Tovino Thomas has given a major update on being a part of Jr NTR’s next film with Prashant Neel. Jr NTR announced in 2022 that they would collaborate on a film. The film, tentatively titled Dragon, went on floors on August 9 with a pooja ceremony in Hyderabad. The makers even announced last year that it would be released in June 2026, but since then, there has been no update on the film.
What Tovino said
On Tuesday, while promoting his upcoming Malayalam film Pallichattambi in Hyderabad, Tovino confirmed that he is no longer part of the Telugu film. When he was asked about the film, he said, “It is really hard to allocate dates, so I am not doing it.”
He went on to add his stance on the way dates are given for a Telugu film. “I don’t do multiple films at once. In Malayalam, we finish a film in one schedule. But in Telugu, a single project takes almost a year. I can give 3 months, not an entire year,” he said.
About NTR Neel
NTR Neel is one of the most-awaited projects in Telugu cinema. The film announced on Jr NTR’s birthday in 2022 went on floors earlier last year. The actor also joined the sets on April 22 after he wrapped up shooting for his Bollywood debut, War 2, with director Ayan Mukherji and actor Hrithik Roshan. While NTR Neel has long been rumoured to have been named Dragon, the film’s team has yet to confirm or deny the same.
The official X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram account of NTR Neel had announced that the film will be released in theatres on June 25, 2026. They wrote, “26 June 2026…The Most striking tale ever to erupt from the Soil of Indian Cinema. A special glimpse for the Man of Masses @tarak9999’s birthday. #NTRNeel.” They also released a poster with the release date written on it in red against a monochrome background.
