It will be a feverish April and Diwali next year. We are talking about both Telugu cinema and Tamil cinema.

With DVV Danayya recently announcing the release date of 'Bharat Ane Nenu' as April 27, it is now settled that Mahesh Babu's film will lock horns with Allu Arjun's 'Na Peru Surya'. At the time of writing this piece, either of the makers of these films is not interested in changing the release date. That said, even a last-minute truce is not ruled out. But until then, 27th will be the presumed date. Bunny Vas, one of the producers of 'NPS', has already said that 'NPS' will release in the highest number of theatres. Will it be more than what 'BAN' will get? Or will it be more than what 'Sarrainodu' and 'DJ' got? Whatever it is, the Mahesh Vs Allu Arjun clash will be gigantic.

Although Lyca Productions is said to be not ruling out a grand January 25th release of '2.0' (post-production works are taking place in 11 countries), for all practical purposes, the release date of the magnum opus is now April 13. For two weeks until 'NPS' and 'BAN' arrive, the Rajinikanth-Shankar wave will scorch the Telugu BO without a competitor.

Diwali 2018 is going to be a special affair in Tamil cinema. Ajith's 58th movie, Vijay's 62nd outing and Suriya's 36th film are going to be out during the season. (Note: This is the situation as things stand. At least one or even two of them might get postponed as it usually happens). These films are going to be shot from either January or February.

A couple of big Telugu releases might join the Diwali race.