Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language epic neo-noir action thriller film directed by Prashanth Neel and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films. The film stars Prabhas in the titular role, alongside an ensemble cast of Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Bobby Simha, Sriya Reddy, Ramachandra Raju, John Vijay, Easwari Rao, Tinnu Anand, Devaraj, Brahmaji and Mime Gopi. In the fictional dystopian city-state of Khansaar, where monarchy still exists, the film follows the friendship between Deva (Prabhas), the exiled prince of Khansaar, and Varadha (Prithviraj Sukumaran), the current prince of Khansaar. When a coup d'état is planned by his father's ministers and his relatives, Varadha enlists Deva's help to become Khansaar's undisputed ruler. The film's initial storyline was pitched from Neel's debut film Ugramm (2014) and is the maiden part of a two-part film.[4] It was officially announced in December 2020 under the title Salaar, however, in July 2023, its first instalment was titled as Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire.
KGF: Chapter 2 a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action film[21] written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under his Hombale Films banner. It serves as the direct sequel to KGF: Chapter 1 (2018), as well as the second installment in the KGF franchise. The film stars an ensemble cast of Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Achyuth Kumar, Rao Ramesh, Vasishta N. Simha, Ayyappa P. Sharma, Archana Jois, Saran Shakti, Easwari Rao, John Kokken, T. S. Nagabharana and Malavika Avinash. Produced on a budget of ₹100 crore, KGF: Chapter 2 was at the time of release the most expensive Kannada film ever made. Neel retained the technicians from its predecessor with Bhuvan Gowda handling the cinematography and Ravi Basrur composed the film score and songs. Dutt and Tandon joined the cast in early 2019, marking the former's Kannada film debut. Portions of the film were shot simultaneously with Chapter 1. Principal photography for the rest of the sequences commenced in March 2019, but was halted in March 2020 owing to the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Filming resumed five months later in August 2020 and was completed in December 2020. Locations included Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore and Kolar.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is a 2017 Indian epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the script with V. Vijayendra Prasad. It was produced by Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni under the banner Arka Media Works. Produced in the Telugu film industry,[16] the film was shot in both Telugu and Tamil languages.[17][18] The cast includes Prabhas in a dual role, alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj, Nassar and Subbaraju. It is both the sequel and the prequel to Baahubali: The Beginning, as well as the final installment in the Baahubali film duology. The film is set in fictional medieval India and centers on the rivalry between siblings Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva. Bhallaladeva conspires against Amarendra, leading to his death at the hands of Kattappa. Years later, Amarendra's son (Mahendra or Sivudu) seeks to avenge his father's demise.[19][20] The film was produced on an estimated budget of ₹250 crore, making it the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release. Production began on 17 December 2015 at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. The cinematography was handled by K. K. Senthil Kumar, with editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. The production design was created by Sabu Cyril, while the action sequences were choreographed by King Solomon, Lee Whittaker, and Kecha Khamphakdee.[21] Visual effects were designed by Makuta VFX, with contributions from Adel Adili and Pete Draper. The music and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was released on 28 April 2017 in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam, and later dubbed in Japanese, Russian and Chinese. It was available in conventional 2D and IMAX formats and was the first Telugu film to release in 4K High Definition format.[22]
Animal is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action drama film[1][5] co-written, directed and edited by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and produced by T-Series Films, Bhadrakali Pictures and Cine1 Studios. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Triptii Dimri. It explores the strained relationship between Ranvijay Singh and his father, Balbir Singh, an industrialist. After spending years abroad, Ranvijay returns home with plans for revenge against those who attempted to assassinate his father. The film was officially announced in January 2021. Principal photography began in April 2022 and wrapped by April 2023, with cinematography by Amit Roy. The film's soundtrack album was composed by Pritam, JAM8, Vishal Mishra, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Ashim Kemson and Harshavardhan Rameshwar. With a runtime of 201 minutes, Animal is one of the longest Indian films ever made. It was initially set for an August 2023 release but was postponed due to post-production work.[6] Animal was theatrically released on 1 December 2023, in standard and IMAX formats to mixed reviews, with praise for its cast, performances, direction, screenwriting, soundtrack, cinematography, action sequences and technical aspects, but faced severe criticism for its themes and graphic violence. However, the film did extremely well commercially, both domestically and internationally. It grossed between ₹917.82 crore (US$110 million) worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film, the ninth highest-grossing Indian film, the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film,[7] and the highest-grossing film of Ranbir Kapoor's career.[8][a]
RRR is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, who co-wrote the screenplay with V. Vijayendra Prasad.[9] Produced by D. V. V. Danayya under DVV Entertainment, the film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan as fictionalised versions of Indian revolutionaries Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, respectively. It also features Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody and Olivia Morris in supporting roles. The film is a fictionalised tale of two historical freedom fighters, set in the Indian pre-independence era.[10] Rajamouli conceptualised the film by reimagining the lives of Sitarama Raju and Bheem, envisioning their meeting in 1920s Delhi as two formidable forces uniting to battle British colonial rule. The film was officially announced in March 2018, and principal photography began in November 2018 in Hyderabad. The production faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concluded in August 2021. RRR was shot extensively across India, with additional sequences filmed in Ukraine and Bulgaria. The film's songs and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani, with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Sabu Cyril served as the production designer, and V. Srinivas Mohan supervised the visual effects. Made on a budget of ₹550 crore,[11] RRR was the most expensive Indian film at the time of its release. The film was released theatrically on 25 March 2022 and became the first Indian film to be released in Dolby Cinema format. It received universal critical acclaim for its direction, screenwriting, cast performances, cinematography, soundtrack, action sequences and VFX.