Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (August 19 - 26)

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.

Rajinikanth’s Jailer crosses 500 crores at the box office (Tamil)

The makers of the recently released blockbuster Jailer have announced that the film has grossed over ₹525 crores at the box office worldwide. The Rajinikanth starrer made waves upon release on August 10 and has been going strong. The other films that have crossed the ₹500 crore mark in Tamil cinema are Rajinikanth's own 2.0 and Mani Ratnam's historic epic Ponniyin Selvan - I. 

Jailer is written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. Backed by Sun Pictures, the film is presented by Kalanithi Maran. It also features Vinayakan, Vasanth Ravi, Ramya Krishnan, Tammannah, and Sunil while Mohanlal and Shivarajkumar make cameo appearances. Anirudh composes the music while Vijay Karthik Kannan handles the cinematography.

Kadaisi Vivasayi and Iravin Nizhal represent Tamil cinema at the National Awards (Tamil)

The 69th National Film Awards were announced this week. The awards took into consideration films that obtained their CBFC certificate in 2021. From Tamil cinema, two films made the waves. Director Manikandan's Kadaisi Vivasayi won the Best Tamil Feature Film, while Shreya Ghoshal won the award for Best Female Playback Singer for the R Parthiban directorial Iravin Nizhal. The late actor and farmer Shri Nallandi, who starred in Kadaisi Vivasayi also received the Special Mention award.

777 Charlie wins at the National Awards (Kannada)

The 69th National Film Awards were announced earlier this week, considering films that obtained their CBFC certificate in 2021. In the Kannada film industry, the Rakshit Shetty starrer 777 Charlie was awarded the Best Kannada Feature. The film follows the story of a lonely factory worker whose life turns around when a dog enters his life. The drama was unanimously appreciated upon release and earned over ₹100 crores at the box office. 777 Charlie is written and directed by Kiranraj K in his directorial debut. It stars Rakshit Shetty, Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B Shetty, and Bobby Simha. Produced by Rakshit Shetty under the Paramvah Studios banner, the film has music by Nobin Paul and cinematography by Arvind Kashyap.

Arya and Gautham Karthik starrer Mr.X starts shooting (Tamil)

The makers of the multi-starrer Mr X announced that the film has gone on floors. The espionage thriller stars Arya, Gautham Karthik, and Manju Warrier in lead roles. The film will be Manju Warrier’s third Tamil feature film after Asuran and Thunivu.

The film also features actress Anagha of Bheeshma Parvam fame, along with Sarathkumar. It is written and directed by Manu Anand, who made his debut with the Vishnu Vishal starrer FIR. Dhibu Ninan Thomas composes music while Tanveer Mir and GK Prasanna handle the cinematography and editing, respectively.

Santhanam’s DD Returns  gets an OTT release date (Tamil)

After its success at the box office, the makers of the Santhanam starrer DD Returns announced its OTT release date. The horror comedy will be streaming on Zee5 from September 1. The film is directed by S Prem Anand and is backed by RK Entertainment. OfRo and Rohit Abraham handle the music. The film’s ensemble cast includes actors Santhanam, Surbhi, Redin Kingsley, Lollu Sabha Maaran, Pradeep Rawat, Masoom Shankar, FEFSI Vijayan, Rajendran, and Munishkanth.

Allu Arjun and RRR win big at the National Awards (Telugu)

After winning big in the international circuit, including the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, RRR won big at the home ground as well. RRR received six national awards including, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Music Direction (Background Music) for MM Keeravaani, Best Male Playback Singer for Kala Bhairava, Best Choreography for Prem Rakshith, Best Choreography for Srinivas Mohan, and Best Stung Choreography for King Solomon.

Another film that raked in the big ones was the pan-Indian sensation Pushpa: The Rise. Allu Arjun won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of the titular Pushpa in the period crime film. Devi Sri Prasad won the National award for Best Music Director (Songs) for Pushpa. The Vijay Sethupathi starrer Uppena won the Best Telugu Feature award.

Chiranjeevi announces his next two films (Telugu)

After the release of Bhola Shankar, Mega Star Chiranjeevi has announced his next two films. His next, which is tentatively titled Mega 156, was launched on the occasion of his birthday. The film will be produced by his daughter Sushmitha Konidela under the GoldBox Entertainments banner. While no director or other cast members have been announced yet, there are speculations that the film is a remake of the Malayalam film Bro Daddy, which featured Prithviraj Sukumaran, Mohanlal, and Kalyani Priyadarshan in lead roles.

The actor also announced his next film Mega 157. The fantasy film will be directed by Vassishta of Bimbisara fame and will be backed by UV Creations. The announcement came with a poster that showed the five elements along with birthday wishes for the actor.

Dhananjaya reunites with Badava Rascal director (Kannada)

On the occasion of his birthday earlier this week, the makers of the Daali Dhananjaya’s next film unveiled its official title. Directed by Shankar Guru, the film is titled Anna From Mexico. The actor had previously collaborated with Shankar Guru on the runaway hit Badava Rascal, which Dhananjaya had also produced under his Daali Pictures banner.

The film is produced by Satya Rayala. Badava Rascal collaborator Vasuku Vaibhav returns to compose the music for the film, while SK Rao handles the cinematography. Dhananjaya’s frequent co-star Nagabhushana is also set to appear in a supporting role.

Trailer of Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty out (Telugu)

Anushka Shetty and Naveen Polishetty starrer Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty received its trailer. The trailer shows the former as a focused chef while the latter is a happy-go-lucky stand-up comic. The significant age difference between the two as well as a plot point focussed on surrogacy seems to be the central theme of the film.

Debutant Mahesh Babu P directs the film while UV Creations produce the romantic comedy. Nasser, Keshav Deepak, Jayasudha, and Murali Sharma also feature in the cast. Radhan composes the music of the film while Nirav Shah handles the cinematography. The film is set to release on September 7.

Vineeth Srinivasan wraps filming his next (Malayalam)

The makers of the Vineeth Srinivasan starrer Oru Jaathi Oru Jaathakam have announced that the team has wrapped up filming. Director M Mohanan reunites with Srinivasan after Aravindante Athidihikal. The film is written by Rakesh Montodi, who is known for Godha, and is backed by Maha Subaair under the Varnachithra Films banner. It also stars Aju Varghese and Mridul Nair.

Nayattu and Home win big at the National Awards (Malayalam)

The 69th National Film Awards saw three films from Malayalam cinema winning big. The Kunchacko Boban, Joju George, and Nimisha Sajayan starrer Nayattu won the Best Original Screenplay award. The crime drama was written by Shahi Kabir and directed by Martin Prakkat. The feel-good drama #Home won the Best Malayalam Feature award. Directed by Rojin Thomas, Home starred Indrans, Sreenath Bassi, Naslen K Gafoor, Manju Pillai, and Deepa Thomas. Indrans also received a Special Mention award.

Krishand’s Aabasavyuham: The Arbit Documentation of An Amphibian Hunt was awarded the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Prevention at the National Awards. The sci-fi comedy was directed by Krishand and released on SonyLIV.

Mohanlal completes first schedule of Vrushabha (Malayalam)

Actor Mohanlal announced on his social media that the schedule of his pan-Indian film Vrushabha has wrapped filming. The film is a Telugu and Malayalam bilingual and will be dubbed and released in other languages. Directed by Nanda Kishore, the film also stars Shanaya Kapoor, Roshan Meka, Ragini Dwivedi, and Zara Khan. Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor produce the film under the Balaji Telefilms banner, along with First Step Films and Connekkt Media. Mohanlal is all set to appear in Malaikottai Vaaliban, Neru, Ram, and Empuran. He was last seen in a cameo appearance in Rajinikanth’s Jailer.

Meghana Raj starrer Tatsama Tadbhava gets a release date (Kannada)

Actor Meghana Raj is all set to make her comeback to the big screen with the thriller Tatsama Tadbhava. The makers have now announced that the film will be releasing on September 15. Directed by Vishal Atreya, the thriller shows Raj’s character trying to find her missing husband. Prajwal Devaraj is set to star in an extended cameo. Director Pannaga Bharana is producing the film under the PBStudios4 banner. Vasuki Vaibhav scores the music while Srinivas Ramiah handles the cinematography.

Mathew Thomas wraps filming for Lovely (Malayalam)

The makers of the Mathew Thomas starrer Lovely have announced that filming has been wrapped. Directed by Dileesh Karunakaran, who is known for Tamaar Padaar, the film stars Manoj K Jayan, KPAC Leela, Radhika, and Ashwathy Manoharan. Backed by Western Ghat Productions and Neni Entertainments, the film’s technical crew consists of Ashiq Abu as the cinematographer, Vishnu Vijay as the music director, and Kiran Das as the editor.

Dr Shivarajkumar’s Ghost gets a release date (Kannada)

The makers of the action-crime film Ghost announced that the film will be released on October 19. Directed by MG Srinivas, the film was been one of the most anticipated films of Kannada cinema ever since the release of its motion poster and teaser.

Ghost stars Shivarajkumar, Jayaram, Anupam Kher, Archana Jois, and Prashanth Narayanan. It is produced by Sandesh Nagaraj under Sandesh Productions, and has music by Arjun Janya, with cinematography by Mahendra Simha. Ghost will be a pan-Indian release, with simultaneous releases in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam.

Dhananjaya’s Uttarakaanda gets a special teaser (Kannada)

On the occasion of actor Dhananjaya’s birthday, the makers of the crime film Uttarakaanda released a special teaser for the film. Centered around the character of Daali Dhananjaya named Gabru Sathya, the teaser shows one scene where the character is let go after being detained by the police on his birthday. Filmed in long takes, the video shows the darkly quirky tone of the film while establishing that the film is set in the North Karnataka region.

Uttarakaanda is written and directed by Rohit Padaki, who reunites with Dhananjaya after Ratnan Prapancha. Karthik Gowda and Yogi Raj produce the film under their KRG Studios banner. The film also stars Ramya, who returns to the silver screen as a leading lady after a long hiatus, and Diganth Manchale. Charan Raj composes the music for the film while Advaitha Gurumurthy handles the cinematography.