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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.
The makers of Aniruddha Jatkar’s dark comedy Chef Chidambara recently announced that the shoot has been wrapped for the film. The team shot across Bangalore, Mangalore, and Tumkur and finished shooting for the film in 29 days. Directed by Anand Raj, the film would be a comeback for Aniruddha, who was last seen in a leading role in 2018.
The film is backed by Roopa DN under the Damthi Pictures banner. It also stars Nidhi Subbaiah and Rachel David, along with Sharath Lohitashwa. The film has music by Rithvik Muralidhar and cinematography by Uday Leela.
Kantara actor Rishab Shetty is producing and presenting the neo-realist film Shivamma, which had a successful international film festival run. The film earned the New Currents Award at the Busan Film Festival and was also the first Indian film to win an award at the Iranian Fajr Film Festival. The film is now making its debut in India at the renowned MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
The film is directed by Jaishankar Aryar, who made the short film Lachchavva in the Rishab Shetty-backed anthology Katha Sangama. Shivamma was entirely shot in the village of Yerehanchinala and used local townsfolk as actors. A teaser was released to announce its premiere at the MAMI Film Festival, which shows the titular character trying to sell a multi-level marketing scheme to her neighbors.
Noted choreographer Raja Kalai Kumar is all set to make his debut as a director with Prajwal Devaraj’s next film. The yet-to-be-titled film is said to be launched in November and will begin shooting in the same month. Reports indicate that actress Sruthi Hariharan, who was last seen in the gangster drama Head Bush, will be joining the film. Telugu actor Sunil, who was last seen in Jailer and Mark Antony is all set to make his Kannada debut with the film.
Actor Anthony Varghese, who was seen this year in RDX and Chaaver would be seen next in an action film. The actor reportedly revealed that it would be an action film based on a true incident. Varghese would be joining hands with debutant director Govind Vishnu for the film, which is touted to be his most expensive venture to date. The film is backed by John And Mary Creative, Century Films, and Maxlab, who are also the production houses behind Mohanlal’s next film with Lijo Jose Pellissery Malaikottai Vaaliban.
On the occasion of actor Soubin Shahir’s birthday, the makers of the Tovino Thomas starrer Nadigar Thilagam released a new poster that featured both actors. It revealed the look of Soubin Shahir in the drama, sitting near a dinner table, probably celebrating along with Thomas’ superstar character. The film is said to be an exploration of a superstar’s psyche.
Nadigar Thilagam is directed by Lal Jr. and is backed by Allan Antony and Anoop Venugopal under the banner of Godspeed in association with Y. Naveen and Y. Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers.
It was earlier announced that actor Joju George would be making his directorial debut with a film titled Pani. The film would star him in the lead role and be backed by M Riaz Adam and Sijo Vadakkan. Rumors indicate that Bigg Boss contestants Junaiz VP and Sagar Surya have also been roped in for the film. Pani will see cinematographer Venu shoot the film, who is making a comeback to cinematography with the Joju George starrer Pulimada.
Actor Shane Nigam and Shine Tom Chacko are all set to star in a family-oriented film called Little Hearts. Produced by Sandra Thomas, the film was recently launched with a formal puja ceremony in Kattappana. The film is directed by Aby Treesa Paul and Anto Jose Pereira.
The film also stars Anagha, Baburaj, Chemban Vinod Jose, Jaffer Idukki, Renji Panicker, and Maala Parvathi. Little Hearts’ technical crew consists of Kailas as the music director, Luke Jose as the cinematographer, and Noufal Abdullah as the editor.
On the occasion of Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday, the makers of the sci-fi action film Kalki 2898 AD released the first look poster of the actor. The actor was sparsely seen in the teaser that the makers had released during the San Diego Comic-Con. The poster gives a clearer look at the character, who is seen wearing an ascetic attire. Bachchan is masked up, with only his eyes visible, while he stands in a fiery cave, with a strong light illuminating behind him.
Kalki 2898 AD, previously known as Project K, is directed by Nag Ashwin of Mahanati fame. The film stars Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan in other pivotal roles. It is backed by C Aswini Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Films banner. It is lensed by Djordje Dtojiljkovic and has music by Santhosh Narayanan. The film is set to release on January 12, 2024.
The makers of Venkatesh Daggubati’s next film Saindhav announced that the teaser for the action film will be released on October 16. The film is directed by Sailesh Kolanu of the HIT franchise. The film also stars Andrea Jeremiah, Shraddha Srinath, Ruhani Sharma, Arya, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Venkat Boyanapalli produces the film under his Niharika Entertainment banner. Santhosh Narayanan composes the music while Manikandan and Garry BH act as the cinematographer and editor respectively.
The September schedule of director Shankar’s Game Changer was reportedly postponed due to the unavailability of actors. However, the director now announced that the shoot for the Ram Charan-starrer has resumed. The political thriller also stars Kiara Advani, Anjali, Jayaram, SJ Suryah, Sunil and others. The film is directed by Shankar from a story by Karthik Subbaraj. Dil Raju backs the film under his banner Shri Venkateshwara Creations. Thaman S composes the music while Tirru and Rathnavel act as the cinematographers.
Actor Vishwak Sen will be next seen in the gangster film Gangs of Godavari. The makers have now announced that the entertainer will be released on December 8. The film stars Vishwak Sen, Neha Shetty, Nasser, and Goparaju Ramana. The film is directed by Krishna Chaithanya, who is known for films such as Chal Mohan Ranga and Rowdy Fellow.
Gangs of Godavari is backed by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya under the Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas banners. Yuvan Shankar Raja composes the music while Naveen Nooli edits the film.
Aishwarya Rajinikanth will be directing the sports drama Lal Salaam with Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the lead roles. The makers of the film have announced that the film will be distributed in Tamil Nadu by famed distributors Red Giant Movies. They also announced that the film would be released for Pongal.
Lal Salaam is written and directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth and is backed by Lyca Productions. It has music by AR Rahman, and cinematography by Rangaswamy. The film is also set to star Rajinikanth in a cameo role.
Actress Nayanthara, who was last seen in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Jawan will be next joining the sets of Mannangatti Since 1960. Directed the Dude Vicky, the film recently went on floors in Kodaikanal. The film also stars Yogi Babu, Devadarshini, Gouri Kishan, and Narendra Prasath.
Backed by Prince Pictures, the film has RD Rajashekar handling the camera and G Madan on editing. Sean Roldan will be composing the music for the film.
On the occasion of the actor’s birthday, the makers of the Nivin Pauly starrer Yezhu Mazhai Yezhu Kadal released a new poster for the film. It shows Pauly with an intense look walking across a pathway with the mountains behind him. The film is directed by Ram and also stars Suri and Anjali.
Yezhu Mazhai Yezhu Kadal is a fantasy film written and directed by Ram of Taramani fame. The film is the first collaboration between Pauly and Ram. It is backed by Suresh Kamatchi under the V House Productions banner. The film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and cinematography by NK Ekhambaram. The film is set to release in December.
After the massive hype created by its official trailer, the makers of Vijay’s Leo have not slowed down on the promotions for the action film. The team released the third single from the film this week. Titled ‘Anbenum’, the song is a deviation from all the songs that have been released from the album so far, such as ‘Naa Ready’ and ‘Badass’. The mellow song features vocals from Anirudh Ravichander, who composes the song, along with Lothika, with Vishnu Edavan returning to write the lyrics.
Leo is written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and is backed by Lalit Kumar under the Seven Screens Studio banner. It stars an ensemble cast led by Thalapathy Vijay, Trisha, Mathew Thomas, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, and more. The film has music by Anirudh Ravichander, with Manoj Paramahamsa cranking the camera and Philomin Raj as the editor. The film is all set to release on October 19.
Paradise, which is set to have its South Asia premiere at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, won the Kim Jiseok Award for best film at Busan International Film Festival 2023, where it had its world premiere. The film, which is presented by Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, stars Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran. The film has cinematography by Rajeev Ravi and editing by Sreekar Prasad.