Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ back on track, to be released on March 25

The much-hyped, and much-postponed, S.S. Rajamouli film ‘RRR’ is finally being released in theatres on March 25.

The makers of the magnum opus took to their social media handles on Monday to announce the release date.

Featuring Telugu actors Jr NTR and Ram Charan in the lead roles, ‘RRR’ is being touted as the fictionalized tale of two real-life unsung heroes, who fought for tribal rights. Ram Charan and Jr NTR respectively play Alluri Sitarama Raju, the leader of the Rampa Rebellion of 1922, and the Gond rebel Komaram Bheem, who took on the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ajay Devgn, and Shriya Saran also play significant roles in this grand movie, whose music has been scored by M.M. Keeravaani, the ‘Baahubali’ composer.

In addition to Telugu and Tamil, the movie will be released in Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi.

‘RRR’ was supposed to hit the screens in January, but the Covid-19 surge had pushed the makers to postpone the release. With the announcement of the release date, the film’s promotions will start all over again.

Vijay Deverakonda steps into Mahesh Babu’s shoes for soft drink endorsement

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu has ended his long-term association with a leading soft drink brand, with popular actor Vijay Deverakonda stepping in his place.

After endorsing Thums Up for more than a decade, Mahesh has opted out and ended his deal with Coca-Cola. Vijay, who has now changed his Twitter user name to ‘Vijay Deverakonda Toofan’, has been roped in for the endorsement of the brand now.

Ever since Vijay added ‘Toofan’ to his name for his social media handles, it has become a hot topic of discussion among his fans and followers. Added to that, a poster featuring Vijay endorsing the soft drink has also gone viral.

In the poster, Vijay can be seen holding the bottle – ‘Soft Drink Kaadu, idi Toofan’, which means, ‘This is not just a soft drink, this is a storm’.

On the work front, Vijay’s upcoming movie ‘Liger’ will release in theatres soon. Directed by Puri Jagannadh, ‘Liger’ stars Ananya Panday and former professional boxer, Mike Tyson of the US, in the lead roles.

Hindi version of Rashmika’s ‘Pogaru’ crosses 200 mn views on YouTube

Rashmika Mandanna, who’s basking in the success of ‘Pushpa – The Rise’, has one more reason to celebrate now.

The Hindi dubbed version of her Kannada film, ‘Pogaru’, has crossed 200 million views on YouTube in just a few months.

This is not the first time that Rashmika has crossed the milestone on the video streaming platform. The Hindi version of her blockbuster film, ‘Dear Comrade’, has also crossed 300 million views on YouTube, apart from her two songs, ‘Inkem Inkem’ from ‘Geetha Govindam’, and ‘Karabuu’ from ‘Pogaru’, both crossing the 200 million views mark.

With ‘Pushpa’ enjoying unprecedented success in all the five languages it was released in, Rashmika has earned the sobriquet of ‘National Crush’.

Her song, ‘Saami Saami’ from ‘Pushpa’ has become a global rage, leaving the audiences eager to savour her Bollywood releases.

‘Mission Majnu’ and ‘Good Bye’ are her two major Bollywood projects slated for release this year.

Samantha’s first look from ‘Shakuntalam’ to be out soon

Actress Samantha’s upcoming mythology-based movie ‘Shakuntalam’, which is directed by Gunasekhar is in its final leg of the post-production phase now.

Producer Neelima Guna, who had a chat with her Instagram followers on Sunday, revealed that there are a series of updates coming up, one of which is Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s first look poster.

Neelima had a chat with her Instagram fans, who had asked her for an update on Samantha’s first look poster, to which she replied, “Very soon.”

“We have plans to release a series of updates. We can’t wait to show off Samantha’s first look from the movie,” she wrote.

When quizzed about the ‘Shakuntalam’ release date, she said that the magnum opus will be released soon this year. The young producer also announced that the ‘Shakuntalam’ team has planned to release the first single from the movie.

“We are working to release the first single soon,” she added.

“The first look will be out first. Other updates will follow,” Neelima’s message said.

As one of Samantha’s fans asked Neelima to describe Samantha, she wrote, “Beautiful, hardworking, resilient, passionate and an absolutely brilliant actor — our Shakuntala.”

‘Shakuntalam’ is expected to be released soon, as the post-production work is going on at a high pace.

Starring Samantha as the queen, Dev Mohan plays King Dushyanta, while Allu Arjun’s six-year-old daughter, Allu Arha will be seen as Prince Bharata. Kabir Duhan Singh will play King Asura.

Vishnu Vishal-starrer ‘FIR’ to release on February 11?

Director Manu Anand’s eagerly awaited action thriller “FIR”, featuring actor Vishnu Vishal in the lead, is likely to hit screens on February 11 this year.

Sources close to the unit confirmed to IANS that the makers of the film were looking at releasing the film on February 11.

The film has triggered immense interest ever since its trailer was first released in January 2020.

Vishnu Vishal plays Abu Bakker Abdulla, a Muslim youth, in the film, which has director Gautham Vasudev Menon playing a cop.

The film also features Manjima Mohan, Raiza Wilson, Reba Monica John, Gaurav Narayanan, and Prashanth Rangaswamy among others.

Produced by Vishnu Vishal’s own production house, VV Studioz, the film has visuals by cinematographer Arul Vincent and music by Ashwath.

Although the film was ready for release a long time ago, the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns had forced the team to hold it back. With the situation improving, the unit is now looking to release its film.

‘Rangbaaz’: Aakanksha Singh to play don-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin’s wife

Actress Aakansha Singh will be seen portraying the character of Hena Shahab, the wife of convicted gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin in the upcoming web series ‘Rangbaaz’.

According to a source close to the development, the actress is currently shooting in Lucknow for the same and the role is something very different from anything that Aakanksha has ever had before.

“The story and her character is inspired by Hena Shahab, the wife of gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin, and the actress is leaving no stone unturned to nail her part,” the source informs.

“She is doing extensive research at her end by reading everything there is about Hena and is also watching her interviews and seeing videos available on her. Aakanksha still has a few days of shoot left in Lucknow but she is really thrilled about this revolutionary part,” the source further added.

Aakansha will next be seen in Ajay Devgn-starrer ‘Runway 34’, which also features Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh.

Jr NTR, Koratala Siva team up for their 2nd film together

“RRR” actor Jr NTR’s upcoming movie under Koratala Shiva’s direction will be grandly launched at a pooja event on February 7. Jr NTR and Koratala Siva are collaborating for the second time after their superhit movie together, “Janatha Garage”.

Jr NTR has wrapped up his formalities for “RRR”, so he is to kick-start the shoot for his upcoming venture, which is reportedly a commercial drama. Tentatively titled “NTR30”, the movie will get on the floors later in the month, after the formal launch event.

Koratala Siva, who is regarded as one of the most successful commercial movie directors in the Telugu movie industry, is said to have scripted a story that is expected to appeal to a pan-India audience.

Touted to be mounted on a lavish scale, “NTR30” will have a popular Bollywood actress as the female lead opposite Jr NTR.

NTR will also be shooting for “NTR31” directed by Trivikram Srinivas of “Ala Vaikuntapuramuloo” fame. It is also being reported that “KGF” director Prashanth Neel will also be helming a movie to feature Jr NTR in the lead role.

Talkie portions of Venkatesh, Varun Tej-starrer ‘F3’ wrapped up

The talkie portions of director Anil Ravipudi’s most awaited fun-filled entertainer ‘F3’, featuring actors Victory Venkatesh and Varun Tej in the lead, have been wrapped up.

Sources close to the unit of the film, being produced on a grand scale by Tollywood’s leading production house Sri Venkateswara Creations, said that the unit only has a song to shoot.

Post-production work is also underway for the film, which is being presented by Dil Raju and produced by Shirish. The makers believe that ‘F3’, which is set to hit screens on April 28 this year, will be a bigger hit as the buzz about the film in trade circles has been positive.

While Tamannaah Bhatia and Mehreen Pirzada play the heroines opposite Venkatesh and Varun Tej respectively, Nata Kireeti Rajendra Prasad will be seen in a hilarious role. Sonal Chauhan has been roped in as the third actress to add more glamour and Sunil has been assigned an entertaining role.

According to sources, ‘F3’ will be a combination of entertainment, glamour, and other commercial elements. Rockstar Devi Sri Prasad who provided a chartbuster album for ‘F2’ is well on his way to delivering a superhit album for ‘F3’. Sai Sriram has cranked the camera for this film which has Tammiraju as its editor.

Vishal-starrer ‘Veerame Vaagai Soodum’ to release on Feb 4

Director Thu Pa Saravanan’s action entertainer ‘Veerame Vaagai Soodum’ featuring actors Vishal and Dimple Hayathi in the lead, will now release on February 4, its makers announced on Saturday.

The eagerly awaited film, which was to hit screens for Republic Day, was postponed without any reasons being assigned or any alternative dates being announced. With the Tamil Nadu government announcing that there would be no total lockdown on Sundays, the team has announced that the film will hit screens on February 4.

Malik Streams Corporation, which is releasing the film worldwide, made the announcement on its Twitter handle. The firm tweeted: “Rise of a common man at cinemas from February 4th, 2022. Don’t miss the action thriller ‘Veeramae Vaagai Soodum’ on big screens near you.”

Vishal plays a policeman who thinks out of the box in this thriller and promises to present a feast to action lovers. Apart from Vishal and Dimple Hayashi, the film also features Yogi Babu, Marimuthu, Thulasi, Kavitha Bharathi, R.N.R. Manohar, Mariam George, and Maha Gandhi in important roles.

Director Ramesh Verma: ‘Khiladi’ rights have been sold out like hot cakes

Claiming that the rights of his Telugu action entertainer ‘Khiladi’, featuring actors Ravi Teja, Dimple Hayathi, and Meenakshi Chaudhary in the lead, had all been sold out, director Ramesh Verma Penmetsa has said that the film would release on February 11.

Taking to Twitter, Ramesh said: “‘Khiladi’ rights have been sold out like a hot cake. Happy about the positive vibes the film has generated. ‘Khiladi’ will reach the audience on February 11, 2022.”

The film has triggered huge expectations which is evident from the resounding welcome a single released from the film recently got. Titled ‘Full Kick’, the number sung by Sagar and Mamta Sharma, was released on Republic Day. The video has so garnered a whopping 4.4 million views in a matter of just three days.

The makers of the film have also announced that they would be releasing the character poster of one lead artiste of ‘Khiladi’ every day, starting from Saturday.

Ramesh tweeted: “The Character – Lead posters of another lead cast of #Khiladi will arrive one every day starting from today! Stay tuned.”