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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Baaghi 4 Teaser Is A Storm Of Vengeance, Madness And Rage S ajid Nadiadwala’s Baaghi franchise is not just back, but Baaghi 4 is “unhinged, unrelenting, and more ferocious than ever,” goes the press release! The teaser “tears through the screen with brutality,” it goes on. Tiger Shroff returns as Ronny in his most savage avatar yet, fueled by vengeance, armed and driven by a rage that leaves no enemy breathing. Adding new dimensions to the franchise, Sajid Nadiadwala introduces Miss Universe 2021, Harnaaz Sandhu, in a role that is anything but conventional. Fierce and fearless, she brings raw emotion and grit to the screen with intense action sequences that chal- lenge stereotypes. Joining her is Sonam Bajwa, who steps into the Baaghi universe after her Hindi debut in Housefull 5. Known for her screen presence and charm, Bajwa brings a refreshing mix of glamour and strength—proving she can hold her own in the middle of high-octane chaos and adrenaline-pumping combat. Sanjay Dutt now joins the cast, as a deranged antago- nist, menacing, unfiltered and terrifyingly unpredictable. “His monstrous madness is contagious. This is Dutt like you’ve never seen him before,” adds the release. With story and screenplay penned by Sajid Nadiad- wala, the film is directed by A. Harsha. Baaghi 4 promises bone-breaking action, explosive drama and a showdown soaked in blood, fury, and chaos. It is slated to release in cinemas internationally on September 5 through Marud- har Entertainment. Tiger made his debut with Sajid’s Heropanti (2014) and followed it up with his Baaghi. Sajid has since produced two more installments of Baaghi besides the second one of Heropanti. By RajivVijayakar Mahavatar Narsimha Wins With Story But 2D Version Sucks! I was reminded of Nagesh Kukunoor’s Hyder- abad Blues way back in 1998. That film was released minus hype, was technically very aver- age, was made on a skeleton budget and yet became a hit amidst the normal commercial films. Its success could be entirely attributed to its story and script and wonder of wonders—The film was mainly in English! 27 years later comes Mahavatar Narsimha, made on a less paltry budget. The Hyderabad connec- tion here (the earlier film was made by NRIs rooted in that city) is that this film is originally in Telugu, though distributed by Karnataka-based Hombale Films. The film is planned as the first instalment in the animated seven-part Mahavatar Cinematic Universe, based on the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It narrates the time-tested legend of Prahlad, his father Hiranyakashipu and Narsimha. Varaha, a mighty boar, rescues Bhudevi (Mother Earth) from the demon, Hiranyaksha and kills him. Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha’s brother, wants revenge as well as power, and after penance, gains a boon from Lord Brahma that he can never be destroyed and so declares himself as a god. He tor- ments Lord Vishnu’s followers. Prahlad, Hiranyakashipu’s son, is a devoted follower of Vishnu. To save Prahlad (after his father makes several attempts to kill him) and defeat evil, Vishnu appears as Narsimha, a half-man, half-lion, who kills Hiranyakashipu while outwitting the conditions of the demon’s boon from Lord Brahma. Blending two major episodes from the Dashava- tara, Mahavatar Narsimha talks of divine justice, unshakable faith and the eternal protection to the righteous who do not cow down before evil. Laced with several interesting and heartwarming episodes better watched than described, I would strongly recommend watching this film in 3D rather than the normal 2D in which I got to check out this animation movie. Those acquaintances and colleagues who watched the 3D version loved it for its imagery, while the 2D one had several sequences from the first to the last in which I saw many half-blurred images that one sees in a 3D film if one removes the glasses! Better still, watch this one when it streams. I was distracted by the outright tackiness of many a key sequence even outside these shots, which no doubt must have been thanks to budgetary constraints! This considerably diluted the charm for me and I had to constantly remind myself that it was the age-old Puranas story that had connected so much! Mahavatar Narsimha remains the first-ever Indian animation film to do business of over Rs. 125 crore! A liability the film has is the cacophonous BGM by Sam C.S., a man known for some excellent work like in Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and Vikram Vedha. His songs too are quite noisy and the Hindi lyrics functional. Any such film is made or unmade, besides the basic animation, by the script and direction and most tellingly by the voice-over actors and their naturally exaggerated intonations. Here, I must mention Aditya Raj Sharma as Hiranyakashipu, Haripriya Matta as Prahlad, Priyanka Bhandari as Kayadhu (Prahlad’s mother), Vasundhra Bose as Lakshmi, HarjeetWalia as Lord Narsimha, Saanwari Yagnik as Holika, Uplaksh Kochhar as Lord Vishnu and SanchitWartak as Hiranyaaksh and Shahid Zafar as Varun Dev. One small nitpick: at the climax, some sequenc- es are a figment of cinematic imagination and also stretched. But I feel that today’s children must know the original story in its original form and not as per the trendily modified way it is shown here. By RajivVijayakar Prahlad in Mahavatar Narsimha. PHOTO:Sterling Global Magic Moments Maker Ties Up With Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan To Launch Premium Tequila R adico Khaitan, the maker of “Magic Mo- ments” vodka, will invest up to $4.56 million and team up with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath to launch a premium tequila brand, marking its foray into the category. The Indian liquor maker, known for premium offerings such as Rampur Indian Single Malt and Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin, will roll out the brand D’YAVOL Añejo — a premium spirit made from agave and aged about two years in wine casks. D’YAVOL, a luxury brand founded in 2022 by Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, along with Leti Blagoeva and Bunty Singh, is headquartered in Amsterdam and offers vodka, blended malt Scotch whisky and premium streetwear. D’YAVOL Añejo is set to launch by December and depending on state excise duty, will be priced between 20,000 rupees ($228.21) and 30,000 ru- pees, Radico Khaitan Managing Director Abhishek Khaitan told Reuters on Tuesday. The launch comes as affluent Indians increasingly splurge on everything from luxury dining to premium alcohol, housing and cars. Alcohol sales in the country, according to data from analytics firm Crisil, are pro- jected to grow as much as 10% to $61.35 billion in fiscal 2026. Tequila is one of the fastest growing segments globally and India is catching on very fast. The market size in the country is about 300,000 cases, out of which 15% is the Añejo (Spanish word meaning ‘aged’) category, Khaitan said. “We believe that in the next five years, tequila can reach a volume of about a million cases in India plus global market, so I think it was a great opportunity,” he said. Under the partnership, Radico Khaitan and Shah Rukh Khan’s family will each hold a 47.5% stake in the venture, while Kamath will own 5%. The deal also underscores the fierce competition in mass and premium liquor segments. Just three weeks ago, peer Tilaknagar Industries bought the “Imperial Blue” whisky brand from Pernod Ricard for $486 million. -Reuters By Chandini Monnappa and Hritam Mukherjee Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in Mumbai, India, January 18, 2017. PHOTO:REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo PHOTO: TrailerVideo Grab All-time high or all-time ‘loo’?: Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 4. News India Times (August 16, 2025 - August 22, 2025) August 22, 2025 26 Entertainment