South newsmakers of the week: Padma Awards for Chiranjeevi, Usha Uthup, Vyjayantimala, and Vijaykanth; Vijay's foray into politics; Mohanlal's 'Malaikottai Vaaliban' met with mixed reviews

It was a rather busy weekend for South cinema. From some of the biggest stars including Chiranjeevi being conferred with the Padma awards to Tamil superstar Vijay announcing his debut in politics, and Mohanlal’s much-awaited ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’ hitting the cinemas, among others, this week was quite eventful for South cinema. Chiranjeevi to Vijay, here are the newsmakers of the week from South cinema

South stars Chiranjeevi, Usha Uthup, and others shine at Padma Awards 2024
Padma Awards 2024 were announced on Thursdays (Jan 25), by the government of India. South stars including Vyjayantimala, Chiranjeevi, late Vijayakanth, and Usha Uthup were among the 132 recipients of the coveted awards this year. Actors Chiranjeevi and Vyjayantimala were bestowed with Padma Vibhushan. Singer Usha Uthup was conferred with Padma Bhushan. Actor-politician Vijayakanth has been posthumously recognised with Padma Bhushan for his service.

Vijay’s political entry
Superstar Vijay is following in the footsteps of veterans including MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi, and Kamal Haasan with his political entry. Yes, that’s right, Vijay is set to register his political party, after the general council of his fan club, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam. As the decision comes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, it has caught the attention of the who’s who of politics. Given that Vijay holds a legion of fans across the country, especially in South Indian states, his political entry is crucial.

Filmmaker R Chandru announces five films
‘Kabzaa’ director R Chandru has recently announced his next five films. The immense success of ‘Kabzaa’ has encouraged the filmmaker to aim high, and the upcoming projects are also claimed to be pan-Indian.
The five films are ‘Father’, ‘POK’, ‘Dog’, ‘Shree Rama Bana’ and the much-anticipated sequel, ‘Kabzaa 2’. All the upcoming films are said to be mounted on massive budgets, and the movie buffs are thrilled.

Mohanlal’s ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’ receives mixed reviews
Mohanlal’s ambitious project ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’, helmed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, hit the big screens on Thursday, January 25, ahead of Republic Day. The film, which had a record pre-booking opened to packed theatres. The film minted Rs 6.5 crore on the opening day. The film, despite its technical brilliance and unique story telling received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.