It’s that time of the year when our stars jet off to exotic foreign locales or places within the country like Goa to ring in the New Year. Some stars like Jr NTR and Vijay Deverakonda have already flown abroad, while superstar Mahesh Babu, who makes it a point to visit Europe for Christmas and New Year every year, was spotted arriving in Hyderabad last week rather surprisingly. But what to expect from our reigning stars in 2025. Here’s an overview at the projects they will be associating with in 2025 and whether we will see them in theatres or not come next year–after all pan India is the new mantra for them, which means their films will spend adequate time in production, ruling out a faster release.
Pawan Kalyan: While he might not be a pan India face, his Hari Hara Veera Mallu (HHVM), produced by AM Ratnam, is targeting a theatrical rollout across the country next March. An actor with colossal following, Pawan had focused on political campaigning for the first half of this year and after polls, in an unexpected move, he took the duty of joining the AP cabinet when some industry-wallahs expected him to complete his pending films first before taking oath as a minister. He has recently resumed shooting for HHVM and he is likely to join the sets later this week. There are some doubts whether this film will register openings like Pawan’s films of the past because it’s been in production for four years and with a change in guard at the helm, the situation has only worsened. An interesting trailer and Pawan’s legion of fans could limit its damage. Then there is They Call Him OG for the actor. It’s one of the most hyped films of his career and the makers recently completed a schedule in Bangkok. They are just waiting for Pawan to allot dates so they can finish the film. On Monday in Amaravati, he pointed out that he has eight-ten days of work left on the film. So there is a high probability for this film to grace the silver screen immediately after HHVM. Pawan also has Ustaad Bhagat Singh to finish.
Mahesh Babu: The superstar had a release earlier this Sankranti in Guntur Kaaram. Teaming up with Trivikram after Khaleja, the film was poised to be a blockbuster even before release but things turned quickly after the FDFS with the film failing to cut the mustard with the fans. Ever since, Mahesh has been in prep mode for his next with Hollywood’s new blue-eyed boy SS Rajamouli, growing mane and moustache and barely spotted in events. While some critics would argue that he could’ve completed a film before he lands on the sets of #SSMB29, he decided to be in prep mode for what looks like his most challenging film– an action-adventure drama deeply rooted in Indian culture and mythology– of his career with a filmmaker who is believed to extract every ounce of energy from his actors. Mahesh might not have had a pan India hit to his name, but he was seen as the face of Telugu cinema at one point in Mumbai circles due to his killer looks and earnest performances. Collaborating with Rajamouli means the film will have a wider release across the country and globe. Speaking about the release, Mahesh’s fans mentally prepared themselves not to see him in action in 2025. Can 2026 be a possibility? Only Rajamouli can answer.
Prabhas: Rebel star aka Darling had a fruitful 2024 with his Kalki 2898 AD cementing his status as a true pan India star. The fact that it came after the successful Salaar was the cherry on the cake for the actor. As someone who is juggling between multiple projects in the last three-four years, Prabhas will have The Rajasaab, written and directed by his best friends Vamsi and Pramod’s frequent collaborator Maruthi, opening in cinemas next year. While it is scheduled for an April 10th release, the inside talk is that the makers are already considering an alternate date due to various factors, including slight delay in shoot. In fact shuffle in release dates has been plaguing Prabhas’ career of late. Films like Salaar and Kalki too had to change their original release dates. While The Rajasaab is nearing completion, the actor has begun shooting for Hanu Raghavapudi’s tentatively titled Fauji and its shoot is going according to plan. There’s no release date attached to the project yet but if it indeed comes somewhere towards the end of next year, there’s nothing like it for the Rebel fans. The actor has lined up Spirit with Sandeep Reddy Vanga as well and it will go to floors in 2025. It’s a hot commodity in the market as both the actor and director have huge money spinners to their credit. Also, Vanga is known to complete his films at a good clip but chances of this film arriving in 2025 are not high.
Jr NTR: The man of masses had a solo release in Devara earlier this September nearly six years after Aravinda Sametha Raghava and it struck gold at the box office. Riding on the national-wide fame he got for RRR, the actor released Devara in Hindi as well and it did reasonably well. Immediately after Devara release, he got back to Mumbai and rejoined War 2, where he locks horns with Hrithik Roshan. One of the best actors in Telugu, it was a bolt from the blue when his inclusion in War 2 was announced by Yash Raj Films last year. After all, which Telugu star with a following like Tarak chose to debut in Hindi as an antagonist? But the actor must have weighed his options carefully and with his Hindi market on the rise, he can leverage more with War 2 and consolidate further with his dubbed Telugu releases in the future. While War 2 will blaze into cinemas on August 14 next year, his next with Prashanth Neel is confirmed for Pongal 2026. Which means fans of Tarak will get to see their man in action only once next year and that too in a Hindi dubbed release. But trust him to dub for the Telugu version and go all guns blazing in the film.
Allu Arjun: After Pushpa: The Rise became a surprising pan India success, Allu Arjun, understanding the gravity of what he had dished out, devoted himself entirely to the sequel, which released earlier this month. It was expected to be a sure-fire hit but to what extent it will fly was the question mark. And boy, did it soar, exceeding all expectations. Right now it’s on course to become the biggest grossing Indian film until date. While the controversies that Allu Arjun saw himself post the Sandhya theatre stampede overshadowed the epic success that Pushpa 2 was, one can fairly say that he is the next big thing in Indian cinema after Prabhas. To achieve this level of success across the country without a Rajamouli film is a testament to his acting abilities and his pull among the masses. His immediate next, however, won’t start any time soon. He will be collaborating with his lucky mascot Trivikram Srinivas for his next feature, which is presently in pre-production. It will go to sets mostly six months from now as sources say it is Trivikram’s passion project and he is setting it up on a never-before scale. It will be the biggest-budgeted film of both the actor and the director. While there will be an element of mythology in the story, more details are scarce at this juncture. This film will sail into cinema halls in 2026, so AA will not have a release next year.
Ram Charan: The global star could’ve had a release this year itself if Game Changer’s schedules weren’t disrupted due to Indian 2. Nonetheless, the mega fans' ardent wait will soon come to an end as the film is scheduled to arrive in 10 days time. While the expectations on the film are sky-high as it marks venerated director Shankar’s Telugu debut, the fact that it’s been in production for nearly three years can go against it. But the experienced producer that Dil Raju is, he is drumming up as much buzz as he can, with help of his leading light. With dignitaries like Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and AP Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan set to attend its multiple events over the course of next four days, the word around the film will be stronger. So what next for RC? Well, he has dived into the shooting of #RC16 with Sukumar’s protégé Buchi Babu Sana last month itself in Mysore and so far a couple of schedules have been wrapped up. A period drama set on a huge scale, it has a sports theme and our sources say Charan will be occupied with the shoot of this film until the end of next year. Like Sukumar, Buchi Babu has a penchant for perfection, so in all likelihood, this anticipated film might not bow out next year in the Telugu states and across the country.
