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.
Helmed by Rathan Linga of Attu fame, Lock is said to be a thriller that follows the lead character in a journey for revenge. Set in North Chennai, the teaser gives us a glimpse of this world which is filled with violence and bloodshed.
Produced by Rathan Linga under the banner Bamboo Trees Cinemas, the film stars Sudhir and Madhu Sri Harini in the lead roles. Kavi Karko has penned the lyrics for Vikram Selva’s music.
Jiiva starrer Golmaal is a comedy entertainer and the makers of the film released a special poster on the occasion of the actor’s birthday. The poster featuring Jiiva with a cowboy hat surrounded by wild animals, gives it a whimsical feel.
Directed by Ponkumaran, the film also stars Siva. This marks Siva’s second collaboration with Jiiva after Kalakalappu 2 (2018). Editing has been handled by Don Bosco while S Saravanan has done the cinematography. The music for the film has been scored by Arul Dev.
Directed by Vignesh Shivan, Ajith’s next is tentatively titled AK62. It is speculated that the actor will be essaying the role of a don in the film. Produced by Lyca Productions, the shooting for the film will begin later this month in Mumbai. The music for the film will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander. This film marks Anirudh Ravichander’s third film with Ajith after Vedhalam and Vivegam.
Vinay Rajkumar, who has been experimenting with interesting characters, will be collaborating for the first with filmmaker Simple Suni of Simple Agi Ondhu Love Story fame. The project will be produced by Mysuru Ramesh.
Satheesh Malempati, who has made various short films and ads, will be making his directorial debut with a multilingual action thriller. Akshit Sasikumar has been roped to play the lead in the film. The film will be made in three languages and the Kannada version of the movie will be called Kaadaadi. The film also stars Lavanya Sahukara, Chandini Tamilarasan, ST Satish Chandra, Posani Krishna Murali, and Marimuthu in prominent roles.
Choomantar is a supernatural comedy written and directed by Karvva Navaneeth. The first look of the film was shared by the makers on social media and Sharan essays the role of a new-age ghost hunter. Produced by Manasa Tarun and Tarun Shivappa under the banner Tarun Studios, the film also stars Meghana, Aditi Prabhudeva, Chikkanna, Prabhu Mundkur, and Rajini Bharadwaj. Anup Kattukaran, who is an underwater camera specialist, makes his debut as a cinematographer for Choomantar.
The first single from Ajith starrer Tegimpu, the Telugu version of Thunivu, has been released. Chill Chill Chill is a peppy number. Sri Sai Kiran has penned the lyrics to Ghibran’s music and Yazin Nizar has sung the song.
Tegimpu is written and directed by H. Vinoth. The film co-stars Manju Warrier, Veera, and Samuthirakani. Produced by Zee Studios and Boney Kapoor, the film is slated to be released on January 11.
Prabhas - Deepika Padukone starrer Project K is a science fiction film. Makers shared the first look of Deepika Padukone on the occasion of the actress's birthday. The poster doesn’t reveal much, but it has a silhouette of Deepika Padukone’s character with a tagline, ‘A Hope In The Dark’. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan in a pivotal role.
Directed by Nag Ashwin, the film is produced by C Ashwini Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies.
In Rajendra Reddy's Amigos, Kalyanram plays three different roles. Earlier it was revealed that he will be portraying the role of a software engineer Manjunath and entrepreneur Siddharth in the film. The third look of Kalyanram was released by the makers. The look is intriguing and the details of his character are kept a mystery. He is shown holding a rifle and is introduced as ‘The Unknown’.
Amigos is produced under the banner Mythri Movie Makers and Ashika Ranganath has been roped into play the female lead.
Helmed by Krishna Vamsi, Rangamarthanda is an official remake of the Marathi movie Natsamrat (2016). Prakash Raj portrays the role of a veteran stage actor named Raghava Rao, and the makers of the film recently released the character poster of the actor.
Produced by Kalipu Madhu and S Venkat Reddy, the film also stars Ramya Krishnan, Brahmanandam and Shivathmika Rajashekar in prominent roles. Music for the film is scored by Ilaiyaraaja.
Billed as a supernatural thriller, Alone is a single-actor film that is set during the pandemic. The entire movie takes place in an apartment complex. Mohanlal is the only actor who appears on screen, while voices for various other characters have been given by Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier and Siddique. The film is set to be released on January 26.
Directed by Shaji Kailas, the script for the film is penned by Rajesh Jayaraman. Don Max has handled the editing while the cinematography has been done by Abinandhan Ramanujam and Pramod K Pillai.
Prithviraj Sukumaran and Basil Joseph are set to share screen space together for the first time in Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey fame director Vipin Das’s next. The film is titled Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil. Deepu Pradeep has penned the script for the film. Produced by Prithviraj Productions and E4 Entertainment, the film is said to be a fun entertainer.
Vineeth Sreenivasan and Biju Menon starrer Thankam is a crime drama. Makers of the film released a video announcing that the film is slated to hit screens on January 26. Thankam is directed by Saheed Arafath and written by Syam Pushkaran. Produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, and Syam Pushkaran, the film also stars Aparna Balamurali, Girish Kulkarni, Vineeth Thattil in important roles.
Mammootty plays the titular character, a vigilante cop, in Christopher. He is a no-nonsense cop and takes charge of an important case. But the teaser hints that he suffered a personal loss. The film goes with the tagline: Biography of a vigilante cop. The sleek thriller also has montages of Mammootty featuring different guns.
The film co-stars Sarath Kumar, Siddique, Sneha, Amala Paul, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and Shine Tom Chacko.
Vijay’s Varisu is directed by Telugu filmmaker Vamshi Paidipally of Maharshi (2019) and Oopiri/Tozha (2016) fame. The trailer of Varisu echoes nostalgia. Be it the Surya Vamsam (1997) vibes in the film or the electric combo of the hero-villain in Vijay and Prakash Raj. Vijay is the third son of Sarathkumar, and is the notorious one in the batch. While Sarathkumar’s elder sons look after the business, Vijay wanders around across several cities. But when a competitor in Prakash Raj threatens the business empire of Sarathkumar and also creates rift in the family, Vijay takes charge.
Bankrolled by Dil Raju, the film co-stars Rashmika Mandanna, Prakash Raj, Prabhu, Sarathkumar, Jayasudha, Khushbu, Shaam, Ganesh Venkatraman, Yogi Babu, and Sneha. Thaman has scored the music.
Nandamuri Balakrishna (NBK)’s next Veera Simha Reddy goes with the tagline “God of Masses”. Slated to hit screens this Sankranti on January 12, NBK plays the leader of the masses, who is feared by gangsters. The film’s trailer samples the action you are about to witness in the film. It looks like NBK is playing two different roles in the film. While one of them is a rural gang leader, the other sports an urban look. Duniya Vijay and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar play the antagonists in the film. The trailer also features the signature trending dialogue “Jai Balayya”.
Helmed by Gopichand Malineni, the film co-stars Shruti Hassan, Duniya Vijay, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Lal. While Rishi Punjabi has lensed the film, National Award winning Navin Nooli has handled the editing. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film has music by Thaman.