(This article is authored by Alar)

The year 2023 will be swamped with blockbuster films with no doubt as these upcoming features have the exciting perks to look for it with anticipating sequels, interesting collaborations. New releases or lavish highly anticipated flicks always manage to capture our interest no matter the theme. The next blockbuster sequels and franchise movies are expected to dramatically dominate the box office, making this year perhaps one of the largest years for Kollywood ever. In other words these upcoming biggies will go down for a memorable ride in this year.

JAILER:

The new film starring superstar Raijnikanth is expected to attract large crowds. Nelson Dilipkumar has crafted a high-quality action comedy in Jailer. As the film's main attraction, Rajinikanth's presence in the director's dark comedy style genre is something fans will be eager to see. The film's cast of A-listers from other languages is another draw, with Bollywood's Jackie Shroff, Mollywood's Mohanlal (in a cameo part) and Kannada's Shivaraj Kumar filling the lead roles. The film also has Ramya Krishnan, Tamannaah, and Vinayakan in minor roles. Anirudh Ravichander scored the Sun Pictures production Jailer, which has a substantial budget. The team includes cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan and editor R Nirmal.

LEO:

At the moment, Lokesh Kanagaraj's Leo, in which Vijay features, is the most hyped film in Kollywood. Aside from the fact that it marks the long-awaited reunion of Trisha and Vijay after 14 years, the film also has ties to the director's previous actioners Kaithi and Vikram, and it features an ensemble cast that includes Arjun Sarja, Bollywood veteran star Sanjay Dutt, Gautham Menon, Mysskin, Mansoor Ali Khan, and Priya Anand. The film with Anirudh as the music director which went on floors on January 2,  is slated to release on October 19 in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada languages.

THANGALAAN:

In Thangalan, Pa Ranjith and Vikram are working together for the first time. In an earlierly unveiled teaser, we saw Vikram in the role of a clan leader. The actor's appearance is intriguing and fascinating, and the clip also has cameos by Malavika Mohanan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, and Pasupati in enticing avatars. GV Prakash to handle the music and Kishor Kumar and Selva RK are responsible for the cinematography and editing, respectively, with SS Murthi as the art director. The story is based on the real-life experiences of those who worked in the mines and factories of the Kolar Gold Factory during the time before India gained its independence.

SURIYA 42:

Suriya 42 is actor Suriya's highly ambitious project with director Siva, where the flick will release in a a new kind of 3D periodic drama, which have the tale of 1000 years back. As per IMBD, the film revolves on a warrior in the 1678 dies due to a disease, in the present a girl does research on the disease which killed the warrior in 1678.It has been speculated that the five characters named on the film's  motion poster—Arathar, Venkatar, Mandangar, Mukattar, and Perumanathar—will be the ones that Suriya plays in the film.

Bollywood's Disha Patani will step into the Tamil language spotlight with this film. She will play the lead female role. In addition to Suriya , Redin Kingsley, Yogi Babu, Kovai Sarala, and Anand Raj, and the film's score would be composed by Devi Sri Prasad.

THE SEQUELS:

CHANDRAMUKHI 2:

Chandramukhi 2 is the Tamil follow-up to P Vasu's hugely successful feature  from 2005. While  Rajinikanth played the main lead in the first part, wher a fter seventeen years, a sequel is now in the works, and the news that Raghava Lawrence will be taking the lead in Chandramukhi 2 has surprised fans. B ankrolled by Subaskaran's Lyca Productions label,  Kangana, Vadivelu, and Raghava Lawrence are among the cast members. The music is by Oscar nominee MM Keeravani, while Kala Reece will be in charge of choreography. Rajasekar has been tapped to be the film's cinematographer, while Thotta Tharani handles the art direction.

INDIAN 2:

It's a follow-up to the legendary film Indian from 1997, so inevitably there's a ton of anticipation about the big update. Kamal portrayed Senapathy, a liberation fighter-turned-vigilante who fights to eliminate corruption, in the Indian film. As Kamal will also be playing a dual part in the sequel, he will reprise his role from the first film. The Lyca Productions-funded sequel Indian 2 also features Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Bobby Simhaa, and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The soundtrack will be composed by Anirudh Ravichander.

PONNIYIN SELVAN 2:

Ponniyin Selvan 1, Maniratnam's enchanted epic play, was a huge feat for Kollywood last year. Based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel, Ponniyin Selvan, Ponniyin Selvan: I dramatizes an adventure ride set in the 10th century, the film tracks the factional power struggles within the Chola empire, with the enemies of the state acting as catalysts. The sequel to be released on 28th April 2023 as per the makers' announcement.

AR Rahman composed the music while Kabilan and Venba Geethayan penned the lyrics for the songs and Jayamohan has written the dialogues. Ravi Varman, A. Sreekar Prasad, and Thota Tharani handled the cinematography, editing, and production design respectively.