Cine News Digest – 05 April 2025

Sivaji Ganesan’s house faces seizure and possible auction

Prabhu has acted decisively after a Court ruled for the confiscation of Annai Illam, the home of the legendary Sivaji Ganesan which now legally belongs to Prabhu.

The issue has been with the Courts for almost a year and began with money borrowed by Prabhu’s elder brother, Ramkumar, to finance a film titled Jagajal Killadi, a film with Vishnu Vishal and Nivetha Pethuraj in the lead roles.

Ramkumar’s son, Dushyanth and daughter-in-law, Abirami, had borrowed an amount of Rs 3.74 crores to finance the film. Because the loan was not serviced, the total amount due swelled to Rs 9.39 crores. When Ramkumar, Dushyanth and Abirami failed to obey the court order directing them to repay the full amount, the creditor successfully approached the High Court to have assets seized and auctioned. The High Court specifically directed Annai Illam to be seized and auctioned.

Prabhu has distanced himself from money owed by his brother and is arguing that property worth 150 crore rupees cannot be seized for a 3 crore debt. He also asserted that since Annai Illam is registered in his name, it was a flawed argument that he should be responsible for money borrowed by his brother.The judge maintained that Prabhu is morally bound to settle the debt – something which Prabhu’s lawyer is refuting, as the claim has no legal basis.

The Court then postponed the hearing to 08 April 2025 for further deliberation. This is saddening how a home as prestigious and hallowed as Annai Illam should have to face such issues.

Rajinikanth’s Coolie set to release for Independence Day

Lokesh Kanagaraj’s eagerly awaited collaboration with Rajinikanth, Coolie, has been confirmed for release on 14 August 2025. Coolie stars Rajinikanth, Nagarjunna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Sruthi Haasan and Junior MGR, the adopted grandson of the great M.G. Ramachandran.

Coolie will release worldwideon IMAX and standard formats across a record number of screens.

Theatrical Release of Dhanush’s Idly Kaday postponed

Dhanush’s fourth directorial, Idly Kadai, was to have released on 10 April, but has now been postponed as there were unexpected delays in shooting the final song. Dhanush did not want the team working under pressure and opted to postpone the release to 01 October this year.

Written and directed by Dhanush, Idly Kadai stars Dhanush opposite Nithy Menen, with Arun Vijay, Raj Kiran, Prakash Raj, P. Samuthrakani and Shalini Pandey also in the cast. G.V. Prakashkumar scores the music

Anirudh Ravichander to score music for Dhanush’s next film

Anirudh Ravichander will score the music for the eagerly anticipated collaboration between Dhanush and director Thamizharasan Pachamuthu, the director of the blockbuster film Lubber Pandhu. The project is scheduled to commence shooting in September, with the release date set for February 2026. Dhanush will commence work with his biopic on Illaiyaraja after the completion of this film.

Siruthai Siva announces his next film

Breaking away from his usual action genre, Siruthai Siva has penned an emotional family drama for his next project which will have Karthi playing the lead role. Siva’s last directorial, Suriya’s Kanguva, was met with lots of negative reviews, so this decision by Karthi has surprised and dismayed his fans. The rest of the cast and crew will be announced on 17 April.