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.
12th Man marks the reunion of the Drishyam franchise combo director Jeethu Joseph and Mohanlal. From the teaser, it looks like a thriller exploring the secret lives of people who attend a party.
The film also stars Unni Mukundan, Saiju Kurup, Shivada, Anu Sithara, Anusree, Priyanka Nair, Anu Mohan, Rahul Madhav, Leona Lishoy, Chandunath, and Aditi Ravi. It is produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner Ashirvad Cinemas. Satheesh Kurup is the cinematographer and Anil Johnson is the music director.
Meri Awas Suno is said to be the remake of the 2019 Bengali film Konttho. Jayasurya plays an RJ who spreads happiness and is loved by all. In the teaser, he is also shown leaving the job. The plot might explore why he leaves the job and if there is a sad side to him.
The film is written and directed by G Prajesh Sen and produced by B Rakesh under the banner Universal Cinemas. Apart from Jayasurya, the film features Manju Warrier and Sshivada. Johny Antony and Sudheer Karamana also play major roles in the film. The music is composed by M Jayachandran.
Jo & Jo narrates the lives of two siblings and their rivalry set during the pandemic and lockdown period. Nikhila Vimal and Mathew Thomas play siblings – Jomol and Jomon. The film is directed by debutant Arun D Jose. It is produced by Harris Desom, Adarsh Narayan, P B Anish and Anumod Bose. The music is composed by Govind Vasantha and the film is edited by Chaman Chakko.
RK Suresh will be seen in dual roles in Visithiran, the remake of the 2018 Malayalam feature film Joseph. It is helmed by M. Padmakumar who directed the original. Poorna and Madhu Shalini will be reprising their characters from Joseph.
Visithiran is produced by B Studios and is scheduled to release on May 6. GV Prakash is the music director and Vetrivel Mahendran is the cinematographer. It is produced by director Bala.
In Sridevi Shoban Babu, Gouri G Kishan and Santhosh Shoban fight over the ownership of a house and indulge in many comical activities to ruin each other's peace. What starts off as a fight soon blossoms into love, but they face several problems.
Sridevi Shoban Babu is written and directed by Prasanth Kumar Dimmala. The film is produced by Vishnu Prasad and Sushmita Konidela under the banner GoldBox Entertainment. The music is composed by Kamran.
Saani Kaayidham is an action drama that has Keerthy Suresh and Selvaraghavan play their darkest ever characters who together murder 24 people. It will skip theatrical release and stream on Amazon Prime Video from May 6.
The film is written and directed by Arun Matheswaran. It is produced by Screen Scene Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Yamini Yagnamurthy is the cinematographer and the music is composed by Sam CS.
Adivi Sesh's multilingual film Major, previously slated for a theatrical release on May 27, is now scheduled to roll out on June 3. The film is based on the real-life story of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who died a martyr, saving the lives of many in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Helmed by Sashi Kiran, Major also stars Prakash Raj, Sobhita Dhulipala, Revathi and Saiee Manjrekar. Vamsi Patchipulusu is the cinematographer and Sricharan Pakala is the music director.
John Luther is a crime thriller starring Jayasurya who investigates a series of missing cases. It is written and directed by debutant Abhijith Joseph. Apart from Jayasurya, the film also stars Deepak Parambol, Siddique Athmeeya Rajan, Drishya Raghunath, Pramod Velliyanad, Sreelakshmi and Sivadas Kannur.
With a release poster, the makers announced that John Luther will hit the theaters on May 27. The film is produced by Thomas P Mathew and the music is composed by Shaan Rahman.
Yuva Rajkumar, the nephew of late actor Puneeth Rajkumar, is all geared up to mark his acting debut in Sandalwood. KGF producers Hombale Films join hands with director Santhosh Ananddram to launch the new actor's career in the Kannada industry.
While there are not many details about the film, the production house has released a photo of Yuva Rajkumar from the film with the caption – "The Legacy continues".
Mysskin's Pisasu 2 is a sequel to the 2014-horror film Pisasu. The teaser hints that the events take place in a hilly town and Andrea Jeremiah is possessed by a ghost. Apart from Andrea, the film also features Poorna and Santosh Prathap in important roles. Vijay Sethupathi will appear in an extended cameo. Karthik Raja is the music director and Siva Santhakumar is the DOP. The film is produced by T Muruganantham.
Jack N' Jill, touted as a sci-fi comedy, is Santosh Sivan's comeback film as a filmmaker after 7 years. In its teaser, Manju Warrier plays some major action sequences, and there is also a kind of mythological touch where she appears in a Goddess costume.
The film is produced by Gokulam Gopalan, Santosh Sivan and M Prashanth Das under the banner Sree Gokulam Movies and Sewas Films. The music is composed by Jakes Bejoy, Ram Surendar and Gopi Sundar. The film is scheduled to release on May 20.
Actor Shaam, best known for his performances in Ullam Ketkume and Lesa Lesa, has officially joined the cast of Thalapathy 66. The film stars Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles.
The yet-to-be-titled film is directed by Vamshi Paidipally. Produced under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations, Thaman S is roped in as the music composer, while Kharthik Palani is the cinematographer.
Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph come together for the film Dear Friend directed by Vineeth Kumar. The film which narrates a story of five friends is slated for release on June 10.
Dear Friend also features actors Darshana Rajendran, Sanchana Natarajan, Arjun Radhakrishnan and Arjun Lal in major roles. Justin Varghese is the music composer and Shyju Khalid is the cinematographer. It is produced by Ashiq Usman, Shyju Khalid and Sameer Thahir under the banner Happy Hours Entertainment.
Trisha has signed her next film titled The Road directed by debutant Arun Vaseegaran. Set against the backdrop of Madurai, the film is said to be based on real life events that took place a few years ago in the city. Santhosh Pratap, Shabeer, MS Bhaskar and Miya George also star in the film. The music is composed by Sam CS and the cinematography is handled by KG Venkatesh.
Ranga, directed by Vinod DL, stars Sibi Sathyraj and Nikhila Vimal in lead roles. It is said to be an action-packed family entertainer. The film is produced by Vijay K Celliah and is scheduled to release on May 13.
Iravin Nizhal is written and directed by Radhakrishnan Parthiban. It is the world's first non-linear single-shot feature film. The plot follows the life of a 50-year-old man, acted by Parthiban himself, who explores his past.
Apart from Parthiban, the film also stars Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, Robo Shankar, Priyanka Ruth, Brigida Saga, Sneha Kumar, Anand Krishnan and Chandru. It is produced by Caldwell Velnambi, Anshu Prabhakar, Dr Pinchi Srinivasan, Bala Swaminathan, Ranjith Dhandapani. Arthur A Wilson is the cinematographer and A R Rahman has composed music for this film.
Releasing directly on SonyLIV, Mammootty plays a character with grey shades who is an authoritarian parent in Puzhu. The father-son duo share a troubled relationship. Mammootty is also following some leads of a possible murder attempt. His personal struggles, past life and the investigation form the plot of the film.
Puzhu is directed by Ratheena PT and produced by S George. It also features Parvathy Thiruvothu, Athmiya Rajan, Malavika Menon, Nedumudi Venu and Indrans. Theni Eswar has done the cinematography and Jakes Bejoy has composed the music for the film.
Starring Indrans, Dhyan Sreenivasan and Durga Krishna, Udal is a thriller film that is centered around the concepts of love and lust. It is directed by Ratheesh Reghunandan and produced by Shri Gokulam Gopalan. The music is composed by William Francis.