snowball into a dysfunctional society. Our inability to take no for an answer.

The rising crimes against women are a result of multiple factors but can find roots in this very inability to take no from a woman in a highly patriarchal society. Think acid attacks by jilted lovers, rapes of girlfriends who’ve refused the partner’s sexual advances, merciless beatings when the wife’s refused to cook her husband’s favourite meal and murders when women have only said a simple word—which is ‘no’.

Hearing ‘no’ stirs anger and resentment within us especially when we believe that we deserve what we are asking for. Accepting refusal shifts the power balance which a people hate. A sense of entitlement or superiority, be it in class, position or gender, gets shattered when someone refuses to give us what we are demanding. The response can range from silent sulking to an argument to a showdown to crime in an extreme uncontrolled and unhealthy mind.

Acceptance is quite often the key to happiness and peace. And probably a state of being that can prevent unnecessary strife and crime. Parents can put this in their parenting rulebook—teaching their children to refuse and accept rejection.



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