February 9 has turned out to be quite an important day for all the films that got postponed last month. Akshay Kumar’s Pad Man has endured several date shifts before zeroing in on this one. Said to be the toughest contender on Friday, other Hindi movies backed out from releasing on the same day. In terms of Tamil films, there’s a mix of everything – funny, serious, and romance. Malayalam movies, too, have something to offer, with the biopic on writer Kamala Das releasing along with Rosapoo.
PadMan (Hindi)
Padman
The story of Arunachalam Muruganantham from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, is a fascinating one. He never really set out to be a superhero. He also didn’t understand why menstrual cycles should be kept under wraps. Facing opposition from the many women in his life, Muruganantham, albeit found it difficult, but eventually managed to invent a low-cost sanitary pad making machine and subsequently began an awareness drive on menstrual hygiene.
Akshay Kumar plays Lakshmikanth Chauhan, based on Muruganantham, from a village in Madhya Pradesh. What starts off with him watching his wife (played by Radhika Apte) struggle with menstrual hygiene, turns into a revolution of sorts with Rhea (played by Sonam Kapoor) coming on board to spread the message on periods and hygiene in rural India.
Director R Balki, in conversation with Silverscreen, says that he wouldn’t have been able to do justice to Muruganantham’s story had the film been set in Tamil Nadu.
“See, I speak Tamizh too. Just imagine, how much I would have got blasted had I set the film in a village in Tamil Nadu and got the characters to speak shuddh Hindi. Or, get my protagonist to speak, Padosan style. Just imagine the amount of ridicule that we would have faced. Most importantly, it would take away everything from why the film is being made — the cause. I think this is the first mainstream film in the world to speak about menstrual hygiene and periods. This way, the film reaches more people. But, I really wish it gets remade in Tamil and other languages. This is a story that has to be told.”
The film has music by Amit Trivedi and Komail Shayan and cinematography by PC Sreeram.
Kalakalappu 2 (Tamil)
Kalakalappu 2 Movie Stills Starring Jiiva, Catherine Tresa, Nikki Galrani And Others
2012’s popular comedy-drama Kalakalappu gets a sequel with a new cast. While the original had Vimal, Anjali, Oviya, Shiva, and Santhanam in the lead, the sequel, has Nikki Galrani, Jai, Jiiva, Shiva, and Catherine Tresa. Directed by Sundar C again, the film was shot non-stop for two months across Kasi, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai, as the team aimed to release the film in early 2018.
While Vijay Ebenezer composed the music for the first film, Hip Hop Tamizha composed for the sequel, collaborating with Sundar for the second time after Meesaya Murukku. Bankrolled by Sundar’s actress-producer wife Khushboo, the film also has Nandita Swetha, Robo Sankar, Radha Ravi, and Manobala in supporting roles.
Savarakathi (Tamil)
Savarakathi
Savarakathi was officially launched in 2015. The trailer was initially released in 2016, but the film is releasing almost two years later. Filmmakers Ram (of Taramani fame) and Mysskin (of Thupparivalan fame) are the lead actors in this one, directed by Mysskin’s brother GR Adhithya.
Director Mysskin, who has written the story of the film, has said that it’s about “discovering the child that is hidden in our adult selves”. The film stars Poorna (also known as Shamna Kasim) in the lead, while Mysskin plays the antagonist. Actor Sri, who had worked with Mysskin in Onaayum Aatukuttyum will feature in a guest role.
Cinematography is being handled by Karthik Venkatraman, who has previously worked with cameraman PC Sreeram. Arrol Corelli, of Pisaasu fae, composes the music.
Sollividava (Tamil)
Solli Vidava Movie Stills Starring Chandan kumar, Aishwarya Arjun and Directed by Arjun Sarja
Directed by Arjun Sarja, the film has his daughter Aishwarya Arjun making her acting debut. The story focuses on two journalists falling in love at the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War. Kannada actor Chandan Kumar plays Sanjay while Aishwarya plays Madhu.
The film is also releasing in Kannada as Prema Baraha, derived from Arjun Sarja’s song Prema Baraha Koti Taraha from the film Prathap (1990).
Music is by Jassie Gift, best known for his work Kannada and Malayalam films, and has cinematography by HC Venugopal.
Suhasini and K Vishwanath have major roles in this romantic comedy that is also produced by Arjun.
Aami (Malayalam)
aami
Aamiis a biopic of Malayalam poet Madhavikutty aka Kamala Das. Played by Manju Warrier, the film is directed by Kamal and chronicles the life of late poetess and fierce feminist who fought oppression throughout her life.
Manju had previously worked with director Kamal in Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu. The duo is working together after 20 years.
Aami has been through its fair share of controversies as Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who was approached initially for the role, backed out of the project days before the movie was to start production.
The trailer that was recently released shows different stages in Aami’s life and the men in her life. It features Tovino Thomas, Anoop Menon and Murali Gopi who play the major male characters in the film. The background score is given by Bijibal and the songs are directed by M Jayachandran and Taufiq Qureshi.
Rosapoo (Malayalam)
Rosapoo Teaser Starring Biju Menon, Neeraj Madhav, Anjali and others
Written and directed by Vinu Joseph, the film is a comedy, starring Biju Menon, Neeraj Madhav, Anjali, Dileesh Pothan, Salim Kumar, Soubin Shahir, Sudheer Karamana, and Alencier Ley Lopez. Earlier Sunny Wayne was cast in a role, who was later replaced by Neeraj. The film features 142 characters altogether and was extensively shot in Kerala and Chennai.
Rosapoo is about Shajahan who faces difficulty after his duty-free shop goes down. In a bid to kick start his life, along with his equally clueless friends, the team begins something new. Anjali is reportedly playing a strong character in the film while the other female lead, Shilpa Manjunath, makes her debut with a convincing performance, says the director.
Music is by Sushin Shyam and bankrolled by Shibu Thameens.
