The South cinema industry saw several buzzing updates this week, with multiple announcements making waves. As we head into the weekend, here are a few highlights that stood out most to the audience.
South Newsmakers of the Week
1. Akhil Akkineni and Zainab Ravdjee’s wedding date
Akhil Akkineni and his fiancée, Zainab Ravdjee, are all set to tie the knot after making their relationship official in November 2024. The wedding is reportedly scheduled for June 6, 2025.
According to multiple reports, the Lenin actor will get married in a grand ceremony at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad—the same venue where his brother Naga Chaitanya’s wedding with Sobhita Dhulipala took place. There is also speculation about an additional celebration being planned in Rajasthan.
Recently, Akhil’s parents, veteran actors Nagarjuna Akkineni and Amala Akkineni, officially invited Telangana CM Revanth Reddy to the wedding.
2. Jr NTR and Prashanth Neel’s NTRNeel to step away from Dragon title
In an exclusive update from Pinkvilla, it was reported that Jr NTR and Prashanth Neel’s upcoming film, tentatively titled NTRNeel, may drop the potential title Dragon.
A source revealed, “The issue arises because Dragon is already a registered title for a Tamil film releasing in 2025, which prevents the production team from officially locking it. Additionally, the Tamil Dragon was dubbed in Telugu, raising concerns over legal complications and possible fan confusion in the Telugu-speaking market.”
While Dragon remains a working title for now, the makers are expected to announce the final title soon.
3. Kamal Haasan’s Kannada language row
Kamal Haasan recently made headlines after commenting that the Kannada language was born out of Tamil during the Thug Life audio launch event.
His remarks sparked debate among netizens, leading the Karnataka Film Chamber to demand a ban on his films unless he issues an apology. However, the veteran actor has refrained from apologizing, stating he will only do so if he believes he has done something wrong.
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