Telugu watchlist: Will Ram and Prabhas end Tollywood’s dry spell this June?

'Double iSmart' and 'Kalki 2898-AD' are expected to end the industry’s drought for a blockbuster.

BySouth First Desk

Published May 31, 2024 | 10:00 AM Updated May 31, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Telugu watchlist for June 2024

Thanks to the Lok Sabha elections, the last couple of months have been dull for the Telugu film industry, with not even a single noteworthy release.

2024 has been quite a mediocre year thus far, with just two blockbusters in the form of HanuMan and Tillu Square.

After a gap of four months, June 2024 will see the release of two major Telugu films that have the potential to revive the industry in a big way.

Puri Jagannadh’s Double iSmart, a sequel to his highly successful iSmart Shankar (2019), will hit the screens on 14 June.

After Tillu Square, given the hype for franchise-based films, Double iSmart has all the trappings of a blockbuster.

The last week of June 2024 will witness the release of the most anticipated Telugu film of the year—Kalki 2898-AD.

Made on a massive budget of over ₹300 crore, the trade is quite hopeful of the Prabhas-starrer ending the industry’s drought for a blockbuster.

Well, keeping the expectations aside, check the Telugu watchlist for June 2024:

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Manamey

Sriram Adittya made his directorial debut with the 2015 film Bhale Manchi Roju. He’s been a filmmaker to watch out for ever since and has been consistently experimenting with each of his outings.

His latest release, Manamey, with Sharwanand is gearing up for June 7 release.

Tipped to be a breezy romantic drama, the film also stars Sriram’s son Vikram. It is believed to be the story of a couple (played by Sharwanand and Krithi Shetty) and their kid.

Last seen on screen in the hit time-travel drama, Oke Oka Jeevitham (2022), Sharwanand is hopeful of scoring two hits on the trot.

Satyabhama

June 7 will also see the release of Satyabhama, a serial-killer thriller headlined by Kajal Aggarwal in the role of a cop. The actor has bet big on this project and is hopeful of making a strong comeback in a lead role.

Going by the trailer, Satyabhama looks like a slick thriller where a cop has to solve a very crucial case of her career before time runs out. The trailer gives a glimpse into solid action sequences that Kajal is said to have performed sans body double.

Directed by Suman Chikkala, Satyabhama also stars Naveen Chandra, Prakash Raj, Ravi Varma, and Harshvardhan among others.

Double iSmart

The successful combo of Puri Jagannadh and Ram Pothineni reunite for Double iSmart, a science-fiction action thriller that’s also a sequel to their highly successful film iSmart Shankar.

Gearing up for release on 14 June, Double iSmart‘s trailer made it very evident that the movie will be wackier than the first part and extremely loud in terms of its commercial meter.

Also starring Sanjay Dutt and Kavya Thapar, the Telugu film is also written and produced by Puri Jagannadh.

Kalki 2898-AD

Director Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898-AD is unarguably the most anticipated release of the year.

With big bucks riding on the film, the trade is hopeful that this Prabhas-starrer will give the perfect end to June 2024 at the box office and keep the industry ready for Indian 2 and Pushpa: The Rule, which will be released subsequently in July and August.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Kalki 2898-AD also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, and Kamal Haasan (as the antagonist).

While Kamal will be seen playing a 15-minute cameo in the first part, it’s in the second part he will appear for over an hour.

Check out gallery: Pics from Kalki 2898-AD’s Bhairava-Bujji event