It’s a good week for Tamil movie buffs as RJ Balaji’s LKG, cinematographer Chezhiyan’s directorial debut To Let, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Kanne Kalaimaane are releasing. In Bollywood, Total Dhamaal releases, and in Telugu NTR: Mahanayakudu. There are no major releases in Malayalam.
LKG
Directed by debutant KR Prabhu, LKG is a political satire starring RJ Balaji, who has also written the story and screenplay of the film. He is making his debut as a lead actor, starring opposite Priya Anand. It is produced by Isari K Ganesh. Leon James has composed music, cinematography is by Vidhu Ayyanna, and editing by Anthony.
The film’s Tamil Nadu theatrical rights were bought by Sakthi Film Factory, who produced the Ajith-starrer Viswasam. The film also features politician Nanjil Sampath, J.K Rithesh, Ananth Vaithiyanathan, Santhana Bharathi, Manobala and Mayilsamy in pivotal roles. The recently released trailer garnered 2 million views in 24 hours.
Talking about his drive to make the film, RJ Balaji told Times Of India, “The first thing I decided was that it shouldn’t be a spoof film. I wanted to tell a story. The film is the journey of Lalgudi Karuppaiah Gandhi, a small-time politician. And there is definitely a takeaway in this film. I have provided a solution to our political issues.”
To Let
Directed by cinematographer Chezhiyan, who makes his debut with the film, To Let is about the way the word haunts people in Chennai. It is produced by Chezhiyan’s wife, Prema, under the banner Zhla Cinema. The film features newcomers Santhosh Sreeram, Sheela and Dharun in lead roles.
The film won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil this year, has received 26 international awards, and been nominated for 80. The story of To Let is grounded on real experiences. It’s about the problems encountered by Chennai’s working class when they want to move homes.
The idea for the film came from Chezhiyan’s own experiences and his friends’ experiences as tenants in the city. He told Silverscreen, “There are many problems with shifting, and it becomes difficult because memories get attached to a house. So I thought why not make a film about this.”
Kanne Kalaimaane
This much-delayed project directed by Seenu Ramasamy, is a love story starring Udhayanidhi Stalin and Tamannaah in the lead. It also features Vadivukkarasi, Shaji Chen, Vasundhara Kashyap and Vetrikumaran in pivotal roles.
The cinematography for the film is by Jalandhar Vasan and editing is by Kasi Viswanathan. The film is produced by Udhayanidhi under his banner Red Giant Movies. Music is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Talking about the role played by women in the film, actor-producer Udhayanidhi Stalin said, “Vasundhara has the role of a childhood friend of mine in the film, and her role is so challenging. I suggest Tamannaah to act in Seenu Ramasamy sir’s films at least once a year. Her role in this film is enthralling and it is relateable to women and men. She has portrayed herself well as Bharathi. I have an emotional episode with Vadivukarasi Amma in climax and it is unforgettable.”
Total Dhamaal
This is an adventure-comedy drama directed and co-produced by Indra Kumar. The film is the third installment of the Dhamaal series which stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey, Madhuri Dixit, Esha Gupta and Anil Kapoor in pivotal roles. It is jointly produced by Ajay Devgn and Fox Star Hindi.
Keiko Nakahara is the cinematographer. Gourov-Roshin have composed music, and the background score is by Sandeep Shirodkar.
NTR: Mahanayakudu
Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi, the film is a biopic based on the life and political career of N. T. Rama Rao. It is jointly produced by Nandamuri Balakrishna, Sai Korrapati, Vishnu Induri under NBK Films, Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram, Vibri Media banners.
The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna and Vidya Balan in the lead. Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Poonam Bajwa, Rana Daggubati, Manjima Mohan, Bharath Reddy, Sachin Khedekar, Himanshi Choudary and Heroshini Komali.R have pivotal roles. The film is made into two parts, and the first N.T.R: Kathanayakudu released in January. Music for the film is composed by M. M. Keeravani.
