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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 the horror film Chandramukhi 2 have announced that the release of the film will be postponed. The Raghava Lawrence starrer was initially scheduled to be released on September 15 but has been postponed to September 28 due to technical delays. There are a slew of other Tamil films like Chittha, Iraivan, Parking, and Ratham which are slated to hit the screens on the same day.
Chandramukhi 2 is written and directed by P Vasu, who also directed the first film, which starred Rajinikanth in the lead role. The film also features Kangana Ranaut, Vadivelu and Radhika Sarathkumar among others. The film is backed by Lyca Productions and the technical crew consists of Academy Award-winning music composer MM Keeravani and cinematographer RD Rajasekar.
The makers of Mammootty’s next film Kannur Squad released the trailer of the film on the occasion of his birthday. The police procedural follows a nationwide manhunt led by four police officers from Kerala. The film also shows the psychological effects of the manhunt on the police officers who have to deal with obstacles both from within and outside the system. Mammootty plays an ASI agent.
Kannur Squad is directed by debutante Roby Varghese Raj, who was a cinematographer. It is bankrolled by Mammootty under his Mammootty Kampany banner. Sushin Shyam is the music composer while Rahil is the cinematographer.
In July, actor Kamal Haasan announced that he would be collaborating with director H Vinoth of Valimai and Thunivu fame on a film. Tentatively titled KH233, the film will be bankrolled by Haasan’s Raaj Kamal Films International, with him being the producer along with R Mahendran. Now, the makers have released a new update. In a short video on Instagram, the makers revealed that Kamal Haasan has begun tactical training for the film. It shows Haasan in an arms range and practising shooting with multiple guns, even handling shotguns and machine guns. KH233 will be Kamal Haasan’s next film after the release of Shakar’s Indian 2.
On the occasion of Mammootty’s birthday, the makers of his film Bramayugam released another poster. The second poster which reveals the entire look of his character has captured the attention of audiences for his devilish smile. The actor reportedly plays a sorcerer in the film and has dark shades.
Bramayugam is directed by Rahul Sadasivan of Bhoothakalam fame and is said to be a folk horror story. It is produced by Night Shift Studios, a new banner of Y Not Studios that focuses on horror films. Bramayugam is set to be released in early 2024.
Nikhil Siddhartha’s period film Swayambhu recently went on floors. It is billed as the actor’s highest-budget film to date and will see him play a warrior. The makers recently revealed that the actor has headed to Vietnam to train for the action sequences in the film. Nikhil is set to be trained in weapons, horse-riding, and martial arts by the best trainers in Saigon.
Swayambhu is directed by Bharath Krishnamachari and produced by Bhuvan and Sreekar under the banner Pixel Studios. Manoj Paramahamsa of Beast and Leo fame will be handling the cinematography for the film while Ravi Basrur is the music director.
The makers of the romantic drama Banadariyalli recently released the trailer of the film. The trailer was launched in a star-studded event in Bangalore, where lead actors Ganesh, Rukmini Vasanth and Reeshma Naniah were present. The trailer opens with Ganesh, Rangayana Raghu, and Reeshma Naniah on a safari in Africa where they come across the local tribes. The trailer hints at Ganesh’s character being haunted by the loss of his partner, with the trip possibly acting as a journey of healing.
Banadariyalli is produced by Sri Vaare Talkies and has music by Arjun Janya. Abhilash Kalathi is the cinematographer of the film. The film is written by Gubbi along with noted cinematographer Preetha Jayaraman, who last lensed the Fahad Faasil starrer Dhoomam. Banadariyalli is all set to be released on September 28.
After the postponement of the Prabhas starrer Salaar, many Telugu films have taken up the September 28 release spot. Tha makers of the Ram Pothineni starrer Skanda have also decided to release the film on September 28. It was initially slated to hit the screens on September 15.
Skanda is directed by Boyapati Srinu and will be the director’s first collaboration with Ram Pothineni. The film also stars Sreeleela, Saiee Manjrekar, Prince Cecil, Sharath Lohitashwa, and Gautami. It is backed by Srinivasaa Chitturi under the Shine Silver Screens banner in association with Zee Studios. Thaman S has composed the music while Santosh Detake has handled the cinematography.
Actor Mandira Bedi is all set to make her Malayalam debut with Identity. The film stars Tovino Thomas and Trisha in lead roles, with Doctor fame Vinay Rai playing the antagonist. Director Akhil Paul announced that Mandira Bedi will be playing a powerful role in the film.
Identity is directed by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan. Ragam Movies and Raju Malliath are backing the film in association with Century Kochumon, while Akhil George lenses the film. Identity is Tovono Thomas’ second collaboration with the directors after Forensic.
Actor Siddharth will be next seen playing the titular character in Chithha, which is short for ‘chithappa’ (father’s brother). The teaser for the film gives a sneak peek into the self-contained world of the rarely explored relationship between an uncle and his niece. The film is directed by SU Arun Kumar of Sethupathi fame and is backed by Siddharth’s Ekati Productions. It stars Siddharth along with Nimisha Sajayan and Anjali Nair. It features music by Dhibu Ninan Thomas and cinematography by Balaji Subramanyam. The film is set to be released on September 28.
Nagashekar, who recently announced that he will be directing the sequel to his blockbuster tragic romance Sanju Weds Geetha, has revealed that he would be helming his most ambitious project next. The film is said to be titled Bhima Koregaon and will be based on a real-life battle that occurred in the 1800s. Nagashekar has mentioned that this was a dream project for him. Bhima Koregaon is produced by Chalavadi Kumar and the film is expected to go on floors early next year.
Soundarya Rajinikanth is all set to produce a web series for Amazon Prime Video. Titled Gangs, the series is directed by Noah Abraham and stars Ashok Selvan. Abraham was an assistant to Soundarya Rajinikanth for the film Velai Illa Pattathari-2. The team recently started shooting after taking the blessings of superstar Rajinikanth.
The makers of the Dhyan Sreenivasan starrer Nadikalil Sundari Yamuna have released the trailer of the film. The rural comedy also features Srinivasan’s frequent co-star Aju Varghese and sees both the characters in a race to get married first.
Nadikalil Sundari Yamuna is written and directed by debutants Vijesh Panathoor and Unni Vellara. It is backed by Vilas Kumar and Simi Murali with Arun Muralidharan and Faial Ali handling the music and cinematography, respectively. The film is set to be released on September 15.
The makers of the Sudheer Babu starrer Maama Mascheendra have announced that the film will be released on October 8. Directed by actor-turned-screenwriter Harshavardhan (in his directorial debut), the film features Sudheer Babu in three distinct avatars. It also stars Mirnalini Ravi and Eesha Rebba.
Maama Mascheendra is backed by Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under the Sree Venkateshwara Creations LLP banner. It has music by Chaitan Bharadwaj and cinematography by PJ Vinda. The film is all set to be released in Hindi and Telugu.
Director Vijaya Prasad has revealed that he is currently working on the script for the sequel of his classic film Sidlingu. The coming-of-age film was a critical success upon release and has since been regarded as a cult hit. The film starred Yogesh in the starring role as he tries to follow his dream of buying a car.
Prasad mentioned that Sidlingu 2 was in its final stages of scripting and would go on floors in October or November. Yogesh is said to return as the titular Sidlingu and is expected to go on an even more profound journey. The actor is reportedly putting on weight for the role and is growing out his hair and beard. The director has also mentioned that actress Suman Ranganath, who starred in the first film, will also reprise her role in the sequel.