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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.
Dr. Shivarajkumar is all set to set the screens ablaze again with the action-heist film Ghost. The makers of the much-anticipated film released the trailer earlier this week. The film is directed by MG Srinivas of Birbal Trilogy and Old Monk fame. The trailer for Ghost opens in a prison and sets up Shivarajkumar’s character as a gangster with a past that haunts him. The actor has been de-aged through VFX to make him look like his younger self from the 90s. With his classic hairstyle, the look reminds us of his landmark films such as Om, Samyukta, and Anand.
Ghost is written and directed by MG Srinivas, who is also set to make a cameo appearance as his character Mahesh Das, from Birbal Trilogy. The film is produced by Sandesh Nagaraj under the Sandesh Productions banner. Mahendra Simha handles the cinematography while Arjun Janya scores the music. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Prashanth Narayan, and Dattana. It is all set to release on October 19.
With less than two weeks left for release, the makers of Vijay’s next with Lokesh Kannagaraj, Leo, released the much-awaited official trailer. The action film sees Vijay as a chocolatier whose life turns upside down due to mistaken identity and he faces multiple gangsters. The trailer shows the various shades of Vijay and the magnificent stunt sequences, while also raising a million questions.
Leo is written and directed by Lokesh Kannagaraj and backed by S Lalit Kumar under Seven Screens Studios. The film stars Vijay, Trisha, Priya Anand, Mysskin, Mathew Thomas, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Sarja in pivotal roles. Anirudh scores the music while Manoj Pramahamsa and Philomin Raj handle the cinematography and editing, respectively. Anbariv are the stunt coordinators. The film is set to release on October 19.
Tamil cinema’s prominent production house Lyca Productions has joined hands with Aashirvad Cinemas to produce the much-awaited sequel L2: Empuraan. The film's makers officially launched L2: Empuraan earlier this week with a two-minute recap of the first film's events. The film explored the complicated Ramdas family and their political and criminal affiliations. The video teases the return of Mohanlal’s Stephen Nedumpally, or as revealed at the end of Lucifer, Khureshi-Ab’ram. The filming commenced on October 5.
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.
Superstar Rajinikanth is all set to conquer the screens again with his next film with Lyca Productions. Tentatively titled Thalaivar 170, the film will be directed by TJ Gnanavel of Jai Bhim fame. The makers announced that filming for the project has officially begun.
The announcement came after the makers gradually revealed the team behind the film, including the stellar star cast. Apart from Rajinikanth and Manju Warrier, the film is all set to star Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Dushara Vijayan, Rana Daggubati, and Ritika Singh. The film will be scored by Anirudh Ravichander, in his fourth outing with the superstar. Thalaivar170 is backed by Subaskaran under the Lyca Productions Banner.
The makers of the Vinay Rajkumar starrer Gramayana recently relaunched the project after being shelved a few months ago. The film will be starring Rajkumar along with Megha Shetty. The makers also announced that ace actor Yogesh will be seen in a pivotal role in the film. The actor was last seen in Dhananjay’s Head Bush and will also feature in director Shoonya’s Rose. He will also be seen in Sidlingu 2.
Gramayana is directed by debutant Devanuru Chandru. It is backed by G Manoharan of Lahari Films and KP Sreekanth of Venus Entertainers. Poornachandra Tejaswi of Lucia and Dhoomam fame will be handling the music while Yashwini Yanchan will be handling the cinematography.
Actor Nandamuri Balakrishna will be next seen in the mass entertainer Bhagvanth Kesari. The makers of the Anil Ravipudi directorial have announced that the official trailer of the film will be released on October 8. Filming for the entertainer was wrapped last week. The film is gearing up for a release on October 19.
Bhagvanth Kesari also stars Kajal Aggarwal and Sreeleela, along with Sarathkumar, Arjun Rampal, and Priya Jawalkar. The film is backed by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under the banner of Shine Screens. Thaman S is scoring the music while C Ram Prasad handles the cinematography.
After the announcement of Prabhas’ Salaar, which is now scheduled to be released on December 22, films that were scheduled to release then have postponed or preponed their release date. One among them is the Venkatesh starrer Saindhav. The film will now be released on Sankranti weekend, on January 13, 2024. Venkatesh announced the same on his social media.
The Sankranti weekend will also see the release of Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga, and the superhero film Hanu Man. Saindhav is directed by Sailesh Kolanu of the HIT franchise and is produced by Venkat Boyanapalli under the Niharika Entertainments banner. The film also stars Shraddha Srinath, Andrea Jeremiah, Ruhani Sharma, Arya, and Jayaprakash. Santhosh Narayanan handles the music while Manikandan handles the cinematography.
It was recently announced that Jr. NTR’s Devara would be released in two parts. The announcement was made by director Koratala Siva. The film co-stars Jahnavi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles. The film's first part will be released on April 5.
It was also announced that Jr NTR's next with Prashanth Neel, tentatively titled NTR31 would start shooting in April 2024. It is produced by Mythrie Movie Makers and NTR Arts. Meanwhile, Prashanth Neel's Salaar, which stars Prabhas, will also be released in two parts, with the first installment Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire set to release on December 22.
The release date of actor Joju George's next, Pulimada, was announced recently. The makers of the film announced recently that the film will be released on October 26. It is directed by AK Sajan, who also writes the film, while Venu returns as cinematographer after a gap of eight years. The film also stars Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead along with Chemban Vinod Jose, Lijomol, Jaffer Idukki, Johny Antony, and Jeo Baby. The film is produced by Einstein Zack Paul and Rajesh Damodaran under the Lant Cinemas banner along with Einstein Media.
After the success of Maaveeran, actor Sivakarthikeyan will be next seen in the sci-fi comedy film Ayalaan. The film, which Indru Netru Nalai fame R Ravikumar directs, also features a CGI alien along with Sivakarthikeyan. The makers of the film recently released the official teaser, which gives a glimpse into the film's plot. The film also features Sharad Kelkar, Yogi Babu, Rakul Preet Singh, and Karunakaran. 24 AM Studios produces Ayalaan and has music by AR Rahman. Nirav Shah handles the cinematography while Ruben is the editor. The film has VFX by Bejoy Arputharaj. The film is set to release in Pongal 2024.
It was earlier reported that Mohanlal was set to collaborate with director Jeetu Joseph for the fifth time. The duo had earlier joined hands for films such as the Drishyam franchise, 12th Man, and the upcoming Ram. The duo’s recent outing Neru, started filming earlier this year and the makers have announced that filming has been wrapped. The film stars Mohanlal, Priyamani, Anaswara Rajan, Ganesh Kumar, and Jagadish. It is backed by Antony Perumbavoor under the Aashirvad Cinemas banner.
The first song from Martin Luther King, the Telugu remake of the Tamil film Mandela, was unveiled earlier this week. The film, directed by Puja Kolluru, sees Sampoornesh Babu step into Yogi Babu's shoes.
The film co-stars Dr. VK Naresh, Sharanya Pradeep, and Venkatesh Maha, who is also the film's creative producer. The film is produced by S Sashikanth and Chakravarthy Ramachandra.