Tollywood’s first big 2023 release: Chiranjeevi-starrer ‘Waltair Veerayya’ on Jan 13

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Tollywood’s first big 2023 release: Chiranjeevi-starrer ‘Waltair Veerayya’ on Jan 13

The first big release of 2023 is ‘Waltair Veerayya’, starring superstars Chiranjeevi and Ravi Teja. The action drama is written and directed by Bobby Kolli, with Shruti Haasan and Catherine Tresa as the leading ladies.

Produced by Mythri Movie Makers, the film opens on January 13. The Telugu original and the dubbed Hindi version will be released on the same day with the same title. Grandmaster and B4U will handle the Hindi release.

Producer Naveen Yerneni said: “January 13 is the eve of Sankranti and we are certain that like the kites that you’ll see flying during the festival, our film too will fly high. Chiranjeevi garu ruled the box office with his last film, ‘Godfather’, which did stupendous business. The response to the teaser and the songs has been overwhelming.”

Vikas Sahni from Grandmaster notes that ‘Waltair Veerayya’ is the first big release of 2023 and “we couldn’t be happier than to roll out the Hindi version on the same day.”

He added: “The film has two much-loved superstars and it’s just what the masala movie-going audience would want to start the year with.”

Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Dulquer Salmaan feature in Zee Studios 2023 India slate

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Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Dulquer Salmaan feature in Zee Studios 2023 India slate

Ajith Kumar, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Dulquer Salmaan will be seen featuring in a 28-strong Zee Studios 2023 India slate.

India’s Zee Studios has revealed an extensive 2023 slate of 28 titles across languages, featuring some of the best-known names in their respective industries, reports Variety.

The titles, which include 26 films for theatrical release, a direct-to-digital film, and a streaming series, are Zee Studios productions, coproductions or acquisitions.

Big ticket films include H. Vinoth’s Tamil-language heist thriller ‘Thunivu’, starring megastar Ajith Kumar which is due in January 2023 release during the Pongal festival frame; Amit Sharma’s long-awaited Hindi-language soccer epic ‘Maidaan’, starring Ajay Devgn, due in February.

Farhad Samji’s Hindi-language action-comedy ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, starring superstar Salman Khan, is due in April during the Eid festival frame; and ‘Gadar 2’, a sequel to Anil Sharma’s 2001 blockbuster ‘Gadar’, starring Sunny Deol.

Deol also stars alongside fellow veterans Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, and Jackie Shroff in Vivek Chauhan’s ‘Baap’.

Other Hindi-language highlights include Rani Mukerji in Ashima Chibber’s ‘Mrs. Chatterjee v/s Norway’; Richa Chaddha in Abhishek Acharya’s ‘Covid Stories’; Yami Gautam in Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s streaming-bound ‘Lost’; and Rahul Bose, Ishwak Singh, and Aparshakti Khurana in Atul Sabharwal’s ‘Berlin’.

Also in Hindi, there is a brace of titles from auteur Anurag Kashyap – ‘Almost Pyaar With DJ Mohabbat’ that premiered at Marrakech in November and ‘Kennedy’, starring Sunny Leone, which is bound for an A-list festival in 2023.

Fellow auteur Devashish Makhija’s ‘Joram’ will world premiere at Rotterdam in 2023. It stars Manoj Bajpayee, who also headlines Apoorv Singh Kark’s ‘Bandana’. Nawazuddin Siddiqui essays a transgender role in ‘Haddi’ and also stars in ‘Love is Blind’.

Karishma Kapoor headlines Abhinay Deo’s streaming series ‘Brown’.

Highlights of the Zee Studios Tamil-language slate include Muthaiya’s ‘Kather Basha Endra Muthuramalingam’, starring Arya; a landmark film from a superstar actor, details of which are under wraps; and Kishor Pandurang Belekar’s dialogue-free film ‘Gandhi Talks’, with music by A.R. Rahman, with Tamil cinema stars Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami and Aditi Rao Hydari.

Dulquer Salmaan headlines Abhilash Joshiy’s Malayalam-language ‘King of Kotha’.

Marathi-language films include Paresh Mokashi’s ‘Vaalavi’, with Swapnil Joshi and Ashish Bende’s ‘Aatma Pamphlet’, while Nagraj Manjule stars in Hemant Awtade’s ‘Ghar Banduk Biryani’ and Vikram Patwardhan’s ‘Frame’.

Jaggesh stars in Kannada-language Ranganayaka’ and in Telugu-language Vimanam’. Zee Studios’ Punjabi-language films include Pankaj Batra’s ‘Uchiyan Ne Gallan Tere Yaar Diyan’ and ‘Godday Godday Chaa’ starring Gippy Grewal and Sonam Bajwa respectively.

Zee Studios was established in 2012 as the content engine for media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, which is in the process of merging with Sony Pictures Networks India, reports Variety.

“As a pan India media company, Zee is a leading broadcaster across geographies and languages. In 2020, the studio’s strategy pivoted to dovetail into the larger organizational play. We were already a leader in Marathi films, we added Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Punjabi into the regional mix.

The initial response has been very encouraging with films like ‘Valimai’ (Tamil), ‘Bangarraju’ (Telugu), ‘Dharamveer’ (Marathi) performing well not just at the box office but also in driving subscriber growth at the OTT [streaming] platform and delivering healthy ratings on television,” Zee Studio’s chief business officer Shariq Patel told Variety. “The strategy remains to make films across languages. We have a mix of tentpole and art house films and each film will have a unique marketing and release plan.”

“I am often asked by directors and producers as to what kind of films I am looking to greenlight at any point in time. My answer is always the same. First I have no idea what will click, in this business no one does, despite claims of knowledge. Secondly, as a studio I have to do it all, so for every ‘Thunivu’ starring Ajith Kumar or a ‘King of Kotha’ with Dulquer, we will have a ‘Mrs. Chatterjee v/s Norway’ with Rani Mukerji or ‘Joram’ with Manoj Bajpayee,” Patel added.

“We need to make it all, we work with Anil Sharma (‘Gadar 2’) and also with Anurag Kashyap (‘Kennedy’). We just have to ensure each film we are working on is budgeted correctly and that the economics make sense. In addition, we also have a series ‘Brown’ directed by Abhinay Deo starring Karisma Kapoor which is in post-production and we propose to make more such premium series in the coming year.”

“We have segmented our films according to size/scale/genre. And each film’s marketing and release strategy is crafted in a unique way. While a majority of them are for Indian theatrical release, we have made conscious investments in a set of films that we hope to take to the world via festivals i.e. ‘Joram’ by Devashish Makhija, ‘Gandhi Talks’, a silent film starring Vijay Sethupathy and Arvind Swami, ‘Kennedy’ by Anurag Kashyap are a few examples. We aspire to establish Zee Studios as the preeminent studio for Indian films,” Patel said.

Zee Studios, which scored one of the biggest 2022 hits with ‘The Kashmir Files’, currently has the Kannada-language film ‘Vedha’, starring Shiva Rajkumar on release.

‘KGF’ helmer Prashanth Neel to rope in Aamir Khan for Jr NTR movie

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‘KGF’ helmer Prashanth Neel to rope in Aamir Khan for Jr NTR movie

Prashanth Neel, director of “KGF” Chapters 1 and 2, plans to rope in Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan for his movie with Junior NTR, sources close to him stated.

Prashanth Neel and Junior NTR have already announced their project. The team is considering Aamir for the role opposite Junior NTR. The project is likely to be rolled out in the next year.

Presently, Prashanth Neel is busy with “Salaar”, starring Prabhas of “BaahubalI” fame. Sources say that he is now engaged in the post-production work of the movie.

After the completion of the project, Prashanth Neel and Junior NTR are announcing their joint venture. Sources close to Neel confirmed the news and stated that the movie is going to be a major pan-India release.

‘Bigg Boss 16’: Salman Khan introduces a barrage of reality checks

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‘Bigg Boss 16’: Salman Khan introduces a barrage of reality checks

In the upcoming Weekend Ka Vaar episode of ‘Bigg Boss 16’, housemates will be punished for their sins through a task called ‘Paap Ka Ghada’. The housemates must confess who has sinned the most in the house according to them.

The one they pick must be doused with black water. All the pent-up tension comes to the fore in this task as contestants spill the beans in the most explosive way. It will be interesting to watch if there are any non-sinners in the house.

Right after this task, Tina Datta finds out that her close friend Shalin Bhanot has badmouthed her to Soundarya Sharma. She contends that she is being used by Shalin, who has earned a reputation for being fake. Shalin justifies the badmouthing by saying that he was very upset, however, Tina maintains that she has never spoken ill of him even after he betrayed her.

The drama doesn’t end here.

Salman Khan’s var doesn’t sit well with Shalin Bhanot, who is questioned for yelling at Archana Gautam during a huge kitchen fight. The star reasons that many people contributed to the fight, and it surprised him that only Archana was being reprimanded.

Shalin explains that he is done with Archana dropping personal remarks. His frustration about dealing with Archana is crystal clear just as the tension between host Salman and Shalin as they discuss the mudda. Find out the conclusion of this sensational issue in tonight’s episode.

Shalin is not the only one to get an earful from Salman. The host has a one-on-one conversation with Archana, who’s admonished for being a motor mouth and instigating contestants with personal remarks. Salman makes it abundantly clear that she can be evicted from the house owing to her rash behavior.

Tara Sutaria wraps up shooting for ‘Apurva’

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Tara Sutaria wraps up shooting for ‘Apurva’

Bollywood actress Tara Sutaria has wrapped up shooting for her upcoming thriller titled ‘Apurva’, which also stars Dhairya Karwah.

The official Instagram page of the production house Cine1Studios shared a picture from the film’s set and captioned it: “Teamwork is the best work. Ending 2022 on a high note as we wrap our film #Apurva.”

Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, the film will showcase the gripping story of a girl who survives a dangerous night using her wits and strength in this high-stakes game of life and death.

‘Apurva’ is an edge-of-the-seat thriller and will see Tara Sutaria in an avatar never seen before, based on a story that will keep audiences hooked right to the very end.

Along with Tara Sutaria, the film also stars Abhishek Banerjee and Rajpal Yadav in pivotal roles.

Apurva is produced by Star Studios and Murad Khetani- Cine1 Studios and is directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat.

Kannada filmmakers look forward to another golden year with pan-India projects

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Kannada filmmakers look forward to another golden year with pan-India projects

Kannada film industry which got the attention and recognition of the Indian film industry in 2022, by delivering back-to-back super hits at the pan India level, is hoping to continue its golden run at the box office in 2023.

‘Rock Star’ Yash and Rishab Shetty of ‘Kantara’ fame have made it clear repeatedly that their future projects will be made in Kannada and dubbed into other languages. This has turned all eyes in the showbiz industry on Sandalwood.

Yash and Rishab, though they have given hints about their upcoming projects, have not made any official announcements yet.

Yash had released a video with Hollywood director J.J. Perry and sources have confirmed that Rishab had obtained permission from the local god in a ritual to take up ‘Kantara 2’. However, Rishab has remained tight-lipped about it.

Kannada superstar and director Upendra is all set for his pan-India experiment ‘Kabja’ in 2023. Upendra’s ‘Om’ movie was remade in Hindi as ‘Arjun Pandit’ earlier. Bollywood actress Raveen Tandon had acted in his super hit movie ‘Upendra’ earlier.

Upendra is also directing the movie ‘U I’, whose posters have already caught the attention of the audience. The Kannada film industry is hoping that Upendra will emerge as a pan-India star.

Action hero Dhruva Sarja, nephew of multilingual actor Arjun Sarja. is also putting in efforts for his upcoming project ‘Martin’. Dhruva Sarja’s glamour, dance skills, and macho personality is expected to make a mark at the national level.

KGF Producer’s venture ‘Bhageera’ with actor Srimurali will also be made as a pan-India movie. Rakshit Shetty who was successful in Hindi and other languages with his venture ‘777 Charlie’ is all set to release ‘Sapta Sagaradaache Yello’ (Somewhere over the seven seas).

Rakshit is also directing the movie ‘Richard Antony’ for ‘KGF franchise producers Hombale films. Rumors are rife about ‘Kantara’ star Rishab Shetty acting in the movie. If it materializes, it is going to be a big movie in the Indian film industry, say sources in the industry.

Hombale Films, after delivering two major hits in 2022 such as ‘KGF Chapter 2’ and ‘Kantara’, have emerged as one of the major production houses in the country. The banner is all set to release ‘Salaar’, starring Prabhas and Shruthi Hassan and directed by Prashanth Neel of the ‘KGF’ series fame.

Producer Vijay Kiragandur has announced projects with popular Malayalam actors Fahad Fazil and Aparna Balamurali (‘Dhoomam’). Pawan Kumar, who’s famous for experimentation, is directing the movie.

Pawan Kumar is known for unique storytelling and for the acclaimed films ‘Lucia’ and ‘U Turn’. ‘Dhoomam’, a thriller, will be released in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu languages. The production house is also collaborating with directors like Sudha Kongara.

With Bollywood stars, Jahnavi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Ayushman Khurana, Vidya Balan, and Anupam Kher expressing their wish to be part of Rishab Shetty’s next project in a discussion program, the expectation has only been raised about his upcoming project.

Kannada film industry, technicians, and artists are getting recognition at the national level and want to retain the golden run of 2022 in the upcoming year.

The successes of ‘KGF Chapter-2’, ‘Kantara’, ‘777 Charlie’, and ‘Vikrant Rona’ at the national level have given producers the confidence to invest in pan-India projects.

Bella Thorne says Disney channel almost fired her for wearing a bikini at age 14

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Bella Thorne says Disney channel almost fired her for wearing a bikini at age 14

Actress Bella Thorne was a staple on the Disney Channel for many years, but she apparently almost lost her job when she was 14.

During Tuesday’s episode of Emily Ratajkowski’s ‘High Low With EmRata’ podcast, Thorne opened up about many instances where she felt she was sexualized as a young girl, reports Variety’.

“One time I almost got fired off the Disney Channel because I was 14, and I wore a two-piece on the beach,” Thorne said.

“This stylist that I was hanging out with put this chain on me that’s, like, a body chain. I don’t know. I don’t care. There was a fan, they got a photo of me on the beach. I almost got fired. It was all over the media, it was literally viral at that time. It was, ‘How dare this little girl do this? This is so disgusting.”

Thorne, who starred opposite Zendaya on ‘Shake It Up’ from 2010 to 2013, explained that people were “putting Disney under pressure” to fire her, but ultimately they didn’t.

“They were like, ‘Hey, we’re getting a lot of heat for this. Everyone’s getting heat for this because you’re in a bikini on a beach, so she needs to make sure she goes out in boy shorts and a loose t-shirt next time she’s at the beach.”

During the episode, the actor, 25, also recounted a disturbing situation that happened four years before that.

“I had a director give me feedback once and I was 10. The casting director calls my agent and the agent calls my mom, and they’re like, ‘So she’s not moving forward because the director felt like she was flirting with him, and it made him really uncomfortable’,” Thorne said.

“What the f**k are you talking about, man?! I don’t give a f**k what the f**k I said! I don’t care if I said, ‘Eat my p***y right now!’ She is 10 years old. Why ever would you think that?”

In just 14 days, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $1 billion in ticket sales

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In just 14 days, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $1 billion in ticket sales

James Cameron’s epic movie, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, has sailed past $1 billion in global ticket sales in just 14 days, becoming the fastest movie to cross the coveted box office milestone this year, reports Variety’.

Only three films released in 2022 managed to surpass the billion-dollar mark. Apart from ‘The Way of Water’, the other two are Tom Cruise-starrer ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (which took 31 days to clear the benchmark) and the Chris Pratt-led ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ (which took more than four months to join the club).

By comparison, according to ‘Variety’, nine movies released in 2019 surpassed $1 billion worldwide. ‘The Way of Water’ is the fastest to hit the mark since 2021’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which took 12 days. Only six movies in history have cleared $1 billion in their first two weeks of release.

James Cameron’s long-delayed sequel to the 2009 ‘Avatar’ — which remains the top grosser of all time with box office pickings totaling $2.97 billion worldwide — has so far generated $317.1 million in North America and $712.7 million overseas, bringing its global tally to $1.025 billion.

It has surpassed ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ as the second highest-grossing movie of the year, and it’s the third highest of the pandemic era, adds ‘Variety’.

‘The Way of Water’ is expected to struggle to near the heights scaled by the original ‘Avatar’ because the global box office hasn’t fully rebounded from the pandemic, according to ‘Variety’. Moreover, China, a major theatrical market, is experiencing a resurgence of the coronavirus, and Russia, another big territory, won’t have access to the film as a result of Western sanctions.

‘Murder’: Kangana Ranaut’s verdict on Tunisha Sharma’s death

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‘Murder’: Kangana Ranaut’s verdict on Tunisha Sharma’s death

Reminiscent of her campaign to prove that Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was a murder, actress Kangana Ranaut has reacted to Tunisha Sharma’s suicide and called it a murder.

She also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make strong laws to protect women against ‘polygamy’ and ‘acid attacks’.

Commenting on the death of Tunisha, a television actress who allegedly died by suicide on the sets in Palghar on Saturday, Kangana wrote in a long post: “A woman can cope with everything, loss of love, marriage, relationship or even a loved one but she can never deal with the fact that her love story never had love, for the other person, her love and vulnerability was just an easy target for exploitation, her reality was not the same as the other person who was in it only to use and abuse her physically and emotionally.

“When it is revealed to her, her reality starts to warp and distort itself, shift shape to fit in the facts that are revealed to her in a shocking manner. Every incidence, each experience she associates with beauty and love starts to replay in her mind, slowly blending dream, reality, and imagination, all in order to fit in the brutality of a betrayal.

“She can’t trust her own perception and in such a state one feels no difference in being alive or dead, after all, life is just our perception, and if she decides to end her life… Please know she didn’t do it alone… it’s a murder.

“Indulging in polygamy with multiple women without their consent or knowledge should be a criminal offense. S*xually exploiting women without taking any responsibility for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being while breaking up with them suddenly without any valid reason should also be a criminal offense.”

In another Instagram story, she wrote: “We need to take care of our daughters. It is the responsibility of the government to protect and enrich the feminine. A land where women are not safe is destined to be doomed. I request Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji…

“Like Krishna rose for Draupadi like Rama took a stand for Sita, we expect you to make strong laws against polygamy without content, acid attacks against women, and of course chopping them into many pieces… they should amount to an immediate death sentence without trial.”

Prabhas to open up about Kriti, his ‘Adi Purush’ Sita, on ‘Unstoppable 2 with NBK’

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Prabhas to open up about Kriti, his ‘Adi Purush’ Sita, on ‘Unstoppable 2 with NBK’

It has been five years since ‘Baahubali 2’ hit the screens and took India by storm but pan-India star Prabhas continues to hold audiences in thrall with his charm and humility.

Fans are in for a new year treat as the ‘Baahubali’ star features in the no-holds-barred chat show, ‘Unstoppable 2 with NBK’ hosted by the inimitable Nandamuri Balakrishna (NBK).

Prabhas recently made an appearance on the popular chat show streaming on the aha OTT platform. According to sources in the show team, the episode is set to serve a feast of countless memories of Prabhas and his pal, actor Gopichand, as told to NBK.

Giving a glimpse of the fun talk in the ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ episode of ‘Unstoppable 2 with NBK’, the star anchor asks Prabhas about his relationship with Sita, or his leading lady Kriti Sanon, in ‘Adi Purush’. In his reply, Prabhas reveals a lot of things that were unheard of and unseen by people so far.

With so much juicy conversation flowing on the show, the OTT platform aha has decided to release the 100-minute Baahubali episode in two parts — The Beginning and Conclusion, streaming on December 30 and January 6, respectively.

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