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.
Ajith starrer Thunivu is an action drama that revolves around bank heists. Last week, the makers released the character poster of orator Mohana Sundaram, who plays the role of Mai Pa in the film. Helmed by H. Vinoth and backed by Boney Kapoor, the film also stars Manju Warrier, John Kokken, and Samuthirakani. Music for the film is composed by Ghibran and the film is scheduled to be released on Pongal.
The title track from Chiranjeevi starrer Waltair Veerayya has been released. The song mirrors the power and might of the character Waltair, essayed by Chiranjeevi. Chandrabose has penned the lyrics for Devi Prasad’s music and the song is sung by Anurag Kulkarni. ‘Veerayya’ was recorded by Bangkok musicians.
Waltair Veerayya is a mass entertainer, written and directed by Bobby Kolli. Produced by under the banner Mythri Movie Makers, the film also stars Ravi Teja, Shruti Haasan, and Catherine Tresa. Arthur A Wilson is the DOP and Niranjan Devaramane is the editor. The film is scheduled to release on January 13, 2023.
Vindhya Victim Verdict is an investigative drama that revolves around the murder of a woman. The trailer which opens with a group of people protesting and seeking justice hints that the film is centred around caste-based violence and how one tries to seek justice. V3 is slated to hit screens on January 6, 2023.
Written and directed by Amudhavanan, the film stars Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Paavana, Esther Anil, Adukaalam Naren, and Ponmudi. Nagooran is the editor and Siva Prabhu is the cinematographer. Allen Sebastian has composed the music for the film.
Director Deeraj Vaidy of Jil Jung Juk (2016) fame and Rathna Kumar of Aadai fame are co-writing dialogues for the Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial Thalapathy 67. This film marks Lokesh Kangaraj’s second collaboration with Vijay after Master (2021). Interestingly, Rathna Kumar also penned the dialogues for Lokesh’s previous film Vikram. The announcement was made by the director in the Galatta Plus' Tamil Cinema Round Table.
Raj B Shetty of Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana fame has penned the script for a revenge drama which is directed by Basil Alchalkkal. Posting about his next film, Shetty had dropped a hint on social media. Basil Alchalakkal makes his directorial debut with this film, and it marks his association with Raj B Shetty after Ondu Motteya Kathe (2017). Praveen Shriyan will be the cinematographer and Midhun Mukundan will compose the music for the film.
Billed as an action thriller, Borrder marks Arun Vijay’s reunion with Arivazhagan for Borrder after the thrillers Kuttram 23 (2017) and Tamil Rockerz (2022). In both of these previous collaborations, Arun Vijay played the role of a cop. Following it up with a hat trick, he dons the role of Detective Intelligence Agent Aravind Chandrashekar. The film which was initially scheduled to release on October 5 was postponed multiple times and is now slated to hit the screens on February 24, 2023.
Produced by T Vijayaragavendra under the All In Pictures banner, the film co-stars Regina Cassandra and Stefy Patel. B Rajasekar has handled the cinematography, Sabu Joseph has done the editing and Sam CS has scored the music for the film.
Arjun Gowda (2021) director Lucky Shankar helms a five-minute short film Nagaloka Nagakannike Srivasavi. Actor Nimika plays the spiritual character Vasavi in the film. It co-stars Sidlingu Sridhar and Prasanna Gowda. Jai Anand has handled the cinematography and James has composed the music for the film. Nagaloka Nagakannike Srivasavi is currently being screened at Brahma Rathotsava event.
The makers of Ponniyin Selvan shared a small release date announcement teaser with a glimpse of Vikram, Jayam Ravi and Karthi from the sequel. Ponniyin Selvan II is slated to release on April 28, 2023. Directed by Mani Ratnam, the first part of the film was released in September this year. Produced by Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, the film has an ensemble cast also featuring Trisha, Aishwarya Rai, and others. Sreekar Prasad is the editor of the film and Ravi Varman is the cinematographer. AR Rahman has composed the music for the film.
D G Umesh Gowda who is known for his films like Navarangi and Halli Panchayati (2017) is directing a romantic crime thriller titled O Manase. Actors Vijay Raghavendra, Dharma Keerthiraj and Sanchita Padukone have been roped in to play the leads in the movie. Vijay Raghavendra will be essaying the role of a police officer while Dharma Keerthiraj and Sanchita Padukone will be seen as collegegoers.
Produced under the banner Sri Friends Movie Makers, MR Seenu has handled the cinematography. The editing for the film has been done by Srinivas P Babu and the stunts have been choreographed by Thriller Manju, Different Danny, and Bande Chandru.
The character posters of Vinay Rai from Mammootty starrer Christopher were released by the makers on social media. The film marks the entry of actor Vinay Rai into Malayalam cinema. The character has a tattooed back and is introduced as Sitaram Trimurthi, ‘The Antagonist'.
Directed by B Unnikrishnan and written by Uday Krishna, the film is a thriller based on real events. Produced by Aroma Mohan and RD Illuminations, the film also stars Amala Paul, Sneha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shine Tom Chacko, and Dileesh Pothan. Faiz Siddik is the cinematographer and Manoj is the editor. Music for the film is composed by Justin Varghese.
Naga Chaitanya’s Tamil-Telugu bilingual movie Custody is helmed by Venkat Prabhu. The film has a tagline, “A Venkat Prabhu Hunt.” While it marks the entry of Naga Chaitanya in Kollywood, the film is also the first Telugu directorial for Venkat Prabhu. Custody is slated to hit the screens on May 12, 2023.
Arvind Swamy is said to play the antagonist while Krithi Shetty is roped in to play the female lead. The film also features Sarath Kumar, Sampath, Priyamani, and Premgi Amaren in prominent roles. SR Kathir has handled the cinematography and editing has been done by Venkat Raajen. The music for the film has been scored by the father-son duo Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Actor Bhavana reunites with director Shaji Kailas for Hunt after Chinthamani Kolacase (2006). Billed as a suspense thriller, the film is set in the backdrop of a medical college. Bhavana is essaying the role of a PG resident doctor Keerthy in the film. The director shared a photo from the pooja ceremony with the caption, “Hunt starts rolling.”
Debutant Nikhil Anand has penned the script for the film. Produced by Jayalakshmi Films, the film also stars Aditi Ravi, Chandhunadh, and Renji Panicker in prominent roles. Jackson is the cinematographer and Kailas Menon is the music composer.
Suhas starrer Writer Padmabhushan is a fun family entertainer. Set in Vijayawada, the film narrates the story of a struggling writer with a lot of dreams and goals. It co-stars Tina Shilparaj, Ashish Vidyarthi, Rohini Molleti, Goparaju Ramana, and Sri Gouri Priya.
Directed by debutant Shanmukha Prashanth, the film is produced by Anurag Reddy, Sharath Chandra and Chandru Manohar under the banners Chai Bisket Films and Lahari Films. Kodati Pavan Kalyan and Siddhartha Thatholu have handled the editing while the cinematography has been done by Venkat R Shakamuri. The music for the film has been composed by Shekar Chandra and Kalyan Nayak.
Billed as a thriller, Mammootty's next film marks the directorial debut of cinematographer Roby Varghese Raj. It is bankrolled by the actor’s production venture Mammootty Kampany and was launched with a pooja and a switch-on ceremony. The story for the film is written by Muhammed Shafi while the screenplay is penned by Muhammed Shafi and Rony David Raj. Muhammed Rahil is the cinematographer, Sushin Shyam is the music composer and Praveen Prabhakar is the editor.
Krishand who is known for his breakthrough movie Aavasavyuham (2022) announced his next film titled Purusha Pretham (The Male Ghost). The film will be a police procedural comedy following a toxic cop. Bankrolled by Mankind Cinemas, it stars Darshana Rajendran, Prasanth Alexander, Jagadish, and Devaki Rajendran in important roles.