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.
Chiyaan Vikram's Dhruva Natchithram has been in the making since 2016 and has been on hold for a few years. The makers have now finally announced the release date of the action film. Dhruva Natchithram: Chapter One - Yuddha Kandam will be released in theatres on November 24. The film is directed by Gautam Vasudev Menon and stars Chiyaan Vikram, R Parthiban, Ritu Varma, Simran, and Vinayakan. The film has music by Harris Jayaraj. The film is produced by Menon under his Ondraga Entertainment banner in association with Oruoorileoru Film House.
The makers of the Thalapathy Vijay starrer Leo finally started the promotional works for the action film earlier this week. The team released a series of four posters, which seemingly track the character arc of Vijay’s protagonist. The first two posters are bathed in snow, and set in Kashmir. The first poster has a caption that says, ‘Keep Calm and Avoid The Battle’, while the second one says, ‘Keep Calm and Plot your Escape’. The third and fourth posters have a tonal shift with an orange color palette. The former has the caption, ‘Keep Calm and Prepare for Battle’. The ‘battle’ culminates in the final poster featuring Sanjay Dutt along with Vijay, with a caption, ‘Keep Calm and Face the Devil’.
Leo is written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and is backed by SS Lalit Kumar under the Seven Screens Studio banner. The film has an ensemble cast of Trisha, Arjun Sarja, Mysskin, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Priya Anand, Mathew Thomas, and more. It has cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and music by Anirudh. The film is set to release on October 19.
The makers of the GV Prakash Kumar starring sci-fi romance Adiyae announced that the film would start streaming soon. The film was released in the theatres on August 25 to positive reviews, and explored the concept of multiverse in cinema. The film also stars Gauri G. Kishan, Venkat Prabhu, and Vignesh Karthick. The film will be streaming on SonyLiv from September 29.
After the successful re-release of Kamal Haasan starrer Vettaiyadu Vilaiydaadu, two more classic films of the legendary actor are set to be re-released soon. First in line is the classic gangster drama Nayakan, which is set to be released on November 3 . The film was the first collaboration between director Mani Ratnam and Haasan, who are set to return to the big screens after 37 years with KH234. Nayakan was a huge hit upon its release in 1987 and Haasan earned the National Award for Best Actor for the film. It was also India’s submission for the Oscars that year.
Kamal Haasan’s legendary silent film Pesum Padam or Pushpak is also set to re-release in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. RKFI, the production house behind the film announced that the classic comedy will be seen in theatres soon. The film was directed by Singeetham Srinivas Rao. No release date has been announced yet.
The makers of the Varun Tej starrer Gandeevadhari Arjuna have announced that the espionage action thriller will be streaming on Netflix from September 24. The film opened to mixed reviews on August 25 but was a commercial success. The film stars Varun Tej, Sakshi Vaidya, Nassar, and Vinay Rai. It is directed by Praveen Sattaru, who last helmed the Nagarjuna starrer The Ghost. BVSN Prasad produced the film under his Sri Venkateswara Cine Chithra banner. The film has music by Mickey J. Meyer.
On the occasion of her birthday, the makers of the Sharwanand starrer Shara35 revealed the first look of lead actress Krithi Shetty in the film. The reveal came in the form of a special video that shows various footage of Shetty on the sets of Sharwa35 along with the crew and director Sriram Adittya. The video also mentioned that the official title of the film would be announced soon.
Krithi Shetty has a long lineup of films including her Malayalam debut Ajayante Randam Moshanam, in which she will be sharing screen space with Tovino Thomas. The makers of the film also released the first-look poster of Shetty’s character Lekhmi. The actress will also be seen in the Jayam Ravi starrer Genie.
The makers of Naga Chaitanya’s next film have announced that actress Sai Pallavi will officially be joining the cast. Titled NC23, the film is directed by Chandoo Mondeti and is backed by Allu Aravind’s Geetha Arts. The announcement came with a cryptic video where only glimpses of Pallavi were shown, with her discussing the script and the film, and finally opening the script to indicate that she had joined the cast. Her face is never revealed in the video.
NC23 will be the second collaboration between Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi. They first paired up in the Shekhar Kammula directorial Love Story. NC23 sees Chaitanya play a fisherman and is said to be based on a true story.
The renowned star of the 80s and the action queen of the 2000s, actress Malashree announced that she would be making a comeback to the screens after 6 years with the Vinod Prabhakar starrer Maadeva. Malashree will be playing a prominent role in the period action film, which also stars Sonal Monteiro, Shruthi, and Achyuth Kumar. The action film is directed by Naveen Reddy and is backed by R Keshava under the Radhakrishna Pictures banner.
Director Yograj Bhat has an impressive lineup after the release of his romantic comedy Galipata 2. He is currently in production for the Shivarajkumar and Prabhu Deva starrer Karataka Damanaka. However, the director’s next release will be the action film Garadi. Starring Yashas Surya, Garadi will be released on November 10. It is produced by Vanaji Patil under the Kourava Productions banner, in association with Soumya Films. The film also stars BC Patil, Sonal Monteiro, and Ravi Shankar. The film is said to be based on traditional wrestling. Prominent star Darshan is all set to make a cameo appearance in the film.
Star director SS Rajamouli announced that he will be presenting a film based on the birth of Indian cinema. Titled Made in India, the film is said to be a biopic on the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, who established the Indian film industry with the silent film Raja Harishchandra. The film will be directed by Nitin Kakkar of Filmistaan and Jawani Janeman fame. Rajamouli mentioned that the narration of the film moved him emotionally and that he was excited to present the biopic on the legendary filmmaker. Made in India will be released in Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. A biopic on Phalke has already been made in Marathi, titled Harishchandrachi Factory.
Actor and director Upendra is making a comeback to the director’s chair after seven years with the film UI. He was last seen directing the philosophical entertainer Uppi2. On the occasion of his birthday, the makers of UI released the first teaser of the film. In classic Upendra style, the teaser was a subversion of the audience’s expectations, where only audio of the scenes was heard along with a message asking the audience to use their imagination. UI is backed by G Manoharan under Lahari Films and K P Sreekanth's Venus Entertainers. B Ajaneesh Loknath is composing the music for the film. The film also stars Reeshma Naniah and Murali Sharma. The film will be released in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam.
The makers of Shivarajkumar’s Ghost recently released the first single from the film's soundtrack. The song is called 'OGM' or 'Original Gangster Music'. The song is said to be the theme of Shivarajkumar's character, and the motif builds on the music we heard in the 'Big Daddy Teaser' that was released in July.
'OGM' is composed by Arjun Janya and features lyrics in all South Indian languages since the film will be a pan-Indian release. Ghost is written and directed by MG Srinivas and is produced by Sandesh Nagaraj under the Sandesh Productions banner. The film also stars Malayalam actor Jayaram and Hindi actor Anupam Kher. The film is all set to be released in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi languages on October 19.
Actor Mammootty recently announced on his social media handle that his next film Kannur Squad will be releasing on September 28. The film is directed by Roby Varghese Raj, who makes his debut as a director. The film has an ensemble cast of Rony David Raj, Shabareesh Varma, Azeez Nedumanga, Deepak Parambol, Sajin Cherukayil, and Gibin Gopinath.
Kannur Squad was written by Muhammed Shafi along with Rony David Raj. The film is backed by Mammootty Film Kampany and has music by Sushin Shyam.
Kunchacko Boban is set for his next release with the action thriller Chaaver. The actor will be seen playing a rugged gangster in the Tinu Papachchan directorial. The makers of the film recently released a trailer for the film, which shows us glimpses of the communal politics in Kerala.
Chaver is directed by Tinu Papachan and stars Kunchacko Boban along with Arjun Ashokan and Anthony Varghese. Produced by Arun Narayan and Venu Kunnappilly, the film has cinematography by Jinto George and music by Justin Varghese.
On the occasion of Unni Mukundan’s birthday, the makers of his next film Jai Ganesha released a poster of the film, announcing that filming for the movie would begin in November. The film is directed by Ranjith Sankar of Passenger and Njan Marykutty fame. The film is touted to be a superhero film. Mukundan and Sankar are producing the film under their banners Unni Mukundan Films and Dreams N Beyond respectively.
The makers of the much-awaited Mohanlal starrer Malaikottai Vaaliban announced that the film will be released on January 25, 2024. The film marks the first collaboration between the megastar and popular auteur Lijo Jose Pellissery. Malaikottai Vaaliban is said to be a period-action film focused on wrestling. It is written by PS Rafeeque, who previously collaborated with Pellissery on the acclaimed Amen. It is backed by multiple production houses such as John & Mary Creative, Century Films, Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, Yoodlee Films, and Amen Movie Monastery. Prashanth Pillai composes the music while Madhu Neelakandan is cranking the camera. The film also stars Sonalee Kulkarni, Danish Sait, and Rajeev Pillai among others.