Veteran Producer Mahendra Passes Away
Senior producer Mahendra (79) passed away last night (June 11) at 9:30 PM. He had been suffering from heart-related issues for some time and was undergoing treatment at Ramesh Hospitals in Guntur. He is survived by his wife and daughter. Mahendra had earlier lost his son. Notably, well-known producer and actor Madala Ravi is his son-in-law.
Mahendra began his journey in the film industry as a production executive and went on to produce 36 films under A.A. Arts and Geetha Art Pictures banners. He introduced Srihari as a hero in the film Police and launched Kajal Aggarwal with Lakshmi Kalyanam. He debuted as a producer with Preminchi Pellli Chesuko” and made films like Police, Deva, Coolie, Okkade, Amma Leni Puttillu, and Lakshmi Kalyanam etc.
His last film, Arjuna, directed by Kanmani starring Rajasekhar, unfortunately remained unreleased, which took a toll on his health and finances. Mahendra, known for his values and discipline, earned the respect of many in the film industry. Several film personalities expressed deep condolences over his demise.
His hometown is Guntur, where his final rites will be performed today (June 12).
“Housefull 5” Boards in Bollywood After a Long Time
Bollywood, which has been rattled by the onslaught of South Indian films, especially our Telugu films, has finally breathed a sigh of relief after a long time. “Housefull 5,” released this week (June 6), is well on its way to being declared a blockbuster. Having collected over ₹100 crores in four days, the film is expected to earn another ₹100 crores in its long run, thus saving Bollywood’s reputation.
It’s notable that half of the Bollywood artists are in this film, which was produced with story and screenplay by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Tarun Sukhani. Stars like Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Jackie Shroff, and Sanjay Dutt have acted in it. The craze for this franchise is also playing a key role in the film’s success.
Barbaad song from Sayara
‘Sayara’ is a new-age love story directed by Mohit Suri under the Yash Raj Films banner. Ahan Panday is set to debut as the hero with this movie, and Aneet Padde is the heroine.
The recently released teaser and title song of ‘Sayara’ captivated everyone. The second song from ‘Sayara’ was just released. This song, titled ‘Barbaad,’ was sung by young sensation Jubin Nautiyal. The lyrics and music for this song were provided by The Rish.
Hoping For a Silent Victory
“Nishshabdha” is an upcoming film starring Manoj Kumar and Ashitha Reddy as the lead pair. The movie is being produced by Srinivas – M. Sandhyarani under the Sri Rishi Sai Production banner. Directed by Ramanamurthy Tangellapalli, this horror-thriller has completed filming and is now gearing up for a grand theatrical release soon.
Yesterday, on the occasion of producer Srinivas’s birthday, the film’s teaser was grandly released in Hyderabad. Following the release, the film crew celebrated producer Srinivas’s birthday by cutting a cake. Young heroes Krishna and Sanjay participated as chief guests in the event.
Flyovers won’t fix Hyderabad traffic, smarter road design can: Expert
The flyovers are responses to induced demand, built primarily to accommodate the growing number of private vehicles, urban transport expert Prashanth Kumar Bachu said.
An average of 446 people, roughly the capacity of eight buses, were stuck on a single flyover at any given time, according to urban transport expert Prashanth Kumar Bachu, who spoke at a session on Sunday (June 8, 2025). Citing the Begumpet flyover as a case in point, he argued that such infrastructure projects merely relocate congestion rather than resolve it.
“Flyovers are not symbols of development,” he said. “They are responses to induced demand, built primarily to accommodate the growing number of private vehicles.” He warned that this approach does little to ease traffic and instead intensifies urban mobility issues.
Mr Bachu underscored the impracticality of continuing to rely on long-term, high-cost infrastructure as a solution. Hyderabad, he said, would need over 2,000 flyovers, requiring ₹50,000 crore and a century to build, to address projected vehicle volumes. Similarly, over 300 kilometres of metro rail would demand upwards of ₹75,000 crore and could take anywhere between 10 to 40 years to complete.
“Even doubling the current road space will not be enough,” he said, “as this would come at the cost of footpaths, trees and other essential urban functions.”
Against this backdrop, Mr Bachu stressed that the city’s immediate relief lies not in more construction, but in more efficient use of existing roads through better urban design. “Designated lanes and road space for buses and pedestrians are the only viable short-term measures,” he said. “By simply reorganising road space, we can start making an impact now.”
Among the immediate solutions proposed were dedicated lanes for buses and non-motorised transport, prioritisation of pedestrian movement, and strict enforcement of lane discipline. Mr Bachu said 300 to 500 kilometres of existing roads are suitable for immediately introducing designated bus lanes, enabling at least 500 more bus trips along those routes without adding new buses or requiring fresh investment, simply by reducing traffic delays.
Balayya’s ‘Tandavam’ for This Dasara
The highly anticipated film ‘Akhanda 2: Tandavam,’ a collaboration between God of Masses Nandamuri Balakrishna and blockbuster maker Boyapati Sreenu, is being produced on a grand scale by Ram Achanta and Gopichand Achanta under the 14 Reels Plus banner.
M. Tejaswini Nandamuri proudly presents the film.Today, on the occasion of Balakrishna’s birthday (June 10), the makers released the sensational teaser for ‘Akhanda 2: Tandavam.’
The powerful dialogue delivered by Balayya in his Aghora role from the teaser, “My Shiva’s permission is needed even for Yama to cast an eye. Will you see? Will you take innocent lives?”, is currently going viral on social media.
The film is presently being shot in grand locales in Georgia, where magnificent scenes are being filmed.
The makers have announced that the movie will have its “Tandavam” (a fierce dance, often associated with Shiva) in theaters as a Dasara special on September 25.
Samyuktha plays the female lead in this film, while Aadhi Pinisetty portrays an intense character. Thaman is composing the music, C. Ramprasad is the DOP, Tammiraju is the editor, and AS Prakash is the art director.
“Chandi Durgama” Inaugurated with Ali’s Clap
HBJ Creations and Mother & Father Pictures are producing the film “Chandi Durgama,” which introduces new actors alongside good padding artists. Jayashree Veldi is the producer of this film, with Oli as co-producer. Mainu Khan MD is directing.
The pooja ceremony for the film “Chandi Durgama” grandly commenced today in Hyderabad. Renowned comedian Ali attended the inauguration as the chief guest and gave the clap for the muhurtham shot. Actor Chitti switched on the camera, and Raghu Karumanchi directed the muhurtham shot.