Sivakarthikeyan‘s Doctor has been performing well at the cinemas across Tamil Nadu, and the film has collected over Rs. 24 crores in its first three days.
Situations for cinemas theatres seem less bleak with Kerala theatres reopening from October 25, as announcement of a bunch of Malayalam films’ release dates. Similarly, Maharashtra is set to reopen its theatres and cinema halls from October 22 onwards with the anticipation of more releases.
While Rashmi Rocket, Sardar Udham, and Udanpirappe, released digitally, Maha Samudram, Aranmanai 3, and Most Eligible Bachelor, turned out to be exceptions and took the theatrical route.
Silverscreen India brings to you, a roundup of responses to films, from both the audience as well as the critics:
Rashmi Rocket (Zee5)
taapsee-pannu-rashmi-rocket
Directed by Akarsh Khurana, Rashmi Rocket features Taapsee Pannu, Priyanshu Painyuli, Shweta Tripathi, Vicky Kadian, and Abhishek Banerjee, in the lead roles
The story revolves around a small-town girl (Rashmi Veera) who overcomes all societal barriers to become a national-level athlete, but her glory is hindered when she is asked to undergo a gender test, according to the synopsis by Zee5. The film is supposedly based on the life of athlete Dutee Chand, who was dropped from the 2014 Commonwealth Games on the grounds of hyperandrogenism, or a condition wherein, the levels of testosterone are higher in certain women.
For Aswathy Gopalakrishnan of Silverscreen India, the film refuses to study the protagonist’s gift as a natural runner. She added, “Rashmi Rocket goes from being a flimsy sports movie to a flimsier courtroom drama that addresses the injustices women have to deal with in the field of sports.”
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion reflected similar sentiments. While she credited the film for its well intentions, she also called it a muddle, “situated between fact and fiction”.
Both the reviewers highlighted and applauded Banerjee’s performance as Rashmi’s advocate.
Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Express, praised the performances but pointed out certain scenes and plot points that seemed flimsy and forced.
Rashmi Rocket has a current rating of 6.2 on IMDb.
Sardar Udham (Amazon Prime Video)
Sardar Udham, based on the real life of Indian revolutionary Sardar Udham Singh, features Vicky Kaushal in the titular role. Directed by Shoojit Sircar, the film also stars Banita Sandhu and Amol Parashar in pivotal roles.
According to Amazon Prime Video’s synopsis, “a young Sardar Udham was left deeply scarred by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He escaped into the mountains of Afghanistan, reaching London in 1933-34. There, Udham spent the most decisive 6 years of his life, re-igniting the revolution. On 13th March, 1940, 21 years since carrying the unhealed wound, Udham Singh assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the man at the helm of affairs in Punjab, April 1919”.
Kaushal has received appreciation for his portrayal of Udham Singh and some have even considered this to be his career-best.
For Anupama Chopra of Film Companion, while the screenplay is scattered, and the duration long, she credits it for establishing patriotism “without resorting to chest-thumping or jingoism”.
Soumya Srivastava of Hindustan Times, also applauds the film for its intent and execution. She adds, “Rarely has there been a Hindi film so unafraid to be bold and unwilling to gently depict the truth of the violence and sheer horror that still simmers in those it once affected”.
Sardar Udham has an IMDb rating of 9.2, mostly for Kaushal’s performance, the recreation of London, and the portrayal of patriotism without jingoism.
Sanak (Disney+ Hotstar)
Featuring Vidyut Jammwal, Sanak marks the Hindi debut of Bengali actor Rukmini Maitra.
The Kanishk Varma directorial follows the story of Vivaan (played by Jammwal), who tries to help the patients, including his wife, who are held as hostages in a hospital.
Almost all reviewers drew parallels of Sanak to the 1988 film Die Hard, where Bruce Willis played a similar role.
Anupama Chopra of Film Companion pointed out that despite strongly introducing certain characters like villain Chandan Roy Sanyal, and Neha Dhupia as ACP Jayati Bhargav, they are sidelined while Jammwal’s action drives the film.
Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Express, called the film a “a stroll in the park, devoid of any spark.”
Sanak has an IMDb rating of 7.5.
Udanpirappe (Amazon Prime Video)
Udanpirappe features Jyothika, M. Sasikumar, Samuthirakani, Kalaiyarasan, and others.
According to Amazon Prime Video’s synopsis, “the story revolves around the sibling families in Pudukottai district. There might be differences in their opinions, but their fight is for the same win.”
Ranjani Krishnakumar of Film Companion, said that while the film does not offer anything new, it further falters in choosing grandstanding dialogues over events and action.
For Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost, while the lead actors are progressive, the film does not explore contrasting perspectives in detail. It is content to stick to the surface.
Udanpirappe has a current IMDb standing of 5.3.
Maha Samudram
Featuring an ensemble cast of Sharwanand, Siddharth, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Anu Emmanuel, Maha Samudram is directed by Ajay Bhupathi.
It revolves around the lives of four individuals, Arjun (Sharwanand), Vijay (Siddharth), Maha (Aditi Rao Hydari), and Anu Emmanuel (Smitha), in Visakhapatnam.
Sankeertana Varma of Firstpost said that while the film’s casting works and carries the storyline, the film loses its way from jumping back and forth between a tale of two friends, and an underworld saga.
Gabbeta Ranjith Kumar of the Indian Express, pointed out that while the film was supposed to revolve around Rao Hydari’s character Maha, it loses its pace. On one hand, he agreed that the casting was on-point, but “the stilted characterisation and run-of-the-mill story lets them down.”
The film has an IMDb rating of 6.7.
Aranmanai 3
The third part in the Aranmanai series, Aranmanai 3 features actors Raashi Khanna and Arya, in lead roles, alongside Andrea Jeremiah, Yogi Babu, director Sundar C, and others.
According to IMDb, the film revolves around “the ghost of a wronged mother tries to take revenge on a Zamindar and his daughter, but one man stands in its way.”
For Subha J Rao of Film Companion, the film was dotted with lame humour, sexist jokes, and an illogical plotline that reduced the performances of the actors, to nothing.
Manoj Kumar R of the Indian Express, said that the film draws from Rajinikanth’s 2005 film Chandramukhi. He called the film the dumbest film of the year that did not have a single actor who played a meaningful role, including Arya, who was used as an eye candy.
Aranmanai 3 has an IMDb rating of 4.2.
Most Eligible Bachelor
https://twitter.com/GeethaArts/status/1288383769519390720/photo/1
Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde headline this romantic comedy, directed by Bommarillu Baskar.
The story revolves around Harsha (Akkineni) and Vibha (Hegde), who confront their ideas of a married life, according to IMDb.
Recommended
For Bhavana Murali of Film Companion, the film was like old wine in an older bottle. She added that while it started with a progressive take on marriage, it does not explore it beyond the one-line: family vs. romance.
For Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute, despite the slow-pace of the film, it worked well because it was not about just two individuals with different ideas, but other characters, including Murali Sharma, Vennela Kishore, and others, were also given importance.
Most Eligible Bachelor has a current IMDb rating of 7.3.