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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.

Water Crisis Looming Over

Fetching drinking water is a backbreaking daily routine for women in India. Even without enduring the scorching summer months or the freezing winters, they walk for miles every day, balancing pots and buckets for some water for daily chores is hectic and tiresome daily routine for millions of women in most of the parts of Maharashtra. According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef, 1.8 billion people worldwide collect drinking water from supplies located off premises, and in seven out of 10 households, women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection. This is particularly true in India where, experts say, the need to secure drinking water is holding women back and hindering economic growth. While nearly 50.2 percent of the households have access to tap water in the state, less than 32 percent of this water is treated, while only 42 percent of the rural population has access to drinking water within the household premises.


However, the situation in Maharashtra’s rural part is gloomy virtually every year. The state faces acute drinking water shortage due to poor monsoon and abandoned water conservation schemes. Water stock in dams starts reducing in the month of January and in some districts and the administration starts supplying water through tankers. This is not for a particular period but by and large the same picture is seen every year. The government announced various schemes. Some of them started and the inauguration took place with much pomp. After some time everything came to a grinding halt.


In 2018, the state launched a Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA) also known as Nanaji Deshmukh Krushi Sanjeevani Prakalp. It aimed to increase the adaptive capacity of marginalised farmers from 5,142 villages in 15 districts of the Marathwada region. The total cost of the project was estimated to be Rs 4,000 crore, 30 percent of which was to be borne by the state while the remaining by the World Bank. What happened to this scheme even officials in the department are unaware of. There have been other schemes and interventions from the state government such as the Integrated Watershed Development Program, Marathwada Water Grid Project, Gaalmukt Dharan and Gaalyukt Shivar among others. Schemes took off well, initial provisions for the fund were also made but after that nothing.


The schemes remained on paper and the government failed to provide any relief to farmers and rural inhabitants barring tanker supply during the summer.


According to the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA), water levels have gone down to 3 metres from 1 metre in villages across 245 of 353 Maharashtra talukas between 2014 and 2019. Climate change is making the state more vulnerable. Maharashtra has experienced a seven-fold and six-fold increase in drought and flood events over the past 50 years, according to a Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) report.

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