SHOCKING : Kamal- Mani combo trails Suriya- Karthik Subburaj RETRO

 Thug Life Box Office Collection Day 1: Fails To Beat Retro’s 19.25 Crores, Registers 4th Biggest Opening For Kollywood In 2025!

 Among Kollywood releases of 2025, Thug Life has clocked the fourth biggest opening by staying below Suriya’s Retro (19.25 crores).

Take a look at the top Kollywood openers of 2025 at the Indian box office (net collection):

1.     Good Bad Ugly – 29.25 crores

2.     Vidaamuyarchi – 27 crores

3.     Retro – 19.25 crores

4.     Thug Life – 17.50 crores

 

While the original Tamil version was good in occupancy, it failed to reach its full potential, as walk-ins were less than expected for Thug Life in the evening and night shows. The response in the Telugu-dubbed version was also not up to the mark. The Hindi-dubbed version turned out to be a washout on the opening day itself. As a result, a day 1 collection of 17.50 crore net was registered at the Indian box office.

The number of 17.50 crores is not bad at all, but considering the scale, names involved, and the film’s reported budget (200 crores), this collection is disappointing.

The failure of Indian 2 has seemingly taken on Kamal Haasan’s pull. Also, the promotional campaign couldn’t generate the hype of an event film. This resulted in an underwhelming advance booking for the opening day, and later, poor reviews and word-of-mouth made things worse for Thug Life.

The biggest plus for the action thriller was the reunion of Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam. This reunion factor helped the film to a certain extent, but that was clearly not enough. When the announcement video was dropped in November 2023, everyone got excited and hoped for a unique experience from Kamal and Mani’s duo. However, until the film’s release, the excitement level wasn’t the same for several reasons.

Thug Life has failed to meet high expectations. Starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role, the Kollywood magnum opus promised a lot with its trailer, but unfortunately, the content has left the majority of the audience disappointed. This negativity took a major toll on day 1’s collection at the Indian box office, as it couldn’t even cross the 20 crore mark. K

Prithviraj to Direct Hrithiik ? / No Ticket Price Cut for Thug Life

 

The buzz is that Prithviraj of Lucifer0 L 2 Empuran is to direct Hrithik Roshan for Hombale films. It sounded possible as Prithviraj had said that he was to do a film for Hombale films. However Hombale clarifies; No director has been signed yet. Please do not believe in rumors — we will announce all updates of this project officially when it is time,” said the source.

Speaking on the partnership, Vijay Kiragandur, founder of Hombale Films, said:

“Partnering with Hrithik Roshan is an honest step towards accomplishing our goal of making a film where intensity meets imagination in a large-scale sense.”

Hrithik added:

“Hombale has previously been home to unique stories through the years. We are dreaming big and are ready to execute that vision.”

Hombale Films: A Consistent Game-Changer

Hombale Films has changed the course of Indian storytelling and produced consecutive box office monsters such as KGF Chapter 1 & 2, Kantara, and Salaar while embedding their identity in cultural momentum and delivering spectacular visuals. A project with Hrithik is bound to be nothing short of a monumental piece of work.

After Mahesh Narayanan – Salman Khan, Prithviraj- Hrithik is latest talked about combo.

The Entertainment tax cut by Tamil Nadu Government will not be passed on to te movie goers as the 4 % that is got will be shared by Theatres- Distributors and Producer,  The bookings open online show that rates that prevailed before cut are still in force.

Now, with advance bookings officially open nationwide, all eyes are on how fast the tickets will be snapped up and how that pre-release frenzy will reflect in box office collections. The film’s gripping promos and strong word-of-mouth have already made it one of the year’s most awaited theatrical releases.

Featuring a stellar cast that includes Trisha, Silambarasan (Simbu), Abhirami, Nassar, Joju George, and Ashok Selvan in key roles, Thug Life also boasts a powerful musical score by A.R. Rahman. The film is being released in multiple languages, including Telugu, and trade circles are keenly watching to see what kind of opening day records it might set.

According to industry tracker AB George, advance booking reports show a positive trend, with overseas pre-sales crossing $700,000 (approximately ₹6 crores), indicating a strong overseas interest ahead of its global release. The movie is scheduled for a global release on June 5, 2025, and will be available in both regular and IMAX formats. Kerala distribution is managed by Sree Gokulam Movies, while overseas rights are handled by Home Screen.
 The film is a collaborative production between Raaj Kamal Films International, Madras Talkies, and R

STR a Transgender in 50th / Rashmika a slum girl and Dhanush a Dharavi boy in Kuberaa

 During the promotions of his upcoming film Thug Life, with Mani Ratnam and co-star Kamal Haasan, Silambarasan TR revealed that he would play a transgender character in his 50th film. It is a role for a mainstream actor that goes against conventions. The Desingh Periyasamy (Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal) directorial will have music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, who reunites with Silambarasan after collaborating on Vallavan, Manmadhan, Silambattam, Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, Vaanam and Maanaadu. The actor earlier described STR 50 as "a dream project for both me and Desingh. We are pouring our hearts into this!" He is also turning first-time producer for the film, backing it through his banner Atman Cine Arts.

The pilot promo shoot is going to begin any day now, and will happen for 10–15 days. It will be releasing Late May to June. Several VFX companies are working to bring back child Simbu and Dum Simbu with graphics. STR is playing a double role as hero and villain, it’s a period film. Expect Rajinikanth like characteristics. Yuvan has started the musical process and has finished a few tracks and scores. A Pongal 2027 release.

Rashmika posted a series of stories on her Instagram that unveiled the teaser of her upcoming film, Kuberaa. She wrote, "And here we begin... #Kuberaa." Another story, she wrote about her character "So much strenth in her silence... and so much story in her eyes." "Every step... a story, a purpose, a hearbeat." The last story spoke about Dhanush's character, "There's a fire behind his eyes... a story only few can understand."

The teaser offers a gripping glimpse into the film’s intense storyline, with a haunting background score that adds just the right dose of drama. Kuberaa explores themes of power and wealth, tracing the journey of Dhanush’s character—a homeless man from the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai—who rises through the underworld ranks to become a formidable mafia leader.

Nagarjuna steps into a layered and complex role, while Rashmika Mandanna plays a woman quietly yearning for more than the confines of her modest middle-class life. Jim Sarbh adds to the intrigue with his portrayal of a suave, sharp-witted businessman.

The film promises to be a hypnotic descent into a world where ambition knows no bounds and power comes at an unimaginable cost. Titled Trance of Kuberaa, the teaser plunges viewers deep into the morally grey universe of the film, offering a sharper look at its pivotal characters and the chaos they're about to unleash.

 

Thug Life Sugar Baby or Sugar Daddy / / NETFLIX to stream 52 Days later/ Rs 154 cr Overseas Target

 

Thug Life overseas breakeven collection has to be  Rs 154 crores as the selling price is Rs 63 crores (7,362,633.91 US Dollars). The Tamil film "Leo" (2023) earned around ₹199.30 crore (approximately $23.94 million) overseas.

The movie "Vikram," starring Kamal Haasan, grossed approximately ₹122.75 crore (US$15.71 million) in overseas markets. Ponniyin Selvan 2" is estimated to have grossed around Rs 125 crores overseas, including Rs 43 crores from the USA market. The film had strong initial overseas performance, but its screen count decreased, leading to a dip in box office collections

Ahead of the release, Kamal Haasan made a revelation about the film's OTT release and details of when it'll be streamed after its theatrical run. The film will stream online only after a 8 week window.. Confirming the same at the film's promotional event, Kamal Haasan said, “It’s not even an experiment. It was a pragmatic thing to do. And I am glad the OTT agreed. We sat together. It wasn't a negotiation.”

He further added, “It’s a plan which others maybe can follow and will make the industry healthy. And we’re glad that we were the first to be there, to avail of this opportunity.”

For the unversed, the Netflix had already announced that they were the partners for the OTT release of this film. The post read "The Vinveli Naayagan is back—and how?! Thug Life is coming to Netflix in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi after its theatrical release!#NetflixPandigai pic.twitter.com/iktkBCQ18I— Netflix India South (@Netflix_INSouth) January 15, 2025"

SUGAR BABY SONG DECODED

Sugar Baby lyric video reveals that Trisha's character which was formerly in a relationship with Kamal Haasan's lead character, has now turned a singer. Sugar Baby in the movie is a song, that Trisha's character's is recording in her own voice, and also filming a music video for.  Sugar Baby has lyrics by Siva Ananth, AR Rahman, rap by Shuba, and vocals by  Alexandra Joy, Shuba, Sarath Santhosh. All songs in Thug Life are choreographed by Kruti Mahesh. Sugar Baby Hindi (Lyrics: Mehboob, RAP: Shuba, Singers: Nikhita Gandhi, Shuba, Shashwat Singh) , Sugar Baby Telugu (Lyrics:  Anantha Sriram, RAP: Shuba Singers: Alexandra Joy, Shuba, Nakul Abhyankar)

From the lyrics it says En Sugar Baby by Trisha and it could be Kamal or STR. Steamy sensual and that too in a white saree and later in black, the song is Trisha all way , It could be that Trisha is a singer and performer of a music video probably for a You Tube channel. Her name is Indrani. Sugar Baby means A sugar baby is a term used to describe a younger person, often a student or young professional, who enters into a relationship with an older, wealthier individual (a sugar daddy or sugar mommy). This relationship typically involves the sugar baby providing companionship, affection, or sexual intimacy in exchange for financial support. Here the Lyricist is confused about it and should have labelled it Sugar Daddy. We get a glimpse of a bearded guy and it is Kamal no doubt.

Thugfluencers Event Report/ Nagarjuna Back in BB Telugu/ Kubera Tamil goes cheap/ Samantha shifts OTT

 The Thugfluencers Event

REDDIT Discussion; Tamil cinema has completely collapsed to the point where they must now rely on a group of so-called social media influencers with at least 10,000 followers to market their work. The majority of these individuals are untrustworthy, hate-mongers, cringe content producers, and truly have no idea what the movie industry is all about.

The end of this era must be imminent.

Omment; GSKGalaxy

•1d ago

Kanni

say what u will, i think the PR team for the movie knows exactly what they are doing. they obviously dont gaf if these so-called "influencers" know shit about the film. but each of them will make their own instagram reel about the experience, and the fact these many influencers are making a reel about it wld drive the popularity of the film to make sure the ordinary person would watch it. or at least make them aware of it.

ps: tho i still dont know why they thought it was okay to call this THUGFLUENCERS. its sending me istg 😭😭😭

 Mid Day reports The launch was an extraordinary affair—The Thugfluencers Event- it was an experience, a full-blown, immersive festival for fans, creators, and influencers who descended from across the country to witness the storm that is Thug Life.

About the trailer launch event

The evening saw the titans of the film grace the stage—Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, A.R. Rahman, Silambarasan TR (STR), Trisha, Abhirami, and Ashok Selvan—each met with roaring applause and standing ovations. As the trailer rolled on giant screens, the atmosphere electrified with gasps, cheers, and goosebumps. Kamal Haasan’s fierce transformation and magnetic screen presence, Ravi K. Chandran’s arresting visuals, and Rahman’s soul-piercing score came together in a montage that evoked power, pain, and purpose. At its core, Thug Life promises a saga of revenge and betrayal, told through the eyes of a man who refuses to be tamed.

The evening also featured candid talk sessions with the cast, where Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam opened up about their collaboration after 36 years. Rahman spoke about how the score is as much a character in the film as the protagonist. STR, Trisha, and the supporting cast shared their experiences of working under Mani Ratnam’s legendary direction and matching steps with Kamal Haasan's powerhouse performance.

To everyone’s pleasant surprise, the Hindi trailer of Thug Life was also unveiled on time, which is not often seen in the case of pan-India biggies. So, in this case, the makers deserve full marks. Thug Life has agreed to Multiplex Associaton of North India to not release the OTT before 8 weeks of the theatre release and so major theatre chains are to screen it in North India. Trailor reviews are positive. Koimoi  reports ; Overall, Thug Life’s trailer promises a crazy ride filled with high-octane action sequences and drama, over a power struggle, of course, with a Mani Ratnam touch.

Nagarjuna Akkineni will return for Season 9 of Bigg Boss Telugu and will reprise his role as the host. There is no change in his contract, and Balakrishna is not stepping in.

Bigg Boss Telugu began with NTR hosting the first season, followed by Nani for the second. From the third season onwards, Nagarjuna took over and has been successfully anchoring the show. In contrast, for the Tamil version, Vijay Sethupathi recently replaced Kamal Haasan, which sparked speculation about a host change in the Telugu version as well.

Initially, it was rumored that Vijay Deverakonda would host the upcoming season to appeal to a younger audience. Later, reports claimed that Nandamuri Balakrishna would take over, riding high on the popularity of his talk show “Unstoppable with NBK.”

However, all these remained mere speculation. Nagarjuna is officially returning to host the show once again. ( telugucinnema.com)

List of probable BB Malayalam contestants are out and no change in host is to take place as Lalettan is very much committed to the show. More so after Empuran L2 was bought by JioHotstar.

Kubera The film’s Tamil Nadu theatrical rights have been bagged by Romeo Pictures, and the rights are said to be valued at 20 Cr on an MG basis. To achieve the target, 40 Cr gross is enough for the film to achieve breakeven, which is for sure a great deal for the distributor, as Dhanush’s Kuberaa’s Tamil Nadu rights have been underpriced. The reason for the film being sold at such a moderate price is that it was projected as a Telugu film, as it has been directed by a Telugu director. The situation is much more similar to Dhanush’s other bilingual movie, Sir [Vaathi].

For the Sir movie also, the same happened, as it did extremely well in Telugu and collected more than 40 Cr gross in Telugu states, whereas in Tamil Nadu it closed under 40 crores.

Samantha Changes OTT platform says no to cut in fees

Samantha Producer of Subham has now signed a deal with JioHotstar for OTT rights after refusing to take a cut in price offered by Zee who had agreed to buy the OTT and TV Telugu rights. Post theatrical release, the film got mixed reviews and an average status at box office.

Aakash Baskaran l Assistant Director to Producer ; ED after him

 Meet Aakas Baskaran :Assistant Director to Vignesh Shivan in Naanum Rowdy Thann which ignitedlove affair between Director and heroine Nayanthara and film was produced by Dhanush, he is a Producer of three films with a combined investment of Rs 500 crores, Baskaran was AD to Perisamy in Amaran. His wife is

 

Aakash Baskaran the Film Producer whose house for the second day is searched by ED is today most searched guy on net Last time when Dhanush and STR who are not pals danced together on stage and Nayanthara was seen sitting couple of chairs away from Dhanush at Aakash wedding was a surprise., She is facing a Rs 10 crore compensation suit from Dhanush. All this happened at Aakash Baskran’s wedding. Let us go a little back. In 2024, Akash Bhaskaran got married to Dharaneeswari, daughter of businessman CK Ranganathan, who owns Cavinkare Pvt Ltd. Her mother is Thenmozhi,  great granddaughter of late DMK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Dharaneeswari's brother, Manu Ranjith, is married to actor Vikram’s daughter, Akshitha. Aakash Bhaskaran launched Dawn Pictures, a film production company headed by him.

Akash Bhaskaran initially made his debut as an assistant director with the film Naanum Rowdy Than directed by Vignesh Sivan, and later worked as an assistant director in films such as Kathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal, Pavakathaigal, and Amaran. It shocked everyone that an assistant director suddenly became a producer.

When Dhanush's upcoming film Idli Kadai was facing financial difficulties, he took it upon himself to produce it. After that, he has also produced Parasakthi, a film directed by Sudha Kongara starring Siva Karthikeyan, Jayam Ravi and Atharvaa, and Simbu's STR-49, and in a very short period of time, he has been producing such mega-budget films. Not only this, he is also directing and producing the film Idyam Murali, starring Atharvaa.

His maiden project is Dhanush's Idly Kadai, which will release in theatres on October 1. The film is also directed by Dhanush, and co-stars Nithya Menen, Sathyraj, Parthiban and Shalini Pandey.

He is also producing Sivakarthikeyan's Parashakti. directed by Sudha Kongara and starring Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Atharvaa and Sreeleela. The film is produced on a budget of Rs 200 crore.
Dawn Pictures is the banner behind Silambarasan TR's STR 49 directed by Ramkumar Balakrishnan. It stars Santhanam, Kayadu Lohar and VTV Ganesh as well.

Aaksh also turns director with Idhayam Murali. The film stars Atharvaa Murali, Kayadu Lohar in lead roles, alongside Preity Mukhundhan, Natty Subramaniam, Niharika NM and Thaman S.

Baskaran Akash is currently associated with 6 companies in various capacities such as Director and Individual Promoter. He serve as a Director at THAMMAMPATTY SWARNA MAALIGAI JEWELLERS PRIVATE LIMITED , AAKASH BASKARAN CREATIVE STUDIOS PRIVATE LIMITED, DAWN PICTURES PRIVATE LIMITED, THULI STUDIOS PRIVATE LIMITED, AAKASH BASKARAN PROPERTIES PRIVATE LIMITED

 

Aakash Baskaran, producer at Dawn Pictures came under The Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner on May 16, for producing several high-budget films worth Rs 400-550 crores - all at the same time.

THUG LIFE l STORY- AUDIO DETAILS

 Special Guest for Thug Life Audio launch  on May 16^{th .}. May 4 will see a single featuring STR and Trisha and it happens to be her Birthday. Rahman concert in USA and likely in USA too. Three faces of Kamal Haasan to be revealed. STR and Kamal equal forage as they play warring Father- Son.

Thug Life one line is about the father a Don and his son – STR. Both are supportive of each other in the gangster world where almost everybody they meet are out to kill them. After a time, Father realizes that actually his biggest enemy is his own son who has been plotting behind his back. The father will not confront the son directly but instead be playing counter games. The situation leads to a question as to Who is the King ? Friendship bonding with father and son blur the line of what is evil and good ?

Those who have seen Godfather would remember that Don’s eldest son who takes after him in his profession is a playboy and here STR too is one and Trisha and Sania Malhotra are his links. Who is his wife or both his consorts ?. The film is a raw depiction of how a Gangster family operates and the father- son is a raw relationship with no holds barred.

Most of the other character have a limited time on screen. Now the fights are very raw like what we had seen in Bala or Vetrimaaran films. In fact before the Jinguchaa song, an action scene happens After this song, the whole movie will turn another shade of raw gangsterism and action blocks. The core of the storyline is based on the egos of the characters, on who is truly “the man” and who isn't.

3 looks of Kamal Haasan :. The first one is the Kuruthipunal Kamal look, the second one is the Sathyaa Kamal look (Jinguchaa Look), and then the final look of the Rangaraaya Sakthivel Nayakar Kamal Look (Long hair). This story revolves around these 3 time time frames, and will switch between each other accordingly.

Unlike Lokesh who went in massy action scenes in Vikram, Mani will keep the action level to what the subject demands. The action will not deviate from the film’s core of the Father- Son conflict and bonding. Also there are many players wanting to kill the Don.

Audio Details of Thug Life

• The next single will be released on May 4 for Trisha’s birthday. This single will be the romantic track between Simbu and Trisha, which they have shot throughout North India. There is a lot of buzz regarding this song in the industry. It will be featuring the pure romance between the characters, not like VTV, where it is subtle. The intimacy and bond between the characters will be beautiful. Rahman has put in an extraordinary score for this song, and it appears that it has almost been tailor-made to satisfy the Simbu fans, along with the fans of their pair.
• There are two more confirmed singles in the film. One of them will be the famous Vinveli Nayaga song, which we heard in the title teaser. The second one will be the pakka and local dappankuthu between Simbu and Kamal. Yes, you read correctly, from what I am hearing, there is another song between the two that they have done incredibly. I was able to see some stills from the shoot.

Promotional Events:

• Everyone knows that the team is taking the promotional aspect of the film very seriously. They will be touring major locations worldwide for this film, starting with a musical event in Australia headlined by Rahman, where the entire team will be participating. A tour to America is also very likely at the end of the promotional campaign. An India-wide tour has been confirmed and locked by the cast members who are participating.
• The audio and trailer launch of the film will be happening on May 16th. It will have a very special guest appearance. Expect a fiery speech from Simbu like how he gave at the Pathu Thala Audio Launch.

·         Everyone knows that the team is taking the promotional aspect of the film very seriously. They will be touring major locations worldwide for this film, starting with a musical event in Australia headlined by Rahman, where the entire team will be participating. A tour to America is also very likely at the end of the promotional campaign. An India-wide tour has been confirmed and locked by the cast members who are participating.

Inputs from Karthik Kuruvilla

 

 

Kamal Haasan v/s CPM MP John Brittas

 The audio launch of Thug Life was a boring affair but a later a chat with media persons who came from Mumbai and other metros to Chennai saw an interesting anecdote revealed by Kamal Haasan in an answer to marriage. The question was initially directed at Trisha. She replied diplomatically by saying if it happens it happens and does not happen then nothing to worry about.

 It is here where Kamal Haasan divulged an interesting anecdote which has since gone viral on social media. Former Malayalam media journalist, and incumbent Member of the Parliament, John Brittas seems to have hosted Kamal Haasan during a college event 15 years ago. 

 "Honorable MP Brittas once asked me a question as an interviewer sitting opposite me. He is a friend only but his question was slightly hooked. We were surrounded by college girls and youngsters. It was about 1-15 years ago I think. (He asked) 'You (Kamal Haasan) are from a Brahmin family, from a proper family, Can you do a second marriage and all?'. I replied 'What is the connection between coming from a proper family and marriage'. (the crowd at the event loudly applauds for this)

Brittas said 'No but the God you pray to is Ramar. Shouldn't you follow atleast that?' (Context: 'Ideal King' Ram is the 7th avatar of Lord Vishnu, one of the three prominent Hindu Gods. Brittas' question stems from Kamal Haasan belonging to the Iyengar Brahmin community, that believes in the sole worship of Lord Vishnu, and Rama being a one-woman man)

'One I don't pray (Kamal Haasan is famously atheist). But even if you go by that (Brittas' line of questioning), I am from the clan of Raman's father (King Dasarath who according to Hinduism had 60, 000 wives, including 3 primary queens, 350 wives, and thousands of consorts). I still have (space for) 49 K and plus remaining' was my answer." - Kamal Haasan

A gangster action drama, Thug Life is jointly written by Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam. The movie has AR Rahman for music, Ravi K Chandran for cinematography. 

Nikhila Vimal dance with Dilip creates a storm / Rajini Jailer 2 in Kerala / Mammootty - STR in news

 

Nikhila Vimal ( Kidaari, Thambi, Por Thozil , Vaazhai ) shaking a leg with Dilip at a stage show in Doha, Qatar. Has angered many of her fans and movie goers. In her interviews she comes across as a girl with strong ideals and minces no words. Her family is a leftist one and her father was a Naxalite. Her joing with Dilip an accussed in a the actress assault case has angered many online. Her major role came in Love 24x7 (2015), in which she was paired with Dileep, played the role of Kabini, a trainee reporter, directed by Sreebala K Menon who happened to be an associate director in Bhagyadevatha. Dilip case happened in 2017.

While their video dancing to the song Karthave Nee Kalpichappol from the movie Christian Brothers went viral, it started getting backlash from netizens in no time. Many called out Nikhila for sharing the stage with Dileep, who is among the accused in the Malayalam actor assault case from 2017.

Many took to X and reacted to the video. One user wrote, "This just enraged me in particular because this man is accused of a particularly vile crime." Another one added, "Nikhila Vimal is a thug only in front of nobody interviews. A looking coward and an enabler now, what else?"

A furious netizen commented, "how the f is this sex pest still getting platformed and everyone including 'outspoken' nikhila vimal happily dancing with him as if nothing happened?"

 

Jailer 2 starring Rajinikanth in the lead is an upcoming sequel action written and directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, and produced by Sun Pictures. MovieCrow learns that the makers are currently planning a shooting schedule in Kerala, where massive sets are in the works of being erected. Jailer 2's Kerala schedule begins on April 10, 2025 at Attappadi. Rajinikanth’s portions for the Kerala schedule are expected to be completed within 15 to 20 days.  (moviecrow)

Mammootty will be back  in Kochi before Bazooka release on April 10 th and will take part in promotions. He is expected to visit the FDFS at 6 AM. Mahesh Narayanan film set work is going on and Mammootty will join the uunit after Vishnu.

Dragon fame Director Ashwin is directing STR for AGS Productions. Ashwath Marimuthu (who directed the blockbuster Oh My Kadavule) is gonna and Dragon is to direct Simbu in his third film. AGS will be bankrolling the film and possibly Yuvan Shankar Raja or Anirudh Ashwath is a huge fan of Simbu and he brought back the vintage look of STR.  Adhik Ravichandar and Ashwath Marimuthu bringing the vintage style and image of their idols Ajith and Simbu respectively. Will they join the lines of Atlee (Theri, Mersal), Karthik Subbaraj (Petta), Lokesh Kanakaraj (Vikram) with a perfect fanboy tribute to their idols or will they join Directors Siva (Annatha), Nelson (Beast) in terms of ruining their idols with crappy and haphazard screenplay. Let’s wait and watch!! Asks AROK

Sivakarthikeyan - Arya in AGS Jude Anthany film / How Nirosha landed Mani Rathinam film ?

Jude Anthany of 2018 film fame directs Sivakarthikeyan- Arya in an AGS Production is the buzz. We reported about Sivakarthikeyan joing Allu Arjun- Atlee read : https://dhakshinscreen.blogspot.com/2025/03/sivakarthikeyan-to-join-atlee-allu.html The film project was last with STR and he had to finally drop out as the budget was too high and AGS was game if any co- producer joined. Now we hear that Sivakarthikeyan has come aboard as co-producer. AGS is striking gold with big ticket films with Vijay and Pradeep Ranganathan and now that Thalapathy is not going to be around, next choice is Sivakarthikeyan. Given SK commitments, the project will not start soon.

How did Nirosha land in a bikini for Mani rathinam’s Agni Natchitram ? How did she and Ramki fall in love ? Nirosha first film was Oru Muthassi Katha directed by Priyadarshan. There were two heroines and they were Nirosha and Lissy. Nirosha is sister of actress Rashika and currently wife of actor Ramki. Lissy married Priyadarshan and has two children. Her daughter Kalyani is a famous actress and son is a VFX specialist. A few years back Lissy and Priyan separated legally. It seems Mani asked Priyan whether Lissy would wear a bikini for his film and it was a role opposite Karthik. Priyadarshan said that Nirosha was willing to do and the song Oru Poonga vanam, became a hit. Nirosha went on to be a big hit and it was during the shooting of Senthoorapoove that she met Ramki. At first she did not like Ramki habit of touching her without reason and she pointed out that even a great actor like Kamal Haasan asked her permission to touch her. She had a scene in the film where she had to run on the platform to board a moving train and Ramki was standing at the compartment steps. Nirosha slipped while running and would have fallen under the train wheels, if Ramki had not grabbed her and pulled her inside. She suffered injury and Ramki took care of her. Love blossomed and they got married. The couple do not have any children. Nirosha is busy in Tv serials and Ramki in films. ( source Allepey Ashraf in his YouTube channel)

Thalapathy Vijay's Sun TV interview v/s STR Bigg Boss Ultimate Finale

As `Beast' release date ( April 13 ) draws near, Star Vijay is readying for a live telecast of Bigg Boss Ultimate on April 10th and simaltenously have it run on Disney Hotstar to take on Sun TV that is telecasting Vijay interview on same date. Bigg Boss Ultimate Finale will strea on Disney from 6.30 PM in Disney and a few minutes gap the event will telecast on Star Vijay at the same time. STR a confirmed Thala fan has had direct clashes with Vijay at the box office. In 2004 Diwali- Kathal Ayivithuley of STR- Charmi v/s Vijay Bhagwati. Both ran for 100 days but latter was termed a hit. Next was Pongal 2006- Vijay's Aaadh v/s STR's Saravana. STR won.Incidentally both were Telugu remakes. Last direct clash was in November 2012 when Vijay's Thupakki and STR's Poda Podi released. Poda Podi was Vignesh Shivan's ( Nayan's BF) first directorail and Varalaxmi Saratkumar's first heroine film. Thupakki was a block buster. Later during the release of Vaalu, Vijay publicly supported STR in a dispute with te producer. After that STR called Vijay his Anna and TR attended Vijay's film audio launch. Coincidentally, both actors were launched by their father - director and in 1984, both the actors made their debut as child actors. STR was then 6 yrs old. As Vijay is coming with the interview on Sun TV and a first publicised after 10 years for a channel, it will have a captive audience. So far Vijay's film's audio release function would be coming on TV. Promos show Vijay answeing some questions not related to Beast like Why did you come on a cycle to vote when you have four cars at home ? . Why did you stop meeting press in the past few years ? As far as I know the reason being that the press meet that Vijay convened last was to celeberate Velayudtham ( Telugu remake) sucess meet. He gave a one gm coin to all press members who turned up. I was not present and instead my reporter was present. Next day, a group that were down riding Vijay's films on twitter by putting box office figures to show it was a flop got annoyed. Reason being that one of the invitees was a self styled industry tracker who put out figures according to the money he got from the producer. He took money and put out figures to show that Vijay film was a record breaker.Here again, he had a package deal by which he got publicity for the hero in a website that was fairly popular then. Result was that tweets came out that box office figures that came out were bought by Vijay for one gm gold coin and even a photo of the coin was posted. Since then Vijay shut doors to the press ( public meetings, I mean).