Multiple Tollywood films shooting in and around Hyderabad

Several Tollywood films are being shot in Hyderabad and nearby areas. Nagarjuna's 100th film 'King 100' is filming at Annapurna Studios, while Venkatesh and Kalyan Ram's 'January 12 Vidudala' is at Aziz Nagar. Balakrishna's 'Dada', Allu Arjun's 'Raaka' and 'Jai Hanuman' are at RFC. Prabhas's 'Fauzi' is at Kokapet, Gopichand's 'Singa' at Shankarpally, Sharwanand's 'George Krish' at Moinabad and Mahesh Babu's 'Varanasi' at Shamshabad.

Written by AI from Allu Arjun · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 30 Sept 2026, 4:40 am IST

Source

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#tollywood#film shooting#hyderabad#telugu cinema#movie releases

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

Nagarjuna's 'King 100', directed by Ra. Karthik with Tabu, is shooting at Annapurna Studios and releases worldwide on December 24 — Figures and release date appear in source; no official statement cited
Venkatesh–Anil Ravipudi film 'January 12 Vidudala' is shooting at Aziz Nagar and releases on January 12, 2027 — Stated in source; shooting details attributed to unnamed film circles
Allu Arjun is not part of the current 'Raaka' schedule at RFC and will join in October — Presented in source as industry talk, unattributed
Mahesh Babu has completed his portion of 'Varanasi', releasing worldwide on April 7, 2027 in 120 countries — Source attributes the 120-country release to earlier remarks by director SS Rajamouli
'Fauzi' was slated for December 3 but was postponed for unavoidable reasons — Stated in source without attribution or new date

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Entertainment Analyst

This shooting round-up is really a snapshot of Hyderabad functioning as Tollywood's production engine — Annapurna Studios, RFC, the Aluminium Factory, Shankarpally, Moinabad, Kokapet and Shamshabad all hosting big and mid-budget films at once. That is a healthy signal for the industry's crew economy, but the real pressure sits in the calendar: 'King 100' and 'Daaka' both on December 24, 'January 12 Vidudala' and 'SYG' both on January 12, 'George Reddy'-style festival crowding with 'George Krish' on January 14. 'Fauzi' already slipping from its December 3 date is a reminder of how fluid these plans are.

As Nagarjuna's 100th film, 'King 100' carries outsized expectation, and with him also producing on a large budget the downside risk is concentrated on one star.
The Christmas slot (King 100, Daada) and the Sankranti slot (January 12 Vidudala, SYG, George Krish) look congested, which usually makes screen and show allocation the deciding factor.
Allu Arjun not being in the current 'Raka' schedule and Mahesh Babu having wrapped his 'Varanasi' portion are routine planning, not trouble — shooting star-free blocks is how 2027 releases protect their timelines.
Tamil directors like Atlee and Ra. Karthik, plus cross-market names such as Rishab Shetty, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Tabu, show pan-India packaging now starts at the casting stage.
Maithri Movie Makers running 'Fauzi', 'Jai Hanuman' and 'Family Pack' simultaneously reflects a studio model that spreads risk across tentpoles and mid-sized titles.

What to watch — Whether the December 24 and January 12 dates hold or someone blinks and moves to avoid a head-on clash — especially relevant after the 'Fauzi' postponement.

This is a production-status round-up only; it does not establish budget figures, business value, the quality of any film, or that the announced release dates are final.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 10 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Hyderabad, long described as the "heart of the city" for Telugu cinema, is currently hosting a dense cluster of Tollywood shoots in its studios and on its outskirts. A Sakshi roundup lists over a dozen films being filmed simultaneously at Annapurna Studios, the Aluminium Factory near Gachibowli, RFC (Ramoji Film City area), Aziz Nagar, Kokapet, Shankarpally, Moinabad and Shamshabad. The line-up spans Nagarjuna's 100th film, Rajamouli's international project with Mahesh Babu, pan-India sequels and Sankranti family entertainers, most of them dated for release between December 2025 and April 2027.

Key facts

Nagarjuna's 100th film 'King 100', directed by Tamil director Ra. Karthik with Tabu in a key role, is shooting at Annapurna Studios and releases worldwide on December 24 for Christmas.
'King 100' moves to a new schedule at Hyderabad's Aluminium Factory from October 1 for action sequences; Nagarjuna is also producing it on a big budget.
Venkatesh–Anil Ravipudi's 'January 12 Vidudala', with Kalyan Ram as second hero, Keerthy Suresh and Kriti Shetty, is shooting at Aziz Nagar for a Sankranti release on January 12, 2027.
Balakrishna's 'Dada', directed by Gopichand Malineni with Manchu Manoj and Kajal Aggarwal, is shooting at RFC and releases December 24 (Christmas).
Prabhas's pan-India 'Fauzi', directed by Hanu Raghavapudi, is shooting at Kokapet; its December 3 release was postponed for unavoidable reasons.
Allu Arjun's 'Raaka', directed by Atlee with Deepika Padukone, produced by Sun Pictures' Kalanithi Maran, is shooting at RFC without the hero; he joins in October, release in 2027. Title and first look came out on his birthday, April 8.
'Jai Hanuman', sequel to 'Hanu-Man' (released January 12, 2024), has Rishab Shetty as Anjaneya Swami and Teja Sajja reprising his role; it is shooting at RFC under Maitri Movie Makers.
Mahesh Babu's 'Varanasi', directed by SS Rajamouli with Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is shooting at Shamshabad without Mahesh (his portion is done); release worldwide April 7, 2027 in 120 countries.

Timeline

2023Sri Vishnu–Ram Abbaraju's 'Samajavaragamana' becomes a big hit, leading to their second film 'Family Pack'.
January 12, 2024Prashanth Varma's 'Hanu-Man', produced by Niranjan Reddy with Teja Sajja and Amritha Aiyer, releases and becomes a pan-India hit.
2025Venkatesh–Anil Ravipudi's 'Sankranthiki Vasthunam' becomes a blockbuster.
April 8On Allu Arjun's birthday, the title 'Raaka' is fixed and his bald, unusual-physique first look is released and trends.
December 3'Fauzi' was to release but was postponed for unavoidable reasons.
October 1'King 100' begins a new schedule at Hyderabad's Aluminium Factory for action sequences.
OctoberAllu Arjun is expected to join the 'Raaka' shoot for a major action sequence.
December 24'King 100' and 'Dada' release for Christmas.
January 12, 2027'January 12 Vidudala' and 'SYG (Sambarala Yetigattu)' release for Sankranti.
January 14, 2027Sharwanand's 'George Krish' releases in the Sankranti season.

Who has a stake

Annapurna Studios, RFC and Aluminium Factory (Gachibowli) — Hyderabad's core shooting locations, hosting 'King 100', 'Dada', 'Raaka', 'Jai Hanuman', 'KA 13' and 'Alias Rukmini' simultaneously.
Star heroes (Nagarjuna, Venkatesh, Balakrishna, Prabhas, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu, Gopichand, Nithiin, Sharwanand, Sri Vishnu, Sai Durgha Tej, Kiran Abbavaram) — Career-defining slots — Nagarjuna's 100th film, Mahesh Babu's 120-country release, Allu Arjun's post-'Pushpa' outing.
Producers (Maitri Movie Makers, Sun Pictures, Suresh Productions/Shine Screens, Vriddhi Cinemas, 70MM Entertainments, Primeshow, AK Entertainments, Unanimous, Joy Films) — Large budgets riding on Christmas 2025, Sankranti 2027 and April 2027 release windows.
Directors (SS Rajamouli, Atlee, Anil Ravipudi, Hanu Raghavapudi, Gopichand Malineni, Sreenu Vaitla, Prashanth Varma team, debutants V. Venkat, Rohith KP, Murali Kanth Devasoth, Kiran Abbavaram) — Delivering on hit combinations and, for debutants, their first credit as director.
Local crews, technicians and outskirts locations (Aziz Nagar, Kokapet, Shankarpally, Moinabad, Shamshabad) — Sustained work and location demand from back-to-back big-budget schedules around Hyderabad.

Why it matters

The simultaneous shooting of a dozen big-budget films in one city shows how Hyderabad functions as an integrated production hub — studios, film city, outskirts locations and crews — rather than just a market for Telugu cinema. Release dates clustered around Christmas and Sankranti, and pan-India/120-country plans for 'Varanasi', indicate how Telugu films now plan calendars and scale beyond the regional market.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

'King 100' is Nagarjuna's 100th film, directed by Ra. Karthik, releasing December 24; Tabu plays a key role.
'Varanasi': SS Rajamouli–Mahesh Babu film with Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran, planned release in 120 countries on April 7, 2027.
'Jai Hanuman' is the sequel to 'Hanu-Man' (January 12, 2024) in the Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe; Rishab Shetty plays Anjaneya Swami.
'Raaka': Allu Arjun with director Atlee and Deepika Padukone, produced by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures, releasing 2027.
Hyderabad shooting hubs named: Annapurna Studios, RFC, Aluminium Factory (Gachibowli), Aziz Nagar, Kokapet, Shankarpally, Moinabad, Shamshabad.
Maitri Movie Makers (Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar) is producing 'Fauzi', 'Jai Hanuman' and 'Family Pack'.

Mains framing

The concentration of a dozen simultaneous Tollywood shoots in and around Hyderabad illustrates the economics of a mature regional film cluster: fixed infrastructure (Annapurna Studios, RFC, the Aluminium Factory near Gachibowli), cheap and flexible peri-urban locations (Aziz Nagar, Kokapet, Shankarpally, Moinabad, Shamshabad), and a deep pool of technicians allow multiple big-budget schedules to run in parallel. Three trends emerge from the line-up: the pan-India and global turn, seen in 'Varanasi' being planned for 120 countries and 'Fauzi' being pitched as a pan-India periodical action drama; cross-industry integration, with Tamil directors (Ra. Karthik, Atlee), Malayalam and Bollywood actors (Prithviraj Sukumaran, Anarkali Nazar, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty) and Chennai-based Sun Pictures financing Telugu films; and franchise-building, with 'Jai Hanuman' extending the Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe after 'Hanu-Man'. Risks are equally visible — the postponement of 'Fauzi' from December 3, schedules shot without lead stars, and a crowded festival calendar with two films dated December 24 and two on January 12, 2027. The way forward, as the source's own evidence suggests, lies in staggered release planning, continued use of local studio capacity, and space for debutant directors (V. Venkat, Rohith KP, Kiran Abbavaram) alongside star vehicles.

Key terms

Annapurna Studios: Hyderabad studio complex where 'King 100', Nagarjuna's 100th film, is currently being shot.
RFC: Film city location near Hyderabad hosting the shoots of 'Dada', 'Raaka' and 'Jai Hanuman'.
Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe: Shared film universe begun with 'Hanu-Man'; 'Jai Hanuman' is being made as part of it.
Pan-India film: A film made for release across Indian language markets; 'Fauzi' and 'Varanasi' are described this way, the latter targeting 120 countries.
Sankranti release window: The January festival slot prized in Telugu cinema — 'January 12 Vidudala', 'SYG', 'George Krish' and 'Family Pack' are aimed at Sankranti 2027.

Practice questions

Examine how infrastructure such as studios and film cities has made Hyderabad a production hub for Indian cinema, using the current cluster of Tollywood shoots as evidence.
Discuss the implications of the 'pan-India' strategy in Telugu cinema, with reference to films like 'Varanasi', 'Fauzi' and 'Jai Hanuman'.
Festival release windows such as Sankranti and Christmas shape Indian film calendars. Analyse the commercial risks of multiple big films sharing the same release date.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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