Films releasing on Pongal/Sankranti 2024: From Dhanush’s Captain Miller, Ayalaan to Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram
2024 Sankranti is going to be packed with a bunch of exciting releases! From Captain Miller starring Dhanush to Guntur Kaaram featuring Mahesh Babu, there's a lot to look forward to.
2024 has just begun and the year already seems to be quite promising for South Indian cinema. Several highly anticipated films, like Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2, Jr. NTR’s Devara and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Aadujeevitham have already announced their release dates, further adding to the excitement of fans.
And by the looks of it, the cine-mania is all set to start right from the second week of January, during the Pongal/Sankranti weekend. Several films across various genres from the South Indian industries have announced their release dates around January 12th or 13th, guaranteeing a fun-filled weekend. Unfortunately, a couple of films like Ravi Teja starrer Eagle or Aishwarya Rajinikanth’s directorial Lal Salaam have been postponed from the Sankranti race.
Check out the final list of Pongal/Sankranti releases
1. Guntur Kaaram - 12th January
Mahesh Babu’s upcoming action drama flick, Guntur Kaaram, which is helmed by Trivikram Srinivas has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. The film features an ensemble cast including Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Jagapathi Babu, Jayaram, Ramya Krishnan and many more in prominent roles. The makers of the film have already released three singles from the movie, as well as a short glimpse, piquing the audience’s excitement. Fans are also eagerly awaiting the film’s trailer, which is set to release soon.
Haarika and Hassine Creations have funded Guntur Kaaram, with Thaman S. providing the film's music. Manoj Paramahamsa and PS Vinod were in charge of the cinematography, while Naveen Nooli handled the editing.
2. Ayalaan - 12th January
R Ravikumar’s second directorial venture, Ayalaan, features Sivakarthikeyan in the lead. The film is set to be a science fiction action entertainer, and features Rakul Preet Singh, Yogi Babu, Sharad Kelkar and more in prominent roles. It is understood that the film revolves around an alien who comes to Earth with a mission to save the planet. With this goal, it also befriends a set of humans, who help protect it from getting caught by a group of scientists who wish to use it for the wrong purposes.
The film was Produced by KJR Films, while AR Rahman composed the music for the movie. Nirav Shah cranked the film’s camera, and Ruben was in charge of the editing.
3. HanuMan - 12th January
Teja Sajja is all set to appear as the lead in Prashanth Varma’s upcoming superhero film HanuMan. The film features Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vinay Rai, Vennela Kishore and more in prominent roles.
It is understood that the film is set to take place in the fictional village of Anjanadri, and will be the first installment in the upcoming Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe. Primeshow Entertainment has bankrolled the film, which is set to be released in 10 languages across the globe.
4. Mission: Chapter 1 - 12th January
Arun Vijay is all set to reappear on the silver screens with his upcoming action thriller film Mission: Chapter 1. The film, helmed by AL Vijay, features an ensemble cast including Amy Jackson, Nimisha Sajayan, Nick Khan, Tygorah Smith, and many more in prominent roles. It is understood that the story revolves around a prisoner, who wants to escape against all odds, in order to meet his ailing daughter.
The film has been bankrolled by K Subaskaran, under the banner of Lyca Productions, while GV Prakash has composed the film’s music. Sandeep K Vijay and Gavemic U Ary have cranked the film’s camera, which has been edited by Anthony.
5. Captain Miller - 12th January
Dhanush’s upcoming period action film with Rocky fame Arun Matheswaran is perhaps the most anticipated Sankranti release. The film features an ensemble cast including Shiva Rajkumar, Priyanka Mohan, Sundeep Kishan, Vinoth Kishan, Nassar and many more in crucial roles, apart from the Karnan actor.
The film, set in the 1930s, revolves around the eponymous rebel leader, who is forced to take a stance when things go against him. The helmer had mentioned in an earlier interview that the film is the first of three parts. Captain Miller has been bankrolled by Sathya Jyothi Films, and GV Prakash Kumar composes the film’s music. Additionally, Siddhartha Nuni acts as the director of photography, while Nagooran Ramachandran is the film’s editor.
6. Saindhav - 13th January
Saindhav, helmed by Sailesh Kolanu, marks the 75th venture of Venkatesh Daggubati in the film industry, and hence, is dubbed as Venky75. The film features an ensemble cast including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Andrea Jeremiah, Jisshu Sengupta, Shraddha Srinath, Arya, and many more in prominent roles.
It is understood that the film revolves around a drug cartel, and how the protagonist stops them from achieving their goals. It is also speculated that the cartel and Saindhav share a history, which remains to be explored when the film releases. Santhosh Narayanan has composed the music for the film, which has been bankrolled by Niharika Entertainments.
7. Naa Saami Ranga - 14th January
It was recently announced that the Nagarjuna starrer Naa Saami Ranga, which is helmed by Vijay Binni is set to release on January 14th. The film features Ashika Ranganath, Allari Naresh, Mirnaa Menon, Raj Tarun and more in prominent roles. It is also understood that the film is a remake of the 2018 Malayalam film Porinju Mariam Jose, which is loosely based on real-life events that took place in Thrissur, Kerala during the 1980s.
Apart from these, the Malayalam film Ozler, helmed by Midhun Manuel Thomas, which features Jayaram in the lead, as well as Sriram Raghavan’s Hindi-Tamil bilingual film Merry Christmas with Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in the lead is also set to release during the Sankranti weekend.
How these films do at the box office is dependent on how the audience views the film, however, if one thing is guaranteed, it is that the films will set a high bar for other films that are set to release in 2024.
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