The Republic Day weekend had initially promised a potpourri of movies – Akshay Kumar’s PadMan, Sidharth Malhotra’s Aiyaary, and even a few months ago, Rajinikanth’s 2.0. However, these films have changed their release dates and other big ticket releases will take place this week.
The violence has not stopped, but Padmaavat – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s biggest production, will finally see the light of the day. Anushka Shetty will grace the screen months after Baahubali 2. And then there are two other Tamil releases that have been creating a buzz on social media.
Padmaavat (Hindi)
Padmavati
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic drama Padmaavat, which was scheduled to release on December 1, is officially releasing today but with a lot of protests around the country. Bhansali’s film starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh is a cinematic adaptation of the epic poem Padmavat written by Malik Muhammad Jayasi in 1540 CE, which most historians have called a work of fiction.
Deepika plays the role of the righteous and honourable Rani Padmavati, Shahid plays Rana Ratan Singh of Mewar, a symbol of Rajput valour and pride. And Ranveer Singh plays the evil Alauddin Khilji, a barbaric king who does not have a shred of anything good in him. Aditi Rao Hydari plays Mehrunissa, Alauddin’s wife, while Jim Sarbh plays Malik Kafur, the eunuch who is in love with Alauddin.
The music is composed by Bhansali himself with cinematography handled by Sudeep Chatterjee. Made on a budget of Rs 200 crores, the film is one of the most expensive films Bollywood has ever produced.
Read review here.
Bhaagamathie (Telugu/Tamil/Malayalam)
Bhaagamathie
The trilingual thriller is directed by G Ashok and has Anushka Shetty in a powerful role as an IAS officer named Chanchala. The film also features Unni Mukundan, Aadhi Pinisetty, and Jayaram as part of the cast. The actor who has been part of films like Rudrammadevi and Arundhathi recently said that the current trend of segregating movies on the basis of gender needs to be stopped, adding that the audience is accepting the movie because of its engaging story and not because of gender. She also spoke of how actresses should fight for better scripts and stories instead of better pay scale.
The trailer released early this month, begins with Anushka and Unni Mukundan sharing coy glances and soon enough the scene shifts to a dreary old house. Horror ensues after Anushka is seen being dragged by an invisible force. Her character, who has been looming around the dusty house, is seen hammering a nail into her hand on a wall.
Produced by Vamsi and Pramod under the banner UV Creations, the film’s music is composed by SS Thaman.
Nimir (Tamil)
Udhayanidhi Stalin in Nimir Movie Stills
Director Priyadarshan’s Nimir is the remake of the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram with Udhayanidhi in the lead. Udhayanidhi and team began shooting for the film in Kutralam and Thenkasi from July 10. Udhay will be playing Fahadh Faasil’s role in this remake, while Namitha Pramod and Parvathi Nair play the female leads. Samuthirakani has written the dialogues for the film. He plays the villain too.
Veteran actor and filmmaker J Mahendran plays Udhayanidhi’s father in the film. The film’s music is by Darbuka Siva and B Ajaneesh Lokanath, and is produced by Santhosh T Kuruvilla, who also produced the original film.
Mannar Vagaiyara (Tamil)
Mannar Vagera Movie Stills Starring Vimal, Anandhi and Directed by Boopathy Pandian
Mannar Vagaiyara is an action comedy written and directed by Boopathy Pandian, best known for directing the Dhanush-starrer Devathayai Kanden. The film is produced by actor Vemal, who also stars in the lead role alongside Anandh. Prabhu, Chandini Tamilarasan and Karthik Kumar and others appear in supporting roles. Music is by Jakes Bejoy, who is known for his work in the critically acclaimed film Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru. Cinematography is by PG Muthiah and Sooraj Nallusamy.
Streetlights (Malayalam)
Mammootty StreetLights
The film, produced by Play House Motion Pictures, and directed by Shamdat Sainudheen, is a bilingual Malayalam and Tamil film. This is Shamdat’s debut as a director starring Mammootty as a cop. An out and out thriller, written by Fawaz Mohammed, Shamdat is also the director of photography here.
The film will star Joy Mathew, Neena Kurup, Sudhi Koppa, Lijomol Jose, and Dharmajan Bolgatty, among others in the Malayalam version, while the Tamil version will feature Mano Bala and Black Pandi, among others. Music is by Adarsh Abraham.
Aadhi (Malayalam)
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Pranav, son of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, is making his acting debut as an adult with Aadhi, directed by Jeethu Joseph. The 27-year-old plays an aspiring music director and will also be seen doing parkour as part of the action scenes in the film. The film also stars Siddique, Lena, Aditi Ravi, Anusree, Jagapathi Babu, and others.
This film will be produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Ashirvad Films.
Pranav had debuted as a child artiste at the age of 12 in Onnaman, which starred his father, Mohanlal.
Speaking about the film, Jeethu Joseph, in an interview with Silverscreen, said that the film is a mix of genres. “It is about a young man who dreams about making a career in music. He gets into a huge crisis at one point. The film doesn’t have a conventional romantic track. I don’t want anyone to go in expecting a string of plot ‘twists’ or action sequences,” he said.
