Not HouseFull 5 but Sivaji's Vasantha Maligai and Mammootty- Mohanlal Harikrishnan had TWO ENDINGS

Housefull 5A and 5B: Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh starrer hit the theatres on June 6. During the trailer launch, producer Sajid Nadiadwala claimed that this approach of two endings is unprecedented, but netizens quickly debunked this by referencing the 1998 Malayalam film Harikrishnan, which also offered two endings, 27 years ago. Similarly Vasantha Maligai the Sivaji Ganesan film released in September 1972 had two endings.

Many netizens are pointing out Harikrishnans as the first to try two endings but it was not so. As a Sivaji Rasikar Manram fan club member in Thiruvanthapuram, I remember waiting for the print to come. As the custom, Sivaji film opened in two theatres within a one km radius. We felt very sad to see the Thespian die in the climax – heartbroken. Soon in two days we got news that a new ending has been shot and it is coming. In the happy ending- Sivaji is hospitalized and is welcomed back by his lover and ends with the hit song -Mayakkamenna.

Now fan club members were divided and so one theatre showed the sad ending and other the happy ending. The reason was that Tamil Nadu Sivaji fans could not digest the sad ending. Later as a journalist when I met Sivaji , I told him that I was his official fan club member, He asked me which film  I liked most- without waiting to think I told him Vasantha Maligai. He shot back – Kudikara payal- Drunkard boy. I seen it atleast 14 times in first run and fun was alternating between sad and happy. Years later the film got released in Manadeveli Theatres – Kabali. I saw it there too.

Coming to Malayalam , the two endings for Harikrishnan was that single heroine Juhi Chawla in the climax chooses Mohanlal over Mammootty. It was said that  forNorthern Kerala, climax was changed to please Mammootty fans. I also heard that  the film was a commercial success, the two endings also led to some controversy. According to Wikipedia, only the Mohanlal version was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for censorship approval, and the board sent a notice to the producer after both versions were released Director was Fazil and he only discovered Mohanlal and at same time close to Mammootty.

However, Mammootty gave  a different version. He said that the idea was to screen the film with two endings in two theatres in same city and have both run housefull. When the prints got coming to Kerala, the Mammootty getting girl went to theatres from Ernakulam to North Kerala and Lal climax to South and Central Kerala. Hde was trying to play down the North- South divide. IF two prints  for two  theatre were marker per city and one print was playing , then where did other print go ? It was the print box film reel era and not the Qube
 

Asin hubby goes bust and comeback / Know Samantha's BF Raj's ex-wife

 Did you known Actress Asin hubby Rahul Sharma who owned Micromax the top selling mobile brand manufactured in India had hit a bad patch and his company lost the market to Chinese brands and with Covid, the brand was dead. When he married Asin, his turnover was Rs 12,000–15,000 crore. Akshay Kumar who worked with Asin was the one played cupid between Rahul and Asin. Says Akshya about the couple- “He is madly in love with his wife, his child. It’s like he treats her like a goddess. We share a deep friendship. Sometimes we don’t speak for 2-3 weeks, but then we start from the same place again.”

Rahul shifted to manufacturing phones for other brands and today has 5 factories. His turnover is Rs 6,200 crore. His net worth is estimated at Rs 1,300 crore. He owns a plush farmhouse in Delhi, valued in crores, and his car collection is straight out of a Bond movie.

Fun fact: His garage boasts a Bentley Supersport Limited Edition, BMW X6, Mercedes GL450, and a Rolls-Royce Ghost Series 2.

Asin deletes posts with her husband, Rahul Sharma and sparked divorce rumours

It all began when one of Asin Thottumkal's fan pages shared an array of posts featuring Asin and Rahul, which are now deleted from her Instagram account. If reports are to be believed, Asin deleted all the posts with her husband, including their wedding pictures, back in February 2023 due to some reasons best known to her. The admin of the fan page also addressed Asin's separation rumours from her husband, Rahul Sharma and made her fans curious to know the reason behind removing all the photos. Soon, everyone started wondering if the actress and Rahul Sharma were heading for a divorce. But, Asin quickly put an end to all the speculations with her note.

Meet ex wife of Samantha's BF

Shhyamali De, who tied the knot with director Raj in 2015, is a psychology graduate and has worked as an assistant director with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Vishal Bhardwaj. The couple has a daughter together. Not only has she worked as an assistant director, but she is also a scriptwriter and has worked as a creative consultant for top films and classics like Rang De Basanti, Omkara, and Ek Nodir Golpo. Shhyamali De is also best friends with Rajkummar Rao's wife and actress Patralekhaa.

Good Bad Ugly - Ajith Salary and Pre- Release biz details/ Akshay Kumar in Kathakali outfit

 tOTAL bUDGET IS rS 180 Cr and pre release has collected Rs 100 cr from theatres- Distributors. Ajith did not take Rs 167 cr as stated in some quarters. Producer Mythiri is releasing this film in Tamil Nadu and other States on a low key note. All the old reference songs will be in the film if Producer gives NOC from original makers. Around 2 minutes and 5 seconds of footage were trimmed. This includes the removal of close-up shots of smoking, while disclaimers were added for longer smoking scenes. Some violent visuals had the blood blurred out. Additionally, a sequence involving old Tamil songs required the makers to submit No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the original composers and producers.

.The final runtime of the film is 2 hours and 19 minutes—tighter than usual for a big-star action film.

GBU pre release business details

Budget- 180 cr

Ajith - 90 cr

Rest of cast and crew Remuneration- 25 cr

Production- 60 cr

Prints and Publicity- 5 cr

Theatrical Business

TN - 70 cr

TS- 5 cr

KA+ROI- 5 cr

OS - 20 cr

Total - 100 cr

Individual area targets -

TN

- 130 to 135 cr gross (Break even)

130 to 160 cr gross (HIT)

160 to 193 cr gross (Super hit)

194 +++× (Blockbuster)

Telugu states.

9 cr to 9.5 cr break even

9.5 to 11 cr HIT

11 cr to 13.5 cr gross Super Hit

13.5 cr ++++ Blockbuster

Karnataka+ROI

11 cr to 11.3 cr break even

11.3 to 13.5 cr HIT

13.5 to 16 cr Super Hit

16 cr ++++ Blockbuster

Overseas

38 to 40 cr gross - Break even

40 to 50 cr gross - HIT

50 to 60 cr gross- Super Hit

60 cr +++ - Blockbuster

Overall.

188 cr to 194 cr (Breakeven)

194 cr to 234 cr (HIT)

234 cr to 283 cr (Super HIT)

284 cr ++× (Blockbuster)

Akshay Kumar is stepping into the shoes of C Sankaran Nair in Kesari Chapter 2, a courtroom drama that dives deep into a powerful chapter of India’s fight for justice. The actor dropped a new poster on Instagram this Wednesday and it’s hard to miss. He appears in a full Kathakali avatar, complete with bold makeup, grand headgear, and a fierce expression.

 He wrote, “This is not a costume. It’s a symbol of tradition, of resistance, of truth, of my nation. C Sankaran Nair didn’t fight with a weapon. He fought the British Empire with the law and with fire in his soul. This 18th APRIL, we bring you the court trial they never taught in textbooks.”

Salman Khan talks to Kamal about Atlee film - Pranav Mohanal in Telugu- Priyan- Akshay back

Now this time our trackers say that Atlee and Salman Khan Hindi project is 100% true. Not only that Salmaan is producing the film and so has personally talked to Kamal Haasan for a parallel role. As Kalki 2 is delayed. Kamal is likely to join Khan. In October , a promo and main shoot in January next year. Salman Is taking steps to work out a joint narration of the script with him and Kamal by Atlee. The film will be unparallel cinematic feat says trackers as the one line excited Khan who heard it three months back and gave go ahead for scripting. Now Salman has asked Atlee about his first choice of the parallel hero and hearing that it is Kamal, he lifted the phone and set in motion the move to bring in UlagaNayakan into the fold. Yet another Anirudh musical.

Pranav Mohanlal is set to make his Telugu entry next year. This film will be a sort of a Pan Indian subject that is readied by Koratala Siva and bankrolled by Mythiri Movie Makers. Siva had worked with Mohanlal in Janatha Garage of NTR Jr. Currently he is busy with NTR’s Devara. Mythiri Movie Makers Producers of many hit films is now busy with Pushpa 2. Sometime back, Mammootty’s son Dulquer had said that he is very comfortable with Tollywood and that he is getting very good subjects and banners to work with. In fact Sita Ramam took him across many regional barriers.

While we are on Mohanlal, it reminds us to tell you that Lalettan pal Priyadarshan is coming back to Bollywood with his one time hit hero Akshay Kumar. Remember Hera Pheri and Bhool Bhulayaa . Now on September 9rg, this combo motion poster will be released as Khiladi turns 57. Ektaa Kapoor is the Producer. We hear from Priyan team that there is three heroines and a mix of horror- comedy. Priyan just finished work on a film about Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He was present at Kerala Cricket League launch. Pal Mohanlal is the Brand Ambassador and another pal Producer Suresh’s daughter Keerthy Suresh is owner of adani@trivandrumroyalsofficial team. Adani have a stake in Vizhinigam port and International Airport. rivandrum Royals, Kochi Blue Tigers, Thrissur Titans, Calicut Globstars, Kollam Sailors and Alleppey Ripples are the teams. Game started today at Trivandrum Greenfield and catch it on Star Sports 1 and Fancode. Finals on September 17th.

Akshay - Suriya Sarfira threat to Kamal Hindustani 2 - Reba in Coolie - Ram Charan wraps Game Changer

It seems only film that can stop Kalki run in Hindi belt is Sarfira . Those who saw it within the industry say that it has the potential to cause a dent in Kalki’s mad rise. At this rate our question is will Sarfira be a threat to Hindustani 2 ? Read’ https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2024/05/suriya-jyotika-hindi-film-vs-kamals.html. Our Box office trackers say that Kalki has seen a 100 % jump on Friday and mire son in Hindi market. Surprisingly, film has done this feat in Malayalam and other South Languages including Telugu. In Telugu the Saturday collections are double of Friday. If this trend continues, the film by this weekend will reach 800 crores and needs another week to reach 1000 crore. In Hindi it is Rs 173 crore nett. In North America the film has already surpassed the total earnings of “RRR” (including re-releases) and Ranbir Kapoor’s “Animal”. The film will gross more than $16 million by the end of its second weekend. The film has a good chance of becoming the highest-grossing Indian film ever in North America. Currently, “Baahubali 2” holds the top spot with a total gross of $20.5 million. “Kalki 2898 AD” might surpass this collection.

Reba Monica John is the latest addition to Coolie says our Hyderabad trackers. Lokesh and crew with Rajinikanth – Sruthi Haasan is in full swing. This is probably the big ticket for Reba . Remember the acid victim girl in Bigil and the way she get back. She had all the claps as Thalapathy roots for her. Now let’s see what she has in Thalaivar film. Our trackers are not able to confirm whether Fahadh Faasil is acting with Rajinikanth in Coolie. He just finished Vattaiyan with Thalaivar. Lokesh had given Fahadh very good footage in Kamal’s Vikram.

Ram Charan has finally wrapped his portion in Game Changer and is off to Buchi Babu directed film RC 16 with Jhanvi Kapoor. The film has Vijay Sethupathi in an important role and Rahman scores the music. Ten days of shoot with rest of cast remains. The actor shared a collage of two pictures from the first and last day of shooting to share the news with his fans. He also teased the audience by hinting at the film's release in the coming months.

Rajini Helicopter dash to Pondy - Priyadarshan back to Remake - Thug Life update

Pondy guys especially Thalaivar fans were surprised as they saw a helicopter with Rajinikanth hovering in the sky. Now don’t think that it was an aerial shot for Vettaiyan. Truth is that with heatwave conditions in this beach city, makers decided that a road journey from Chennai was not ideal. Even if the best air conditioned caravan was put to service, the heat outside was too much. Added to this there was a chance of a summer rain. Given this, next best was flying Thalaivar across to Pondy. Meanwhile there is a post saying that Thalaivar grandson Yatra secured 569 out of 600 and now the catch is that CBSE 12 Results are coming only on May 20. So is this inside info ? Papa Dhanush is in Mumbai shooting for Kubera and released a single from Raayan. Meanwhile Hidayaath Director of RDX the hit Malayalam film turned up at Pondy to take a photo with Thalaivar in the background of the helicopter.

Our Thug Life trackers say that that overseas rights bidding price is Rs 60 crores and that it is by large the highest for a Tamil film before release. STR fans may say that it his inclusion that shot up the price but finally as we know that a 33 year gap after Nayakan for Kamal – Mani combo to come together is the USP.

Manjumel Boys film has landed those policemen who were on duty at Kodaikanal when the actual Boys visited the Guna caves. The cops are shown as people with scant respect for tourists and taking favours for rescue operations. Though the real Manjumel Boys tean are not pressing any charges, Tamil Nadu Home Secertary has asked DGP to inquire and give a report.

Many of us from Thiruvanthapuram got a shock on hearing that Sangeeth Sivan passed away in Mumbai. He and Priyadarshan are two guys from Kerala’s capital city who made it big in Bollywood. Sangeeth was busy with the dubbing of the Hindi remake of Malayalam film Romanacham. It was a comeback film for him. Death snatched him. We hear that Priyadarshan is directing a Hindi film with Saif Ali Khan and that Khan plays a blind man and it is a thriller. Nobody can blame us if we say it is Oppam remake. At the same time, we are told that Priyan is doing a film with Akshay Kumar and that it is a fantasy comedy. No it is not a remake !!!. Akshay and Priyan at one time were a hot combo and later Akshay moved to Super League. In between an National award committee headed by Priyan gave Akshay a best actor award. So it was seen as a move to get Akshay’ dates. But nothing happened. Now Akshay badly needs to reinvent himself and so does Priyan.

Akshay Kumar Bell Bottom banned in Gulf Countries for distorting U.A.E role in hijack drama

 Akshay Kumar's Bell Bottom released yesterday has it's bottoms ripped apart with  Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait banning the film. This takes away almost 50% of the overseas market of a Hindi film. The decision might lead to other Muslim countries that may follow UAE. Box office , the first day collections worldwide are not so encouraging with Rs 2-3 cr as trade expected Rs 5-6 cr on day one. Attendance was only 50% in movie halls. 1600 screens are showing the film in India.

Distributor of Hindi films abroad said that the makers of Bell Bottom had treated UAE as if it was Pakistan  and went ahead and distorted the entire real life hijack drama and make the  U.A.E Defence Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum who handled the hijack crisis in 1984 as a `dummy' who was kept in the dark while Indian Intelligence men carried out the rescue operation. The truth was that it was because of the U A E pressure that the operation was successful.

Efforts are through diplomatic channels to pacify the U A E officials and dialogues and scenes which show that were found objectionable will be removed. Akashay Kumar has a track record of delivering hits with real life incidents as subjects. His film Airlift was based on prominent Indian businessman in Kuwait, Mathunny Mathews ( Toyoya Sunny), who was instrumental in the safe evacuation of stranded Indians during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Padman was based on the real-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who hails from a remote area in Tamil Nadu. He devised a clean and budget-friendly sanitary napkin for women who do not have access to proper sanitary facilities

Bell Bottom is the first STAR film to hit theaters ( in North India except Maharashtra). The theaters for the first time got a 60 % share of total collections in first week as it was 50-50 till now. Major players Tamilrockers streamed the film within few hours of the release across various sites.

Trade points out that pe- Covid biz is not seen for Akshay Kumar. The last film before Covid was Good Newwz,’  with Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani, grossed Rs 17.56 crore on Day 1 alone. Bell Bottom is directed by Ranjit M Tewari and stars Vaani Kapoor, Lara Dutta, and Huma Qureshi in prominent parts.

No South celebs in top 10 list of celebrity endorsed advertisements on TV

No South celebs figured in the most visible top 10  celeberties who endorsed brands , according to TAM index for first 6 months of 2021. Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani topped the list among film stars whose advts came on TV, Virat Kohli and M S Dhoni from Sports category topped the list.

Kiara Advani who had made her Telugu debut with director Koratala in Bharat Ane Nenu opposite Mahesh Babu and acted in Vinaya Vidheya Rama starring Ram Charan. On Aug 12th, Sherashaah, the biopic on Capt Vikram Batra is releasing on Amazon Prime. Kiara plays Dimple the fiancee of Vikram in the film. The director Vishnuvardhaan of Sherashaah has directed 9 Tamil films and hits were Billa and Arambaam, both starring Ajith.

The visibility factor increased as Akshay and Kiara added 10 more brands than last year and the visibility time on TV was more. Whereas Hrithik Roshan and Dhoni had cut down on brands. Film couples were the favorite and Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna with 39 brands and Saif-Kareena with 19 brands. Virat-Anushka and Deepika-Ranveer were next in line with a total of 30 and 32 brands respectively

In the sports celebrities category  there were 45 celebs who appeared whereas only 8 female Sports celebrities were seen during Jan-Jun '21. Out of 8 female sports celebrities, Mithali Raj topped the list followed by Saina Nehwal. Celebrity endorsements were mainly for food and beverage and followed by personal hygiene care products.

Update : Prithviraj's Kuruthi on Amazon for Onam-Marakkar - Mohanlal film not to release on August 12 th

 

With Marakkar not for Onam theater release, Prithviraj's Kuruthi is the first biggie to come for Onam . To be premiered on August 11th in Amazon Prime platform, ‘Kuruthi’ is directed by debutant Manu Warrier and scripted by Anish Pallyal. Murali Gopy had said that ‘Kuruthi’ would be one of the most important mainstream movies in today’s times. Will more follow ?

Release of  Marakkar  , the Rs 100 cr budget Mohanlal – Priyadarshan directed period film, will not release on August 12^th. This was confirmed by director Priyadarshan. He said that the Covid situation in Kerala was bad . The theater association has promised that theaters will not screen any film for three weeks from the date of release of Marakkar, whenever released, he revealed. It means that Kerala theaters will have no Onam release.  Priyadarshan confirmed that Marakkar would release only in movie halls. This would have a rippling effect  on other films that are waiting for release in Kerala. Dulquar Salman's Kurup and Prithviraj film Kuruthi  are next on the list. Whether this would trigger a rush towards OTT platforms has to be seen ?.

Priyadarshan revealed that he was planning a sports drama based on boxing with Mohanlal. He said that it was like `Raging Bull’ and Lal has to shed 15 kgs and then add it later. While he is to direct films with Superstars like Mohanlal and Akshay Kumar , he was quoted as saying – “The industry has changed. I think this is the last era of superstars. Whoever is enjoying today, Shah Rukh to Salman to Akshay… they should be thankful to God. Tomorrow, the superstar will be the content.”. He remade Katha Parayumbol (Malayalam) as Billu with Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo and Irfan Khan in the lead. The film bombed badly. Priyadarshan remade his own film Thalavattom in Hindi as Kyon Ki with Salman Khan. Inspired by One Flew over the Cuckoos Night, the film was termed one among the worst remakes in Bollywood. Only with Akshay, he has given hits.

Priyadarshan’s latest release Hungama 2 ( remake of Malayalam film Minnaram) released on Disney Hotstar was called `distressing dated’ by Hindustan Times, `Creates a ruckus but for nothing’- Times of India and `A sloppy Comedy’ by NDTV. He is to do a cop thriller film without songs for Ratan Jain of Venus . This will be a quickie before he moves to Akshay Kumar.