Deepika Padukone is currently racing to finish her schedule for actor Allu Arjun’s Raaka before she goes on maternity leave. As is known, she is expecting her second child in September. The superstar actress has been shooting demanding sequences well into her third trimester, including night shifts for the film’s Puranic, Vedic-era portions.

Resonance with real life

As per an India Today report, director Atlee Kumar has cast her as a pregnant woman in the film. The Jawan and King actress will be seen as a woman “struggling to survive amid the perils” of the ancient timeline, a role that has taken on an unusual real-life resonance given her own condition. Her portions are being filmed early in the schedule, whether alongside Allu Arjun or independently, though it remains unconfirmed whether the two will actually share screen space in these scenes. Rashmika Mandanna plays a guide and protector who helps steer Deepika’s character through the dangers of the ancient world, the report adds.

“Eight months pregnant and due to deliver very soon, Deepika Padukone is still shooting for Raaka. She is currently focused on wrapping up the shoot for the film. She is staying put on set and even working late into the night when required. The crew and teams are in absolute awe,” a source told Filmfare earlier this week.

Janhvi and Mrunal too to have meaty roles

Janhvi Kapoor takes on the role of a tribal queen. Since Atlee’s characters are meaty, expect her to play one of the pillars holding up Raaka’s multi-timeline narrative. The casting follows closely on the heels of her tribal-village performance in Peddi alongside Ram Charan. It will be intriguing to see how she is visually reimagined as royalty in Raaka.

It’s very likely that the third character in the movie, played by Mrunal Thakur, will be modern, considering that the other two female actors are playing non-modern parts.

Also Read: Allu Arjun Brings Close Friends on Board As Co-producers for AA23

The trailer for Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has set the industry talking. Released across five languages, it has garnered huge numbers on YouTube. The Hindi version led with nearly 28 million views in three days.

The numbers confirm what trade watchers expected. Yash is aggressively targeting the Hindi belt and the Telugu states, the two biggest non-Kannada markets for any pan-Indian film. His track record makes the ambition credible. KGF: Chapter 2 was a massive Hindi hit, and Toxic now aims to potentially surpass KGF: Chapter 2’s opening numbers.

Betting big on the Hindi market

The trailer makes it clear that emotional depth fits the film naturally. It shows Yash in a dual role, playing a father and son on opposing sides of a brutal conflict. Themes of betrayal, power and generational trauma run through the footage. This matters for Hindi audiences, who tend to look for emotional weight alongside action. Kiara Advani’s intense, dramatic turn has drawn particular attention, alongside Huma Qureshi and Tara Sutaria in pivotal roles. Nayanthara plays another major role.

A larger-than-life appeal

The Kannada superstar is one actor whose larger-than-life image is now beyond doubt. Many believe that he is one of the few action heroes who can pull off a complex story about power struggles and parent-child conflict. This should translate into solid numbers. Yash’s popularity has also received a fresh push from his role as Ravana in Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana, whose trailer was released recently and widened his visibility among Hindi-speaking moviegoers.

There is more happening around the film too. Yash has entered film distribution in Karnataka, giving him direct control over Toxic‘s home-market release, which is set to be the biggest in the state’s history. The Bengaluru trailer launch itself was a grand event, with the full cast in attendance.

Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic releases worldwide on August 26.

Also Read: Toxic trailer: Yash’s adrenaline pumping scenes go viral