Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (March 5 - 11)

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.

Vetri Maaran’s Viduthalai-Part 1 drops a trailer (Tamil)

The makers of the Soori and Vijay Sethupathi starrer Viduthalai dropped the trailer for the film. The action-drama follows a police constable Kumaresan, played by Soori and a separatist leader Perumal Vaathiyar played by Sethupathi. The film revolves around a police operation to take down the “People’s Army”, a separatist outfit which resides in the forest and executes coordinated attacks on the police force.

The film seems to posit Perumal and Kumaresan as two sides of the same coin, with different motives. The trailer promises yet another intense Vetri Maaran drama. The film is distributed by Red Giant Movies and has music composed by maestro Ilaiyaraja, with cinematography by R Velraj. The film is set to release on March 31.

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RKFI and Desingh Periyasamy join hands for #STR48 (Tamil)

Silambarasan’s next film will be helmed by Desingh Periyasamy of Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal fame. This is the filmmaker’s second film and his first collaboration with Simbu. Tentatively titled STR48, the film is backed by Kamal Haasan’s RKFI banner with Kamal and R Mahendran producing the film. They are collaborating with Simbu and Desingh for the first time.

The makers released a motion poster on March 9th with a rousing score and a tagline, “Blood and Battle”. The other cast and technical crew members are yet to be announced.

Pa.Ranjith announces a sequel to Sarpatta Parambarai (Tamil)

Director Pa.Ranjith who is currently working on the Chiyaan Vikram starrer Thangalaan announced a sequel to his 2021 sports drama Sarpatta Parambarai. Titled Sarpatta: Round 2, the film features Arya returning in his role as Kabilan. Set in the 1970s, the original focused on the various boxing clans  in North Chennai and the rivalry between them on the ring. The film was a direct-to-OTT release on Amazon Prime Video.

The sequel is being produced by Jatin Sethi of Naad Sstudios. He mentioned that the world of Sarpatta will be experienced in the cinemas this time around. The rest of the details of the cast and crew are yet to be announced.

Vasanth Ravi’s next film gets a title (Tamil)

Vasanth Ravi, of Taramani and Rocky fame recently announced his next film. Touted to be a psychological horror film, it is titled ASVINS. The film was announced with a poster released by music director Anirudh.

The film is directed by debutant Tarun Teja and is produced by BVSN Prasad under the banner Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra (SVCC) with Praveen Daniel attached as a co-producer. The film also stars Vimala Raman, Muralidharan, Saras Menon and others. The technical crew includes Vijay Siddharth composing music, Edwin Sakay as the DOP and Venkat Raajen as the editor.

Vasanth Ravi will also be seen in the Rajinikanth starrer Jailer which is being helmed by Nelson. 

Ravi Teja’s Raavanasura drops a teaser (Telugu)

The makers of Ravi Teja’s next film Raavanasura recently released its first teaser. The crime thriller features Ravi Teja as a lawyer investigating a series of murders while Jayaram plays a cop. The film also stars Anu Emmanuel, Megha Akash, Murali Sharma and Poojita Ponnada. 

The thriller is directed by Sudheer Varma of Saakini Daakini and Swamy Ra Ra fame and co-written with Srikanth Vissa. It is produced by Ravi Teja through his RT Team Works banner and Abhishek Nama's Abhishek Pictures. 

Janhvi Kapoor to star in NTR30 (Telugu)

The makers of Jr.NTR’s 30th film recently announced Janhvi Kapoor as its lead actress. On the occasion of her birthday, the first look poster of her character was released on social media. It is Janhvi Kapoor’s debut in the Telugu film industry.

The untitled film is directed by Koratala Siva and is backed by Sudhakar Mikkilineni and Hariskrishna K under the Yuvasudha Arts banner. It is presented by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. The film’s technical crew includes Anirudh on music, Rathnavel on camera, Sreekar Prasad as the editor and Sabu Cyrill as the art director.

Actor Sree Leela joins NBK108 (Telugu)

Nandamuri Balakrishna’s 108th film just added a new cast member. Actor Sree Leela of Dhamaka fame has been cast for the film. Tentatively titled NBK108, the details of her character have not yet been revealed.

The film is directed by Anil Ravipudi of Sarileru Neekevvaru fame, who announced the news of the casting on his social media handle. The film is produced by Sahu Garapati under Shine Screens Cinemas and also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Trisha, Sarathkumar and Arjun Rampal. Thaman S is providing the music for the film.

New teaser for Kiran Abbavaram’s Meter out (Telugu)

The teaser for Kiran Abbavaram’s next film titled Meter was released recently. The teaser, which runs over a minute, shows Abbavaram’s character as a reckless police officer who also stands up for the right cause. Apart from Kiran Abbavaram, the film also stars Athulya Ravi in her Telugu film debut.

The film is written and directed by Ramesh Kaduri and is produced by Chiranjeevi and Hemalatha Pedamallu under their Clap Entertainment banner. The film is also being presented by Mythri Movie Makers. The technical crew includes Sai Kartheek on music and Venkat C Dileep on camera.

Fahadh Faasil begins shooting for his next (Malayalam)

Fahad Faasil’s next film is a collaboration with Romancham director Jithu Madhavan. The yet-to-be-titled film went on floors this week and is said to be a college-based story. The film is being backed by Anwar Rasheed through Anwar Rasheed Entertainment and Nazriya Nazim Fahadh through the Fahad Faasil and Friends banner. The announcement was made by Nazriya in an instagram post. 

The film is directed by Jithu Madhavan with Sameer Tahir and Sushin Shyam handling cinematography and music respectively.

Shine Tom Chacko to star in Chattuli (Malayalam)

The makers of Chattuli recently revealed the cast of the film. The film will feature Shine Tom Chacko, Jaffer Idukki and Kalabhavan Shajohn in the lead role. Directed by Raaj Babu from a script by Jayesh Mynagapally, the film is produced by Nelson Ipe, Shah Faizy and Sujan Kumar.

The technical crew of the film include Pramod K Pillai as the cinematographer, Ayoob Khan as the editor, with Bijjibal and Justin Philipos handling the music.

Upendra’s Kabzaa drops a trailer (Kannada)

The makers of Upendra's pan-India project Kabzaa dropped the trailer for the film recently. After releasing a few singles from the album composed by Ravi Basrur, the makers released the theatrical trailer for the period action drama. The film starring Upendra, Kichcha Sudeepa, Shriya Saran, Pramodh Shetty and Anoop Revanna is directed by R Chandru of Taj Mahal fame.

The film is produced by R Chandru himself along with Anand Pandit and Alankar Pandian. The makers recently announced that Dr.Shivarajkumar would also play a pivotal role in the film.

Ramesh Aravind’s Shivaji Surathkal 2 gets a release date (Kannada)

Actor Ramesh Aravind’s 103rd film Shivaji Surathkal 2 is gearing up for release on April 12th. The detective mystery is a sequel to 2020’s Shivaji Surathkal: The Case of Ranagiri Rahasya. Co-Written and directed by Akash Srivastava, who also directed the original, this film has been subtitled as The Mysterious Case of Mayavi.

The film is co-written by Akash with Abhijit Y R and is produced by Rekha N and Anup Gowda under Anjanadri Cine Creations. The film also stars Meghana Gaonkar, Radhika Narayan and Raghu Ramanakoppa.

Yuvarajkumar’s debut feature film announced (Kannada)

The makers of Yuvarajkumar’s feature film debut as an actor announced the title and crew of the film recently. Titled Yuva, the film had its pooja ceremony recently. The makers also released a title teaser.

Yuva is backed by Vijay Kiragandur through Hombale Films, the producers behind KGF and Kantara. Directed by Santhosh Ananddram of Rajkumara and Mr and Mrs. Ramachari, the film has music by Ajaneesh B Loknath and cinematography by Sreesha Kuduvalli. The makers also announced that Sapthami Gowda of Kantara fame will be part of the film.