Tovino Thomas has provided an update on his involvement in Jr NTR’s next film, which will star Prashant Neel. Jr NTR announced in 2022 that they would work together on a project. The project, provisionally named Dragon, began filming on August 9 with a pooja ceremony in Hyderabad. The film’s makers even claimed last year that it will be released in June 2026, but there has been no news since then.
Tovino stated on Tuesday, while promoting his next Malayalam film Pallichattambi in Hyderabad, that he has left the Telugu film. When asked about the film, he responded, “It is really hard to allocate dates, so I am not doing it.”
NTR Neel is one among the most anticipated ventures in Telugu cinema. The film, which was announced to be released on Jr NTR’s birthday in 2022, began production early last year. The actor also returned to the sets on April 22 after wrapping up filming for his Bollywood debut, War 2, alongside director Ayan Mukherji and actor Hrithik Roshan. While NTR Neel has long been said to have been named Dragon, the film’s team has yet to confirm or contradict this.
The official X and Instagram account of NTR Neel had an announcement that the film will be released in theatres on June 25, 2026. They shared, “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 and mentioned the release date in red against a monochrome background.
