With SS Rajamouli’s RRR bringing audiences back to theatres in large numbers and seeing record collections, the cinema business seems well on the way to recovery after the pandemic lull. There is a huge line-up of movies arriving through the year hoping to continue that trend.
The month of April brings with it new year celebrations across various states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana, and the big movie releases timed with that, such as Vijay’s Beast and the eagerly awaited sequel KGF Chapter 2.
On that note, Silverscreen India has put together this list of films arriving at big screens near you this April.
Mishan Impossible – April 1
This film marks Taapsee Pannu’s return to the Telugu film industry, after her 2019 Tamil-Telugu bilingual Game Over. Mishan Impossible is written and directed by Swaroop RSJ. In a previous conversation with Silverscreen India, Swaroop had said that it will be a comedy that revolves around bounty hunting. “The story is set in a village in Tirupati. The title is spelt wrong on purpose, with the font resembling a child’s handwriting. These offer hints to the film’s story,” he added.
Aside from Pannu, Mishan Impossible also has child artists Roshan, Bhanuprakash, and Jayatheerda playing lead roles. In her role as a “fearless, super-busy journalist,” Pannu will be seen sporting sustainable and recycled outfits, courtesy National Award-winning costume designer Indrakshi Pattanaik.
Selfie – April 1
Starring music composer GV Prakash and filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon, Selfie is a Tamil film written and directed by debutant Mathi Maran and presented by Kalaippuli S Thanu under the V Creations banner. Prakash plays an engineering student in the film, which is set in contemporary times,
Mathi Maaran had told us earlier, “This story is set in Chennai and in simple terms, it is a college story but there will not be a single classroom shot in the film. It is an off-campus story that establishes that there is a life beyond classrooms for students. I have recorded one area of this off-campus life.”
Other cast members include veteran actor Vagai Chandrasekhar, Varsha Bollamma, and debutant Guna.
Manmatha Leelai – April 1
Actor Ashok Selvan and filmmaker Venkat Prabhu’s first collaboration, Manmatha Leelai is backed by Muruganantham under the Rockfort Entertainment banner. This Tamil film has been given an A certificate.
Earlier, the producer had told us that it will be a comedy film. “It will have fun elements and will be a typical Venkat Prabhu film with commercial aspects to it. He had come up with a simple storyline taking place in two timelines. In 2010, a man gets caught by his father for bringing home a girl; and in 2020, a man gets caught by his wife for bringing a girl over,” Muruganantham added.
Besides Ashok, the film stars Smruthi Venkat, Samyuktha Hegde, and Riya Suman.
Idiot – April 1
Written and directed by Rambhala, this Tamil horror-comedy features Shiva and Nikki Galrani. Rambhala had earlier told Silverscreen India that Idiot looks into the events that follow when a mentally unstable person goes into a haunted bungalow. “We see the interactions between the ghost and the patient. In every instance in the film, some idiotic thing will keep happening and hence the title. There are many characters in the film and it shows what happens when they all go to the haunted bungalow. There is no logic in the film; it is pure entertainment,” he had mentioned.
Ghani – April 8
Starring Varun Tej, Saiee M Manjrekar, Jagapathi Babu, Upendra, Sunil Shetty and Naveen Chandra among others, this Telugu film is directed by Kiran Korrapati. Ghani is expected to be a sports drama, where Tej essays the role of a boxer. S Thaman has composed the music for the film, which has been shot by cinematographer George C Williams.
Beast – April 13
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Beast marks actor Vijay’s first collaboration with director Nelson Dilipkumar. It is set to release in theatres on April 13, just ahead of Tamil New Year. The film has been certified U/A, with a runtime of two hours and 25 minutes.
The film co-stars Pooja Hegde, who is making her comeback to the Tamil film industry after nearly a decade. Other cast members include actors Shine Tom Chacko, Redin Kingsley, Aparna Das, Yogi Babu, VTV Ganesh, Ankur Ajit Vikal, Liliput Faruqui, and filmmaker Selvaraghavan.
Beast has music composed by Anirudh Ravichander, and the songs Arabic Kuthu (penned by actor Sivakarthikeyan) and Jolly O Gymkhana have both become viral hits on the internet.
KGF Chapter 2 – April 14
KGF Chapter 2 is the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster KGF Chapter 1 and it is directed by Prashanth Neel. The first instalment saw the biggest opening in the history of the Kannada film industry.
The upcoming pan-Indian film will be released in five languages – Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi. It stars Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, and Sanjay Dutt among others.
Set against the backdrop of the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), the film follows the story of the ambitious Rocky (Yash), who is born into poverty but wants to conquer the world. Dutt has previously said that his antagonist Adheera is inspired by the Vikings.
Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam – April 22
Headlined by actor Vishwak Sen, this Telugu film is helmed by cinematographer-turned-director Vidhya Sagar Chinta. Backed by producers Bapineedu and Sudheer Edara, Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam is based on a script written by filmmaker Ravikiran Kola.
Speaking to us earlier, Chinta had said that the family entertainer, set in the backdrop of the East Godavari district, will leave the audience with a sense of nostalgia. Sen plays Arjun Kumar Allam, a 34-year-old man in search of a bride. “The film is about Arjun and his marriage. He is 34 and has many insecurities about getting married. The many rejections he has faced have also got him to this point. He desperately wants to get married and faces family pressure to do so as well. The story will follow the hurdles that he faces in the process,” said the director.
Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal – April 28
This Tamil film directed by Vignesh Shivan stars Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Nayanthara. Produced by Lalit Kumar, Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal has music by Anirudh Ravichander and is expected to be a romantic comedy. It marks the second collaboration of Sethupathi, Nayanthara and Vignesh Sivan, after the 2015 action comedy Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
Acharya – April 29
Written and directed by filmmaker Koratala Siva, Acharya stars Chiranjeevi and is produced by his home banner Konidela Production Company and Matinee Entertainments. This Telugu film also features the actor’s son, Ram Charan, as well as Kajal Aggarwal and Pooja Hegde.
The film faced several delays during its production due to the pandemic. Earlier, a song from the film, Saana Kashtam, was caught in a controversy after a section of rural medical practitioners (RMPs) from Telangana took offence to a specific line from it and claimed that the song projected them in a bad light.