Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (14 – 20 August)

From trailers and teasers to new film announcements, here’s a quick recap of the week that went by
Everything That Made News In Entertainment From The South (14 – 20 August)

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.

Pa Ranjith's Natchathiram Nagargiradhu has vignettes of inclusive love stories (Tamil)

A group of theatre artists, including Kalaiarasan, Kalidas Jayaram and Dushara Vijayan, decide to put up a play on love, in keeping with the present times. The trailer opens with these characters discussing their play, further giving us glimpses of their individual love stories that beg the question – what is love?

The Pa Ranjith directorial also stars Hari Krishnan, Vinoth, Subathra Robert, Shabeer Kallarakkal, Regin Rose, Damu and others. While Kishor Kumar has handled the cinematography, Tenma has composed the music and Selva RK has edited the film. It is produced by Vignesh Sundaresan, Manoj Leonel Jahson and Pa Ranjith under the banners of Yaazhi Films and Neelam Productions.

Vijay Devarkonda's Liger gets an emoji on Twitter (Telugu)

Liger, directed by Puri Jagannadh, stars Vijay Devarakonda and Ananya Panday in lead roles. It traces the story of a boxer. The film, which is scheduled to release on August 25, got its own Twitter emoji. Vijay took to Twitter to announce the same and introduced three new hashtags – #Liger, #WaatLagaDenge and #LigerHuntBegins.

The film, which is set to be released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, co-stars Mike Tyson, Vishu Reddy, Ali, Makarand Desh Pandey, and Getup Srinu. The film is produced under the banners Dharma Productions and Puri Connects.

Mohanlal and Prithviraj's Lucifer gets a second part (Malayalam)

Empuraan, the sequel to 2019 hit political thriller Lucifer, has stepped into its pre-production process. The team released an announcement video in which Prithviraj, who directed the first part, said, "Empuraan is officially going on the floor." Producer Antony Perumbavoor wrote on Twitter that the film's script has been locked. 

Like Lucifer, the script of Empuraan is penned by Murali Gopy and will star Mohanlal in the lead role. The rest of the cast, locations, and dates are yet to be decided. The film will be produced under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas. 

Dhruv Vikram enters the independent music space (Tamil)

Dhruv Vikram launched his YouTube channel on Monday, announcing his entry into the independent music space. In his first video titled Dreams, he talks about the influence of music and films in his life. The video also has some clippings from his childhood. Speaking about how he enjoys playing the guitar, the Mahaan actor says, " I'm no big expert, but at times when I strum the chords to my favorite songs or when I try composing in a vibe, I can still experience the magic that I felt during my childhood and my past."

Mahesh Babu's SSMB 28 gets a release date (Telugu)

Mahesh Babu and Pooja Hegde play the lead roles in SSMB 28, which went on floors early this year. It is directed by Ala Vaikunthapuuramuloo fame Trivikram Srinivas. The makers have now revealed the release date through a teaser. Billed as an action entertainer, SSMB 28 is slated to hit the screens on April 28, 2023. The film has music by S Thaman. While PS Vinod is the DOP, Navin Nooli is the editor. 

Mammootty joins hands with B Unnikrishnan for Christopher  (Malayalam)

After his recent venture Aaraattu with Mohanlal, director B Unnikrishnan will be seen teaming up with Mammootty for a thriller titled Christopher. The duo had earlier joined hands for the 2010 release Pramani. The film's tagline reads "Biography of a vigilante cop" and Aishwarya Lekshmi has been roped as the female lead. The script is written by Udaykrishna. Faiz Siddik is roped in as the DOP while Manoj will be handling the editing. The music will be scored by Justin Varghese. 

August 16 1947 is a period drama starring Gautham Karthik and Pugazh (Tamil)

August 16 1947 is written and directed by NS Ponkumar and traces the experience of the village people living in the Madras region in 1947. The teaser gives us glimpses of the village's traditions, the cruel acts of British and their fight for independence, along with a romantic track.

Produced by AR Murugadoss, Om Prakash Bhatt, and Narsiram Choudhary, the film stars Gautham Karthik and Pugazh. It has music by Sean Roldan. Sudharsan R has handled the editing and Selvakumar SK has lensed the film. 

Chathuram feat. Roshan Mathew and Swasika Vijay gets a teaser (Malayalam)

The teaser of Chathuram starring Roshan Mathew and Swasika Vijay depicts a mix of romance and suspense. Even when the couple has intimate conversations, the background score is laced with suspenseful music that hints at something murkier. The teaser gives us glimpses of their romance, dining table conversations, and their game of chess. Towards the end of the teaser, when Swasika wins the game, Roshan says, "This is the first time I have been defeated by a woman."

Chathuram is directed by Sidharth Bharathan. The film co-stars Alencier Lay Lopez, Santhy Balachandran, Leona Lishoy, Jaffar Edukki, Nishanth Sagar and Gilu Joseph. It is produced under the banners of Greenwich entertainments and Yellove Bird productions.

Prabhas-starrer Salaar gets a release date (Telugu)

Helmed by KGF franchise fame Prashanth Neel, Salaar stars Prabhas and Shruti Haasan in lead roles. The makers have announced that the film is scheduled to release on 28 September 2023. This action entertainer is shot in countries such as India, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Reportedly, the film has been budgeted at a whooping Rs 400 crores. Produced by Vijay Kirangandur under the banner of Hombale Films, the film will have a pan-India release. 

Vijay Antony tries to solve a near-perfect crime in Kolai (Tamil)

Vijay Antony's upcoming film Kolai is centered around a seemingly perfect crime. A prominent supermodel is murdered in a locked apartment, leaving the cops aghast. The sleek trailer shows glimpses of Antony solving the case with the help of Ritika Singh. 

Directed by Balaji K Kumari of Vidiyum Munn (2013) fame, the film also co-stars Meenakshi Chaudhary, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Murli Sharma, Siddhartha Shankar, Kishore Kumar, John Vijay, Arjun Chidambaram and Samkit Bohra. The film has music by Girishh Gopalakrishnan and camerawork by Sivakumar Vijayan. The bilingual film will be released in Telugu as Hatya.

Nivin Pauly's Saturday Night first look out (Malayalam)

Billed as a fun entertainer, the makers of Saturday Night released its first-look poster. The film stars Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, Saiju Kurup, and Siju Wilson in lead roles. It is said to be a beautiful tale that explores friendship and love. Nivin Pauly plays Stanley in the film.

Saturday Night is directed by Rosshan Andrews. The script was penned by Naveen Bhasker of ABCD fame. While Aslam K Purayil has cranked the camera, T Shivanandeeshwaran has handled the editing, and Jakes Bejoy has composed the music. 

Yogi Babu's Boomer Uncle poster out (Tamil)

Billed as a dramedy, Boomer Uncle stars Yogi Babu and Robo Shankar in lead roles. Directed by debutant Swadees MS, the film is said to have sci-fi elements and revolves around a heist. In the first character-poster of the film, Yogi Babu is revealed to be Nesam and Robo Shankar, who appears in a Hulk-esque look, is revealed to be Minor Kunju. The film, which was earlier titled Contractor Nesamani, co-stars Oviyaa, MS Bhaskar, Bala, and Thangadurai. 

Tovino Thomas and Madonna Sebastian headline an action thriller titled Identity (Malayalam)

Tovino Thomas has reunited with the directors of Forensic, Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, for an action thriller. Titled Identity, Madonna Sebastian is roped in to play the female lead in the film. Identity will go on floors in 2023 and is set to be shot in Kerala, Bangalore, and Mauritius. Tovino Thomas wrote on Twitter, "It's time to unveil the IDENTITY..! My next one with the Team of Forensic Loading…"

Mansore's 19.20.21 gets a new poster (Kannada)

National Award-winning filmmaker Mansore released a new poster of his next film 19.20.21 on Independence Day. The poster that piqued the interest of the audience features Sampath Maitreya who is tied and beaten up. From the poster, it looks like the film will revolve around police brutality. The film is also based on true events. 

19.20.21 co-stars Balaji Manohar, MD Pallavi, Shrunga, Sampath Maitreya, Avinash, and Krishna Hebbale. The story is penned by Mansore and Veerendra Mallana. Bankrolled by Devraj under the banner D Creations, Bindumalini has scored the music and Bukkesh has composed the background score. Shivu BK Kumar is the DOP and Arumugan is the editor. 

Second poster of Arjun's Theeyavar Kulaigal Nadunga is out (Tamil)

Helmed by debutant Dinesh Lakshmanan, Theeyavar Kulaigal Nadunga stars Arjun and Aishwarya Rajesh in lead roles. Arjun reportedly plays the role of an investigating officer and Aishwarya plays a teacher at a school for children with autism. The second look poster of the film featuring Arjun was released on his birthday by director Venkat Prabhu. While the editing is by Lawrence Kishore, the cinematography is handled by Saravanan Abimanyu. Produced by G Aruk Kumar, the film has music by Bharath Aaseevagan. 

Aparna Balamurali's next Ini Utharam gets a teaser (Malayalam)

Ini Utharam is a crime thriller. The film has the tagline "Every answer has a question." The National Award-winning actress Aparna Balamurali plays the lead who is somehow involved in a crime and the plot seems to center around her.

Directed by Sudheesh Ramachandran, the film co-stars Kalabhavan Shajohn, Harish Uthaman, Sidharth Menon, Chandunadh, Jaffar Idukki, and Siddique. It is produced by Arun and Varun under the banner A&V Entertainments. Ranjith Unni penned the story. While Ravichandran has lensed the film, Hesham Abdul Wahab has scored the music and Jithin DK has edited the film.

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