2023 was not a great year for southern movies trying to make a mark on a pan India level.
The only film that managed some sort of business was Prabhas' Salaar.
Will these 2024 releases -- bookended by Rajinikanth no less -- create a dhamaka at the box office?
Joginder Tuteja lists the southern fare that hope to make waves this year.
Lal Salaam
Release date: January 12
Rajinikanth starts the year with Lal Salaam directed by his daughter Aishwarya Rajinikanth (making her directorial comeback after eight years).
The Thalaiva plays an extended cameo in the sports drama, with Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth taking centrestage.
The music is scored by A R Rahman.
Hanu Man
Release date: January 12
Hanu Man is a Telugu superhero film, written and directed by Prasanth Varma. It stars Teja Sajja and Amritha Aiyer among others.
Devara
Release date: April 5
After RRR, NTR Jr gets ready for Devara, which co-stars Janhvi Kapoor.
Directed by Koratala Siva, the Telugu action epic also stars Saif Ali Khan.
Pushpa 2 - The Rule
Release date: August 15
Sukumar's Pushpa 2 - The Rule is the hottest south release of 2024.
There is huge curiosity around this sequel to the 2021 blockbuster, which won *everyone* over.
The story continues with the rags-to-riches story of sandalwood smuggler Pushpa Raj (Allu Arjun). We were introduced to Fahadh Faasil's ruthless antagonist in the first part, and we will see more of him here.
Indian 2
Release date to be finalised
Kamal Haasan's Senapathy, a former freedom fighter-turned-vigilante against corruption, returns in Indian 2.
The first Indian had released in 1996, and was set before Independence. The sequel will be based in present times.
Directed by Shankar, Rakul Singh and Kajjal Aggarwal also star.
Kalki 2898 AD
Release date to be finalised
Prabhas' big release of 2024 is Kalki 2898 AD.
The futuristic action film also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
The trailer promises a big-screen spectacle and gives us a glimpse of the dystopic world that the film is set in.
The film has been written and directed by National Award-winning director Nag Ashwin.
Kantara 2
Release date to be finalised
It was a dream run for Actor-Director Rishab Shetty, who came up with a mid-budget action drama Kantara and ended up delivering a blockbuster in Kannada as well as Hindi.
He's all set to wow us again with Kantara 2, which will reportedly be a prequel to the first part.
Oh, and Urvashi Rautela is a part of it.
Game Changer
Release date to be finalised
Ace director Shankar makes his debut in Telugu cinema with Game Changer.
The film stars Ram Charan and Kiara Advani in their second outing together after 2019's Vinaya Vidheya Rama.
Kanguva
Release date: Summer of 2024
Suriya stars in the big budget mythological movie set in two time zones, the present as well as 1,500 years ago.
Directed by Siva, Disha Patani and Bobby Deol make their Tamil debuts in this film.
Vettaiyan
Release date to be finalised
After Lal Salaam, Rajinikanth closes the year with Vettaiyan.
It's an important film for the Superstar, as he reunites with Amitabh Bachchan after 33 years. They were last seen in the 1991 film, Hum.
Directed by T J Gnanavel, the film also stars Manju Warrier, Rana Daggubati and Fahadh Faasil.
This will be the Big B's first Tamil film.
