New Delhi, June 13 -- Gopichand used his birthday on June 12 to reveal the title and first glimpse of Singa, his next Telugu film, which marks the directorial debut of Vvenkat, an action choreographer who has spent years designing fight sequences across south Indian cinema. The glimpse establishes a raw, forest-set tone with Gopichand appearing in a physical transformation that the production is clearly positioning as a departure from his recent work, Gulte reported.

The title translates roughly to "wild beast" or "lion" in colloquial usage, and the footage leans into that register without restraint. Gopichand carries an axe, moves through dense forest terrain, and stares down the camera with an aggression that suggests the film intends ...