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.

 

 

All about Indian 2, Rajamouli - Mahesh Babu , Thalapathy Vijay , Shruthi Haasan , Tovino next

Kamal Haasan- Shankar combo Indian 2 releasing on April first week Friday will have no major South Indian Stars films as opposition as per today’s trade circles charting. In the second week Friday, Surya’s Ganguvaa was to be released and it has been postponed. IN Tollywood, NTR Devara too has been shifted from Summer dates. With these two major territories open, in Kerala the scenario is not so. Prithviraj Adujeevitham , Faahad Faasil Avesham , Unni Mukundan’s Jai Ganesh and Kathanar of Jaysurya are releasing in April second week. Coming to Hindi markets, Akshya Kumar with Chote Miyan Bade Miyan in second week and in coming weeks we have Ajay Devgn with Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha are major contenders at box office, After Animal release, no film in Hindi has managed big numbers and it includes SRK Dunki and Salaar. Even HanuMan did cross Rs 50 cr mark. Meanwhile reports say that Kamal will do H Vinoth film only after Thug Life of Mani Ratnam.

Shruti Haasan has come on board for the film Chennai Story to be shot in Wales and Chennai. She plays a detective in the film. Philip John of ‘Downton Abbey’ fame iIs the director and originally it was Samantha who was to play the role of private Detective. Shruthi after Salaar has Advi Sesh film Dacoit for release.

Tovino Thomas and Bhawana film Nadigar Thilakam the Malayalam film has changed the title to Nadigar. After a representation from the family of Late Thespian Sivaji Ganesan. Prabhu released the first Look of Nadigar in Kochi. The film has Tovino play a movie Star who after 7 years at the top faces a crisis in his life and career. Chandrasekharan of Sivaji Nalla Pervai Fans had written to AMMA the Malayalam Actors Body to intervene and change the title as it hurts their sentiments. Now the family of Sivaji Ganesan had appealed to the makers and the title has been changed.

Another update on Rajamouli – Mahesh Babu film is that the actor Mahesh Babu is in Germany as part of preparation for his next and that Vijeyendra Prasad revealed that SSR is touching a genre that Indian cinema has not seen. Our sources say that the film is an action adventure set in forest backdrop. It is a Jungle adventure film on lines of Indiana Jones and coincidentally it’s director Speilberg is a big fan of SSR after seeing RRR. To be filmed in foreign locales with an international cast, the film partly funded by NetFlix is budgeted at Rs 1000 crores. On Ugadi day, the announcement is to be made. Mahesh Babu is currently in Germany for the purpose of undergoing physical training and receiving medical treatment. He is presently undergoing physical strength training at Medical Care at Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, under the supervision of Dr. Harry König. The establishment is situated in Baden-Baden, Germany.

After Mythiri Movie Makers who is producing a film with Ajith amd directed by Ashik Ravichandran , iy is DVV Danayya of RRR fame who is next to fund a Vijay in a film directed by Karthik Subburaj. It was Dil Raju who began the trend of Telugu producers doing films with Tamil heroes with Varisu. Tamil heroes too are happy as the Telugu producers are offering much more tan the Kollywood banners.

Update on ARS Studio BAN - Krithi In Vignesh Shivan film

As a follow up our story yesterday see link ; https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2023/12/ambika-radha-studio-banned-by-film.html , after talking to Producer Kattraggada Prasad who has filed a complaint with FEFSI union and Tamil Film Producers Council, we learn that the whole issue is about Rs 6 lakhs that Arjun Nair, brother of Ambika and Radha had taken ten years ago. The loan was not as advance to buy ARS but as what is called hand loan. We learn that Ambika had inutroduced Arjun to Prasad. Prasad said that he has confidence that FEFSI and Tamil Film Producers Council will do the needful and get justice for him.Now when the re-payment issue came up, Ambika has reportedly said that she has nothing to do with the finances of her brother. It is ironical that Radha who spent Rs 6 crore for her daughter wedding in Thiruvanthapuram and as per media reports gave 500 Kg gold and Rolls Royce to bridegroom, has not bothered to clear the debt of a measly Rs 6 lakh of her brother. Talking to FEFSI office bearers, they say that Prasad has always settled disputes of Tamil film industry in their favour during his tenure as South India Film Chamber President and secretary. Due to this, the union has asked all members to not report for any shootings in ARS studio. It has come into effect for past one month. Mohan Natarajan who signed Illena and gave Rs 40 lakhs as advance had moved the Chamber as she was not honoring her dates. Prasad issued an ultimatum that no South Producer should sign till Illena returns the money. She lost atleast two Tamil films and a Telugu film. Prasad in the Chamber seat had made it a practice to settle any dispute within 30 days. Arjun Nair is said to be in Thiruvanthapuram. related link : https://southfilmy.blogspot.com/2023/12/ambika-radha-studio-banned-by-film.html

Krithi Shetty has signed a biggie opposite Pradeep Ranganathan as hero and Vignesh Shivan as Director. The film is bankrolled by Seven Screen Studio of Leo fame. Though her Telugu film Uppena was a hit, later films bombed. Now Kollywood is giving her big offers. Earlier she signed a film with Jeyam Ravi and it is a Pan Indian film. She has Karthi film Vaa Vathiyare. Tovino Thomas Malayalam Pan Indian film is also in her kitty. It is titled Ajayante Randam Moshanam.

Kamal and Tovino at San Deigo - Keerthy Suresh in Theri remake - Telugu Leo sold

Keerthy Suresh is set to portray the role previously played by Samantha in the Tamil film "Theri." The director of "Kee," Kalees, is now remaking the movie in Hindi, with Atlee making some modifications and serving as a co-producer. The film faced criticism upon its initial release for similarities to the old classic "Chathriyan," produced by Mani Ratnam. Additionally, Atlee's debut film, "Raja Rani," was also accused of being inspired by Mani Ratnam's "Mouna Ragam." In "Theri," Amy Jackson takes on another significant role as the teacher of the protagonist's child. Samantha's character in the original film was the wife who tragically meets her end at the hands of the villainous gang. After her success in "Maamannan," Keerthy's fee has been raised from Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore. In the Telugu film industry, she has two projects in the pipeline, "Bhola Sankar" featuring Chiranjeevi, and a Tamil film called "Siren" that is yet to be released. Currently, she has three films in production. In the Hindi version, Keerthy will be paired with Varun Dhawan, who will be essaying Thalapathy Vijay's role from the original "Theri

Deepika Padukone, a member of the American Actor Union currently on strike, was unable to attend the San Diego Comic Con event for the film Project K. On the other hand, Kamal Haasan received a warm welcome from his numerous fans and their families at the event venue. The makers of Project K will reveal Kamal's look in the movie after releasing the first look. Unfortunately, the first look of Prabhas in the film has received significant criticism from trolls. During the event, Rana announced his own project in India, which is based on a subject from Amar Chitra Katha. However, this decision drew criticism from Director Gunasekhar, who claimed that he had originally brought the subject to Rana's attention. The project will be directed by Trivikram. Tovino Thomas, meanwhile, shared the exciting news that the character Minnal Murali from his film is now a part of a TINKLE comic book, #MinnalMurali now in #TINKLE comics!! This announcement was also made at the San Diego Comic Con.

Sithara Entertainments, having previously been a producer for the bilingual movie "Sir" starring Dhanush, is now expanding into distribution in the Telugu states with their latest venture called LEO. The team expressed great joy and pride in this partnership and is committed to providing a grand release for Thalapathy Vijay's films in the Telugu language, taking into consideration his ever-growing market and popularity. LEO is being produced by SS Lalit Kumar, known for his work on the highly acclaimed movie "Master" with director Lokesh Kanagaraj and Thalapathy Vijay. Additionally, Jagadish Palanisamy, who was a co-producer for "Master," is also joining as a co-producer for this exciting ACTION BONANZA.

2018 hit in Andhra - A L Vijay film silent release on OTT - Kamal - Prabhas film not Project K

The Malayalam film 2018 released in Kerala created a sensation at the box office and became the highest-grossing film in the Mollywood industry. Due to its immense popularity, the movie was dubbed into other languages such as Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi. The success of this film reaffirmed that the Telugu audience is the most supportive when it comes to appreciating good content, making it a lucrative deal for Telugu buyers. The Telugu rights for the film were acquired at a relatively low price of around 1.25 Crores, inclusive of all expenses. However, within just 5 days, the movie grossed an impressive 6.4 Crores and earned a share exceeding 3 Crores. Trade circles anticipate that the film will continue to have a strong run during the second weekend as well. Overall, the 2018 Movie has proven to be a profitable venture for the buyers in the Telugu States.

Despite featuring a talented ensemble cast including Vishwak Sen, Rakul Preet Singh, Megha Akash, Manjima Mohan, and Prudhviraj (a Telugu actor), and being directed by Vijay, who has previously helmed notable films like Thalaivi, the movie BOO was quietly released on Jio Cinema without any significant promotion. It is currently available for streaming, and viewers who have watched it claim that it falls short in comparison to RGV's Darna Mana Hai, resembling a pale imitation. The production of BOO commenced during the second wave of the Covid pandemic. Additionally, A L Vijay is currently directing a film with Arun Vijay in the lead role.

The reports that Kamal haasan is play a baddie in Project K starring Prabhas is baseless. Kamal was approached by a bollywood company for a Prabhas film where both will share screen space as Ram Charan and NTR Jr in RRR. The director is not Nag Ashwin and once Kamal confirms, the production company will send the director to narrate the subject. Raj Kamal banner through this project will be making Bollywood rentry as co- producer.

Does Srivalli die in Pushpa2 ? 2018 in Telugu

The internet is abuzz with news about Pushpa 2 movie. Rashmika Mandanna has been cast as Srivalli in the film, alongside the stylish star Allu Arjun in the lead role. However, there is a viral rumor that her character will meet a tragic end. Additionally, it has been reported that Ranveer Singh will portray a police officer in the sequel. Rashmika Mandanna, the actress, has been subjected to constant trolling by a group of internet users. She strongly reacts to such behavior. Recently, a photo went viral, claiming that Srivalli's character will die in Pushpa 2. Many people believed this news without realizing it was untrue. Some individuals even shared a picture of another actress, falsely claiming it to be Srivalli's role in Pushpa 2. The photo depicted the actress lying as if dead. However, the reality is that this picture is from a Marathi movie, and the actress in the photo merely resembles Rashmika Mandanna. The photo circulating in connection to Srivalli's character death is not authentic. The Pushpa team has not responded to these rumors. Given the increasing interest of Bollywood stars in making films in Tollywood, there is a possibility that such collaborations might occur. It is known that Sai Ali Khan will be playing the role of the antagonist in the Jr NTR starrer Devara, directed by Koratala Siva. There are also rumors about Akshay being considered for Mahesh's movie. Furthermore, there are speculations that Ranveer Singh might join the cast of the highly anticipated rural drama Pushpa 2, which features Rashmika Mandanna in the female lead role.

This weekend, two Malayalam films have been dubbed into Telugu and are set to release. One of them is available on Amazon Prime Video, while the other will be screened in theaters. The highly anticipated "2018 Everyone is a Hero movie" is currently enjoying great success at the Mollywood box office, having recently surpassed the 100 crore mark. Producer Bunny Vas garu, known for his passion, will release the Telugu version of the film on May 26, with distribution in the Nizam area handled by Geetha Film Distribution. Additionally, Amazon Prime Video is now streaming 'Puli - The 19th Century,' the Telugu-dubbed adaptation of the Malayalam film 'Pathonpatham Noottandu.' This film boasts stunning visuals and captivating action scenes, which are some of its standout features. The Telugu version of the film is titled 'Puli - The...

2018 film controversey - Pushpa 2 real biz numbers - Samantha fans angry with Amazon

Tovino Thomas, the lead actor of the 2018 Malayalam film based on the Kerala Floods, has announced that the dubbed versions of the movie will soon be released in cinemas throughout India. The film is currently available with subtitles, Tovino has stated that the sequelto Minnal Murali will have a theatrical release, unlike the first part which was released solely on OTT platforms. However, Tovino's recent comments in a national interview that the Kerala Story film's depiction of the Love Jihad was a distortion of facts has garnered criticism from viewers in North India. Some have accused him of being biased due to his surname, while others have asked if he would be fine with his sisters joining ISIS. In contrast, Keralites have come out in support of the actor. Meanwhile, the film's director, Jude, has been facing backlash from writer Sreekala for portraying the Chief Minister of Kerala as an ineffective leader who failed to handle the flood situation and make timely decisions. Sreekala has criticized Jude for not showing the role of the government machinery in rescue operations and instead focusing on the efforts of fishermen and individuals. In the film, the control room chief is depicted as hesitant to alert rescue teams or urge people near the riverbanks to move to safer places. Lal and Narain, two characters in the film, ask a church priest to ring the bell and alert the public to the danger. The Priest responds by questioning what more can be done beyond what the government is doing. Jude had previously revealed that he had considered Renji Panniker for the role of the Chief Minister but ultimately cast Janardhan as he wanted someone who physically appeared weaker to portray the role. The film has received positive reviews, with Mammooty praising it as being on par with a Hollywood film.

Pushpa 2, a film previously backed by Mythri Movie Makers, has received financial support from a Bollywood company after the latter was raided by IT and their finances were frozen. Niharika, the daughter of Naga Babu and first cousin of Allu Arjun, is rumored to be playing a tribal character in the movie, which is currently shooting an action sequence. However, according to trade circles, the film producers may be misleading the public about their business dealings. While the music rights were allegedly sold for Rs 20 crores across all languages, the producers claimed it was sold for Rs 60 crores. Similarly, the producers claimed that the theatrical business was closed for Rs 1000 crores, but only Telugu and Hindi regions have shown interest in purchasing it, according to trade circles.

Samantha's supporters are expressing disappointment over Amazon Prime's release of the movie Shakunthalam, which was done without any prior publicity and without any mention of their beloved actress. Some individuals perceived this as a form of hypocrisy because Amazon seemingly downplayed the actress after the film failed to perform well. According to reports, Amazon had signed a deal worth Rs 20 crores during the movie's production phase itself.

Naradan Review : A boring take on TV's TRP chase

At the outset, thanks to director for a dialogue - I told him not to use name CP and bring disrespect to C P Ramachandran. If the idea was to put across the view that trial by media is a violation of an individual privacy and that the Big Boss of the No 1 channel is himself a man with no moral standing and hence cannot be the moderator of such media trials , director Ahshiq Abu bores you for close to two hours with so many real life incidents that any TV news channel viewer knows and finally gets to the point. If you are no TV news channel viewer  and interested in only local news and obit pages in newspaper, this film will go over your head..

You have a guy who jobwise is  in shoes of Arnab Goswami and  he is called CP. His mannerisms like holding the pen makes you think he is JB of  JB junction. Then you have the Kerala minister stepping down due to a honey trap laid by a channel to moral policing being done at instance of media to get TRP. You get the Kunal Kamra heckling and  a background news playing on manipulating TRP and so on. Finally, the movie shifts to top gear in court and then you get filmy scenes like senior lawyer telling junior lady lawyer to do her home work and she giving it back to him etc. So the  media  is told that like good old days, you just report court hearings and verdicts and do not conduct any trial in your studio by bringing in any evidence on your own.  Just report the FIR details and wait till it reaches court - this is the  Judge order to media. Luckily, the Judge did not say that those watching such breaking news and media discussions will be prosecuted for being abettor of violation of individual freedom. Something like, watching porn is illegal .

Tovino does carry the role well and there is hardly any one character that stands against him in the story till the court room drama. So when Anna Ben as lawyer gives all the punch lines , you see that Indrans takes away her space.  The most filmy and hilarious  part was CP asking the rival channel Editor to stop the telecast of spy cam clip if he does not want to see her daughter in the nude.

Keerthy Suresh - Priya Bhavani Shankar ,- Samantha- Nayanthara- Shruti in news

 Keerthy Suresh officially turned producer with the launch of Malayalam film Vaashi opposite Tovino. Priya Bhavani Shankar makes her Tollywood debut opposite Naga Chaitanya. Nag's ex wife Samantha paired opposite Unni Mukundan for a Telugu film. Nayanthara and Shruti Haasan bleed producers of Chiranjeevi- Balakrishna films.

Revathy Kala Mandir is a banner that was run by Keerthy's father Suresh. This banner had produced blockbuster hits and also duds. It was lying dormant and now it has been dusted and revived. Keerthy who has a all South market and Tovino Thomas , a hero with reasonable market teams up for Vaashi ( dogged- persistent) directed by newcomer Vishnu G Raghav, who has previously acted in a couple of films including ‘Theevram’.

‘Vaashi’  story penned by Janiz Chacko Simon and screenplay by director Vishnu. The film has Neil Dcunha as the cinematographer, Kailas Menon as the music director and Mahesh Narayanan handling the edits. Film had an official launch in Keerthy's home town Thiruthavanathapuram at a temple and attended by father Suresh and her mother Menaka.

Naga Chaitanya who is to do a web series directed by Vikram Kumar will have Tamil heartthrob Priya Bhavani Shankar as the heroine.  Currently he is acting in a film which has his father Nagarjuna and Ramya Krishna. Naga is pared opposite Kirti Shetty of Uppena - Shyam Singha Roy fame in this film. His recent release was Love Story with Sai Pallavi.

Meanwhile Samantha has signed a heroine centric film Yashoda directed by Hari and Harish Sanakar. Incidentally, close friends and family of Samantha call her Yashoda. The hero of the film is Malayalam hero Unni Mukundan. Unni acted in Janatha Garage’, in which he got to share screen space with Mohanlal and Jr NTR. Later, he did ‘Bhaagamathie’, in which he was paired with Anushka Shetty. Unni is also playing a major role in Ravi Teja’s upcoming film ‘Khiladi’, also starring Arjun Sarja. Samantha  made her first public appearance for her singer friend Chimayi Sripaada. Samantha inaugurated her friend’s beauty salon – Deep Skin Dialogues in Chennai. Samantha shares a great friendship with Chinmayi and the singer’s husband Rahul Ravindran. It is learnt that the bonding between the trio began from the early stages of her career. Samantha charged a whopping Rs 1.5 cr for a special song in Pushpa. Allu Arjun-Samantha's fourth single will be out soon in a couple of days from now.

The team of Godfather  sent the birthday wishes to Lady Superstar Nayanthara and confirmed that she is the part of Chiranjeevi starrer which is helmed by Mohan Raja .Producers of Godfather have paid Nayanthara  a whopping 4 Cr as a fee. 

Shruti Haasan has been paid Rs  2 Cr as her remuneration for the Balakrishna starrer directed by Gopichand Malineni. Bobby is planning to bring Krack and Vakeel Saab fame Shruti Haasan on the board to play the role of the lover of Chiranjeevi in #Mega154. How much will she charge ???

Kaanekkaane Malayalam film review: Suraj Venajaramoodu keeps you rooted

Suraj Venjramoodu being cast as the father of a daughter lost in an accident is what makes Kaanekkaane , a treat to watch. Though at times it reminds you of `Finals’, Suraj brings in a variation and carries you through with him. You cry when he breaks down and smile when he walks away with a peaceful mind. The script no doubt is loaded favourable to Paul Mathai the father who stumbles upon something related to his daughter’s death. It is quite late into the happenings that writer Bobby –Sanjay start to bring out the other side of the hubby and his new wife , played with ease by Tovino and Aishwarya Lekshmi . In fact it is good to see Aishwarya back as an actress of substance as most of her recent outings have been disappointments. Tovino, once again after Kaala takes up a role that is far from heroic. Kudos to that.

Moral dilemmas have always a subject that is debateable and here too it is bound to happen with the viewers. The use of a hit and run accident used at three different junctures gives it a suspense feel  and sort of takes you off from the mind games.  Cinematography, Music go along with the narration.

Manu Asokan next after Uyare teams with the writers to give a film that leaves a lasting impression on the mind of the viewers. Suraj  sort of sums up the post retirement days of a employees aptly when hej says that visits from his daughter and family , laying a wreath on the cemetery for the annual remembrance day and waiting with head held high for the final reckoning are the few pleasures that one looks forward. When small wishes get trampled, it does cause a pain that a younger generation will not fathom.

Kala : An unforgettable cinematic experience

Kala (weed)  the Malayalam film directed by V S Rohit is something that any  serious movie buff should watch. The narrative part is a treat. One cannot tell that there is a great story line. The film plays on the human egos and what drives them to take to extreme steps.

The film would not have stood out without Tovino Thomas who accepted a role that is very very far away from his screen image. To top it, he  has given his heart and soul to the role. Apart from this he is also one of the producer's of the film. The start of the hunting of the Tamilan ( Sumesh Moor) labourer by the landlord ( Tovino) that ends in the climax which subtly tells a message is a treat.

This extended hunt that keeps changing from the hunter being hunted and vice versa is something that is a treat to watch. The perfect synch between the cinematographer of the locales and sequences that action choreographer has in mind and two dedicated actors make this long action scene , one of the best in  Indian cinema. It reminded me of Pithamagan and Devar Magan.

The action scenes make you swing your sympathies between Tovino and Sumesh character and finally when you wish that Tovino loses, it happens. Music is yet another plus that does not distract but enhances the proceedings. V S Rohit deserves full ancepraise for this commendable film.

Indian cinema should make more use of Sumesh Moor. He leaves a lasting impression . In fact, the film belongs to Sumesh.

Quite a relief from writing about `power packed performance' of Mammootty and whether `Priest' beat `Master' Collection or One is caught in a whisper campaign.