Anupama Paradha gets OTT deal / Kubera - DNA ON OTT

 Even before the release date has been announced, the Anupama Parameswaran – Darshana Rajendran film Paradha directed by Cinema Bandi fame Praveen has signed a deal with Amazon Prime. The film is backed by the acclaimed director duo Raj and DK. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., collectively known as Raj & DK, are an Indian filmmaker duo. They are best known for their work as creators, directors, writers, and producers of the Hindi-language thriller series The Family Man (2019–present), Farzi (2023–present), and Guns & Gulaabs (2023). Raj is BF of Samantha.

Kuberaa stars Nagarjuna and Dhanush in lead roles. alongside Rashmika as the lead actress. Directed by Sekhar Kammula, The film will be streaming tonight on Prime Video in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi

Garudan remake is Bhairavam Stars Bellamkonda Srinivas, Manchu Manoj, and Nara Rohit as the leads. Directed by Vijay Kanakamedala, this action drama will be streaming from tonight on ZEE5. It is Aditi Shankar's Telugu debut.

 DNA the Tamil film starring Atharva and Nimisha is releasing on July 18 as My Baby and on July 19 it gets released on HioStar. So who will see the Telugu film in theatres ? This comes in the backdrop of a Exhibitors demand that films released in theatres should have a 4 week OTT window.

 According to the latest reports, Netflix has acquired Kingdom’s post-theatrical streaming rights for a whopping Rs. 50 crores. The deal reportedly includes rights for all languages. The makers are betting big on this Vijay Deverakonda starrer and have spent lavishly on the film without any compromises.

It is said that the producers have recovered a major portion of their investment through digital and other non-theatrical deals. Directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri of Jersey fame, the movie stars Bhagyashri Borse and Satyadev in key roles. Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya are producing the film, with music composed by Anirudh.

Kamal film goes for Rs 130 cr and Keerthy in it - Jude - Lyca multi starrer and Malavika Nair in news

Rahul Bose has joined the cast of SK 21, a film produced by Kamal Haasan and directed by Rajkumar Periasamy. Previously, Rahul had acted in the movie Viswaroopam and its sequels. He is currently reporting for the Kashmir schedule, where Sivakarthikeyan portrays a military officer and Rahul plays the role of a spy. Sai Pallavi has also joined the cast, and the film features music composed by GVP. Shortly after RKFI officially announced Kamal and H Vinoth's project, there were rumors that Keerthy Suresh might be cast in the film. Vinoth's film delves into the world of farming and explores how modern cultivation and marketing methods can enhance a farmer's income. The story is set against the backdrop of the Punjab farmers' strike, which revolves around government policies and the monopoly market. Additionally, there is news that Kamal's film has been acquired by Netflix for a whopping Rs 130 crores even before its official announcement. If this turns out to be true, it would be the highest-ever deal after Vijay's Leo. Meanwhile, Vettayadu Vilayadu, which was released 17 years ago, hit the screens again last week and enjoyed a packed audience for all weekend shows. GVM, the director of the film, shared a tweet about this achievement, and a fan asked Lokesh, who joined GVM in praising the film, who among them is the bigger Kamal fan. Lokesh replied that undoubtedly it is GVM, but GVM responded by saying that it was true before the release of Vikram, and now Lokesh surpasses him in being a Kamal fan.

Lyca Productions has officially announced that Jude Anthany will direct their next .Nivin Pauly, Sudeep, and Vijay Sethupathi are expected to star in this film directed by Jude Anthany. Jude, whose 2018 film was a blockbuster in Kerala, has been chosen to helm this project. Furthermore, Alphonse Puthren has revealed that his Tamil film "GIFT" will feature seven songs composed by Illaiyaraaja.

Malavika Nair, who has previously acted in Mollywood and made a mark in Tollywood with films like "Yevade Subramanyam" and "Mahanati," is now set to make her debut in Kannada cinema. She will be starring opposite Golden Star Ganesh in a film directed by Srinivasa Raju, known for his work on the film "Dandupaiya." Darshana Rajendran, a popular Malayali actress, is set to make her Telugu debut. She gained fame through her roles in the blockbuster hits "Hridyam" and "Jaya Jaya Jaya He." Currently, she is working on a film directed by Praveen, known for his successful movie "Cinema Bandi." Anupama Parameswaran, another talented actress from Kerala and a well-known face in Tollywood, will be joining her in this project. Additionally, Tom Shine Chacko, who previously appeared in Nani's "Dasara," has been receiving numerous offers from the Telugu film industry.

No buyers for Ponniyin Selvan 2 - Aamir Khan remakes Darshana film- RRR team bought Oscar tickets

The latest buzz in the industry is that Aamir Khan has secured the rights to produce the Hindi remake of the Malayalam movie Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, with Fatima Sana Shaikh, known for her role in Dangal, set to portray the titular character, originally played by Darshana in Malayalam. Vipin Das, who directed the original film, will be directing the remake. While there is no information yet on the other cast and crew members, the Malayalam film was made on a budget of Rs. 6 crores and earned Rs. 40 crores at the box office. It is currently available on Disney Hotstar.

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Mani Ratnam's second installment of Ponniyin Selvan has yet to find a distributor for Andhra and Telangana States. Despite the success of the first part, Dil Raju, who acquired the rights for these regions, has shown no interest in the sequel. Although the movie had a promising first weekend in Telugu states, its earnings sharply declined on Monday and never recovered, even during the festival day. The film was purchased for Rs 10 crore and needed to earn over Rs 12 crore to break even, but it only managed to close its first week with Rs 8.25 crore (Rs 15 crore gross). In Tamil Nadu it is the highest grossing film so far. April 28th is the release date. Tamil Nadu distribution has been acquired by red Giant Movies.

Upon the release of Ponniyan Selvan I, while film enthusiasts acknowledged Mani Rathnam's hard work, they expressed that the plot was heavily intertwined with Tamil history, making it difficult for non-Tamil audiences to connect with it. This is likely the reason why Ponniyan Selvan 2 is struggling to find buyers in other languages, despite featuring popular stars such as Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Trisha, Karthi , and others.

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 According to recent updates from the Economics Times, only MM Keeravani and Chandra Bose received tickets to attend the Oscars 2023 event at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, as they were nominees. However, the remaining members of the RRR team, including director SS Rajamouli, lead actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR, and their families, bought tickets to witness the historic moment live.

Reports suggest that director SS Rajamouli bought tickets in advance for himself, the RRR team, and their families to attend the event. It is noteworthy that a single ticket for the Oscars event costs $25,000 USD, which is approximately Rs. 20.6 Lakhs. This new information has surprised Indian movie enthusiasts.

The netizens' discontent towards the Academy Awards organizers has heightened as they assigned the RRR team to the back row of the hall, as seen in the viral videos. Director SS Rajamouli and his team were captured sitting in the last row while MM Keeravani and Chandra Bose were seated ahead with other nominees. Accompanying Rajamouli were his wife Rama, son SS Kartikeya, and other family members, while Ram Charan attended with his wife Upasana Kamineni, and Jr NTR made a solitary appearance at the event.

Hridayam movie review : It is no `Premam'

Hridayam is from  the genre of films of which ` Premam' belongs. So comparing  Hridayam to Premam , is inevitable. Hridayam is no patch on that movie. Secondly, Vineeth Srinivasan has slipped badly in fleshing out the main protagonist Arun played by Pranav Mohanlal. From here onwards take place  the slide in creating a film about relationships that one encounters in life's journey.  Arun is shown as one who has had no strong friendships with his peers except for the girl Darshana with whom he breaks up at the start of the movie and his other is a sidekick. With this character , how do you work out a subject of bonding and emotions  ?

The only friend that made an impression on Arun is Selva, a Tamil student who motivated him to study and clear the arrears. This guy meets with an accident and dies. After that Arun is shown to have not have kept in touch with his Tamil pals or any body else. it was only with Darshana .It is justified if all college mates turn up for Darshana's wedding but Arun who is not shown to have any bonding with his mates in and after college has a big gang turn up. Strange guys !!!.

So many cliches like the wedding in rain, lush green meadows, soft mushy music , college ragging, funny teachers and some what we call  cringe moments are filled in to keep the narrative going. When the wedding photographer falls in love with Kalyani Priyadarshan saga starts and the entire length up to the marriage and the baby care- in- laws is one that just does not merge with the main movie. It stands out like a sore thumb.  Kalyani plays the butter will not melt in my mouth role with ease.

Now as climax moves to Darshana's wedding , we expect some intense exchange between her and ex BF Arun.  We see this bold girl ask questions to Arun about what if the guy she marries turns to be  a bad choice and he gives a reply which means that a hubby/ wife and a baby is what everybody's  moment is all about.

Technically the film is top notch. Given a role that is not well defined, Pranav does not have much of scenes for us to see the actor in him, Only one scene is what you take home- When he video calls his ex and tells about him being a father. Wish Vinneth had given as much care to Arun character as much to Darshana's. Among the hollow characters around, Darshana had to shine and she did. Some actors like the side kick to Pranav and the guy who played Selva are a few you remember.

We have to talk about music separately in this film as the director has put in 15 songs and even got back the old cassette tape back for audio launch. Hesham steps in place for Vinneth's regular -Shaan and no doubt he does full justice ( except for the Hindi - Tamil bits ).  Except for three songs, all others are fillers. 

Is Hridayam as memorable as `Premam' - No.  In the middle of  all the muck- over exaggerated box office claims and pretensions of being a trend setter, Hridayam can definitely be watched. It is not big screen experience and so even an OTT will do.