Tillu Square (stylised as (Tillu)²) is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language romantic crime comedy film directed by Mallik Ram and produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under the banner of Sithara Entertainments and Fortune Four Cinemas. A sequel to the 2022 film DJ Tillu, Siddhu Jonnalagadda reprises his role in the previous film, while Anupama Parameswaran plays the female lead.[3]
| Tillu Square | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mallik Ram |
| Written by | Siddhu Jonnalagadda Ravi Anthony Pudota |
| Produced by | Suryadevara Naga Vamsi Sai Soujanya |
| Starring | Siddhu Jonnalagadda Anupama Parameswaran |
| Cinematography | Sai Prakash Ummadisingu |
| Edited by | Naveen Nooli |
| Music by | Songs: Ram Miriyala Achu Rajamani Score: Bheems Ceciroleo |
Production companies | Sithara Entertainments Fortune Four Cinemas |
| Distributed by | Srikara Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 123 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Box office | ₹125 crore[2] |
The film was officially announced in June 2022 by Naga Vamsi and principal photography began in August 2022.[4] Ram Miriyala, Achu Rajamani and Bheems Ceciroleo serve as the music directors.
Tillu Square has seen multiple postponements in its release due to post-production issues.[5] It was scheduled for a worldwide release on 9 February 2024, but was postponed to accommodate Eagle from a five-way Sankranti clash.[6]
It released on 29 March 2024 in theaters worldwide to positive reviews from critics and audiences. The film was successful at the box office, grossing over ₹125 crore (US$16 million) and became the third highest grossing Telugu film of the year as well as one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2024. A sequel called Tillu Cube is set to be the third film in the franchise.[7]
Plot edit
After escaping with drug lord Shannon's money,[N 1] Tillu sets up Tillu Events, an event management company, which organizes DJs for weddings and parties. At one such party, Tillu meets Lilly Joseph and falls for her. They have a one-night stand, but Lilly disappears in the morning, leaving a note, which disappoints Tillu.
After a month of searching for Lilly, Tillu finds her at a hospital following his father's colonoscopy. Lilly reveals that she is pregnant with Tillu's child and they decide to get married. On Tillu's birthday, Lilly brings Tillu to an apartment, which Tillu recognizes it as the same apartment Radhika had brought him previously. Lilly reveals that she is looking for her missing brother Rohit, who was killed by Radhika a year prior. Lilly gets Tillu drive to the burial site of Rohit by taking cue from the original video shot by Chandrakant along with Purushotham. Tillu, while trying to escape from the scene, gets kidnapped by Shannon. However, Tillu is rescued by Lilly, who kills Shannon's men.
Lilly reveals that she is not really pregnant or Rohit's sister, but is instead a secret ISF spy assigned to kill the notorious international crime boss Sheikh Mehboob wanted by the RAW. Lilly has been tricking Tillu, who was invited to DJ at Mehboob's party in Hyderabad. She and her team have been attempting to kill Mehboob for several years, but Mehboob always avoided them with the help of an anonymous informant on Lilly’s team. She blackmails Tillu with a video of him and Radhika burying Rohit in order to get him to kill Mehboob at his party using poisoned sweets. Later, Lilly tells Tillu that she did genuinely have feelings for him even though she tricked him.
On the day of Mehboob's party, Tillu attempts to leave Hyderabad with his family to escape Lilly, but she stops him and shows them a captive Radhika, who is now engaged with someone else. Lilly threatens to imprison Radhika and Tillu for 14 years if Tillu does not cooperate with her. Radhika convinces Tillu to cooperate with Lilly for the sake of her marriage. At the party, Tillu gives the sweets to Mehboob, but Mehboob already knows that they are poisoned after being told by his informant. Mehboob detains Tillu, which forces Lilly’s team to abandon the mission. Mehboob tortures Tillu and seemingly kills him.
A week later, Lilly is surprised to see Tillu alive and well. Tillu reveals that he escaped from Mehboob by negotiating with Shannon to poison the milk that Mehboob drank and then forcing Mehboob to leave Tillu in exchange for the antidote. Tillu tips off chief about Mehboob and ISF agents arrest Mehboob once he receives his antidote. Lilly is surprised as the mission was to kill Mehboob, but Tillu reveals that killing Mehboob was only Lilly’s disguise and that Lilly is actually Mehboob’s informant. She had been trying to kill Mehboob so that he would not be taken alive and reveal her identity. Lilly gets arrested and she asks Tillu why he bailed out Radhika, but allowed her to get arrested, to which Tillu responds that Radhika had deceived him after falling in love with him, while Lilly had only fallen in love with him to deceive him. It is later shown that the story would continue in Tillu Cube.
Cast edit
- Siddhu Jonnalagadda as Bala Gangadhar Tilak alias "DJ Tillu"
- Anupama Parameswaran as Lilly Joseph, Tillu's love interest, ISF Spy
- Muralidhar Goud as Tillu's father
- Murali Sharma as Sheikh Mehboob
- Prince Cecil as Shannon Gonzales
- Anish Kuruvilla ISF chief
- Udbhav Raghu as Purushotham
- Praneeth Reddy Kallem as Marcus, Tillu's friend
- Raj Tirandasu as Jonathan
- C. V. L. Narasimha Rao as Lilly's father
- Neha Shetty as M. Radhika, Tillu’s ex-love interest (cameo appearance)
- Brahmaji as Inspector Rao (cameo appearance)
- Kireeti Damaraju as Photographer Rohit (cameo appearance)
- Priyanka Jawalkar as girl in Pub, a cameo appearance
- Narra Srinivas as Chandrakant (cameo appearance)
Production edit
Development edit
In February 2022, before DJ Tillu's release, Siddhu Jonnalagadda stated that they were planning a sequel for the film and said "There are no limits to Tillu's character and I think, this can be explored and stretched to any length".[8] The sequel was officially announced in June 2022. Mallik Ram, who previously directed Naruda Donoruda and Adbhutham, was announced as the director, thus replacing Vimal Krishna from the original film. Suryadevara Naga Vamsi returned as the producer.[3]
Casting edit
In December 2022, Anupama Parameswaran was announced as the female lead by Naga Vamsi and Parameswaran was finalised .[9]
Filming edit
Principal photography began in August 2022.[10]
Soundtrack edit
The soundtrack of the film is composed by Ram Miriyala and Achu Rajamani and the score was composed by Bheems Ceciroleo. Aditya Music serves as the music banner. The first single "Ticket Eh Konakunda" released on 26 July 2023.[11] The second single "Radhika" released on 27 November 2023.[12]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ticket Eh Konakunda" | Kasarla Shyam | Ram Miriyala | Ram Miriyala | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Radhika" | Kasarla Shyam | Ram Miriyala | Ram Miriyala | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Oh My Lily" | Siddhu Jonnalagadda | Achu Rajamani | Sreerama Chandra | 3:21 |
| 4. | "DJ Tillu Revamp" | Kasarla Shyam | Ram Miriyala | Ram Miriyala | 3:44 |
Release edit
Theatrical edit
Tillu Square was initially planned for a theatrical release in March 2023, but was postponed due to production reasons to 15 September 2023. The movie was once again, postponed again due to delays in the post-production to 9 February 2024 before finally being postponed to 29 March 2024, to accommodate Eagle from a five-way Sankranti clash.[3][6][5]
Home Media edit
The digital distribution rights of the film were acquired by Netflix.[13]
Reception edit
Tillu Square received positive reviews from critics with praise for Jonnalagadda’s performance, humour, soundtrack, but criticised its story and predictability.
Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3+1⁄2 / 5 stars and wrote "Tillu Square is a captivating entertainer that guarantees smiles and leaves the audience feeling elated and satisfied. It’s a must-watch for anyone seeking two hours of fun-filled entertainment".[14] Avad Mohammed of OTTplay gave 3+1⁄2 / 5 stars and wrote "Tillu Square lives up to the hype and has the right dose of comedy, twists, and romance. The one-liners, Siddhu Jonnalagadda's stand-out act, and Anuapam Parameswaran's shocking new avatar are the icing on the cake."[15]
Priyanka Sundar of Firstpost gave three out of five stars and wrote "The one thing that was unfortunate in Tillu Square is the makers attempt to include bits and pieces that was a call back to the original".[16] Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express gave three out of five stars and wrote "Tillu Square is filled with punchy one-liners. Most of them refer generously to DJ Tillu. If you have seen the first part, your enjoyment of this film might be multifold. Even otherwise, the comedy here is excellent".[17]
Janani K of India Today gave three out of five stars and wrote "All in all, Siddhu Jonnalagadda's Tillu Square is an entertaining film that works for the most part. The film's comedy and Siddhu's performance are its major strengths helping it match to the hype of its prequel DJ Tillu".[18] BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave two out of five and wrote "Siddhu Jonnalagadda is back in his elements and evokes enough fun with his comic-punchlines and unique mannerisms, but it is not enough to pull off a 2 and half hour film that rides on an impossible mission".[19]
Ram Venkat Srikar of Film Companion wrote "Siddhu Jonnalagadda's sequel rights the wrongs of the original to deliver a frequently funny outing".[20] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "A terrific Siddhu Jonnalagadda and smart writing make Tillu Square a fun ride as the sequel builds on the familiarity of the first film".[21]
Sequel edit
A sequel titled Tillu Cube was announced at the end of the film.[22]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Tillu Square (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Tillu Square' continues box office dominance and crosses Rs ."
- ^ a b c FC, Team (8 June 2023). "Tillu Square: Dj Tillu Returns With Double Fun As Its Sequel Gets A Release Date". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Filming For Tollywood Hit 'DJ Tillu' Sequel To Start In August". 26 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Latest: After Skanda, Tillu Square also postponed". 123telugu.com. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- ^ a b "SitharaEnts". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Siddhu Jonnalagadda teases superhero twist for 'Tillu Cube' in DJ Tillu franchise". The Times of India. 2 April 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Siddhu Jonnalagadda on DJ Tillu: We are planning a sequel". Cinema Express. 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Actress Crosses Line to Debunk Rumors". mirchi9.com. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Filming For Tollywood Hit 'DJ Tillu' Sequel To Start In August". Outlook India. 26 June 2022.
- ^ "Makers Of Tillu Square Drop Lyrical Video Of Ticket Eh Konakunda Song". News18. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "Radhika Song Promo". TeleguFunda. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Netflix Signs NTR And Balayya". M9. 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Tillu Square Movie Review: Siddhu's Spectacular Sequel Soars As A Cult Phenomenon". The Times of India.
- ^ "Tillu Square Review - Siddhu Jonnalaggada sets the screens ablaze with his hilarious act". OTTplay.
- ^ "Tillu Square movie review: Siddhu Jonnalagadda's sequel takes it a notch higher, gives us a successful comedy franchise". Firstpost. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "Tillu Square movie review: Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Anupama Parameshwaran shine in this laugh riot". The Indian Express. 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ "'Tillu Square' Review: Siddhu Jonnalagadda strikes again with hilarious thriller". India Today. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Prakash, B. V. S. (29 March 2024). "Tillu Square gets bolder, funnier; yet misses the plot". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Srikar, Ram Venkat (29 March 2024). "Tillu Square Movie Review: A Rare Sequel That Improves On The Original". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (29 March 2024). "'Tillu Square' movie review: A terrific Siddhu Jonnalagadda and smart writing ensure a fun sequel". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ Features, C. E. (31 March 2024). "Makers of Tillu franchise announce part three". Cinema Express. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
External links edit
- Tillu Square at IMDb
- Tillu Square at Netflix
