In a major intervention, the Kerala High Court on Thursday (February 26) stayed the release of the upcoming film

, a day before its scheduled theatrical release on Friday, February 27. The development comes after multiple petitions challenging the certification of the film by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) were filed last week. 

, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas observed in his order that the content reflected in the film’s teaser has prima facie potential to “distort public perception and disturb communal harmony.” The Court also held that prima facie, the CBFC had failed to follow certification guidelines under the Indian Cinematograph Act and directed the Board to re-examine the issue. According to a 

report, the court observed “non-application of mind by the censor board” while certifying the film. 

The stay order will be valid for a period for 15 days and the film will thus not release tomorrow. 

Kerala High Court Stays Release Of ‘The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’

According to various reports, Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna got married on the morning of February 26 in Udaipur. While the duo tied the knot according to Telugu Hindu rituals, some reports also suggest that they will participate in a Kodava ceremony later this evening to honour Mandanna’s roots.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Telugu stars Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna in a letter ahead of their February 26 wedding. A picture of the letter has since been making the rounds on X.

"It is a pleasure to be invited by you to the wedding of Vijay and Rashmika to be held on 26 February 2026. Heartiest congratulations, and greetings to the Deverakonda and Mandanna families on this truly joyous and auspicious occasion. It marks the beginning of a new, beautiful chapter in the lives of Vijay and Rashmika. With the spirit of 'sakha saptapadi bhava', meaning having taken seven steps together, the couple become friends for life," he began his letter. "Neither Vijay, nor Rashmika is new to scripts in their films. But this divinely scripted chapter of their real lives, filled with love and affection, will surely outshine the magic they have created on the silver screen."

Ahead of the wedding, filmmakers like Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Tharun Bhascker were spotted arriving in Udaipur. A few days back, the Telugu actors finally made their relationship official. Ahead of speculations of a February 26 wedding, the duo put up a synchronised story on Instagram, confirming their wedding.

"Before we made any plans, before we chose anything for ourselves, you were already there. With so much love, you gave us a name. You called us VIROSH. So today, with full hearts, we name our coming together in your honour. We would like to name it 'The wedding of VIROSH'. Thank you for holding us with so much love. You are a part of us always," the note read.

While the duo hasn't yet released official photos from the wedding, they have been giving fans a glimpse of the festivities on Instagram, including pictures of haldi ceremonies and a friendly game of cricket. 

Actors Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna Get Married In Udaipur

In a landmark deal for the Tamil Nadu trade, Yash’s 

, has been signed for a huge deal value of₹63 crore advance on a commission basis, marking one of the most significant distribution deals in the territory in recent years. Unlike one single distributor taking over the rights like in other territories, the model in Tamil would see a network of multiple distributors executing the film’s rollout. This is expected to not only increase the film’s reach but also help manage the massive expectations that the Yash-starrer comes along with. 

The division is such that the Chennai City territory will be handled by Think Studios under Swarup Reddy, while the Chengalpet area will be distributed by White Nights, led by Trident Ravi. The Coimbatore, North and South Arcot, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari territories will be overseen by S Picture Srinivasan. Key circuits of Madurai and Ramanad, Trichy and Thanjavur, and Salem will be managed by 5 Star Senthil. This strategy is expected to secure showcasing that spans both single screens and multiplex chains statewide. The success of Yash’s previous release 

 has been attributed to the scale of this new deal in Tamil Nadu. With the ₹63 crore advance deal, 

 is expected to take a massive opening across the state during release.

Expressing their interest in the collaboration, the team of Tamil Nadu distribution partners says, “

 is one of the most anticipated Indian films in recent times, and the love it already has in Tamil Nadu is incredible. The way audiences here have embraced Yash over the years is truly special. We are thrilled to come on board as distribution partners for a film of this scale and ambition.” 

’s Kerala rights had been picked up by E4 Entertainment for a huge price. E4 Entertainment is a popular production firm behind hits like Ezra, Godha, Por Thozhil, Guruvayoor Ambalanadayil and more in Malayalam, and the amount remains undisclosed by them. The upcoming film is directed by Geetu Mohandas, who had last directed 

 with Nivin Pauly and Roshan Mathew in the lead. Rajeev Ravi, the cinematographer of 

, has directed five films in Malayalam too, starring Dulquer Salman, Fahadh Faasil, Asif Ali and Nivin Pauly. E4 Entertainment have also distributed blockbusters like 

In the North, Anil Thadani’s AA Films has reunited with Yash, while in the Telugu states, Sri Venkateswara Creations (SVC), led by Dil Raju, will steer the film. On Sunday, we reported that the film had sealed another major deal. Zee Music Company has boarded the film in a landmark music rights acquisition, among the label’s most significant in recent years. The film’s music will feature a high-impact, multi-composer soundtrack with composers such as Ravi Basrur, Vishal Mishra, and Tanishk Bagchi bringing together diverse musical styles.  While Mishra has composed four songs, Bagchi contributes one track co-composed with Arslan Nizami and Faheem Abdullah (of 

 fame), and Basrur delivers one song along with the film’s background score.

Produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, the film is written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas, who has also directed it. According to the makers, the album will aim to blend "emotion, mass energy, and cinematic scale". The film has signed a record-breaking deal for its Telugu dub too. Headed by veteran producer Dil Raju, SVC acquired the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights for ₹120 crore on an advance commission basis, making it the biggest-ever acquisition for a non-Telugu origin film in the region. The film also secured a ₹105 crore overseas advance for its Indian-language editions, marking one of the biggest pre-release international deals for an Indian film.  Also starring Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, and Tara Sutaria, 

 has been shot in Kannada and English, with dubbed versions across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and other languages. The film is scheduled to hit theatres on March 19, when it will clash with Ranveer Singh-led 

Exclusive | Yash’s 'Toxic' Signs Massive Distribution Deal In Tamil 

In an industry where every revenue stream is fought for, why would anyone turn down money that is theirs by law? Indian films and series play every day on television, streaming platforms and on airline and hotel screens, earning each time they move beyond the cinema hall. For decades, 

were paid once and shut out of that long tail. The law has changed and the collection system is in place, but adoption is still catching up.

At the centre of this transition is the Screenwriters Rights Association of India (SRAI), a government-registered copyright society that collects and distributes royalties for writers and producer-owners.

Conversations with its leadership and members, along with access to its operational framework, reveal the scale of a system that is legally in place but still in the middle of industry-wide negotiations.

The shift began with the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012. The law made one thing clear: a writer cannot sign away the right to royalties when a film or show is exploited outside theatres. Any contract that tries to do this—including a “full and final buyout”—has no legal standing.

Put simply, a writer can still be paid a fee for the script, but when the film or series plays on television, OTT, cable, digital platforms or anywhere beyond the cinema, the writer must get a share.

Copyright lasts for 60 years from the beginning of the year after the author’s death, which means the royalty flows to the next generation as long as the heirship is legally established. For years, the problem was not the legal right but the absence of a working structure — a copyright society, a tariff, reliable data and a distribution pipeline.

SRAI currently has around 600 members — about 580 writers and 20 producer-owners. Legal heirs can join as associate members once heirship is proven. Membership is lifetime ₹5,000 plus GST for writers and ₹10,000 plus GST for producer-owners.

“The mandate is much larger than the present membership,” says CEO Vinod Ranganath, pointing to a long-term target of 10,000 to 12,000 members across languages, formats and generations of creators. “We are required to represent all audiovisual writing — from feature films and television to OTT, documentaries, animation and shorts.”

The society has published a proposed tariff of 2 per cent of gross revenue (globally, royalties are calculated on gross receipts because profits can be diluted through accounting). Under Indian law, the collected royalty is split equally between the author and the copyright owner.

In practical terms, that means half of the collection flows back to the producer or broadcaster that owns the copyright. “It is not a loss to producers. It creates a lifetime revenue stream for them and for their heirs,” Ranganath says.

Distribution will be usage-based. For television, programme logs and BARC data will determine how the pool is allocated. For OTT, viewership data — or third-party measurement where necessary — will perform the same function. Platforms and broadcasters are required to provide audited gross-revenue figures to calculate the percentage, a practice already followed by the same companies in Europe.

SRAI has also begun signing reciprocal agreements with foreign copyright societies, enabling royalties from overseas exploitation of Indian works to flow back to Indian authors. A Chilean society has already identified 98 Indian titles generating revenue abroad, from Satyajit Ray and Mani Kaul to popular titles like 

“If you are a writer or producer and have not become a member of SRAI, you may be saying no to money that is actually yours by law,” says filmmaker R. Balki.  "Writers have to recalibrate their thinking. Just like music composers and lyricists, they too can keep earning from the work they have done. They can have a constant revenue stream beyond the fee they have charged.”

For Balki, the first challenge is awareness. "Making sure a lot of people understand such an obvious thing and become members. Every member of the SWA should become a member.”

Filmmaker Abhishek Jain calls it a structural correction. Most screenwriters, he points out, are paid only once, even though their work keeps generating revenue for years across television, OTT, international markets and dubbed versions. 

“The association is designed to make sure their scripts keep helping them earn while the producer is also earning,” he says, adding that this is only possible through collective management, because an individual writer has no practical way of tracking exploitation across platforms and territories or negotiating with each stakeholder.

For all the legal clarity, the implementation will take time

“The challenge comes from the factor that makes this country so beautiful — diversity and size,” says screenwriter and senior activist Anjum Rajabali, an instrumental figure along with Ranganath, fighting for the rights.

“India has a humungous number of broadcasters, studios and platforms across more than 20 languages and 29 states. Unlike most filmmaking countries, we do not have producers’ associations that can represent all their members in negotiating a uniform royalty formula,” Rajabali says.

Negotiations, therefore, have to happen across multiple stakeholders with different business models. Balki puts it in economic terms: “When there is money to be paid, people are always reluctant to share. The challenge is the battles and the conversations we are going to have with platforms and channels to come to an agreed amount.”

has also learnt that broadcasters have asked SRAI to route discussions through their apex body so that terms can be negotiated collectively. Formal negotiations with OTT platforms are yet to begin.

Jain says the hurdle is as much perceptual as it is legal, since collective rights management for writers is still a new idea in India and there is natural hesitation about how it will function, what it means for existing contracts and how it could reshape current business models. 

The system also rests on access to transparent usage data, which means building an infrastructure that is technological, legal and compliance-driven, a process that will take time. “There is no guarantee this will happen tomorrow,” Balki says. “Everything cannot go to court. We will have to find a way of conversing with platforms and making them understand why this is right.”

One of the persistent misconceptions is that the royalty regime is anti-producer. In television and streaming, broadcasters often own the copyright because producers are commissioned. In those cases, half the royalty pool flows back to the broadcaster as the copyright owner. Where producers retain IP, they receive that share.

“It formalises the ecosystem. A stable royalty structure builds trust and encourages professionalism. When writers feel protected, they invest more deeply in their work and it benefits everyone," Jain says. 

The music industry offers the closest Indian precedent. After the restructuring of IPRS, labels that initially stayed away eventually joined. Declared revenues recently touched about ₹800 crore, split equally between authors and labels.

For the first time, overseas exploitation will translate into payments for Indian writers and producers. Through reciprocal agreements, foreign societies collect royalties for Indian works exploited in their territories, deduct administrative costs and remit the balance to India. Indian writers are paid at the same rate as local writers in those countries.

The same system will apply in reverse. Foreign writers whose content is widely consumed in India will begin receiving their share once collections start.

“The exhibition of Indian films is not limited to the diaspora,” Ranganath notes. In markets like Australia, local audiences watch mainstream Hindi cinema, expanding the royalty value beyond the diaspora market. "SRAI will get its first royalties from ATN, the copyright society of Chile, in March. Which is a great start for us."

Rajabali sees the transformation as cultural. “Five years later, the attitude of the industry towards writers will have changed. The royalty regime establishes writers as active stakeholders and accords them a more respectable position.”

For Jain, the success metric is when the debate ends. “The conversation will no longer be about whether writers should be paid royalties but about how efficiently and fairly it can be done.”

Exclusive | Inside the High-Stakes Push to Make Indian Screenwriters’ Royalties a Reality

Actor and filmmaker Samuthirakani recently opened up about his return to the 

 universe, reportedly confirming that he will be reprising his role as Guna, the second husband of Chandra (played by Andrea Jeremiah), and a powerful member of Rajan’s (played by Ameer) gang. He also added that these characters, along with Senthil (played by Kishore), are integral to the story of Vetrimaaran’s upcoming 

. The film is said to be based on the life of the real-life Chennai-based gangster, Mylai Siva. The title itself, 

, translates to king, hinting at his notoriety.

The film, which stars Silambarasan TR and Vijay Sethupathi, has generated quite the buzz among fans already, with Samuthirakani’s comments ending months of speculation about the cast. 

 will be Silambaran’s first film with Vetrimaaran.

, Samuthirakani shared: "We are all a part of the crime drama. I am not sure if there would be a Silambarasan and Dhanush face-off in the film. Vetrimaaran told me that I am there [in the film]. There will be a magic in 

, and the script has all the elements in it. Every time Vetrimaaran narrates the story, it feels completely different. Making 

requires a huge effort. Apart from that, I can't reveal anything.”

His revelation has sparked even more curiosity among fans of 

, who are eagerly awaiting the film. The makers have confirmed that the film is already in its second schedule, and additional details are expected in the coming weeks.

Samuthirakani has been keeping busy. His upcoming Tamil web series, 

, has him playing SI Adhiyaman, an offbeat police officer following the case of a serial killer who only steals sacred items that signify marriage. His character is supported by Sshivada, who plays the role of Adhiyaman’s superior, Inspector Lakshmi. 

 also features Raj Tirandas, Munnar Ramesh, Sundharpandyan, Prem, Kotravai, Vishakan, Pulipandi, Abhishek Joseph George, Ravichandran, Karthi, Suparna, and Dayalan in key roles. The series will be released on 27 February on Zee 5.

Samuthirakani Reveals ‘Vada Chennai’ and ‘Arasan’ Connection

Legendary Malayalam icons Mohanlal and Pinarayi Vijayan will come together for an interview soon. The Kerala Government recently released a teaser of their interaction, which is said to drop soon. "

Iruvar: An exclusive conversation between Mohanlal and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. ​Stay tuned," their caption read. 

In the teaser, Mohanlal jovially asks Vijayan to confirm whether the CM's favourite films are of Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's. He then asks the minister if he remembers any dialogue from Mohanlal's films. They also go on to reference famous lines from Mohanlal's films, such as 

The video was reportedly shot at Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister.

Mohanlal will next be seen in a series of high-profile films, including Jeethu Joseph's 

 completed its shoot on December 2 in Kerala. Producer of 

, M Ranjith, spoke at an event and said that the close in figures for the pre-sales of 

 now stand at ₹350 crore. Starring Mohanlal as Georgekutty, 

wrapped filming last month and is now in post-production.

It was also recently announced that the director of 

’s 366th film wwill be Tharun Moorthy, who had directed last year’s 

. The film is being produced by Ashiq Usman, and it was originally meant to be directed by first-time director Austin Das Thomas. The initial poster even featured a police officer uniform hanging on one side, with rumours confirming that he will be seen playing a cop after a long gap. The film’s director, Tharun Moorthy, posted a photo of X of the film’s script book confirming the film. A photo of the film’s team at the Vaikom Temple was also released. The film is expected to go on the floors soon, with reports of Binu Pappu too joining the film as a co-director.

Mohanlal Interviews Pinarayi Vijayan; Discusses Love For Cinema, Rajinikanth Films And More In Teaser

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday criticised actor Ranveer Singh for what it termed “reckless” remarks about a sacred daiva tradition portrayed in the Kannada film 

, while directing Bengaluru police not to take coercive action against him for now.

Passing an interim order, Justice M. Nagaprasanna said the actor must cooperate with the ongoing investigation into a first information report (FIR) alleging that his comments hurt religious sentiments. The court was hearing Singh’s petition challenging the FIR registered by the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru.

The magistrate had ordered the FIR following a private complaint filed by city-based advocate Prashanth Methal.

During the hearing, the bench orally observed that Singh should have exercised caution. “You were speaking about a deity. If you do not know you should study and speak… You can’t call the deity a female ghost. You have no right to hurt anybody’s religious sentiments,” the court said, noting the actor’s public influence.

When Singh’s counsel argued that the actor had already apologised, the court responded that an apology would not erase the impact of the remarks, adding that material shared online tends to persist.

Senior advocate Sajan Poovayya, appearing for Singh, submitted that the comments may have been reckless but were not intended to offend religious sentiments and therefore should not attract criminal prosecution. He told the court the actor would cooperate fully with the investigation.

The controversy stems from Singh’s appearance at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of Goa on 28 November 2025, where he mimicked Rishab Shetty’s performance from the 

 franchise and referred to the revered coastal Karnataka daiva Chavundi as a “female ghost.”

Following online backlash, Singh issued an apology on Instagram on 1 December 2025, stating he had intended to praise Shetty’s performance and had no intention of hurting religious sentiments.

Ranveer Singh 'Kantara' Row: Karnataka HC Pulls Up 'Dhurandhar' Actor Over ‘Reckless’ Remark, Bars Coercive Action

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Telugu stars Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna in a letter ahead of their February 26 wedding. A picture of the letter has since been making the rounds on X. 

"It is a pleasure to be invited by you to the wedding of Vijay and Rashmika to be held on 26 February 2026. Heartiest congratulations, and greetings to the Deverakonda and Mandanna families on this truly joyous and auspicious occasion.

It marks the beginning of a new, beautiful chapter in the lives of Vijay and Rashmika. With the spirit of 'sakha saptapadi bhava', meaning having taken seven steps together, the couple become friends for life," he began his letter. "Neither Vijay, nor Rashmika is new to scripts in their films. But this divinely scripted chapter of their real lives, filled with love and affection, will surely outshine the magic they have created on the silver screen."

Ahead of the wedding, filmmakers like Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Tharun Bhascker were spotted arriving in Udaipur. 

A few days back, the Telugu actors finally made their relationship official. Ahead of speculations of a February 26 wedding, the duo put up a synchronised story on Instagram, confirming their wedding."Before we made any plans, before we chose anything for ourselves, you were already there. With so much love, you gave us a name. You called us VIROSH. So today, with full hearts, we name our coming together in your honour. We would like to name it 'The wedding of VIROSH'. Thank you for holding us with so much love. You are a part of us always," the note read.

The power couple, who have acted in films like 

, have been reportedly dating for a while. In an earlier interview with 

, when Mandanna chose to remain tight-lipped, especially on the subject everyone wanted her to address. When asked if she would confirm or deny her rumoured marriage to 

, she chose neither. “I wouldn’t like to do either; when it is to be spoken about, we shall,” she said with a smile.

PM Narendra Modi Congratulates Vijay Deverakonda And Rashmika Mandanna Ahead Of Wedding

Writer-director Tanmaya Shekhar—the ‘a’ at the end of Tanmaya is silent—cooked up a noise online with the marketing campaign for his upcoming film 

An independent film, crowded with debutantes—from the actors to the technicians—with no big name backing it, but big, some might even say delusional, dreams to have a hundred housefull shows, the journey of the making and marketing has been long, fuelled by a singular, dedicated, but productive frustration. 

Shekhar shafted his IIT Kanpur-to-data scientist pipeline and chose cinema, instead, swapping a cushy life in the USA for the Versova hustle. “I have been making short films since 2015, but nothing blew up,” he tells 

. He decided to reverse engineer his feature film. Having worked on the production of many low-budget indie projects in the USA—including one by Focus Features and two HBO shows—Shekhar “knew how to structure and scale a film based on the fact that I can only make it with a twenty person crew.” 

In the age of the filmmaker-entrepreneur, Shekhar has tried to further polish and push that idea, fitting his vision into the logistics within which he can make it come true, what he calls “controlled ambition”.  

 was conceived in 2022, and fundraised with the help of IIT alumni, seniors, and close friends. ₹40-50 lakhs were raised in the first round of fundraising. The film was shot at the IIT Dhanbad campus—made easily available given Shekhar’s father is the university’s dean, with Shekhar’s family providing lodging for the cast and crew, and Shekhar’s grandmother feeding everyone. This is a familiar story, where filmmakers pool together the resources and goodwill of the near and dear to, somehow, cobble a film together. But that is merely one piece of the shifting puzzle. 

“After that, we had to raise more money for the edit. This time, since we had a rough cut trailer from the footage, it was easier to fund-raise. We now started reaching out to people I didn’t know before,” Shekhar notes. An old man who saw them filming, and had a good feeling, told his daughter to pitch in. Another alumnus, hearing about a film being shot on his campus, parted with some funds. In December 2024, the film finally premiered at the Kolkata International Film Festival, where it bagged the Special Jury Award. 

To make a film might be one battle, but to get that film seen, is another war altogether. Shekhar spent the following eight months chasing producers and OTT platforms, to no avail. Barely a handful watched the film: one of them was writer-director Imtiaz Ali, who tried making some calls, with nothing materialising. 

“We were trying to do things behind closed doors, and we realised nothing was happening,” Shekhar notes. A second frustration brewed, and this led him to make the micro-drama series 

, on Instagram, about trying and not being able to crack it. Ali even made a cameo in this series. Sweet and idealistic, these clips spoke to the frustration of wanting to make movies without giving into any cynicism, upholding the romance of cinema over the rigour it demands of your patience and pockets. 

“We did the first season, and that did really well, and then, the pieces came together. Then, in October 2025 we realized we had to release the film ourselves; we cannot wait for anyone to come help us.” Inspired by Zohran Mamdan’s campaign for New York City’s mayor, “We realised we could pivot How To Enter Bollywood into the making of 

,” Shekhar notes. Instagram’s algorithm further helped spread the word of these videos which feature the lead actress Molshri, among others. With a groundswell of support, people tagging them, collaborating with them, their reach further grew. The trailer of 

 has over a million views on Instagram. (The trailer has 600,000 views and counting on YouTube.)

They even rented out a caravan for two months. With six team members, they charted a five-week yatra from Mumbai to Kolkata—through Ahmedabad, Baroda, Bhopal, Indore, Kota, Jaipur, Delhi, Kanpur, Agra, Bodh Gaya, and Dhanbad—meeting people everyday, going to schools, colleges, NGOs, singing songs from the film, spreading cheer. “We even screened our film in villages on the way.” They documented this, too, meticulously—when no one showed up to their meet and greet, or when people poured in. Each of these mini-episodes followed the same format—a set up of deep disappointment capped by a pinch of hope. 

They concluded this yatra on Sunday, February 22, with a walk from Versova, in North Bombay all the way to South Bombay. They began at 8 am, and kept walking, even performing in front of the Red Chillies Entertainment office. At Carter Road in Bandra, they took a detour, instead going to the Spoken Word Fest—“a lot of our peers, the kind who would watch Nukkad Natak would be there”. They spent a lot more time than expected there, and had to cheat, using the caravan to get to South Bombay in time for closing the yatra at Marine drive. “We must have spoken to about 300-350 people, 15-20 people even bought tickets on the spot.”

Distributing and marketing a film is an expensive affair, too. 

“These costs were substantial. We need 25 lakhs to get to the finish line. We still don’t have all the money. We even made a last-ditch crowdfunding ten days ago, for which I got a lot of flak.” They are still 15 lakhs short of the money they need, but Shekhar isn’t fazed. “Everything is in motion, ho jayega sab kuch (everything will work out), I don’t know kaise, but one way or another it will release”. They recently met the people at Cinepolis, who, impressed with the organic traction, opened up the advance booking for some shows a week prior to the release. These are small wins, which evoke hope, but the question of whether this is replicable or not hangs over it. 

“I have spent so many nights crying. You are not just fighting the system, but even the people you are working with—they are freelancers juggling five low-budget independent films to make ends meet. The edit, then, takes long, so even when the film is being made, you wonder if it will ever get finished. And even when it gets made, you wonder if it will be seen. You have to just figure out a way to power through—there is no other option,” Shekhar notes.

Exclusive | Cinema Yatra: How Indie Film 'Nukkad Natak' Ran A Sensational Cross-Country Marketing Campaign

Kannada filmmaker K Kiranraj’s next film will be with 

 has learnt. Kiranraj last directed Rakshit Shetty in the hit, heart-rending adventure drama 

 (2022), which followed the relationship between a lonely factory worker and a Labrador.

A source close to the upcoming project tells us that the film will go on floors once Dhruva Sarja finishes filming his upcoming Kannada film, 

. “A rough script is in place, and the full script will be finalised soon. The film will go on floors in the next three to four months,” the source tells

, an intense action film based on a “true love story” alongside Rachita Ram. The film was launched with a pooja ceremony in November last year. "It’s a wonderful collaboration with 

 for a fantastic script and I’m super excited to collaborate with the skilled team 

 n Team. Need all your blessing love and support as always!" she wrote. The film will be produced by Manish Shah and directed by B Rajguru. Rachita Ram, a popular Kannada actress, was last seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie alongside Soubin Shahir. Sarja, on the other hand, was last seen in 2024’s 

 went on to win the National Film Award for best Kannada film the year it released. Kiranraj was the associate director for Rakshit Shetty’s 

(2016) before going on to work with Shetty on 

, Kiranraj also directed a film for the anthology 

 (2019). The film, produced by Paramvah Studios, co-stars 

Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B. Shetty, Danish Sait, and Bobby Simha, among others, with Arvind Kashyap as the DOP. 

Exclusive | ‘777 Charlie’ Director Kiranraj’s Next Film Will Be With Dhruva Sarja

Hyderabad's Annapurna Studios has launched what it described as India’s most advanced Motion Capture facility, the A&M MoCap Lab, in partnership with Mihira Visual Labs and technology partner Animatrik Film Design. The facility was inaugurated by celebrated filmmaker SS Rajamouli on February 25.

Rajamouli said key sequences of his upcoming film 

, starring Mahesh Babu and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, were shot using the technology at the lab. He previously launched India’s first Dolby cinema processing facility at the studio.

“India has always had some of the world’s best technicians contributing to major global productions, but what we lacked was an advanced facility right here at home. When I look back at some of my previous films like Bahubali, Eega etc., I reminisce how I could have made them even better if I had access to motion capture technology back then in India,” Rajamouli said.

“With the introduction of A&M’s Motion Capture technology, that gap has finally been bridged. This will change how Indian filmmakers envision and execute their stories as we will no longer need to outsource. I have visited several Motion Capture facilities across the world, but what A&M offers is the perfect blend of precision and performance. We utilized this facility in the making of crucial sequences in Varanasi, and the results were simply fantastic,” he added.

Akkineni Nagarjuna called the formation of the lab a milestone. “For decades, Indian filmmakers have aspired to tell large scale stories that match global standards, but access to high end technology was often a limitation… With A&M, filmmakers can now bring everything from epic adventures to intricate science fiction dramas to life right here in Hyderabad," the actor-producer said

CV Rao, CTO of Annapurna Studios, said the facility would serve as a previsualization tool allowing filmmakers to plan camera blocking, lensing and movements before principal photography, reducing time and costs.

The launch coincides with Annapurna Studios completing 50 years in Indian cinema.

SS Rajamouli Launches Cutting-Edge Motion Capture Lab At Annapurna Studios; ‘Varanasi’ Sequences Shot At Facility

has wrapped up in Kerala. The film began the first schedule of its shoot in early October where a large portion of the action scenes where shot in a forest in Thailand. The shoot involved several sequences with trained elephants to complement the film’s ivory poaching backdrop and the film will also require extensive work with its CGI.

Several actors and crew members shared the poster announcing the final wrap of the film’s schedule. The new poster features several bikes and jeeps running straight into a forest with the background score playing in the backdrop.

According to a press note from the team, the shoot of the action film was stalled because the lead actor suffered an injury. “The incident occurred during the shoot in Thailand, while filming a combat scene involving an elephant.” The film is being directed by first-time director Paul George, and the action sequences involving elephants are being choreographed by Kecha Khamphakdee, known for their work in international action thrillers, including the Ong-Bak series.

The film’s music is composed by Ajaneesh Loknath, with the script being written by Joby Varghese, Paul George, and Jero Jacob. The film's dialogue is by Unni R. Kattalan and will be released in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, with reports suggesting a May 2026 theatrical release.

Said to be in production with a massive budget, it’s being directed by first time director Paul George. Speaking about the film, he said, “It began with a modest budget. But at each stage, I was only encouraged to make the film bigger, in line with a huge vision. No expenses have been spared.” The director also said that this was fourth script for Antony Varghese having got his dates five years ago.

Anthony Pepe’s 'Kattalan' Wraps Up Shoot

In the post-pandemic scramble to pull audiences back into cinemas, Hindi filmmakers appear to have rediscovered an old tool: time. Not metaphorically, but literally. Over the past three years, a noticeable cluster of high-profile releases has pushed well beyond the 150-minute comfort zone that defined much of the multiplex era, with some breaching the three-hour mark altogether.

The shift is not uniform across the industry. Mid-budget urban dramas still largely hover around two hours. But at the top end, the star-driven spectacles designed to justify a theatre trip, runtimes are inflating. The question now facing exhibitors, producers and editors alike is whether the three-hour film is becoming Hindi cinema’s most visible differentiator from streaming content, and whether the industry risks mistaking duration for depth.

For film editor Nitin Baid, the premise itself may be slightly misguided. The creative process, he suggests, rarely begins with a stopwatch. “I don’t think the intention is inherently to plan a three-hour film,” Baid says. “Most of the films you’re talking about, and this isn’t just in the north or south, you see it in Hollywood too, the duration has changed considerably because many of these stories are catering to a large number of characters.”

His framing aligns with what multiplex data has been indicating since 2023. Longer runtimes tend to cluster around ensemble-heavy, scale-driven projects rather than intimate dramas. In that sense, length is often a symptom of ambition rather than its cause.

More crucially, Baid locates the shift within a broader behavioural change. “Creatively, the effort is to ask: how do we create an experience that people want to show up for?” he says. “Even if it takes you hours to travel and watch a film… you still go because you want to be part of that experience.” The analogy he reaches for is telling. “It’s similar to going to a concert. Look at the 

film, one of the highest-grossing films last year. What are you going in for? The experience.”

In other words, theatrical cinema is increasingly positioning itself not against other films but against the full spectrum of digital distraction. As Baid puts it, theatres today are competing not just with OTT but “with Instagram and with everything else people are constantly consuming.”

This logic partly explains why recent Hindi tentpoles have leaned into sprawl. When audiences are already accustomed to binge-watching eight-hour series at home, the old anxiety around crossing the three-hour mark has weakened. Engagement, not brevity, is the new currency.

Inside the trade, however, there is growing unease that the industry may be learning the wrong lesson from a handful of long-form successes. Film distributor and exhibitor Akkshay Rathie is unusually blunt about the pattern. “One reason this is happening is our industry has, to some extent, been affected by what I call a herd mentality,” he says.

He traces the shift to a specific moment roughly three years ago, when multiple long films delivered strong theatrical runs. “When the conversation began that three-hour-plus films were working and audiences were savouring them, people took note,” Rathie explains. “After that, a lot of larger-than-life actioners started getting made, some by coincidence, but many by design, because of this notion that three-hour-plus films are what work.”

The distinction he draws is crucial. Some filmmakers, he says, have simply stopped rushing their narratives, a healthy correction after years of rigid runtime orthodoxy. But others appear to be reverse-engineering length itself. “So a few have done it for the right reasons, and many have done it for the wrong ones,” he says.

That tension is already visible in the current pipeline. Films like 

(two hours 47 minutes) are arriving pre-positioned as large-scale theatrical plays. Whether they justify that sprawl narratively, rather than merely structurally, is the question exhibitors are asking.

One of the more persistent myths around long films is that runtime itself drives footfalls. Rathie is unequivocal in pushing back. “More than duration, it’s the buzz created by the promotional campaign that decides whether people will watch a film,” he says. “If the promos for 

 had not been exciting, I don’t think audiences would have turned up in the numbers they did.”

Conversely, he notes, several shorter films have underperformed simply because awareness never reached critical mass. The implication is uncomfortable but clear: runtime is rarely the primary box-office lever. What matters more is whether audiences feel a sense of event-level urgency. The industry’s favourite acronym is FOMO. Length can amplify that perception, but it cannot manufacture it.

Rathie’s most intriguing observation situates the three-hour film within a wider media pattern. “If you look at consumption patterns today, not just in theatres but across the internet, the 26- to 30-minute format is actually declining,” he says. 

“What you’re seeing succeed are either very short formats like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, or very long formats like three-hour podcasts.” The middle, in other words, is hollowing out. He even points to cricket’s evolving formats as a cultural analogue: the dominance of T20 at one end and renewed interest in five-day Tests at the other. Content consumption, he argues, is increasingly bipolar, and cinema is responding accordingly.

If that diagnosis holds, the three-hour theatrical film may be less a creative indulgence than a market adaptation, a bid to occupy the long-form event extreme of the attention economy.

Producers, however, still have to live inside spreadsheets. Film business analyst and producer Girish Johar stresses that runtime decisions remain tightly linked to monetisation maths. “Whether a film is two hours or three hours, monetisation, the rotation of shows and screens, ultimately depends on the film’s run,” he says.

A longer film does reduce the number of daily shows a multiplex can program. But Johar suggests the trade-off is acceptable if the content delivers. “If the runtime is proposed by the director, it immediately becomes a primary concern for the producer as well because his financial stake is involved,” he notes. “The makers collectively decide what the film demands and stand by it. The final test, of course, is the audience.” 

This is where the theatrical-versus-OTT debate becomes central. According to Johar, the pandemic blurred the lines between what belongs on the big screen and what can comfortably premiere at home. The industry is still recalibrating.

“There is still some confusion about what belongs in theatres and what can go to OTT,” he says. But the direction of travel is clear: theatrical films are being consciously engineered to feel immersive and experiential.

History, both Indian and global, suggests that runtime itself has never been the deciding factor. What matters is whether the film’s internal architecture justifies its duration.

Epic storytelling has always sustained longer cuts. From 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 

, audiences have repeatedly shown patience, even enthusiasm, when scale, character density and emotional payoffs align.

But the inverse is equally true. When narrative material is thin, extended runtimes can actively damage theatrical prospects by reducing repeat value and amplifying audience fatigue. Rathie puts it bluntly: “Ultimately, you can give audiences a fantastic entertainer in two hours. And God forbid, after spending good money on a ticket, cola and parking, if someone has to sit through three and a half hours of boring cinema, that’s even more punishing.”

What emerges from conversations across the trade is a more nuanced picture than the current runtime discourse suggests.

Yes, theatrical cinema is searching for a clear edge over at-home viewing. Yes, longer runtimes can support world-building and event positioning. And yes, audience tolerance for extended films has demonstrably increased in the post-pandemic era.

But none of the stakeholders interviewed believe duration itself is the magic variable.

As Baid puts it, the industry’s core question remains unchanged: how to create something compelling enough to pull viewers out of their homes. Length is merely one of the tools available, and often the most misunderstood.

Johar offers the longer historical view. When satellite television first arrived, he recalls, many predicted the death of theatrical exhibition. The panic eventually subsided. Cinemas stabilised. OTT, he suggests, may follow a similar curve. “The same applies to OTT,” he says. Audiences today are simply more selective. “Which means if you want to bring them back to theatres, you need a clear differentiator, whether that is storytelling, scale, immersion, larger-than-life characters, or simply the big-screen experience. That edge has to exist.”

Whether the three-hour film becomes that edge, or merely the industry’s latest reflex, will likely depend on what comes next. For now, Hindi cinema appears to be in a familiar phase, rediscovering that time, in movies as in markets, is only as valuable as what fills it.

‘Dhurandhar’ and 'O'Romeo' to ‘Animal’: Are Three-Hour Hindi Films Becoming the New Theatrical Strategy?

 approaches its scheduled theatrical release on February 27, the Kerala High Court has intervened in a growing legal dispute over its certification and portrayal of the State.

, on Tuesday (February 24, 2026), a division bench of the High Court, led by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, asked the film’s producers whether a screening could be arranged before the court ahead of its final consideration of multiple petitions challenging the film’s censor certificate. The court indicated it would view the film in order to verify claims made by the petitioners.

The petitioners have argued that the film’s title and promotional material suggest a portrayal of widespread regional discord and violence in Kerala — a contention they say isn’t reflected by the State’s lived experience. They also argue that the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) U/A certificate may have been granted without adequate assessment.

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Kerala High Court Stays Release Of ‘The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’

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