This week’s Tamil releases are Jarugandi, Genius and Karimugan, while Malayalam audiences will see French Viplavam and Johny Johny Yes Appa. In Hindi it is Baazaar, Kaashi and 5 Weddings, while there is no major release in Telugu.
Jarugandi
Directed by debutant Pichumani, the film is an action comedy drama starring Jai and Reba Monica John. Jointly produced by Nithin Sathyaa and Badri Kasthuri, Jarugandi also features Daniel Annie Pope, Robo Shankar, Bose Venkat and Amit Tiwari in pivotal roles. Music for the film is composed by Bobo Shashi of Kulir 100 degree fame.
Talking about the title, director told, “Every character was chasing his or her own worries; we wanted a catchy title that would be synonymous with running, or being constantly on the move. ‘Jarugandi’ is a phrase known almost to everyone. Moreover, director Venkat Prabhu too, felt it would be apt for the project.”
Genius
Genius is a drama directed by Suseenthiran and produced by the actor Roshan who also plays the lead. The film also features Priya Lal, Aadukalam Naren and Meera Krishnan in pivotal roles. Cinematography for the film is by R. B. Gurudev, while the music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with lyrics by Vairamuthu.
The film’s theme is based on the education and mental stress and revolves around how people are pressurised to prove themselves in a competitive world.
Karimugan
Director Chella Thangaiah’s Karimugan is a love drama starring Super Singer fame Senthil Ganesh in the lead. The singer turned actor was a playback singer for films like Seemaraja and Charlie Chaplin 2 after winning the popular television reality show. The film also stars debutant Gayathri playing opposite Senthil.
The film will see the director himself playing an important role, as well composing music for the film. And if that were not enough, Chella Thangaiah has also written the lyrics for the five songs in the album.
Talking about the characters in the film, director told The New Indian Express, “The character of Kanish is a tough role for someone to play in only his second film. But Senthil was my only choice for the character as I needed his voice to establish his credentials as a singer. After much scouting, I found my film’s heroine in Gayathri from Kerala.”
French Viplavam
Directed by debutant K B Maju, the film revolves around the arrack ban of 1996 and is set in a place called Kochukadavu. Scripted by Anwar Ali, Shajeer Jaleel, Shajeer Sha, with Pappinu on the camera, the film stars Sunny Wayne and Arya Salim in the lead.
Produced under the banner of Abba Creations, the film also features Lal, Chemban Vinod Jose, Aristo Suresh, Unnimaya, Noby and Pauly Valsan in supporting roles. Music for the film is composed by Prashanth Pillai.
Johny Johny Yes Appa
Directed by G Marthandan, the film is a fun filled comedy drama starring Kunchacko Boban, Anu Sithara and Mamta Mohandas in the lead. The film also features Geetha, Sharafudheen, Tini Tom, Vijayaraghavan and Kalabhavan Shajon in supporting roles. Music is composed by Shaan Rahman.
Talking about the character Johny to The New Indian Express, director said “Johny is a role that’s tailor-made for him. The loveable hero. I’m happy to say that his character has turned out really well.”
Baazaar
Directed by Gaurav K Chawla, the film is a business crime drama starring Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte and debutant Rohan Mehra in the lead. The film is set in the backdrop of money, power and business, and the stock market.
Produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, the film also features Chitrangda Singh, Denzil Smith, Saurabh Shukla, Anupriya Goenka and Elli Avram in supporting roles.
Talking about his character to Gulf News, Khan said, “I play Shakun Kothari, a hard-edged Gujarati businessman. He’s come up the hard way and is like a shark. He is not interested in running companies, he’s only interested in profits and is ruthless. He’s someone who takes of advantage of certain situations and weakness. He destroys companies and people without any remorse.”
Kaashi
It is a suspense thriller, directed by Dhiraj Kumar starring Sharman Joshi and debutant Aishwarya Devan in lead roles. The film revolves around Kaadhi, who goes in search of his missing sister Ganga. He faces obstacles when people refuse to believe that his sister actually exists in real life.
Talking about the experience in acting the film, Joshi told “Emotions and drama come naturally to me. They are more of interest to me as an actor. Comedy…I am fairly comfortable with it also. But to do comedy, I had to spend a lot of time on myself and work on myself.”
5 Weddings
A drama directed by Namrata Singh Gujral, an Indo-American director, 5 Weddings revolves around an Indian-American journalist who comes to India to do a story on Indian weddings. The film will showcase “a traditional Punjabi wedding with a modern-day twist.”
Starring Rajkummar Rao and Nargis Fakhri in the lead, the film also features, Bo Derek and Candy Clark in supporting roles.
