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.
The makers of the action thriller Salaar released the much-awaited teaser of the film in the early hours of Thursday. Starring Prabhas, the film is directed by Prashanth Neel and is backed by Hombale Films, who joined hands after the KGF series. The film, which was announced in 2020 is all set to be released on September 28. The teaser also reveals that this would be the first part of a planned series, titled Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire.
The film also features Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Sriya Reddy, Easwari Rao, Tinnu Anand and Madhu Guruswamy. Neel's regular collaborators Bhuvan Gowda, Ravi Basrur and Ujwal Kulkarni return as the cinematographer, music composer and editor respectively.
This year, the San Diego Comic-Con is about to get its splash of Indian pop culture with the Nag Ashwin’s Project K all set to launch at the event. Producers Vyjayanthi Movies announced that the sci-fi dystopian film will be launched at the event along with an official title reveal, a teaser as well as the release date. Actors Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Kamal Hassan and Amitabh Bachchan, along with writer-director Nag Ashwin will be attending the event. Project K will be the first Indian film to fetch the honour of being launched at the Comi-Con.
Actor Kichcha Sudeepa who was last seen in Vikrant Rona (2022) will be working with noted producer Kalaipuli S Thanu of V Creations. The makers recently released an announcement video for the film. Tentatively titled Kichcha46, the film is directed by debutant Vijay Kartikeyaa.
Kalaippuli S Thanu produced the film under his V Creations banner while the film is presented by Sudeep's own Kiccha Creations. B Ajaneesh Loknath will provide music for the film, reuniting with Sudeep after Vikrant Rona, with Shekar Chandra and SR Ganesh Baabu roped in as the cinematographer and editor respectively.
The makers of the romantic comedy Kushi announced that filming has been wrapped. The film stars Vijay Devarakonda and Samantha in lead roles. Shiva Nirvana, known for directing Tuck Jagadish (2021) is helming the film. Kushi is all set to be released on September 1. The film co-stars Vennela Kishore, Jayaram, Murali Sharma, Saranya Pradeep and others. Hesham Abdul Wahab has composed the music while Mythri Movie Makers has backed the film.
Jude Anthany Joseph is riding high on the success of his survival drama 2018. The Tovino Thomas starrer is based on the severe floods that affected Kerala, showing multiple stories of survival in a hyperlink format. The film was critically acclaimed and also earned 160 crores at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.
On the heels of this success, the director has now joined hands with Lyca Productions. The makers released an announcement video, introducing the director as the man behind successful films such as Ohm Shanthi Ohshaana (2014), Oru Muthassi Gadha (2016) and Sara's (2021). No details regarding the plot or the cast and crew were revealed. The video ends with a photo of Jude Anthany and producer Subaskaran.
After the success of Ponniyin Selvan, Jayam Ravi has now joined hands with producer Ishari K Ganesh of Vels International on a pan-Indian project. Titled Genie, the team had a formal pooja ceremony. Ravi was in attendance along with Kalyani Priyadarshan, Wamiqa Gabbi and Krithi Shetty who will be featured as the female leads. Arjunan Jr is set to direct the film while AR Rahman will be composing the music. Mahesh Mutthuswami and Pradeep E Raghav will be handling the cinematography and editing respectively. The film will be released in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
Director Alphonse Puthren recently announced that his fourth directorial will be a Tamil film. Titled Gift, the director shared that he would be writing, colour grading and editing the project. The film also marks his first collaboration with legendary music composer Ilaiyaraja. He further mentioned that the film will have 7 original songs.
Gift will mark Puthren's return to Tamil cinema after his debut Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Neram (2013). The film will feature choreographer Sandy, Kovai Sarala, Sahana Sarvesh, Sampath Raj and other. Raahul of Romeo Pictures is the producer.
On Ganesh’s birthday, the makers of multiple films starring the actor released promotional material. One of the highlights of these was his collaboration with Dandupalya director Srinivas Raju. The team unveiled the title of the film: Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi.
Produced by Prashanth G Rudrappa under the Trishul Entertainments banner, the film stars Malavika Nair (in her Kannada debut). Arjun Janya is the music composer. The makers of Ganesh’s next project with Vikyath Chitra also launched the film with a first-look poster. Tentatively titled Golden Star42, the poster sees Ganesh in the costume of a clown while he waits for the curtains to rise, as the tagline reads, ‘The greatest show of all’.
The makers of G Marthandan’s Maharani recently released a new poster for the film. The poster features Roshan Mathew, Shine Tom Chacko, and Johny Antony with a quirky tone. Written by Ratheesh Ravi, who is known for films like Ishq and Adi, the film is produced by Sujith Balan with NM Badusha serving as the co-producer.
The film also features Balu Varghese, Harisree Asokan, and Jaffer Idukki. S Lokanathan has handled the cinematography while Noufal Abdullah has handled the editing. Govind Vasantha has scored the songs while Gopi Sunder has composed the background score.
The much-awaited collaboration between blockbuster director Boyapati Srinu and actor Ram Pothineni has been titled Skanda. Previously, the film was tentatively titled BoyapatiRAPO. It is slated to hit the screens on September 15. Produced by Srinivasa Chitturi under the Srinivasa Silver Screen Banner, the film co-stars Sreeleela. Thaman is the music director while Tammiraju and Santhosh Detake serve as the editor and cinematographer respectively.
While speculations were rife that Kamal Haasan will be teaming up with filmmaker H Vinoth for a film, the makers have now officially announced the project. Tentatively titled KH233, the announcement came with a video which shows Hassan leading a group of people with a fire torch. The tagline of the film reads ‘Rise to Rule’.
KH233 is written and directed by H Vinoth who is known for Saturanga Vettai (2014), Theeran Adhigaram Ondru (2017), Valimai (2022) and Thunivu (2023). The film will be produced by Haasan and R Mahendran under their Raaj Kamal Films International banner.
Kunchacko Boban recently released the first look poster of Chaaver on his social media handles. It features the leading men which includes Boban, Arjun Ashokan and Anthony Verghese Pepe carved in stone and looking intense.
Touted to be an action drama, Chaaver is Tinu Pappachan’s third directorial, after Swathandrayam Ardharathriyil and Ajagajantharam. The screenplay of 'Chaaver' is penned by actor-director Joy Mathew, while the film is produced by Arun Narayan and Venu Kunnappilly. Jinto George lenses the film while Nishad Yusif and Justin Varghese act as the editor and music composer, respectively.
Nithin Krishnamurthy’s debut directorial Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare has been one of the most anticipated Kannada films after the release of their quirky promotional videos, all of which have gone viral. While the film has been in the making for over two years, the team has now announced the release date of the film. Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare is slated to hit the screens on July 21.
The announcement was made with another quirky video which features the story of how Isaac Newton got the idea of gravity. In the promo, they also address the competition they would be facing in the cinemas with Hollywood biggies like Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie slated to hit the screens on the same day.
Bhavana Studios, the production house behind Kumbalangi Nights, Joji, Paaltu Janwar and Thankam have officially announced their fifth feature film. Produced by Fahadh Faasil, Dileesh Pothen, and Syam Pushkaran, the film will be helmed by director Girish AD, who is known for his blockbuster hits Thanneermathan Dinangal and Super Sharanya.
The film stars Naslen and Mamitha Baiju. The former was introduced by Girish in Thanneermathan Dinangal and played a supporting character in Super Sharanya. He is also the lead in Girish’s next titled I Am Kathalan, which is currently in the post-production stage. Meanwhile, Mamitha Baiju made a notable impression with her quirky portrayal of Sona in Super Sharanya.
It’s official. Director Trivikram and pan-Indian star All Arjun are collaborating for the fourth time. The makers announced the same with a poster which shows a silhouette of Allu Arjun on a bright orange gradient background. Currently titled Production No 8, the film is produced by Haarika & Hassine Creations in their 8th collaboration with Trivikram, and their 5th with Allu Arjun. They produce the project along with Geetha Arts. With Allu Arjun's stardom reaching across the nation with the Pushpa series, there are speculations that Production No 8 would be a pan-Indian project.
Mohanlal is all set to collaborate with prominent Hindi film and serial producer Ekta Kapoor on a pan-Indian project. Directed by Nanda Kishore, who is known for directing the Kannada films Ranna and Mukunda Murari with Sudeep and Upendra, the film is titled Vrushabha. The film, which is said to be filmed simultaneously in Malayalam and Telugu, is also expected to be dubbed in other languages. Ekta Kapoor produces the film under her Balaji Telefilms Pvt. Ltd. banner along with Connekkt Media and AVS Studios.
Director Pa Ranjith’s film with Chiyaan Vikram, Thangalaan has recently wrapped filming. The actor shared the announcement along with a photo of him with director Ranjith and co-star Malavika Mohanan. The period drama has been in production for the past few months.
Thangalaan is written and directed by Pa Ranjith and is produced by KE Gnanavel Raja under his Studio Green banner. The film is said to be set in pre-independent India at the Kolar gold mines. The film also stars Daniel Caltagirone, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Pasupathy. Thamizh Prabha is a co-writer of the film which features music by GV Prakash Kumar, in his first collaboration with the director.
The makers of the Jaggesh and Dhananjay starrer Totapuri 2 released the first look poster of the film, which features both characters, with a protest in the background. Dhananjay, who had a brief appearance in the first film, will have a more prominent role in the second. Totapuri 2 is written and directed by Vijaya Prasad of Neer Dose and Sidlingu fame. He also directed the original which was released last year. Aditi Prabhuva, Dattanna, Veena Sunder and Suman Ranganath co-star in the film.
Dinjith Ayyathan of Kakshi Amminipilla fame has announced his second directorial. Titled Kishkinda Kandam, the launch ceremony for the film took place on July 1. Joel Jo George Thadathil initiated the film's switch-on and the first clap was performed by Dev Ramu, known for his memorable roles as a child artist in Athisayan and Anandabhairavi.
Kishkindha Kandam features Asif Ali and Aparna Balamurali in the lead roles. The movie also boasts a talented ensemble cast, including Vijayaraghavan, Jagadish, Ashokan, Nishan, Nizhalgal Ravi, Major Ravi, and Jibin Gopal. While Joby George Thadathil is the producer, Bahul Ramesh has penned the story, screenplay, and dialogues, and serves as the film's cinematographer. Sushin Shyam is the music composer and Sooraj ES is the editor.
Actor Dhanush recently announced that he would be joining hands with Sun Pictures on his second directorial. Tentatively titled D50, the makers released the film’s poster to announce that the shooting has begun. The poster shows Dhanush in a new, bald look, standing atop a grey hillock as he overlooks the skyline of a factory. The sky also has blood-red marks in the shape of skyscrapers.
Dhanush returns to the director’s chair after his debut Power Pandi (2017). Kalanithi Maran will be presenting the film. Dhanush also has an interesting lineup as an actor, with Arun Matheswaran’s Captain Miller and Anand L Rai’s Tere Ishq Mein.
Corona Javan, an upcoming feature film directed by debutant CC piqued the audience’s interest with its interesting posters and songs. The makers have now decided to rename the film to Corona Dhavan due to certain circumstances. Sujay Mohanraj has written the screenplay of the comedy entertainer. The cast includes Lukman, Sreenath Bhasi, Johny Antony, Sarath Sabha, Irshad Ali and Bitto.
Corona Dhavan is produced by James and Jerome and co-produced by Arun Purakkal, Vinod Prasannan, and Reji Mathews. The film is distributed by Listin Stephen's Magic Frames. Janeesh Jayanandan is the cinematographer of the film while Ajeesh Anand is the editor. The songs are composed by Rijo Joseph and the background score is by Bibin Ashok.
Director Karthik Subbaraj announced that his follow-up to the 2014 blockbuster crime comedy Jigarthanda has wrapped filming. The sequel, titled Jigarthanda Double X, features Raghava Lawrence, SJ Suryah and Nimisha Sajayan. The announcement came with a small video which shows the cast and crew celebrating the wrap. The film is produced by Karthikeya Santhanam and Kathiresan and is presented by the director’s own Stone Bench Films. Santhosh Narayanan has scored the music for the film. The makers aim to release it during Diwali.
The makers of the upcoming film Nadikalil Sundari Yamuna recently released a new single from their album. Titled 'Puthunaambukal', the soulful track has lyrics by Manu Manjith and is composed and sung by Arun Muraleedharan. Presented by Waterman Murali, the film is produced by Vilas Kumar and Simi Murali. The film is written and directed by newcomers Vijesh Panathoor and Unni Vellara.
Touted to be a comedy, the film co-stars Dhyan Sreenivasan and Aju Varghese. Sudheesh, Nirmal Palazhi and others along with several newcomers. Sankar Sarma has handled the background score. Faizal Ali has lensed the film and Rathin Radhakrishnan has handled the editing.