Sivakarthikeyan is set to team up with Thaai Kizhavi fame director Sivakumar Murugesan for his next film, and Bhagyashree Borse will play the female lead, while Santhosh Narayanan will compose the music for the film. It is certainly a big chance for the actress.
Reportedly, the film’s promo shoot has already been completed. The story is set against the vibrant backdrop of Madurai and is said to be a powerful mass entertainer. An official announcement is expected on February 17th.
Bhagyashree Borse, who made her Telugu debut in Mr. Bachchan (2024) opposite Ravi Teja, is now all set to romance Sivakarthikeyan. She has done a cameo in Chandu Champion (2024), and last year, she had two Telugu releases, Kingdom and Andhra King Taluka.
Sivakarthikeyan’s recent release, Parasakthi, was a big failure at the box office, and Bhagyashree’s Andhra King Taluka also could not perform well in theateres. So, both need a solid hit to make a comeback.
Funky, directed by Anudeep KV and starring Vishwak Sen, hit theaters yesterday, but the film’s opening is not so great due to the mixed and negative word of mouth from the early shows.
Before its release, the film lacked excitement because neither the songs nor the trailer grabbed attention. Plus, the mixed reviews definitely impacted the first day’s numbers even more.
Overall, Funky’s opening on the first day will be close to ₹5 Cr gross collections, while the breakeven target is ₹30 Cr gross. It needs to show strong growth today and must target at least ₹15 Cr+ over the weekend.
One advantage for the film is that today is Valentine’s Day and tomorrow is Maha Shivaratri festival, so the film needs to capitalize on these holidays to get a good first weekend.
Movie Name:Couple Friendly Rating: 2.75/5 Cast: Santosh Sobhan, Manasa Varanasi, Rajiv Kanakala, Goparaju Ramana, Yogi Babu, and others Director: Ashwin Chandrasekar Produced By: Ajay Kumar Raju. P Release Date: 13th February 2026
Santosh Sobhan comes up with Couple Friendly on Valentine’s Day, directed by Ashwin Chandrasekhar. The film features Manasa Varanasi as the lead actress. It grabbed the audience’s attention with its striking trailer and premiered in theaters with paid premieres. Let’s find out how it performs in the review that follows.
Story:
Shiva (Santosh Sobhan), a budding interior designer, moves to Chennai for a project, working as a bike taxi rider until a breakthrough. Mithra (Manasa Varanasi) lands an IT job but faces issues with her offer letter. The story follows their connection and how they become important to each other.
Performances:
Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi play the leads and they have perfect chemistry. Performance-wise, Santosh did a good job, especially in the climax, but Manasa gets more impact with the way she carries her character and displays the variations according to the story. Rajiv Kanakala, Goparaju Ramana, Yogi Babu, and others are appropriate.
Analysis:
Director Ashwin Chandrasekhar does a neat job in handling a delicate story point. The film starts as a regular romamtic film but has a shaky turn later.
The best part of the lead roles appear relatable and their struggle to find a proper career and how they get closer is shown naturally against the backdrop of Chennai. The romance portions work well and the intermission ends on an interesting note with back and forth narration style.
Couple Friendly has a sudden emotional transition in the latter half which appears rushed. The pain that characters go through in this phase could have been explored better.
But the Kerala trip and the lead scene to it work well. The climax also ends with meaningful dialogues, fitting to the film’s style.
Positives:
Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi
Romantic Moments in the First Half
Visuals/Music
Negatives:
Rushed Emotional Parts in the Second Half
Two Families’ Scenes
Couple Friendly Review and Verdict:
Couple Friendly is a decent romantic emotional drama that benefits from convincing performances of Santosh Sobhan and Manasa Varanasi, along with suitable visuals and music. Though the second half has some rushed parts, it still emerges as an engaging watch.
Movie Name:O’Romeo Rating: 2.25/5 Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Avinash Tiwary, Nana Patekar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal, Vikrant Massey, and others Director: Vishal Bharadwaj Produced By: Sajid Nadiadwala Release Date: 13th February 2026
O’Romeo is the latest romantic action thriller film written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Shahid Kapoor, Tripti Dimrii, and many others in crucial roles. The film’s trailer hinted at an intense film, and let us find out how it has been shaped in the following review.
Story:
Set against the backdrop of 1995 Mumbai, the story follows Ustara (Shahid Kapoor), a contract killer who takes a supari from Police Inspector Khan (Nana Patekar) and eliminates criminals. During this time, Afshan (Triptii Dimri) approaches Ustara with a request to kill four men. She claims that Jalal (Avinash Tiwary), one of the targets, played a key role in her husband’s murder.
Though Ustara initially refuses to kill Jalal, he is moved by the intensity of Afshan’s pain and eventually agrees to help her. The film then moves forward, exploring the journey of Ustara and Afshan, while also touching upon the past connection between Ustara and Jalal.
Performances:
Shahid Kapoor gives a heartfelt performance, clearly standing out as the finest in the O’ Romeo cast. Triptii Dimri impresses with her performance and has excellent chemistry with Shahid. Avinash Tiwary and Nana Patekar remain underutilized, whereas Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Farida Jalal, and Vikrant Massey are okay.
Analysis:
Renowned filmmaker and music composer Vishal Bhardwaj attempts to set a detailed screenplay filled with multiple characters in O’Romeo. However, in trying to include too much, the film becomes unnecessarily lengthy.
The opening sequence itself sets the tone. Shahid Kapoor’s introduction fight, which uses the iconic song Dhak Dhak from the film Beta, runs for nearly five minutes. This sequence hints at how the three-hour-long film unfolds, slow and stretched.
The film fails to gain real momentum until Triptii Dimri’s backstory is revealed, and even then, it struggles to maintain the impact. The interval block and the villain’s introduction are just passable.
In the second half, Ustara’s sudden romantic feelings for Afshan feel forced and unconvincing. He is portrayed as someone who just has sexual connection with women, so his deep emotional shift lacks proper justification. Similarly, the strategies devised against the villain, including the plans by Nana Patekar’s character to eliminate him and his gang, do not feel powerful or convincing.
Only in the last half hour does O’Romeo finally pick up pace, delivering an engaging twist followed by well-executed action sequences.
Positives:
Shahid Kapoor and Tripti Dimrii’s Performances
Some Intense Dialogues
Pre-Climax and Climax
Negatives:
Dragged Screenplay
Characters Lack Required Depth
Stretched Scenes
Too Many Songs
O’Romeo Review and Verdict:
Vishal Bhardwaj’s O’Romeo is a revenge drama blended with a love story that has a promising premise and a strong climax. But apart from its final moments, the film feels overstretched, with a dull screenplay and weakly developed characters.
The critically acclaimed recent Telugu film Sri Chidambaram Garu has made a quick move to OTT within a very short gap with its theatrical release. The film was released in cinemas on February 6 and received a decent response from audiences and critics.
Now, the feel-good drama is ready to reach a wider digital audience. Popular streaming platform ETV Win has acquired the digital rights of the film. The platform has officially announced that Sri Chidambaram Garu will begin streaming in OTT from February 19.
The film is directed by Vinay Ratnam and features young actors Vamsi Tummala and Sandhya Vasishtha in the lead roles. It is produced by Chinta Vinisha Reddy and Chinta Gopalakrishna Reddy. Let’s wait and watch how the film fares in the digital space.
There is a joyful atmosphere at the home of Megastar Chiranjeevi with the arrival of his grandson and granddaughter. Recently, global star Ram Charan and his wife Upasana were blessed with twins once again. Today, the naming ceremony of the babies was held in a grand and festive manner.
After the ceremony, Chiranjeevi personally took to social media to announce the names of his grandson and granddaughter. He also shared the beautiful meanings behind the names with his fans. The twins have been named Shiva Ram Konidela and Anveera Devi Konidela.
Chiranjeevi explained that the name “Shiva Ram” is a combination of two powerful personalities. He said that “Shiva,” from his original name Shiva Shankara Varaprasad, represents inner strength and spirituality. “Ram,” from Ram Charan, stands for righteousness and compassion. Together, the name reflects strong values and noble qualities.
Speaking about his granddaughter’s name, Chiranjeevi said that “Anveera Devi” symbolizes divine strength. He added that the name was chosen with the blessings of Goddess Kanaka Durgamma and represents fearlessness and unwavering courage.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Chiranjeevi shared that he is announcing these names with boundless joy and requested everyone to bless the little ones as they begin a new chapter in life. The photo from the ceremony is now going viral on social media.
Movie Name:Funky Rating: 2/5 Cast: Vishwak Sen, Kayadu Lohar, VTV Ganesh, Sampath Raj, Naresh Vijay Krishna (V.K. Naresh), Easwari Rao, Raghu Babu, Muralidhar Goud and others Director: Anudeep KV Produced By: Sithara Entertainments, Fortune Four Cinemas Release Date: 13th February 2026
Funky is the latest comedy-drama directed by Anudeep KV, starring Vishwak Sen and Kayadu Lohar, produced by Sithara Entertainments. The film’s teaser and trailer promised a fun ride and let us see whether the film lives up to the expecations in the following review.
Story:
The film revolves around Komal, played by Vishwak Sen, a director whose movie shoot comes to a sudden halt. He somehow manages to convince Chitra, portrayed by Kayadu Lohar, the producer’s daughter to restart the project. The rest of the story follows how their relationship develops and the challenges they face during the shoot.
Performances:
Vishwak Sen plays an innocent and naive character. But there is nothing particularly special about his performance or character. Kayadu Lohar looks beautiful on screen, but her role offers very little scope to perform.
Senior actors Naresh and Sampath Raj are decent in their supporting roles. Muralidhar Goud appears in a single scene and brings a bit of fun. Pammi Sai and the rest of the cast fit their parts well.
Analysis:
Directed by Anudeep KV, known for Jathi Ratnalu and Prince, Funky aims to be an out-and-out comedy entertainer filled with gags and punch dialogues. However, the humor feels more forced than natural, except in a few scenes.
The first half of the film starts decently and it offers some scattered laughs, especially in the hospital scene and a few moments involving Sampath Raj. But the comedy lacks consistency.
The second half continues in the same vein, including the climax with only a handful of jokes working here and there. The biggest issue with the film is its lack of proper flow. The narrative feels disjointed, and the characters do not come across as genuinely innocent or naive as intended.
Positives:
Comedy Scenes Here And There
Negatives:
Poor Screenplay
Weak Characters
Too Silly Scenes
Staged Humor
Funky Review and Verdict:
Anudeep KV’s Funky sets out to be a hilarious ride but succeeds in delivering laughs only in a few moments. The forced comedy and dull screenplay prevent the film from truly entertaining.
Megastar Chiranjeevi and Anil Ravipudi’s film, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu has created records on OTT after a blockbuster theatrical performance. The OTT viewers are loving this family entertainer, that reflects in the views stats.
The ZEE5 platform officially announced that the film has achieved a sensational milestone, as it emerged as the biggest opening ever on ZEE5 Telugu, clocking a massive 200+ million streaming minutes within just 24 hours of release.
It is a truly phenomenal digital response, and it delighted the fans that Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is shattering records on OTT as well. After COVID, there is a certain section of audiences that prefers to watch movies in digital spaces, so popular films often create viewership records in the digital field.
Ram Charan’s Peddi is gearing up for a massive theatrical release on April 30, and as the film is carrying massive buzz, it is doing the biggest business of the year in Telugu markets. The film’s promotional content worked very well.
So far this year, two major biggies have released The Raja Saab and Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu.
Prabhas and Maruthi’s The Raja Saab followed an own-release model, with the producer taking advances from distributors. Compared to Peddi’s business prices, Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is nowhere close.
The next big release before Peddi is Ustaad Bhagat Singh. But the discussions in trade circles and even in the makers’ quotations, Peddi is way ahead of Ustaad Bhagat Singh. In the second half of the year, no Tier-1 star biggies are scheduled for release.
With this, Peddi is all set to register the biggest business in the Telugu states, with an expected theatrical business of 200+ crore worldwide for the Telugu version alone.
Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil (TTT) is a political satire action-comedy directed by Nithish Sahadev. Released on January 15, 2026, the film stars Jiiva in the lead role. It emerged as a box office hit and recently premiered on Netflix. Here’s a look at what made it click with audiences.
Story:
The film revolves around a village Panchayat president who finds himself stuck in a chaotic situation when a wedding and a funeral happen at the same time in the same locality. What begins as an unfortunate coincidence soon turns into a full-blown ego clash between two families.
Performances:
Jiiva delivers a fine performance and remains consistently in character. Thambi Ramaiah and Ilavarasu, the veteran actors, showcase their acting skills perfectly, and Prathana Nathan also makes a positive impression. The supporting actors are all adequate in their roles.
Analysis:
The film cleverly shows how ego, pride, and selfishness can worsen even a simple issue. The Panchayat leader tries his best to ensure that both the wedding and the funeral proceed peacefully. But a local politician from the rival party takes advantage of the situation to create trouble and score political points.
With several grey-shaded characters, the film delivers plenty of humorous moments along with a few subtle, thought-provoking scenes. The villagers’ sudden change in behavior after learning about the old man’s death, especially a group of women quickly changing clothes and removing their jewelry to attend the funeral, adds genuine humor.
There is also a light emotional layer. A young bride-to-be, dreaming of a happy married life, becomes anxious as chaos disrupts her big day. These moments add depth to the otherwise comic narrative.
The confrontation between the two families before the climax feels slightly stretched. However, the climax works well, with the Panchayat leader stepping in and delivering a strong message.
Positives:
Main Plot
Performances
Proper blend of Humor and Emotion
Negatives:
A Few Stretched Parts in the Second Half
Some Supporting Characters Are Underdeveloped
Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil Review and Verdict:
Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil is a sincere, village-based comedy drama with a touch of political satire. With its entertaining moments, relatable characters, and a meaningful message, it turns out to be an engaging and enjoyable watch.
