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.
Pawan Kalyan was last seen in the fantasy comedy Bro and has a lineup of films in different stages of production. His next film is the action entertainer with Saaho director Sujeeth, called OG. The makers of the film recently announced that the action film will be released on September 27 of this year.
Backed by DVV Danayya, the film also stars Priyanka Mohan, Sriya Reddy, Emraan Hashmi, Prakash Raj, and Arjun Das. S Thaman scores the music while Ravi K Chandran serves as the cinematographer.
After being seen in the quirky comedy Bachelor Party, Diganth will be seen in the crime comedy Marigold. The makers of the film recently released a teaser that shows Diganth as a wise-cracking criminal, who gets involved in a racket. The film also stars Sangeetha Sringeri. It is directed by Raghavendra M Naik and is backed by Raghuvardhan. The film has music by Veer Samarth and cinematography by KS Chandrasekar.
Actor Dhruva Sarja’s first pan-Indian effort Martin is finally in its last schedule. The action thriller has been in the making for some time, but it finally seems to have an endgame in sight. The makers are reportedly filming two songs in the final schedule and will be traveling to various locations abroad. Martin is directed by AP Arjun, from a story by Arjun Sarja. Backed by Uday K Mehta under the Vasavi Enterprises banner. The film also stars Anveshi Jain, Sukrutha Wagle, Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash, and Vaibhavi Shandilya. Mani Sharma handled the music while Ravi Basrur scored the film.
The makers of the upcoming psychological thriller Manjummel Boys released the official trailer of the film. The film shows a group of friends who visit the 'Guna' caves in Kodaikanal during a vacation. However, things go awry when one of them is trapped in the infamous caves and has to be rescued. Eerie and paranormal events begin to occur as the rescue mission is underway.
Manjummel Boys is directed by Chidambaram of Jan.E.Man fame and is backed by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony. Soubin Shahir also stars in the film song with Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Arun Kurian, and more. The film has music by Sushin Shyam and cinematography by Shyju Khalid.
After featuring in a small cameo in last year’s Leo, director Anurag Kashyap will be next seen in director Ashiq Abu’s Rifle Club. The actor-director will be sharing the screen with Dileesh Pothan and Soubin Shahir, who headline the film. Kashyap will reportedly play the antagonist in the film. Rifle Club is directed by Ashiq Abu from a script by Dileesh Karunakaran and Suhas-Sharfu. The film is backed by Abu’s own OPM Cinemas and has music by Rex Vijayan. V Saajan is the editor.
One of actor Nivin Pauly’s most celebrated films is getting a sequel. The actor recently announced that the sequel to his 2016 hit Action Hero Biju will be getting a sequel with the team set to start rolling soon. The announcement came with a photo of a comic book named Action Hero Biju 2, with the tagline, ‘Ride continues’. Director Abrid Shine is also set to return for the sequel.
Nivin Pauly starred as SI Biju Pulouse in the original which chronicled the police officer’s work-life as he solves cases ranging from petty to big ones. The film was directed by Abrid Shine, who had helmed the film 1983 and collaborated with Pauly on the comedy Mahaveeryar. Nivin Pauly debuted as a producer with the original, thus kickstarting his Pauly Jr Pictures production banner. The film was a huge commercial success and also won Pauly a Filmfare Award for Best Actor in Malayalam that year.
Vennela Kishore will be next seen in the spy comedy Chari 111, which he headlines. The makers of the film recently announced that the film will be released on March 1. The spy comedy sees Kishore playing a spy who has to crack an international case.
The film also stars Samyuktha Vishwanathan, Ramesh, Pavani Reddy, Brahmaji, Rahul Ravindran, and Murali Sharma among others. Chaari 111 is written and directed by TG Keerthi Kumar and produced by Aditi Soni under the Barkat Studios banner. The film has music by Simon King and cinematography by Kashish Grover.
Trisha was announced as the female lead in Chiranjeevi's upcoming socio-fantasy film Vishwambhara. The makers recently announced her onboarding as the film was launched for production. The film marks the second collaboration between Chiranjeevi and Trisha after the blockbuster Stalin. It also marks Trisha’s first straight Telugu film since 2016’s Nayaki.
Vishwambhara is directed by Vassishta, who previously helmed the Kalyan Ram starrer Bimbisara. The film is backed by Vamsi and Pramod under the UV Creations banner. Chota K Naidu handles the cinematography while MM Keeravani handles the music. It is set to release on January 10, 2025.
Vijay Deverakonda will next be seen in the romantic drama Family Star. Directed by Parasuram, who is collaborating with Deverakonda for the second time after Geetha Govindam, the film sees the actor as a middle-class family man. With the film releasing on April 5, the makers of the film released the first single from the soundtrack.
Titled ‘Nanda Nandana’, the song sees Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur, who act as the lead in the film, sharing their life as a couple. The song is composed by Gopi Sundar and is sung by Sid Sriram. Anantha Sriram writes the lyrics. Along with the single, a lyrical video was released which sees glimpses of the music video as well as the behind-the-scenes footage of the song. Family Star is backed by Dil Raju and Sirish under the Sri Venkateswara Creations banner and also stars Mrunal Thakur in the main lead. The film has music by Gopi Sundar and cinematography by KU Mohanan.
Actor SJ Suryah was last seen in the Karthik Subburaj action film Jigarthanda Double X and has a huge lineup of films, which includes Indian 2, D50, and Love Insurance Corporation. The actor was recently onboarded onto Vikram's next film with Chittha’s SU Arun Kumar. Tentatively titled Chiyaan 62, the team announced that SJ Suryah will be part of the new project with the Thangalaan star. Chiyaan 62 is directed by SU Arun Kumar and is backed by Riya Shibu under the HR Pictures banner. GV Prakash handles the music.
Kamal Haasan’s production house RKFI took the film world by surprise when it released a photo with Lokesh Kanagaraj and Shruti Haasan, seemingly announcing a new project. While no details were given, the project was hinted to be about Gen Z relationships with terms such as ‘Delulu is the only solulu’ and ‘Situationships’ being thrown around.
Speculations about the project went haywire, with many believing it to be a music video sung by Shruti Haasan and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. Kanagaraj had previously collaborated with RKFI and Kamal Haasan on the action blockbuster Vikram and is also set to return for the sequels. The photo released merely sees both celebrities in a low-key lit black space with the RKFI logo on top. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many speculate that fans will receive more information closer to the date.
Actor Sasikumar will be next seen in the period drama Freedom. Set in the ‘90s and based on a true story, the film is set to feature the actor as a Sri Lankan refugee who plans a prison break along with co-star Lijomol Jose. The film is directed by Satyasivaa, who previously helmed Sasikumar’s Naan Mirugamaai Maara.
Freedom is backed by Pandian Parasuraman and Sujatha Pandian, while Ghibran is the music composer. The film also stars Mu Ramaswamy, Sudev Nair, Malavika Avinash, and Bose Venkat. NS Suthayakumar handles the cinematography.