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.
In the trailer of Connect, Nayanthara's Susan leads a happy life with her husband and her daughter but her world collapses during the pandemic lockdown. Besides being tested Covid positive, she learns that her daughter is possessed by a ghost. Unable to step out or seek personal help, Susan talks to her father and an exorcist through video calls. Will she be able to save her daughter?
After the neo-noir horror film Maya (2015), filmmaker Ashwin Saravanan and Nayanthara reunite for Connect. Produced by Vignesh Shivan, the film's USP is that it is a 99-minute no-intermission horror flick. It co-stars Sathyaraj, Anupam Kher, Vinay Rai and Haniya Nafisa.
Minnal Murali filmmaker Basil Joseph was recently awarded the Best Director honour at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his Malayalam superhero film. The academy, which recognises talent from 16 APAC countries, hosted the awards in Singapore. “Today, I feel prouder than ever to be a part of the Malayalam movie industry and to represent India on this stage,” he said in a tweet. Meanwhile, cinematographer Shreya Dev Dube won an award for her work in Thar.
The film is based on a true story that unfolds in the current scenario, as we are told in the trailer. While Natty is investigating a murder mystery, he learns about a prostitution ring and how young girls from the village are either forced or lured into the business. Meanwhile, Selvaraghavan is seen roaming around temples, secretly out for revenge.
Bakasuran is directed and produced by Mohan G (of Draupathi (2020) fame) under the banner of GM Film Corporation. It stars Selvaraghavan, Natty (Natraj Subramaniyan), Rajan K, Rams, Saravanan Subbiah, D Gunanithi, Tarakshi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Devadharshini. The film has music by Sam CS, cinematography by Farook J Basha, and editing by Devaraj S.
Centred around identity politics, the teaser of Raththam has narration by filmmakers Venkat Prabhu, Vetri Maaran, and Pa Ranjith. It follows the life journey of Vijay Antony’s character who has a happy family and a passionate job, but he loses all of it in a jiffy. Fighting back, he tries to figure out the issue and get back to his normal life. Helmed by CS Amudhan, the film co-stars Mahima Nambiar, Nandita Swetha, and Ramya Nambeesan.
RP Bala’s Love follows the tale of a troubled relationship and how a trio tries to dispose a human body. It is the remake of Khalid Rahman's 2020 Malayalam psychological thriller of the same name. The remake stars Bharath and Vani Bhojan in lead roles. The duo was last seen together in the recent thriller Miral.
The film co-stars Vivek Prasanna, Radha Ravi, Danial Annie Pope, Swayam Siddha, and Adams. While PG Muthiah has lensed the film, Ronnie Raphael has composed the music and Ajay Manoj has handled the editing.
After Nandha (2001) and Pithamagan (2003), the winning combo of director Bala and Suriya reunited for Vanangaan. While over 40 days of the filming had been finished, there were reports that the film had been dropped. Earlier this week, Director Bala has announced that Suriya opted out of the film. In a press statement, the filmmaker wrote that after he had made a few changes to the script, he doubted if it will be apt for Suriya. Bala further added that he will join with Suriya for another project and he would continue filming Vanangaan with a different hero. After the news, recent reports say that Atharvaa has been roped in, replacing Suriya in the film.
Set against the backdrop of the independence era, Captain Miller starring Dhanush is directed by Arun Matheshwaran of Saani Kaayidham fame. While Priyanka Arul Mohan and Sundeep Kishan are said to play important roles in the film, the latest to join the its cast was Shivarajkumar. During a media interaction, the actor also revealed that he will be playing Dhanush’s elder brother. Shivarajkumar will also be seen in Rajinikanth’s Jailer, helmed by Nelson Dilipkumar.
Billed as a feel-good rural drama, Malai stars Yogi Babu and Lakshmi Menon in the lead roles. The film is directed by debutant IP Murugesh. The first look poster of the film features the actors and gives a glimpse of their village. While Lakshmi Menon plays a doctor who goes to the village, Yogi Babu is a quack resident of the place. The film has Kaali Venkat essaying the role of an antagonist, a first for the actor. D Imman has composed the music for the film.
The 54-second long teaser of Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Bullet Diaries gives us glimpses of the different characters and how Dhyan’s Raju Joseph takes care of a 64-model Bullet motorcycle, which prominently appears in the trailer. Set in Kannur against a Christian milieu, Raju Joseph is a young man passionate about bikes.
Written and directed by Santhosh Mandoor, Bullet Diaries stars Dhyan Sreenivasan, Johny Antony, Renji Panicker, Sudheer Karamana, and Sreekanth Murali, among others. The film has cinematography by Faisal Ali, music by Shaan Rahman and editing by Ranjan Abraham.
Nata Simhan Nandamuri Balakrishna’s next NBK108 is with filmmaker Anil Ravipudi. The film went on floors on December 8 in Hyderabad with a customary pooja. The actor has wrapped up the shooting of Gopichand Malineni’a Veera Simha Reddy and the film is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 13, 2023. For NBK108, the makers have not announced the other actors on board.
KS Ravindra’s Walttair Veerayya starring megastar Chiranjeevi and Shruti Haasan is scheduled to be released on this Sankranti, on January 13, 2023. Touted to be an action-comedy, the film co-stars Ravi Teja, Rajendra Prasad, Catherine Tresa, Bobby Simha and Vennela Kishore in important roles. Arthur A Wilson is the DOP, Niranjan Devaramane is the editor and DSP has composed the tunes.
Directed by Take Off and C U Soon fame Mahesh Narayanan, Ariyippu became the first Malayalam film to compete at the Locarno Film Festival earlier this year. The film is centred around the life of a Kerala-origin couple living in Delhi that dreams of settling abroad. It stars Kunchacko Boban and Divya Prabha. The film is now slated to be released on December 16 on Netflix.
Produced by Kunchacko Boban Productions, the film co-stars Lovleen Misra, Danish Hussain, Daisal Malik, and Kannan Arunachalam. Sanu John Varughese has cranked the camera, Sudhin Shyam has scored the music and Mahesh Narayanan and Rahul Radhakrishnan have edited the film.
Vaathil is a romcom starring Anu Sithara and Vinay Fort. Helmed by director Sarju Remakanth, the film’s tagline reads “Hold me tight”. The story is penned by the writer Shamnad Shabeer and the music is composed by Sejo John.
The team of Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye wrapped the shooting of the film last month in just 18 days. While the makers are planning for an OTT release next year, the character look of Siri Ravikumar in the film has been revealed. She replaced Ramya in the film and essays the role of Prerana. Actress Ramya was supposed to make her acting comeback with this film but choose to remain as a producer and roped in Siri Ravikumar. The film, which has music by Midhun Mukundan, co-stars Balaji Manohar, Rekha Kudligi and Surya Vasishta.
The KGF franchise producers are now venturing into the Tamil film industry with Raghu Thatha, starring Keerthy Suresh. In the film’s poster, Keerthy appears to be a student protesting Hindi imposition. Those who know the famous comedy line from K Bhagyaraj’s Indru Poi, Naalai Vaa (1981) — Ek gaon mein ek kisan Raghu Thatha — will understand the significance of the film’s title. The comedy dialogue and the scene is a representation of how a Tamil man struggles to learn Hindi. Releasing the poster of Raghu Thatha, Hombale Films wrote, “Because revolution begins at home.” The film is written and directed by Suman Kumar of Family Man fame.