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 SA Chandrasekhar of Capmaari (2019) fame, Naan Kadavul Illai is a cop drama. The film follows a police officer and his efforts to catch a murderer on the loose who abducts his daughter. The film stars Samuthirakani, Paruthiveeran Saravanan, Ineya, and Sakshi Agarwal in important roles. Prabhakar is the editor while the cinematography is done by Mahesh K Dev. The music for the film is scored by Siddharth Vipin. Naan Kadavul Illai is set to be released on February 3.
Tamannaah who was last seen in Gurthunda Seethakalam, joins the cast of Rajinikanth starrer Jailer. This film marks her first collaboration with the superstar. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, Jailer features an ensemble cast including Shivrajkumar, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi and Yogi Babu. The film is produced by Sun Pictures and has music by Anirudh Ravichander.
Sundeep Kishan starrer Michael is an action entertainer. Helmed by Ranjit Jeyakodi, the film promises to take one on an action-filled ride and the makers of the film have shared the character poster of Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. The poster shows the character of Varalaxmi holding a gun with an intense look and she is addressed as, ‘The Knight’s Angel.’ Michael is set to hit screens on February 3rd.
Produced by Bharath Chowdary and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under the banners Karan C Productions LLP, Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP, the film also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and Divyansha Kaushik. Kiran Kaushik has handled the cinematography and the music has been scored by Sam CS. The film will be released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi.
Billed as a mystery thriller, the trailer introduces us to RJ Balaji, who is seemingly framed in a missing person's case. Run Baby Run is directed by Jiyen Krishnakumar. Produced by Prince Pictures, the film stars RJ Balaji, Aishwarya Rajesh in lead roles. S. Yuva has handled the cinematography and the editing has been done by G. Madan. The music for the film has been scored by Sam CS.
Actor Hansika Motwani married Sohael Khaturiya at the Mundota Fort in Jaipur on December 4, 2022. It was a private ceremony with close friends and family. Their wedding rituals included mehendi, Sufi Night, and a pre-wedding party. Streaming platform Disney+Hotstar will be streaming the actor's wedding on their platform with a documentary titled Love Shaadi Drama.
Ayali is a social drama that follows a young girl and her dreams of becoming a doctor. It is set in the Veerappannai village where the custom is to marry off girls after hitting their puberty, fearing the wrath of Goddess Ayali.
Written and directed by MuthuKumar, Ayali is produced by Kushmavathi under the banner Estrella Stories. The series stars Abi Nakshatra, Anumol, Madhan, Linga, Singampuli. The editing is done by Ganesh Siva and Ramji is the cinematographer. Ayali is an eight episode series and can be streamed on Zee5 from January 26.
Engga Hostel is the Tamil adaptation of the Hindi series Hostel Daze. The trailer shows us a glimpse of the lives of students in an Engineering college and their hostel experience. The series follows six students and their everyday struggle of navigating love, friendship, and academics. The show premieres on Amazon Video from January 27.
Directed by Sathish Chandrasekaran and produced by Arunabh Kumar, the series stars Sacchin Nachiappan, Avinaash Ramesh, and Samyuktha Viswanathan.
Based on a real life incident, the film follows the journey of Tanuja, a farmer's daughter and her dream of becoming a surgeon. The film depicts Tanuja’s struggle of writing the NEET exam during the pandemic. Tanuja is slated to hit screens on February 3.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will appear on screen for the first time with this film. Minister Dr K Sudhakar and journalist Vishweshwar Bhatt will also be featured in the film. Directed by State Award winner Harish M Halli, the film stars Sapta Paavoor in the lead role. Music for the film will be composed by Praddyottan.
Kendada Seragu is a women centric film that revolves around sports, mainly wrestling. Malashree will be essaying the role of a cop in the film, which is based on a novel by Rocky Somli. Rocky who has worked as a dialogue writer and lyricist in various films, makes his directorial debut with Kendada Seragu.
Actor Gopichand and director Sriwass are collaborating for the third time after Lakshyam (2006) and Loukyam (2014). Their next project is titled Rama Banam. The film is said to be a family drama with a social message. Dimple Hayathi of Khiladi fame has been roped to play the female lead. Produced by TG Vishwa Prasad under the banner People Media Factory, the film also stars Jagapathi Babu, Khushbu, Sachin Khedekar, and Nasser.
The story for the film has been penned by Bhupathi Raja. Editing has been handled by Prawin Pudi and the cinematography has been done by Vetri Palani Swamy. The music for the film has been scored by Mickey J Meyer.
Naga Chaitanya starrer Custody is a Tamil-Telugu bilingual film. Actor Krithi Shetty plays the female lead and the makers of the film released her first look on social media. The poster doesn’t reveal much but it gives a glimpse of the character Revathi essayed by Krithi, who looks a bit terrified. The film is slated to hit the screens on May 12.
Custody is directed by Venkat Prabhu. Produced by Srinivasaa Chitturi under the banner Srinivasaa Silver Screen, the film also stars Arvind Swami, Priyamani, Sarathkumar in important roles. SR Kathir is the cinematography and the editing is done by Venkat Raajen. Music for the film is composed by father-son duo Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Billed as a thriller, the film is set in the backdrop of the gold business in Tamil Nadu. National award winning director Syam Pushkaran has penned the script for the film. The trailer of the film shows Vineeth Srinivasan on the run from a team of investigators.
Directed by Saheed Arafath, and produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothan, Syam Pushkaran, the film also stars Biju Menon, Aparna Balamurali, Girish Kulkarni, Vineeth Thattil. The film is slated to hit screens on January 26.
Momo in Dubai is a feel good family entertainer that follows Momo, who moves to Dubai with his family for a better living. Momo is the youngest child in the family, and the trailer shows his life in both Kerala and India. Directed by Ameen Aslam and written by Zakariya and Ashif Kakkodi, it stars Aneesh Gopinathan, Anusithara, Johany Antoney and Athrey.
Helmed by debutant Adithyan Chandarashekar, Enkilum Chandrike is a feel-good entertainer.Niranjana Anoop plays the titular character of Chandrika in the film. The film has a stellar cast of actors including Basil Joseph, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Saiju Kurup, Suraj Venjaramoodu. Produced by Vijay Babu under the banner Friday Film House, the film is slated to hit screens on February 10.
Anuraga Madhuchashakam, an original song from Bhargavi Nilayam (1964) is recreated by Bijibal for Neelavelicham. The original track was composed by MS Baburaj and the song was sung by S Janaki. P Bhaskaran had penned the lyrics for the song. The reprised version of the song is rendered by KS Chithra and the song features Rima Kallingal performing on stage. Neelavelicham, directed by Aashiq Abu, is a remake of Bhargavi Nilayam. The film is based on a short story of the same by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
Actor Dhanush, who will next be seen in Vaathi and Captain Miller, recently announced that his 50th film will be with production house Sun Pictures. "Proud to collaborate with Sun Pictures for #D50," the actor tweeted, along with a poster of the film. The poster features smoke and pollution emiting from a factory under overcast clouds. Details about the film's cast and crew are yet to be revealed.