End of Non Action films as Lal film struggles

 

The Mohanlal film Hridyapoorvam puffing anf panting to reach the Rs 50 crore club shows that non action films do not agur well for the SSuperstar. Not only LalEttan but even other heroes are finding Malayali audience not coming out in great numbers for non- action films. Ir has to be an exceptionally horror- crime thriller and family dtamas are ut of range. I’s been ages after Premam that Malayali audience rooted for a love story in a big way. Lokah a supernatural – super heroine film released with Lal ettan film is reaching Rs 200 crore and that mainly from Kerala collections. Let us take a look at the ~family’ Drama directed by Sathyan Anthikad , a Director in his early seventies. Is the film content to blame ? Let us see.

Hridayapoorvam (2025) is divisive, with many viewers calling it a "fun movie" and others an "ultra pro cringe fest," indicating a strong split in audience reception rather than a universal "cringe" consensus. While some enjoy the emotional and light comedy aspects, critics point to a thin plot, unnecessary events, and a potential for discomfort in romantic-comedy moments, leading to mixed reviews and divided opinions on social media platforms like X. 

Arguments for "Cringe Fest"

• Thin Plot & Unnecessary Events:

Some critics found the story lacked a solid storyline and was built on unnecessary events, contributing to a feeling of amateur effort. 

• Awkward Romantic Moments:

Specific scenes or suggestions of romance were described as uncomfortable or flinching, making the film feel artificial and lacking genuine intimacy. 

• Overly Sugar-Coated Emotion:

The film's attempt at being heartfelt and emotional was seen by some as artificial, lacking soul, and relying on songs to cover up a weak narrative. 

• Amateurish Effort:

A section of the audience felt the film was a poor attempt at storytelling, particularly when compared to the director's (Sathyan Anthikad) previous work. 

Arguments Against "Cringe Fest"

• Light-hearted Entertainment:

Other viewers found the film to be a relaxed and quirky experience, with the potential for melodramatic plot points being turned into organic humor. 

• Mohanlal's Performance:

Many acknowledged Mohanlal's charisma and strong performance, suggesting he carried the film well and added to its charm. 

• Emotional Connection:

Some audience members reported feeling a positive emotional connection to the film, enjoying the light comedy and emotional ride it offered. 

• Heartfelt and Handcrafted:

Proponents described the movie as coming from the heart, handcrafted, and a celebration of timeless emotions. 

In conclusion, whether Hridayapoorvam is considered a cringe fest depends heavily on individual taste and expectations. The film appears to be a classic case of polarizing opinions, with one group finding it heartwarming and fun, and another finding it to be overly sentimental and poorly executed. 

Hridayapoorvam Budget

Hridayapoorvam is made on an overall budget of 30 Crores all inclusive

Hridayapoorvam Hit Or Flop

Thudarum will be a hit if it crosses 40 Crore gross worldwide and 30 Crores for average

Hridayapoorvam Box Office Collection Day 14

Kerala: 0.88 Crore gross

1.25 Crore gross worldwide

Hridayapoorvam Total Till Now Box Office Collection 

Kerala: 35.43 Crore gross

67.75 Crore gross worldwide

 

Rajini - Raaja Beer sessions and How Rahman was Discovered

 Was not Rajinikanth responsible in a way for downfall of Illaiyaraaja ? This question comes after hearing Thaliavar speak about all controversial aspects of the maestro life at the felicitation function hosted by TN CM Stalin.  FLASHBACK :It was a function where Rajinikanth- Vairamuthu- KB along with Raaja were present to celeberate success of a film. Raaja went on a tangent and said that without his music no film can be a hit and took credit for all silver jubilee hits that he scored music. This trampled egos of those on stage. The look for a new music Director started. Result was adjingle composer Dilip aks A R Rahman. Film Roja.

Ilaiyaraaja recounted the story of a particularly memorable music session during the making of Johnny (1989), Rajinikanth himself joined in, adding more colorful and “spicy” details to the narrative. n a humorous twist, Rajinikanth disclosed that the duo had indulged in beers until 3 a.m., and after finishing an entire bottle, Ilaiyaraaja had taken to inquiring about gossip concerning heroines.

The revelation sent the entire hall into fits of laughter, capturing the spontaneity and warmth of their camaraderie.

This delightful episode is a testament to the enduring bond between two of Indian cinema’s most cherished legends. This is a friendship built on mutual respect, shared memories, and a touch of mischief. At a grand felicitation ceremony held in Chennai on Saturday, celebrating Ilaiyaraaja’s illustrious 50-year musical career, Rajinikanth took the stage to reminisce and share some light-hearted “secrets” from their early days in the film industry. The atmosphere was electric with nostalgia as both legends revisited memorable moments.

Rajini boldly addressed the period when Illaiyaraaja lost ground to rival music directors and added that including himself went to the new music Director. He also commended the period that Illaiyaraaja kept himself busy with his usual recordings. Yet another tricky area was Raaja’s copyright ownership issue with his compositions and including the stopping of SPB musical nite in USA overnight. He admired Raaja’s statement that he is still the greatest and to prove it was the London symphony, he added. Rajini also touched the exit from Prasad Studios recording studio by Raaja.

Aamir Beedi smoking gets trolled by Coolie OTT / Sreeleela Pongal /Dhanush in Avengers

Coolie OTT comment ; Totally an immature film making. Immature direction. Rusty and rubbish music. Pathetic screenplay. Nonsense story.

Pathetic film, extremely lazy writing..

@Dir_Lokesh

had a very good Oppurtunity to create a masterpiece but completely wasted. Aamir is in the movie to just smoke beedi??? WTF man ..

 

Coming Pongal is not just a fight between Vijay and Sivakarthikeyan but also the debut of Sreeleela in Tamil. We hear that Suriya has pulled out Karuppu from Pongal race. After making her Sankranti ( Pongal in Andhra) entry in 2024 with “Guntur Kaaram”, Sreeleela is all set to return to the festive race, this time with a Tamil film. Her Tamil debut, “Parasakthi”, has officially joined the Pongal 2026 lineup, aiming to make an impact during the lucrative festival season. Parasakthi” stars popular Tamil actor Shivakartikeyan in the lead role and is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sudha Kongara. Scheduled for release on January 14, 2026, the film is a period drama in which Sreeleela plays the role of a student, marking a significant departure from her previous roles.

While her first Sankranti attempt with “Guntur Kaaram” did not translate into major success, industry watchers are curious to see if Sreeleela can shine this time in the Tamil market, especially during the high-profile Pongal season. Currently, Sreeleela has several projects in the pipeline, including the Telugu action entertainer “Mass Jathara”, a Bollywood film opposite Kartik Aaryan, and the highly anticipated Pawan Kalyan-starrer “Ustaad Bhagat Singh”.

Dhanush has a busy lineup that includes films with Rajkumar Periasamy and Vetrimaaran. Amid this, speculation is rising that he might play an Indian Spider-Man in Avengers: Secret Wars, directed by the Russo Brothers. Fans are excited about the possibility. Some believe it is just social media buzz, but others point out Dhanush has already worked with the Russo Brothers in The Gray Man, making the rumours plausible. If true, it would be his second Hollywood film and a proud moment for the Kollywood industry. Earlier rumours suggested he would feature in Street Fighter and Avengers: Doomsday, but those were later confirmed false after official casting announcements. Currently, there are no official updates regarding Avengers: Secret Wars. Fans and industry watchers are closely following the news, waiting to see whether Dhanush will indeed take on the role of Indian Spider-Man or if the speculation remains just a viral online discussion.

Dulquer backs Off From Mirai and OG craze

 Real reason for Kaantha to back out from September 12 date is Mirai of Teja and week later of Pawan Kalyan’s OG. DQ however put the postponement as a generous gesture to Lokah as he did not want to interrupt its BO as he is the producer of both films. DQ wise decision to not have any ego issues and go for a withdrawal is wise.

Kaantha based on MKT the Late Kollywood hero will face comparison from a web series to be streamed from Sony LIV on same subject. While Dulquer heads Kaantha, The wen series Madras Mystery has Nazirya in the lead. Sony LIV describes it as The Madras Mystery – Fall of a Superstar: A historical crime drama featuring Nazriya Fahadh, centred on the rise and fall of a cinema superstar. Th It will be directed by Sooriyaprathap, and stars actors Nazriya Nazim, Natty, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj, Nasser, YG Mahendran. It is to be noted that Nazriya is back to Tamil after a really long time and will be making her Tamil OTT debut with The Madras Mystery. Set against the backdrop of 1940s, the scandal-driven period thriller is set to be revolving around the infamous murder of Lakshmikanthan and the trial which involved M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and N. S. Krishnan as suspects.

Though officially Kaantha has ben postponed to give Lokah a free run, the real reason is that Mirai of Teja carries pre release reports that say that a blockbuster is on the way. Tollywood is waiting for BO of Mirai. Earlu reviews have give a big thumbs up. Telugucinema review ; “Mirai” succeeds as a visual spectacle. For audiences seeking a fresh take on blending mythology, fantasy, and superhero elements, it delivers enough entertainment. While not without flaws, particularly its predictable sequences and a noticeable dip in the second half, the film scores with impressive VFX, a devotional touch, and a well-balanced mix of elements. Overall, it makes for a good watch in theatres.

Theatrical. Pawn Kalyan’s  OG is scheduled to release worldwide on 25 September 2025 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi languages. If Kaantha released on September 12, it would have been caught between two most awaited Telugu films. Lokah is adding numbers in Kerala mostly and a DQ film will not be a competitor but in Telugu States it will get swallowed by two biggies.

Teja Sajja and Karthik Gattamneni’s Mirai has been released in theatres worldwide amidst positive buzz, and the response to the film is superb. While the adventurous film is going great at the box office, fans observe that the songs have been removed from Mirai.

DUlquer ti share Lokah Profits with Crew / Lingusamy to Direct Composer Vidyasagar son

Producer Dulquer Salmaan is a very happy man. Unlike many other producers who believe they owe their team nothing after having paid their stipulated remunerations, Dulquer has decided to share the Lokah profits with his cast and crew.

Although Dulquer doesn’t want to tomtom his generosity, a source from the team informed this writer, “Dulquer was not able to pay any of the actors or technicians their market price. They all worked at a token remuneration, or for free, for the love of cinema and Dulquer, not necessarily in that order. Now it is time for Dulquer to share the profits with the entire team. He is not doing anyone a favour. He feels this is the way the business of cinema should work.”

At the success meet, Dulquer addressed long-standing criticism about how mainstream cinema often caters to the male gaze. Acknowledging this issue, he credits the film’s screenwriter, actor Santhy Balachandran, for bringing an authentic woman’s voice to the story. “Santhy, thank you for giving us a woman’s voice in this film,” he said. “We’re often told our films are written and shot through the male gaze. I don’t even want to use the word ‘female’ here… If there’s a woman superhero or superstar today, and we’ve represented her right, all the credit goes to Santhy B.”

Dulquer also reflects on the scale of the film’s success, admitting it was unlike anything he had experienced in his career so far. “We’re still trying to process what’s happening. For us, Lokah always felt like a very intimate film it almost came across like a big-budget indie. We had to bring Jakes Bejoy in to make it more commercial,” he explained. “I’ve acted in over 40 films, but I’ve never experienced this level of reception as a lead actor. Thank you to all the audiences for accepting Lokah.”

Harshavardhan, son of music composer Vidyasagar, is stepping into Tamil cinema as an actor.
He'll be launched by director Lingusamy, known for hits like Paiyaa.
This move has fans curious to see how Harshavardhan will shift from making music to taking on the big screen.

Harshavardhan joins ranks of Kollywood star kids

With this debut, Harshavardhan joins the list of star kids in Kollywood, following names like Vijay and Suriya.
He's already shown his musical talent with viral video songs and mash-ups of his dad's work.
Now, all eyes are on how he'll make his mark as an actor under Lingusamy's direction.

 

 

 

SK Producers rethink on Budgets / Remembering Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

 As Madhraasi continues its slide and reaching Rs 100 crore within Tamil Nadu looks impossible. A big drop as Amaran was a Rs 300 cr club film. SK needs to understand that Amaran became a blockbuster not because of him. Excluding Amaran, his market is actually lesser than Dhanush. If Madharaasi fails to beat Kuberaa collections and Idly Kadai beats both Kuberaa and Madharaasi collections, then Dhanush will move to number 5 spot and SK will come down to number 6. SK’s budget range should be 60–80 crores just as Dhanush’s. He can’t move to 165 crores budget within a single blockbuster film. Hopefully Vinayak, VP and Cibi projects, the budgets are controlled.

19 years of Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu

 

We say that Vikram is a tribute by Lokesh a fanboy of Kamal . However the only film which one can call as the extraordinary fanboy sambhavam is Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu . . This came just one year after the flop of Mumbai Xpress (Highly underrated), and became one of the biggest modern sensations and comebacks for a Tier 1 star.

SO  much has been  said about the film’s gorgeous content and scene executions, but the  highlight is the beautifully natural work chemistry between director Goutham Menon and actor Kamal Haasan, which shaped the unforgettable scenes we see today.

The best example of this is the iconic Villain Base Infiltration Intro, where Kamal stares into the soul of the villain and asks, “En Kannu Venunnu Kettiya?”  This is really how a fanboy should actually treat his idol

The magical part of this sequence, beyond the execution and cracking performance, is that it was purely improvised. Kamal and GVM approached this film in a way where they discovered it together, scene by scene. And when it came to this particular moment, the entire crew was stunned by Kamal’s complete improv of both dialogues and mannerisms. You can even see the camera adjust at the last second to zoom in on Kamal’s eye.

Through classy direction, brilliant performances, outstanding songs, and- tying it all together- a rock solid script, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu stands as a timeless piece in the stellar decade of Tamil films.

This is one bloody movie which I envy as a Rajini fan! I need a movie like this with the Superstar in a suave detective role and a crime mystery thriller. Vettaiyan could have been that but it took a different path.

The latest buzz is that the Fahadh Faasil  will work with Prem Kumar, the Meiyazhagan director. 

The 96 director revealed his next film’s details in a recent interview. “I will be working on my next movie with Fahadh Faasil. It’s going to be a thrilling action flick, but it’ll still have that emotional depth I love. I told Fafa a story for 45 minutes, and he really enjoyed it. This is a straight-up Tamil movie, and they start shooting in January.” 

Prem Kumar’s Next Projects:

1.     An adventure survival drama with 9 characters.

2.     An action thriller starring Fahadh Faasil in the lead role.

3.     A film where the plot revolves around a love story but without a heroine.

 

 

 

Anumol tops voting after expose of Aryan's Celibacy Test : BB Malayalam

 Akhil Marrar winner of previous BB show told Anumol when he came as a guest- Stay rooted to your conviction. Anumol who levelled charges of co- contestants Aryan and Gizele kissing in the night in the dormitory and groping, continues to be leading in public voting as majority feel she was right  . Question asked is =Why Bogg Boss Malayalam Season 7 shying away from showing video clips to prove that nothing happened between Gizele and Aryan under the bed covers ?. An information that comes out is that Gizele was 23 years of age when she joined BB Hindi and it was 14 years back. She has falsified her date of birth as 1996 and it is in reality it is 1990. Anumol  stood by her charges that she saw with her own eyes was what she believed and was not willing to  retract from her charges. Mohanlal said that camera footage did not show anything and that one of the day she said she saw was the day she was making chappathi in the jail. Why not show this clip with date and time to prove Anumol is bluffing ?. Just as clips are shown to prove that contestants were in the wrong, BB cameras in the bedroom can show that the two contestants did not do hanky panky inside or outside. Also, the clip where the two Aryan and Gizele wake up and come out of the quilt was not shown but was seen by those who watched show at late 2 AM.

Anumol stood by her claim that from her bed she could see what was going on. Though Mohanlal ranted about how the show has  hit a low , he should have defended the duo sleeping in same bed and practicing celibacy, Aryan being a Modern Day Gandhi . Gandhi had married at 13, and taken a vow of celibacy when he was 38 and the father of four children.

Gandhiji's "celibacy tests" involved sleeping naked with his young grandnieces, Manu Gandhi and Abha Gandhi, to try and "test his conquest of sexual desire". These controversial experiments, occurring in his late 70s, were met with widespread disapproval from followers and colleagues who considered them a "terrible blunder" and ethically questionable.  

Details of the Experiments

• When: In late 1946 and early 1947, shortly before India's independence. 
• Who: Mahatma Gandhi, who had taken a vow of celibacy decades prior, and his grandnieces, Manu and Abha, in their late teens. 
• Purpose: Gandhi stated he wanted to further test his conquest of sexual desire and abstain from sex as part of his Brahmacharya (celibacy) experiment.