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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 much-awaited trailer of Mohanlal-starrer Malaikottai Vaaliban was recently released. The Lijo Jose Pellissery directorial consists of gorgeous slow-motion shots that set the period drama. Glimpses of the British army and an oppressive regime are shown while Mohanlal’s wrestler seems to be above it all. The film also shows glimpses of Sonalee Kulkarni’s and Danish Sait’s characters.
Malaikottai Vaaliban is directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and 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 is set to release on January 25.
After the success of his high-octane action entertainer Salaar - Part 1: Ceasefire, Prabhas is all set to enter a lighter zone in director Maruthi’s next film. The makers recently unveiled the title of the family comedy, which is called The Raja Saab. The title announcement was accompanied by a poster that shows Prabhas in a jovial avatar, clad in a shirt and lungi, standing amongst colorful celebrations.
The Raja Saab is backed by TG Vishwa Prasad under the People Media Factory banner along with Vivek Kuchibhotla as the co-producer. It has cinematography by Karthik Palani and music by Thaman S. Malavika Mohanan is set to star as the female lead, making her debut in Telugu cinema. Prabhas will be next seen in the sci-fi thriller Kalki 2898 AD, which is directed by Nag Ashwin and also stars Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, and Amitabh Bachchan.
RJ Balaji is back on the screens with the comedy-drama Singapore Saloon. The makers recently released the film’s official trailer which follows the story of a passionate hairstylist who has to fight all odds to be successful in the business. RJ Balaji’s character plays the role of an engineer-turned-hairstylist who falls in love with the craft as he witnesses a local barber doing a magical job in his childhood.
Singapore Saloon is written and directed by Gokul and is backed by Dr Ishari K Ganesh under the Vels Film International Limited banner. Vivek-Mervin has scored the music while M Sukumar and Selva RK have handled the cinematography and editing, respectively. The film is set to be released on January 25.
After the success of Captain Miller, Dhanush is back on set as he begins filming for his project with ace Telugu director Shekhar Kammula. Tentatively titled DNS, the film went on floors earlier today with a formal puja ceremony. The announcement was made by the production banner Sri Venkateswara Cinemas LLP. The film would be Dhanush’s second original Telugu film after last year’s Sir.
The film is directed by Sekhar Kammula, who is known for the films Love Story and Fidaa. It also stars Rashmika Mandanna and Nagarjuna in pivotal roles. Details regarding the rest of the cast and crew are yet to be revealed.
Vasishta N Simha is all set to appear as the lead in a crime drama titled VIP. The title is reportedly an abbreviation of Vengence In Progress, according to the director Brahma. The team has reportedly finished filming 75% of the movie and will be wrapping soon. The film also stars Afzal, who also serves as an executive producer, Thejaswini Sharma, and Sparsha Rekha. VIP is directed by Brahma and is backed by Kalashrushti Productions. Raghavan Karthik handles the music while Rajeev Ganeshan handles the cinematography.
Actor Nagabhhushan recently announced his next film after the runaway hit Tagarupalya. Collaborating with producer and friend Dhananjaya again, the actor will be starring in the film Vidyapati. The makers released the title poster on the occasion of Sankranthi, which sees Naagabhushan portray a fiery man in a karate suit while some men fly behind him.
Vidyapati is directed by Esham and Haseen Khan, who previously erected Nagabhushan’s lockdown comedy Ikkat. It is backed by Dhananjaya under his Daali Pictures banner. Murali handles the cinematography while DossMode provides the music.
Prajwal Devaraj has a busy lineup of films. He recently announced his second collaboration with his Mafia director Lohith H in the film Rakshasa. Borrowing the title from Shivarajkumar’s iconic film, the film’s first look poster was released recently. It is set in a fiery arena, where there seems to be an atmosphere of war. We see a lone arm that has the tattoo of Pablo Escobar’s infamous mug shot, as it holds a gun. A child’s hand is also seen holding the protagonist’s hand for protection.
Rakshasa is written and directed by Lohith H and is backed by Deepu BS along with Naveen and Manasa K under the Shanvi Entertainments banner. Jebin P Jacob handles the cinematography while Nobin Paul provides the music. No cast details have been revealed yet.
Prithviraj and Basil Joseph are all set to collaborate for the first time as actors in the comedy Guruvayoor Ambala Nadayil. The film is directed by Vipin Das, who is known for his film Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, which also starred Basil Joseph and Darshana Rajendran. The makers of the film recently released the first look poster which shows the film’s ensemble cast which also includes Anaswara Rajan, Nikhila Vimal, Yogi Babu, Jagadish, Rekha, Baiju, Kottayam Ramesh, Irshad, PP Kunhikrishnan, and Siju Sunny among others.
The film is written by Deepu Pradeep and is backed by Prithviraj Productions and E4 Entertainment. Neeraj Revi handles the cinematography while Ankith Menon handles the music.
After its theatrical success, Mohanlal’s courtroom drama Neru will be streaming on Disney + Hotstar from January 23. The film was released to positive response and acclaim all around on December 21, 2023. It featured Mohanlal as an advocate who defends a visually challenged rape survivor. The film is directed by Jeethu Joseph, in his fifth collaboration with Mohanlal.
Neru is backed by Anthony Perumbavoor under the Aashirvad Cinemas banner. The film also stars Priyamani, Anaswara Rajan, Ganesh Kumar, and Jagadish. Satheesh Kurup and VS Vinayak handle the cinematography and editing respectively while Vishnu Shyam handles the music.
Rakshit Shetty’s Kirik Party (2016) was a landmark film in providing a wholesome entertainer to the Kannada audience. Now, Shetty promises an equally fun comedy with the upcoming Diganth Manchale starrer Bachelor Party. The makers of the film released the official trailer of the film which is set to be released in cinemas on January 26.
Bachelor Party is written and directed by Abhijith Mahesh in his directorial debut. The film is backed by Rakshit Shetty under his Paramvah Studios banner. It stars Diganth, Yogi, Achyuth Kumar, Siri Ravikumar, Achara Kirk, Shine Shetty, Prakash Thumminadu, and Balaji Manohar. Aravind S Kashyap handles the cinematography while Arjun Ramu provides the music and background score.
Sivakarthikeyan’s latest sci-fi comedy Ayalaan recently released to positive responses. The makers announced that the alien comedy would be getting a Telugu dubbed release on January 26. Ayalaan is the third Telugu dubbed film for the actor after Varun Doctor and Mahaveerudu.
Ayalaan is written and directed by R Ravikumar and is backed by RD Raja and Kotapadi Rajesh under the KJR Studios and 24 AM Studios banners. Apart from Sivakarthikeyan, the film also stars Rakul Preet Singh, Yogi Babu, Karunakaran, Sharad Kelkar, and Isha Kopikar among others. Prominent actor Siddharth provided the voice of the alien. AR Rahman scores the music for the film while Nirav Shah and Ruben handle the cinematography and editing.
After a prosperous 2023 with films like Khushi and Dasara getting a Netflix release, the streaming platform announced their slate of post-theatrical releases for 2024. The giant has bagged the rights for biggies such as Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule and Jr. NTR’s next Devara Part 1. The streaming giant announced on Makara Sankranthi that twelve biggies would be released on the platform.
Other films include Vijay Devarakonda’s project with Gautham Thinnannuri, titled VD12, Vishwak Sen’s Gangs of Godavari, Nandamuri Balakrishna’s NBK109, Tillu Square, Allu Sirish’s Buddy, and Bommarillu Bhasker’s next with Siddhu Jonnalagada. The platform is also set to stream Prabhas’ Salaar on January 20.
Soori is all set to appear as a lead again after the success of Viduthalai Part 1. He seems to be in a Vetri Maaran world again in the film Garudan, which is helmed by Durai Senthilkumar. The makers of the film recently unveiled the first look poster of the film which sees Soori standing amongst two heads of a village, portrayed by Sasikumar and Unni Mukundan.
Garuan is directed by Durai Senthikumar, who also wrote the screenplay from a story by Vetrimaaran. It also stars Samuthirakani, Sshivada Nair, Revathi Sharma, Mime Gopi, and Rajendran. It is backed by K Kumar under Lark Studios and has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and cinematography by Arthur A Wilson.
Celebrating the auspicious occasion of Pongal, the streaming giant Netflix announced their huge slate of Tamil films set for a post-theatrical release. The platform announced that nine upcoming biggies from Tamil cinema would be streaming on Netflix.
These include Kamal Haasan's upcoming sequel Indian 2 which is helmed by Shankar, the Ajith Kumar starrer Vidamuyarchi directed by Magizh Thirumeni, the upcoming Sivakarthikeyan starrer SK21 that is directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy, and the Vikram-Pa Ranjith collaboration Thangalaan.
Other films that will be streaming on the platform are the Santhanam starring horror comedy Conjuring Kannappan, Vijay Sethupathi's Maharaja, the Keerthy Suresh starrer Revolver Rita, and RJ Balaji's Sorgavaasal.
Vishnu Vishal will be starring along with Vikranth in the sports drama Lal Salaam. The film is directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth and will star Superstar Rajinikanth in an extended cameo role. Vishal recently announced that he had finished dubbing for his portions for Lal Salaam. He mentioned that he was ‘in awe of Thalaivar’s performance’ in the film and assured fans that the film would be a treat to watch. Rajinikanth plays the role of Moideen Bhai in the film.
Lal Salaam is written and directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth. It is backed by Subaskaran under the Lyca Productions banner. KS Ravikumar, Vignesh, Senthil, and Thambi Ramiah also feature in supporting roles. The film has music by AR Rahman while Vishnu Rangasamy handles the cinematography. The film is all set to release on February 9.