This week’s Tamil releases are ’96, NOTA and Ratchasan, while in Malayalam it is Mandharam. Andhadhun is the only major Bollywood release.
’96
Starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan in the lead, ’96 is a romantic drama written and directed by newcomer Prem Kumar. Produced by Nandagopal of Madras Enterprises, the music for the film has been composed by Govind Vasantha of Asuravadham fame.
The film also stars Janagaraj, Kaali Venkat, Bagavathi Perumal, Devadarshini and Aadukalam Murugadoss. The film is being billed as a love story narrated from the perspective of a man.
Talking about the characters in the film, director Prem told Silverscreen “Devadarshini’s character is based on my sister. Trisha’s Janu has traits of many women I have known in my life — my wife, friends… Especially Subhashree Kaarthik, my costume designer. I asked her to lend a personal touch to the character.”
NOTA
This Tamil-Telugu bilingual political thriller stars Vijay Devarakonda in the lead and is directed by Anand Shankar of Iru Mugan fame. Produced by KE Gnanavelraja under the Studio Greens banner, the music and the background score has been composed by Sam CS of Vikram Vedha fame.
The film also stars Sathyaraj, Mehreen Pirzada, Yaashika Aannand, Sanchana Natarajan, Karunankaran, MS Bhaskar and Nasser.
Talking about the film, Music director Sam CS said “Anand usually prefers background score over songs. The trailer shows that it’s a political thriller; it is actually an emotional film. I realised this when I was composing the music. The film portrays many real-life events and incidents which affect us in our day-to-day lives.”
Raatchasan
Directed by Ramkumar of Mundasupatti fame, the film is a psychological thriller starring Vishnu Vishal as a cop and Amala Paul as a teacher. Kaali Venkat and Munishkanth play pivotal roles.
Produced by Dilli Babu under the banner Axess Film Factory, the film revolves around the challenges that Vishnu’s character faces during an investigation. The film has music by Ghibran and will feature montage songs.
Talking about his role and the film, actor Vishnu said: “I play someone who is not at all interested in becoming a cop, but eventually lands the job. It’s a psychological thriller with mystery and suspense. The ‘doll’ in the visual promos has become a strong attraction. All that I can assure for now is that it has something to do with the story.”
Mandharam
Directed by newcomer Vijesh Vijay, the film is a romantic drama starring Asif Ali, Varsha Bollamma and Anarkali Marikar in the lead. Produced by Magic Mountain Cinemas, the film will have Asif Ali in five different get-ups. According to a report, the film tracks 25-odd years of the protagonist’s life – from childhood to 32.
The film also stars Jacob Gregory, Arjun Asokan, Vineeth Vishwam and Bhagath Manuel. It is said that the flower Mandharam finds an important place in the script too.
The director has said that the film narrates the emotional journey of Asif Ali’s character.
Andhadhun
Directed by Sriram Raghavan, Andhadhun is a romantic thriller starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. Ayushmann plays a visually-impaired pianist around whom the story revolves. The film is said to be a quirky take on a thriller. What happens when a visually-impaired person ‘witnesses’ a murder?
Produced by Viacom 18 motion picture, the film also stars Anil Dhawan, Zakir Hussain, Ashwini Kalsekar, Manav Vij and Chaya Kadam.
