Coolieis clear winner in WAR 2 clash / Trouble for Ajith film Kerala release ? Prithviraj Income tax notice not for Empuran

 Coolie has nothing to lose by clashing with WAR 2 on August 15^th. For one, Coolie budget does not make it very necessary for it cash in on North Indian markets like WAR 2. The overseas Tamil market and to agreat extent Telugu markets will still plump for Coolie as everybody wants to see what magic has Lokesh created for Thalaivar as he did for Kamal and Vijay. Thirdly the film WAR 2 will not create any much hoopla that a Hindi film has in South and NTR Jr is no Bunny – Prabhas who has a Pan South preence. So WAR2 with Hrithik Roshan who is not around for a long time, is the loser as NTR Jr tag will help only in two Telugu States. Here gain Coolie has Nagarjuna to take care of the Tollywood and Upendra for Sandalwood. Both have  extended cameos.

Good Bad Ugly Kerala Distribution is with Gokulam Gopalan and his house- offices across all States have been raided and so will he be able to distribute it or hand it over to some body ? GBU trailor was good as I liked the from the early 90s, and 2K decade of movies.  Simran in particular I liked as I remembered Vaali. GBU is likely to be first Tamil movie to enjoy the proposed Enterainment tax cut from 8 to 4 %. But another threat looms large, evening shows hereafter will go towards IPL matches, if regulation is passed.

If you think Prithviraj got an Income tax notice for Empuran , No, it is for three other movies that he acted but did not take any money and instead pocketed profits as co- producer. Prithviraj appeared in three movies as the lead—Gold, Jana Gana Mana, and Kaduva. He took Rs 40 crore and Tax guys wants the profir breakups. For Empuran, he said that he and Mohanlal have not taken any money and now as they are co- producer, they will get the share of profits. Tax guys will revisit that later. Now if Vaiko and O Paneerselvam’s demands are to be met , then the dialogue that Travancore King gave land for Mullaperiyar to British under thret has to be cut out. 28^th cut ?

Indian 3 starts / LYCA- RAJINIKANTH _ PRITHVIRAJ combo ? . Empuran out of IMAX/ CHIYAAN BACK

 Kamal Haasan – Shankar and Lyca have agreed to complete the remaining portions of Indian 3 on a tight budget . Shankar has dropped the idea to shoot a song and instead just do what is needed to get the film ready for release. Without the song , it needs 30 days shoot and pre- production for this schedule is on.

Lyca is to collaborate with Rajinikanth and from what we hear is that Prithviraj is on Director’s list. In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Prithviraj reveals that he didn’t have to urge Rajinikanth to extend his support to the film. “When I went to his home in Chennai and showed him the trailer, I didn’t ask him to tweet it. When I came back, Soundarya called me and said that appa would like to tweet the trailer and asked me if I can send them the link," he told the channel.

Lyca who pulled out of Empuran has no ill feelings with the Director and it was a financial decision to pull out and nothing personal. Prithviraj is co-producer of Empuran along with Mohanlal. Lal Salaam produced by Lyca is finally coming on OTT. Only project on hand is Jason Sanjay’s film.

Empuran is likely to be out of IMAX screens in India as to redit the film to put in the 20 off censor cuts will cost Rs 43 lakhs. After one week run and declining collection, Producers may not put in this money. After 7 days Empuran in Kerala has collected Rs 73 cr Nett and in Tamil – Rs2.64 cr, Telugu -Rs 2.34 cr and Rs 0.19 cr . The Malayalam version has collected Rs 10 crore in Karntaka and mainly from Bengaluru. Overseas Nett is Rs 30 crore.

Worldwide	India Net	India Gross	Overseas	Verdict
₹ 122 Cr	₹ 83.73 Cr	₹ 92 Cr	₹ 30 Cr	None

Vikram’s Veera Dheera Sooran 2 despite good reviews is moving towards an average hit. It was predicted that the film will be a modest hit and be a relief after Thangalan disaster. The films collection for Day 1 was lost over a fight between Producers and those who bought the OTT. Vikram had charged Rs 30 crores but it was both parts. There was no need for Vikram or S J Suryah to shell out any money for the film release.

Film has collected Rs 27 crores in Tamil Nadu and overseas Rs 7 crores. The on road promotions by Chiyaan even after release has be an eyeopener to many. It is still holding good with Rs 2 crore on Day 7. Till Good Bad and Ugly arrives, it can rope in more money. Chiyyan core Kerala area became inaccessible with Empuran wave. Telugu saw two straight releases and one- Mad Square went on to be  a blockbuster.

Pranav Mohanlal in Empuran sequel / Nayanthara with Yash in Mumbai / Sivakarthikeyan Maaveeran in Japan

L3 Empuran is definitely coming and it will have Pranav Mohanlal as the young Stephen Nedumpally. At the cclose of L2 we were were told that the sequel is going to be about the youthful days of Stephen and it would be created with effects etc was our belief. Prithviraj who shunned green mat route to create foreign locales and visited them to get the real feel is now coming with Mohanlal’s son instead. This would be a MASS moment for Lal fans no doubt. The third part is the war with Chinese Mafia v/s Khureshi .

Out of Rs 78 crores net in India, Rs 71 crores comes from Kerala box office alone in 6 days. From day one L2: Empuraan collected $2.45 million (₹20.93 crore) in the Gulf – the highest single day collection for any Indian film in the region. In 5 days it has gone past $7.86 million leaving Leo ($6.75M) and Jailer ($6.53M) behind. It collected $6.59 million in the opening weekend and $8 million in the UAE in 6 days. Its total overseas collection has already crossed $15 million and is a global blockbuster.

Fresh updates reveal that Nayanthara is all set to join KGF 2 actor on se of xic: A Fairytale for Grown Ups.. As reported earlier, she plays his sister in the film. We have learnt that she will arrive in the city tomorrow and start filming at Madh Island. The team has built a massive 70s-themed set for this segment. This follows the recently wrapped shoot at Colaba Church with Yash and Tara Sutaria. It is being shot in both Kannada and English and becomes the first Indian film to achieve this milestone. The cast also includes Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, and international actors. Yash is co-producing the film and actively shaping its development. 

   Sivakarthikeyan’s Maaveeran will be releasing in Japan this year. Despite receiving positive response during release time in India, it only became an above average success with struggling to reach 100 crores (it touched only 85 crores). So now due to its release in Japan, it might reach 100 crores and therefore becoming 4th film for SK

Sikandar puts Sivakarthikeyan Madharasi under a cloud / Empuran replace Sikandar in INOX screens

We hear Salman has okayed Harish Shankar for his next but his current release Sikandar’s content has set Kollywood talking that the legendary ARM, (A R Murugadoss) has lost the game totally. Now this has cast a shadow on the film Madharasi that has Sivakarthikeyan known as SK. If ARM has done SK film like Sikandar, then SKK will lose his new found Tier 1 status post Amaran. Also if you dive back into the SK film career graph, he gives one hit and on an average two flops. This time, maybe Sudha Kongara might restrict it to one flop as she kind of gets all right commercial elements to keep the guys rooting in Parasakthi SK’s action films have failed like Velaikaran, Seema Raja, Hero. Also SK from Remo usually has the 1 hit 1 flop record. Like he gives a hit like Remo then gives 2 flops with Velaikaran and Seema Raja, gave another hit with Kanaa and again gave the ultra disaster Mr. Local, he hit the bullseye with the profitable Namma Veetu Pillai then Hero’s disastrous performance spoiled his mojo, he then came back in his strong comedy genre with the super hits Doctor and Don, then struck by the horrible performance of Prince. Finally he gave a profitable film with an unique superhero movie in Maaveeran and then got hit by the long delayed Ayalaan which flopped at the box office. Now he have an all time blockbuster Amaran so IDK what will happen to Madarasi. I have very less hope on that as the producers are not even concerned to give updates for the film. I have moved to Parasakthi which is looking very promising. (AROK’s comments on SK post Sikandar ) If SK puts Madharasi in the cold storage and makes Parasakthi the next release , he can escape the disaster in the making.

Mohanlal fans take cheer as Bollywood boxoffice worldwide says about Salman Khan Sikandar in Mumbai - PVR Orion Mall Panvel swapped Sikandar with the Malayalam film L2 Empuraan, starring Mohanlal. This film has been doing well in several locations. In South Mumbai, the John Abraham-starrer The Diplomat has taken over the 8:00 pm and 8:30 pm slots at Metro Inox and Inox Nariman Point. Yet another Bollywood record broken : The film has collected 175 Cr gross worldwide on the opening weekend, and it broke Chhaava’s record [155 Cr] and became the biggest weekend for Indian cinema this year.

Prithviraj's anti BJP stance / Mohanlal Fans body divided / Mammooty supports Prithviraj

Mohanlal Fans Association general secretary Binu Raj has resigned after major differences in the body over Empuran arose. Director Prithviraj mother Mallika an actress says that the allegation by Actor Major Ravi that Mohanlal did not know about the controversial scenes is false and he was kept in the loop. She said all the blame is now being shifted on to her son. She claimed that Mammootty liked her FB post.

Empuran Director Prithviraj’s support to Lakshwadeep campaign, CAA , his brother Indrajith Sukumaran had come out in support of Ayesha Renna who was seen confronting the Delhi Police during the agitation have been pointed out by RSS mouth piece Organiser to show that he has been anti BJP always. The article asks - Double standards of Prthiviraj can been seen from the fact that he remains mysteriously silent when it comes to local issues, such as the Munambam case, where hundreds of Christian families face eviction by the WAQF Board. He speaks out about the CAA but does not address Hindu persecution in Bangladesh. It further asks - Prithiviraj needs to answer as to why he choose to name the main villain in the movie as Bajrangbali, another name for Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Shri Ram. This character is depicted as the central Home Minister. Excerpts from ORGANISER review : The political undertone of the film turns darker in the climax. The pro-Hindu leader clearly resembling the image of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji is killed. His allies are gunned down, while the ones standing victorious alongside Prithviraj and Mohanlal are portrayed as foreigners. The implication is chilling a subtle suggestion that the Prime Minister of India could be eliminated with the help of foreign forces.......

. "This is a mother's pain. There is no point in someone making somebody a scapegoat wrote Mallika after actor- Director Major Ravi said that Lal awas kept in the dark about the scenes. The actor thanked Mammootty who supported her FB post.. "Some people have deliberately spread the idea that Prithviraj cheated Mohanlal and the producers, including Antony Perumbavoor, by taking up Empuran, and some media outlets have now taken it up. Knowing what happened behind the scenes of this film, I am extremely hurt that some people are trying to isolate Prithviraj," she said in a Facebook post in Malayalam. "They all read the script together. They all saw the scenes being shot together and everyone said okay. And when everything is done and the movie is released, how can Prithviraj alone be responsible for it?" she said. Ms Sukumaran said there is no shot in the movie that Mohanlal and Antony Perumbavoor did not know about.

Three Queens in Suriya 45 ? / Puri back with Charmee for Vijay Sethupathi film / Sruthi- Predator still outside

Is Trisha- Jyotika and Ramya Krishnan working in Suriya 45 ? After seeing the photos posted by Actress Ramya Subraanian , this question came and further Trisha too posted more photos. Just a reunion or an unofficial announcement.

Fans of actress Trisha Krishnan have taken to the comments section of her latest Instagram video to express their concern about her visible weight loss. The video shows her working out with her pet dog.

The video shows her performing squats while holding her pet, displaying her commitment to fitness and her love for her furry friend. The video has gone viral, with many lauding her dedication to keeping fit while others can't get over her weight loss.

We had reported about Puri Jagan having told Vijay Sethupathi a subject read https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2025/03/prabhu-deva-to-direct-directo Now official : Puri Jagannadh will direct the film, with Vijay Sethupathi in the lead role, marking a fresh and u Interestingly, despite speculation of a professional split, Puri Jagannadh will co-produce the film alongside Charmme Kaur under their banner, Puri Connects. The official announcement was made today, coinciding with the Ugadi festival. “What makes this project even more thrilling is that Puri Jagannadh has crafted a distinctive script, presenting Vijay Sethupathi in a never-seen-before role,” a press statement revealed. The film’s regular shoot is set to begin in June and will be released in multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Shruthi Narayanan, the actress started her career in Tamil TV serials. She shot to fame with the show, Siragadikka Aasai. She has also acted in films such as Karthigai Deepam and Maari. Her post after the casting couch video leaked. Read; https://dhakshinscreen.blogspot.com/2025/03/chempaneer-poovu-tamil; Read on; At this point things are just going beyond a limit. Everyone has an opinion to talk about the victim be it good or bad but nobody had the time to talk rubbish about the shameless person who is still undiscovered behind screens of the phone and is targeting to spoil a girl’s life. Not just the person responsible but also loads of people who share it in the name of fun and wow new content. Yet again no one ever gets 2 seconds to think that this matter revokes around a girl and she can also get mentally affected by everything that is happening. By sharing like wild fire, this just proves that all men are predators who just are lurching for lust in anything and everything. Again not to mention I’m also a girl who has feelings and who is very much mentally and physically and emotionally affected by all these problems. As a humble request I plead you all to put a stop to this for the sake of humanity.”

L2 Empuran brutal rape of pregnant women- violence puts Hindus in the dock- Move to recensor

In our Empuran review before it hit theatres, we said it was a veiled attack on BJP. (read; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2025/03/l2-empuran-review-veiled-refrence-to.html) In the Chennai Q&A, Prithviraj said that it was a thriller in a political backdrop. Following complaints that several controversial issues, including communal riots, were depicted in a biased manner, the makers of the film Empuraan directed by Prithviraj have applied for changes. Gokulam Movies approached the regional censor board for this. The censor board met and started removing the parts that raised complaints. Amendments will be made in seventeen parts. Some controversial dialogues will be muted. There have been major complaints and criticisms against the film being filmed and released while covering up the incident of the train attack The rape scene and the controversial scene mentioning the Union Home Minister will be changed. The producers themselves have decided to change the name of the villain in the film, Reports Janmabhoomi. Censor board member Mahes said that the scenes where a pregnant Muslim woman is raped has been cut to4 minutes and a scene in which a Hinduvata leader pointing to green colour in national flag makes a communal remark. Thse are two changes made so far. And this film will now be available till Sunday night and only on Monday will another version come through. From censor certification as suitable for =13 it has been revised to +16. A scene where women’s heads are banged multiple times against a wall to reduced to a flash. scene depicting sexual violence against a woman is trimmed to 4 minutes

X POSTS Shame on you. Resign now from your post in Territorial Army. @narendramodi @AmitShah - This is the man who in this movie has called you both as being responsible for the Gujarat Riots' and glossing over the burning of Sabarmati Express at Godhra - calling it as an accident. How come such a politically skewed anti-majoritarian propaganda movie was approved by Even Union Minister Prasoon Joshi was not spared ; t seems Prasoon Joshi is an urban naxal.. He made @KanganaTeam run from pillar to post to get a clearance for #emergency that too with more than 30+ cuts But he n his people have no probs with anti national anti hindu propaganda movies Are #Hindus children of a lesser god? Ramkrishna Iyer laletta .. u just made a mess of it.. yes it scored big due to the hype and initial bookings, but you will never be forgiven.. Pseudos around you will say only a few "Sanghis" are unhappy, but mostly everyone who practises Hindu faith is super pissed... Preston joshi is a left intellectual who co-opted the current dispensation for reasons known to him. Point is @BJP4India is the Charlie Chaplin who always gracefully accepts the tag as Hitler. Shameless guys, after 11 yrs still don't know how to show once what is power Kast Laugh: How kerala story movie was approved by censor board. Same way they approved empuraan. Cry hard andh bhakths..

Basil Joseph as Military man in Sivakarthikeyan film / John Abraham in Prithviraj remake / Shruti about Rajini

Basil Joseph who is acting in Sivakarthikeyan film Parasakthi is playing a military officer. The photos coming out from Sri Lanka locales show this. This portion is the segment where the anti Hindi agitation takes place in Madurai railway station. The riots that occurred in Madurai on the 25th of January 1965 and spread across the state of Madras helped establish the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a break-away faction of the Dravida Kazhagam (DK) headed by Periyar, as ‘the coming party in Madras politics.’ . The first martyr Chinnasamy who immolated himself happened in Madurai and was the spark that ignited the agitation. Basil was not aware that back in Kerala, he was hot topic of discussion as speculation was that he was the Red Dragon of Empuran. Basil usually promptly answers to social media comments about him ,was found to be silent and this further was seen as his acceptance. Now that the film has ben released, it has died down.. Basil’s Ponman in Tamil on OTT is getting good response.

After Driving License , Mumbai , it is now Ayyapanum Koshiyum of Prithviraj that is being remade in Hindi. It seems in 2020, John Abraham had bought the rights and since he had been trying to work it out with various combinations of actors and directors. Latest we har is that, Paatal Lok and Pari fame Prosit Roy will direct this action-packed drama. This marks his second theatrical release after Pari (2018). Filming is expected to begin in late 2025. Before that, John will complete Rohit Shetty’s upcoming cop drama, which starts shooting next month. Meanwhile, Roy is finishing work on an Amazon Prime series starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre. On the big screen, John will next be seen in Tehran, a political thriller produced by Dinesh Vijan and directed by Arun Gopalan. The film is set to release in the second half of this year

Shruti Haasan on working with Rajinikanth It was really lovely working with Rajini sir. I definitely learned a lot about why he is the star he is while watching him work, like his discipline with work, his approach to his character, everything was just really fun to watch. But really, I learned a lot from him as a person. And by that, I mean, his attitude on set, it's so positive. He's extremely collaborative. He's very, very humble. But he's also very energetic. He brings such a positive energy onto the set. So I learned a lot about how to deal with people from Rajini sir and that's a lesson I take away.

L2 Empuran in not top 5 of Book My Show Presales / Kamal Praises Punjabi film !

Bok My Show ticketing App top 5 films that registered high presales does not include L 2 Empuran. Only consolation is that it beat NTR Devara which was pushed to 5th place.Check out the top 10 ticket pre-sales of Indian films on BMS: 1. Pushpa 2: 3 million 2. Leo: 2.28 million 3. Kalki 2898 AD: 1.72 million 4. Salaar: 1.66 million 5. Jawan: 1.65 million 6. L2: Empuraan: 1.33 million 7. Devara: 1.31 million 8. Animal: 1.26 million 9. Jailer: 1.19 million 10. The Greatest Of All Time: 1.19 million The opening day has already started huge for Mohanlal’s film, registering a ticket sale of 7K from 7 – 8 AM, which is much higher than yesterday’s 2K ticket sales on BMS for the same time frame The previous best ticket pre-sales for a Mollywood film in 2024 – 25 was Aadujeevitham: The GOAT Life, which registered 309K ticket sales in advance on BMS. Mohanlal’s biggie, also starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, has registered 331% higher ticket pre-sales than Prithviraj’s last film! The final ticket pre-sales of L2: Empuraan stands at 1.33 million. It surpassed Jr NTR‘s Devara, that registered a ticket sale of 1.31 million in advance on BMS. On the final day before the film released, March 26, Wednesday, Mohanlal’s film registered a ticket sale of 204.7K which is not that bright a number!

Gippy Grewal’s upcoming bilingual Hindi-Punjabi action film Akaal has received strong backing from Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan. In a latest promo video, the legendary actor urged audiences to mark the date (April 10) for the film’s theatrical release. Kamal Haasan Extends His Support To Akaal In a new promo, Kamal Haasan introduced Grewal’s character and shared his excitement for the film. Madras Talkies posted the video and wrote, “Best wishes to dearest @gippygrewal for his upcoming movie Akaal. Lock the date 10th April 2025.” Responding to the video featuring Kamal Haasan, Gippy Grewal quickly shared a gratitude post on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “Thank you so much, @ikamalhaasan Sir! Your kind words mean everything to our #Akaal movie #gippygrewal #KamalHaasan #akaal.” Set in the 1840s, Akaal follows Sardar Akaal Singh and his village as they prepare to defend their land from a powerful invasion. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Khalsa warriors stand against overwhelming forces. The story unfolds with intense battles, betrayals, and unwavering bravery. The trailer features large-scale war sequences, brutal combat scenes, and the devastation of battle. Identical Brains and 2DS Film Studio have created stunning VFX, making Akaal one of the most visually ambitious Punjabi action films.

Fariq Abdullah is Jason Sanjay /Chiyaan Vikram film review/

Faria Abdullah known to Telugu moviegoers has been cast as heroine in Jason Sanjay directorial debut.Fariq Abdullah is Sanjay Jason heroine. She played an artiste in a drama troupe in director Suseenthiran’s action thriller ‘Valli Mayil’, featuring actor Vijay Antony in the lead.Talking to the media, director Suseenthiran disclosed, “I was impressed by Faria’s dancing abilities and chose to cast her in the title role of this film. She plays a drama artiste in this film through which I am introducing her here in Tamil.”

Review from a guy who saw the film and plus - minus Decent movie. Second half is again monotonous . Story reminds us Khaidi and recent kannada movie max. All story happens in single night with thrill elements laced around. Mass and thrill elements work very well and whole set up is done nicely in first half. Vikram character design though done nice is little bit unconvincing in second half. Twists were executed well with all characters and SJ Surya in middle of action and make it even more fun to watch. According to my friend they disturbed the flow with unnecessary melodrama which derails the film slightly. Overall - A decent comeback from Vikram. Nice but could have been better had they reduced heavy melodrama.

L2 Empuran Review : Veiled refrence to BJP - Lal re-entry goosebumps scene

In l2 Empuran, a political party that is not named but has all trappings of a BJP are the baldest of the lot. Stephen Nedumpally, aka Khureshi-Ab’raam entry in Kerala will be an iconic scene. Superb action choreography. Cannot understand the portions that relate to character Khureshi and his jaunts abroad. Won’t disappoint. Box office wise as per Producer Gokulam Gopalan it Rs 180 crores budget as he paid Lyca to ensure the film release. This budget does not include Lal and Prithviraj salary. As per official announcement Rs 60 crores including overseas already in kitty. Indian box office till now Rs 35 crores advance as on March 24th. Will reach Rs 50 crores. n Germany, Empuraan's advance sales have crossed the lifetime collection of the recent mega blockbuster Pushpa 2 starring Allu Arjun.

Read on • • Empuran Movie is not just about Lucifer. This movie talks about various characters . Mainly it fleshes out the Zayed role(Prithviraj) , right from his childhood scenes. • Mass scenes are executed well. Sequences that lead to Stephen re entry into Kerala is goosebumps stuff and canned extremely well. It will surprise viewers and the finesse it was shot . • Movie like Lucifer is filled with twists but don't expect a lot of them like in Part 1. • Suraj role is alright and others like Tolvino and Manju Warrier (Priydarshi Ramdas)has good but limited role. • Indrajith surprisingly gets a decent screenspace. • Movie plot moves to politics. Hero family are part of UDF kind of a regional party . Opposition is communism but there is unknown third political force which is like BJP which is most evil of them all. As North Indian Hindu party and leaders play prominent roles in new political conspiracy we can safely say it is BJP • Movie ends fine but they keep enough threads to keep us excited for last part. • He also praised Deepak Dev music esp BGM and also cinematography and some action sequences in foreign locales. • Downside to this film according to him is complexity of the story especially Khureshi Abraham part it travels fast to multiple places and will be tad bit confusing to masses. (Actually very confusing is what he said) Overall- Lucifer fans will not be disappointed. Movie best part comes when Stephen re enters into Kerala. Source Aussie Indian Balus box office L2E #EMPURAAN Hindi Bookings open March 25! Grab your tickets!

BMS - Bit.ly/EmpuraanBMS Paytm - Bit.ly/EmpuraanPaytm District - Bit.ly/EmpuraanDistrict Ticketnew - Bit.ly/EmpuraanTicketnew

Empuran advance booking figures raise manipulation doubts

Empuran advance booking ifigres are manipulated and done under the system of corporate bookings is the charge levelled by many in the trade. Main reason is that Veera Dheera Sooran of Vikram, Nithin Robinhood and Mad Square 2 in Telugu States are lagging behind this the Tamil and Telugu dubbing version of Empuran in booking platform. Vikram film advance booking has come as a shock. These films now depend on word of mouth opinion to get the crowds, It was only today in Chennai and yesterday in Hyderabad that Empuran conducted a media meet. VDS has had Vikram- S J surya and Dushara Vijayan all over internet media as part of promotions. At the Chennai press meet the query was raised as to how a Malayalam film has crossed 10 cr advance booking which is more than a Bollywood film, Prithviraj updated it and said it was 60 crores and it was something that they too did not expect and hoped that the film lived up to the expectations. One trade expert on social media wrote, “The film is already getting a lot of advance bookings. So there is really no reason to make corporate bookings. This is totally unnecessary. Don’t overdo corporate bookings so much that it becomes clear to even the common public.” he practice of corporate and self-bookings has often been called out in Bollywood when films like Pathaan, Chhaava, Dunki, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan were accused of similar tactics, even though those accounted for only 5-10% of total sales.

In the case of Empuraan, it seems the self-bookings have touched the level of Sky Force, where more than 50% of the ticket sales were rigged, according to experts like Komal Nahta. Incidentally Prithviraj the Empuran Director was co-producer of Sky Force. As M9 puts it- However, the real test will be in the film’s footfalls post-release. If Empuraan sustains strong occupancies after day one, it will validate the genuine interest among audiences. However, if the film witnesses a sharp drop post the initial weekend, it would further fuel speculation about the advance bookings. At the Chennai meet, Lyca and Red Giant representative’s were present. Gokulam Gopalan distributes Tamil Nadu too.

Nayanthara - Sundar clash averted / Dual role for Allu Arjun in Atlee film/ Crumbling Kerala Box Office

Nayanthara highhandedness with an AD of Director Sundar C on the sets of Mookuthi Amman 2 led to stopping of the shooting. The dispute arose after the Actress who plays the title role and AD had an argument over a costume that the actress refused to wear . A different costume was her choice and that of her personal costumer. As the Directorial unit felt that the argument went overboard, they raised the matter with Sundar. He called for a packup. Tempers flew and things reached a flash that it was either the Director or the Actress who be in the film. It seems Producer Ishari Ganesh mediated and shooting started at a temple on outskirts of Chennai. Pollachi schedule was cancelled. Nayanthara and Sundar’s production companies are co- producers with Vels Ishari Ganesh.

On April 8th, the official announcement of Allu Arjun- Atlee film is expected. Sun Pictures is the Producer and like Theri, Mersal ( triple), Bigil,Jawan, Atlee has given a dual role to Allu Arjun. Anirudh is the composer. Shooting might be in August.

After Atlee moving to Tollywood with Allu Arjun, next in line is Lokesh with Ram Charan. It seems KVN Productions after Jananayagan with Vijay and Yash’s Toxic has signed a three film deal with Lokesh and one of them is a Ram Charan film. Whether Kaithi2 and a subject featuring Suriya as Rolex ae part of this we are not aware.

Empuran is turned out to be India’s No 1 box officer opener at Box office as per ticket booking platforms and on the other side last month – February 7 films released in the Kerala theatres. Out of these 17 films, 11 were huge disasters! The cumulative budget of these 17 films was 75.23 crore, and they together contributed 23.55 crore as Kerala’s theatre share. As per a report by Onmanorama, even in the month of January, only one film succeeded at the box office. “Rekhachithram‘ directed by Jofin T Chacko, was the only hit among the 28 movies released in January, as per the producers association. Tovino Thomas starrer Identity’, made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, managed to collect only Rs 3 crore from theatres in Kerala,” said the report.

Kamal Haasan B'Day wishes to Shobana / Yash TOXIC Release Date/ Keerthy in Nithin film

Kamal Haasan after wishing Shobana on her 55th birthday has left for an unknown destination abroad and will be back on April 1st. Meanwhile Madras Talkies has announced that first single from Thug Life will be out Shobana and Mohanlal are working together in Thudarum the Malayalam film.

We had reported that Sai Pallavi does not have dates for Nithin’s Yellamma ( read; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2025/03/mahesh-babu-allu-arjun-shifts-to-dubai.html. Now Keerthy Suresh has stepped in. Yellamma will go on sets this May. The film will be made on a remarkable budget by Dil Raju

Dil Raju and Marcos Director Haneef Adani for a Telugu film. As everybody is saying that Dil Raju is planning a Pan India film and we don’t know whether Adani is the guy. Taran Adarsh wrote, "MARCO DIRECTOR HANEEF ADENI TO DIRECT DHARMA'S HIGH-OCTANE ACTION ENTERTAINER... #HaneefAdeni - the director of the recent commercial and critical #Malayalam smash hit #Marco - will direct #DharmaProductions' next film [untitled]. A high-impact action spectacle, the film will be made in #Hindi and multiple other languages.". Raju has bought the two Telugu States distribution of Empuran and he has posted that first day shows have al been booked.

Yash took to social media to announce the new release date of his upcoming action thriller Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, directed by Geetu Mohandas. The film is set to release on March 19, 2026. Yash Announces Toxic's NEW Release Date; Film To Clash With SLB's Love And War Ft Ranbir, Alia, Vicky KGF star Yash is gearing up to set the screen on fire with Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, is an intense action thriller directed by Geetu Mohandas. Shot in Kannada and English, the film is designed for a global audience. Initially set for April 2025, Toxic will now hit screens on March 19, 2026 - confirmed by Yash himself with a power-packed poster drop on Instagram. The announcement of Yash's upcoming film Toxic release date implies that the film will almost clash with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming film Love And War featuring Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. The film dives into Goa’s drug underworld, with Yash leading the charge. Kiara Advani plays his love interest, Nayanthara his sister, and Huma Qureshi the villain. An insider close to the project said to journalist Subhash K Jha, “Kiara is certainly not being paid Rs 15 crores. It’s ridiculous to even suggest such a figure.”

Mahesh Babu- Allu Arjun shifts to Dubai / Ketika after Urvasi Rautela rocks in RobinHood

Sai Pallavi has no dates for Nithin film Yellamma and the hero’s RobinHood has like Dakku Maharaj created a controversy with vulgar lyrics and dance movements of the song Adhi Dha Surprisu The track, danced by Ketika Sharma, is receiving flak for its suggestive choreography and lyrics and objectifying women on celluloid. Since the video of the number composed by GV Prakash Kumar dropped on Monday evening, people on the internet have had some strong feelings about the allegory-laden song sung by Neeti Mohan, Anurag Kulkarni and penned by Chandrabose. A step that sees an oiled-up Ketika pull the waistband of her skirt, hinting at a double entendre in particular, seemed to draw criticism and comments objectifying her in equal measure. Yellamma is tipped to be a social drama, and the leading lady has a strong character in the narrative. Director Venu Yeldandi, who delivered a critically acclaimed hit with Balagam, is expected to bring his signature storytelling style to this project. Robinhood, directed by Venky Kudumula, is releasing on March 28. Thammudu, directed by Venu Sriram, will be released in May. Yellamma, directed by Balagam Venu—going on sets this summer A film with Vikram Kumar—going on sets in the second half of the year

Mahesh Babu- Allu Arjun and Director Sukumar set up shop in Dubai; A report : Allu Arjun was recently in Dubai, and a video of him working out at a gym there surfaced online. According to some reports, one of the reasons he was there was to meet director Atlee, as both of them are collaborating on an upcoming project. Another filmmaker who has established a base in Dubai is Sukumar, the director of the Pushpa franchise. Reports suggest that he has been staying there to work on the script for his upcoming project with Ram Charan. The last film Sukumar and Allu Arjun worked on together was Pushpa 2: The Rule, which revolved around a sandalwood smuggler, a rags-to-riches story. The film was extremely successful, grossing INR 1,493.84 crores and making a net of 1,265.97 crores. The Hindi dubbed version was the biggest contributing factor, with a net of 836.09 crores coming from that market.

Thalapthy is No 2 Pan Indian actor / LYCA still Empuran Producer / Blast Mohan - Prasanna in Ajith film

Ormax a leading agency list of top Pan Indian stars has raised many doubts as Prabhas is at no 1 and Thalapathy Vijay at No 2. Prabhas had no release in last one year and has no upcoming film coming in next six months. Vijay popularity is restricted to Tamil market and in the South, it is limited. What makes it jarring is that Allu Arjun comes third and the run of the film Pushpa 2 across India is much ahead of the above two actors. We can accept SRK at 4th and 5th as the former has not had any new releases and RC gave a Bomb called Game Changer. Next comes the shocker . Mahesh Babu is at 6th and Ajith Kumar at7th. So where is NTR Jr ? He is on 8th. Then we have two mega duds Akshay and Salman in last two. Out of this 10, five are from Tollywood and two from Kollywood and rest from Bollywood. So has KGF Yash lost his Pan India status ?. Looks like Toxic will have a tough road ahead.

Two major revelations and one misconception. First misconception was that Lyca has been thrown out of the film Empuran and we too said that they are no more than a Tamil Nadu distributor. Trailor says Lyca is Presenter of Empuran. Not only that Lyca is negotiating release of Indian 3 and has begun talks between Kamal – Shankar and Red Giant to get any early release. Also there is no hurdle to Vijay’s son’s Jason’s directorial venture. Along with the online release, the Empuraan trailer will also be launched on the IMAX screen in Mumbai. The official launch of the Empuraan trailer will be held in Mumbai on March 20. Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrior, and Indrajith Sukumaran will also be a part of this grand event. Gokulam Gopalan and Anthony Perambavoor of Aashirvad Cinemas will also be in attendance..

Two revelations ; Blast Mohan of Jailer aka Actor Sunil and Prasanna are part of Good Bad and Ugly.

Next is that Mira Jasmine is also part of Nayanthara- Madhavan- Siddharth film Test releasing on OTT. Telugu film Court and Malaylam Ponman a comparision

When Telugu film Court was ready to release, the popular talk was that it is a film that will do well on OTT but not in theatres. Ponman of Basil Joseph made at Rs 3.5 crore at the Malayalam box office was said to an OTT film . Ponman collected Rs 18 crore. After the OTT release, praise if pouring in Instagram from Tamil Nadu for Basil’s PP Ajesh the role of a jewelers agent. Dubbed in Tamil, the monologue about life by Basil in the lodge is trending on social media.

Produced by Nani, Telugu courtroom drama Court: State VS A Nobody mounted on a restricted budget of 10 crore. Starring Priyadarshi Pulikonda, the film has managed to churn out a profit of 7.40 crore already. Nani‘s film has registered a profit of 74% at the box office already! It now needs to earn 2.6 crore more to claim a hit verdict for itself and become the second Tollywood hit film of 2025 after Venkatesh Daggubati’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam. Add to this Rs 8 crore from OTT deal. For Netflix, COURT marks its third consecutive success in Tollywood after Lucky Bhaskar and Daaku Maharaaj, both of which performed exceptionally well and even featured in Netflix’s global non-English Top 10 charts.