Here's a recap of the significant stories in entertainment across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada films, and sometimes the odd television series as well.
The teaser of Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan Part I begins with the landscapes of the Chola Kingdom, cutting to a grand coronation, with the masses celebrating in glee. "The Cholas Are Coming," declares the text, as the teaser masterfully cuts between Jayam Ravi, Karthi, and Vikram, who is perched on an elephant. The teaser shows glimpses of high-intensity war sequences and political unrest in the Chola Kingdom, which play out on the warfield with soldiers and horses unleashed in numbers.
At the centre of Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan are three siblings in the Chola Kingdom — Aditya Karikalan (Vikram), Kundavai (Trisha) and Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi). The AR Rahman musical follows the various power struggles during the Chola reign between ADs 900 and 950. The headlining ensemble cast also includes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Nandini and Karthi as Vanthiyathevan. The film also stars Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Jayaram, Parthiban R and Sobhita Dhulipala in important roles.
God Father's first look opens with Megastar Chiranjeevi arriving in a classic black Ambassador car as party workers wait for him. God Father is a remake of Mohanlal's Lucifer and is planned at a large scale, roping in actors like Salman Khan and Nayanthara. Megastar Chiranjeevi sports a salt and pepper look in the film. A thumping background score and the words "The boss is here to rule forever" elevates his presence.
God Father is directed by Mohan Raja. The film stars Megastar Chiranjeevi, Salman Khan, Nayanthara, Puri Jagannadh, and Satya Dev. Ram Charan, R B Choudary, and N V Prasad have produced the film. Thaman S has scored the music and Nirav Shah has handled the cinematography.
Ariyippu, titled Declaration in English, has been selected for a screening at the international competition section of the 75th Locarno Film Festival, creating history as the first Malayalam film to compete at the festival. Directed by Take Off and C U Soon fame Mahesh Narayanan, the film follows the life of a Kerala-origin couple living in Delhi, who dream of settling abroad.
Produced by Kunchacko Boban under the banner Kunchacko Boban Productions, the film also stars Lovleen Misra, Danish Hussain, Faisal Malik, and Kannan Arunachalam. It is co-produced by Mahesh Narayanan and Shebun Backer. Sanu John Varughese is the DOP. Sudhin Shyam has scored the music and Mahesh Narayanan and Rahul Radhakrishnan have edited the film.
Made on a large scale, with big sets and dealing with themes like mega villain, reincarnation, and hero fighting 100 people, the Bimbisara trailer hints at a Magadheera-esque film. The premise is ambitious. It traces the story of a Great Emperor Bimbisara and his reincarnation decades later. The film's visuals and storyline have some semblance of director SS Rajamouli's narrative techniques, reminding you of the films Baahubali and Magadheera.
Written and directed by Vassishta, Bimbisara stars Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Catherine Tresa, Samyuktha Menon, Warina Hussain, Vennela Kishore, Brahmaji, and Srinivasa Reddy. It is produced by Hari Krishna K. Chota K Naidu is the DOP, MM Keeravani is the music director and Tammi Raju is the editor.
After her successful outing in the layered rural thriller Suzhal: The Vortex, Aishwarya Rajesh will be next seen in Driver Jamuna. She plays the titular role of Jamuna, a cab driver in the film. Two passengers who are on their way to murder someone board the car. In this 90-minute ride, which involves politicians, police, and several gangsters, the film follows Jamuna's misadventures as she races against the clock to escape the murder maze.
Written and directed by P Kinslin, Driver Jamuna also stars Aadukalam Naren, Kavitha Bharathi, and standup comedian Abhishek Kumar. The film is produced by S .P. Chowthari under the banner 18 Reels. While Ghibran has scored the music, R Ramar has handled the editing and Gokul Benoy has helmed the camera.
Billed as a romantic drama, Pa Ranjith released the poster of his next film Natchathiram Nagargiradhu with the caption "Love is Political!". The film stars Kalidas Jayaram and Dushara Vijayan in the lead roles. The first look poster does not reveal much about the plot but has an artistic representation of the film and its cast.
The film also features Kalaiarasan, Hari Krishnan, Subatra Robert, and Shabeer Kallarakkal in important roles. It is produced by Vignesh Sundaresan, Manoj Leonel Jahson, and Pa Ranjith under their banner Neelam Productions and Yaazhi Films. Tenma scores the music for the film. A Kishor Kumar is the cinematographer and Selva RK is the editor.
Starring Arun Vijay as a cop, the original series follows the crackdown of Tamilrockerz, a popular film piracy group that leaks big Tamil titles hours before release. The film also explores the plight of the Tamil Film Producers Council.
Tamilrockerz also stars Vani Bhojan, Ishwarya Menon, Azhagam Perumal, Vinodhini, G.Marimuthu, Tharun Kumar, Vinod Sagar, Sharath Ravi, Kaakamuttai Ramesh, Kakkamuttai Vignesh, and Ajit Josh. Produced by AVM Productions, the series has screenplay and dialogues by Manoj Kumar Kalaivanan and Rajesh Manjunath, and cinematography by B.Rajasekar.
Fahadh Faasil's Pachuvum Athbhuthavilakkum marks the directorial debut of Akhil Sathyan. He is scripting, directing, and editing the film. The makers have announced that the film will hit the screens this December. The film also features Siddique, Vineeth, and Vijayaraghavan in important roles. Sharan Velayudhan is the director of photography and Justin Prabhakaran is the music composer. The film is produced by Sethu Manarkad under the banner Full Moon Cinema. Akhil Sathyan is the twin brother of Varane Avashyamund fame Anoop Sathyan and son of Sathyan Anthikad.
Mental Madhilo fame Sree Vishnu plays a sub-inspector in Alluri which is touted to be a fictional biography of a policeman. Alluri is directed by Pradeep Varma and produced by Bekkem Venu Gopal under the banner Lucky Media. It stars Sree Vishnu, Kayadu Lohar, Tanikella Bharani, Suman, Raja Ravindra, Prudhvi Raj, Ravi Varma, Madhusudhan Rao Reddy and Jaya Vani. Harshavardhan Rameshwar has scored the music. The film's cinematography is by Raj Thota and the editing is by Dharmendra Kakarala.
The trailer of Abrid Shine's Mahaveeryar begins with an interesting juxtaposition. What if reality collides with fantasy? The result is intriguing, considering that the film unfolds in a courtroom.
Nivin Pauly, seen in a monk avatar, plays a temple singer who has information about a crime. When he is asked to produce a witness statement, the judge, along with the audiences, are pulled into a world of fantasy and time-travel, where a king's story is interspersed with the realities of the courtroom. "Everything that has to be destroyed, will be destroyed in every era. And they will be created in the next era," Nivin Pauly says, as the trailer ends on a mysterious note. The film also stars Asif Ali, Shanvi, Lal, Lalu Alex and Siddique in important roles. Mahaveeryar is all set to hit the theatres on July 21.
Gargi has Sai Pallavi playing the titular character, a teacher who leads a simple middle-class life along with her parents. However, when her father gets entangled in a case, she faces humiliation and battles to prove his innocence. This emotional courtroom drama hits the theatres on July 15 in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.
Directed by Gautham Ramachandran, Gargi stars Sai Pallavi, Kaali Venkat, Aishwarya Lekshmi, R.S.Shivaji, Kalaimaamani Saravanan, Jayaprakash, Prathap, Sudha, Livingston, and Kavithalaya Krishnan. Sraiyanti & Premkrishna Akkatu have helmed the camera and Shafique Mohamed Ali has handled the editing. Gargi is a Govind Vasantha musical and is presented by 2D Entertainment in Tamil. The film is produced by Ravichandran Ramachandran, Thomas George, Aishwarya Lekshmi V, and Gautham Ramachandran under the banner Blacky, Genie & My Left Foot Production.
12 people who are outstanding in different fields like law, sports, art, and others are nominated as Members of Parliament to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India. In that line, well-known director and screenwriter KV Vijayendra Prasad and famous music composer Illaiyaraaja have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Others who have been nominated include athlete P. T. Usha and philanthropist Veerendra Heggade. Politicians, film personalities, and others took to social media to wish these artists.
Vinod Prabhakar plays a don in Lankasura, which also marks his first production venture. The teaser exploring the story of a gangster is packed with action sequences and punch dialogues. In one of the scenes Vinod is advised that "When you fight with strength and power, you are called rowdy. When you fight with brains and strategies, you are don."
Lankasura is directed by Pramod Kumar D S and stars Vinnod Prabhakar and Yogi in pivotal roles. Produced by Nisha Vinnod Prabhakar under the banner Tiger Talkes, the music is done by Vijeth Krishna. The film is edited by Deepu S Kumar and cinematographed by Sugnan.
Nna Thaan Case Kodu is a satirical courtroom drama that follows the life of a thief who files a case after a dog bites him. The film also stars Super Deluxe fame Gayathrie Shankar, Basil Joseph, and Unnimaya in the lead roles. It is slated to hit the theatres on August 12.
Written and directed by Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval, Nna Thaan Case Kodu is produced by Santhosh T.kuruvilla. Kunchacko Boban and Sherin Rachel Santhosh have co-produced the film. Manoj Kannoth has been roped in as the editor, Dawn Vincent has scored the music and Rakesh Haridas has cranked the camera.