Tejaswi Madivada gives it a nod for ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’

Actress Tejaswi Madivada, who was one of the contestants on the second season of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu’, is to appear on the OTT version of the reality show again.

Tejaswi, a model and an actress had appeared on the show in the second season. Her brawls with fellow housemates created sensations during the season.

The ‘Ice-Cream’ actress always maintained a positive attitude during her stay in the ‘Bigg Boss’ house, despite going toe-to-toe with the season’s winner Kaushal Mandal.

‘Bigg Boss Telugu 2’ host Nani had always been supporting, while he also schooled the actress during her stay on the reality show.

Tejaswi Madivada is known for her supporting roles, while her appearance in ‘Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’ alongside Samantha Ruth Prabhu earned her much appreciation.

Well, the stage is being set for the curtain-raiser episode of the first season of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’.

It is reported that 10 contestants are the ones who were already on the reality show in the previous seasons. With a total number of 16-17 contestants, ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ will be streamed 24 hours on Disney+ Hotstar.

Nagarjuna will host the 24×7 reality show.

Trailer of director Brinda’s ‘Hey Sinamika’ released

The makers of choreographer-turned-director Brinda Master’s ‘Hey Sinamika’, featuring Dulquer Salmaan, Kajal Aggarwal, and Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead, on Wednesday, released the trailer of the film, which is gearing up for a theatrical release on March 3.

The trailer takes us into the lives of Mouna (Aditi), a weather scientist who falls in love with Yaazhan (Dulquer), a quirky and loving guy. What happens to their relationship after a couple of years and how things take an unexpected turn after the arrival of Malarvizhi (Kajal) form the crux of the story.

The trailer promises a romantic roller coaster ride loaded with comedy, emotions, and music. Youthful and trendy, ‘Hey Sinamika’, as the trailer indicates, will be a celebration of love and friendship.

Says Brinda, “This is a feel-good flick. Youngsters would love it for sure. At the same time, audiences in all age groups can also enjoy the movie. It will be an entertaining mix of emotions.”

Govind Vasantha of ’96’ fame has scored the music for ‘Hey Sinamika’, which has been produced by Jio Studios with Global One Studios as Associate Producer.

Nagarjuna collaborates with Vennela Kishore for ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ promo

A brand new promo featuring host Nagarjuna along with comedian Vennela Kishore was unveiled by the makers of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’ on Tuesday.

As reported earlier, the producers of the reality show have made an official announcement on the OTT version, along with an interesting promo.

The promo features Vennela Kishore and noted actor Murali Sharma. Vennela Kishore plays a jail inmate, who is ready to get his death sentence implemented, while Murali Sharma is the police in charge of him.

As Vennela Kishore begs his advocate Nagarjuna to do something about it, he tells the court that Kishore’s last wish is to watch one episode of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’, which is a never-ending one.

Well, keeping aside the promo, the makers have announced that the show will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar soon. Producers are setting the stage for the curtain-raiser of the first season of ‘Bigg Boss Telugu OTT’.

Some known names are being heard as the contestants for the first season of the OTT version of the controversial reality show, while there are contestants from previous seasons of the show as well.

Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati’s ‘Bheemla Nayak’ releasing on Feb 25

Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati-starrer ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is gearing up for its grand release on February 25.

After back-to-back postponement struggles, the makers finally made an official announcement regarding the release date on Tuesday. The production house of Sithara Entertainments took to social media to announce, “25 – 02 – 2022!! The date is set for the POWER STORM to hit the screens #BheemlaNayakOn25thFeb”.

Along with the exciting release date announcement, the makers also released a poster featuring Pawan Kalyan. Pawan looks fresh, as the picture seems to be captured from his recently-shot promotional song for the movie.

Helmed by Sagar K Chandra, ‘Bheemla Nayak’ is an original remake of Malayalam’s super hit movie ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’.

With the screenplay and dialogues penned by Trivikram Srinivas and music by S Thaman, the movie has got so much hype already.

Pawan Kalyan, in and as ‘Bheemla Nayak’ will be seen playing a cop while Rana Daggubati appears in an important role with shades of negativity.

The much-awaited action-packed entertainer ‘Bheemla Nayak’ has an ensemble of cast and top-notch technicians. Nithya Menen and Samyuktha Menon are the female leads in the movie.

Produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi, the upcoming action drama has cinematography and editing by Ravi K. Chandran and Naveen Nooli respectively.

Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi condoles Bappi Lahiri’s death

Stating that Bappi Lahiri had given him numerous chartbusters that had immensely contributed to his films’ popularity, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi Konidela on Wednesday paid tributes to India’s disco king, Bappi Lahiri, who passed away at the CritiCare hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Taking to Twitter, Chiranjeevi wrote, “Rest in Peace, Bappi da!'” and posted a note in which he had penned his heartfelt condolence message.

The note read, “Deeply anguished at the demise of legendary music director and singer Bappi Lahiri. I had a great association with Bappi da.”

“He gave numerous chartbusters for me which contributed immensely to my films’ popularity. He will always be remembered for his unique style and his great enthusiasm for life which is reflected in his music. My heartfelt condolences to all his near and dear.”

Chiranjeevi wasn’t the only one to express his condolences from the Telugu film industry. One of the first to react to the news of the music director’s demise was actor Allari Naresh.

He said, “The legend who brought disco to us…Deeply saddened to hear of his demise. Rest in beats Bappi Lahiri Ji.”

A front row seat to the life and times of pop icon Usha Uthup

Usha Uthup, India’s undisputed icon of pop music, has enthralled an entire generation of listeners with her unforgettable voice and continues to do so. Completing fifty years as a professional singer in 2020 was just another milestone in her fabled career.

In “The Queen of Indian Pop” (Penguin), a vivid biography originally written in Hindi, Vikas Kumar Jha captures the entire arc of Uthup’s career in music. From her childhood days in Mumbai and her first gigs singing with jazz bands in Chennai’s glitzy nightclubs to her meteoric rise as India’s musical sensation and her philanthropic work, Jha covers it all and manages to weave a narrative that is colorful, inspiring, and bound to keep any reader engrossed till the end.

Uthup is known for such evergreen hits as ‘Hari Om Hari’, ‘Rambha Ho’ and ‘Jeete Hain Shaan Se’, and her voice transcends genres. When she takes the stage, in her elaborately designed saris and trademark bindis, she embodies a unique liveliness, unparalleled in the realm of Indian music. Jha meticulously explores Uthup’s sense of freedom, her struggles, and her constructive and creative attitude towards work and life.

This pitch-perfect English translation, by Srishti Jha, offers the reader a front-row seat to the life and times of the inimitable Usha Uthup.

“I’ve enjoyed a long and abiding friendship with Usha Uthup, and this book shares the gifts of her friendship with the world – her tenacity, charm, wit, and compassion are woven through its pages. Vikas Kumar Jha’s compelling narrative and immersive storytelling confirm what I have long known: Usha’s legacy is more than her extraordinary musical talent. It is also the grace, fearlessness, and wisdom with which she lives her life,” says parliamentarian and author Shashi Tharoor.

Prabhas’ next film ‘RajaDeluxe’ to be announced soon

Prabhas has been busy working for quite a long time now. With a handful of offers, the ‘Mirchi’ actor has another biggie coming his way.

All set for an official announcement, the makers of Prabhas’ upcoming movie have things planned in an interesting way.

Touted to be a commercial entertainer with a funny plot, Prabhas’ next project will apparently have a popular Telugu director on board. If the sources are to be trusted, the title for the movie will be ‘RajaDeluxe’.

The upcoming movie venture will be soon launched formally, and it is expected that the makers will make an exciting announcement regarding the movie on the occasion of Holi, March 18.

Online sources also suggest that ‘PelliSandaD’ heroine Sreeleela will be seen as one of the three female leads in the movie, while Malvika Mohanan is considered as one of them too.

While Prabhas’ fans await the release of his upcoming love saga ‘Radhe Shyam’, this news on his upcoming movie is sure to excite them.

Pooja Hegde’s extra efforts to ensure her roles in movies don’t get sidelined

Being one of the busiest actresses of the south right now, Pooja Hegde is all set for a couple of big releases ahead.

Going back in time, Pooja had stated in one of her older interviews, how she maintains to be in focus, and not get sidelined in movies starring actors whose persona is so much larger than life.

On being quizzed about how Pooja strikes a balance to maintain her glam quotient, and also don’t become just the decoration in a film, Pooja said that that confidence comes from within.

“I think it comes from an inner self-belief”, as she quotes an instance from the Allu Arjun starrer ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’, “People did talk about ‘Butta Bomma’, and the songs much more than anything else. But, there were a few scenes where I tried to strike a balance, indicating how much importance my role carries, in the story”.

“Also, I go an extra mile, and dub for my movies, even though the language is difficult. Now or later, people will recognize me and my efforts”, the ‘Radhe Shyam’ actress had said.

On being asked about her experience working with Prabas for ‘Radhe Shyam’, Pooja said, “Prabhas is quite a goofy person, though at first, he looked so shy. I enjoyed time with him and felt comfortable to act alongside him. That is why our chemistry in the movie has come out so well”.

Prabhas and Pooja Hegde-starrer ‘Radhe Shyam’ gears up for its release, while Pooja’s appearance alongside Vijay in the movie ‘Beast’ has raised much buzz as well.

Shahid Kapoor-starrer ‘Jersey’ to release on April 14

Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor’s upcoming film ‘Jersey’ will now release on April 14.

The film was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on December 31, last year. However, the film was postponed after civil restrictions were re-imposed due to fears over the Omicron variant.

A tweet from the film’s producer Dil Raju Productions read: “#Jersey releasing in cinemas worldwide on April 14th, 2022.”

‘Jersey’ tells the story of a middle-aged cricketer, who gets back into the game for the love of his son. In addition to Shahid, the film, which is directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, also stars Mrunal Thakur.

The sports drama is a remake of a 2019 Telugu film of the same name. It stars Nani, Shraddha Srinath, Harish Kalyan, Sanusha, Sathyaraj, Sampath Raj and Viswant Duddumpudi.

Prestigious OTT project lined up for Ram Charan

‘RRR’ actor Ram Charan is reportedly being considered for a prestigious project which will be produced by Netflix.

Apparently, Netflix is orchestrating an interesting series, which will be made with a huge budget. As soon as possible, the OTT giant intends to talk with Charan about the web series.

Telugu star Ram Charan, who is currently one of the most happening actors in India, is likely to accept the offer, as this venture will launch him into the OTT space, as per sources.

Though there is no official confirmation regarding the same, Netflix will announce the project once they officially get Ram Charan on board.

For now, Ram Charan is busy shooting for his upcoming movie ‘RC15’ under Shankar Shanmugam’s direction, while he awaits the release of S.S. Rajamouli’s visual wonder ‘RRR’.