Rishab Shetty’s National Film Award win, Thangi-aan release, Kerala State Awards, and other top Southern news of the week
Trigger Warning: This article contains gruesome details of murder and violence, which could be triggering for some readers.
The past week witnessed a lot of big events in the South entertainment industry. The past week proved regional cinema’s remarkable achievement when the prestigious National Film Awards 2024 were announced on Friday, August 16.
Rishab Shetty and Nithya Menen bagged the top acting honors for their exceptional performances. Besides, the Kerala State Awards were also announced on the same day, honoring Prithviraj Sukumaran with the Best Actor Award for his film Aadujeevitham. If you too have missed some of these updates and more, what are you waiting for? Read on to know what happened this week.
South Newsmakers of the Week
1. Kerala State Awards 2024 Announced
The 54th Kerala State Film Awards were announced on Friday, August 16. The top honors were bagged by Prithviraj Sukumaran, Urvashi, and Beena R. Chandran. The Salaar actor received the Best Actor award for his performance in Aadujeevitham, and Urvashi and Beena R Chandran shared the Best Actress award. Besides, Mammootty starrer Kaathal: The Core was honored with the Best Picture.
2. National Film Awards 2024 Announced
August 16 marked a remarkable day as two major awards were announced. Apart from the Kerala State Awards, the prestigious 70th National Film Awards were also announced. While, Rishab Shetty bagged the top acting honor of the Best Actor Award for his film Kantara, as did talented actress Nithya Menen for her performance in the Tamil film Thiruchitrambalam.
Kantara emerged as a big win, as the film also bagged the Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment award. On the other hand, Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2 won the Best Kannada Film Award and Best Action Direction.
3. Kalki 2898 AD OTT release
Nag Ashwin’s directorial Kalki 2898 AD has been the talk of the town for the last few months. After creating history at the box office, the Prabhas starrer is all set to release on OTT platforms. Yes, you read that right!
Kalki 2898 AD Hindi will be released on Netflix on August 22 and the makers of Kalki 2898 AD have zeroed in on Amazon Prime Video for Nag Ashwin’s directorial to release in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages along with English subtitles.
Besides Prabhas, Kalki 2898 AD features brilliant actors like Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Disha Patani, Rajendra Prasad, Shobana, Anna Ben, and Saswata Chatterjee, among others. Superstars like Vijay Deverakonda, Mrunal Thakur, and Dulquer Salmaan also appeared in the film in special cameo roles.
4. Chiyaan Vikram’s Thangalaan release
The wait was over as Chiyan Vikram’s much-awaited film Thangalaan was released on August 15, coinciding with Independence Day. Directed by Pa Ranjith, the film opened up to mixed to positive responses from the audience.
Billed as a period-action drama, Thangalaan delves into the history of the Kolar Gold Fields, exploring its origins and the people connected to it.
It is worth mentioning that the film marks the first collaboration between filmmaker Pa. Ranjith and actor Vikram. Apart from Chiyaan, the film features Parvathy Thiruvothu, Malavika Mohanan, and Pasupathy in pivotal roles.
5. Darshan Thoogudeepa’s judicial custody extends
No relief for Darshan Thoogudeepa as a local court on August 14 extended the judicial custody of the Kannada actor, his alleged girlfriend Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others accused in the Renuka Swamy murder case. The judicial custody has been extended until August 28.
According to a report in India Today, all 17 accused were produced before the magistrate through video conferencing from Bengaluru and Tumakuru prisons, where they are lodged.
Authorities suggest that the ongoing investigations and substantial evidence tie all the accused to the crime, and hence the decision is taken.
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