NTR Jr pressure on Andhra Theatres /Mani laughs at Dhruv Project / 3BHK OTT Flop-Maargan HIT

In this exclusive conversation with Subash K jha, Mani replied, “It is a good question. I don’t have an answer as yet. Working on a script. Will wait till it falls into place. At this juncture of my life and career, I am in no hurry to move from one project to another.” He laughed off on these rumours. “Even I am hearing these rumours. I am not doing any such project,” he said.

NTR Jr is said to have entered the WAR 2 distribution war in two Telugu States. Naga Vamso who has bought WAR 2 is said to have enlisted NTR Jr in the fight against Asian Cinemas that includes Suneil Narang, Suresh Babu and Dil Raju who are distributing Coolie. In the North Indian scenario, War 2 has got 70 percent of the single screens and a chunk of multiplexes. Afer Aamir’s intervention, PVR and other national chains have allotted more screens but still Colie has only `5% of the market share. Read Boxofficeworldwide. Com report on Andhra States: The presence of Jr NTR is reportedly the game-changer in this screen-count war. As one of the biggest stars in Telugu cinema, his influence, combined with that of respected distributor Naga Vamsi of Sitara Entertainment, is a formidable force. Exhibitors across the region are reportedly favouring War 2 to avoid any conflict with the powerful duo. “NTR Jr. is an influential personality, same for Naga Vamsi. No one is willing to upset them,” a source explained.

This influence is expected to translate into a dominant screen share. While Asian Cinemas is aiming for a 60:40 split, Sitara Entertainment is reportedly pushing for a 70:30 ratio in favour of War 2. The source added, “NTR Jr. too is flexing his equations and stardom to get premium showcasing and has succeeded in doing so against Rajinikanth.” This advantage is not just limited to the south, as War 2 is also expected to have a clear lead in North India, ensuring a massive opening. While War 2 is poised for a bigger start, the final verdict will only be delivered by audiences when both films hit theatres on August 14.WAR 2 Hindi version is exactly 1 minute and 40 seconds longer than the other two- Tamil and Telugu..

With all recent releases like Mareesan starring Vadivelu- Fahadh Faazil dropping badly, Vijay sethupathi- Nithya Menen Thalaivan Thalaivi had a strong grip on box office especially on weekend and with four more days to go for Coolie, on Day 17, the gross stands at Rs 55 crores. The box office chart shows on second Sundays and Saturdays the film registered Rs 5 crores collection and an average of Rs 2 crores on other days.

Siddharth's drama film 3BHK has opened on a disappointing note on Prime Video as the lowest debut of 2025 - OTT Verdict. Siddharth‘s film has made the lowest debut for a film that arrived on an OTT platform other than Netflix after ending its entire theatrical run. During its theatrical run, the film earned 12.34 crore net in India. 3BHK, in its debut week, garnered a viewership of 1.2 million, taking the fifth spot in the list of the most-watched films in India on OTT for the week of July 28 – August 3, as per Ormax data.

The Tamil-language crime thriller Maargan, which hit theaters in June, is now making waves on Amazon Prime Video globally. Blending supernatural elements with an investigative plot, the film has now secured a spot among Prime Video’s list of top ten most popular movies worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.

 

Is sexual allegation reason for Vijay Sethupathi film drop ? / Fans warn Tovino about Telugu entry ?

Has the sexual exploitation of a actress by Vijay Sethupathi affected the collections of Thalaivan – Thalaivi ? The film after impressive opening figures in the weekend and covering up the budget has posted on Monday a drop of 65% and after an average of 15- 2-% drop and today the figures have touched  Rs 67 lakhs from Wednesdays Rs 2.25 cr.  Ramya Mohan’s explosive accusations against Vijay Sethupathi rocked X—but her post vanished soon after, and now her account’s gone too. Vijay slams the claims as “filthy” and files a cybercrime complaint. Vijay Sethupathi has strongly denied the allegations in a statement to Deccan Chronicle. "Anyone who knows me, even slightly, would find this laughable. I know who I am. Such vile accusations don’t rattle me,” he said. Acknowledging that his family and close friends were upset, Sethupathi added, “I tell them, ‘Let it go. This woman is clearly seeking attention. She’s having her few minutes of fame, let her have it."" VS said that such campaigns had not affected his film collections as viewers would not fall for it.

Day 1 [1st Friday]	₹ 5.2 Cr	-
Day 2 [1st Saturday]	₹ 7.85 Cr	50.96%
Day 3 [1st Sunday]	₹ 9.7 Cr	23.57%
Day 4 [1st Monday]	₹ 3.35 Cr	-65.46%
Day 5 [1st Tuesday]	₹ 2.65 Cr	-20.90%
Day 6 [1st Wednesday]	₹ 2.25 Cr	-15.09%
Day 7 [1st Thursday]	₹ 0.67 Cr **	-
Total	₹ 31.67 Cr

 

According to media reports, Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas is all set to make his Telugu debut in Dragon, a big-budget pan-India film directed by Prashanth Neel of KGF and Salaar fame. With Jr NTR in the lead, the film is already drawing attention, and Tovino’s casting has only added to the growing anticipation. His entry is seen as a major boost, especially among South Indian audiences. Tovino, known for his emotional depth and commanding screen presence in Malayalam cinema, brings a layer of intrigue to the project. His addition is expected to significantly increase the film’s appeal in Kerala and enhance its multi-regional reach. Dragon is currently in active production, with Jr NTR reportedly undergoing a major physical transformation. The film’s scale and action-packed sequences continue to keep fans talking.

 

 

Prasanth - Thiagarajan - Devyani Daughter in remake- Chiyaan wants TN Rights -Ani COPY CAT

 Post Andhagan success, Thiagarajan is on to remake of Telugu film Court; State v/s Nobody. Prasanth would essay Priyadatshi role and Producer 5 Star Kathiresan’s son Krithik and actress Devayani’s daughter Iniya play the other lead roles. Thiagarajan is expected to reprise Saikumar’s character.

Devayani, the actress, has a daughter named Iniya who recently made her debut on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Seniors Season 5. Iniya performed the song "Mayil Pola Ponnu Onnu" during the blindfold auditions and received praise from the judges. Devayani surprised everyone by joining Iniya on stage during the performance. Iniya's performance was well-received, and she has been encouraged by her mother and the judges. The judges, including T. Rajendar, Sujatha Mohan, Vijay Prakash, and Srinivas, were impressed by Iniya's singing and her stage presence. 

Vikram is in talks with Sandeep Vanga to play the antagonist in Prabhas Spirit. He had backed out of Mahesh Babu film directed by S S Rajamouli as his role had too negative shades and could affect his hero iamage and secondly , he needed to give up on many films as it required him to give bulk dates. The role offered is meaty but Vikram has asked for Tamil Nadu theatrical rights as his fees. The producers of the Telugu movie "Spirit" are Bhushan Kumar, Pranay Reddy Vanga, and Sandeep Reddy Vanga, according to IMDb. The film is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and stars Prabhas and Triptii Dimri. It's a PAN-India action entertainer being produced under the T-Series banner. Earlier Deepika had turned down the heroine role citing long working hours and instead signed Allu Arjun film.

Social media users were quick to point out the striking resemblance between “Power House” and American rapper Lil Nas X’s 2021 hit “Industry Baby.”

Many listeners noted similarities in the beat, overall tune, and rap structure. As comparisons spread across platforms, some began accusing Anirudh of directly copying the American track.

“Coolie,” directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is slated for release on August 14, 2025. Neither Anirudh nor the filmmakers have responded to the allegations at the time of writing.

Jailer BGM was said to copy from the Industry Baby.

Makkal Selvan Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen’s romantic family drama Thalaivan Thalaivii hits theatres today. A Telugu version, titled Sir Madam, was announced with plans for a simultaneous release. However, there’s still no confirmation from the makers, and tickets are not available yet in Telugu-speaking regions.

It’s possible the team chose to avoid a clash with Hari Hara Veera Mallu, or they might be planning a delayed theatrical release or a direct OTT premiere. As of now, there’s no official word from the makers, Directed by Pandiraj and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films, Thalaivan Thalaivii also features Yogi Babu in a special role, with Santhosh Narayanan delivering the music. Thalaivan Thalaivii is a rugged family drama that works in moments, mainly due to the strong performances of Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen. However, the film is brought down by a weak, repetitive script and loud, tiring narrative choices. It offers glimpses of honesty and humour, but not enough to make it a consistently engaging watch.

Will Nithya Menen ego clash with Dhanush be solved with Idly Kadai Promotion ? Kuberaa Box office

 Will Dhanush and Nithya Menen keep apart their creative differences that cropped up during the shoot and come together  to promote Idly Kadai ? What started as creative differences led to afull blown ego war between Dhanush the Director and heroine Nithya Menen is what we hear. He hasn’t given a hit besides Karnan, Thiruchitrambalam, and Raayan post COVID, and this film being a feel good drama has a great chance of breaking into this category. As an actor Kubeera saw him excel but the beggar act did not go well with the Tamil audience. The poster has a Their rssemblance. It looks like the Theri opening police song, in the way it’s positioned with the children and colorful sunglasses. Music wise GVP is not his nest now and so will he give us a gem ? Dhanush last outing Nilavuku En Mel Ennadi Kobam (NEEK)  (2025): Dhanush took the director's seat  for third time again for this film. It was a disaster.

 

Kuberaa on OTT is receiving flak and many are asking for actual Box office regarding two Telugu States and Tamil Nadu. In Andhra it was a profit but so so in Nizam and Ceded areas. A Rs 1 crore loss in Telangana. IN Tamil Nadu- Karnataka the film is a loss. See the budget and Box office L

Budget - 130 cr

Dhanush - 30 cr

Nagarjuna - 15 cr

Rashmika - 5 cr

Rest of cast - 5 cr

Shekhar kammula - 6 cr

DSP- 6 cr

Rest of the crew- 8 cr

Production budget- 50 cr

Prints and Publicity - 5 cr

---

Pre release business -

OTT (Amazon) - 50 cr

Satellite deals (Not closed estimated) - 33 cr

Audio and digital rights- 15 cr

Theatre-

Nizam (Telangana) - 15 cr

Andhra & Ceded (AP) - 25 cr

Tamil Nadu - 20 cr

KA+ ROI - 10 cr

Overseas - 10 cr

Overall - 80 cr

Table profits for producers based on Satellit deal closing - 48 cr (Adengappa)

---

Collections:

Telugu states - 70 cr gross or 39 cr share

Verdict- Hit in AP, Breakeven in Nizam and Ceded .

Tamil Nadu -21 cr gross or 11 cr share

Vedict - Mega flop

KA+ROI : 17 cr gross or 8 cr share

Verdict- Average

Overseas- 30 cr gross or 15 cr share

Verdict - Blockbuster

Overall - 138 cr gross or 73 cr share

Recovery- 90%

Verdict- Above Average overall.

Loss for Distributors:

TN - 9 cr

Telugu states- 1 cr

KA+ROI- 2 cr

Profit for distributors

Overseas - 5 cr

Producers sold TN and Overseas outright so not liable cover losses for TN

They covered losses for Telugu and KA distributors.

So Overall a successful venture for producers and heavy loss for TN distributors.

 

Nithya Menen in Shekar Kapur fillm / Jhanvi Tamil debut in Pa Ranjith film / Nayanthara- Sundar c film Rs 100 cr budget

Nithya Menen National Award winner ( Thiruchitambalam opposite Dhanush) is to act in Shekar Kapur’s next which is a sequel to his film Masoom. The film has Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah ( who were part of the first part) and Kaveri who is Shekar’s daughter. The film is titled Masoom Next Generation. Nithya had acted in Mission Mangal starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan. Her upcoming film Idly Kadai in Tamil is most awaited film as it is a Dhanush directorial. While not a direct continuation of the 1983 film, the sequel also explores familial relationships, the director shares that the film will delve into what a home represents—love, relationships, memories, and identities.

Jhanvi Kapoor is making her Tamil debut through a web series that is produced by Pa Ranjith under Neelam Productions and will be directed by Sarkunam. Down South, she is playing the lead actress in the Ram Charan – Buchi Babu film, which is currently under shooting. In Hindi, she is currently starring in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari and Param Sundari whose shooting is going on in Kochi. The actress, who is currently shooting for a romantic comedy in Kerala, treated her fans to a series of stunning BTS pictures. Param Sundari is being directed by Dasvi filmmaker Tushar Jalota and promises to be a heartwarming romance blending North & South Indian cultures. Produced by Maddock Films, the movie is set for a grand theatrical release on 25 July. It revolves around a love story between a North Indian boy, played by Sidharth, and a South Indian girl, portrayed by Janhvi.

Jhanvi Kapoor is making her Tamil debut through a web series that is produced by Pa Ranjith under Neelam Productions and will be directed by Sarkunam. Down South, she is playing the lead actress in the Ram Charan – Buchi Babu film, which is currently under shooting. In Hindi, she is currently starring in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari and Param Sundari whose shooting is going on in Kochi. The actress, who is currently shooting for a romantic comedy in Kerala, treated her fans to a series of stunning BTS pictures. Param Sundari is being directed by Dasvi filmmaker Tushar Jalota and promises to be a heartwarming romance blending North & South Indian cultures. Produced by Maddock Films, the movie is set for a grand theatrical release on 25 July. It revolves around a love story between a North Indian boy, played by Sidharth, and a South Indian girl, portrayed by Janhvi.

Thalapathy 69 not a Kamal reject - Nithya again with Dhanush -Payal Rajput hits big time

Thalapathy 69 trackers team tells that the film is not a political propaganda film of TVK and not the one that Director H Vinoth and Kamal Haasan had decided to work on. Though the poster launched yesterday shows that Vijay is torchnearer of Democracy and that has made the conclusion that the film is a political one. Earlier, it was reported that Vinoth and Kamal were working on a subject that has the farmer issues amd that even experts advocating modern farming were invited to sit in for discussion. The truth is that the subject was first told to Vijay as back as 2017 and that too on sets of Mersal. It did not work. Later he told the subject to Ajith with whom he worked and also to Vijay Sethupathi. They felt it was not the right kind. With Kamal, he changed it to actor's taste but then Rajkamal earlier production committments and the acting assignments made it a distant possibility. Major challenge was that the film needed a huge budget. At that time, Vinoth met Vijay again and the changed version got a green signal and as per Vijay's condition, the subject should be a total family entertainer. From what we hearis that the film is a rustic family subject. Farmer issues are the theme but woven into a entertainer that will bring back the family crowds to a Vijay film. Vijay has realised that only Anirudh matters and not anyone else. Now that we talking about Vijay, tells us go for facts. GOAT is a blockbuster in Tamil Nadu alone. India net is Rs 198 cr and Tamil Nadu Net after Day 10 is Rs 175 cr. On Day 10, film has seen a surge and marked Rs 12 cr collection as it was again a weekend. We can easily take it for granted that GOAT will cross Rs 200 cr net mark in India. PS1 holds record of highest grosser in Tamil Nadu with Rs 230 crore set in 2022 and this will be easily crossed. His orevious film LEO too crossed Rs 200 crore in Tamil Nadu.

Payal Rajput has been selected as heroine of Actor Legend Saravanan for his next film directed by Durai Senthilkumar. Now why this is big news is that in previous film of the actor the heroine was Urvasi Rautela and she was paid a bomb and it equals almost what even South's highest paid Nayanthara took for a film. Payal from what we down in Kollywood know was that she made news in Telugu films RDX and Managalavaram and that too for her bold and sexy potrayals. Arul know as Legend owns a chain of readymade textile retail sales outlet. Shooting has started in Tuticorin.

Nithya Menen who wpn the National award for her Tamil film opposite Dhanush is once gain teaming up again for the actor's fourth Directorial. Nithya said that it was an out and out rustic role that she has not played before. Dhanush posted pixs of him at sekar Kammula film.

Vijay Sethupathi BiggBoss Shoot in Pondy - Rajini in Vizag- Riaz Khan in BB Tamil 8

Yes .Bigg Boss Tamil 8 is coming on Star Vijay and Disney HotStar. Promo shoot with Vijay Sethupathi will be on at Puducherry. Looks like VSP is in Puducherry for his film with Nithya Menen directed by Pandiraj. Actor Riaz Khan named by a Kerala actress as a person who sexually harassed her, is on board for the show. At the boardroom level there was a meeting to shift the Bigg Boss to Colors Tamil and stream on Jio Cinema. One it was seen as a move to boost Colors Tamil. Secondly, under pressure to fulfill the Competitive Commission of India (CCI) to drop some channels as perquisite to merge Walt Disney and Reliance and avoid being a monopoly. It was decided to sell off Star Suvarna in Kannada as Reliance has Colors Kannada and Colors Super run under Viacom 18 banner formerly ETV. As CCI has raised questions about cricket telecast and streaming rights, Banijay will go with Star Vijay and Hotstar for this season. In future, there is a possibility of Star Vijay- Colors Tamil- Jio Cinema and HotStar merging. CCI objection to Sony- Zee merger led to it’s not being clinched.

As auditions are going on as we reported, Vijay Sethupathi is confirmed as Nayanthara name has been dropped citing fluency in Tamil language. A last-minute option was Aravind Swami. Riaz Khan has been selected as contestant . His son Shariq had earlier taken part in the show. The sexual harassment complaint will not be a hurdle as contestants with police complaints were allowed to take part in the show.

Superstar Rajinikanth has arrived in Vizag to start filming for Coolie his eagerly awaited movie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. He is expected to spend close to 40 days filming in and around Vizag, with scenes being shot throughout the city. Aamir Khan is latest name to add to film’s list. Already Upendra is part of the film.

Actor Prajin’s edge-of-seat political thriller titled ‘Sevakar’ A Malayalam film crew’s ambitious political thriller Tamil movie titled ‘Sevakar’ The film 'Sevakar' has been produced by a dedicated Malayalam film team, showcasing their belief in Tamil cinema, and it has been crafted as a political thriller. ‘Sevakar' features Prajin in the titular character, supported by a talented ensemble cast that includes Shakana, Bose Venkat, Adukalam Naren, Madurai Saravanan, Udumalai Rajesh, Heema Shankari, Rupa, Sunil, Balu, Shaji Krishna, Sai Shankar, Jishnu Jith, Mano, Zameen Kumar, Sharbuddin, Chandru, Rajkumar, among others, who portray significant characters. The film is both written and directed by Santhosh gopinath. R.D. Mohan (Music), Pradeep Nair (DOP), Ranjith (Editing), Sreekumar (Art), Revathi Rao (Choreography), Rajesh Murugan-Velan Raj-Anbazhagan (Lyrics), Kathir (Sound Engineer) and Satheesh Palakkad (Production Executive).

As Mollywood burns - Kerala actresses shine in Kollywood- Vijay Sethupathi breaks Bollywood record on Netflix

While Mollywood witness Malayalee actresses coming out with charges of sexual harassment after the Hema committee, Kollywood is seeing the magic of Kerala actresses on the big screen. The film Thangalaan released recently had the critics and viewers raving about the performance of Parvathy Thiruvoth and Malavika Mohanan in the film. In fact, Parvathy came out with flying colours. Next in line is Kootukkaali with Soori and Anna Ben. Anna Ben in PS Vinothraj’s ‘Kottukkaali’, is the first Tamil film to world-premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. Her performance has been highlight of the film.

After this comes Mari Selvaraaj film Vaazhai which again is a critics favourite and also said to be doing more than expected at box office. Here Nikhila Varma and Priyanka Nair are the two heroines and from Kerala. Nikhila has come in for praise and an unknown fact is that she had actually first worked with Mari Selvaraj in Dhanush Karnan and that too as a dubbing artiste. She dubbed for Malayalee actress Rajisha Vijayan in the film. In fact she sis not do it as dubbing artist but on request from Mari Selvaraj. This led to her getting Vaazhai.

This year Best Actress National award has been shared by Nithya Menen for the Tamil film Thiruchitamabalam. Manas was other winner for Kutch Express. In 2020, Aparna Balamurali won National award for Soorarai Pottru. In 2018, Keerthy Suresh won national award for Mahanadi the Tamil- Telugu film in 2018.

Thangalaan directed by Pa Ranjith and starring Vikram – Parvathy and Malavika Mohanan is going to release on August 30 in Hindi. The subject that deals with the exploitation of lower castes in the KGF gold Fields. There is no opposition in North India as no big movies are releasing. The film had a mixed response and there was a criticism that upper caste reviewers had targeted it. On the opening day, Pa Ranjith’s film collected around 13.30 crore at the box office. This is one of the biggest openings of Tamil Cinema this year. Meanwhile, it earned 4 crore overseas, taking the worldwide collection to 19.30 crore. But after that it slipped badly.

Vijay Sethupathi starrer Maharaja on Netflix has beaten all Bollywood films released this year with an viewership of 18.6 million. Crew, starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon, was at the top spot on Netflix with 17.9 million views, followed by Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies with 17.1 million views. Maharaja was in third place with 15.5 million views. However, Maharaja has now surpassed both films, reaching 18.6 million views to become the top film on Netflix. The OTT battle between Tamil Rayaan of Dhanush and Prabhas Kalki verdict is out. Raayan has topped Kalki 2898 AD on the Amazon Prime Video. The film is trending at No 1 position pushing Kalki 2898 AD to the second spot. Kalki ‘s Telugu version with subtitles is released on Prime and Hindi on Netflix. Hindi version is doing well. The reaction from viewers for Rayaan on OTT is much different from the theatrical response as evident. Many have slammed the film after the OTT release.

Thangalaan sinks or not ? Why Sai Pallavi in Gargi and Dulquer in Sita Ramam overlooked ?

We usually wait for a Monday and then give the box office verdict. This time, we feel that there is no need as we feel a miracle cannot happen. We are talking about Thangalaan of the Vikram- Pa Ranjith combo. As far we see the film in South has touched Rs 29 crores and worldwide it is Rs 43.5 croes. The film opened big in Tamil Nadu and it was Rs 11 crores but the shocker was that on non working days it slumped and to a miserable Rs 3 crores. After taking the entire holidays, the total is Rs 25 crores. Vikram who had a good opening in Kerala has touched a miserable figure in thousands !!!. Telugu was slightly better. Gokulam Gopalan who bought Thangalaan Kerala had announced that a part of the proceeds would be given to Wayanad relief. Wonder what that amount is ?. Meanwhile Producer Studio Green has claimed Rs 53 crores in three days. It claims that Monday has a Rs 3 crore advance booking. Yet another Rayaan like claim. Rayaan of Dhanush had a similar start and fizzled out. However it had no big or small films as opposition and has limped to Rs 94 crores. It was released on July 24th. Now Dhanush fans say that with Rs 6 crores more the film will enter Rs 100 crore club. They are hopeful as Thangalaan has dropped. Rayaan is coming on August 23 on Prime. So al Rayaan needs is Rs 6 crores in six days. The silent winner is Demonte Colony 2 and it has got Rs 15 crores. More screens are coming in for the film.

Now Sai Pallavi fans say that her role in Gargi was any day better than Nithya Menen in Thiruchitrambalam. Now they say that Sai had slammed Kashmir Files and so she was dumped. Nithya on the other hand asks why an actress who does light hearted roles be given a best actress award ? Good question. Dhanush says that Nithya’s National award is his personal victory !!!. If Mammootty opted out of National awards by not entering the fray, his son Dulquer’s fans ask as to how Sita Ramam was not given a single award and instead a right wing Karthikeya 2 got one. As Rahman announced that the award prize money will go Musicians Union, his fans ask why he was not given best music Director and only for BGM ? Why did PS 2 not get national best film ? Arguments go on.

Doctor clear Sivakarthikeyan's debts ? Kiccha Sudeep film will revive Kannada cinema ?

 Tamil Nadu box office is looking towards `Doctor' the Sivakarthikeyan film to bring  in big bucks and for the Star it is crucial as this film is an attempt to clear the debts he acquired through his own banner and that of his benami. Karnataka filmdom is looking at Kiccha Sudeep's Kottigobba 3 , the first Star film release after  Covid 2 to get the crowds back.

Though many films released in past one month, ` Doctor' is the first big budget film with a saleable Star that is releasing in Tamil Nadu. Previous film Hero of the same hero made a big hole in the pocket of producer KJR. KJR and Sivakarthikeyan had agreed to clear the debts by giving the distribution rights to those who lost money.

Unfortunately, the Covid 19 2nd phase put in a lockdown and theaters were closed. The deal between the hero's production company and KJR was that the former would finish the film for Rs 60 crores. As the delay came in , KJR had to pay interest for the capital put into the film. After much delay, Sivakarthikeyan agreed to take Rs 10 crore cut. Thus the film costs KJR Rs 50 crores.

The film's TV rights was sold to Sun TV close to Rs 9 crores as it was agreed that the film would release on Diwali day. As per the Theater norms, a gap of four weeks is a must between theater and TV telecast. The producer then decided to jump theater release from Diwali to Navaratri.

Business wise, the amounts committed to various distributors including Chennai - Madurai are only on paper as these areas are given as part of the agreement to compensate Hero film loss. If the film does more than the agreed price only will the producer will see any money. As it is known in trade circles, only if the film is a blockbuster , distributors will give share to producer. The failure of Hero has put Doctor biz in a spot as even other areas are too taken on distribution basis.

TV- OTT- Hindi- Telugu (Varun Doctor) dubbing and Karnataka - overseas rights have covered up the production costs. The best part of the deal is that despite the difficult times faced by KJR, Sivakarthikeyan has pocketed a salary of Rs 30 crores. Two more films - Don and Aaayalaan of the same hero are to release. Don is to release on April 14th.

Kottigobba 3 directed by debutant Shiva Karthik with Sudeep as hero is releasing on October 14 in 1000 screens across Karnataka, Madonna Sebastain is making her debut as heroine. The story is written by Sudeep himself. Kottigoba 2 ( one in a million) had Sudeep and Nithya Menen in the lead and was directed by K S Ravikumar. It was released in Tamil as Mudicha Ivana Pudi. Kottigoba released in 2001  with Vishuvardhan - Priyanka Upendra in the lead was a remake of Rajinikanth's Baasha. Except for the name, the subsequent films has no connecting storyline and none are  a sequel.