Vijay Sethupathi enters Rs 200 cr club / Viduthalai franchise makes Rs 100 cr profit

Vijay Sethupathi ( VJS)  becomes the sixth actor from Kollywood to join the 200 Crore club after Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Vijay , Ajith & Siva Karthikeyan. 

Maharaja grosses ₹200 Crore worldwide as Last show in China screened today

Maharajas China collections as of yesterday night stood at ₹91.83 Crore in the Mainland and ₹ 199.56 Crore worldwide

However under Chinese rules - the minimum estimated run of the film was 78.71 Million Yuan and the State pays the difference in final collection and minimum estimated run to the movie

So this means Maharajas final collection will stand at 78.71 Million Yuan or ₹92.48 Crore

This takes the total gross to ₹ 200.21 Crore. The Film however will be unable to join the exclusive $ 11 Million Club in China - missing by just $ 206,000

Budget

Most of it combined Budget of two parts .

VJS - 20 cr for two parts

Soori - 5 cr for two parts

Manjuwarrier - 50 lakhs (Some sources saying 1 cr but I don't think so)

Rest of the cast for two parts - 10 cr

Vetrimaran - 10 cr

Illayaraja - 4 cr

Rest of the crew - 6.5 cr

Production budget (Including prints and publicity for both parts )- 24 cr

Total - 80 crs

---

Business

Non theatricals for both parts - 55 cr

Theatricals for first part - 15 cr

Theatricals for second part- 18 cr

Theatricals revenue for first part for producers

19 cr

Total returns for producer till date - 74 cr

Theatrical business

TN- Own release

Telugu states - 2 cr (MG basis)

OS (Outright ) - 3 cr

KA +KL+ ROI - 2 cr (MG basis )

Now for collections so far as of Jan 3rd

TN -41 cr gross or 21.5 cr share

KA +KL+ROI - 3.4 cr gross or 1.6 cr share

TS - 2.3 cr gross or 1.2 cr share

OS - 10 cr gross or 4.9 cr share

Final - 56.7 cr gross or 29.2 cr share

Producers compensated the loss of Karnataka - Kerala - two Telugu States 

Overall - 26 cr profit

Hence overall returns for producers by end of two parts- 100 cr

Budget - 80 cr

Profit - 20 cr

A Profit venture for all.

Vettaiyan ; A Director's Film - Like Rajini - Udhayam will continue

 

Udhayam theatre is not closing and Vettaiyan is not the last film. Theatre Manager has said that it will take time to close shop and it could be possibly after Sivakarthikeyan'a Amaran. Usually as I do not review a film.  I feel that though mine is a blog, I should not give my personal opinion on a film and exception being if the content is such and that it merits a public debate.

However as the Manager dashed my idea to preserve my ticket for  Vettaiyan since it was supposed to be last one in this iconic theatre and having seen it , I write about it. This is a T J Gananvel film. He has stuck to the subject as much as possible. The subject is about a encounter killing v/s arrest and conviction. Though the subject has been handled before and you expect TJ to take the Jai Bhim approach, he takes a new theme along with it - online entrance exams scam and kick starts with a murder of a teacher who stumbles upon a drug racket.

The problem with a Rajini film is that the Director fills in what is called Fan moments and this makes a non Rajini fan squirm and as a reviewer you write that the film is strictly for the fans. Here, I found only one or two moments like that and otherwise, if you look at it as a movie goer with no membership in any Rajini fan club, it is appealing. The message that one gets through Rajini character is that the cop in you should first do a soul searching before pulling the trigger and in short not be trigger happy.

Having seen all Rajini films as part of my job as a film journalist and a person who scripted for a documentary telecast on Japan official TV, I do not think any character in a Rajini film has stolen the limelight and that too in a role that is not an antagonist. In Vettaiyan, Fahadh Faasil does it and backed by a strong writing, he gets his teeth into it. No wonder Rajini said that he will wait for him till eternity.

Best actors in a Rajini film can do is that speak to all and sundry about and gush about Superstar before release. For Manju Warrier, this is yet another Tamil film and nothing more. Here however , she has a song to take home as a memento. Anirudh and his BGM is said to be heart of any film but I am no expert on this. If you ask me whether the BGM intensified Rajini on screen as  I think even otherwise, it would pass muster as Vettaiyan is not that dependent on BGM as Jailor.

To my generation the coming together of Rajini and Big B in one frame is memorable. But as I or my gen do not decide a film's success , TJ has kept it to the level it deserved. Rana Daggubatti compared to the bad guys in Rajini film is no great shakes. I am not an expert on technical aspects- I did not disturb me. A sensible film . Box office ? What till Monday fright .

Vettaiyan review; Acting and Super theme

 

MJ Cartels

@Mjcartels

#VettaiyanReview: First reports are Super theme, Acting based Movie - #Rajinikanth #AmithabBachan dominated the film - #FahadhFaasil #Rana are Good - Talk is Interval, 2nd half Highlight of the Movie - Good twist with message #Vettaiyan #Anirudh #Coolie #Ritikasingh

Second single in Telugu- Kannada and Hindi trace out Rajini 50 years. Hunter Ka Avataar title in Hindi. 5 shows on First Day in Tamil Nadu. Buyers expect Rs 125 crore on opening and extended weekend Dushera holidays to give Rs250crores.

Rajinikanth undergoes angio - stable condition - Manju pitches for Thalapathy

 Rajinikanth underwent an angiogram. An angiogram is a diagnostic procedure that uses X-ray images to look for blockages in your blood vessels (arteries or veins). An angiogram test allows your healthcare provider to see how blood circulates in blood vessels at specific locations in your body. According to information got, Rajinikanth had stomach disorder and as he felt weak, he paid a visit to see his cardiac surgeon Dr Satish in Apollo Hos[ital Greams road in Chennai. He was given a checkup and told to do an angio as there was variations in ECG. By evening the results would be know. Rajinikanth devolved problems at Coolie location in Vizag and returned back last month end.9 read https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2024/09/rajini-falls-sick-and-returns-coolie.html.

Censor muted words how that Vettaiyan has a political background. . pne hour and 20 minutes in first half and one hour and 23 minutes second half. Trailer is coming out tomorrow on Sun TV You Tube channel

After working with Rajinikanth in Vettaiyan, Manju Warriier now hopes that  H binoth will give her the film that he is doing with Vijay. She said that while acting with Ajith in Thunivu , Vinoth told her that he would give her meaty role in his films and hoped that it would be the Vijay film.

Carrying the Thalapathy legacy can be difficult. as Sivakarthikeyan found out at SIIMA awards. A audience asked Siva - Isthe gun vry weighty ? He was meaning the gun given to Siva in Goat by Thalapathy.

Malaysia’s leading distributor DMY Dato Mohammed Yusoff invited Kamal Haasan to his son's wedding happening in a grand manner this month!

Rajinikanth Kutty story sparks Thalapathy v/s Thalaivar war

 

Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan audio launch was marked by not one but two kutty stories and as usual it had Thalapathy fans overworked as some felt it was directed against their hero. Lost in the cross fire on social media between Thalaivan and Thalapathy fans is that the loudest claps came when Kaththi came on screen to show producer Lyca Productions journey and this cheering could come from Thalaivar fans inside the hall.

Rajinikanth said that a dhobi who used go to a river nearby with clothes on a donkey to wash was lost after the animal went missing. He went out of control and like a mad man he stood on a single foot and sported a huge beard. Seeing this crowds gathered and he became a big saint. He muttered something and that became words of wisdom. Millionaires to all celebs flocked around him.

One day he heard the donkey braying and he opened his eyes and was joyous that he had found what he was searching. He as then told that he cannot go back to be a dhobi and that he was now a SAINT. A Saint by default ? Who is her referring ?

Yet another kutty story. Rajini in his speech says that in today’s age of Shakuni, one has to be a Chanakya to achieve. This he summary of his life journey .  So who  is the Shakunni that he was referring ?

Rajinikanth’s praise for Fahad Faasil was another surprise. He tracked down the way that how he spoke to next film Director Lokesh to others to get a two months time for Fahadh to join the sets. Similarly, he was all praise for Manju Warrier. He said that when the Director said that he felt Manju would suit the role, he said okay. He had the image of an elderly lady from Asuran. From when he saw her, he was taken aback. In his words – looks like Thakali ( tommatoes). Manju spoke about the days when she wished that one day she would take a photo with Rajini.

Did GOAT box office one week cover Thalapathy's Rs 200 crore - Activist actress says all Fine

After one week of theatre run globally , it looks like GOAT has just about managed to cover the Rs 200 crore paid to Thalapathy. AGS Archana herself confirmed this amount paid to Vijay and said that they were covered by the pre- release business. If we look at post release business and which means the money coming for people who bought the screening rights, GOAT India wide Net is Rs 171 crore. Out of this Tamil Nadu share was Rs 150 crore and Rs 21 crore from other languages. Now one may that collections will increase but reality is that Day one across Tamil Nadu, it was Rs 39 crores and Day 7 , the figure is Rs 7.2 crores. Overseas figures are at Rs 130 crores. So it reaches the Rs 300 crore mark in 7 days ! A record indeed. Those rooting for Jailer should understand that in overseas GOAT is going strong and only a week has passed. Usually considered strong markets, Kerala and two Telugu States has underperformed and that too very badly. AGS with digital, satellite and OTT rights will have a profit. At the end of the day, the entire exercise looks like it was an effort to recover Thalapathy’s wages.

A prominent actress who deposed before Hema Committee is said to have given a statement that there is no sexual harassment by male actors on the sets or outside. She claimed ignorance of any such acts where actress was denied roles as they had not cooperated with actors. The most surprise element was that this actress was in the forefront of calling for a probe after Dilip case and part of setting up WCC. The somersault had even baffled the committee members. Even while the Dilip case reference was put forth to this actress, she termed it as fall out between the actor and actress concerned and termed it as an isolated incident. On hindsight, those in the know say that the actress had backtracked before the committee as she would have been told by `power group’ to not precipitate the matter. This actress despite her tough stance on the sexual assault case , had no dearth of work in Malayalam films. B Unnikrishnan of FEFKA the film trade union body says that Hema committee should taken statements from members of the body and had relied on mostly those from WCC or those aligned with them. It seems one section of the AMMA is planning to form a parallel body and seek trade union status. On the other hand, a move is on to group members around to retain the charitable societies status of AMMA.

Rs 200 cr for Vijay - GOAT Producer confirms - Audience shunning Kerala Box office ?

Thalapathy Vijay received Rs 200 crores for GOAT and this was revealed by Producer Archana of AGS to Galatta in an interview. She said the film budget was Rs 340 crores. The previous budget of AGS film Bigil was less than Vijay’s renumeration for GOAT. Archana says already before release, they have made table profits. All Chennai theatres that opened GOAT advance booking has full booking for first three days and all shows. GGOAT is releasing in Kerala on September 5 in 700 theatres – a record for a non-Malayalam film.

The awards show conducted by Mazhavil Manorama TV in association with AMMA , the actors body is scheduled to be telecast on September 6 and 7 .. The show was held at Angamaly with 80 AMMA members taking part and highest ticket rate being Rs 40,000 for two and lowest being Rs 1000. The event took place just before the committee report was published. It will stream on Manorama Max on September 9th. AMMA will be giving part of proceeds to Wayanad Relief Fund. The event will see the presence of Mohanlal, Mammootty, Fahadh Faasil, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali , Unni Mukundan, Mahima Nambiar, Shane Nigam, Anaswara Rajan, and Mamitha Baiju. It has to be seen whether this show will take a hit as Mukesh and Sidiqque , those in limelight for sexual harassment are part of the stage show. Veteran actress Radhika disclosure that she was witness to Malayalam male actors watching clips of actresses changing clothes in caravan as they were fitted with hidden cameras , is being investigated. She said that she avoided caravan and used hotel room. Last she was seen in Dilip’s RamLeela and Mohanlal’s Itty Mani. Lakshmi Ramakrishnan said that she was asked to come to Kochi and stay overnight by a leading Director. Revathi has told TOI that she has not received the nude photos of the male that was supposed to be send by Director Ranjith to her and hence there was no need to react to this reports.

Imagine Manju Warrier as Janu in 96 - Shane Nigam in Tamil- S J Suryah in SRK film - Sudha to Produce SRK film

If Manju Warrier was reachable to Director Prem, would we have got our Janu of 96 ? Even Manju thinks that she could not think of anyone else but Trisha in the role of Janu in the iconic 96. It was a recall by Manju at Footage film promo . She said that Prem Kumar and his team tried to contact her for Janu role and they could not and also they were facing date issues and finally decided to go in for Trisha as Janu. When she was cast for Viduthalai, Prem Kumar had messaged her about the lost effort to get her on board.

In fact Janu and her yellow churidhar became a rage and It was a hit during Diwali. This costume was designed by Subhasree who is a NID Ahmedabad product and it was her first for a movie and that too as the Director was her friend. Manju said that offers are coming more from Tamil. She is playing wife to Rajinikanth in Vettaiyan and said working with Jai Bhim Director T J Gaananvel was an altogether a big excitement. She finished Vetrimaran Viduthalai 2.

Shane Nigam debut Tamil film Madraskarran teaser is out. The film has Kalaiarasan and Niharika in the lead and Vali Mohandas directs it with Sam C S music.

Yet another cross-industry actor is S J Suryah and he is on board for SRK’s King, is latest news. Not only for South actors who play villain in Bollywood get paid huge amounts but see Sanjay Dutt. He got Rs 9 crores for KGF 2 , Rs 8 crores for Vijay’s Leo and Rs 15 crores for Telugu Double iSmart. He is now in Kannada’s Dhruv Sarja KD The DEVIL and we have no clue what his fees are .

Sudha Kongara is co- producing her film with Sivakarthikeyan as hero under the banner of Meenakshi Cinemas and KVN Productions is other producer. KVN is producer of Dhruv Sarjja KD The Devil. AGS was to produce this film. The film subject was written with Suriya and as he did not agree with the content, it has changed the hero. Film is about a real life character who was in forefront of anti – Hindi agitation in 60’s.

Manju Warrier Footage - Netflix docu on Rajamouli- Suresh Gopi son `Special Girl'

We told you about Suresh Gopi visit to Chennai, and now his son Madhav has gone public with the news about the girl that is special in his life. It is Celine Joseph ,actress in Malluwood. He says no relationship but very special. Celine is from Canada and acted in Ranam and Oozham. This post was for her birthday. Madhav is acting in Tamil film Kummatikali. This is directed by Vincent Selva and produced by Super Good Chowdury and his 98th film production.

Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli is coming to Netflix on August 2nd, 2024, the streaming platform announced on Friday. The announcement post read, “One man. Numerous blockbusters. Endless ambition. What did it take for this legendary filmmaker to reach his peak? Modern Masters: S.S. Rajamouli, coming on 2 August, only on Netflix!”

The much-anticipated poster for ‘Footage,’ Mollywood’s first true found footage thriller, has finally been unveiled, and it’s nothing short of spectacular. At the heart of this groundbreaking project is the ever-talented Manju Warrier, who takes on the core leading role, promising yet another powerhouse performance. Making waves with his directorial debut is Saiju Sreedharan, an editor renowned for his work on acclaimed films like Anjaam Paathira, Kumbalangi Nights, Maheshinte Prathikaaram, and more. Saiju’s transition from editing to directing is highly anticipated, and ‘Footage’ is poised to be a testament to his versatile storytelling prowess. Joining Manju Warrier are Nair Visakh and Gayatri Ashok, who round out the cast with their compelling performances. The film is produced by Bineesh Chandran under the banners of Movie Bucket, Pale Blue Dot Films, and Cast N Co Entertainment. Co-producers Rahul Rajeev and Suraj Menon, along with line producer Aneesh C Salim, have played crucial roles in bringing this ambitious project to life. The screenplay and dialogue, crafted through a collaborative effort by Shabna Mohammed and Saiju Sreedharan, promise a gripping narrative. Designed by Sandeep Narayan, the movie features songs by the band Aswekeepsearching and a haunting background score by Sushin Shyam. Cinematographer Shinoz captures the eerie and intense visuals, while art director Appunni Sajan sets the perfect atmosphere for this thrilling ride. The film’s technical brilliance is further elevated by Nixon George’s sound design, VFX by Mindstin Studios, and costumes by Sameera Saneesh. Together, these elements create an immersive experience that is set to redefine the genre in Mollywood. ‘Footage’ is not just another film; it’s a trailblazer. With its innovative approach and stellar cast and crew, it is sure to captivate audiences and set a new benchmark in the industry. Keep an eye out for this one—it’s going to be a game-changer.

Suriya Hindi film Karna details - Mohanlal - Prithviraj in Delhi - Manju Warrier joins Rajini in Trivandrum

Global star Ram Charan recently made his way to Mumbai for a brand shoot, setting the stage for an unforgettable meeting with the legendary former Indian cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In a delightful Instagram post, Ram Charan shared this moment with his fans with the caption, "So happy to meet India's pride." This meeting India’s two remarkable players, one on field and one on screen, resonated deeply with fans across the nation. The photograph captured Ram Charan in a sleek army green shirt and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a casual blue polo, both sharig genuine smiles.Fans were elated by this memorable moment, as they commented "Two gods in one frame" and "Two GOATS of India."As fans eagerly await Ram Charan's upcoming movie, 'Game Changer,' alongside the talented Kiara Advani, this meeting underscores the exceptional talent and pride that both Indian cricket and Indian cinema bring to the nation. It's a moment of celebration and recognition for these two iconic figures, symbolizing their remarkable achievements.

As we reported yesterday morning that Rajinikanth is in Thiruvanthapuram, Lyca Productions released the pooja ceremony of Thalaivar 170 be done at a house in the Kerala’s capital. The hairstyle of Rajini has excited his fans. We can see Manju Warrier along with the crew. The addition of VJ Rakshan famous host of TV show Cook with Comali is new development. TJ Gananvel who directed Jai Bhim with Suriya and had tackled the subject of misuse of law and lockup death is now said to be unravelling the issue of fake encounters by police .

Mirnaa who played daughter in law of Rajinikanth in Jailer has bagged a big project. It is the coming together of Director Ameer and Soori in a script written by National award winning Vetrimaaran. Titled “Iraivan Miga Periyan.” has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja. After Viduthalai this marks the second collaboration between Soori and Vetrimaaran.

Lyca had announced their entering Mollywood with L2 Empuram which has Prithiviraj directing Mohanlal . The announcement was made on September 30 with a video and now we learn that the unit is in Delhi and started shooting. The joining of Lyca with Ashirwaad Cinemas will enable the film to get a wide release in other languages too.

We have got more details of Suriya’s Pan Indian Hindi film. Titled Karna it is directed by Om Prakash Mehra who directed Rang De Basanti and Bhaa Milkha Bhaag. Budgeted at Rs 500 crores, Ravi Varman and Mehra were in Leh to scout for locations Noted writer Anand Neelakantan is scripting the film. Shooting resumes in July. Kanguva last schedule is on and then starts Sudha Konggara film in which Dulquer also shares screen space and Vetrimaaran film Vaadivaasal will be started.