Lokah Beats Kantara in OTT / Rajamouli Gets Varanasi Title

 Kantara Chapter1 OTT viewership in South opening week is way behind Lokah. Lokah Hindi has been released but Kanata Hindi OTT has not got a release. Taking that Kantara a Kannada film that dubed into South and Hindi languages and is termed the highest-grossing Indian film of the year worldwide with Rs. 799 crore after the 5th weekend, ahead of Rs. 786 crore of Chhaava. It will be crossing Rs. 800 crore worldwide in no time, OTT reception in South is a surprise. Kantara Chapter 1 performed very strongly in Tamil Nadu right from day 1, and it even impacted Dhanush’s Idli Kadai, and it also joined the 70 Cr gross club, which is almost the closing collections for the film. 

This is the 6th non-Tamil film to collect more than 70 Cr gross in Tamil Nadu. Baahubali 2 is the first one to do this, followed by KGF 2, RRR, Avatar 2, Pushpa 2, and now Kantara Chapter 1, which performs superbly in Tamil Nadu. The film had a sort of crash in South India after digital release, with a drop from the previous weekend being around 70 per cent. That is despite a big holiday on Saturday in Karnataka. Without this holiday, the drop would have been closer to 75 per cent. The hold was better in Hindi at around 60 per cent, but even this was a bit higher than normal.

Two big blockbusters of the year, Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra and Kantara: Chapter 1, were released on the same day on Jio Hotstar and Prime Video, respectively. While the former is a superhero film headlined by Kalyani Priyadarshan, the latter is a folklore action drama spearheaded by Rishab Shetty.

Lokah has now overtaken Kantara: Chapter 1 in the opening weekend in the digital space. According to the latest report in Ormax, Lokah registered 3.8 million views (Data considered between October 27 to November 2), whereas Kantara: Chapter 1 garnered 3.5 million views in the same timeframe.

Kantara: Chapter 1 is yet to be released in Hindi on OTT. On the other hand, Lokah is streaming in multiple languages, including Hindi, and that could be a key reason behind the superhero film’s dominance on the OTT charts.

Bollywood Hungama has learned that the team of the film has locked a title. A source told us, “The name of the film is indeed Varanasi. It is said that the title rights were with somebody, but S S Rajamouli’s team reached out and secured the rights.”

The source further said, “It is an apt title as per the story of the film. Hence, they were very keen on naming their film Varanasi.”

Reports also state that a grand announcement event will be held on November 15 in Ramoji Rao Film City, Hyderabad. Along with S S Rajamouli, Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the others from the team of the film are expected to be present, including Oscar-winning music director M M Keeravani. It is reported that fans will get a chance to attend the launch event and that the event will be live streamed on JioHotstar.

• A smaller production house, "Ramabhakta Hanuman Creations," headed by director CH Subba Reddy, claims to have already registered the title Varanasi for their own film. They have released an official poster with the title and expressed their intention to proceed with their project, creating a title clash.
• The Conflict: The smaller production house has challenged Rajamouli's team, demanding they either change their film's title or compensate them. It is currently a matter of industry speculation whether Rajamouli's team will negotiate, use a title extension (e.g., Varanasi: The Untold), or if this is part of a promotional strategy. 

Legal Context

Generally, a film title alone is not protected under copyright law in India; protection often relies on trademark law and actual use (acquiring a "secondary meaning"). The trade associations have their own rules for title registration, but these are not always binding in court on non-members. Given that Rajamouli's team reportedly secured the rights, and their film is a large-scale global project with significant buzz, they may be in a stronger position

Rashmika in Kerala Athrapally / Bahubali EPIC Hindi Flops/ Dude on November 14th.

 Pradeep Ranganathan’s Dude was released this Diwali, and it posted strong numbers during the holidays and slowed down after. Now, the latest news is that the film’s OTT streaming details are out.

Directed by debutant Keethiswaran, the film collected around 110 Cr gross worldwide. With Dude, Pradeep Ranganathan scored a hat-trick of 100 Cr grossers, and the film is all set to make its OTT debut now.

The film’s digital rights were bagged by Netflix for all languages, and the movie will stream from 14th November. It maintains a 28-day theatrical window like any South Indian movie. 

Made as a lovely entertainer, the film also stars Premalu fame Mamitha Baiju as the female lead, with the latest sensation Sai Abhyankkar composing the music. 

National crush Rashmika Mandanna is juggling multiple projects. Her recent release was Thamma, and her next film, The Girlfriend, is set to hit cinemas on November 7, 2025. Now, her upcoming movie Mysaa has officially entered the shooting phase.

It’s been announced that the pan-Indian film has begun filming today in the forest area of Athirappilly, Kerala. Directed by debutant Rawindra Pulle, the film will see the Pushpa actress playing a Gond tribal woman.

Rashmika’s first-look poster, which was recently unveiled, showcases her in an intense avatar. The makers describe Mysaa as an emotional action drama. Actor Tarak Ponnappa has been roped in for a key role, though further details remain under wraps.

Produced by Anil, Ajay Sayyapureddy, and Srikanth Sathi under the UnFormula Films banner, the movie features music by Jakes Bejoy.

Rashmika Mandanna has had a busy year with four releases so far, including the Telugu film “Kubera.” Her fifth release of 2025, “The Girlfriend,” is set to arrive in theaters this weekend (November 7).

While the film’s trailer has generated curiosity, it still needs stronger pre-release buzz. 

Since it is a heroine-centric love story told from a woman’s perspective, the film might face an uphill task in drawing audiences initially. In recent times, several female-led films have struggled to secure strong openings.

The going has been tough for S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Epic, especially in Hindi. With a playing time of a staggering 3 hours and 45 minutes, the period action drama is a big turnoff for the box office.Producer & eminent film business analyst Girish Johar feels it is not all a loss for Baahubali: The Epic. “It has amassed around Rs. 18 crores nett, across all languages, in two days, domestic market, which I feel is a very good fair number. This is a first of its kind where two parts of the film are released as one film, kind of a repeat run but of a different kind. Both the earlier parts were watched by large section of the audiences earlier. So, a technical re-release now is also still being cherished by its fans. This move by its makers will add more strength to Baahubali being a cult film, for all time.”

Taran Adarsh Trade Guru feels the promotional pitch for Baahubali in Hindi was wrong. “It should have been promoted as a film that is a solo film, not just a repeat run. A lot of people are under the impression that it's a repeat run and that's the reason why they are staying away. The fact that both the parts have been combined and made into one film is unknown to many. So, if at all, they would have promoted the film well in the Hindi market, I am sure it would have met with a better response in the Hindi market.”

However, according to Taran Adarsh, there is a silver lining. “The Baahubali epic has met with a fantastic response in the Telugu states. It's packed everywhere, running to packed houses. The response is phenomenal. The Telugu version is doing superlative business.”

No Bahubali 3 / EPIC Runtime locked / Samantha in Vetrimaaran- STR film

Producer Shobhu Yarlagadda has announced that Baahubali: The Epic will have an impressive runtime of about 3 hours and 40 minutes. Fans of the franchise are eager to see how the creators have merged both parts of the original story into one spectacular film. As per the producer, Baahubali: The Epic has its runtime finalized and neatly divided into two parts: the first half, Baahubali: The Beginning, and the second half, Baahubali: The Conclusion. This format allows viewers to relive the full journey of Amarendra and Mahendra Baahubali in a single sitting, with all the drama, action, and emotion that made the original films iconic. With this announcement, expectations are high for Baahubali: The Epic, which aims to deliver a cinematic spectacle that honors the legacy of the franchise while offering a spectacular ride to the fans.Producer Shobu Yarlagadda has officially clarified that Baahubali 3 will not be announced in Baahubali: The Epic. While fans were hoping for a major update, he confirmed that the team still has a lot of work to do before anything can be revealed. The statement puts to rest any speculation about a third installment being hinted at in the re-released version.

Samantha is excitedly anticipating her big comeback in films, with reports from Tamil circles suggesting that she is in discussions to take on the female lead role in Vetrimaaran and Simbu’s upcoming project. If this project materializes, then definitely this will be a perfect way for a comeback for the actress, as Vetrimaaran’s films always have a great scope for solid performances.The film’s shooting is expected to start this month, and Anirudh is likely to compose the music, and it will be his first time with Vetrimaaran.