Shankae says ED attachment legal abuse / Vidamuyurchi gives Rs 15 cr profit to Lyca : see breakup

Director Shankar {ress Release in full I wish to bring to public attention a recent action taken by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chennai Zonal Office, in which they have provisionally attached three immovable properties of mine, based on baseless plagiarism allegations related to the film Enthiran (Robot). Till date, there is no communication from the Enforcement Directorate regarding the attachment, but the attachment was widely circulated in Media. This action not only misinterprets the legal facts but also represents a clear misuse of the legal process. It is crucial to highlight that the matter concerning these allegations was already thoroughly adjudicated by the Hon'ble High Court in Civil Suit No. 914/2010. The Court carefully examined the evidence and arguments from both sides, dismissing the claim filed by Aarur Tamil Nadan, which sought to declare him as the rightful copyright holder of the Enthiran story. Despite this clear judicial resolution, the Enforcement Directorate has proceeded with the attachment of my properties, relying on an independent report from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and ignoring the binding judgment of the Hon'ble High Court in C.S.No.914/2010. Furthermore, the private complaint referred to by the Enforcement Directorate has already been stayed by the Hon'ble High Court, Chennai in the order passed in Crl.MP.No.13914/23 in Crl.Op.No.20452/23. Given these facts, I am deeply disheartened by the continued action of the ED, despite a clear legal ruling from the Civil Court, which categorically stated that no copyright violation took place. This overreach represents a blatant abuse of the legal process. I trust the authorities will review their actions and cease further proceedings in this matter. Should they fail to do so, I will have no choice but to appeal against the attachment order. Attachment: Judgment passed in C.S.No.914/2010 dated 15.06.2023

Ajith's Vidamuyurchi's Producers Lyca Productions would make a table profit of Rs 15 crores after the OTT- satellite rights are sold and revenue from own overseas distribution ( made good profits) minus the India theatrical business revenue. As Lyca had not sold the Tamil Nadu area to any outside distributor and distributed on their own and giving it on refundable advance, no one will come to claim losses. Here is the breakup: VIDAAMUYARCHI BOX-OFFICE - AUSSIE INDIAN With releases of NEEK and Dragon. Vidaamuyarchi theatrical business is almost closed. So let's see final box-office; ROI is Rest of India and Os is Overseas Budget - 185 cr Ajith Re64 muneration- 100 cr Trisha- 3 cr Arjun Sarja - 2 cr Regina- 1 cr Anirudh - 10 cr Magizh - 6 cr Rest of the cast and crew- 8 cr Production - 55 cr (Including prints and publicity) Theatrical Business TN- 65 cr (Own release ) OS - 18 cr (Own release) TS - 5 cr (Outright sold) ROI - 7 cr (Outright sold ) Total- 95 cr Non theatricals OTT - 55 cr Satellite, audio and digital- 50 cr Overall- 200 cr Table profit (Expected ) - 15 cr Theatrical collections TN- 79 cr gross or 41.5 cr share (63% recovery ) Verdict for TN alone - Flop Telugu states - 3 cr gross or 1.65 cr share (33% recovery ) Verdict for Telugu states alone - Disaster ROI - 12.5 cr gross or 5.75 cr share (82 % ) Verdict for ROI - Average OS - 40 cr or 19.8 cr share (110% ) Verdict for OS - hit Overall - 134.5 cr gross or 68.7 cr share Recovery -72% Verdict - Below Average Profit/ loss TN- Producer: 36 cr , Distributors- NA Telugu states- Producer: 4.5 cr , Distributors : - 2.25 cr ROI - Producer : 7.2 cr , Distributors: -1.25 cr OS- Produxer : 18.1 cr , Distributors- NA Overall- Producers Theatraical revenue- 65.8 cr Distributors losses- 3.5 cr Producer final statement : 65.8 + 105- 185 = - 14.2 cr Conclusion- Lyca lost 14.2 cr Distributors lost 3.5 cr Movie Verdict is below average Source Balus box office

Bharathiraja- Rio Raj- Sandy film on March 7th / Vijay Antony concert tops search

Live music and concerts are becoming more popular, with a 43% increase in searches for events like Coldplay, Taylor Swif, Vijay Antony, and Diljit Dosanjh concerts according to Kantar India search report. here is a growing interest in thrillers, crime, and horror genres, while traditional action movies see a decline. Cricket continues to captivate the nation with 223.4 million average monthly searches, and a notable rise in interest in women’s cricket, which saw a 103% increase in searches. Other sports like Kabaddi, Hockey, and eSports are gaining traction, with Kabaddi searches increasing by 75% and Hockey by 40%, reflecting India’s expanding sports culture. The data suggests strong fan following for digital personalities in equal or even bigger proportions to actors and traditional celebrities. In General, National celebs, influencers and vloggers drove higher volume (3M, +47%) than global celebs (2M, +24%) and regional celebs (754K, -11%). Soumya Mohanty, MD, Chief Client Officer- South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar said: “The ‘India in Search’ report offers invaluable insights into the evolving search behaviours of Indian consumers. By leveraging Kantar’s search and social analytics capabilities, brands and marketers can better connect with their audiences and create more impactful strategies that resonate with the dynamic Indian market.”

Niram Marum Ulagil, starring Bharathiraja in the lead role, is all set to hit theatres on March 7, the makers announced on Sunday. Also starring Natty, Sandy, and Rio Raj, the emotional drama marks the directorial debut of Britto JB, who has previously directed several advertisements.ne story is set in Mumbai and has Natty headlining it, another is set to take place in Velankanni, Nagapattinam. "Rio Raj is at the centre of this segment, which navigates the lives of fisherfolk in the area. The third one happens in a housing board in Chennai with Sandy as lead, and the fourth story has Bharathiraja living in a village near Thiruttani. All of these stories have a small connection in them The ensemble cast of Niram Marum Ulagil also includes Yogi Babu, Vadivukkarasi, Suresh Menon, Aadukalam Naren, Mime Gopi, Vigneshkanth, Rishikanth, Kaniha, Namo Narayana, and Kaavya Arivumani, among others. On the technical team, Niram Marum Ulagil has Dev Prakash Regan as the music director, Mallika Arjun and Manikanda Raja as cinematographers, and Tamil Arasan as the editor. The film is a joint production between Signature Productionz and GS Cinema Internationa

Ajith to rock with Simran in Good Bad Ugly / Keerthi Pandian back with Akenam

Ajith fans have a good news. The Valee jodi is coming back in Good Bad and Ugly. Yes Simran and Ajith in the film. Simran acted in two films with Ajith and second was Unnai kodu Ennai tharuven directed by Kavee Kalidas. It was a disaster. Actually Simran- Thalapathy made a great combo and has some good rollicking songs together. Already Trisha is the heroine and their last outing was Vidamuyurchi , a disaster. Though majority feel that it was not a bad film, the unnecessary divorce= extra martial portions took the sheen off the lead pair. The gut feeling is that GBU should cover up the VM disaster. April 10 is release date and next week comes the teaser. GVP songs magic has yet to take off. According to sources, Good Bad Ugly will have a minimum of 10 elevation scenes for the actor Ajith Kumar and will be a mass commercial package and have the potential to become a blockbuster success similar to Rajinikanth’s Jailer.

Simran’s upcoming film Tourist Family with Sasikumar has come in for praise. Overseas Distributor of the film wrote on X - Vithurs, who has bought the overseas rights of director Abhishan Jeevinth’s upcoming feel-good family entertainer, ‘Tourist Family’, featuring actors Sasikumar and Simran in the lead, has called the film a “gem” and said, that as an Eelam Tamil, the film was close to his heart.

he first look of the new film, titled 'Akenam', starring the multi-faceted actor-producer-distributor Arun Pandian, has been released. 'Makkall Selvan' Vijay Sethupathi, actor Ashok Selvan, actress Aishwarya Rajesh - director Gokul - actress Ramya Pandian jointly released it on their social media pages and congratulated the film crew. Directed by Uday K, the film 'Akenam' stars Arun Pandian, Keerthi Pandian, Praveen Raja, Aditya Shivpink, Ramesh Thilak, G. M. Sundar, Aditya Menon, Seetha and many others. Vignesh Govindarajan has handled the cinematography and Bharat Veeraragavan has composed the music for this film. Divethian has handled the editing and Raja has handled the art direction. It is also worth noting that all the technicians working in this film are making their debut through the film 'Akenam'. This film, which is being prepared as an emotional work with entertainment elements, has been produced by producer Arun Pandian on behalf of A & B Groups.

Talking about the film, the director said, "The screenplay of the film Aakenam is vibrant and exciting. The film was shot in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry as well as in some important parts of North India. The background music of the film has been recorded in famous music halls in European countries to ensure that it is of international standard. In addition, the film features the national award-winning Odissi dance master Mr. Gangadhar Nayak and his team, along with many North Indian dance artists, in the song sequence featured in the film. The film 'Aakenam' will provide a different cinematic experience to the fans." The shooting of the film has been completed and the post-production work is currently in full swing. The title and first look of the film have been released.

Chiranjeevi intro song / Karthi - Kirti Shetty- Yet another Kanguva like film for Suriya ?

Megastar Chiranjeevi’s Intro Song From Vassishta, UV Creations Vishwambhara Being Filmed In A Massive Set In Hyderabad Megastar Chiranjeevi's highly anticipated socio-fantasy entertainer, Vishwambhara, is generating tremendous buzz, especially following the release of its teaser, which provided a glimpse into the mesmerizing world crafted for the film. Directed by Vassishta and produced by Vikram, Vamsi, and Pramod under the prestigious UV Creations banner, the movie is shaping up to be a grand spectacle. With production nearing completion, the latest schedule sees Chiranjeevi's introduction song being filmed on an extravagant set in Shankarpally, Hyderabad. The song is being meticulously designed under the supervision of AS Prakash, the production designer. MM Keeravani has composed a powerful mass anthem for the song, while Ramajogayya Sastry has penned the lyrics. Renowned choreographer Shobi Master is overseeing the dance moves. The image released from the song shoot presents Chiranjeevi in a cool and stylish look with shades on, as he steps out from the car and gives a sharp gaze. Director Vassishta, who made a remarkable debut with the blockbuster Bimbisara, has poured his heart into Vishwambhara, which he regards as his most prestigious project. Collaborating with his favorite star, Chiranjeevi, Vassishta has created a fantastical world that promises to be a visual marvel, blending top-tier VFX, high-octane action, and emotionally compelling drama. The film boasts a stellar cast, with Trisha Krishnan and Ashika Ranganath in the lead roles, alongside Kunal Kapoor playing a significant character. Cinematographer Chota K. Naidu brings his expertise to the visuals, while the legendary MM Keeravani lends his musical genius to the project. Cast: Megastar Chiranjeevi, Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath, Kunal Kapoor Technical Crew: Writer & Director: Vassishta Producers: Vikram, Vamsi, Pramod Banner: UV Creations Music: MM Keeravani DOP: Chota K Naidu Production Designer: AS Prakash PRO: Yuvraaj Marketing: First Show

Directed by Nalan Kumaraswamy, the film titled 'Va Vaathiyar' stars Karthi, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran, Krithi Shetty, G. M. Sundar and others. George Williams has handled the cinematography and Santhosh Narayanan has composed the music for this film. T. R. K. Kiran is the art director and Vetri has handled the editing. The film, which has hot action scenes, is produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under the banner of Studio Green. The teaser of the film was released and was viewed by more than seven million viewers, setting a record. In this context, the first song from the film 'Vaa Vaathiyaar', which starts with 'Vee Pathikama..', and the lyrical video for the song have been released. This song has been written by lyricist Vivek and sung by playback singer Vijay Narayan- playback singer Aditya Ravindran- playback singer and composer Santhosh Narayanan. This song, composed with the captivating music of Santhosh Narayanan, a trendsetter in the Tamil film music industry, has greatly impressed fans from all walks of life. https://youtu.be/KqpWxzX-sGw

Is Suriya going to do a film with Venky Atluri of Lucky Bhaskar or Chandoo Mondeti of Thandel ? Chandoo says that Suriya has okayed a historical subject set 300 years back. This has set alarm bells as many fear it might be anothr Kanguva. Lets wait.

Mammootty's Brahmayugam in UK University syllabus / Anupam Kher joins Prabhas

Mammootty’s Brahmayugam has been included in UK University curriculum as per a video put out by a UK student. It shows the classroom where the film’s sound design has even been compared to the Dementors’ death rattle from Harry Potter, The authencity of the video is not known but some actors m Director and music director have shared this on their Instagram. Producers are keeping mum on it. The entire horror unfolds within and around this eerie mansion, in which the Boss Mammootty along with a cook stays and in comes a character and setting the stage for the film’s chilling atmosphere. See ; Video link https://youtu.be/HNBmtiSM9CM

Riding high on the massive success of his recent blockbusters, Salaar and Kalki 2898 AD, Rebel Star Prabhas is presently starring in the exciting new venture, directed by the creative director Hanu Raghavapudi. The film produced by the renowned Pan-India studio Mythri Movie Makers promises to be a grand spectacle, brimming with larger-than-life elements. The latest update is that Bollywood legend Anupam Kher is on board for a very important role. The news was shared by the actor himself. Known for his selective approach to roles, Anupam called the film's script "amazing" and was excited to share screen space with Prabhas. He also praised the director, Hanu Raghavapudi, for his talent. "What more can one ask for in life?" Anupam said. “ANNOUNCEMENT: Delighted to announce my 544th untitled film with the #Bahubali of #IndianCinema, the one and only #Prabhas! The film is directed by the incredibly talented @hanurpudi and produced by the wonderful team at @MythriOfficial! My dear friend and brilliant #SudeepChatterjee is the #DoP! कमाल की कहानी है!! और क्या चाहिए लाइफ में दोस्तों! जय हो! ” reads Anupem Kher’s statement. This film marks the first-ever collaboration between Prabhas, Hanu Raghavapudi, and Mythri Movie Makers. This Historical fiction/ Alternate History set in the 1940’s is the tale of a warrior who rose from the shadows, emerging from a society that believed war was the only answer to the buried injustices and forgotten truths that history kept hidden from the world. Imanvi is the lead actress opposite Prabhas in the movie, while the yesteryear eminent actors Mithun Chakraborty and Jaya Prada play pivotal roles. The movie is to be mounted on a high budget with lavish production values and world-class technical standards. Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar will bankroll the project which will have a team of leading technicians taking care of different crafts. Sudeep Chatterjee ISC cranks the camera, while Vishal Chandrasekhar provides the music. Anil Vilas Jadhav handles the production design, whereas Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao is the editor. The film’s shoot is presently underway. Cast: Prabhas, Imanvi, Mithun Chakraborty, Jaya Prada and others. Technical Crew: Writer, Director: Hanu Raghavapudi Banner: Mythri Movie Makers Producers: Naveen Yerneni and Y Ravi Shankar DOP: Sudeep Chatterjee ISC Music: Vishal Chandrasekhar Production designer : Anil Vilas Jadhav Editor: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao Lyrics : Krishna Kanth Costume Designers: Sheetal Iqbal Sharma, T Vijay Bhaskar VFX: RC Kamala Kannan Publicity Designers: Anil-Bhanu PRO: Yuvraaj Marketing: First Show

Vidamuyurchi 2025 First Disaster / Suriya Retro 1st single / Vikram Prabhu - Sushmitha Bhat film launched

Vidamuyurchi released on February 6. It had a four-day extended opening weekend but failed to make the most of it. In the opening weekend, it earned only 63.25 crores. On Monday, the collection dropped to 3.20 crores, a sharp decline of 88% compared to the opening day’s 27 crores. Compared to Sunday’s 12.50 crores, it dropped 74%.Yesterday, on day 5, Vidaamuyarchi witnessed an upward trend, but it was useless since only 3.35 crores came in. Such jumps won’t take the film anywhere, and its fate is very much sealed. Including Tuesday’s numbers, the total collection at the Indian box office stands at 69.80 crore net. Ajith Kumar starrer is an expensive film with a budget of a whopping 185 crores. Compared to this cost, the film has earned only 69.80 crores, meaning only 37.72% of the total budget has been recovered so far. A huge amount of 115.20 crores is yet to be recovered. It’s clear that Vidaamuyarchi won’t recover its budget and face a box office deficit, thus ending its theatrical journey as a losing affair. Meanwhile, globally, the film has earned 118.84 crore gross in 6 days. It includes 82.36 crore gross from India and 36.48 crore gross from overseas.

The much-awaited film “Retro” starring lead actor Suriya and directed by Karthik Subbaraj has been getting fans excited with successive updates. In this context, the first single song “Kannadi Poove” has been released as a beautiful melody song that will captivate the hearts of the fans. This song has been composed and sung by composer Santhosh Narayanan with lyricist Vivek's wonderful lyrics. The song has been winning the hearts of music fans since its release and is receiving a huge response. The film stars Suriya in the lead role and stars Pooja Hegde as his partner. Jayaram, Joju George, Karunakaran, Nasser, Sujith Shankar, Tamil, Premkumar, Ramya Suresh and many other leading stars have acted together. Cinematographer Shreyas Krishna has handled the cinematography for this film, while Santhosh Narayanan has composed the music. Shafiq Muhammad Ali has handled the editing work. Touted to be an action-packed romantic entertainer, the film is produced by 2D Entertainment under the banner of producers Jyothika and Surya, along with Stone Bench Productions. Rajasekhar Karpoor Sundarapandyan and Karthikeyan Santhanam have served as co-producers. The shooting of this film has been completed in four phases in Andaman, Ooty, Kerala, and Chennai. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters worldwide on May 1st. https://youtu.be/eNX9VqUzBco

Debut filmmaker Shanmuga Priyan embarks on his directorial journey with the film ‘Love Marriage’, starring Vikram Prabhu & Sushmitha Bhat (Heroine of Gvm-Mammootty’s Film fame) in the lead roles. The film also features Meenakshi Dinesh, Ramesh Thilak, Aruldoss, Gajaraj, Muruganantham, and Kodangi Vadivelu among others in pivotal roles. Furthermore, Sathyaraj is playing a special cameo in this movie. Sean Roldan, the current sensation in Tamil music industry, is composing music for this film .Madhan Christopher is handling cinematograph. Bharath Vikraman is overseeing editing works and M. Murali is taking care of production designing. The film laced with entertainment elements, set against the rural backdrops. Produced by the makers of last year’s summer super hit film STAR - “Rise East Entertainment” is associating with “Assure Films, for another Summer release Director Shanmuga Priyan had earlier worked as an associate director for filmmaker Anand Shankar on the films NOTA and Enemy, and as a co-director for film maker Ra.Karthik on the film ‘Nitham Oru Vaanam’ Shedding lights on the film, director Shanmuga Priyan says, “A heartwarming family entertainer set in a charming village, this film brings laughter and emotion as it follows the hilarious and relatable journey of men struggling with the ‘Late marriage’ dilemma.” While the film’s shooting is already wrapped up and postproduction work is in full swing, the film’s first look has been released now. Significantly, fans and film enthusiasts are appreciating the impressive style of the hero, heroine & other characters' appearance in the first look.

Rajini says sorry to Vijay /TVK functionary kidnapped media guys / Jailer 2 to decide NTR- Nelson combo

Rajinikanth Team has disassociated itself from the plea of the Thalaivar fan to pelt eggs on Vijay who is now TVK party founder and President. What infuriated the fan to make this appeal we do not know and why Tram Rajinikanth decided to single out this post to react, we are not aware. We have read many malicious posts on Vijay and purportedly calling them as Rajini fans. Adding to this is a story in The Commune that Vijay has appointed one ECR Sarvanan as functionary of suburban Chennai of his TVK party. Now it seems that this Sarvanan and his men stopped a TV crew or crews from filming animals being used inside the sets of a film studio in Nazzarpet and this where the EVP Film city is located. The remember the TV channels giving out the Breaking news and I think some crews used drones. Report says that journalists were beaten up and equipment’s confiscated by ECR Sarvanan. The report carries a new item with colour photo of ECR Sarvanan with Vijay and man Friday Bissy Anand published in Malai Malar. Was this a news item or an advt ? Any read it at https://thecommunemag.com/part-time-politician-vijay-appoints-ecr-saravanan-as-tvk-functionary-was-linked-to-news-journalist-kidnapping/

We had reported that NTr Jr next with Neel is going to floors next week. It seems that Neel had already started shoot with other actors and that NTR is going to join him. After this will NTR start Devara 2 with Koratala Siva ?, It seems that NTR feels that story told by Nelson of Jailer fame is better. The catch is that if Nelson sequel Jailer 2 dies well , NTR will okay him or else he will go back to Siva. Nelson after having signed Rajinikanth for Jailer was put in pause mode as Beast directed by him got lok of flak from critics. Rajini then had a talk with Sun Pictures and found that the box office collections of Beast was mind blogging. Only after this Jailer took off. Now normally sequels in Tamil have not succeeded and if Jailer 2 is a hit, he direct NTR. NTR Neel project will take 18 months and by then Jailer 2 should be out.