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.
Cinematographer turned director Premkumar who is known for the Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha starrer 96 (2018) is all set to direct Karthi in his next film. This would be the director’s sophomore film after the nostalgic romance. Noted cinematographer PC Sreeram, who will be lensing the film, announced the project via his Twitter handle. Govind Vasantha, who previously collaborated with the director on the soundtrack for 96 will be returning for this film as well. The yet-to-be-titled film also stars Aravind Swamy and will be produced by Suriya under his 2D Entertainment banner.
When watching the teaser of the Dhanush starrer Captain Miller, you can hear the musicality in the violence that ensues. Explosions, firing bullets, reloading guns, a bonfire and the silences between them are some of the visuals that are used to give a distinct flavour to the next effort from director Arun Matheswaran (of Rocky and Saani Kaayidham fame). The teaser was released on the occasion of lead actor Dhanush's birthday (July 28).
Captain Miller is a neo-western period film backed by Senthil and Arun Thyagarajan under the Sathya Jyothi Films banner. GV Prakash Kumar has composed the music while Siddhartha Nuni has lensed the film and Nagooran Ramachandran has handled the editing. The film is all set to be released on December 15.
The makers of the action crime film King of Kotha released the first single from the film. Titled Kalapakkaara, the song is a peppy dance number filmed as a celebration among gangs. Dulquer Salmaan, who plays the lead role, sets the screens ablaze with his nonchalant dancing. The song was released in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. Jakes Bejoy has composed the song while Joe Pual has penned the lyrics in Malayalam. Shreya Ghoshal, Benny Dayal and composer Jakes Bejoy have provided the vocals for the song.
King of Kotha is directed by Abhilash Joshiy, while Abhilash Chandran is the scriptwriter. The film also stars Aishwarya Lekshmi, Dancing Rose Shabeer, Prasanna, Nyla Usha, Chemban Vinod, Gokul Suresh, Shammi Thilakn, Shanthi Krishna, Vada Chennai Saran, and Anikha Surendran. Nimish Ravi serves as the cinematographer and Shyam Sasidharan is the editor of the film. It is all set to be released on Onam.
Varun Tej is all set to collaborate with director Karuna Kumar, who is known for directing Palasa 1978. The film, called Matka, was officially launched with a pooja ceremony. It stars Varun Tej and Meenakshi Chaudhary and Bollywood actor Nora Fateh in prominent roles. Matka, which was tentatively titled VT14, is produced by Mohan Cherukuri and Dr Vijendar Reddy Teegala under the Vyra Entertainments banner.
The upcoming film Mr X features Arya, Gautham Karthik and Manju Warrier in lead roles. Recently, the makers of the action-drama announced that veteran actor Sarath Kumar, who was last seen in Por Thozhil, has also joined the cast. Directed by Manu Anand who last helmed the Vishnu Vishal starrer FIR (2022), Mr X is said to be about a duo who embark on a mission in search of something. It is also said to explore the relationship between a father and son. The film is written by Divyanka Anand Shankar and Raam H Puthran and the technical crew includes Dhibu Ninan Thomas as the music composer, Tanveer Mir as the cinematographer and Prasanna GK as the editor.
The makers of Nandamuri Balakrishna’s next film Bhagavanth Kesari recently announced the release date of the film. The Anil Ravipudi directorial will be released in cinemas on October 19. The film also stars Kajal Agarwal and Sreeleela. Thaman S has scored the music while the film is backed by Sahu Garapati of Shine Screens.
Manoj Bharathiraja is making his directorial debut with the film Margazhi Thingal. The film features newcomers Rakshana and Shyam Selvan and his father Bharathiraja in a prominent role. The makers of the film have now announced that Ilaiyaraaja has been onboarded as the music composer for the film. Bharathiraja and Ilaiyaraaja are collaborating on a film after 31 years. Margazhi Thingal is backed by director Suseenthiran under Vennila Pictures. AR Suriya and Thiyagu are serving as the cinematographer and editor, respectively.
The makers of Chiranjeevi’s action entertainer Bholaa Shankar released the trailer for the film. Directed by Meher Ramesh, the film is an official remake of the Ajith starrer Vedalam (2015). The film stars Chiranjeevi, Tamannaah, Keerthy Suresh, Vennela Kishore, Sushanth, Raghu Babu and Ravi Shankar. The trailer introduces the audience to the swagger of Chiranjeevi who plays the titular Bholaa. It also promises a commercial entertainer filled with action, romance and comedy.
Bholaa Shankar is written and directed by Meher Ramesh who makes a comeback after ten years. It is produced by Ramabrahmam Sunkara under the AK Entertainments banner. The film has music by Mahati Swara Sagar with Dudley and Marthand K Venkatesh serving as the cinematographer and editor, respectively. The film is slated to hit the screens on August 11.
On the occasion of his birthday, actor Dhanush announced his next film with director Sekar Kammula. The director, who is known for films such as Fidaa and Love Story is reported to have narrated the story to Dhanush back in 2021. The film was finally announced recently. Currently titled D51, the film will be Dhanush’s second direct Telugu film after this year’s Sir. The film will be produced by Suneil Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under their Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP. Dhanush will next be seen in Arun Matheswaran’s Captain Miller and will also be working on his sophomore directorial, tentatively titled D50.
The makers of the political thriller Prathinidhi announced a sequel to the film. Written and directed by journalist Murthy, the film sees actor Nara Rohit return as the common man. The first part was directed by Prashanth Mandava.
"Here is a sneak peek to my next #Prathinidhi2," he tweeted, "@murthyscribe has crafted an outstanding script, and I'm eagerly looking forward to start filming this one." Nara Rohit also announced that the film will be released on January 25, 2024. The film is backed by Vanara Entertainment. On the work front, Nara Rohit was last seen in Veera Bhoga Vasantha Rayalu.
Actor Nithiin had earlier announced that he would collaborate with director Vakkantham Vamsi, known for the Allu Arjun starrer Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India on a film. The film which was tentatively titled Nithiin32 has now been officially titled Extra.
The announcement came with a poster which shows Nithiin in an unkempt and overgrown beard and hair with a fierce look as pages of a script feature in the background. The film is produced by Sudhakar and Nikitha Reddy in collaboration with Aditya Movies. Harris Jeyaraj will score the music. The film is expected to be released on December 23.
The makers of the Sreenath Bhasi starrer Corona Dhavan announced that the film will be released on August 4. The film, which is set during the Covid-19 pandemic, is said to follow the story of alcoholics in a village who are subjected to the lockdown. The film is written by Jayanandan and is directed by debutant CC. It also stars Lukman Avaran, Sruthy Jayan, Johny Antony, Sunil Sukhada, and Sivaji Guruvayoor among others. Corona Dhavan is backed by James and Jerome, while Janeesh Jayanandan, Ajeesh Anand and Rijo Joseph serve as the cinematographer, editor and music composer, respectively.
The makers of the Upendra starrer Budhdhivantha 2 have announced the release date of the film. The sequel to the actor’s mind-bending caper film Buddhivantha, the film will be released on September 15, ahead of the actor’s birthday on September 18. Produced by Dr TR Chandrashekar under the Crystal Paark Cinemas banner, Buddhivantha 2 is directed by Jaidhev. It is not known whether the film will be a direct sequel to the original, which was a remake of the Tamil film Naan Avan Illai. Ace music director Gurukiran makes a comeback with this film while Naveen Kumar handles the cinematography. Upendra was last seen in the multi-starrer Kabza and is currently working on his directorial UI.
The makers of the Dhananjaya and Ramya starrer Uttarakanda have announced the latest addition to the cast. Diganth, who was recently seen in a cameo appearance in the campus comedy Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare has joined the cast of the Rohit Padakki (of Ratnan Prapancha fame) directorial. The film is said to be a gangster drama and is currently in pre-production. The film will mark the return of actor Ramya after a long hiatus. Uttarakanda is backed by Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj under the KRG Studios banner. Charan Raj is said to score the music while Swamy will be handling the cinematography.
Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media has joined hands with Dulquer Salmaan’s Wayfarer Films for the film Kaantha. The announcement came with a poster which sees DQ standing in the middle of a large hall with a huge chandelier on top. The poster is in monochrome. Kaantha is written and directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, who is known for his feature film Nila (2016) and the upcoming Netflix documentary The Hunt for Veerappan. He was also an assistant on Ang Lee’s Life of Pi (2012). Dulquer will also be producing the film under his Wayfarer Films banner along with Rana’s Spirit Media.
The makers of the comedy Jaladhara Pumpset: Since 1962 released a sneak peek of the film. The video shows a single scene featuring veteran actors Urvashi and Indrans, hinting at a romantic past between the two. The glimpse which lasts a little under a minute shows Urvashi begrudgingly showing concern and offering Indrans food and money, which he readily takes.
The film is directed by Ashish Chinnappa, who co-writes the film along with Prajin MP. It is produced by Baiju Chellamma, Sagar and Sanitha Sasidharan under the Wonderframes Filmland banner. Sajith Purushan, Kailas and Rathin Radhakrishnan form the technical crew as the cinematographer, music composer and editor, respectively. The film co-stars Sagar, Sanusha, Johny Antony, T G Ravi and Nisha Sarangh.
The Tinu Pappachan directorial Chaver features Kunchacko Boban, Anthony Varghese, and Arjun Asokan. The makers have now unveiled the second look motion poster. The poster has a back-and-white theme, similar to the first look, and introduces more characters, promising an intense thriller.
The film co-stars Manoj KU, Anuroop, Sajin and Joy Mathew. The screenplay of Chaaver is penned by acclaimed actor-director Joy Mathew, while the film is produced by Arun Narayan and Venu Kunnappilly.