Pushpa 2 Still Top Opener Post Kantara 1 / After Deepika, Alia says NO

On BookMyShow, Pushpa 2 still holds the record with 107K tickets booked per hour at its peak. Kantara Chapter 1 entered the same zone with 74K tickets per hour earlier in the day, which is an impressive feat for Rishab Shetty’s film. Despite the buzz, Pushpa 2’s dominance remains untouched. Few films in Indian cinema look capable of challenging its booking record. Only future titles like Salaar 2 or Kalki 2 appear likely to come close, but Pushpa 2 remains safe for now. Breaking the Allu Arjun starrer’s record will take extraordinary numbers. For the moment, Pushpa 2 continues to lead as the benchmark for advance bookings in India, and audiences now wait to see which film will dare to topple it. Franchise films like Baahubali 2, KGF 2, LCU film Leo, and Mohanlal’s Empuraan did very well at the Kerala box office, but Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 failed to meet expectations and became a big failure. Apart from Allu Arjun’s highly anticipated sequel, all the films listed above debuted with record-breaking numbers and achieved massive success over time in Kerala. Now Kantara Chapter 1 has also exceeded trade’s expectations, and despite not having much pre-release jump and multiple films running in theaters, it still sees a 6 Cr opening, which is one of the biggest openings in Kerala.

Last November Alia Bhatt was in talks to headline filmmaker Nag Ashwin’s yet-untitled woman-led film. But 11 months is a long time for things to change. Ashwin, whose Kalki 2 is now undergoing a round of casting following Deepika Padukone’s exit, is reportedly considering focusing on his woman-centric film in the interim. However, that clashes with Bhatt, who is said to have given bulk dates to Maddock Films’ Chamunda from March 2026. In the latest development, industry chatter suggests that the filmmaker has resumed talks with Sai Pallavi, who has long been his choice to lead the action drama. A source close to the production revealed, “Nag didn’t let go of the idea of the woman-led film. It was simmering on the backburner through most of 2025. With the developments in Kalki 2, bringing the other project forward is a possibility.” Pallavi, however, can allot her dates only after the two-part Ramayana is complete. The source adds, “She is expected to wrap up the second instalment of Ramayana by mid-2026. If the dates align, she could step into Nag’s film before he moves to Kalki 2.” Insiders, however, insist that schedules and casting could shift, given the dynamic nature of the projects in question.

MEGA STAR MAMMOOTTY IN HYDERABAD ; REPORT

 We had reported on September 20 th about Mammootty coming nack ; Read the link :https://dhakshinscreen.blogspot.com/2025/09/mammootty-in-hyderabad-on-oct-1.html. Now Mega Star met media at Chennai airport in company of Anto Joseph to board flight to Hyderabad. Read on anout Hyderabad end of Mammooty meet with Director Anurag Kashyap and film crew etc. We learn that after a week schedule likely by October 9th, Mammooty is to leave for UK for next shoot schedule.

Veteran actor Mammootty has officially resumed work, and his return has already created a buzz on the internet. The actor, who reached Hyderabad on Tuesday for the next schedule of Mahesh Narayanan’s much-anticipated multistarrer MMMN, was warmly welcomed by fans and well-wishers.

Just before checking into his hotel, Mammootty was seen meeting acclaimed Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Producer Anto Joseph, a long-time collaborator of the actor, shared a short video of their interaction on social media, quickly drawing attention from cinephiles. The clip, showing the two exchanging smiles and greetings, has already set off a wave of speculation online. It is not yet clear whether Anurag, who is also an actor, will be part of the cast of MMMN, or if the meeting signals the possibility of a new collaboration. Fans are already wondering if Anurag was trying to pitch a potential project to the veteran actor.

It is also not certain if the entire ensemble of actors will join Mammootty in the Hyderabad schedule of MMMN. The film, reportedly titled Patriot, features a powerhouse cast that includes Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Revathi and Darshana Rajendran.

Mammootty took to social media to reveal that the teaser for his multistarrer film, MMMN, with director Mahesh Narayanan, will release at 12:00 pm tomorrow. The political espionage thriller also stars Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Nayanthara, Kunchacko Boban, Darshana Rajendran and Revathy, among others. "Bringing together the Big M's of Indian cinema," says the MMMN teaser release announcement post, alluding to Mohanlal and Mammootty's reunion for the film after a long time. The last time the two appeared together in a film was in 2013 for Ranjith's Kadal Kadannoru Mathukutty. However, their last collaboration in key roles was for director Joshiy's 2008 film Twenty:20.

Thalapathy scares Prabhas , Rahman Virtual Band / Love Jihad Edited out in Nayan's film,

 Prabhas is truly a Pan Indian Star and even Bollywood actors push their release for him. But in Tamil Nadu, Thalapathy Vijay is a bigger Star. Raja Saheb will release on same date but in Tamil Nadu, it will come a day later. Read On ; Prabhas and Maruthi’s The Raja Saab faced multiple postponements and finally fixed the January 9th date for its theatrical release. Today, the film’s first trailer was released by the makers, and there is a big twist in the release date of Raja Saab’s Tamil version. 

To maintain the film’s buzz among fans, the makers released the first trailer of The Raja Saab a while ago, and they also mentioned the release date officially as 9th January, 2026. However, in the Tamil trailer, the release date is mentioned as 10th January, as the team wants to avoid a clash with Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan on opening day itself, which is also scheduled to be released on 9th January. This is probably the first of its kind for a big pan-India film, as one version is getting released on a date and the other version is getting released at a later date.

A.R. Rahman is developing "Secret Mountain," a virtual global band and metaverse-based musical platform that integrates AI, music, and storytelling to promote Indian creators and cultural heritage. Collaborating with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and utilizing tools like Unreal Engine, the project aims to create a digital, multimedia experience with AI-powered avatars and a lead character named Luna. The initiative, a step in Rahman's "Meta Band" concept, seeks to elevate Indian music and creativity on a global scale.  

Key Aspects of Secret Mountain

• AI Integration: The project leverages Artificial Intelligence to create a new form of musical experience, with a focus on empowering Indian creators. 
• Metaverse Platform: "Secret Mountain" is designed as a metaverse-based musical platform. 
• Music and Storytelling: It blends music with narrative to create a cinematic, multimedia experience. 
• Virtual Global Band: The concept involves AI-powered avatars within a mystical digital world, featuring a lead character named Luna. 
• Cultural & Generational Impact: The goal is to empower Indian creators and address generational challenges through innovative music and storytelling. 
• Collaboration: A.R. Rahman is working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the initiative. 

How it Works

• AI-Powered Avatars:

  The project uses AI-powered characters within a digital world to create its virtual band. 
• Multimedia Storytelling:

  Tools like Unreal Engine are used to craft a rich, immersive digital experience, with potential future extensions into film. 
• Global Reach:

  The virtual band aims to transcend geographical boundaries and introduce Indian music and culture to a global audience in new ways. 
• 

  Nayanthara starrer Annapoora love jihad scenes edited, A R Rahman virtual band,ni was taken off NetFlix after VHP termed it as promoting Love Jihad. Now JioHotStar is coming out with two controversial scenes being removed.Upon its release, two scenes from the film in particular received backlash. One scene features a mispronounced sloka from the Ramayana which says something about Lord Rama eating meat, and another where the titular character is seen offering Namaz before cooking biryani. The relationship Farhaan (Jai) and Annapoorani share in the film has also been equated to Love Jihad.two years later, the film is slated to premiere on JioHotstar in Hindi alone. Annapoorani also stars Achyuth Kumar, KS Ravikumar, Jai, Redin Kingsley, Sathyaraj and Karthik Kumar, among others. It is to be noted that the film marks Nayanthara's milestone 75th film. 
  
  

Pradeep Ranganathan- Dhanush - Lal- Pranav - Rishab Shetty October Clash

 

Rishab Shetty, Dhanush, Mohanlal, Pranav Mohanlal, Vishnu Vishal and Pradeep Ranganathan clash at the box office.in October. Biggest expectation is the film Kantara Chapter 1 of Rishab Shetty as it is a Kannada film whose other language dubbing rights have been bought for prices that are paid to top Stars of straight films in other South languages and Hindi. Releases on October 2. Next is Dhanush Idly Kadai which he directs also. After Kubera debacle in Tamil, this ffilm;s success means a lot to him in Tamil box office. This film hit will solidify his position in Tollywood as Kubera Telugu did well. Releases October 1m also features Nithya Menen, Arun Vijay, Shalini Pandey, Sathyaraj, R Parthiban, P Samuthirakani and Rajkiran in key roles.

Kollywood latest sensation Pradeep Ranganathan after two hits is coming with DUDE. In all probability his LIK directed by Vignesh Shivn too might come in October. Dude release during Diwali, October 17. The upcoming comedy drama is written and directed by Keerthiswaran. Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film stars Pradeep Ranganathan and Mamitha Baiju in the lead roles, with R Sarathkumar, Hridhu Haroon and Rohini. Love Insurance Kompany is scheduled to release in theatres on 17 October 2025, during Diwali, and will clash with Bison and Diesel.^[50][51] The film was earlier scheduled to release on 18 September, but was postponed for undisclosed reasons.^[52][53] It will also clash with Pradeep's other film Dude.^[54]

Vishnu Vishal last released movie was the Aishwarya Rajinikanth-directed film Lal Salaam (2024), in which he played one of the two lead heroes. Ge played a guest in Oho enthan Baby released in July. Now he acts and produces film Aaryan due on October 31. The film features Selvaraghavan, Shraddha Srinath and Vani Bhojan in key roles.

Malayalam filmdom will in October see Mohanlal and son Pranav coming in two weeks gap. Lal on a winning streak and his first release after getting the Dadasaheb Phalke award is Vrusshabha a period fantasy action drama film written and directed by Nanda Kishore. Releasing on October 16^th, it will have all language release. Vrusshabha a period fantasy action drama film has Samarjit Lankesh, Ragini Dwivedi, Siddique, Nayan Sarika, and Neha Saxena.

October Last week comes Brahmayugam fame Rahul directed film Diés Iraé starring Pranav Mohanlal. Pranav Mohanlal's last released movie was Varshangalkku Shesham, which came out in 2024. The film is produced by Chakravarthy Ramachandra and S Sashikanth through Night Shift Studios and YNOT Studios

PAWAN KALYAN KICKS OUT SRK FROM TOP 10 INDIAN FILMS

Pawan Kalyan with OG dethroneed Shah Rukh Khan the only Bollywood Star who had a place in the top 10 biggest openers of Indian Cinema. With no immediate films from SRK, it looks like SRK will have to stay out of the list this year. In fact only Bollywood film company that has a place in top 10 is the one that produced AdiPurush and starring Prabhas. In fact Prabhas has five films in the list.

All this true but one thing is that OG does not click in Hindi and Pawan's Pan India dream still remains elusive. As per Sacnilk, it earned Rs. 50 lakhs on Day 1, Rs. 40 lakhs on Day 2, and Rs. 50 lakhs on Day 3. That makes about Rs. 1.4 crores over three days, and projections suggest only around Rs. 2 crores by the end of the extended weekend.

Read on; Until Pawan Kalyan arrived with a tsunami of numbers, it was Shah Rukh Khan, the only Bollywood actor acting as the saving grace for Bollywood in the list of the top 10 Indian openers ever! Jawan, with an opening day collection of 75 crore, held the tenth and the only spot by a Bollywood actor in the list!

Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG, with its 80+ crore opening day collection, pushed Jawan out of the top 10 list. Now, the entire list is dominated by South Indian actors, with Prabhas ruling the maximum number of spots with his 5 films!

The top 10 Indian openers list now contains only 1 Bollywood film – Adipurush, since it was a Bollywood production. However, it does not have any Bollywood actor holding the fort anymore! The disappointing part is the list might remain like this for the rest of the year as far as the entry of a Bollywood film is considered!

Currently, with 3 months remaining for 2025 to end, there are only two major releases – Thamma and Dhurandhar that are yet to arrive at the box office, but none of them might manage to enter the list of the top 10 Indian openers!

Check out the top 10 biggest openings by an Indian film at the box office (India Net Collections).

1. Pushpa 2: 179.25 crore
2. RRR: 134 crore
3. Baahubali 2: 121 crore
4. KGF: Chapter 2: 116 crore
5. Kalki 2898 AD: 93 crore
6. Salaar: 92 crore
7. Adipurush: 89 crore
8. Saaho: 88 crore
9. They Call Him OG: 84.75 crore* (estimated)
10. Devara: 83 crore

GVP Out Ani In for STR- Vetri / Sita Pallavi Fake Bikini / Producer scraps Deepika work

 Vetrimaaran has dumped GVP and gone in for Anirudh for his next with STR. Vetrimaaran is to direct Dhanush for Vada Chennai 2 and the actor travels with GVP only. Traf on :

Vetrimaaran recently grabbed eyeballs by announcing the closure of his production house, Grass Root Film Company. He is currently busy with the works of #STR49. Vetrimaaran and Simbu have shot a special promo for the film, which will be out on October 4. The talk in Tamil film circles suggests that the sensational music composer Anirudh Ravichander has been roped in to score music for #STR49. Vetrimaaran has mostly collaborated with G.V. Prakash Kumar in his career, and now it seems the director is attempting something different with this Simbu starrer.

The movie will also likely mark Silambarasan’s first collaboration with Anirudh. Earlier, there were rumors that Simbu and Vetrimaaran’s film was Vada Chennai 2, but the filmmaker dismissed those speculations. After wrapping up #STR49, Vetrimaaran will move on to Vada Chennai 2.

Actress Sai Pallavi found herself in the middle of controversy after vacation photos shared by her sister Pooja Kannan on Instagram were misused online. While the original pictures showed Sai Pallavi enjoying a beach vacation, trolls edited them to make it appear as if she was wearing a bikini. This sparked backlash, with some questioning her choice of attire since she is playing the role of Goddess Sita in the upcoming “Ramayana.” Today, the actress hit back at the trolls. Sharing a video from her Australian vacation, she clarified, “PS: The above images are real and aren’t AI-generated.” With this, Sai Pallavi subtly dismissed the fake edits while putting the focus back on her genuine memories.

Deepika Padukone has quit Kalki 2 after nearly  20 days of shooting. Vyjayanthi Movies confirmed the news, stating that while the first film was a collaborative effort, the sequel team could not establish a workable partnership with her. Reports say Deepika knew the importance of her role, which was central to the story and performance-driven. Director Nag Ashwin had earlier revealed that parts of the sequel were shot alongside the first film, making her sudden exit more surprising. NDTV reported that disagreements over pay and working conditions triggered the fallout. Deepika had asked for a 25% fee hike compared to Part 1, shorter seven-hour shoots, and five-star facilities for her 25-member team. The producers refused these terms. Her exit now forces the makers to rework the narrative and recast a crucial role. While they have 20 days of her footage, they may need reshoots or digital fixes once a replacement is finalised. Fans are already speculating about her replacement and how the team will reshape the storyline without one of the franchise’s central faces.

 

 

Sivakarthikeyan- ARM Madharaasi on October 3 / Budget and Flop Details

 

The film  Madharaasi's OTT release date is October 3, 2025. Madharaasi will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and in Hindi as Dil Madharaasi.  For Amaran Sivakarthikeyan took the profit sharing route apart from an advance. He profited and got more than his markey price. In Masharasi, he took Rs 20 crore as advance and share of profits upto Rs 70 crore. As film failed, he was left with only the advance. Director ARM was the biggest loser as he was on only on profit sharing. Gainrs were Vidyut who took Rs 6 crore and Biju Menon got Rs 2 crore.

Budget:-

Salaries - ₹37.85 Crore

Salary of Sivakarthikeyan - ₹20 Crore + Profit sharing (Upto a maximum of ₹40 Crore)

Salary of AR Murugadoss - Profit Sharing (Upto a maximum of ₹50 Crore)

Salary of Vidyut Jamwal - ₹ 6 Crore (Highest Salary in career)

Salary of Biju Menon - ₹ 2 Crore

Salary of Shabeer Kalakkal - ₹ 40 Lakh

Salary of Rukmini Vasanth - ₹ 20 Lakh

Other Salaries - ₹ 2.80 Crore

Technician Salaries - ₹ 2.70 Crore

Salary and expenses of Anirudh - ₹ 3.75 Crore

Production :- ₹ 78.25 Crore

Production - ₹ 70 Crore

Visual Effects - ₹ 8.25 Crore

Print & Publicity - ₹ 4 Crore

Total - ₹ 120 Crore (Approximately)

• The different budgets are because SKs remuneration is split into flat fee + contingent fee and many assume ₹60 Crore is his actual fee for the film
• Another ₹6–10 Crore is money spent on rewriting the script and delays which aren't included and shouldn't be included. For instance Mrunal Thakur was paid ₹75 Lakh signing amount which she likely won't pay back.

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Pre release business - ₹78.1 Crore

TN Theatrical Rights - Own release

South Indian Theatrical Rights - Own Release

Hindi Dubbing Rights - ₹ 9 Crore

Overseas Rights - $ 1.8 Million - ₹ 16 Crore (Non Europe)

Europe Rights - € 400,000 - ₹ 3.6 Crore

OTT Rights - ₹ 27.5 Crore (Amazon Prime)

Satellite Rights - ₹ 22 Crore (Zee Tamil)

• Both OTT and Satellite purchased full rights without contingent payment
• Local Distributors in Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam only distributed the film across theatres on commission without paying flat for rights
• Nobody was willing to buy the rights of the film WITH THE A R MURUGADOSS brand which is SUCH A SHAME FOR A DIRECTOR WHO WAS ONE OF THE EIGHT BLANK CHEQUE DIRECTORS IN TN (Others being Shankar, Bharatiraja, Mani Ratnam, Hari, GVM,LK & KS Ravikumar)

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Post Release Business

TN Theatrical Gross - ₹ 66.70 Crore

TN Theatrical Nett - ₹57.63 Crore

Theatrical Share - ₹ 30 Crore

Distributor Commission - ₹ 2.77 Crore

Producer final share - ₹ 24.86 Crore

Rest of India Theatrical Gross - ₹ 4.72 Crore

Theatrical Nett - ₹ 3.40 Crore

Theatrical Share - ₹ 5.25 Crore

Distributor Share - ₹ 30 Lakh

Producer final share - (-) ₹ 2.15 Crore

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Verdict

Final Profit/Loss = (-) ₹120 (+) ₹78.10 (+) ₹24.86 (-) ₹2.15 = (-) ₹19.19 Crore

So the Producer LOST ₹20 crore total due to Madharaasi

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Another flop for Murugadoss

This was a film similar to SPYDER

It had everything right but still couldn't crack it

Why?

SK couldn't be accepted in an Action role

Amaran was a role that SK slotted into but that doesn't make him an Action star

SK is meant for family drama, romance drama, rom coms and noir dramas like Doctor

It's probably why two very good films Maveeran and Madharaasi didn't click in the box office