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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 makers of superstar Rajinikanth’s next film Jailer recently announced that filming for the action-comedy has been wrapped. The team released a set picture where the actor is seen with co-star Tammannah and director Nelson along with the rest of the crew. The film is all set to release on August 9.
Apart from Rajinikanth and Tamannaah, Jailer features a star-studded ensemble cast of Dr Shiva Rajkumar, Sunil, Jackie Shroff, Vasanth Ravi, Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan and Mohanlal in a cameo. Written and directed by Nelson, the film is bankrolled by Sun Pictures. Anirudh Ravichander composes the music in his fourth collaboration with Nelson, while Vijay Karthik Kannan handles the cinematography.
Music director Ajaneesh Loknath has been having a dream run with consecutive hits in the form of last year’s Vikrant Rona and Kantara as well as this year’s Virupaksha. Now, the music director has been roped in to compose the music of Upendra’s next directorial UI. The film which has been in production since last year will mark the return of Upendra as a director after Uppi2. Ajaneesh will be collaborating with Upendra for the first time. Produced by G Manoharan’s Lahari Films and KP Sreekanth’s Venus Entertainers, UI features Reeshma Nanaiah, Sunny Leone and Nidhi Subbaiah in pivotal roles.
The makers of the Mahesh Babu starrer released the title announcement teaser for the film. Previously called SSMB28, the action entertainer is now officially titled Guntur Kaaram. The teaser was unveiled on the occasion of his father, the late actor Krishna’s birth anniversary.
Guntur Kaaram is written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas, who reunites with Mahesh Babu for the third time after Athadu (2005) and Khaleja (2010). It also stars Pooja Hegde, Sree Leela, Sunil, Jagapathi Babu, Sunil and Prakash Raj among others. The film is produced by S Radha Krishna of the Haarika & Hassine Creations banner. PS Vinod handles the cinematography while National Award-winning editor Naveen Nooli handles the editing. Music composer Thaman S reunites with Trivikram after Ala Vaikuntapuramlo (2020). Guntur Kaaram will be released in cinemas on January 13 2024.
On the occasion of his birthday, actor Nikhil Siddhartha recently announced the title of his next film Swayambhu. The film will be the 20th venture from the actor who is known for the Karthikeya series and Swamy Ra Ra. The announcement came with a poster that shows Nikhil as a warrior wielding a spear and shield in the middle of a war. The period film will be written and directed by Bharat Krishnamachari. Produced by Bhuvan and Sreekar under Pixel Studios, the film is presented by Tagore Madhu while Vijay Kamisetty along with GT Anand will be co-producing the film. Ravi Basrur handles the music while Manoj Pramahamsa handles the cinematography.
The makers of the Mammootty starrer Bazooka recently unveiled the first look poster of the film. The actor released the poster on his social media handles. The poster sees the actor in a grungy look, sporting long hair tied into a ponytail, standing next to a bike in a garage. The poster shows a different look from the promotional material that has been released so far which included a John Wick-esque announcement poster. The actor is said to be sporting multiple looks in the film.
Directed by Deeno Dennis in his debut, the film also stars Gautam Vasudev Menon in a pivotal role as well as an ensemble cast that includes Shine Tom Chacko, Siddharth Bharthan and VK Prakash. The film is backed by Theater of Dreams along with Yoodlee Films. The technical crew includes Midhun Mukundan as the music director, Nimish Ravi as the cinematographer and Nishad Yusuf as the editor.
Prabhu Deva recently announced that his upcoming film will be titled Petta Rap. The choreographer and actor made the announcement along with a motion poster on his social media handles. The title is a reference to the actor’s popular song from his blockbuster hit Kadhalan (1994). The makers also revealed that Vedika will be playing the female lead in the film, collaborating with Prabhu Deva for the first time.
The film is directed by SJ Sinu, known for his Malayalam films Djibouti and Theru. Petta Rap is backed by Jobi P Sam and is also written Dinil PK. D Imman composes the music while Jithu Damodar handles the cinematographer.
The makers of the Dr Shiva Rajkumar starrer Bhairathi Ranagal recently announced the launch of the film. The film entered production with a formal puja ceremony. The event was attended by actor Shiva Rajkumar, director Narthan and producer Geeta Shivarajkumar.
The film will be a spin-off as well as a prequel to the director’s Mufti, which featured Shivarajkumar in a supporting role as Bhairathi Ranagal. Both the director and the actor mentioned that even after six years, the character remained close to them and hence chose to make the film as a prequel. The film was announced a few months ago amidst speculations that Narthan will be helming Yash’s next film. The rumours were laid to rest with the announcement. Geeta Shivarajkumar will be producing the film under the banner Geeta Pictures. Ravi Basrur and Naveen Kumar will be handling the music and cinematography respectively.
The team of the Udhayanidhi Stalin starrer Maamannan recently held the audio launch event for the film. The event was attended by many popular names in Tamil cinema including Kamal Hassan, Pa Ranjith, Vetri Maaran, Sivakarthikeyan, Pradeep Ranganathan, Vignesh Sivan, Mysskin and H Vinoth among others. One of the guests also included ace director AR Murugadoss, who is known for his films Ghajini (2005), 7aum Arivu (2011), Sarkar (2018) and Darbar (2020). The director in his speech revealed that he would appear in a small cameo role in the film. He also thanked Udhayanidhi Stalin for helping him during the release of Thupakki and 7aum Arivu.
Maamannan is written and directed by Mari Selvaraj in his third directorial after Pariyerum Perumal (2018) and Karnan (2021). It stars Udhayanidhi Stalin, Vadivelu, Fahadh Faasil and Keerthy Suresh. Backed by Stalin under his Red Giant Movies banner, the film features AR Rahman's music while Theni Eshwar handles the cinematography. The makers are aiming for a June release.
Director Dileesh Karunakaran makes a return to the industry with Lovely. He dons the director’s hat nine years after his debut Tamaar Padaar. Lovely stars Mathew Thomas in the lead role. The film was announced with a formal launch event in Thodupuzha.
Noted director Ashiq Abu is making his debut as a cinematographer with the film. Dileesh has collaborated with Abu as a co-writer in films like Salt N Pepper, Maayanadhi and Idukki Gold. Vishnu Vijay will be handling the music while Kiran Das handles the editing. Lovely also stars Manoj K Jayan, KPAC Leela, Radhika and Ashwathy Manoharan. The film is backed by Western Ghats Productions LLP in association with Neni Entertainments Pvt Ltd.
Director Shankar’s Indian 2 finally resumed shooting last year after multiple delays and has been progressing at a quick pace. The team recently revealed that the Cheannai schedule of the Kamal Haasan-starrer was wrapped. The team will be now heading to Los Angeles for the next schedule.
Indian 2 is the sequel to the director’s vigilante 1996 film Indian. The sequel sees Kamal Haasan reprising his iconic role of Senapathi, a patriotic vigilante. Also written by Shankar, the film also stars Sidharth, Bobby Simha, Kajal Agarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Vivek and Priya Bhavani Shankar. Anirudh Ravichander scores the music, replacing AR Rahman from the original and collaborating with Shankar for the first time. R Rathnavelu and Ravi Varman handle the cinematography while Sreekar Prasad handles the editing. The film is backed by Subaskaran of Lyca Productions and Udhayanidhi Stalin under Red Giant Movies.
Abhishek Ambareesh will be returning to the screens with his sophomore effort Bad Manners this month. Directed by Suri, who is known for crime films such as Tagaru, Kaddipudi, Jackie and Duniya, the makers have announced that the cop film will be released on June 23rd. The film has been in production for quite a while and is currently in post-production.
Bad Manners will see Abhishek Ambareesh after his debut Amar. He plays the role of a cop. It also stars Rachita Ram and debutant Priyanka Kumar. Charan Raj provides the music, collaborating with Suri for the third time after Tagaru and Popcorn Monkey Tiger. Shekhar S is handling the cinematography.
After its hugely successful run at the box office, director Jude Anthany Joseph’s 2018 is all set to start streaming. The film will be premiering on Sony LIV on June 7th. Based on the flash floods that struck Kerala in 2018, the film follows several stories of people affected by the floods and presents them in a hyperlink format. The makers revealed that they were inspired by several real-life incidents.
Produced by Venu Kunnappilly, CK Padma Kumar, and Anto Joseph, the film stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Lal, Aparna Balamurali, Kalaiyarasan and Narain, among others. 2018 was released to rave reviews and huge box office numbers, prompting a wide release of dubbed versions across the country.
The makers of the Allu Sirish starrer Buddy recently unveiled a glimpse video, announcing the project. The teaser sees Sirish starring along with a CGI teddy bear which has come to life while a group of masked assailants tries to capture it.
Written and directed by Sam Anton, Buddy also stars Ajmal Amir, Prisha Rajesh Singh, Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Ali. The action comedy is backed by producer KE Gnanavel Raja and Aadhana Gnanavel Raja under the banner Studio Green Films. The production has also specified that this is not a remake of the Arya starter Teddy, which was also produced by them. The video hints at it being part of the same universe. Buddy has music by Hiphop Tamizha and cinematography by Krishnan Vasant.
Director Srikanth Addala, known for films such as Narappa (2021) and Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013) recently announced his next directorial. Titled Peda Kapu 1, the film stars debutant Virat Karrna. Touted to be a political thriller, the announcement was made along with a first-look poster. The poster sees Virat in a rugged look while being surrounded by a huge crowd in what looks like a protest.
Peda Kapu 1 is produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy of Dwaraka Creations, while it is presented by Miryala Satyanarayana Reddy. The technical crew includes cinematography by Chota K Naidu, music composition by Mickey J Meyer, and editing by Marthand K Venkatesh.