Nagarjuna's 100th venture to clash with Chiranjeevi's 'Vishwambhara'
Telugu cinema icon Nagarjuna Akkineni—known for films such as LOC Kargil, Geethanjali, and Siva—recently charmed audiences through his Naa Saami Ranga, released during the Sankranti weekend. The makers recently organized a success meet, where Nagarjuna announced that he will grace audiences once again during Sankranti next year. Reportedly his 100th film, this will have a box office showdown with Chiranjeevi's Vishwambhara, slated for the same release slot in 2025.
Speculations suggest Nagarjuna's 100th film will be 'Love Action Romance'
Though not yet officially confirmed, rumors are swirling that Nagarjuna will take on the lead role in Love Action Romance, a film produced by KE Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green and helmed by an unconfirmed Tamil director. Meanwhile, Chiranjeevi's Vishwambhara, a big-budget socio-fantasy flick, is being directed by Bimbisara's acclaimed director Mallidi Vassishta. It will present Chiranjeevi in a "larger-than-life role," say reports. The music is by Academy Award-winning composer MM Keeravani (RRR).
Here's what we know about 'Love Action Romance'
A previous report by Telugu 360 stated that LAR, as the title suggests, will be a cocktail of all three titular genres and will be developed in a way that appeals to the pan-Indian audience's sensibilities. The action episodes will reportedly be mounted on an impressive scale. Other reports also suggest that Trisha might star in Love Action Romance, but details about her role are hard to come by.
Nagarjuna's recent projects and upcoming appearances
In 2022, Nagarjuna took over the silver screen with films like Bangarraju, The Ghost, and an extended role in Brahmāstra Part One- Shiva. His latest, Naa Saami Ranga, was an official adaptation of the 2019 Malayalam movie Porinju Mariam Jose and garnered mixed-to-positive reviews and performed well commercially. Up next, the superstar is gearing up for a pivotal role in Dhanush's upcoming film DNS (tentative title), which also stars Rashmika Mandanna. It'll be directed by Sekhar Kammula.
Sankranti clashes are not new in South India
Since Sankranti/Pongal is a major festival across India, especially in the southern states, numerous filmmakers lock this slot to release their films, the intense competition notwithstanding. This year, some of the major South Indian movies that were released during this period were Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram, Dhanush's Captain Miller, Teja Sajja's Hanu-Man, and Sivakarthikeyan's Ayalaan, among others. Out of these, Hanu-Man has reportedly emerged as the most successful film at the box office.