The Shankar Shanmugam directorial starring Ram Charan is coming to the screens on January 10, 2025

The makers of Game Changer starring Ram Charan and Kiara Advani unveiled the fourth single from the film titled ‘Dhop.’ The song talks about destressing as a life mantra. With lyrics by Ramajogayya Shastru and vocals by S Thaman, Roshini JKV, Prudhvi and Sruthi, the song is a catchy electric dance number. The film, directed by Shankar, has music by S Thaman.

Game changer has Ram Charan playing dual roles of father and son and is billed to be a political thriller. The makers unveiled the film’s teaser recently which gave a glimpse into the action-packed world. The extended cast includes SJ Suryah, Srikanth, Anjali, Samuthirakani, Sunil among others. The film’s special event took place at Dallas recently.

Game Changer, bankrolled by Dil Raju and Sirish under the banner of Sri Venkateswara Creations, is one of the most awaited films. The thriller has its story by Karthik Subbaraj. The film’s technical crew has cinematographer Tirru, editor Shameer Mohammed, and action director Anbariv. The political thriller is coming to screens on January 10, 2025 clashing with other Sankranti releases like Daaku Maharaaj and Sankranthiki Vasthunnam.

On January 21, 2025, multiple raids were conducted by the Income Tax department in Hyderabad. The raids targeted film industry figures, including producer Dil Raju and director Sukumar. Residences and bank transactions were examined. Dil Raju’s home was a primary location. The raids investigated suspected tax evasion linked to high-budget films released during the Sankranti season.

The Income Tax department conducted multiple raids on January 21, 2025, targeting several prominent figures, including producer Dil Raju, his family members, and key players in the industry such as Mythri Movie Makers. The raids were conducted at multiple locations in Hyderabad, including Dil Raju’s residences in Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills, as well as the homes of his brother Shirish and daughter Hanshitha Reddy.

Now, as per a report by 123Telugu, the renowned director Sukumar, who recently directed the blockbuster Allu Arjun starrer ‘Pushpa 2,’ was also under investigation. He was reportedly taken directly from the airport to his residence for questioning. The reports also suggest that financial records, bank transactions, and lockers were examined.

According to Sacnilk, ‘Pushpa 2’ has grossed over Rs 1200 crore domestically and minted over Rs 1800 crore globally.

Dil Raju’s residence in Ujas Villas, Jubilee Hills, was one of the primary locations targeted by the IT teams. His wife, Tejaswini, addressed the situation, stating that the officials were conducting routine checks related to the film industry. She confirmed that they inspected bank lockers and requested various financial documents during their investigation.

Dil Raju’s recent success with films like ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunnam’ has grossed over Rs 100 crore. However, his other recent project, ‘Game Changer,’ has not performed as well at the box office, leading to speculation about whether the raids are connected to the film’s collections or his remuneration.

The IT department deployed around 55 teams for these simultaneous raids across multiple sites associated with major players in Tollywood. This includes not only Dil Raju but also producers from Mythri Movie Makers and Mango Media. The investigations are reportedly focused on verifying suspected tax evasion linked to recent high-budget films released during the Sankranti festival season.

Credit Credits: Times of India

Victory Venkatesh’s latest film, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam, directed by Anil Ravipudi, became a huge blockbuster at the box office. Despite having tough competitors like Game Changer and Daaku Maharaaj in the Pongal race, Sankranthiki Vasthunnam emerged as a bigger hit by a huge margin.

Meanwhile, Anil Ravipudi termed this film the ‘8th Wonder’ of his career. Speaking in a recent interview, he said that the houseful ticket sales show audiences’ genuine interest in watching the movie. He said that he is grateful to the audience for such an incredible response and added that he feels Sankranthiki Vasthunnam is like the 8th wonder of his career. The film also happens to be his eighth directorial project.

Whatever Ravipudi said was right because no one expected a regular commercial comedy-drama like Sankranthiki Vasthunnam to become such a huge hit. People expected it to be another F2 or F3 which can enthral a section of audiences. However, the film proved all predictions wrong and is now marching towards the 300-crore mark.

Anil Ravipudi opined that a unique promotional campaign, featuring Venkatesh and the rest of the star cast, helped in creating a pre-release buzz in a huge way. Also, the chartbuster songs made audiences come to theatres to experience that musical magic on the big screen. All these factors helped Sankranthiki Vasthunnam in becoming a mammoth success.

News Credit: Gulte.com

Tollywood director Trinadha Rao Nakkina has issued an apology for making inappropriate remarks about actress Anshu Ambani’s physical appearance.

Tollywood director Trinadha Rao Nakkina has issued an apology for making inappropriate remarks about actress Anshu Ambani’s physical appearance. The incident occurred during the teaser launch event of his upcoming film, where his comments were widely criticised on social media for being derogatory.

What happened?

At the teaser launch event in Hyderabad on Sunday, while addressing the audience, Trinadha Rao made comments about Anshu’s physique, leaving many uncomfortable. He remarked that back when Manmadhudu released, he would watch the film to look at Anshu. So when she was cast in his upcoming film, he wondered if she still looks the same. “Koncham sanapadindi, tinni pencha manna. Telugu (industry) lo saripodu. Anni koncham ekkuva size lo undali anna. Improve ayindi, inka ayitadi. (I told her to eat well and gain weight because it’s not enough for the Telugu industry — everything needs to be larger. But it’s okay — she’s made progress and will improve further by the next time).”

Anshu Ambani addressed the controversy on Tuesday, urging fans to move on and focus on the upcoming film. In a video statement, she described the director as “the loveliest man on the planet”.

“I believe his words may have been taken out of context. He has treated me as a member of his family. I’ve worked on this movie for 60 days, and I have been given nothing but respect, love, and good wishes. Please, everybody, let’s put this to rest because I’m so excited about the movie,” she said.

She concluded, “Trinadha sir has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I couldn’t have asked for a better director to guide me through this process. I have nothing but love and gratitude for him and the team.” TNN

‘We must start penalising people’

Producer Tammareddy Bharadwaj urged the industry to step up and take action. “Just issuing a statement or apology doesn’t solve the problem. The women’s commission should step in. Once one or two persons are penalised, this will stop,” he said.

News Credits: Times of India