Telugu News

Upcoming Telugu Films: Round Up of Production Status 

By Anusha Sundar
(Clockwise from top left) Official posters of 'Tuck Jagadish', 'Khiladi', 'Liger', 'Virata Parvam'.

Several Telugu films, which were in various stages of production, have come to a grinding halt after state governments announced lockdowns due to the sudden spike of Covid-19 cases in the country. While some films were still being shot, like Liger (starring Vijay Devarakonda) and Adivi Sesh’s Major, films like Mahesh Babu’s Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Maestro (the Telugu remake of Andhadhun) and Prabhas’s untitled film directed by Nag Ashwin were in the initial stages of production.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

According to film publicity managers Vamsi and Sekhar, while the first wave of the pandemic severely impacted daily wage workers and small-time film technicians and artists, the second wave has been affecting almost everyone in the Telugu film industry. They said that once theatres begin to operate in full capacity, big budget films will release every two weeks.

Here is a round-up of the upcoming Telugu films and their production status.

To go on floors:

Actor Bellamkonda Sai Srinivas’ Hindi remake of Chatrapathi, will go on floors as soon as permission for shooting is granted, according to the film’s publicity managers. The film, directed by VV Vinayak, will mark the Hindi debut of the actor. While a set has been constructed in Hyderabad, the shooting is expected to resume when the lockdown rules are relaxed.

After finishing the film, Bellamkonda will begin shooting for the Telugu remake of the hit Tamil film Karnan.

Meanwhile, Krack director Gopichand Malineni will collaborate with actor Balakrishna. The film will go on floors after Balakrishna completes his ongoing project Akhanda.

Initial stages of production:

Mahesh Babu and Keerthy Suresh starrer-Sarkaru Vaari Paata is in the initial stages of production. Recently, the filmmakers announced that they would not be giving any updates about the film.

Meanwhile, Mahesh will be teaming up with filmmaker Trivikram Srinivas for his next film.

Still from ‘Radhe Shyam’s’ first glimpse

Actor Prabhas, who will be seen in Radhe Shyam, will be working in a Nag Ashwin directorial which co-stars Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan.

Maestro, the Telugu remake of the Hindi film Andhadhun, is also in its initial stage of production. The film see Nithiin reprising the role of Ayushman Khurrana, while Tamannaah Bhatia will play the role of Tabu from the original film.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Shooting in progress:

Upcoming Telugu film Major, starring Adivi Sesh in the lead role, has completed 80% of the shooting. The film, which was scheduled to release theatrically on July 2, had to postpone its release. The new release date has not yet been announced.

Vijay Devarakonda and Ananya Panday-starrer Liger, which is directed by Puri Jagannadh, completed a major schedule in Mumbai. With 60% of the shooting completed, the new schedule was cancelled due to the ongoing second wave of Covid-19. The film will release in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. It will mark Deverakonda’s first pan-Indian project and Panday’s debut in a south Indian film.

Poster of ‘Liger’.

Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan’s trilingual film, which began shooting in Kashmir in April, has completed a schedule. Directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, the untitled film is a romantic drama, in which Dulquer will play the role of an army lieutenant. The film marks Dulquer’s first collaboration with Raghavapudi and will release in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Ravi Teja, who was recently seen in Krack, has been working on action entertainer Khiladi. With 25% of shooting still left, it is expected to be the actor’s most highest budget film. The makers confirmed earlier this month that the film would release in theatres.

Marking her debut in the Telugu films, actor Nazriya Nazim completed Ante Sundaraniki’s first schedule. Nani is set to join the shoot from the next schedule.

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Shyam Singha Roy, Nani’s period drama was being filmed in Hyderabad. After the film’s set was damaged due to heavy rain, the makers are waiting for the set to be recreated before they resume filming.

Actor Siddharth’s comeback in Telugu films after eight years, Maha Samudram, is nearing completion. Directed by Ajay Bhupathi, it stars Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari and Anu Emmanuel. Speaking to Silverscreen India earlier, the film’s editor, KL Praveen had said that Maha Samudram was an “intense love story” set in Visakhapatnam. The film explores the bond between two best friends (played by Sharwanand and Siddharth), the women in their life, and the intensity of love.

Set to release:

Poster of ‘Tuck Jagadish’.

Rana Daggubati and Sai Pallavi’s Virata Parvam, based on the Naxal movements in Telangana in the 90s, is ready for release. The film’s director Venu Udugula had confirmed to Silverscreen India that the film would release in theatres on April 30 and then premiere on Netflix. The new date has not yet been confirmed.

While Nani’s Tuck Jagadish was set to release on April 23, the film postponed its release due to surging Covid-19 cases and capped ticket prices in Andhra Pradesh. The family entertainer is still awaiting a certification from the Central Board of Film Certification.

Anusha Sundar is a Senior Correspondent at Silverscreen India, and can be reached on Twitter at anusha16_ or by email at anusha@silverscreen.in