2022 saw the rise of the South Indian Film industry on a global scale. According to a report released by Ormax Media, the four South Indian languages contributed 57.3 percent of India's Rs 9,759-crore cumulative gross box office collections between January 2020 and April 2022. During this period, out of the top 10 grossing films, seven were from the South. Some of the names are KGF: Chapter 2, RRR, Ponniyin Selvan: 1, Vikram and Kantara. During this period, Telugu films contributed 27 percent to overall Indian box office revenues compared to 12 percent in 2019. In addition, the Hindi cinema's share fell from 43 percent in 2018 to 38 percent in 2022.
While Bollywood's focal point has always been the multiplexes, South cinema has seamlessly invaded the single screens across the country, which also contributes to the bulk of moviegoers. Only a handful of Hindi films fared well in 2022--Gangubai Kathiawadi, Bhool Bhulaiya 2, Kashmir Files, Vikram Vedha and Brahmastra. And interestingly a major revenue of the box office collections in Bollywood have been driven primarily by dubbed versions of KGF: Chapter 2, Kantara and RRR.
Can South Indian films hijack the market of Bollywood in 2023? Well, it looks like so. An interesting array of lineups are scheduled in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam for this year. Let's take a look.
Salaar
Directed by Prashanth Neel of KGF fame, this action drama has Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan and Jagapathi Babu in pivotal roles. Touted to be a thrilling gangster drama, both Prabhas and Prithviraj will appear in rugged avatars.
Jailer
Superstar Rajinikanth's action-comedy Jailer is one of the most-awaited projects. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the film marks the Tamil debut of Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar. According to rumours, The story revolves around a gang who tries to rescue their leader from the prison but to accomplish their mission they have to face the prison's jailer.
Ponniyin Selvan 2
The Cholas will be back with their enthralling story again. The first part ended with crown prince Aditha Karikalan (Vikram) sending his most trustable commander Vandiyathevan (played by Karthi) to get his brother Arulmozhi Varman (Jayam Ravi) from Lanka. But the news of Arulmozhi's death has rocked the Chola kingdom. Directed by Mani Ratnam, the film has a huge star cast that includes Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Jayaram, Sobhita Dhulipala, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Vikram Prabhu, Ashwin Kakumanu, R. Sarathkumar, R. Parthiban, Prabhu, Prakash Raj and Rahman. AR Rahman is the music director.
Kantara 2
Producer Hombale Films has confirmed that Kantara 2 is definitely on cards however whether it is a prequel or a sequel is yet to be decided. With Rishab Shetty in dual roles, the action-thriller revolves around the traditional culture of Kambla and Buta Kola. The star cast also includes Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Prakash Thuminad, Pramod Shetty, and Naveen D Padil among others. The official synopsis states that the film set in a fictional village of Dakshina Kannada brings alive the traditional culture of Kambla and Bhootha Kola. It is believed that Demigods are the guardians and their energies encircle the village.
Yash's Next
All eyes are on Yash's next project. Rumours are rife that the KGF actor is likely to star in director Narthan's next in which he will play the role of a navy officer. Pooja Hegde has been approached to play the leading lady however, no official announcement has been made yet. There are also reports that Yash is in talks with Tamil director Shankar, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra for his epic drama Karna and Telugu producer Dil Raju for various projects.
Vijay-Lokesh Kanagaraj
Vijay will team up with his Masters director Lokesh Kanagaraj for a gangster saga. The big-budget action flick will be bankrolled by Kamal's Raj Kamal Films International along with Seven Screen Studio. Once again Anirudh will compose music for this commercial potboiler. Vijay is likely to sport a salt-and-pepper look for the film as he will play the role of a gangster in his late 40s. In addition, the film will also have a strong female lead played by Trisha. With the team starting to shoot later this year, there are reports that the film will be a part of the director's cinematic universe which already has Karthy's Kaithi and Kamal Haasan's Vikram.
Indian 2
The iconic Indian 2 has been in the making for quite a long time. Kamal Haasan will return as the iconic Senapathy to help a young man expose corrupt politicians through social media. The Shankar directorial will also feature Gulshan Grover, Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, Guru Somasundaram, Delhi Ganesh, Jayaprakash and Vennela Kishore in crucial roles.
Dhoomam
After the record-breaking Kantara, Hombale Films has announced their project Dhoomam, which will be helmed by Prem Kumar of Lucia and U-Turn fame. The thriller will be released in 4 languages including Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. The film stars Fahadh Faasil, Achyut Kumar, Joy Mathew, Dev Mohan, Anu Mohan, and Nandhu in pivotal roles.
