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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.
At the ongoing San Diego Comic-Con, the makers of Prabhas' Project K unveiled the film's first glimpse and also revealed that the project is now titled Kalki 2898 AD. Set in a dystopian world, the modern mythological epic seems to unfold amidst a war.
Written and directed by Nag Ashwin, the sci-fi actioner co-stars Deepika Padukone, Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan and Disha Patani. Santhosh Narayanan has composed the music for the film while Djordje Stojiljkovic has lensed the film and Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao has handled the editing.
‘His Name Is John', the second single from Gautham Vasudev Menon’s highly anticipated Dhruva Natchathiram was unveiled by filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj. The song celebrates the bravery of the film's lead character John Played by Vikram, as the visuals in the lyrical video present glimpses of the man in action.
The long-awaited Dhruva Natchathiram has music by Harris Jayaraj. The film's cast includes Ritu Varma, Aishwarya Rajesh, Radikaa Sarathkumar, Simran, R Parthiban, Divyadarshini, Arjun Das, Munna, and Vamsi Krishna. Jomon T John, Santhana Krishnan, Ravichandran, and Manoj Paramahamsa have lensed the film, while Anthony serves as the editor. The film is produced by Ondraga Entertainment in association With Oruoorileoru Film House.
Malayalam cinema's first superhero film Minnal Murali, to collaborate with Amar Chithra Katha and Tinke Comic Studio to bring the character to the world of comic books. The announcement was made at the 2023 Comic-Con International, San Diego by the producers, Weekend blockbusters. The makers also hinted that more updates from the Minnal Murali universe are on the way.
Directed by Basil Joseph, Minnal Murali is a 2021 entertainer that follows two locals, Murali (Tovino Thomas) and Shibu (Guru Somasundaram), who acquire superpowers after being struck by lightning. The film premiered on Netflix and emerged as a huge success.
Suriya, who was last seen as the menacing Rolex in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Vikram (2022), is busy shooting for Kanguva, a period film. While it is reported that the shooting is in progress, the makers have now unveiled a new poster and announced the release date of the first-glimpse video.
Helmed by Siva, Kanguva is anticipated to be a period drama with Suriya playing five different characters. Bankrolled by Studio Green and UV Creations, the film stars Suriya and Disha Patani in lead roles. Kanguva is expected to hit the screens in early 2024.
Following the release of the wildly popular and debated song 'Kaavaalaa', the second single from Jailer is out. Titled 'Hukum', the song has been sung and composed by Anirudh Ravichander and written by lyricist Super Subu. "Tiger ka hukum," he says, and the song begins, which features the superstar handling pistols and daggers at various moments.
The Nelson directorial, which co-stars Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar, and Ramya Krishnan among others, will be released in August.
The trailer of the upcoming entertainer Corona Dhavan starring Lukman, Sreenath Bhasi, and Johny Antony is out. The humorous trailer depicts the life of a bunch of alcoholics turning upside down when lockdown is announced during Covid.
Corona Dhavan directed by debutant CC, is written by Sujay Mohanraj. The comedy film is produced by James and Jerome and co-produced by Arun Purakkal, Vinod Prasannan, and Reji Mathews. The film is distributed by Listin Stephen's Magic Frames. Janeesh Jayanandan is the cinematographer of the film while Ajeesh Anand is the editor. The songs are composed by Rijo Joseph and the background score is by Bibin Ashok.
Vetrimaaran’s period crime thriller, Viduthalai was planned as a two-part film series. Soori, who will be reprising his widely acclaimed role of Kumaresan, a reluctant yet honest police constable, announced that the crew has begun shooting the second part.
The two-part film series, which is an adaptation of B Jeyamohan’s short story Thunaivan, traces the story of Perumal Vaathiyaar (Vijay Sethupathi), the leader of the extremist group Makkal Padai and how constable Kumaresan fights to bring justice when the group gets involved in a train accident. The co-stars Bhavani Sre, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Rajiv Menon in pivotal roles. Bankrolled by RS Infortainment, R Velraj has lensed the film and Ilaiyaraaja has scored the music.
The director of the sleeper hit Jan E Man, Chidambaram’s next venture Manjummel Boys has wrapped up filming. The film is backed by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony. Manjummel Boys has an elaborate star cast, including Soubin, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Lal, Ganapathi, Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Chandu Salimkumar and Vishnu Raghu. Filmmakers Lal Jr and Khalid Rahman are also playing prominent roles in it. The technical crew includes cinematographer Shyju Khalid, composer Sushin Shyam, editor Vivek Harshan, and production designer Ajayan Chalissery.
Biju Menon who was last seen in Thankam (2023) is next teaming up with Meppadiyan (2022) fame Vishnu Mohan. The shoot of the film scripted by Vishnu himself has commenced. Nikhila Vimal, Anu Mohan, Hakkim Shahjahan, Siddique, and Renji Panicker also star in it.
The film is produced by Plan J Studios, headed by Jomon T John and Shameer Muhammed, in association with director Vishnu. Jomon and Shameer are also handling the film's cinematography and editing. Ashwin Aryan is composing its music.
More than three years after the announcement, the makers of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello finally released the first single from the film. Titled 'Horaata', the song is a blend of hip-hop/rap, voiced by MC Bijju with a classical refrain from Keerthan Holla. Charan Raj composed the song while Bijju provides the lyrics for the rap with prominent lyricist Kiran Kaverappa conceptualising and supervising the lyrics. The song is accompanied by an animated lyrical video telling a fantastical story of a couple on a boat on a tumultuous sea rowing towards a lighthouse.
The film stars Rakshit Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth and Chaitra J Achar. Advaitha Gurumurthy and Sunil S Bharadwaj serve as the cinematographer and editor respectively. The film is backed by Rakshit Shetty under the Paramvah Studios banner. The film will be released in two parts, namely Side A and Side B on September 1 and October 20 respectively.
Director Raghu Haasan is currently busy with Naanu Matthu Gunda’s sequel, and the shooting has already commenced in Mysuru. This second instalment showcases the dog as the central character and tells the story of a dog that navigates through society following the loss of its owner, and Rachana Inder is said to join the journey. The actor known for her role in Love Mocktail, will be playing the female lead. Naanu Matthu Gunda 2 marks her first multilingual release as the film is scheduled to release in Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi.
The sequel produced by Poem Pictures has songs by RP Patnaik and a background score by Ritwik Muralidhar. The film’s dialogue is penned by Rohit, Raman, and Tanvik G. V Nagendra Prasad will be penning the lyrics for the film.
Rana Daggubati, under his banner Sprit Media announced his next venture based on the myth of Hiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyap will be based on the Amar Chithra Katha comics and will follow the story of the demon Hiranyakashyap and his quest to overthrow Lord Indra's kingdom. The project is set to be written by ace director Trivikram.
Spirit Media has also partnered with Vyjayanthi Films and has bagged the international marketing and distribution rights for the sci-fi film Project K, directed by Nag Ashwin. The production house has also partnered with Weekend Blockbusters to bring the beloved Malayalam superhero Minnal Murali into the comics space.
At the San Diego Comic-Con, Rana Daggubati announced his next venture as a Producer in association with Sony LIV. Titled Lords of the Deccan, this Telugu historical action-drama series will also feature the Bahubali star in an important role.
The series is an official adaptation of Indian bestseller, ‘Lords of The Deccan: Southern India from Chalukyas to Cholas’, written by Anrirudh Kanisetti that won the Book of the Year (Non-Fiction) Award at The Mumbai LitFest in 2022. It would take us back in time to witness the birth of the Chalukyas, a dynasty that shaped southern India for centuries.
The makers of Rules Ranjan unveiled the second single, Sammohanuda. Composed by Amrish, the sensuous melody is crooned by Shreya Ghoshal and features lyrics by Rambabu Gosala and Rathinam Krishna.
The film stars Kiran Abbavaram and Neha Sshetty, and is directed by Rathinam Krishna.
The makers of the Telugu comedy, Prem Kumar, starring Santosh Soban in the lead role, launched the film’s trailer on Tuesday. The trailer introduces us to the titular character, who is infamous for his weddings getting cancelled. When nothing seems to be working for him on the marriage front, the man kickstarts a detective agency and he is tasked with a new assignment to cancel a wedding.
The film is directed by Abhishek Maharshi and produced by Shiva Prasad Panneeru through Sharanga Entertainments. The film co-stars Rashi Singh, Krishna Chaitanya, Ruchitha Sadineni, Krishna Teja, Sudarshan, Ashok Kumar, and Sri Vidya. Abhishek Maharshi co-wrote the film with Anirudh Krishnamurthy. The film’s technical crew includes editor Garry BH, music composer S Anant Srikar and cinematographer Rampy Nandigam. Prem Kumar will be released in theatres on August 18.