Movie News

If you have been eagerly waiting for an update on the second chapter of the highly successful Telugu supernatural thriller web series, Dhootha, there is some exciting news. After the massive success of the first season in 2023, which marked Naga Chaitanya’s digital debut, the show is back in the spotlight with a major development.

The official pooja ceremony for Dhootha Season 2 took place today in Hyderabad, with veteran actor Akkineni Nagarjuna clapping the board for the cast and crew. In an exciting twist, while the first season marked Naga Chaitanya’s foray into the OTT space as an actor, Season 2 will mark his debut as a producer. This unexpected move highlights his immense confidence in the script and the direction of the supernatural thriller.

Regular shooting for the series is set to begin shortly. Several key members of the original creative team are returning, including creator-director Vikram Kumar, producer Sharrath Marar, and co-stars Parvathy Thiruvothu and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The series will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, with more details regarding the release date expected to follow soon.

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Hai-Jawaani-Toh-Ishq-Hona-H

Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (HJTIHH) arrived in theatres today, marking David Dhawan’s latest collaboration with his son Varun Dhawan. Designed as a colourful romantic comedy, the film embraces David Dhawan’s signature style of family friendly humour, confusion driven comedy, and energetic music, including the recreated version of Chunnari Chunari.

Early audience reactions have been largely positive, with many viewers describing it as a light hearted entertainer, paisa vasool film, and a fun family watch. Varun Dhawan has received praise for his comic timing and screen presence, while Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde have also been appreciated for their performances and chemistry.

Critical and audience opinions remain mixed. Supporters enjoy its nostalgic masala comedy approach, while some reviewers feel the story follows a familiar formula and relies heavily on old school Bollywood tropes.

Overall, the film appears to be connecting best with viewers looking for simple, escapist entertainment rather than a modern or highly realistic narrative. It delivers exactly the kind of easy going comedy that fans of traditional Bollywood entertainers are likely to enjoy.

From a box office perspective, the film faces limited direct competition in the Hindi market. Trade estimates suggest an opening day collection in the range of around Rs. 6.5 crore to Rs. 7 crore nett in India, although the final figure will depend on spot bookings, walk ins, and audience word of mouth. A positive response could help the film record stronger growth over the weekend.

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Peddi

Peddi, the Ram Charan-starrer rural sports drama, has received a solid response everywhere. Directed by Buchi Babu Sana, the big-ticket film showcases the actor in a stunning avatar, backed by a powerful and emotional performance.

The day 1 collections stand at Rs. 135 crore gross (worldwide), and in Nizam as well, the collections are strong. The day 1 share posted by Peddi is spectacular, with Rs. 18.32 crore collected in Nizam, including GST.

As Day 2 is already strong, the weekend is also expected to hold well and rake in more impressive collections for Peddi.

The supporting cast includes Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Divyenndu Sharma, Ravi Kishan, 0and Boman Irani. The film’s music is composed by legendary composer AR Rahman, adding further weight to the film, produced by Vriddhi Cinemas.

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Ram Charan’s Peddi was released in cinemas on June 4, 2026, with premiere shows held the previous night. The film opened to strong collections, grossing over Rs. 135 crore worldwide on its first day.

Coming to its performance in the Telugu states, occupancies have been solid, and the film is expected to perform even better over the weekend. The day 1 collections from various regions of Andhra Pradesh are as follows:

Vizag – Rs. 6 crore (approx.)

East Godavari – Rs. 4.4 crore (approx.)

West Godavari – Rs. 3.5 crore (approx.)

Krishna – Rs. 3.3 crore (approx.)

Nellore – Rs. 1.9 crore (approx.)

The total stands at around Rs. 19 crore share, with Nizam collections also expected to be promising. The big-ticket entertainer is directed by Buchi Babu Sana and features Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Divyenndu Sharma, and Boman Irani in key roles. Produced by Vriddhi Cinemas, the film features music composed by AR Rahman.

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Peddi, the much-anticipated rural sports drama headlined by Ram Charan, hit theaters yesterday to immense fanfare. Directed by Buchi Babu Sana, the film marks a major cinematic event, with the actor portraying an intense wrestler and cricketer fighting for his village’s honour.

Following its high-profile release, the production team officially shared the film’s day 1 box-office figures. The movie made a massive statement by grossing Rs. 135.36 crore worldwide on its opening day, comfortably crossing the Rs. 100 crore mark globally.

This opening is particularly impressive for a midweek release, highlighting Ram Charan’s immense star power and crowd-pulling ability. Theaters are currently reporting packed houses and exceptional ticket sales, signaling strong momentum as the weekend approaches.

Ram Charan is supported by a stellar ensemble cast that includes Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Boman Irani, Divyenndu, and Janhvi Kapoor. The film’s soundtrack is composed by AR Rahman, and it is produced under the banner of Vriddhi Cinemas.

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29-movie

29 is the latest Tamil romantic-comedy starring Vidhu and Preethi Asrani in the lead roles. The film, which made its theatrical debut on May 8, 2026, was directed by Ratna Kumar. During its initial cinema run, the project garnered mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.

The film has now made its official digital debut on Netflix for audiences worldwide. To accommodate non-Tamil viewers, the streaming platform is offering the movie in Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam, alongside its original Tamil audio. This streaming release offers a second chance for the film to find a wider audience and potentially perform better on the small screen.

The story follows Sathya (Vidhu), a 29-year-old man struggling with his identity and life direction as he approaches his milestone 30th birthday. His mundane life takes a major turn when he crosses paths with Viji (Preethi Asrani), a highly ambitious IAS aspirant. As their relationship deepens, Sathya becomes emotionally dependent on her, causing their differing life goals to create friction. Ultimately, the narrative explores the classic themes of self-discovery, growing up, and balancing love with individuality.

Supported by a talented cast including Mahendran, Avinash, Shenaz Fathima, and Prem Kumar, the project boasts high-profile backing. The movie is a joint production venture between Karthik Subbaraj’s Stone Bench Creations and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s G Squad. Additionally, the film features a musical score composed by Sean Roldan. Stay tuned for more updates as additional OTT news becomes available.

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Actor Shree Nandu is currently making headlines as two of his recent films have arrived on Amazon Prime Video. While both projects share the same lead actor, their paths to the streaming platform have been quite different.

His earlier film, Psych Siddhartha, originally released in theaters a few months ago and had its initial digital run on Aha. Today, it expanded its streaming presence by officially debuting on Amazon Prime Video.

Meanwhile, his newest psychological thriller, Ugly Story, co-starring Avika Gor, has made an incredibly quick transition to OTT just 12 days after its theatrical release. The film is now streaming simultaneously on both Amazon Prime Video (available in Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil) and Aha (available in Telugu and Tamil).

Since neither film made a significant impact at the box office, it remains to be seen how they will perform following their OTT premieres. Stay tuned for more updates on their digital reception.

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Dacoit

Dacoit

Dacoit: A Love Story is the recently released romantic crime thriller starring Mrunal Thakur and Adivi Sesh in the lead roles. The movie gained a great response at the box office, and the Shaneil Deo directorial is back in the headlines.

The Hindi version is now available on Amazon Prime Video, meaning the film can finally be streamed in all major Indian languages. It will be interesting to see how the North Indian OTT audience embraces this gritty thriller.

The film is produced by Supriya Yarlagadda under Annapurna Studios, alongside Suniel Narang and Bharat Narang of Sree Venkateswara Cinema LLP.

The musical score is a collaborative effort that shapes the film’s intense atmosphere. The songs are composed by Bheems Ceciroleo.

The film features a strong supporting cast, including Anurag Kashyap, Prakash Raj, Sunil, Atul Kulkarni, Zayn Marie Khan, and Kamakshi Bhaskarla. With its wide digital release, the movie is expected to reach a much larger pan-Indian audience over the coming weeks.

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Peddi

Peddi opened in theaters to an incredible response from audiences. The positive buzz surrounding the film translated into massive advance bookings, leading to packed theaters on day one. Ram Charan, director Buchi Babu Sana, and the entire team are delighted with the film’s strong opening reception.

In the meantime, ticket sales on BookMyShow have reached a new high. With more than 40K tickets sold per hour yesterday, the film has already accumulated a sensational 653K ticket sales on the platform alone. This is a phenomenal achievement for a movie released in the middle of the week.

Box office collections are expected to climb even higher in the coming days. With the weekend approaching, the film is well positioned to witness another major boost in ticket sales, reflecting the tremendous support it continues to receive from audiences.

Peddi features a stellar ensemble cast including Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Divyenndu Sharma, and Boman Irani. The film is produced by Vriddhi Cinemas and features a musical score composed by AR Rahman.

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Movie Name : Peddi

Release Date : June 4, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring : Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, Divyendu Sharma
Director : Buchi Babu Sana
Producers : Venkata Satish Kilaru
Music Director : AR Rahman
Cinematographer : Ratnavelu ISC
Editor : Navin Nooli

Related Links : Trailer

Ram Charan’s much-awaited sports drama Peddi has finally arrived in theatres amid massive expectations. Directed by Buchi Babu Sana and featuring a star-studded cast, the film generated significant buzz through its promotional campaign. With promises of intense emotions, sports drama, and a powerful central performance, does Peddi live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

Story:

Set in 2016, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports begins a search for exceptional sporting talent following India’s disappointing performance at the Olympics. During this mission, sports official Mr. Paiswal (Boman Irani) arrives in Vizianagaram and learns about Peddi (Ram Charan), a jaggery worker from an unrecognised village who has earned a reputation for excelling in multiple sports. Curious about the man and his extraordinary abilities, Paiswal sets out to uncover the story behind Peddi’s journey and his deep connection to his village.

Plus Points:

Ram Charan is undoubtedly the film’s biggest strength. After Rangasthalam, this is one of those rare roles that allows him to showcase both his acting prowess and emotional depth. He delivers a committed performance throughout and completely owns the character of Peddi. His portrayal is convincing and impactful, allowing the audience to connect with the character’s journey. The emotional maturity he displays during the pre-climax and climax portions stands out as one of the film’s major highlights.

Shiva Rajkumar plays an important role and leaves a strong impression with his screen presence. His scenes with Ram Charan are engaging and contribute significantly to the narrative. Jagapathi Babu, despite limited screen time, makes his presence felt with a powerful performance as Appalasoori. Boman Irani is effective in his role and performs with his usual ease.

The sports sequences are handled well, particularly the cricket episodes, which provide several entertaining moments. Ram Charan’s physical transformation and commitment to the demanding role deserve appreciation.

While several emotional scenes fall short of their potential, the climax delivers the emotional payoff effectively and stands out as one of the film’s strongest aspects.

Minus Points:

While Peddi aims to balance sports drama with strong emotional storytelling, a few emotional scenes do not achieve the desired impact. Although they have the potential to be deeply moving, the writing and execution make them feel somewhat ordinary. The film also follows a few familiar storytelling patterns seen in similar sports dramas, making certain portions predictable and reducing their overall effectiveness.

Although the casting choices are appropriate, many supporting characters are underutilised. Janhvi Kapoor has very little contribution to the narrative and is largely confined to songs and a romantic subplot that lacks emotional connection. Similarly, talented actors such as Rao Ramesh, John Vijay, Ajay Ghosh, and others are not given enough opportunities to leave a lasting impression.

Some viewers may find certain dialogues difficult to follow due to their presentation and the Uttarandhra dialect. Additionally, the placement of the special song Hallallallo feels forced and does not blend naturally into the narrative.

The promotional campaign also revealed more than necessary, reducing the impact of a few key moments that would have worked better as surprises.

Technical Aspects:

Director Buchi Babu Sana chooses an ambitious subject for his second feature and succeeds in delivering an engaging film for the most part. He understands Ram Charan’s strengths and utilises them effectively. However, a tighter screenplay and sharper narrative progression could have elevated the overall experience considerably.

A.R. Rahman’s music and background score enhance several important moments. While his work is effective overall, a few emotional scenes could have benefited from a more impactful score. Cinematographer Ratnavelu delivers visually appealing frames and captures both the rural backdrop and sports sequences with richness and scale.

Naveen Nooli’s editing is satisfactory, though a few portions could have been trimmed for a crisper narrative. The production values are impressive throughout, reflecting the film’s grand scale. The visual effects are decent but leave room for improvement in certain scenes.

Verdict:

On the whole, Peddi is an engaging and emotional sports drama elevated largely by Ram Charan’s outstanding performance. His portrayal of the titular character carries the film and delivers several memorable moments, particularly during the emotionally charged climax portions. Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, and the supporting cast perform their roles effectively. However, the film is not without flaws. Predictable narrative beats, underutilised supporting characters, and a few emotional sequences that fall short of their intended impact prevent it from reaching its full potential. Despite these shortcomings, Peddi remains an engaging watch, thanks to its blend of sports, emotion, and an inspiring story. Fans of Ram Charan and emotional sports dramas are likely to come away highly satisfied.

123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

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