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Pradeep Ranganathan Turns Director Again

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Pradeep Ranganathan, the Tamil director turned actor, scored back-to-back successes with Love Today, Dragon, and Dude, and the latest news is that he is all set to return to the seat of director. 

In Love Today, Pradeep not only acted but also directed the film, which delivered 100 Cr at the box office. After that, he took a break from directing and focused only on acting and did Dragon, Dude, and LIK. 

Now, the reports from Tamil media suggest that Pradeep Ranganathan is heading back to don the role of director under the AGS production banner. His next film will be the same as Love Today, directed by him, and he will be the lead hero, with a plan to shoot and release the film in 2026.

Sankranthi 2026 Releases: OTT Streaming Partners Revealed

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Sankranthi 2026 will see a huge number of releases for Telugu cinema, which include the Tamil-dubbed titles as well. Prabhas’s The Raja Saab, Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, and Megastar Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu are among the movies that are set to be released on Sankranthi, and the details of OTT streaming partners of all the movies are out now.

The Raja Saab, starring Prabhas, is directed by Maruthi and is set for release on January 9, 2026. The film’s OTT rights have been bagged by Jio Hotstar.  Jana Nayagan, which marks Tamil superstar Vijay’s farewell film, directed by H. Vinoth, will be released in both Tamil and as a dubbed Telugu version on January 9, 2026. Prime Video has acquired the OTT rights to the film. 

Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Chiranjeevi’s film with director Anil Ravipudi is officially slated for release on January 12, 2026, and Z5 has bagged the OTT rights of the film.

Z5 Bags Three Films From Sankranthi 2026

Anaganaga Oka Raju, a comedy entertainer starring Naveen Polishetty and Meenaakshi Chaudhary, produced by Sithara Entertainments, is scheduled for January 14, 2026, and the film’s digital rights are with Netflix, while Z5 also bags the digital rights of Sivakarthikeyan’s Parasakthi (January 14th release) and Ravi Teja’s Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi.

With the increased demand and impact of streaming platforms, audience interest in the OTT partners for the Sankranthi 2026 releases has grown. Here are the details of all the film’s digital partners.

  • The Raja Saab – Jio Hotstar
  • Jana Nayagan – Prime Video
  • Parasakthi – Z5
  • Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu – Z5
  • Bhartha Mahasayulaku Wignyapthi – Z5
  • Anaganaga Oka Raju – Netflix

Pawan Kalyan Gifts Car to Director Sujeeth

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Power Star Pawan Kalyan has gifted a luxury car to the OG director Sujeeth. He presented him with a Land Rover Defender, a high-end vehicle priced at around ₹2 crore. Sujeeth shared photos of the car on his X (formerly Twitter) account, and the pictures are currently going viral on social media.

Expressing his happiness, Sujeeth wrote that it was the “best gift ever” and said he was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude beyond words. He mentioned that the love, encouragement, and support he received from his favorite “OG” are truly priceless. Sujeeth added that he has been a huge fan of Pawan Kalyan since childhood, and receiving such a special gift from him today feels extremely fortunate. 

He concluded by saying that he will remain forever thankful for the affection shown by his favorite actor. The other PSPK fans are extremely delighted with this, as Pawan Kalyan gifted a luxury car to the OG director, Sujeeth. This is the first time that the actor has done something like this.

Released on September 25, 2025, OG stands as Tollywood’s biggest grosser for 2025 and it is also Pawan Kalyan’s career biggest grosser. The actor has already said that he will act in the sequel.

Dhurandhar Continues to Outshine Pushpa 2

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Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar continues its sensational run at the box office, and yesterday, the film crossed the collections of Pushpa 2’s second Monday, which had created several records in North India.

The spy action drama/thriller Dhurandhar not only continues to dominate Pushpa 2 but also crosses the second Monday collections of Stree 2 and Chhaava, breaking all previous records.

On its second Monday (Day 11), the film posted phenomenal numbers. This is especially impressive because even big films usually see a drop in collections by this stage. The strong performance clearly shows Dhurandhar’s dominance at the box office.

Dhurandhar now holds the record for the biggest second Monday collection ever (According to Bollywood Trade)

  • Dhurandhar: ₹31.80 crore
  • Pushpa 2 (Hindi): ₹20.50 crore
  • Stree 2: ₹20.20 crore
  • Chhaava: ₹19.10 crore

In its first 11 days, the film collected ₹396 crore net. At the time of writing this article, it is expected to have crossed the ₹400 crore mark in India on its second Tuesday (Day 12).

Akhanda 2 4 days Box Office Collections

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The much-awaited Akhanda 2, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna and directed by Boyapati Sreenu, was released in theaters on 12th December and received a below-par response. The film’s first weekend collections were not at the expected range, and the numbers for the first 4 days are out now.

Despite the below-par reviews, Akhanda 2 holds decently in Nizam with a 1 Cr share on the 4th day, whereas it sees a big drop in Andhra Pradesh with just a 1.3 Cr share. The total Telugu states share is 2.3 Cr, which is not good for the film’s business. The movie’s total 4-day worldwide share is close to 53.5 Cr.

Akhanda’s sequel needs to continue at least the same momentum throughout this week, and it also needs a big jump on the 2nd weekend to provide some relief to the buyers who have mounted high hopes on the film. 

Akhanda 2 Business Breakdown: Territory-Wise Final Amounts

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With huge expectations on its box office performance, Balakrishna and Boyapati Sreenu’s Akhanda 2 did massive business in Telugu states, but sadly, the film will incur losses in almost all areas. 

These are the final approximate amounts paid by distributors to Akhanda 2 producers:

Nizam: ₹19 Cr
Ceded: ₹19 Cr
UA: ₹11 Cr+
Guntur: ₹9 Cr+
East: ₹7.8 Cr
West: Own release
Krishna: ₹6 Cr
Nellore: ₹4 Cr
Overseas: ₹9 Cr

Including the valued West territory and ROI, the producers received around ₹95 Cr from distributors after all revisions, but even at this price, the buyers who have offered huge prices for Akhanda 2 business will end up facing big losses, excluding Dil Raju, as the movie has collected around 54 Cr for 5 days and is likely to end up under 65 Cr in its closing.

At any business level, Akhanda 2 is a loss venture for buyers. Initially, before the release, the worldwide business was valued at around 125 Cr. Later, due to postponements, it was revised to approximately 110 Cr, and finally, the producers received around 95 Cr from distributors.

Akhanda 2: A Lucky Escape for Dil Raju

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Akhanda 2 theatrical rights were bagged at massive prices by distributors in all areas, including Nizam, which was bagged by Dil Raju for a record price ever in Balakrishna’s career. Now, the topmost distributor will escape with less loss than expected.

Initially, Dil Raju bought the film for 27 Cr NRA, but after the postponement, the deal was revised, and it is said that he has not paid the full amount like other distributors.

Reportedly, Raju is said to have paid 19 Cr to producers and financiers for Nizam rights of Akhanda 2 and committed to pay the remaining amount after the movie’s release. All other distributors are also reported to have done the same, and they have paid around 70-80% of the committed amount.

Even though other distributors paid 70% of the committed amounts, they are seeing big losses as the movie is not performing at that business level.

Akhanda 2: Nizam turns out to be the best territory for the film

But surprisingly, Nizam, which is normally considered  Balakrishna’s weakest territory, becomes the best-performing area for the sequel to Akhanda. Usually, if Balakrishna’s movies do not open with positive WOM, then they suffer to get a double-digit share, but Akhanda 2 holds really well on the weekend and collected a 14 Cr share in 3 days.

Even on the 1st weekday, Monday, all other areas see a drop in numbers; Nizam holds decently with approximately 1 Cr share, including GST. With that, the film’s share is 15 Cr, and as Dil Raju paid 19 Cr, he sees close to 80% recovery already. Now, a decent hold is enough for the film in this area to get a full recovery for him.

While all other distributors are seeing huge losses, Dil Raju is lucky to get away from this film with no big losses.

Vijay’s Biggest Risk in His Farewell Film

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Jana Nayagan is Vijay’s final film, as he officially announced his retirement from movies because of his political career, and it is slated for release on 9th January. Both content- and box office-wise, the film will carry big expectations, as it is the farewell film for Vijay, and it is said that the film carries a big risk.

The result of this film is crucial for the actor, as everyone wants to end their career on a high note, and as Vijay enters politics, the success gives him more positive energy.  When any star moves to politics, they put some references in movies for political mileage, which is okay to some extent.

But if such elements become overbearing, viewers may struggle to connect with the film’s narrative. There are recent rumors about “Jana Nayagan,” suggesting a 15-minute tribute to Vijay at the end, which could potentially disrupt the viewing experience.

Such an addition definitely falls outside the scope of the movie’s subject, and including these kinds of things can become a big risk for Vijay’s Jana Nayagan, which is the final film. If it succeeds, everything will be fine, but if it fails, it will negatively impact the film’s core idea and the audience’s mood.

Padayappa 1st Weekend Box Office Collections

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The re-release of Padayappa, starring Superstar Rajinikanth, has been an exceptional success, with the film registering superb collections at the 1st weekend. The theaters in Tamil Nadu received footfalls in the range of a new tier-2 movie. 

For 3 days, in Tamil Nadu, the film collected  8.5 Cr gross, while the rest of India gathered 1.5 Cr and 2 Cr coming from Overseas. It means Rajinikanth’s Padayappa collected a total of 12 Cr gross at the box office in its 1st weekend. It is one of the biggest numbers for a re-released film. Today, the film is seeing some decent numbers.

Padayappa is a landmark Tamil film, directed by K. S. Ravikumar and produced by Arunachala Cine Creations, with music composed by A. R. Rahman. It was the penultimate release of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan. Ramya Krishnan played one of the best characters in her career, and Soundarya played the female lead, opposite Rajini.

Balakrishna Box Office: 100 Cr Share Milestone Still Awaited

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Balakrishna emerged as the most consistent hero among senior heroes with  five consecutive 100 Cr grossers, but he has yet to score a 100 Cr share film. From Akhanda to Daaku Maharaaj, the actor scores continuous successes, but the numbers are not going into a bigger range and are holding at the70 -80 Cr line.

Balakrishna is yet to score a 100 Cr share film. Chiranjeevi pulls off the hundred crore share with his comeback film itself in 2017 with Khaidi No. 150

Also, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy and Waltair Veerayya also scored 100 Cr Share, while another senior hero, Venkatesh, not only delivered 100 Cr but  even delivered 150 Cr this year with Sankranthiki Vasthunam and became the 1st hero among senior heroes to do so.

Akhanda 2 is the biggest budget film of Balakrishna, and it further does the biggest business with over 100 Cr. Everyone expected that the actor would join the 100 Cr share club with this film.

But because of below-par content, the film  only did 50 Cr share until the weekend, and on Monday, the film saw a big drop, hinting that it will close under 65 Cr itself, and Balakrishna’s wait for a 100 Cr share film continues.

His next film is with Gopichand Malineni on a historical backdrop, and it needs to be seen whether the film provides the first century to Balayya.