Latest news with #SaiRajesh
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Exclusive! Aaishvary Thackeray replaces Babil in Sai Rajesh's Baby?
Aaishvary Thackeray has been roped in to replace Babil in the Hindi remake of Sai Rajesh 's Telugu hit Baby. The film hit a few bumps over the past months, when Babil exited from the project. In May this year, Babil courted controversy after a series of his emotional social media posts went viral. The posts led to a fallout between him and the director Sai Rajesh. The project, which reportedly marks the debut of Govinda's son Yashvardhan Ahuja in a key role, was temporarily put on hold. A source close to the project states, 'The film is not on hold and neither is it shelved. The actors are currently doing workshops.' When we reached out to Sai Rajesh, he said, 'This is speculation. We will announce the confirmed cast when the time is right. At this stage, it's too early to comment. ' Aaishvary (Smita Thackeray's son) is set to make his acting debut with Anurag Kashyap's Nishaanchi in September. For the unversed, Babil and Sai had a fallout on social media wherein Babil even mentioned 'slitting his wrist for the role.' In the comments section of Sai Rajesh's post, where the director called out the actor, Babil wrote, 'You really broke my heart. After everything I've given to you. @satish_naidu1982 2 years of my life, complete physical atrocity to my body just so I can do justice to his character, I gave him my soul, rejected everything that came in my way for 2 years, anything and everything he needed, for 500 days of my life. "
Mint
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Baby director Sai Rajesh dedicates National Award to his mother, Anand Deverakonda calls it a 'special moment'
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 3 (ANI): The 71st National Film Awards were announced on Friday, unveiling a list of big winners from the film industry. Among them, Anand Deverakonda starrer Telugu blockbuster 'Baby' bagged two awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Playback Singer Male. Deverakonda, who plays the lead role, spoke to ANI and expressed his delight. "I am proud and have immense gratitude that my film 'Baby' won two National Awards. This is a very special moment for me," he said. Director Sai Rajesh, who was honoured with the Best Screenplay, also opened up on the film's success and added, "I put my blood and sweat into the Screenplay award is very prestigious. I am whole team put their best into the film...I dedicate this award to my mother." The filmmaker received his second National Award with the latest feat. His first National Award came for 'Colour Photo.' Earlier, Sai Rajesh took to Instagram and celebrated his film's victory. "Thank you. 2nd one. Can't say in words ... How important is this," he wrote. Rajesh was the biggest cheerleader for singer PVN S Rohit, who helmed the award-winning song 'Premisthunna.' "The announcement of this prestigious National Award for our singer made me so, so, so happy. When he sang the song, my gut feeling was that he had to be the final voice of the film. Today, the Government of India has recognised his talent. A Telugu singer receiving this highest honour for my film is truly a proud moment," he wrote on Instagram. Directed by Sai Rajesh, 'Baby' received super success upon its release in theatres and eventually achieved the cult status. Besides Anand Deverakonda, the film also features Vaishnavi Chaitanya, and Viraj Ashwin in the lead roles. The film not only performed well at the box office but also received praise from directors, actors, and critics. Stars like Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, and Vijay Deverakonda hailed Sai Rajesh's directorial debut. (ANI)
Hans India
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
‘Baby' team celebrates film's achievement at National Film Awards
The team of Baby came together in Hyderabad to celebrate the film's remarkable achievement at the 71st National Film Awards, where it won two prestigious honours — Best Screenplay for director Sai Rajesh and Best Playback Singer for PVNS Rohith for the hit track Premistunna. Speaking at the press meet, singer PVNS Rohith expressed his joy, saying, 'Before Baby, my career was uncertain. When I got the opportunity to sing Premistunna, I treated it as a do-or-die moment. Winning the National Award feels surreal.' Director Sai Rajesh shared, 'Baby lived in my mind for two years. I rewrote every scene multiple times. Winning Best Screenplay is a proud moment. And Rohith's voice made Premistunna a soul-stirring anthem.' Producer SKN called the achievement a proud moment for Telugu cinema, saying, 'This film has brought not just awards like Filmfare and SIIMA, but now National recognition too. A good film brings honour, not just profits.' Actor Anand Deverakonda called the win a dream come true: 'Seeing 'National Award Winner' on our poster is overwhelming. Baby truly became a cult hit.' With post-release impact still strong after two years, the Baby team expressed heartfelt gratitude to fans and the media for supporting their emotional, award-winning journey.
News18
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Babil Khan, Alaya F To Collaborate For Real-Life Inspired Crime Thriller: Report
Last Updated: Pinkvilla quoted sources saying that the untitled project will be directed by Bodhayan Roychaudhury, known for Sector 36 In a fresh update, Babil Khan and Alaya F are set to star together in a gritty drama based on a real-life incident. The film will be written by Bodhayan Roychaudhury, best known for Sector 36. Pinkvilla has exclusively reported the news. However, an official confirmation is still awaited. The details are also not shared. Pinkvilla quoted sources saying that the untitled project will be directed by Bodhayan Roychaudhury, who wrote Sector 36 starring Vikrant Massey. He has also directed Talaakhon Mein Ek. The film's story is going to be based on a real-life incident and it's going to be a crime thriller. On the work front, Babil Khan was last seen in Logout which was an OTT release. He has recently announced he is exiting Sai Rajesh's upcoming film. This decision comes just days after an online spat between them. Babil was set to star in the Hindi remake of Sai Rajesh's 2023 Telugu film 'Baby'. However, the actor has now exited the film. Babil shared that he will be taking some time off currently, but sent his best wishes to the director. Sai Rajesh also shared a note on social media, reacting to Babil's exit from the film, and wrote that he will miss his 'hero'. A few days ago, a video of Babil Khan's emotional breakdown went viral on social media. In the video, he named Ananya Panday, Adarsh Gourav, Siddhant Chaturvedi and other actors. A few hours later, Babil's team issued a clarification on social media, stating that he was sincerely acknowledging the above-named actors' contribution to Bollywood. Sai Rajesh was disappointed, and he slammed Babil's team for mentioning just the few names and asked whether the 'rest of us are fools standing by him all this while'. On the work front, Alaya F was last seen in the Rajkummar Rao starrer biopic Srikanth. She was also seen in the film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. If reports are to be believed, Alaya has now been roped in for the sequel of Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Adarsh Gourav's movie, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. First Published: June 05, 2025, 16:58 IST
News18
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Govinda's Son Yashvardhan Ahuja's Debut Delayed As Babil Khan Quits Baby Remake?
Last Updated: Govinda's son Yashvardhan Ahuja was set to debut in the Hindi remake of Telugu film Baby, directed by Sai Rajesh. The project stalled after Babil Khan exited. Yashvardhan Ahuja, son of legendary actor Govinda, was gearing up to kick off his Bollywood journey with the Hindi adaptation of the Telugu hit Baby. The film, to be helmed by original director Sai Rajesh, had also roped in late Irrfan Khan's son Babil Khan for a key role. But things soon took a messy turn. Reports suggest Babil walked out of the project after a clash with Rajesh, who publicly criticised the young actor's emotional outburst on social media. He allegedly insisted on a public apology. Now, with Babil's exit, Yashvardhan's much-awaited Bollywood debut stands uncertain. As per a report by Peeping Moon, the Hindi remake of Baby has been put on pause as the producers actively scouting for a new actor to step into the role originally meant for Babil Khan. 'The makers spent nearly six months finalising the female lead, a debutante, and now face the daunting task of recasting the male lead. It's going to take a lot of time. As of now, the production is on hold, with no confirmed timeline for resuming," shared the source. The Hindi remake of Baby is set to be produced by Madhu Mantena in collaboration with Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts and the original Telugu film's producer, Sreenivasa Kumar Naidu. Babil Khan was reportedly chosen to play the role originally essayed by Anand Deverakonda, while Yashvardhan Ahuja was lined up to portray the character played by Viraj Ashwin in the Telugu version. The makers have yet to officially confirm the film's cast and release date. Last month, Babil Khan took to his Instagram account and announced that he is opting out of Sai Rajesh's film. 'With a lot of grit, passion, and mutual respect, Sai Rajesh sir and I both got along on this journey of creating magic together. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances things didn't go ahead as everyone had planned. Since I will be taking some time off currently, I wish the best to Sai Rajesh sir and the film team on their future journey. I know there is immense love between us, and we will meet soon in the future and create magic," he wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Babil (@babil.i.k) Meanwhile, Sai Rajesh shared a note on Instagram that read, 'Babil is one of the most talented and hardworking actors I have met in my life. However I have to accept this unfortunate reality of the situation. After spending time with Babil while prepping, I was very happy to be working with such a talented actor… I will still always cherish the experience of seeing him perform in front of me… I will miss my Hero! I respect his decision of self care first, and wish him all the best and send him all the love in the future! I know we both will create that magic together for sure." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sai Rajesh (@sairazesh) For those who've come in late, a video of Babil Khan having an emotional breakdown went viral on social media recently, where he mentioned actors like Ananya Panday, Adarsh Gourav, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and others. Shortly after, Babil's team posted a clarification, saying he was genuinely appreciating these actors' contributions to Bollywood. However, director Sai Rajesh expressed his disappointment, criticising Babil's team for highlighting only a select few and questioning if the others who supported him all along were being ignored. Babil reacted to his post, and wrote that he gave 2 years of his life to Rajesh and underwent 'complete physical atrocity' so he could do justice to his character. Babil wrote, 'You really broke my heart. After everything I've given to you. 2 years of my life, complete physical atrocity to my body just so I can do justice to his character, I gave him my soul, rejected everything that came in my way for 2 years, anything and everything he needed, for 500 days of my life." He further added, 'not to mention the pain and the suffering I put in my soul, lived in filth just to make sure sir @sairazesh is happy with the character. It's okay now..I'll let my work speak. Goodbye. Man I had bugs in my beard because he needed that in the character. I gave him my laughter while I held back my tears. I slit my fu**ing wrist for him." The comments, as well as Sai Rajesh's post have now been deleted. First Published:
