Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (March 24 - 30)

Here's a recap of the significant stories in entertainment across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Suriya to collaborate with Karthik Subbaraj for Suriya 44 (Tamil)

Actor Suriya, who is awaiting the release of his fantasy epic Kanguva, recently announced that he would be collaborating with filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj. Tentatively titled Suriya 44, the announcement came with a poster. In a fiery background, a lone tree is seen in the middle of a forest. Carvings on the tree show a heart in the middle, with arrows going through it.

The tagline that reads “Love, laughter, and war” is also carved into the tree. The background also shows a car and a military helmet in the corner. The film is set to be produced by Suriya's 2D Entertainment and Subbaraj's Stone Bench Films. No other cast and crew member has been revealed yet.

First Look of Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film with Rajnikanth out (Tamil)

After the success of Leo, director Lokesh Kanagaraj is all set to collaborate with Rajinikanth in his next. The makers of the film, which is tentatively titled Thalaivar171, announced that the title will be revealed on April 22 along with a title teaser, a tradition when it comes to Kanagaraj’s films since Vikram. The announcement also came with a first-look poster, which sees the superstar in a rugged look, with his hands handcuffed by golden watches. The theme of time and watches goes further as the background seems to be that of the inside of a watch.

The film is backed by Sun Pictures and has Anirudh scoring the music. Regular collaborators Anabariv are the stunt coordinators. The film is set to go on floors this year. Rajinikanth will be next seen in TJ Gnanavel’s Vettaiyan, which has an ensemble cast including Fahadh Faasil and Amitabh Bachchan. Lokesh Kanagaraj also made his acting debut with the music video Inimel, which was sung by Sruthi Haasan and produced by Kamal Haasan.

First single from Ram Charan’s Game Changer released (Telugu)

On the occasion of Ram Charan’s birthday, the makers of his upcoming political thriller Game Changer released the first single from the film. Titled ‘Jaragandi’, the single is composed by Thaman S with Daler Mehndi and Sunidhi Chauhan providing the vocals. The song was accompanied by a lyrical video that showed stills and glimpses from the music video.

Game Changer is directed by Shankar from a story by Karthik Subbaraj. The film is backed by Raju and Shirish under the Sri Venkateshwara Creations banner. The film has an ensemble cast including Kiara Advani, Anjali, SJ Suryah, Sunil, Nassar, Jayaram, Subhalekha Sudhakar and more. Thaman handles the music while S Thirunavukkarasu cranks the camera.

Ramya opts out of Dhananjay’s Uttarakanda (Kannada)

Fans of actress Ramya have been waiting for her comeback to the big screens. Initially set to appear in Rohit Padaki’s gangster drama Uttarakanda, the actress recently announced that she had opted out of the film due to schedule clashes. She also announced that she would be putting her production and acting duties on hold. The film was set to star Dhananjay and Shivarajukumar in lead roles.

Ramya was last seen in a cameo in last year’s Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare. While the actress was supposed to make her production debut and acting comeback in Raj B Shetty’s Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, she was eventually replaced by Siri Ravikumar. Ramya produced the film under her Applebox Studios banner. Uttarakanda is backed by Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj under the KRG Studios banner.

Diganth’s Marigold gets a release date (Kannada)

After the success of Bachelor Party, actor Diganth is all set to return to the big screens with the crime comedy Marigold. The makers of the film recently announced that it would be released in cinemas on April 5. The film is directed by Raghavendra Naik and is backed by Raghuvardhan. It also stars Sangeetha Sringeri of 777 Charlie fame in the lead role.

First look at Jayam Ravi’s Genie out (Tamil)

Jayam Ravi is all set to star in the fantasy entertainer Genie. The makers of the film recently released the first-look poster, which sees Ravi in a new avatar as he portrays the role of djinn. The poster also sees other members of the cast including Wamiqa Gabbi, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Krithi Shetty, and Devayani.

Genie is written and directed by Bhuvanesh Arjunan. The filmmaker mentioned that he had initially envisioned Kamal Haasan to be a part of the film but could not get through to him as he was a debutant. Backed by Ishari K Ganesh’s Vels International, the film has AR Rahman composing the music, while Mahesh Muthuswami handles the cinematography.

Yogi’s Sidlingu 2 officially launched (Kannada)

The cult classic Yogesh starrer Sidlingu is reportedly getting a sequel. The original was known for its quirky dialogues, wonderful performances, and a heartfelt story of a man’s aspiration to buy a vintage car. The makers of the sequel have now officially announced the sequel Sidlingu 2 with Yogi and Sonu Gowda set to star in the lead roles. Sidlingu 2 is written and directed by Vijaya Prasad, who last helmed the Jaggesh-starrer Thothapuri. It is backed by Srihari Reddy under the Niharika Movies banner.

Vishwak Sen’s next gets a title (Telugu)

Vishwak Sen, who was last seen in the adventure thriller Gaami, recently announced his next. The film, which was previously titled VS12, will now be called Laila. The first-look poster of the film showed elements like roses, a makeup kit, eyeliner, and more while also showing contrasting elements such as a gun, a dagger, and a sacrificial goat.

Laila is directed by Ram Narayan from a script by Vasudeva Murthy and is backed by Sahu Garapati under the Shine Creations banner. Tanishk Bagchi handles the music while Richard Prasad cranks the camera.

Fahadh Faasil’s Aavesham gets its third single (Malayalam)

With Aavesham getting nearer to its April 11 release date, the makers of the film released the third single from the Fahadh Faasil starrer. Titled ‘Illuminati’, the song is composed by Sushin Shyam and has vocals by Dabzee. The album previously saw the release of two songs, ‘Jaada’ which had vocals by Sreenath Bhasi, and ‘Galatta’.

Aavesham is directed by Jithu Madhavan and is backed by Faasil, Nazriya Nazam, and Anwar Rasheed under the Fahadh Faasil and Friends and Anwar Rasheed Entertainments banners. Sameer Thahir handles the camera while Sushin Shyam handles the music.

Director Krishand announces his next film (Malayalam)

Filmmaker Krishand seems to be on a roll as he recently announced his next. The filmmaker saw the release of his film Purusha Pretham last year and became known for his indie hit Aavasavyuham. Now, the filmmaker announced his next. Titled Sungsuvinte Sangarsha Ghadana - The Art Of Warfare, the film is reportedly now in post-production.

Sungsuvinte Sangarsha Ghadana - The Art Of Warfare stars Sanup Padaveedan, Vishnu Agasthya, Zhinz Shan and Rahul Rajagopal in lead roles. The film has cinematography by Prayag Mukundan and music by Rajesh Naroth. Krishand has also reportedly finished filming his web series Sambhava Vivaranam Naalara Sangham (The Chronicles Of The 4.5 Gang) which is set to stream on SonyLIV.