
Darshan's Devil moves to Europe for next schedule
While a significant portion of the film was already canned in Bengaluru on elaborate sets, the team headed to the picturesque Udaipur for a crucial sequence.
Devil marks the second collaboration between Darshan and director Prakash Veer after their successful outing with Tarak. The film, billed as an out-and-out mass entertainer, stars Rachana Rai as the female lead, with Mahesh Manjrekar playing the antagonist. The cast also includes Sharmiela Mandre, Achyuth Kumar, and Vinay Gowda in pivotal roles.

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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Getting d(r)ubbed: Recent southern films fall out of favour in Hindi-speaking belt, struggle for a hit
Dubbed versions of southern films, especially Tamil and Telugu movies, appear to be losing their fizz in the Hindi-speaking belt. Recent titles including Kamal Haasan-starrer Thug Life (Tamil) and Game Changer (Telugu) have performed below par, raking in less than a 10th of earlier blockbusters from the south. With the exception of Pushpa 2 and Kalki 2898 AD, there haven't been any major dubbed hits in the past year. Experts said there is unnecessary hype over the dubbing trend and too many films have jumped on to the bandwagon without adequate content or marketing efforts. The Hindi version of Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, released in June, made ₹1.56 crore. Kannappa, a Telugu-language Hindu epic starring Vishnu Manchu in the title role and an ensemble cast of Mohanlal, Prabhas and Akshay Kumar earned Rs. 2.75 crore, according to data from Bollywood Hungama, a trade website. L2: Empuraan, starring Mohanlal and released in March, made ₹2.22 crore in the Hindi belt. Game Changer, with Ram Charan in the lead, did better than the others, clocking in ₹26.6 crore after its release in January. However, all these earnings pale in comparison to dubbed southern hits such as Pushpa 2: The Rule ( ₹830 crore), KGF: Chapter 2 ( ₹434.7 crore), RRR (274.3 crore) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion ( ₹511 crore). 'The trend (of dubbed versions of southern films breaking out in the Hindi belt) has died down a little bit," admitted Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas. While a few films managed to click with Hindi-speaking audiences, Puri said they were followed by several others that wanted to cash in on the hype but didn't do well even in their home markets. Half-hearted dubs Independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said not all names from the south command equal draw in the Hindi belt. Only the likes of filmmaker SS Rajamouli, who first broke out with the Baahubali franchise and then followed it up with RRR, are known – even in tier-two and three north Indian towns – and people flock to the cinemas for their movies. 'If you look at films like Pushpa, the characters appeared real and relatable across the board. In the case of a lot of recent Tamil or Telugu films, the tone and style were entirely south Indian, and it didn't appear to be anything other than a simple dub," Pillai pointed out. Experts said the recent dubbed southern films have been half-hearted attempts to reach out to Hindi-speaking audiences. On the other hand, Kantara (2022), originally filmed in Kannada, had the right flavour, writing and marketing strategy to make it seem like a universal film and releasing in the Hindi market didn't look like an afterthought. Still, trade experts are hopeful about the prospects of Rajinikanth's Coolie, which also features Aamir Khan, Prabhas' next The Raja Saab, Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1, a prequel to Kantara, and Allu Arjun's untitled film starring Deepika Padukone to be directed by Atlee of Jawan fame. 'Not too many big-ticket films featuring names familiar in the Hindi belt have been released since Pushpa. But it's only a matter of time before one does well," film distributor and exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said.
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Rajinikanth is back! 'Coolie' bookings open, first shows to start at 5 am
The countdown has begun for one of the biggest cinematic showdowns of the year — Rajinikanth's 'Coolie' vs Hrithik Roshan's 'War 2'. With less than a week to go, the box office buzz is heating up, and advance bookings for 'Coolie' are officially live. Select theatres have already opened bookings, with more expected to follow in the coming days. As expected from a Rajini-starrer, demand is soaring — especially in the South. Early morning shows will kick off at 6 am in Kerala and Karnataka, while Tamil Nadu will begin screenings at 9 am, setting the stage for a massive opening. When will 'Coolie' advance bookings begin in India? According to regional distributor HM Associates, Coolie pre-sales in Kerala will begin on August 8. Early tracking data on Sacnilk indicates that Coolie has established a strong lead in North America, where advance sales have already surpassed one million dollars. It has also sold over 20,000 tickets in the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Gulf countries. In total, Coolie's pre-sales abroad had surpassed $2 million. Coolie Movie Tickets Advance Booking India Today reports that Coolie's early shows in Tamil Nadu will start at 9 am, while those in Kerala and Karnataka will start at 6 am. Additionally, it says that following a fan's death during the 2023 "Thunivu" first-day premiere, the Tamil Nadu government has cancelled the early morning performances. As a result, Coolie's first performance in the state will only start at 9 in the morning. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, 'Coolie' has been cleared by the censor board with zero cuts. The first overseas screening is scheduled for 12:30 AM BST (5 AM IST), making it one of the earliest shows worldwide. According to a TOI report, Coolie advance bookings have begun, and the overall number of reservations in North America has surpassed USD 1.12 million. Additionally, a trading expert and analyst posted on X (previously Twitter) about Coolie advance booking. Overall, Coolie pre-sales have surpassed $2 million internationally, according to box office tracking website Sacnilk. About 'Coolie' Cast Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Soubin Shahir, Upendra, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, and Aamir Khan are the main cast members of Coolie. In supporting roles are Rachita Ram, Monisha Blessy, Kanna Ravi, Junior MGR, Reba Monica John, and Kaali Venkat. In the movie, a shadowy figure confronts a dishonest organisation that takes advantage of and mistreats the labourers in a port town. After Jailer (2023), the next Tamil thriller directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj is being hailed as megastar Rajinikanth's major release this year.


Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Aamir Khan's team busts rumours of him interfering in Coolie Hindi release amid Rajinikanth film's clash with War 2
Recently, there were rumours that actor-producer Aamir Khan is intervening in the Hindi release of Lokesh Kanagaraj's Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie despite playing an extended cameo in it. It was said that he called PVR Inox to negotiate the number of screens for release, especially given its clash with Ayan Mukerji's War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR. However, Aamir's team bust these rumours. Aamir Khan will play Dahaa in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, starring Rajinikanth. Aamir Khan's team busts rumours of his involvement in Coolie Hindi release A spokesperson for Aamir Khan Productions clarified that neither Aamir nor anyone from his team is involved in the distribution of Coolie in North India. They also clarified that he hadn't made any calls to exhibitors or distributors about it. Their statement reads: 'Neither Aamir Khan, nor anyone from his team is involved in the distribution of Coolie. Mr Khan has not made any calls to any exhibitor or distributor. His cameo in the film is purely a gesture of his bond with director Lokesh Kanagaraj and Rajinikanth. Everyone at AKP, especially Aamir Khan, is thrilled with the success of Sitaare Zameen Par's YouTube release and is overjoyed with the response it has received.' Rumours of Aamir Khan's involvement Rumours of Aamir's involvement began when Bollywood Hungama reported on Wednesday that the actor-producer had 'unexpectedly' involved himself in the release strategy for the Hindi version of Coolie. They claimed that Aamir called Ajay Bijli of PVR Inox directly to request premium showcasing for Coolie across the country, in addition to marketing the film in the north. They quoted a source as saying, 'Aamir has no financial stake in Coolie. This wasn't expected.' Earlier this year, the producers of Coolie, Sun Pictures, had announced that Pen Marudhar and Pen Studios will handle the release of the Rajinikanth-starrer across a wider North Indian market. The film is releasing in theatres on 14 August in all South Indian languages and Hindi. It will clash with War 2, which is also releasing in multiple languages.