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Here's a recap of significant stories in entertainment across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, and sometimes the odd television series as well.
The makers of Kalki 2898 AD released the character poster of lead actor Prabhas earlier today. Set in a futuristic world, Prabhas reportedly plays the Bhairava, the alter ego of Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Lord Vishnu. The sci-fi fantasy film sees Prabhas donning a futuristic attire, with a beige robe and trousers, while he wears Cyclops-esque sunglasses. He also sports a tattoo on his left arm, which sees alternating thin and thick lines like a code.
Kalki 2898 AD is directed by Nag Ashwin, known for helming the biopic Mahanati. He co-writes the script along with Sai Madhav Burra. The film is backed by C Aswani Dutt under the Vyajayanthi Movies banner. Apart from Prabhas, the film stars an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Pasupathy, Kamal Haasan, and Disha Patani. Santhosh Narayanan handles the music while Djordje Stojiljkovic cranks the camera.
The makers of actor Dhanush's next film with director Sekhar Kammula have released the first-look poster of the film. After the success of Sir, Dhanush joined his next Telugu film, which is titled Kubera. Previously titled DNS, the film’s title announcement teaser showed a painting of Shiva and Parvati on the wall of a temple, with Dhanush in an unkempt look standing in front of it.
Kubera is directed by Sekhar Kammula, who wrote the film along with Chaithanya Pingali. The film is backed by Suniel Narang and Puskur Ram Mohan Rao under the Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP and Amigos Creations Pvt Ltd. banners. It also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Nagarjuna Akkineni, and Jim Sarbh. Devi Sri Prasad handles the music for the film while Niketh Bommi cranks the camera.
Director Suni recently saw the release of his romantic comedy Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe which has been running successfully in cinemas. The director then announced his follow-up to the socio-fantasy comedy Avatara Purusha, which was released in 2022. The filmmaker announced that the Sharan starrer Avatara Purusha - 2 would released on March 22.
Avatara Purusha 2: Trishankupayanam is written and directed by Suni and is backed by Pushkar Mallikarjuniah under his Pushkar Films banner. The film has music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by William David. The original also starred Srinagara Kitty, Ashika Ranganath, Saikumar, and more.
Actor Upendra is all set to make his comeback as the director of the sci-fi fantasy film UI. The makers of the film recently released the first single of the film. Titled ‘Troll Song’, the single came after the intended first song, ‘Cheap Song’ was pushed multiple times due to technical glitches.
With music composed by B Ajaneesh Loknath and sung by Aishwarya Rangarajan, Harshika Devanath, and Anup Bhandari, the song gained attention for its lyrics which reference many ongoing trends in Kannada social media. The lyrics were written by Naresh Kumar HN. The single was accompanied by a music video that shows lead actress Reeshma Naaniah performing the song with many references to the memes spoken about in the song.
Actor Sharan is all set to have back-to-back releases. Apart from Suni’s Avatara Purusha 2, the actor will also be seen in the horror comedy Choomantar. The film is reportedly set to be released on April 5 in cinemas. Directed by Navaneeth, the film also stars Meghana Goankar, Aditi Prabhudeva, and Prabhu Mundkur, alongside Rajini Bharadwaj and Chikkanna. Chandan Shetty scores the music while Anup Kattukaran handles the cinematography. The film is backed by Tarun Shivappa and Manasa Tarun under the Tarun Studios banner.
The sensational survival drama Manjummel Boys has been receiving love from all around the country. The tribute to Kamal Haasan’s Guna was lauded for its technical finesse and story of friendship and survival, with Soubin Shahir gaining particular praise for his performance. The makers recently announced that the film grossed the ₹100 crore mark at the box office. The film is reportedly the fastest Malayalam film to achieve this feat.
Manjummel Boys is directed by Chidambaram and is backed by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony. Soubin Shahir stars in the film along with Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Arun Kurian, and more. The film has music by Sushin Shyam and cinematography by Shyju Khalid.
The much-awaited sequel to Mohanlal’s Lucifer is undergoing extensive shoots. The makers of the film recently announced that L2: Empuraan wrapped filming its third schedule earlier this week. The schedule reportedly took place in the US. Director Prithviraj Sukumaran posted a photo of him on set on his social media.
L2: Empuraan is directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran from a script by Muralu Gopi. The film is backed by Subaskaran from Lyca Productions and Antony Perumbavoor from Aashirvad Cinemas. Deepav Dev and Sujith Vaassudev return as the music director and cinematographer respectively.
Mammootty’s folk-horror Bramayugam was released earlier this year to extremely positive reviews and was a commercial success. The makers announced that the film is all set to make its OTT debut on SonyLiv on March 15. Actor Mammootty continued his winning streak with the film after starring in Kannur Squad and Kathal: The Core. The film was lauded for its atmosphere building and music, while Mammootty’s performance received unanimous praise.
Bramayugam is written and directed by Rahul Sadasivan. It is backed by Ramachandra Chakravarthy and S Sasikanth under the Night Shift Studios and Y Not Studios banner. The film also stars Arjun Ashokan and Siddarth Bharathan. Christo Xavier handles the music while Shehnad Jalal handles the cinematography.
On the occasion of Maha Sivarathri, the makers of Nandamuri Balakrishna’s next film with director Bobby Kolli released the first glimpse of the film. Tentatively titled NBK109, the glimpse video sees NBK in a massy avatar, as always, as he gears to bash up a bunch of goons. He seems to be in the midst of forest fire where he takes a canister filled with weapons and beer. He downs the cold one and then proceeds to bash up the oncoming henchmen of the antagonist.
NBK109 was written and directed by Bobby Kolli and is backed by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya under the Sithara Entertainments and Fotune Four Cinemas banners. The film has music by Thaman S and cinematography by Vijay Karthik Kannan.
The makers of Vijay Devarakonda’s next film Family Star released the teaser of the film. The teaser sees Devarakonda as a family man who is also known for his ruffian antics outside his home. The teaser also shows Mrunal Thakur, who plays the lead opposite Devarakonda.
Family Star is the second collaboration between Vijay Devarakonda and director Parasuram. The duo previously worked on the romantic comedy Geetha Govindam, which also starred Rashmika Mandanna. Family Star is backed by Dil Raju and Shirish under the Sri Venkateswara Creations banner. The film has music by Gopi Sundar while KU Mohanan handles the cinematography. The film is scheduled to release on April 5.
After a long gap of seven years, the Tamil Nadu State Awards for 2015 were announced earlier today. Films such as Irudhi Sutru, Thani Oruvan, and 36 Vayathinile won big awards, winning in coveted categories. While the Jayam Ravi starrer Thani Oruvan won the Best Film - First Prize award, the Suriya-produced Pasanga 2 won the second prize. Madhavan’s Irudhi Sutru and 36 Vayathinile won other Best Film awards.
The Tamil Nadu State Awards began in 1967 but went on a hiatus in 2008. The awards were reinstated in 2017 when the committee announced the awards for the films released from 2009 to 2014. The 2015 winners were announced after a seven-year gap.
Actor Vikram is all set to star in director SU Arun Kumar’s Chiyaan 62. The film will see the actor share the screen with SJ Suryah and Malayalam actor Suraj Venjaramoodu. Now, the makers have announced that cinematographer Theni Easwhar has joined the team as the DOP of the film. Eashwar is known for his collaborations with directors Mari Selvaraj and Ram and has worked on films such as Karnan, Maamannan, Taramani, Peranbu, Nanpakkal Nerathu Mayakkam, and more. The Vikram starrer is backed by Riya Shibu under the HR Pictures banner. GV Prakash handles the music.
Andrea Jeremiah recently announced that her film KA is finally getting a release. The release date of the survival thriller was revealed to be March 29. Directed by Nanjil, the film’s trailer was released way back in 2022. The trailer shows Jeremiah as a traveler who has to escape the clutches of a rogue police officer who is hunting her down.
KA is written and directed by Nanjil and is backed by John Max and P Antony Doss under the Sasikala Production and Shalom Studios banners. The film also stars prominent Hindi actor Salim Ghouse, known for appearing in films such as Verti Vizhaa and Thiruda Thiruda. The film would be his last performance as he passed away in April 2022. Sunder C Babu handles the music while Arivazhagan handles the cinematography.