Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (September 23 - 30)

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.

Prabhas’ Salaar gets a new release date (Telugu)

Actor Prabhas’ action entertainer Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire was earlier slated to hit the screens on September 28. However, the makers of the film had mentioned that the release date had been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. Now, Hombale Films, the production house behind the mass entertainer has announced that the film will be released on December 22. Salaar will be clashing with Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki.

Audio Launch for Leo cancelled, makers release second single (Tamil)

Earlier this week, the makers of Thalapathy Vijay’s Leo announced that a public audio launch event would not be taking place due to excessive requests for passes and logistical issues. While the news disappointed fans, the makers released the second single from the film’s soundtrack later this week. Titled ‘Badass’, the song is composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

Leo is an action film that is written and directed by Lokesh Kannagaraj. The film stars an ensemble cast including Vijay, Trisha, Arjun Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Priya Anand, Mysskin, Anurag Kashyap and Mansoor Ali Khan. The film is backed by SS Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palaniswamy under the Seven Screen Studios banner. It has music by Anirudh Ravichander, cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa, and editing by Philomin Raj. The film is all set to be released on October 19.

Kunchacko Boban’s Chaaver gets a new release date (Malayalam)

Initially supposed to be out on September 21, the Kunchacko Boban starrer Chaaver had its release date postponed to September 28. However, the makers had postponed the release once again. Now, they have announced that the film will finally hit the screens on October 5. Directed by Tinu Pappachan, Chaaver is a thriller, which is written by Joy Mathew of Uncle fame. Boban stars along with Arjun Ashokan and Anthony Varghese. The film is backed by Arun Narayan and Venu Kunnappilly, while Jinto George has lensed the film. Justin Varghese has composesd the music.

First look of Arun Vijay in Bala’s Vanangaan out (Tamil)

Vanangaan has now been relaunched with director Bala himself producing the film along with Suresh Kamatchi under the B Studios and V House Productions banners. The film has music by GV Prakash Kumar, while Balasubramaniem and Satish Surya handle the cinematography and editing respectively.

Nirup Bhandari to play a cameo in Diganth’s Edegaiye Apagathakke Kaarana (Kannada)

Actor Diganth Manchale will be next seen in the film Edegaiye Apagathakke Kaarana. The makers recently wrapped up the film’s shooting. The makers have also announced that Rangitaranga star Nirup Bhandari will be making an extended cameo appearance in the film. Bhandari was last seen in Kichcha Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona which was directed by his brother Anup Bhandari.

Edegaiye Apagathakke Kaarana is directed by Samarth B Kadkol in his debut. It also stars Dhanu Harsha. It is produced by Kadkol along with Gurudata Ganiga. The film has music by Paraddyottan and cinematography by Abhimanyu Sadanandan.

Sivakarthikeyan Teams Up with AR Murugadoss for 'SK23'

On September 25, Sivakarthikeyan announced that he will be joining hands with AR Murugadoss for his next film, tentatively titled SK23. On the occasion of the director's birthday, the actor took to Twitter to wish him and shared a few images.

SK23 will mark the comeback of director Murugadoss, who has been on a three-year hiatus after helming Rajinikanth's Darbar (2020). Interestingly, Murugadoss had penned the script and co-produced Sivakarthikeyan's Maan Karate in 2014. SK23 will be bankrolled by Sri Lakshmi Movies.

N Balakrishna wraps filming for Bhagvanth Kesari (Telugu)

Nandamuri Balakrishna is teaming up with director Anil Ravipudi for the mass entertainer Bhagvanth Kesari. The makers have revealed that the film has finally wrapped shooting. The film co-stars Kajal Aggarwal, Sreeleela, Sarathkumar, and Arjun Rampal. It is backed by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under the Shine Screens banner and has music by Thaman S. C Ram Prasad acts as the cinematographer while Tammi Raju is the editor. The film is set to be released on October 19.

Saptha Sagaradache Ello - Side B gets a new release date (Kannada)

The makers of the romantic drama Saptha Sagaradache Ello have announced that the second part of the film, Side B will be released a week later on October 27. The earlier release date of the film was on October 20. No reasons were provided for the postponement. However, a few other big films are expected to be released on Leo and Dr. Shivarajkumar’s Ghost.

SSE: Side B stars Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth, along with Achyuth Kumar, Chaithra J Achar, Ramesh Indira, and Gopalkrishna Deshpande. The film is supposed to take place ten years after Side A. It is written and directed by Hemant Rao and is backed by Shetty under his Paramvah Studios banner. It has cinematography by Advaitha Gurumurthy and music by Charan Raj. SSE: Side A is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

First look of Anukreethy Vas in Tiger Nageswara Rao out (Telugu)

The makers of Ravi Teja’s upcoming entertainer Tiger Nageswara Rao recently released the character poster of actress Anukreethy Vas. She will be playing the role of Jayavani in the Vamsee directorial. The makers also released the poster of actor Sudev Nair, who will be playing Kasi.

Tiger Nageswara Rao co-stars Nupur Sanon, Murali Sharma, Gayatri Bharadwaj, Anupam Kher, and Renu Desai. It is backed by Abhishek Aggarwal under the Abhishek Aggarwal Arts banner, while GV Prakash Kumar handles the music.

Tovino Thomas’ 2018 is India’s official entry to the Oscars (Malayalam)

Director Jude Anthany Joseph’s survival drama 2018 has been selected as this year’s official entry to the Oscars from India. The Tovino Thomas starrer was based on the Kerala floods of 2018 and was released earlier this year to great commercial success and critical acclaim. The film earned over ₹200 crores at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. It also stars Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali, and Vineeth Srinivasan. 2018 is the fourth Malayalam film to be selected as India’s official entry. The last film was Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu.

Jayaram’s Abraham Ozler gets a release window (Malayalam)

The makers of the upcoming Malayalam film Abraham Ozler announced that the thriller will hit the screens this Christmas. Touted to be a mystery thriller, the film stars Jayaram as a cop. The film seems to explore the life of Jayaram’s Ozler as he tries to catch a serial killer who is at large in Trichur.

Directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, of Aadu and Anjaam Pathiraa fame, the film co-stars Arjun Ashokan, Anaswara Rajan, Saiju Kurup, Arya Salim, and Senthil Krishna. It has cinematography by Theni Eswar and is written by Randheer Krishnan. Manuel Thomas has bankrolled the film along with Irshad M Hassan. The film has music by Midhun Mukundan.

Yash meets with stunt choreographer JJ Perry, raises speculations about Yash 19 (Kannada)

After the momentous success of KGF: Chapter 2, fans of star Yash have been speculating about his next venture Yash 19. While no announcements have yet been made, it has been widely speculated that he would be collaborating with Moothon director Geetu Mohandas for his next.

Recently, Yash and his team reportedly met ace Hollywood stunt coordinator JJ Perry in London, and it is speculated that it was for Yash 19. Perry is a stunt coordinator who is known for films such as John Wick: Chapter 2, and The Fate of the Furious, and has also directed the Jamie Foxx starrer Day Shift.  Perry posted a picture with Yash on his Instagram, which has led to these speculations.

Vijay Devarakonda wraps 50% shoot for VD13 (Telugu)

The makers of Vijay Deverakonda’s next film have announced that the team has completed 50% of the shooting process. Tentatively titled VD 13, the film reunites Deverakonda with his Geetha Govindam director Parasuram. The film also stars Mrunal Thakur in her third Telugu film after Sita Ramam and Hi Nanna. The film is backed by Dil Raju under the Sree Venkateswara Creations banner. Gopi Sundar is composing the music for the film. It is all set to release for Sankranti 2024.

Sundar C announces Aranmanai 4 with Tammannah Bhatia (Tamil)

The Aranmanai franchise is a series of horror-comedy films that are directed by Sundar C. After the success of the first three parts, Sundar C has now announced the fourth installment of the franchise, titled Aranamanai 4. The horror comedy is set to star Tammannah Bhatia, Raashii Khanna, and Yogi, with the latter two reappearing in the franchise. The announcement came with the first-look poster which shows a woman entering a haunted mansion along with her two children. The makers revealed that the film will be released for Pongal 2024.

Vijay Antony announces his next titled Hitler (Tamil)

The makers of actor Vijay Antony’s next film announced the title. The film is titled Hitler and will be an action thriller. It is directed by Dhana. The announcement was accompanied by a motion poster that shows Antony in an action sequence set in a moving train over a bridge. The film also stars Riya Suman and Gautam Vasudev Menon. It is backed by Chendur Films International and has music by Viven and Mervin. Naveen Kumar will crank the camera while Sanagathamizhan E is the editor.