Rajini- Balakrishna - Shivaraj combo film - Jio rattles OTT market - Lal B'Day gift - PS 2 real collection

Rajinikanth and Balakrishna are collaborating on a film, which will be produced by Kannada superstar Shivraj Kumar, who will also have a role in the movie. Hombale Films, known for their work on the KGF series, will finance this two-part film. The director of the project will be Harsha. According to sources, the first part will conclude with Balakrishna's dramatic entrance, while the second part will showcase the combined presence of all three superstars. It is worth mentioning that Balakrishna had invited Rajinikanth to attend the NTR Golden anniversary, and Rajinikanth reciprocated by attending the event. Additionally, Shivaraj Kumar and Balakrishna share a friendship since their time together studying in Chennai. The close bond between Rajinikanth and the Rajkumar family is well-known in the film industry. Shivraj Kumar will make a cameo appearance in Rajinikanth's upcoming film "Jailer." Currently, Balakrishna is occupied with the shooting of "NBK108," directed by Anil Ravipudi, which is scheduled for release on Dussehra. It remains uncertain whether Balakrishna's next project will be another multistarrer or if there will be another film in between, as no clear information is available.

Jio Cinema has scheduled the premiere of Shahid Kapoor's film "Bloody Daddy" on June 9th, while Vishwak Sen and Rakul Preet Singh's movie "Boo" will be premiered on May 27th. Netizens were pleasantly surprised to learn that Jio Cinema will be showcasing a new movie every week. Within approximately a month of announcing their partnership, Jio Cinema, under the leadership of Mukesh Ambani, has made content from the renowned US television network HBO available. HBO and Warner Brothers collaborated with Reliance to bring their original content to Jio Cinema, marking the end of their association with Disney+ Hotstar on March 31st. Furthermore, Jio Cinema has introduced an annual subscription plan priced at Rs 999, specifically for Hollywood content. With a rapid pace, Jio Cinema aims to attract a large number of Indian users to enjoy its daily content. They started by securing exclusive digital rights for the prestigious Indian Premier League, followed by acquiring rights to exclusive American content.

Mohanlal marked his birthday at his residence in Kochi alongside his wife, Suchithra. He was joined by his close friend and former Kerala minister, Shibu Baby John also Producer of his upcoming film Malaikottai Valiban, as well as actor-director Major Ravi, who were present to celebrate with him at his home. While being showered with numerous delightful surprises from his colleagues and friends in the industry, Mohanlal's close friend and businessman Alex K. Varghese, from Hedge Equities, presented him with a remarkable gift on Sunday. The gift came in the form of a car, specifically the Kia EV6 model, with a value of Rs. 72 lakhs. As the brand ambassador of Hedge Equities, Mohanlal was honored with this special gift to mark his 63rd birthday. Accompanied by his wife Suchitra, Mohanlal excitedly unveiled the new wheels and thoroughly explored the car. Malayalam superstar chose to keep his 63rd birthday celebration relatively low-key.

According to trade sources, as Lyca unveiled the 25th Day poster of "Pooniyin Selvan 2," it was reported that the film's theatrical business in India has concluded at Rs 115 crores. This figure is Rs 90 crores lower than the earnings of "PS 1." Additionally, the film performed better in other states compared to its predecessor, grossing Rs 53 crores in three South Indian states, with a significant portion of Rs 22 crores coming from Kerala. While "Ponniyin Selvan 2" initially showed promise in the overseas market during the first two weeks, it gradually lost screen count and experienced a decline in box office collections.The total international box office earnings of 'Ponniyin Selvan 2' are projected to be approximately Rs 125 crores, incorporating the Rs 43 crores generated from the USA market.

Kamal to campaign in Karnataka - PS 2 collects Rs 160 cr gross - Rajini fans hit back at Jagan part leaders

The renowned actor and leader of Makkal Needimayam party, Kamal Haasan, has made an important decision with regards to the upcoming Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections. He will be campaigning for the Congress party and supporting their alliance, as per the wish of AICC chief Rahul Gandhi. Kamal Haasan is expected to start his campaign tour in the first week of May, details of which will be revealed later. He had previously joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi. The Congress party leaders believe that Makkal Needimayam will form an alliance with them for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Recently, Kamal Haasan held a meeting with party leaders from Coimbatore and Salem districts, and there are talks of him contesting from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency if the alliance with Congress is confirmed.

PS 2 3 days box office collections report Rs 160 gross Worldwide Nizam : Rs 2.47 Cr Ceeded : Rs 38 L UA : Rs 34 L East : Rs 28 L West : Rs 19 L Guntur : Rs 26 L Krishna : Rs 27 L Nellore : Rs 16 L AP-TS Total : Rs 4.35 Cr (Rs 8.50 Cr Gross) Tamilnadu : Rs 54.45 Cr Telugu States: Rs 8.50 Cr Karnataka: Rs 10.05 Cr Kerala : Rs 8.45 Cr ROI : Rs 8.10 Cr Overseas : Rs 70.10 Cr .On its first weekend, “PS – 2” earned approximately $3.5 million (Rs 28 crore). The film also received favorable reviews. Total WW collection : Rs 159.65 Cr( Rs 77.35 Cr Share)

Rajini speech sparked of Jagan - Naidu supporters war Amid a political controversy in Andhra Pradesh, the renowned celebrity Rajinikanth found himself entangled. During an event in Vijayawada to mark the centenary birth anniversary of the late actor-politician NT Rama Rao, Rajinikanth paid his respects and reminisced about his long-standing friendship with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Rajinikanth commended Naidu's leadership skills and visionary outlook, citing Hyderabad's transformation into an IT hub as a testament to his foresight. However, Rajinikanth's speech garnered widespread attention and backlash, particularly from the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh. YSCR Leaders begab to hurl abuses on Rajinikanth and TDP leaders are retaliating back. Now Rajini fans have taken to social media demanding apology from Jagan's party leaders.

Ajith bike tour documentary by Nirav Shah - Vijay meets Makkal iyakkam - PS2 opens low - ARR on Roja bad sound

Ajit bike tour shot by Nirav Shah Ajith Kumar embarked on a tour across India in September of last year and completed the first phase of his world tour, traveling through all the states of India. He gained significant attention on social media after his pictures from several states, including Ladakh, went viral. Ajith Kumar had previously announced that he would begin the second phase of his tour, focused on mutual respect, after completing his upcoming project with LYCA - AK 62. According to Pinkvilla, the renowned cinematographer Nirav Shah is accompanying Ajith Kumar on his journey and filming the entire experience. Ajith Kumar wishes to document his world tour on camera, considering it to be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Nirav Shah is expected to capture every leg of the tour perfectly, and the visuals from the first phase have already been edited and submitted to Ajith Kumar and his family. It remains unclear whether the visuals captured by Nirav Shah will be publicly released in documentary format. Ajith Kumar is known for keeping his personal life away from showbiz, and the decision to release the footage is entirely up to him and his family. On the work front, Ajith Kumar's latest release was Thunivu, directed by H Vinoth, which came out in Pongal 2023. He is currently working on a project with LYCA Productions and is expected to start shooting in June. There is speculation that the film will be directed by Magizh Thirumeni, with Arun Vijay as one of the co-actors alongside Ajith Kumar. An official announcement is anticipated in May, which coincides with Ajith Kumar's birthday. -------------

Vijay meets Iyakkam members Actor Vijay's surprise visit to his mother Shoba's house and his meeting with the members of the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam has sparked rumors of his potential foray into politics. On April 28th, Vijay met with around 300 members of the Vijay People's Movement at his residence in Panaiyur, Chennai to commend them for their recent implementation of the 'Vilai Illa Virundhagam' program, which provides free food throughout the state. During the meeting, he encouraged them to continue their charitable efforts. There has been speculation that Vijay may be considering a political career, given his recent interactions with fans. The Vijay People's Movement executives have reportedly contested 100 seats in local government elections, signaling their entry into politics. However, the actor has not confirmed whether he plans to enter politics or establish his own political party. ----------

PS 2 opens less than Ps 1 The opening day of Ponniyin Selvan 2 (PS 2) in India saw a decent start with a collection of 27 crore rupees. However, it fell short of the first day business of PS 1, which amassed 37.25 crore rupees. PS 2's collections in Tamil Nadu amounted to 16 crore rupees, while it earned 2.75 crore rupees in Kerala, 3.25 crore rupees in Karnataka, and 2.75 crore rupees in AP-TG. The film also raked in 2.50 crore rupees from North India. The worldwide release of PS 2 spanned over 3200 screens, and the movie managed to collect 11 crore rupees in pre-sales. ------

A R Rahamn about Roja music bad sound quality The renowned musician A R Rahman recently revealed that he had to compromise on the quality of the soundtrack for his debut film Roja, which had to be mastered several times before its release. Rahman shared that the album was poorly mastered in the beginning and had to be reworked multiple times, but due to the approaching release date, compromises had to be made. This is not the first time Rahman has spoken about the compromises made on Roja's soundtrack. In a previous Ask Me Anything session on Rediff, Rahman explained that at the time of Roja's release, most consumers used low-quality music systems, which necessitated the compromise to ensure compatibility with their equipment. Roja, a 1992 film starring Arvind Swami and Madhoo, marked Rahman's debut as a music composer in the Indian film industry.

Bigg Boss Vikraman cheats NRI woman - G Square It raids affects Kollywood - PS 2 censored - Jawan release date

Bigg Boss Vikraman cheats NRI woman Kiruba Munusamy, a London-based Supreme Court advocate and law researcher known for her work in fighting caste oppression, has leveled serious allegations against Vikraman, the runner-up of 'Bigg Boss Tamil 6'. In a letter to Thol Thirumavalavan, the leader of the VCK party, Kiruba accuses Vikraman of deceiving her with false expressions of love, extorting money from her, and degrading her as a woman and a Dalit. According to Kiruba, Vikraman had befriended her during political events and proposed love to her, claiming that he would miss her after she went to London. Kiruba says she agreed to date him as he seemed to share her progressive political ideology. However, during their three-year relationship, Vikraman allegedly insulted her many times, using derogatory language and accusing her of political gain just because she is a Dalit. Kiruba claims that Vikraman created an impression that they were like a husband and wife and made her spend money. However, when Kiruba asked him about an expense of Rs. 80,000 on his credit card, he allegedly accused her of cheating the government by using a fake caste certificate to get a scholarship and eating free food. Kiruba also alleges that Vikraman had pushed her to commit suicide by being a caste supremacist and had made threats that he would sexually assault her younger sister and mother through his party members. Kiruba asserts that she has evidence to support her accusations and has called for disciplinary action against Vikraman. -----

SRK- Nayanthara Jawan release date confirmed There have been rumors for a few months that Jawan might not release as scheduled on June 2, 2023. However, according to a source speaking to Bollywood Hungama, the film is likely to release on that date, as the team at Red Chillies Entertainment and director Atlee are working hard to ensure it. The promotions for the film are expected to begin in the first week of May, and will consist of a 4-5 week campaign featuring a trailer and songs to heighten excitement for the movie. Another source suggested that a teaser may be released first, followed by the theatrical trailer, to give viewers a better idea of the characters and plot. Alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, and Sanya Malhotra also star in the film, with Deepika Padukone making a cameo appearance. It has been reported that SRK has a double role in this action-packed film. ----

IT Raids to stall Maaveeran release ? The upcoming movie "Maaveeran," featuring Sivakarthikeyan, is being funded by G Square Real Estate Company, which is currently facing IT raids across all its offices in India. This news has been circulating in Kollywood, and the film's scheduled release in August is highly anticipated. The film's producer, Arun Vishwa, reportedly obtained financial backing from G Square. However, if the IT department scrutinizes companies with connections to G Square, the production house may face difficulties, as their bank accounts could be frozen. Additionally, Sivakarthikeyan's next project, "Ayalan," has been delayed due to financial troubles faced by the producer, Raja. After two films featuring the same actor failed at the box office, Raja was reportedly struggling financially. To begin shooting for "Ayalan," he allegedly sold the satellite rights for a song and secured music by A R Rahman and Rakul Preet Singh as the lead actress. ------

PS 2 Censor and run time On April 24th, the much-anticipated Tamil film P.S. 2, which is the concluding part of the film adaptation of the classic Tamil novel Ponniyin Selvan, was granted a U/A certificate after undergoing censorship. The film, directed by Mani Ratnam and starring a star-studded cast including Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Prakash Raj, Rahman, R. Parthiban, and Lal, is set to release on April 28, 2023, with a runtime of 165.11 minutes. The music for the film is composed by Mani's long-time collaborator, AR Rahman.

Kiccha Sudeep in Cheran direction - BIggBoss5 Malayalam romance starts- Legend heroine wins Vijay- Ajith- Surya fans

Kichcha Sudeep has confirmed that he is currently working on three projects, which have sparked numerous speculations about his collaborations. The latest rumor in the entertainment industry suggests that the actor will be teaming up with the acclaimed Tamil director, Cheran, who has won a national award. Out of the three films he has announced, two are expected to be directed by Tamil filmmakers, namely KS Ravikumar and Cheran. Additionally, Sudeep is also involved in the making of Billa Ranga Baasha with Anup Bhandari, the director of Vikranth Rona, and a project with Nandakishore, the director of Ranna, is reportedly in the pipeline. It is worth mentioning that Sudeep made his directorial debut with My Autograph, which was a remake of Cheran's film, Autograph. A few years ago, during the audio launch of Mudinja Ivana Pudi (the Tamil dubbed version of Kotigobba-2), Cheran praised Sudeep and acknowledged his ability to replicate the commercial success of Autograph and Swathi Muthyam, and his accomplishments as both an actor and filmmaker. --------

Urvashi Rautela, who starred opposite Legend Saravana in Tamil and performed a song in Chiranjeevi's Walter Veerayya, has received congratulations from fans of Ajith, Vijay, and Surya for taking legal action against film journalist Umar Sandhu. Earlier, Umar had tweeted about Ajith, Vijay, and Surya having extramarital affairs and causing trouble to their co-heroines, which went unnoticed by the actors. Recently, Umar tweeted about Urvashi being harassed by Akhil Akkineni during the shoot of Agent in Europe, and Urvashi took to her Instagram account to condemn the journalist's tweet and served a legal notice for defamation. Urvashi has also performed special songs in three Tollywood films, including Ram Pothineni and Boyapati's upcoming movie set to release in October. In the past, Umar faced the wrath of Suhasini Maniratnam for posting a review of Ponniyin Selvan 1 before its release. Dil Raju, the distributor for both the Telugu dubbed version of PS 2 and straight Telugu film of Akhil's Agent in Nizam, appears to have shifted his focus towards Agent by allotting more screens and shows for it compared to PS 2. This trend is observed across different areas where the same distributor is handling the distribution for both films. The reason for this preference could be attributed to the lackluster performance of the first part of PS, which resulted in lower anticipation for the second part. In other regions as well, exhibitors seem to be more inclined towards Agent than PS 2. For instance, in the East Godavari district, Vintage Creations is distributing both films but still allocating more screens to Agent. -----

Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 first romance starts Romantic connections and insincere alliances have always been a significant aspect of the Bigg Boss format, as participants strive to outdo each other in the game. They have learned from past seasons' successful trends and tactics, which have garnered a positive audience response. However, some contestants have failed to crack the code and have been exposed by their peers. One such romantic duo in Malayalam ongoing season, Sagar Surya and Cerena Ann Johnson, has been the subject of much discussion on the show, and their relationship is taking on a new narrative. They share a special connection that is typical of previous seasons' similar relationships, leading viewers to speculate on the possibility of a romance between them. However, Sagar Surya's father has raised doubts about this notion, which has captured the attention of the Bigg Boss fan community. In a recent interview, Sagar Surya's father dismissed the possibility of his son engaging in any romantic entanglements on the show. He revealed that Sagar never considers such plans on the show, and he is confident that his son is not at an age where he would pursue a relationship or marriage. His father's belief is that there will be no such thing.

PS 2 advance booking dull - Sound of Music songs adapted by Illaiyaraaja - Khushbu portions chopped - Rajini on Vinayaka Chathurthi

Illaiyaraaja adapts Sound of Music songs for bilingual The creators of the upcoming Indian movie Music School have obtained the rights to use three well-known songs from the beloved American musical drama The Sound of Music. The acquired songs are Do Re Mi, So Long Farewell, and Sixteen Going on Seventeen. Music School stars Shriya Saran, Sharman Joshi, Prakash Raj, and introduces Ozu Barua and Gracy Goswamy in pivotal roles. Other notable actors include Benjamin Gilani, Suhasini Mulay, Mona Ambegaonkar, Leela Samson, Bugs Bhargava, Vinay Varma, Sreekanth Iyengar, Vaquar Sheikh, and Phani. The renowned composer Ilaiyaraaja has scored the music for the film and has adapted the classic songs by collaborating with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to suit Indian tastes. The Sound of Music, which featured Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and was directed by Robert Wise, won five Oscars and had two live TV adaptations. In contrast, Music School is directed by Paparao Biyyala, a former civil service officer who has now turned filmmaker. The film tackles the issue of societal and familial pressure on young students and features 11 original songs. Yamini Films is backing the project, which was shot in Hindi and Telugu, and is set to release on May 12. ----- Khushbu admits her role in Varisu was chopped Khushbu has revealed that she had a role in the movie "Varisu" starring Thalapathy Vijay, but her part, which lasted for 18 minutes, was removed by the director to avoid extending the runtime and incurring additional costs. Despite posting pictures of herself with Vijay during filming, Khushbu's appearance did not make it into the final cut. However, she is set to play a significant role in the Telugu film "Ramabanam". Khushbu said the film has emphasized the harmful effects of consuming food containing preservatives, particularly fast food that is often sold in packaged containers. Instead, she advocates for traditional methods of food preparation such as terra-cotta and grinding with traditional machines. Khushbu has also expressed her interest in working with Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna if given the opportunity, stating that she has never had the chance to share the screen with them despite her long tenure in the industry. She added that she would only consider working with them if the script was suitable. ------- PS 2 Advance bookings dull It is common knowledge that Mani Ratnam's ambitious project, Ponniyin Selvan 1, was a huge success and set records in Tamil cinema, but did not perform as well in other languages. Unfortunately, there is currently no buzz surrounding the release of the second part in other languages, which is a disappointment for the film's producers. Even in Tamil Nadu, the recently opened overseas bookings have not been as high as expected, and are currently trending lower than Part 1. This has raised concerns about whether the movie will break the records set by its predecessor. If the trend continues, it is possible that the movie may not perform as well as expected. --

Rajinikanth Jailer for Vinayaka Chathyruthi Following confirmation from Director Nelson that Rajinikanth has completed his scenes for 'Jailer', the latest report indicates that the movie will be released during the Vinayakar Chaturthi festival. The next announcement is expected to reveal the official release date, and the film's producers are targeting a September release to coincide with the festival.

Thalapathy Vijay and Mahesh Babu first choice for PS2 - Rajini- Kamal latest news

Before settling on Karthi to play Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan, the orphaned prince of the Vana clan, and Jayam Ravi to portray Arunmozhi Varman aka Raja Raja Chola, the team had initially considered Thalapathy Vijay and Mahesh Babu for the respective roles. According to writer Jeyamohan, in an interview, the actors were approached but declined, leading to the final decision to cast Karthi and Jayam Ravi. The film also stars Chiyaan Vikram as crown prince Aditya Karikalan, Trisha Krishnan as princess Kundavai Devi, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a dual role as antagonist Nandini and Oomai Rani. Additionally, Sarathkumar, Prabhu, Lal, Kishore, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Aishwarya Lekshmi will be seen in supporting roles in this period action drama. The team has been on a nationwide promotional tour to tap into the growing popularity of Southern cinema in different parts of the country. Trisha, who plays Princess Kundavai, shared a glimpse of the main cast on their way to Delhi for promotions on her Instagram stories. Twitter removed the blue verification tick from the handles of Trisha Krishnan and Jayam Ravi ahead of Ponniyin Selvan 2 release.Trisha and Jayam used their names to the character names in PS2, Kundhavai and Arunmozhi Varman on Twitter. This led to losing the verified mark of their official handle.The overseas bookings of PS 2 have been opened in USA, reports say the pre-sales are close to 200K already and has chance of hitting 2 Million mark on the premiers day itself.Kamal - Shankar wraps up South Africa shoot After completing the Taiwan schedule of the highly anticipated film 'Indian 2' directed by Shankar earlier this month, Kamal Haasan, known as Ulaganayagan, had been filming in South Africa. It has been reported that an intense train action sequence was being filmed in South Africa, but it appears that the shooting schedule there has now been completed. ---

Rajinikanth - Kamal film updates Although the next schedule of shooting for the film is planned to begin in May, director Shankar will first move on to the sets of his upcoming film 'Game Changer' with Ram Charan to shoot the climax portions of that film. Director Shankar shared a photo of himself with actor Kamal Haasan and expressed his gratitude for the power-packed schedule, saying "Thank you for this power-packed Schedule @ikamalhaasan sir 🔥 See you again in..." --- Rajinikanth portions in Jailer over Rajinikanth stars as a jail warden in the film "Jailer" and it was previously announced that he would maintain a beard throughout the movie. However, the iconic actor was recently spotted with a clean shaven look, indicating that he has completed filming his parts. At a recent public event, Director Nelson Dilipkumar confirmed that Rajinikanth has finished shooting for "Jailer". Despite disappointment from fans who were hoping for updates during Tamil New Year, Nelson promised that news about the film's progress will be shared soon. ----- Rajinikanth and Thalapathy Vijay to opt for Telugu Director ? After tasting success with their recent releases during the Sankranti Season, Tollywood directors Bobby and Gopichand Malineni are reportedly in talks with Tamil film industry superstars Rajinikanth and Vijay. Bobby's Waltair Veerayya and Gopichand Malineni's Veera Simha Reddy were both well-received, with the former being a super hit and the latter a hit. It is said that the initial script meetings have been completed, and the directors are now busy finalizing their scripts and impressing the heroes with their narrations. Bobby is known for his mass entertainers that blend action and comedy, making him a good fit for Rajinikanth's fans and the Tamil audience in general. Waltair Veerayya showcased Chiranjeevi in an entertaining way, and Bobby could do the same with Rajinikanth. Gopichand Malineni's style also involves making mass action entertainers, which could be a good match for Vijay. However, there is no official confirmation regarding these films yet, and fans are eagerly waiting for more updates.