Nandamani Balakrishna's film Akhanda 2 has crossed the $1 million mark in North America during its fourth weekend, a testament to the star's enduring popularity. The film achieved this milestone on Saturday, December 27, despite receiving mostly below average reviews. This is Balakrishna's fifth consecutive film to collect $1 million in North America, setting a new record among senior actors.
The combination of Balakrishna and director Boyapati Sreenu has delivered three blockbusters - Simha, Legend, and Akhanda and expectations were high for the sequel. Although Akhanda 2 didn't meet expectations at the box office, it still managed a decent theatrical run. The film was released in theaters on December 12, 2025.
Nandamuri Balakrishna has scored back to back five million dollar films in North America, a significant milestone considering his strong mass image and age as a senior hero. The films Akhanda, Veera Simha Reddy, Bhagavanth Kesari, Daaku Maharaaj, and Akhanda 2: Thaandavam have all joined the prestigious million dollar club in North America.
This achievement is a testament to Balakrishna's enduring popularity and the strong connection he shares with his fans. With his impressive track record, fans are eagerly waiting for his next project.

Movie News

Akhanda 2 Breaches 1 Million Mark 

Akhanda 2 Thaandavam Turned Fifth Consecutive Balakrishna Film To Cross Million Dollar Mark

\r\nHere is Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce New President. The members of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce today elected the new president and here are the results.\r\nPopular producer D. Suresh Babu got elected as the new president of The Film Chamber of Commerce, Hyderabad. The elections were contested between Progressive Panel and Mana Panel and Progressive Panel swept the elections winning seven out of eight.\r\n&nbsp;Producer and Exhibitor D. Suresh Babu has been unanimously elected as the President of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC) in the elections for which polling took place from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.\r\nFollowing the announcement of the results after the counting, the newly elected committee held the meeting and Producer Naga Vamsi has been elected as Vice-President, while Ashok Kumar is the new General Secretary. Mohan Vadlapatla and Vijayender Reddy have been elected as Joint Secretaries, and Muthyala Ram Das will serve as the Treasurer.\r\nThe newly elected executive members include Dil Raju, C. Kalyan, Prasanna Kumar, Damodar Prasad, Bharat Bhushan, among others. Over 900 members out of a total 3,100 representing the four sectors of the Chamber &mdash; Producers, Distributors, Exhibitors, and Studios voted in the elections.&nbsp; This year, the President&rsquo;s post was reserved for the Exhibitors&rsquo; sector, following which Suresh Babu was elected after deliberations.\r\n\"Members contested in a very positive atmosphere,\" said Vijayender Reddy, who was elected as Joint Secretary. He said he had earlier served as General Secretary as well and added that the new body would take all sectors forward without discrimination. \"Small producers are the backbone of the industry and would receive full support,\" he said.\r\n

TFC gets New President 

Here is Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce New President

Starring Karunada Chakravarthy Shiva Rajkumar, Real Star Upendra, and Raj B. Shetty, &lsquo;45 The Movie&rsquo; is directed by Arjun Janya. The film is being produced on a grand scale by Smt. Uma Ramesh Reddy and M. Ramesh Reddy under the Suraj Productions banner. The Telugu version is set for a grand release through Mythri Distributors on January 1, and as part of the promotions, a pre-release event was held on Saturday.\r\nShiva Rajkumar said, &ldquo;After Veda, I came to Hyderabad again for 45. Arjun Janya narrated the story brilliantly within just four to five minutes. The interval and climax left a strong impact on me. I advised Arjun to direct the film himself. Initially, he shot two or three scenes using animation. After watching those visuals, Ramesh garu decided to back the project. Arjun has done complete justice to the opportunity given to him.\r\nI&rsquo;m very happy that Mythri is releasing our film in Telugu. The Kannada version has already been a success. Watching this film will surely make you love and respect every living being. We don&rsquo;t know how long we live on this earth, but the film teaches us to live happily for as long as we do. Satya&rsquo;s cinematography and Ravi Varma&rsquo;s action choreography are outstanding. Arjun Janya will become India&rsquo;s number one director. This film will touch everyone&rsquo;s hearts. Do watch 45 on January 1.&rdquo;\r\nUpendra stated, &ldquo;I really liked the way Arjun Janya narrated the story. I know how successful he is as a music director, but while narrating this script, he enacted every character with great conviction. He first shot a scene, completed DI and dubbing, and screened it in a theatre for the producer. Only after that we began the film.\r\nI have never seen Shivanna like this in any of his earlier films. Arjun has done a phenomenal job with the screenplay. After this movie, he will emerge as a big director. He gave me a role that no one has dared to offer me before. He may look calm in real life, but on screen he has created absolute mayhem. Telugu audiences always encourage good cinema. Please watch and support 45 on January 1.&rdquo;\r\nDirector Arjun Janya acknowledged, &ldquo;With 45, audiences will experience a completely new world. I have worked tirelessly on this film for three and a half years. I sincerely thank Shivanna garu and Upendra garu for giving me this opportunity. Raj B. Shetty has delivered a brilliant performance. Many thanks to Mythri Shashi garu for releasing our film&mdash;his suggestions were extremely valuable to us. Please watch and support 45 on January 1.&rdquo;\r\nProducer Ramesh Reddy said, &ldquo;No matter how much we speak about 45, it will still fall short. One must watch the film to truly understand its value. The movie presents the Garuda Purana in a very powerful manner. Shivanna, Upendra, and Raj B. Shetty have all delivered outstanding performances. This is a film everyone should watch. Do come with your family and enjoy it on January 1.&rdquo;\r\nMythri Shashi stated, &ldquo;Thank you to the team for trusting us with the release of 45. The film flows in one direction until the interval, after which you will witness the true, powerful avatars of Upendra garu and Shivanna garu. The climax is a high point. Raj B. Shetty&rsquo;s character will greatly impress audiences. The film carries a strong and meaningful message, and the present generation must definitely watch it. Please support 45 on January 1.&rdquo;

45 The Movie Will Captivate Everyone - Karunada Chakravarthy Shiva Rajkumar

Telugu audiences always support good cinema - Real Star Upendra

Salman Khan is celebrated his 60th birthday and it was celebrated with a grand event. Celebrities graced the bash and wished him on the occasion.\r\nOn his birthday, Salman Khan surprised all by riding a bicycle. In the unseen video,&nbsp; Salman was seen dressed in a black T-shirt and blue denims as he went cycling at night. Several fans and paparazzi were heard screaming and running after him. His cycle was followed by his security teams. Reacting to the video, a person wrote, \"That\'s a nice birthday activity.\"\r\nAn X user commented, \"How crazy are people for him?\" A fan said, \"Don\'t run like this after a celebrity, it looks odd. He could get nervous, which could lead to a mishap.\" A tweet read, \"Careful while running behind him on the road! There are cars there. Really reckless!\" &ldquo;Proving he is still fit at 60,&rdquo; tweeted another fan.\r\n&nbsp;

Salman surprises with a bicycle

Salman Khan rides Bicycle on his BirthDay

Akshaye Khanna is hogging the media limelight for all wrong reasons after the sensation of Ranveer Singh\'s Dhurandhar. it is known that following Dhurandhar success, Akshaye Khanna walked out of Drishyam3 and this prompted Drishyam 3 producer to sue him.\r\nIn the meantime, Section 375 writer Manish Gupta made startling allegations against Akshaye Khanna. He said \"It took me 3 years to write Section 375. I sat in 160 court hearings. I did lots of research, met judges, lawyers and rape victims. I got the idea of the film from Shiney Ahuja\'s case. When he was arrested, I was in Mumbai. I rushed to the Oshiwara with my friend and we questioned the police about his arrest. I was told the law is not like this.\"\r\nHe continued \"Sahi aur galat baad mein hai... Pehle arrest hoga. Tabhi law aisa tha (Right and wrong come later... first, there will be an arrest. That\'s how the law was back then). I said to myself, \'This is a very wrong thing\' and decided to make a movie,\"\r\nManish shared \"I wrote the whole film. I did the entire pre-production. I even roped in Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha and Rahul Bhat and signed them. I am the director of the movie. But the producer and the lead actor played very dirty politics with me. I got credit only for writing. This is Bollywood.\"\r\nHe continued \"Akshaye Khanna ki ego... Actor ka kya hai na...(Akshaye Khanna\'s ego...With actors, the thing is..) We have made them gods. The public doesn\'t care about the movie, but the actor. Akshaye is not a big star but usko bi sar pe chadaya jaata hai. Producer ke liye woh bhagwan jaisa tha (He was also given preferential treatment. For the producer, he was like a god). They don\'t care who is the director,\"\r\nHe added \"He is the most difficult person I have ever worked with. He is whimsical and lazy. Woh itna mushkil sa mahaul create karta hai ki... Har chiz uske hisab se honi chahiye. Kisi ki sunta nahi hai. Sabki beizzati karta hai. Actor accha hai par ek acha insaan hone mein farak hai. Uske sath koi kaam nahi karna chahta hai (He creates such a difficult environment that... everything has to be according to his wishes. He doesn\'t listen to anyone. He insults everyone. He\'s a good actor, but there\'s a difference between being a good actor and being a good person. Nobody wants to work with him) because they know how difficult he is to work with,\"\r\nHe shared&nbsp; \"No one wants to give him the hero\'s role. Maine usko hero ka role diya. Itna acha script diya. Abhi ungrateful bolun ki kya bolun? Uski aise kaun si film aayi hai jismein woh solo hero hai? Usne mere sath hi aisa kiya. Usne bahut hi ghatiya harkat ki hai mere saath. (I gave him the lead role. I gave him such a great script. Now, should I call him ungrateful or what? Which of his films has he starred in as the solo hero? He only did this to me. He has done something very despicable to me.)\r\nHe continued \"Akshaye and the producer, they did it together. The producer was under pressure from Akshaye. Actors want to control the movie. They want a puppet for a director,\"&nbsp;\r\n<div></div>

Writer exposes Akshaye Khanna

Did Akshaye Khanna play dirty politics

Maruthi, the director of Prabhas's upcoming film The Raja Saab, sparked controversy at the film's pre-release event in Hyderabad by calling Prabhas a "medium-range hero". The comment was met with backlash from fans who felt it disrespected their favorite actor. Maruthi made the statement while highlighting the global recognition of Indian cinema, especially Telugu cinema, in the past decade.

During his speech, Maruthi shared an anecdote about being recognized in a remote village in South Africa, where he mentioned Prabhas as his hero. He expressed gratitude to Baahubali director SS Rajamouli for elevating the global stature of Telugu cinema, saying "Every director is very, very indebted to Rajamouli garu... he is the one who introduced a medium-range hero to the pan-India stage".

Fans of Prabhas were quick to defend the actor's status in Tollywood, pointing out that he had delivered blockbusters like Varsham and Chatrapati, which were major hits. Some fans argued that Prabhas had a superhit streak like Darling, Mr. Perfect, and Mirchi. However, others agreed with Maruthi's statement, noting that actors like Prabhas and Allu Arjun only gained nationwide popularity after Baahubali and Pushpa, respectively.

The Raja Saab, a fantasy thriller, marks Prabhas's return to mass entertainment with comedy. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Boman Irani, and is set to hit theaters on January 9, 2026.

Maruthi Comments Sparks Discussion

Director Maruthi Sparks Controversy with Prabhas Medium Range Hero Remark

&nbsp;Bollywood superstar Salman Khan is celebrated his birthday and many celebrities graced the event.\r\nThe snap of Ram Charan along with Dhoni and Salman Khan and Bobby Deol are going viral on social media. All the three are seen having a jovial conversation.\r\nIn the meantime, Chiranjeevi greeted Salman Khan on the occasion. He posted \"Happy 60th birthday to my beloved brother\r\n@BeingSalmanKhan Sallu bhai, on this special milestone, I want to share my heartfelt wishes with you. May this year bring you endless joy, good health, and all the love you truly deserve. You have always been an inspiration, not just to millions on screen, but also to those of us who are fortunate to call you a friend Here&rsquo;s to many more years of happiness and success. Enjoy your special day \"\r\nOn the professional front Salman Khan is starring in Battle of Galwan under the direction of Apoorva Lakhia.&nbsp;

RC with Dhoni - Salman and Bobby

Ram Charan spotted with Dhoni - Salman Khan and Bobby

\r\nDhruv Rathee dares Janhvi. Janhvi Kapoor is currently romancing Ram Charan in Peddi which is progressing at a brisk pace under the direction of Buchhi Babu Sana. The film is racing for a grand release on 9 Jan 2026.\r\nJanhvi Kapoor is known for her frank talk. Social media timelines have been buzzing after Dhruv Rathee used a before-and-after image of Janhvi Kapoor in the thumbnail of his video on &lsquo;fake beauty&rsquo;.\r\nMany blasted Dhruv Rathee saying the timing of his post is reaction to Janhvi\'s comments condemning the atrocities against Hindus in Bangladesh.\r\nHis comments made netizens furious. One of the he caption read, &ldquo;Wake Up Hindus. Janhvi Kapoor posted for Bangladeshi Hindu &amp; Dhruv Rathee made a video questioning her beauty.\"\r\nReacting sharply, Rathee questioned why people were believing online posts without basic reasoning. He said, &ldquo;Tumhe Bhagwan ne dimag diya hai, kyun nahi istemal karte iska? Matlab BJP ke IT cell wale jo post dalte rahenge, tum usse andhadhun yakeen karte rahoge. Pehli chiz toh jis din Janhvi Kapoor ne post daali, usi din maine aadhe ghante ka video dal diya. Kya yeh realistically possible hai? (God has given you a brain, why don&rsquo;t you use it? You&rsquo;ll blindly believe whatever the BJP&rsquo;s IT cell posts. Firstly, I posted a half-hour video the same day Janhvi Kapoor shared her post. Is that realistically possible?)\"\r\nRathee clarified that the video had nothing to do with Janhvi&rsquo;s political or social posts. &ldquo;Aur teesri sabse interesting chiz yeh hai ke yeh pura video plastic surgery ke upar hai, ke uska kya impact padhta hai society pe. Iss poore video mein maine Janhvi Kapoor se koi sawaal nahi kiya (And the third most interesting thing is that this entire video focuses on plastic surgery and its impact on society. I didn&rsquo;t ask Janhvi Kapoor any questions throughout the video).\"\r\n

YouTuber dares Janhvi

Dhruv Rathee dares Janhvi

\r\nHarshvardhan Rane mobbed by fans. Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa\'s starrer Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat which turned out to be the hit is getting streamed on OTT.\r\nFollowing this, Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa promoted the film in Bandra by meeting the fans. The moment, fans saw Harshvardhan Rane, they thronged to meet him and in the process few fans pulled his shirt.\r\nAs the video went viral on social media, netizens began reacting to it. &ldquo;Arey kha jaoge sab usko kya? (sic),\" one wrote. Meanwhile, another fan commented, &ldquo;Woh lambe baal wala kon hai ABS ki paapi lee raha tha (sic).\" &ldquo;Ab Bollywood badal gaya hai, actors khud milne ja rahe hai (sic),\" a third user wrote.\r\nThe romantic drama is directed by Milap Zaveri and it starred Sachin Khedekar, Shaad Randhwa, Rajesh Khera, Anant Narayan Mahadevan in key roles. The film is produced under the banner Desi Movies Factory.\r\n

Fans pull Harshavardhan Rane shirt

Harshvardhan Rane mobbed by fans

The horror thriller Eesha has turned into a solid Christmas blockbuster despite facing stiff competition at the box office. The film's unique twist, strong story, and impressive performances are creating a sensation in cinema halls. Every bone chilling scene delivers, instilling both fear and excitement among the audience.
Eesha collected an impressive â‚¹4.8 crores gross within just three days, including premiere shows, marking a huge success for a small film. The film's consistently good occupancy has helped it enter the profit zone within three days and comfortably cross its breakeven point. This success is a hattrick of hits for producers Bunny Vas and Vamsi Nandipati, following Little Hearts and Raju Weds Rambai.
Eesha features Thrigun and Hebah Patel in lead roles, with Akhil Raj and Siri Hanmanth playing significant roles. The film is making a big impact everywhere, backed by solid reviews from both audiences and critics. Eesha truly stands out amidst multiple releases on December 25th.
The success of Eesha is a testament to the power of good storytelling and strong performances. The film's heavy advance bookings and strong audience turnout in theaters have contributed to its hit status. With its impressive collections and strong occupancy, Eesha is a film that deserves all the success it's getting. Directed by Srinivas Manner and presented by KL Damodar Prasad.

Horror thriller Eesha enters profit zone

Eesha Three Days Boxoffice Collection

Malavika Mohanan raves about Prabhas The Raja Saab.&nbsp; The Raja Saab directed by Maruthi is racing for a grand release on 9 Jan 2026. The film stars Prabhas in the lead role while Malavika Mohanan, Nidhii Agerwal and Riddhi Kumar are seen as the female leads.

Malavika Mohanan speaking to scribes shared her thoughts on Prabhas. She said &ldquo;Hello Rebels! This day is very important in my life, and I am personally very excited for this evening. I love and respect the Telugu industry. It was always my dream to make my Telugu debut with a very special film but I never imagined that I would be making my debut opposite India&rsquo;s biggest superstar. Fans ki aayna, Darling! Fans ki aayna, Rebel God! Naaku maatram, Raja Sahib! Prabhas sir, it has been an absolute honour sharing the screen with you and getting to know you as a person. You are one of the sweetest people I have ever worked with. Thank you &mdash; truly, thank you for that. Maruthi sir, thank you for giving me Bhairavi. Most directors give their actresses only songs and romance, but you gave me songs, romance, comedy, drama, and action &mdash; in a film that stars the Action King. Thank you so much for that."

Malavika words reflected not only love for Prabhas but also deep respect for Telugu cinema and the creative trust placed in her character. Prabhas praised Malavika as &ldquo;Tall, beautiful, with beautiful eyes " calling her a perfect screen presence.

The Raja Saab - Malavika on Prabhas

Malavika Mohanan raves about Prabhas The Raja Saab

\r\nSobhita shares her thoughts on Ranveer Dhurandhar. Ranveer Singh\'s Dhurandhar turned out to be a monstrous hit at the box office and celebrities are showering praises on the film.\r\nIn the midst of all this, Naga Chaitanya\'s wife Sobhita Dhulipala shared her thoughts on Dhurandhar. She said &ldquo;Dhurandhar. Wow. Wow. Wow. Breathtaking. Mind-blowing. Inspiring. Unlike any other. !!! Supreme!!! @adityadharfilms @ranveersingh (folded hands, salute and heart emojis) @saraarjunn! What talent, what beauty (red rose emoji) (sic).&rdquo;\r\nDhurandhar is directed by Aditya Dhar and the film\'s second part is releasing on 19 March 2026. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal, with Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in important roles.\r\nJyoti Deshpande\'s Jio Studios and Aditya and Lokesh Dhar\'s B62 Studios are bankrolling the project. In the first instalment of a two-part film series, it depicts an anti-terror covert operation, where an undercover agent infiltrates Karachi\'s criminal and political underworld in Pakistan.\r\n&nbsp;The plot loosely joins several real-life events involving geopolitical tensions such as the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and events revolving around Operation Lyari.\r\n