Hitting theatres this weekend are Aan Devathai, Koothan and Manusangada in Tamil; Kayamkulam Kochunni and Nonsense in Malayalam and Aravindha Sametha in Telugu. Hindi releases include Helicopter Eela, Jalebi and Fryday.
Aan Devathai
Starring Samuthirakani in the lead, the film is a family drama written and directed by Thamira, who made his directorial debut with Rettai Suzhi. Produced by Sigaram Cinemas, the music for the film is composed by Ghibran.
The film, said to be a reflection of the present day society and the people that populate it, also stars Ramya Pandian, Aranthangi Nisha, Kavin, Monica, Radha Ravi, Suja Varunee, Kaali Venkat and others.
Koothan
Directed by Venky AL, the film is a musical drama starring debutants in the lead. It also features choreographer-actor Nagendra Prasad (Prabhudheva’s brother) as the antagonist. The film revolves around a group of backup dancers who aspire to win an international championship.
While Remya Nambeesan and T Rajendher have lent their voices for songs, the music for the film is composed by debutant Balz G. Veteran actors like K Bhagyaraj and Manobala will be seen in cameos.
Talking about his role, actor Nagendra Prasad told The New Indian Express, “In the recent past, I’ve only played cameos in certain films, like my cop role in Bogan and a cameo in Prabhu anna’s upcoming film, Yung Mung Sung. So, Koothan is certainly my comeback in Tamil cinema. It will definitely be different from the other characters I’ve played so far in my career.”
Manusangada
Directed by Amshan Kumar, Manusangada is a drama based on a true story. The film revolves around the rise of Dalit struggles in contemporary India against long standing human rights violations.
It stars theatre artistes like Rajeev Anand, Sasi Kumar, Manimekalai, Sheela, Vidhur and Anand Sampath. Produced by S Thara and Gana Natkunan, it has cinematography by PS Dharan, while Aravind-Shankar has composed music.
Talking about the film, the director told The News Minute, “When I was working on a screenplay adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth I came across several news reports on such incidents. Even a few days back, a similar incident was reported at a village in Thiruvarur. This is not an old practice, it is happening even today. So I set aside whatever I was doing to work on this feature”
Kayamkulam Kochunni
Starring Nivin Pauly in the lead, Kayamkulam Kochunni is an epic period film directed by Rosshan Andrrews. The story unfolds in the pre-Independence era. Produced by Gokulam Gopalan, the music for the film is composed by Gopi Sunder.
The movie comes 52 years after the release of the first reel adaptation of the legend of Kayamkulam Kochunni, based on a story from Kottarathil Sankunni’s Aithihyamala. Apart from Nivin, the film also stars Priya Anand, Sunny Wayne, Sudheer Karamana and Babu Antony. Mohanlal will be seen playing a cameo in the film.
Rosshan Andrrews told Silverscreen, “Through Kayamkulam Kochunni, we are trying to tell a quintessential Malayali tale in a novel way, with perfect production design and technology. Most of what we spent on production went into recreating the period.
Nonsense
Directed by debutant MC Jithin, the film is India’s first to explore BMX bicycle racing. It stars Rinosh George of I’m a Mallu song fame, Vinay Forrt, Shruthi Ramachandran, Renji Panicker, KPAC Lalitha and others.
In conversation with The New Indian Express, Jithin said, “Our film talks about a socio-political issue which you can see happening everywhere. So, it isn’t by any means experimental or unconventional but since the film does not fit into a particular framework, I will not be surprised if our film is labeled as such.”
Aravinda Sametha
Starring Junior NTR in the lead, the film is an action drama directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by Haarika & Hassine Creations. The film revolves around Veera Raghava Reddy (Jr NTR), who is a man torn between violence and grace.
With music by S Thaman and cinematography by PS Vinod, the film also stars Pooja Hegde and Eesha Rebba in the lead roles, while Sunil, Naga Babu and Supriya Pathak play supporting roles. Jagapathi Babu plays the role of the antagonist.
Helicopter Eela
Directed by Pradeep Sarkar and written by Mitesh Shah and Anand Gandhi of Ship Of Theseus fame, Helicopter Eela tells the story of a single mother and son. The film stars Kajol in the lead, while Riddhi Sen will be seen playing her son.
The film also stars Neha Dhupia and Tota Roy Chaudhary in pivotal roles. Music is composed by Amit Trivedi and lyrics are by Swanand Kirkire. In the film Kajol plays an aspiring singer who is also a single mother. Helicopter Eela is bankrolled by Ajay Devgn and Jayantilal Gada.
Jalebi
Starring Rhea Chakraborty, debutant Varun Mitra and Digangana Suryavanshi in the lead, Jalebi is a romantic drama directed by Pushpdeep Bhardwaj. It is an official remake of the Bengali film Praktan (2016).
Talking about the film to The Times Of India, the director said, “I tried to share my view of Delhi through the eyes of my protagonist Dev. He is a Delhi guy who takes tourists on food and heritage walks to unveil the beautiful side of Delhi. And how he cannot let himself out of the city as he holds everything about the city close to his heart.”
Fryday
Fryday is a comedy drama directed by Abhishek Dogra and produced by Sajid Qureshi and PVR Pictures, starring Govinda, Varun Sharma and Digangana Suryavanshi in the lead.
Talking about working with Govinda, actor Varun told The Indian Express: “To do a film with Govinda, who is a legend in that genre, and whose timing is impeccable, was challenging. I knew it would be a learning experience and I can tell my kids that I’ve done a film with Govinda! I was very scared to do comedy with him”.
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