Two long-awaited combos in Tollywood are finally coming together. The first, of course, is the Mahesh Babu–S. S. Rajamouli collaboration. Talks about this film have been going on since before Baahubali. Both the actor and the director had received advances from the producers, but for various reasons, the project kept getting postponed. Now, not only is the shoot reportedly about to begin, but there’s also speculation that the film could release next year. However, Rajamouli himself has not yet shared any official updates about the project.

The other highly anticipated combo is the Venkatesh–Trivikram Srinivas collaboration. This project has recently gone on floors and has already sparked significant buzz. Trivikram, early in his career, had envisioned a film with Venkatesh as the lead, but it didn’t materialize back then. Over the years, as Trivikram’s market value grew and younger stars queued up to work with him, this project with Venkatesh kept getting delayed. Trivikram has often stated that he will eventually make a great film with Venkatesh whenever the time is right. Now, aligning with Venkatesh’s style and body language, Trivikram has finally begun this film.

Interestingly, the music department has seen a shift. Instead of Thaman, who has been Trivikram’s frequent collaborator, Harshavardhan Rameshwar has been brought on board. Rumors suggest that this film will place a strong emphasis on music, with five or six songs and a carefully crafted background score. While Thaman has always delivered hits and dedicates time to every project, critics have noted that he doesn’t always focus heavily on each film’s nuances. It seems Trivikram decided that for a project of this musical scale, Harshavardhan would be a better fit.

The Trivikram–Thaman duo has a history of creating musical blockbusters, especially Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, which became a phenomenal musical hit. The absence of Thaman from this new Venkatesh project is therefore a matter of discussion among fans and insiders. Whether this change was deliberate or circumstantial remains to be seen. Regardless, fans are clearly missing a potentially iconic combo. There’s hope that in the future, Trivikram and Thaman will reunite for another project, delivering the musical magic they’re known for.