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ANR Lives On: Nagarjuna Announces 2 Cr Donation to Gudivada College

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ANR Lives On: Nagarjuna Announces 2 Cr Donation to Gudivada College

Even though legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao did not receive formal education, he established the ANR College in Gudivada in his name with a strong belief in the power of education. Recently, his son and the senior Telugu Hero Akkineni Nagarjuna participated in the diamond jubilee celebrations of the college and announced a generous donation of ₹2 crore on the occasion.

Nagarjuna attended the latest annual celebrations of ANR College as the chief guest. Speaking at the event, he announced that the Akkineni family has decided to introduce scholarships in the names of their parents. On behalf of his sister Susheela, brother Venkat, and other family members, Nagarjuna declared a donation of ₹2 crore to the college.

ANR College, Gudivada has an emotional connection the Akkineni Family

Akkineni Nageswara Rao was not just a celebrated actor but also a philanthropist who believed in giving back to society. As a mark of gratitude to the audience who elevated him to great heights, he contributed to social causes. In 1959, he donated ₹1 lakh to establish the college in his native place Gudivada, located in Krishna district of the then united Andhra Pradesh.

Nagarjuna recalled that his father had donated ₹1 lakh to the college back in 1959 and stated that it would not feel right if they did not contribute now on a much larger scale. He also mentioned that discussions with the college management would be held soon to finalize the guidelines and structure for the scholarship program.

On the professional front, Nagarjuna was seen this year in films like Kubera and Coolie. He is also set to appear soon in his landmark 100th film, which is highly anticipated by fans and movie lovers alike.

Rajamouli Interviews James Cameron

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Rajamouli Interviews James Cameron

The global popularity of RRR needs no special introduction. The film created history worldwide, especially with its chart-topping song “Naatu Naatu”, which went on to win an Academy Award. During that phase, celebrated Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron and ace Indian director SS Rajamouli shared a memorable interaction that delighted cinema lovers across the globe.

Varanasi Goes Global: James Cameron Wants to Visit the Film’s Set

Now, as Avatar 3 gears up for its release in the coming days, Rajamouli once again connected with James Cameron through a special video interview as part of the film’s promotions. The highlight of this interaction was Cameron’s keen interest in Rajamouli’s upcoming film with Mahesh Babu, Varanasi. Cameron even expressed his wish to visit the film’s shooting set if possible. Responding warmly, Rajamouli said that Cameron’s visit would be a matter of great pride not just for him, but for the entire Telugu film industry.

Rajamouli also thanked James Cameron for giving him the rare opportunity to watch Avatar 3 ahead of its official release, expressing his gratitude for the filmmaker’s gesture.

Meeting of the Minds: James Cameron in conversation with SS Rajamouli | Avatar: Fire & Ash

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash to include teasers for several other films

Directed by James Cameron, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ (Avatar 3) is scheduled for a grand worldwide theatrical release on December 19. Recently, Cameron reportedly advised theatre owners to screen the film in its full three hours and seventeen minutes runtime without any cuts. Adding to the excitement for Indian audiences, buzz suggests that the new trailer of Nitesh Tiwari’s epic ‘Ramayana’ will be screened in theatres along with Avatar 3. Reports also indicate that trailers of Rajamouli’s Varanasi, Hollywood biggies like ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ may be attached to the screenings.

During the interaction, James Cameron also shared his views on the use of Generative AI in cinema, calling it “dangerous” if it leads to creative mediocrity. He remarked that while AI today can replicate visuals similar to Avatar, true cinematic innovation cannot be replaced by technology. Cameron praised SS Rajamouli’s unique cinematic vision and once again expressed his admiration for the Indian filmmaker, reiterating his desire to visit the Varanasi film set in the future.

Dhurandhar Rewrites Hindi Cinema History in Week 2

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Dhurandhar Rewrites Hindi Cinema History in Week 2

It seems there is no end to the box office frenzy generated by Dhurandhar, the latest Bollywood film, as it creates history in Hindi cinema by surpassing 200 Cr net in its second week, and all of this in just five days.

The previous record was held by Pushpa 2 Hindi version, and Ranveer Singh’s film has already crossed the second weekend’s numbers of the film.

The trade is going mad with the film’s exceptional consistency at the box office, and the film will easily do over 250 Cr in the 2nd week at this trend. Overall, after making history in Hindi cinema, Dhurandhar has also joined the 400 Cr net club in India, with a total of 429 Cr to date.

Aditya Dhar’s spy flick is actually doing even better in its second week, keeping up the same strong daily numbers it had in the first week. That’s super rare for movies these days.

Keerthy Suresh’s Revolver Rita OTT Streaming Details Out

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Keerthy Suresh’s Revolver Rita OTT Streaming Details Out

Keerthy Suresh, who gained nationwide recognition with Mahanati, played the lead role in Revolver Rita. The film faced multiple delays and finally released in theatres recently, but it failed to make an impact at the box office. Now, the movie is getting ready for its digital release.

The digital streaming rights of Keerthy Suresh’s Revolver Rita have been acquired by leading OTT platform Netflix. Reports suggest that the film is likely to start streaming from December 26. Meanwhile, the satellite rights have been secured by Vijay TV.

Directed by JK Chandru, this action-comedy stars Keerthy Suresh along with Redin Kingsley, Radhika, Ajay Ghosh, John Vijay, Super Subbarayan, and Sendrayan in key roles. The film is jointly produced by Sudhan Sundaram and Jagadish Palanisamy under the banners of Passion Studios and The Route. In the Telugu states, the movie was released by Hasyam Movies producer Rajesh Danda.

USA Advance Bookings: A Cautionary Sign for The Raja Saab Makers

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USA Advance Bookings: A Cautionary Sign for The Raja Saab Makers

Prabhas joined hands with director Maruthi for the first time for a horror comedy, The Raja Saab. The film is all set to be released on 9th January, and its ticket bookings have started overseas. But the USA bookings for The Raja Saab will make the producers worry about the film’s openings.

If we observe, Raja Saab does not have a massive combination of a star director and a star hero. The film also had multiple postponements. To say frankly, only Prabhas is an exciting factor for audiences in the film till now. The promotional content worked mixed for audiences, where one trailer was received well.

Prabhas’s Stardom Carries the Buzz for “The Raja Saab”

But the film’s first song did not work as expected. With this, only Prabhas is carrying the buzz, and the film will certainly witness big openings, thanks to his stardom, but if the team wants record openings, it has to excite audiences with continuous and attractive promotional content.

It’s important to note that the picture isn’t a solo release; it will face competition from other films during Sankranthi. Therefore, audiences will choose the promotional content that excites them the most.

Prabhas is undoubtedly the biggest star right now, and if directors effectively utilize his potential and presence, his stardom will generate significant box office numbers. He has consistently proven his star power, even without being paired with high-profile directors.

So, the directors need to excite audiences to an extent with promotional content, and then the actor will take care of it. We have seen this with Saaho, where Sujeeth was not a big director, but the promotional content worked well, and the film posted over 400 Cr gross worldwide with negative talk. Even for Kalki with Nag Ashwin, who only made two films before, Prabhas delivered a 1000 Cr film.

Coming to the USA, advance bookings of The Raja Saab have grossed around $115K, with more than 3 weeks left for the film. The past Prabhas movies usually had great advance bookings right from the start. So, these low USA numbers are a bit worrying, and the team needs to step up the promotions to create some serious buzz. The second song dropping tomorrow should help a lot too.

Akhanda 2 Box Office: 5 Days Collections

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Akhanda 2 Box Office: 5 Days Collections

After a decent opening and a below-par first weekend, Balakrishna’s Akhanda 2 witnesses big drops on weekdays, and for 5 days, the film’s collections are around 55 Cr Share worldwide. The film could have done more numbers if it had received at least a decent talk.

On Monday itself the film sees a big drop in its numbers, and on Tuesday the drop is even bigger, with many district shares reporting in single digits, which is a serious concern for the film. For a total of 5 days, Akhanda 2 has collected around 55 Cr share worldwide, including GST in Andhra and Nizam, whereas the gross is around 90 Cr. Excluding Nizam, every buyer is yet to recover 50% of invested amounts.

The film needs a massive jump this weekend to see at least 2/3 of recoveries, and the team is also planning to put on a public event before this weekend to bring audiences to the theaters.

Pan-India Gamble: Where Akhanda 2 Went Wrong

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Pan-India Gamble: Where Akhanda 2 Went Wrong

Balakrishna’s Akhanda 2, directed by Boyapati Sreenu, was expected to be a massive success not only in the Telugu states but also Pan India wide. The team promoted the film extensively in North India, hoping to repeat the pan-India appeal. Unfortunately, the movie has failed to meet expectations and is heading towards a flop in most regions.

The first film, Akhanda (2021), was a sensational blockbuster that marked the beginning of Balakrishna’s strong second innings. After its OTT release, the movie gained popularity among audiences in other languages, especially the Hindi version on YouTube, which received appreciation. This success made the team believe that Akhanda 2 had strong potential in Hindi markets.

Boyapati’s films usually focus on themes like corruption, factionalism, politics, and revenge, which audiences easily connect with. However, for Akhanda 2, he chose a broader theme of patriotism to appeal to pan-India viewers. The sequel touches on issues such as India–China border tensions, DRDO projects, national politics, and Sanatana Dharma, but the storytelling failed to present these elements in an engaging way.

Though the film had the scope to deliver a larger-than-life experience, the narration lacked emotional depth and proper blending of themes. As a result, audiences did not enjoy it like previous Boyapati–Balakrishna collaborations, and this is reflected in poor box office collections.

Had Akhanda 2 focused mainly on Telugu audiences, mixing Lord Shiva’s angle with action and sentiment like the first part, it might have worked better. Instead, the attempt to include North Indian politics and border issues did not impress viewers.

Adding to the disappointment, the Hindi version of the film failed to recover even its basic expenses. With minimal interest from Hindi audiences, Akhanda 2 has struggled to justify its pan-India positioning.

Avatar Fire and Ash Review: Shocking First Reactions

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Avatar Fire and Ash Review: Shocking First Reactions

In a surprising development, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash has debuted with a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated film in the Avatar trilogy so far. These early reviews have disappointed many fans, who were expecting a stronger critical reception.

The film is set to release in theaters on December 19, with a runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes. Despite the buzz, bookings in India are not as strong as they were for Avatar: The Way of Water.

The original Avatar (2009) became the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion globally. Its sequel, The Way of Water, received mixed reviews but still managed to collect over $2.3 billion. However, the poor word-of-mouth (WOM) from part two seems to have affected the momentum for Fire and Ash.

Early bookings for the third installment are below expectations, and these early reviews of considering the weakest film as the Avatar trilogy hint that the film’s performance will now depend heavily on positive audience feedback. For the franchise to continue thriving, Fire and Ash will need to reach or surpass the $2 billion mark worldwide.

Hindi Audiences Reject Akhanda 2

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Hindi Audiences Reject Akhanda 2

Many recent films with references to Itihasas and Sanatana Dharma have done well in the Hindi market, and Akhanda 2 was expected to follow the same trend. The team promoted the film as a pan-India release, holding press meets and giving interviews in Hindi to attract audiences.

But sadly, the film failed to draw even a minimum crowd in Hindi theaters. Its content did not connect with audiences, and the overwhelming success of Dhurandhar overshadowed Akhanda 2 in Hindi, with the film closing under ₹1 crore net, which does not even cover theatrical expenses, marking it as a major failure.

In Telugu, the situation is slightly better. Although the movie did not receive strong positive response initially, word of mouth helped it achieve respectable numbers. The film is now heading towards crossing the ₹100 crore gross mark by Thursday, even as it faces losses overall due to mixed reception.

Nora Fatehi’s Sizzling Special Song in Jailer 2

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Nora Fatehi’s Sizzling Special Song in Jailer 2

Bollywood star Nora Fatehi has teamed up with Rajinikanth for a high-energy dance number in Jailer 2, marking their first-ever collaboration. The song is currently being filmed in Chennai, with Nora scheduled to shoot for about eight days alongside the superstar.

Can Nora Fatehi replicate the magic of “Kaavalayya”?

In the first part, Tamannaah’s “Kaavalayya” song played a major role in creating buzz and boosting the film’s box office success. For Jailer 2, Nora Fatehi’s performance is expected to carry the same impact and generate similar excitement among fans.

Many fans had hoped for a teaser release on Rajinikanth’s birthday, but the makers chose not to unveil any update on that day. It now remains to be seen when the Jailer 2 team will drop the teaser, along with the official release date.

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