Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (April 20 - 27)

From trailers and teasers to new film announcements, here’s a quick recap of the week that went by.

Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s collaboration is titled Coolie (Tamil)

Last year it was announced that filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj would be collaborating with superstar Rajinikanth for the actor's 171st film. The makers of the film released the title teaser today. The film is currently titled Coolie. The teaser sees the star attacking a hoedown filled with gold products such as watches, balances, and more. The whole image seems to be filmed in monochrome except for the gold elements.

Coolie is written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and is backed by Kalanithi Maran under the Sun Pictures banner. The filmmaker reunites with cinematographer Girls Gangadharan after Vikram. The film also has Kanagaraj’s usual creative partners Anirudh Ravichander on music and Anbarivu as stunt coordinators. Shooting is expected to begin soon. Rajinikanth is currently working on the film Vettaiyan, which is helmed by TJ Gnanavel.

Aishwarya Rajesh makes her Kannada debut with Uttarakanda (Kannada)

The makers of the Dhananjaya and Shivarajkumar starrer Uttarakanda have announced that prominent Tamil cinema actress Aishwarya Rajesh will be making her Kannada debut. The announcement poster sees the Vada Chennai star in simple attire, holding an umbrella under the rain with a serene look on her face.

The poster mentions that her character is called Durgi. Uttarakanda is written and directed by Rohit Padaki and is backed by Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj under the KRG Studios banner. The film has music by Amit Trivedi and cinematography by Advaitha Gurumurthy. It features an ensemble cast of Diganth, Yograh Bhat, Chaithra J Achar, Umashree, Rangayana Raghu, Vijay Babu, and Gopalkrishna Deshpande.

Mohanlal’s Barroz gets a BTS glimpse (Malayalam)

Actor Mohanlal is all set to make his directorial debut with the fantasy film Barroz. Based on an adventure-fantasy novel, the film has been in the making for some years and the makers recently released the making video of the film. The glimpse sees footage of Mohanlal directing the scenes in the film while also being in his character's costume.

Barroz is directed by Mohanlal and is backed by Antony Perumbavoor under the Aashirvad Cinemas banner. The film also stars Kallirroi Tziafeta, Ignacio Mateos, and Cesar Lorente Rato. Santosh Sivan handles the cinematography while Lydian Nadaswaram handles the music.

Amrutha Iyengar joins Darling Krishna’s Father (Kannada)

The makers of Darling Krishna’s upcoming film Father have announced that actress Amrutha Iyengar will be joining the film as the lead opposite Krishna. The film also stars Prakash Raj and Telugu actor Sunil in pivotal roles. Helmed by debutant Rajmohan, the film is produced by R Chandru’s RC Studios along with Alankar Pandian’s Invenio Origin Company banners. The collaboration recently announced five films set to be produced by the joint venture.

Raj B Shetty joins Vijay Kumar’s VK29 (Kannada)

Vijay Kumar will be collaborating with filmmaker Jaadeshaa K Hampi in the upcoming periodic thriller. The film is currently titled VK29 and reportedly has Raj B Shetty on board as a cast member. The actor-director was last seen in his directorial Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye and Toby. He will be working on the Shivanna starrer 45, which is directed by Arjun Janya and he is also featuring in Mammootty’s Turbo.

VK29 is written and directed by Jaadesha K Hampi, who previously wrote last year’s Kaatera. The film also stars Rachita Ram, Ritanya, and Shishir in lead roles. Samy is reportedly the cinematographer.

Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule will be getting its first single on this date (Telugu)

The makers of Allu Arjun's action entertainer Pushpa 2: The Rule recently announced the release date of the film's first single. Titled ‘Pushpa Pushpa’, the announcement came with a short promo that saw music director Devi Prasad crooning to the lyrics. The promo teases an energetic soundtrack for the film's introduction.

Pushpa 2: The Rule is written and directed by Sukumar. The film is backed by Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar under the Mythri  Movie Makers banner. Miroslaw Kuba Brozek handles the cinematography while Devi Sri Prasad composes the music.The film also stars Fahad Faasil, Rashmika Mandanna, Dhananjaya, and Sunil. The film will be released on August 15.

Anupama Parameswaran to headline Paradha (Telugu)

Anupama Parameswaran was last seen in the hit comedy Tillu 2. The actress will now be seen in the upcoming drama Paradha. The makers launched the film with a poster, which sees the actress in veiled attire with many similarly dressed extras behind her. The film is from director Praveen Kandrgul, who previously helmed Cinema Bandi.

Paradha was announced by Raj & DK who presented Cinema Bandi. The film reportedly also stars Darshana Rajendran and Sangitha. The film is backed by Vijay Donkada, Sreenivasulu PV, and Sridhar Makkuva under the Anand Media banner. Gopi Sunder composes the music for the film while Mridul Sujith Sen cranks the camera.

Tammannah’s Odela 2 gets a character teaser (Telugu)

The makers of the Tammannah starrer Odela 2 released a character teaser for the actress. Tammannah will be playing the role of Shiva Shakthi in the film and can be seen as a godwoman. The teaser shows the behind the scenes footage of the actress getting ready for a shot, donning her costume, and look for the same.

Odela 2 is written by Sampath Nandi and directed by Ashok Teja and is a sequel to 2022’s Odela Railway Station. The film also stars Hebah Patel and Vasishta Simha, who reprise their roles from the first film. It is backed by D Madhu under the Madhu Creations banner. B Ajaneesh Loknath handles the music while Soundararajan handles the cinematography.

Biju Menon joins the cast of AR Muragadoss-Sivakarthikeyan film (Tamil)

Malayalam actor Biju Menon is reportedly joining the cast of Sivakarthikeyan’s upcoming film SK23. The film, which is directed by AR Muragadoss, also stars Rukmini Vasanth in the lead role. The actor reportedly mentioned that it was a huge film and that he would be occupied with the film for a year.

Siddique joins the cast of Vikram’s Veera Dheeran Sooran (Tamil)

The cast of Vikram’s Veera Dheeran Sooran has added yet another veteran Malayalam actor. After the inclusion of actor Sooraj Venjaramoodu, the makers announced that the film would see veteran Siddique in a supporting role. The actor was last seen in the Tamil film Vendhu Thanindadu Kaadu as one of the antagonists, which starred Simbu.

Veera Dheeran Sooran was written and directed by SU Arun Kumar, who last helmed Chittha. The film is backed by Riya Shibu under the HR Pictures banner. SJ Suryah, Dushara Vijayan, and Sooraj Venjaramoodu also star in the film. Theni Eshwar handles the cinematography while GV Prakash Kumar handles the music.