Section: Movies
Vijay’s ‘Master’ to Release in Theatres on January 13: Tamil Nadu Theatre & Multiplex Owners’ Association
Master, the Tamil film starring actors Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi and Andrea Jeremiah, will release in theatres on January 13, 2020, for Pongal, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners’ Association, Tiruppur Subramaniam, told Silverscreen India, on Monday.
Master’s release, initially scheduled for April, 2020 was halted due to the ongoing pandemic. The film, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, also features actors Malavika Mohanan, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj and Arjun Das. Master, when it releases, will become the first major Tamil film to opt for a theatre release, after Covid-19 related lockdown restrictions were lifted in Tamil Nadu. Other big Tamil releases such as Suriya and Aparna Balamurali starrer Soorarai Pottru and most recently, Jayam Ravi’s Bhoomi have all opted for an OTT release. Cinema halls that fall outside containment zones in Tamil Nadu were permitted to reopen with 50 % seating capacity from November 10.
Addressing media reports that stated actor Vijay had met Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday, to request permitting cinema halls to function with 100 % seating capacity, Subramaniam told Silverscreen India “There has been no information about the meeting either from Vijay’s side or the chief minister’s side. So far, we have not received any information regarding the same. We cannot comment on the capacity we will be functioning at during Pongal since the lockdown rules for January have not yet been announced. It will depend on the announcement the government will make.”
The Tamil Nadu government has extended the lockdown until December 31 with few relaxations in place, including, beaches being thrown open to the public from December 14 and final year undergraduate courses in all colleges and universities and medical courses commencing from December 7. However, people coming from states other than Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry still have to complete an e-registration. As of December 27, 2020, the total number of active Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu stands at 8,947 with 1,009 testing positive for the virus on Sunday alone.
Makers of Master, who had reiter had announced on Christmas eve that the film has obtained a U/A certificate with the Censor Board.
See you soon 🤜🏻🤛🏻#MasterUAcertified pic.twitter.com/w0k2rA43hd
— Lokesh Kanagaraj (@Dir_Lokesh) December 24, 2020
Makers of Master also recently announced their collaboration with B4U Motion Pictures for the Hindi release of the film.
Master is produced by Xavier Britto and co-produced by Lalit Kumar and Jagadish Palanisamy. The film’s music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander and the cinematographer is Sathyan Sooryan. While Philomin Raj is the editor, Sathees Kumar is the art director of Master.
Makers of Master who had earlier in the year stated that the film release only in theatres, were unavailable for comments on the new official release date. The production company backing the film XB Film Creators, while they have not yet confirmed the release date, wrote on social media on Monday that an update regarding the film’s release will be posted on its page on Tuesday.
Wonder Woman 3: Development on Third Installment of the Franchise Will Be Fast-Tracked, Says Warner Bros.
Development on the Wonder Woman franchise’s third installment will be fast-tracked, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich, announced in a press release on Sunday.
The third and final installment of the superhero trilogy will be written and directed by Patty Jenkins, who also directed Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), and will see Gal Gadot reprising the title role she played in both films.
Speaking about the third installment of the DC Comics franchise, Emmerich said, “As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able to continue her story with our real-life Wonder Women – Gal and Patty – who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy.”
The second installment of the American superhero film franchise, Wonder Woman 1984, which had an international theatrical release from December 16 has taken in an estimated $36.1 million globally from 42 markets in release this weekend (including U.S. and Canada) and $16.7 million in box office, makers said, adding that private watch parties and large format screens were the most popular watch options among the consumers with over 10,000 private rentals being booked to watch the film. The film had a dual release in the US on December 25, where Warner Bros exhibited the film simultaneously in theatres and streamed it on HBO Max with an exclusive one-month access period for its US audiences, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“40 markets internationally opened Wonder Woman 1984 in the first two weeks representing 68% of total box office, compared to 2017 with 58 markets representing 77% of total box office for Wonder Woman,” said the press release issued by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. has also announced that nearly half of the HBO Max’s retail subscribers viewed the film on the day it released on the streaming platform, with total viewing hours more than tripling in comparison to a typical day in the previous month.
For the third installment of the Wonder Woman franchise, Warner Bros has not issued a statement yet on the release model that will be followed.
Sharan Kumar Commences Shooting for Debut Film in Hyderabad
Sharan Kumar, the grandson of Vijaya Nirmala – late Telugu actor, filmmaker and 2002 Guinness World Records title holder for the most number of films directed by a woman- is making his acting debut with an upcoming Telugu film written and directed by Ramachandra Vattikutti. Shooting for the film commenced in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Sharan Kumar is yet another member of the Ghattamaneni family- after Nirmala, Padma Bhushan awardee and National award winning actor turned politician Krishna (Nirmala’s second husband) and Telugu actor Mahesh Babu (Krishna’s son from his first marriage)- to venture into acting in the Telugu film industry.
Surendra Kumar Naidu, the film’s publicity manager, told Silverscreen India that the film that has not yet been titled is a ‘romantic crime thriller’ and will release in theatres in Summer, 2021.
IMG_20201226_070700
The film also features Saaho fame Gemini Suresh, Palasa 1978 fame Jabardasth Trinath, Surendhar Reddy, Sahithi Bharadwaj, Venkat Ramana, Satish Dasaram, Dr JB Prasad, Rahul Ramzan Shah, Kiran M, Pravallika, Srimani, Gopal, Harsha, Master Jwalith, among others.
Actor MM William will be playing the role of an antagonist in the film.
In a press release issued yesterday, director Vattikutti stated that he has already signed a Bollywood actor to play the lead opposite Sharan in the film and will make an official announcement regarding the same soon.
The film is produced by Srilatha B Venkat and Venkat Bulemani under the Cineteria Media Works production banner. The cinematography is handled by Bharadwaj and the editing by Lokesh Kumar Kadali. Raghu Ram is the music composer for the film.
During the film’s launch in October this year, members of Sharan’s family including actors Naresh, Sudheer Babu (Mahesh Babu’s brother-in-law), and Krishna attended the event along with actors Jayasudha and Sai Dharam Tej.
While the initial shooting schedule commenced in Hyderabad, on Sunday, shooting will take place in Bengaluru, Mangalore and Chennai in January and February, next year, say makers of the film.
Chini Review: Modern Take On A Troubled Mother-Daughter Relationship Is a Sweet End To The Year
Director: Mainak Bhaumik
Cast: Madhumita Sarcar, Aparajita Adhya, Saurav Das
Early on in Mainak Bhaumik’s Chini, a worried Chini (Madhumita Sarcar) climbs the steep stairs of her traditional house in North Kolkata with her boyfriend tailing her to meet her supposedly sick mother Mishti (Aparajita Adhya). As she bursts into the room, her eyes widen at her mother’s condition – she is groggily watching a mindless Bengali serial, gulping red wine with abandon while ordering the housemaid to refill her chakna (bar snacks) bowl. That’s how we are introduced to Chini’s mother, who once used to be a “quintessential Bengali mother.”
The film doesn’t waste time introducing its characters and the problem at hand – Mishti, who was once a god-fearing, overbearing and orthodox mother has inexplicably turned into a hip, alcohol-guzzling woman who dances around the house wearing ghungroos after her husband’s death. Chini, who has long walked out of her “hellish house” returns after years to look after her mother following a freak health scare, with her dutiful, loyal, boyfriend Sudip (Saurav Das) in tow. Even as she grapples to overcome past differences with her mother, including her failure to understand why her mother silently tolerated her violently abusive and alcoholic father, Chini is exasperated by the sudden change in her mother’s personality. However, the more time she spends with her mother, the more she starts to understand the person behind Mishti’s roles as a wife and mother.
The film hits the right notes in its portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter relationship. Mishti and Chini have a difficult relationship – bitter and “a horror story”, as Chini puts it. As they sit down together for a counselling session with a therapist, bickering like petty siblings, they are made to understand that the actual problem lies not with them, but with the looming presence of Chini’s father whose traumatic memories they can’t shake off and move on from. He has such a haunting influence in their lives that both of them have locked up years of repressed rage and channelled it in different ways – Mishti has literally locked his room since his death, while Chini refuses to talk about him, and develops a distrust towards normal parent-child relationships and a morbid fear of marriage. Both, however, have developed severe anger issues and frequently take it out on each other, a telling reminder of what they both endured from the man of the house. But the relationship is nuanced and complex. Chini, who has been hiding her pregnancy, is constantly ridiculed by her mother for her demanding work commitments. But just when she thinks her mother is incapable of understanding her dedication to her work, Mishti advises her to put her career first before proceeding with the pregnancy.
Adhya effortlessly slips into the role of an overbearing mother-turned-cool mom, perhaps because she has been stereotyped in several films as a traditional, loud middle-class Bengali housewife and mother, who can silence her wayward children with a single stern gaze. But in Chini, her act doesn’t feel repetitive. Even as a cool mom, she slips back into her old self while scolding her daughter and asserts her position in Chini’s life and the house. Her transformation into a different person is fun to watch- as she goes on a date with a pretentious NRI, hilariously puts her snooty sister-in-law in place and announces that she will dance solo at her niece’s wedding, flies a kite and watches it soar with child-like glee, and attentively learns how to use Facebook from Chini’s boyfriend. She is stone cold when Chini forces her to enter her husband’s room and eventually puts all his belongings ablaze, but breaks down loudly, allowing herself to finally grieve not the person, but the pain he had inflicted on her.
The editing is patchy and the sudden cuts feel confusing and jarring. The tearjerker climax was predictable from the very beginning. A rather dramatic scene – where Mishti barges into Chini’s office and gives her boss a piece of her mind – is not only silly but feels like a forced attempt to give Mishti the badge of a ‘good mother’.
Bhaumik’s film continues a rich tradition of movies based mother-daughter relationships in Bengali cinema, including Aparna Sen’s Unishe April (1994) and Rituparno Ghosh’s Titli (2002).
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The Chini review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreenindia.com and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
Bangaladeshi Director, Actor Arrested for Poor Portrayal of Police in ‘Nabab LLB’
Anonno Mamun, the Bangladeshi director, was arrested on Friday along with actor Mohammed Shaheen Mridha for allegedly depicting the country’s police in a poor light in his film Nabab LLB.
According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police News (DMP), the online portal of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, a clip of the film went viral depicting a sexual assault survivor trying to file a complaint at a police station. According to the news portal, the scene depicted a police officer (played by Mridha) using vulgar gestures and offensive language while interrogating the sexual assault survivor (played by Orchita Sporshia).
Shakib Khan, a popular actor in Bangladesh, plays a lawyer in the film.
A clip depicting the interrogation scene went viral on Facebook last week after the film’s release on a local streaming platform on December 16. As per the DMP report, the police force found the clip “vulgar and offensive”. “The film with its content is not only unsuitable to be watched by families, but will also create negative perceptions about police in the public,” the report added.
The two were produced in court on Friday and were charged with “making a film with pornographic content” over a scene depicting the sexual assault.
DMP Commissioner Mohammed Shariful Islam said that the actors fashioned police uniforms without the consent of the police and portrayed them in a bad light.
A senior police officer told AFP Saturday that the film “insulted the entire force”.
“The plot is completely fabricated and unpleasant. It is based on total falsehood,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
If found guilty, Mamun and Mridha can face up to seven years in jail.
Films are usually vetted by the country’s censorship board but regulations to include streaming service content are yet to be finalised.
The arrests were denounced by rights activists, who said the film accurately depicted the struggles that sexual assault survivors face in Bangladesh.
“These arrests are nothing new but the continuation of attacks on artistic freedom,” activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin told AFP.
On October 12, Bangladesh amended its rape law, that changed the maximum punishment from life in prison to death.
Lyricist Vairamuthu to Launch a Project to ‘Raise the Standards’ of Tamil Songs
Vairamuthu, the lyricist and poet who has been accused of sexually assaulting women in the wake of the Me Too movement, announced that he will be launching a project to restore the pride of Tamil songs. According to a report by The Hindu, the lyricist, who has predominantly worked in the Tamil film industry felt that this project will raise the standards of songs in Tamil films.
The report said that Vairamuthu had claimed in a statement: “I am belling the cat. I intend to open diligently a new royal road for Tamil. A generation can travel on this.”
He said that the number of good Tamil film songs have drastically reduced in the last couple of years and blamed music directors, lyricists and directors for the current state of music.
“The violence of noise in the name of music, the molestation of language with discordant music, the artistes that are ignorant of what is happening in a song, and the meaningless lip-sync of the actresses have left lyricists like me in bewilderment, wondering if some songs need any language at all,” he said in the statement.
Reacting to The Hindu report, singer Chinmayi Sripada wondered on Twitter when he would apologise to the women that he had sexually assaulted.
Also Vairamuthu Saar’s maelaana karuthu on ‘meaningless lip sync of actresses’ leading to the ruin of the language in film songs.
Wonder when he’ll actually agree to what he did and apologise for his actions that includes threatening and molestation. pic.twitter.com/M80rRFXKJj
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) December 26, 2020
In October 2018, Vairamuthu was accused of sexually harassing multiple women in the music industry at a hostel that he ran in the Kodambakkam area in Chennai. Chinmayi had also come out and recounted her experiences with the poet and extended her support to his other victims. Since then, she has been vocal in support of the Me Too Movement.
However, Vairamuthu had denied the allegations and said that he would pursue legal action. Despite, the allegations, the poet has continued to find support and work in the Tamil film industry.
Oscars 2021: Academy Brings Back Required Reviewing System for International Film Voting Committee
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it is re-introducing its procedure of reviewing films as per groups in the international feature film category in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide a fair chance to view all films, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
As per the new norm, the voting committee will be divided into three groups, referred to as the ‘required viewing groups’, each of which will be allotted with one-third of the total pool of submissions to watch. Every member will be required to watch at least 50% of the total films allotted to that group to be eligible to vote.
According to the The Hollywood Reporter report, while members are free to watch films outside their allotted groups, these viewings will not be counted as the minimum requirement of viewings.
In the earlier format of ‘colour groups’, each group was referred by a different colour and the members’ extra views of films, that fell outside their allotted assignments, were counted along as the minimum required number of screenings. This system was abandoned for the last two years to increase participation of members, who hailed from around the world, as the submissions would require in-person screenings.
However, with the ongoing pandemic, all screenings will take place via the Academy’s members-only streaming portal, Academy Screening Room.
Despite the pandemic and with the Acaddemy’s efforts at greater inclusion, by extending the deadline from September to December 1, over 90 films have been submitted in the international feature film category.
Unlike announcing the final list of submissions, the Academy will be putting out the final list of contenders in January, as it will first confirm the eligibility of all the submitted films. This comes as a step in a scenario where a film can qualify only if it releases by December 31 (a) outside of the country of origin for seven consecutive days or (b) if a planned theatrical release in their own country was prevented by government-mandated theater closings, via a reputable streaming service.
However, some members have told The Hollywood Reporter “that more titles haven’t been made available to them sooner”.
The shortlist preliminary voting will begin on February 1, 2021 and end on February 5, 2021.
From among the 819 members, Indian actors Alia Bhatt and Hrithik Roshan and filmmakers Nishtha Jain, Shirley Abraham and Amit Madhesiya will also feature on the voting board of the Academy in 2021.
Happy Birthday: Salman Khan
Sebastian P.C. 524: First Glimpse of Tamil-Telugu Bilingual Film Released
Sebastian P.C. 524, the upcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual film starring actors Kiran Abbavaram, Namratha Darekar, Komalee Prasad, and Rohini Raghuvaran, released a teaser (or as the team called it, a first glimpse) on Christmas Day on Friday on social media.
Lead cast members Kiran and Komalee talked to Silverscreen India about how the film brings in new and surprising characters to Tamil and Telugu cinema audiences.
Kiran, who plays a police officer, said, “I think it is the first time that a film in Telugu or Tamil cinema is touching upon this issue of night blindness suffered by a police officer. This is also the first time that I am playing such a role and it is very challenging for me as a new actor.”
This film will mark his debut in the Tamil film industry. He said, “I am looking forward to debut in Tamil as I really love Tamil films. I like the way they shoot the films there, and how they are received by fans. I like the whole cinema culture there.”
Kiran said he was such a huge fan of Tamil films, that he used to travel from Hyderabad to Tamil Nadu just to watch them.
Talking about how he prepared for his role, he said, “I used to look at the scorching sun so that I could train with the vision loss that is characteristic of [my character] the police officer. I read various articles on night blindness and did a lot of research. I observed blind people and how their eyes looked.”
Happy and excited for the big launch of this tiny yet intense glimpse of #SebastianPC524https://t.co/COi4NCX7ea
Wishing the whole team all the very best!@kiran_abbavaram @EliteGroupOffcl @balu_Tatwamasi @komaleeprasad #Namratadarekar @GibranOfficial @Ticket_Factory
— LAVANYA (@Itslavanya) December 25, 2020
The film is written and directed by Balaji Sayyapureddy.
According to Komalee, the film is not just hero-heroine-centric. She said, “I would call it a dark crime comedy and it is not a regular format. I don’t want to reveal much but my role will come as a surprise in the film.”
Speaking about her character, she said her role was highly “performance-oriented”. She said, “I play a village girl. Coming from an ultra-modern lifestyle, the character was a contrast to what I’m used to.”
Komalee, who was a doctor before she went into acting, said, “The director [Balaji Sayyapureddy] is very passionate and he has already become one of my favourite directors to work with.”
Shooting began on December 2 in Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh. According to Kiran, about 80% of filming has been completed. Komalee said some of her portions were still left to be shot.
Publicity manager for the film Surendra Kumar Naidu told Silverscreen India, “Roughly around 10 days of shooting is left to be done.”
He said, “We released the glimpse of the film on Christmas since the title character’s birthday falls on that day.”
The film is produced by Pramod and Raju and will be co-produced by Siddareddy B. The film’s music will be composed by Ghibran. This film marks Ghibran’s comeback to Telugu films after the 2019 action thriller film Saaho. Raj K Nalli is the film’s cinematographer, Viplav Nyshadam is the editor and Kiran Mamidi is the art director.
Sebastian P.C. 524 is scheduled to release in theatres in the summer of 2021.
Coolie No. 1 Review: David Dhawan Remakes a Popular 90s Comedy Sans All the Humour
Director: David Dhawan
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, Paresh Rawal, Javed Jaffrey, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav
Not every day does one get to begin a movie review with a mention of Mattupetti Machaan (1998), a Malayalam comedy directed by Jose Thomas, a favourite guilty pleasure of the generation of Malayalis that grew up in the 90s. In the film, Baiju Santhosh plays a porter who pretends to be a millionaire businessman to fool a nouveau riche man and marry his daughter. Asked about work, Baiju dramatically removes his sunglasses, throws his eyes at the sky and replies, “I have been travelling far and wide.. Countries like American, Japan, India..” and then he switches to his real self and starts reciting names closer home. “..Palayam, Thampanoor, Poojappura..” Without a loud background score and over-the-top facial expressions, the scene manages to be hilarious, all thanks to its groundedness. The film is loosely inspired by Santhana Bharathi’s Chinna Mappilai (1993), the same film that was remade into Hindi by David Dhawan as Coolie No. 1 in 1995, starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor. Mattupetti Machaan, like Chinna Mappilai, is no classic or a cultural milestone, but a mild and harmless comedy that hit the right spots.
Dhawan’s 1995 film was shouldered by Govinda, a star whose appeal defies all logical explanations. His expressions and Bhagwan Dada-inspired dance moves are rustic but at the peak of his career, they could redeem the silliest of movie plots. In the reboot version, starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, you see inanity in its ugly, entirety because the film lacks a star who could do anything yet be an audience’s favourite. Varun Dhawan makes a sincere attempt at cracking the Govinda code and emulating the madness of the 90s. He tries all the tricks in his book ﹣he impersonates the 90s’ superstars, does heroic stunts like jumping from 20ft to save a kid from a railway track, and at one point, he dresses up as a woman and flirts with Paresh Rawal ﹣but he cannot save the film from being an insufferable disaster.
Also, bringing back the 90s isn’t a job the music and production departments can do on their own. Rumi Jaffrey’s screenplay has an inconsistent relationship with the time the film is set in. At one point, the hero, Raju (Varun Dhawan) makes a reference to Covid-19 virus. But nowhere in the film do the characters use mobile phones or the internet like ordinary people living in 2020. Raju, a railway porter, and Jai Kishen (Javed Jaffrey), a marriage broker, create an elaborate plot to get Sara (Sara Ali Khan), a rich girl, married to the former. They don’t get caught for a long time because the film tweaks logic to an unreasonable extent.
There are one-liners, comic setpieces and repartees aplenty. Johnny Lever’s police inspector breaks into a dance at the oddest situations. Rawal’s rich Goan hotelier likes to speak in rhymes (“heaven on the docks, packs all your frocks!”). Humour, one must agree, is a subjective thing. But the audience would agree in unison that the jokes in Coolie No. 1 are brutally unfunny and the one-liners, barely memorable. Khan is torn between using her instincts and blindly giving in to the film’s goofy style. Her performance as the sweet and gullible rich girl isn’t remotely believable.
The same could be said about the film’s portrayal of the coolie community it pretends to pay homage to. Raju, the film says in its title sequence, is an “accidental porter” who, as a little boy, was separated from his mother when he wandered into a railway platform from a parked train. Thus, the film carefully removes him from the rest of the members of his class. After mocking the porter profession, mostly by bad imitation, for 145 minutes, the film uses a truck full of porters in the final sequence to fake-salute them.
While Bollywood’s endeavour to reboot the 90s is not a bad idea, trying to scale the legacies built on talent and time by stars, like Govinda and late Kader Khan, using the devices they had an expertise in, is a fatal mistake the industry can’t afford to make in this OTT world.
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The Coolie No. 1 review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreenindia.com and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
Bhoomi Trailer Starring Jayam Ravi, Niddhi Agerwal
Movie – Bhoomi
Starring: Jayam Ravi, Nidhi Aggerwal, Ronit Roy, Sathish, Thambi Ramaiah, Dato Radha Ravi, Saranya Ponvannan & Others
Director Lakshman
Producer: Sujatha Vijaykumar
Co Producer: Yalini Manoharan
Writer: Lakshman & Chandru
Music: D Imman
Cinematographer: Dudley
Editor: Ruben & John Abraham
Art director: Durairaj
Lyricists: Thamarai Madan Karky
Stunt master: Stun Siva
Project Designer: Anusha Vijaykumar
Choreographers: Brinda, Sheriff
Costume Designers: Anu Parthasarathy, Nithya
Sfx: Sethu
Dolby Atmos Mix: T Udhaya Kumar
Vfx: Fazil
Production Executive: Sakkarathalvar
Production Controller: V. Srinivasan
Makeup: Ramakrishna
Making & Stills: Amir
Costumer: Selvam
Promotions: Shiyam
PRO: Nikil
Designer: NT Prathool
Executive Producer: S Sudharshan
Music Label – Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd.
Oru Pakka Kathai Review: Biting Commentary from a Director in Form
Director: Balaji Tharaneetharan
Cast: Megha Akash, Kalidas Jayaram, Lakshmi Priya Menon
There is a one liner in Balu Mahendra’s Sathi Leelavathi that goes,”Appa illama naa epdi? Avatharama?“. That’s Balaji Tharaneetharan’s Oru Pakka Kathai in one line.
The film opens with a middle-class household in Triplicane (much can be read into the choice of this multicultural old Madras town), a family of believers. The husband and wife are listening to a kathakalakshepam – insisting the Brahmin storyteller to expand on Bhagavatham – with a small attentive crowd of friends and neighbours. Balaji opens with a tracking shot as we go past them into the room belonging to the two daughters, the college student Meera (Megha Akash) and her younger sister. We are also introduced to a subplot of a kid living upstairs who believes he is god’s incarnation on earth, like Krishna of Bhagavatham. Meera is dating Saravanan (Kalidas Jayaram), their respective families are aware and waiting for Saravanan to get a job. His parents are believers too, they stand in queue to meet a godman, one whom central ministers and the Prime Minister patronise (cheeky how offhand this information is tossed at us). We then see Saravanan and Meera together and she plants a kiss on his cheek. She misses her period.
The one line reference is not the only Balu Mahendra-esque touch in Oru Pakka Kathai. Balaji’s frames and aesthetics are incredibly authentic, the actors devoid of facial embellishments and he films much of the first half within this tiny household. Handheld camera takes us through rooms, as we follow Meera and her mother (a superb Lakshmi Priya Menon). There is palpable tension in the air and Oru Pakka Kathai breathes in silence, only the background score for company. Everything is conveyed through visuals. For example, during the kathakalakshepam, Meera’s mother notices that she has left her college ID which probably means she’s skipping class to meet Saravanan. This adds to her concern when Meera informs her that her period is four days late. From here, the interiors of the house brim with anxiety, visible on the mother’s face, veiled in Meera’s. There is more to the visual flair. Sethu confides to his classmate in school that he is an avatharam, god among mortals. Seconds before this, we see the classmate playing with his pencil, the sharp end directly pointing into the camera at us, he is holding them so close to his eyes and we all know what that can do. That’s the moment the classmate (his forehead smeared with sandalwood) becomes a believer in Sethu.
Such is Balaji’s control over his material that the film never tips towards satire but stays focused on its commentary on religion and Brahminical ideologies (notice the accents). Sethu’s friend/devotee becomes more rabid than Sethu himself. Sethu wonders if he is a god, there must be evil to vanquish – god’s lone purpose to exist. The film is never not serious (even gets darker towards the end) though it packs in as much black humour as possible.
There are many throwaway moments like a regressive male RJ apologising – “eppovum pola oru flow la solliten”. Meera gets pregnant (you knew that, right?) and the two male doctors declare that she is weak (to nudge the families against abortion) and if the pregnancy is aborted, her future is at risk. The second doctor is judgemental to boot. Saravanan and Meera finally go to Dr Valliammai, the only doctor – a woman – who asks them all the relevant questions without prejudice.
The two people who talk in progressive terms in the film – the woman ob-gyn and a lawyer who shows up in the latter half when matters take legal recourse – have the same Buddha statue in their offices. An incarnation like Krishna himself or Meera (a name relevant to the Hindu devotee of Lord Krishna) as Madonna with her child (she goes to ‘Christ’ College!) shores up the underlying hypocrisy in religiously motivated beliefs. This film might invite questions on whether it is anti-abortion (but with an abortion, there is no film) but it wants you to wonder about the very ambiguity – “oh dear, how can you kill a life, it’s a sin!” “But then, it is a virgin birth, god’s own miracle child, do not abort!”
This was supposed to be Balaji’s sophomore film after his rollicking debut, and we can see that the light handling of a dark subject has gradually transformed into something more daring. It doesn’t even get preachy and is backed by solid filmmaking – a particular Gunaa like 360 degree shot that tracks an argument. Again, minimal dialogues, punchy visuals, great returns.
If only this film had released on time with better publicity backing it instead of this last minute 2020 OTT push on Zee5.
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The Oru Pakka Kathai review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreenindia.com and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
After ‘Oru Pakka Kathai’ Finally Releases, Filmmakers Say, “A Burden Is Relieved”
Oru Pakka Kathai, the Tamil film starring Megha Akash and Kalidas Jayaram, released on Friday on OTT platform Zee5, after a delay of four years. Speaking to Silverscreen India, director Balaji Tharaneetharan and co-producer KS Sivaraman said it was as if a burden had been lifted.
Balaji Tharaneetharan, who wrote the film (reviewed here) in 2014, said, “We started the schedule on December 14, 2014 and it ended on June 15, 2015. In a span of six months, we finished the movie with a few schedule breaks. Shooting took 48 days. And after that the post-production ended in 2016. So, practically, the movie was finished in 2016.”
KS Sivaraman said that there had been no major reason for the film’s delay, but the certification process itself took seven to eight months after the post-production ended.
Now that the film has finally released, he said, “I am proud of releasing this film irrespective of whatever damage it cost me, financially, emotionally, or mentally, because it is a good film. And now we are free of the burden because the reception has been good and there are good reports (about the film). We have no regrets. Ultimately, everyone’s work is being recognised.”
But, said Sivaraman, at the end it had to be a digital release. He said, “Who will bear the costs and what is the guarantee of return? It is not a star-studded movie that will have a 100% audience. It is more of a content-driven film. Because every film needs a distributor, who will have to buy the film from us.”
For director Balaji Tharaneetharan, the fact that the film hadn’t released did not sit well with him all these years. He said, “You make a film and it does not release and in my mind, I am attached to that film.”
Balaji wrote the film in 2014, inspired by something he had read in the news. However, he indicated that disclosing what that news was, would spoil “the first 10 minutes of the film”.
Balaji said Oru Pakka Kathai was “about normal people facing an abnormal situation”. He said, “How they will understand it and what all will they do?”
Unlike his earlier films, Oru Pakka Kathai “cannot be categorised in a particular genre,” he said. “There’s humour, there are social issues, so, we can say that it is a social drama.”
His debut film, Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom, was a comedy drama. Although he worked on Oru Pakka Kathai after that, Seethakaathi (2018) ended up becoming his second release.
Balaji is also writing the dialogues for actor Vijay Sethupathi‘s upcoming film Tughlaq Durbar.
He said, “Actually, at the end of the day, I have to survive. So, I can’t keep on waiting. I have to do other work. After finishing Seethakathi also, my thought was still around Oru Pakka Kathai. So, finally my burden is relieved.”
Oru Pakka Kathai has been produced by KS Sreenivasan under the banner Vasan Visual Ventures.
Tuck Jagadish: Nani Shares First Look, Film to Release in Theatres in April 2021
Actor Nani shared the first look of Tuck Jagadish, his upcoming Telugu film, on Friday. The makers of Tuck Jagadish also announced it will release in theatres in April 2021.
Nani shared his character’s name – Jagadish Naidu, who is also called Tuck Jagadish. The film also stars Ritu Varma and Aishwarya Rajesh. Supporting cast members include Jagapathi Babu, Nasser, Daniel Balaji, Tiruveer, Rohini, Devadarshini, and Praveen.
Tuck Jagadish is releasing in theatres at a time when theatres across the country are struggling to make ends meet. Single-screen cinema halls in Hyderabad are being rented by Amazon to be used as godowns, theatre associations told Silverscreen India.
Due to the 50% occupancy, many film producers are also hesitant to bring forward their films for a theatrical release. Sai Tej’s Solo Brathuke So Better that released in theatres on Friday, was the first Telugu big-budget film to hit the theatres during the pandemic. The Andhra Pradesh government last week announced a restart package for theatres, including waiving off the electricity charges for theatres for the months of April, May and June. Zero-interest working capital loans of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh have also been introduced for theatre owners to help them get back on their feet. Telangana is yet to announce such a package for the theatres in the state.
Speaking with Silverscreen India about how such big film releases will impact theatres in Telangana, Balwant Singh, the founder of Kauphy Cinemas in Hyderabad, says that the impact of a single film cannot be assessed without looking at the box office numbers and that they will have to wait for a few days after its release. Assuring that OTT platforms can never have the upper hand over theatres, he said, “Today, we had Wonder Woman releasing which will help the industry come out with better content. Even if you bring Wonder Woman online, I will prefer to watch it in theatre as it requires a large screen experience.”
Balwant agreed that the situation has been bad for theatres in Telangana and said, “If two-three big movies come then the audience will also come and everything will get settled. What we need now is big actors coming and delivering some blockbusters.”
The film was originally slated for a summer 2020 release. Shooting had been nearly completed but had to be halted due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The team later resumed shooting in October.
Tuck Jagadish is produced jointly by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi under the Shine Screens Banner. While SS Thaman has scored the music for the film, Prasad Murella has handled the cinematography. Prawin Pudi will handle the editing and Sahi Suresh the art. The fight sequences have been handled by Venkat.
Tuck Jagadish marks the second film being made by Nani and director Shiva Nirvana after the 2017 hit Telugu romantic comedy film Ninnu Kori.
‘Solo Brathuke So Better’ Director Subbu Says He is Overwhelmed by Audience Response to Film’s Release
Solo Brathuke So Better, the Telugu romantic comedy film starring actors Sai Dharam Tej and Nabha Natesh that released in theatres on Friday, got an “overwhelming” response on the first day, the film’s director Subbu told Silverscreen India.
Solo Brathuke So Better is the first big-budget Telugu film to release in theatres since the Centre allowed cinema halls to reopen after the Covid-19-related lockdown was gradually lifted in the country.
Subbu, who watched his directorial debut in Hyderabad’s single-screen Sudharshan Theatre, said: “I felt ecstatic when I entered the theatres after months together, and moreover, this is my film, so I feel happier than ever.”
“I believe that whatever I wanted to deliver through the script has been successfully done. I had written a few scenes keeping the entertainment quotient in mind, and it got delivered exactly. I got an overwhelming response from the audience. Emotionally too, they connected with the characters,” Subbu said.
The film was earlier slated to release on May 1. Shooting began in November 2019 but had to be halted this year in March when the lockdown was implemented, which delayed the release. The shooting later resumed in September and was wrapped up in 10 days.
Solo Brathuke So Better is jointly produced by BVSN Prasad, under the banner of Sri Venkateshwara Cine Chitra, and Zee Studio Association. While cinematography has been handled by Venkat C Dilip, Naveen Nooli was in charge of editing. S Thaman has composed music.
While talking about how Solo Brathuke So Better became the first major film to be released in theatres during the pandemic, he said, “Today, I can understand why the film could not release on May 1, since December 25 was waiting to happen. I got great support from Sai Dharam Tej sir. He stood by my side like a brother and supported me throughout the process. He understood my tension and was very comfortable working with him. I could see the fruits of hard work today.”
Talking about the film’s release, Hyderabad-based film critic Jeevi, who saw the film at PVR Nxt of Galleria Mall in Hyderabad, said: “This is like a restart for Telugu films. I am used to watching films in theatres that has been deprived for nine months. It is nice to watch a commercial film in theatres with the crowd and the theatrical effects and sounds. In commercial films, the emotions of the co-audience are what contributes 50% of the film’s experience. When watching a commercial film or an entertainer, the experience is much better in theatres than at home.”
https://twitter.com/idlebrainjeevi/status/1342326954989678592/photo/1
Talking about occupancy in theatres, he said: “It was 50% full, which is technically house full since that is the permitted capacity. It was a good experience since it is spacious due to social distancing and the seating was designed like a chessboard with alternative seating.”
The Telangana government announced its decision to reopen cinema halls that fall outside Covid-19 containment zones with 50% seating capacity from November 23. Announcing relief measures for the Telugu film industry, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had assured to waive off electricity charges in cinemas and theatres. Films made under a budget of Rs 10 crore would be exempted from the State Goods and Services Tax. In a similar measure, in December, the Andhra Pradesh government, headed by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, also announced a restart package and waived off fixed electricity charges for April, May, and June. The package also included working capital loans, a moratorium on EMIs, and interest subvention.
Apart from Solo Brathuke So Better, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma‘s Murder, which released on Thursday, is also running in theatres.
Jug Jugg Jeeyo: Neetu Kapoor Wraps Up Shoot for Upcoming Hindi Film
Neetu Kapoor, the Hindi actor who is making a comeback with the upcoming Hindi film Jug Jugg Jeeyo, announced on Thursday that she has wrapped up shooting for the film.
Neetu Kapoor took to Instagram and shared the news, along with a video from the set.
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Dharma Productions, the film’s producer, also took to Instagram and posted a video of Neetu Kapoor’s last day on the set. Co-star Varun Dhawan called her a “rockstar” in the video and hailed her as the “strongest person” on the set.
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It was during this film’s shoot that Neetu Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and the film’s director Raj Mehta tested positive for Covid-19. The Chandigarh schedule was supposed to last for 40 days, till December 24, but due to the actors testing positive, the schedule ran almost two weeks late.
Last week, Raj Mehta announced on social media that the cast and crew had resumed shooting.
This project will mark Neetu Kapoor’s comeback to films after eight years. Her last film was Besharam, with her son Ranbir Kapoor in 2012. It also marks Mehta’s second directorial venture after the 2019 film Good Newwz. A report in Mumbai Mirror quotes a source saying that the film revolves around a North Indian family and the “strained relationship” of the older couple. Produced by Dharma Productions, Jug Jugg Jeeyo also stars actors Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and YouTuber Prajakta Koli. The story revolves around two married couples across two generations – one couple played by Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani, and the other couple played by Anil Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor.
While Neetu Kapoor has wrapped up her portions, the rest of the cast are still busy shooting for the film in Patiala. According to the report in Mumbai Mirror, the cast and crew will be shooting briefly in Mumbai and also abroad, after their Chandigarh schedule.
Actor Rajinikanth Hospitalised After Severe Fluctuations in Blood Pressure; Condition Stable, Say Doctors
Rajinikanth, the veteran Tamil actor who was hospitalised at the Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad on Friday morning after “severe fluctuations” in his blood pressure, is currently stable and resting. Speaking with Silverscreen India, Srinivasulu, the PRO of Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, said that Rajinikanth is feeling well and there is nothing to worry about at present.
According to a statement issued by the hospital, Rajinikanth was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation of his blood pressure fluctuations.
Srinivasulu said, “He has high blood pressure and to control the blood pressure he has been brought to the hospital. The doctors are trying to get the blood pressure fluctuations to subside. The doctors have said that he needs a lot of rest, and nobody should disturb him either through phone calls or by hospital visits, as that will hamper his recovery.”
Asked about when Rajinikanth might be discharged, Srinivasulu said, “It depends on how fast he recovers. Normally, he should get discharged by today evening or tomorrow morning at the earliest.”
On December 3, Rajinikanth had announced that he was going to launch his own political party in January 2021 and that he would announce the date of the launch on December 31, 2020. He also said that he would complete the remaining 40 per cent shooting for his film with director Siva, Annaatthe and that his political work would not hinder the shooting for the film, as it was his “duty to complete it”.
Rajinikanth subsequently left for Hyderabad on a chartered flight on December 13 to resume shooting for the film.
However, shooting came to a halt after four crew members tested positive for Covid-19 on December 23. Rajinikanth and the other cast members tested negative.
Apollo Hospital has now confirmed that he tested negative on December 22 and that apart from the blood pressure fluctuations and exhaustion, Rajinikanth has not shown any other symptoms and is hemodynamically stable (that is, his blood pressure and heart rate are stable).
Actor Ranbir Kapoor Will Begin Shooting For Sandeep Vanga’s Next in 2021
Ranbir Kapoor, the Hindi actor, announced in an interview that he will begin shooting for director Sandeep Reddy Vanga‘s next film in 2021. Kapoor was speaking with film critic Rajeev Masand in a video interview on December 24.
Kapoor, whose last release was Sanju in 2018, will also begin shooting for director Luv Ranjan‘s next film in 2021. The actor said he would begin shooting for Ranjan’s film from January 5. Ranjan, who has previously directed Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety had announced his film back in 2019. However, the untitled film has been on hold for a year-and-a-half now, said Kapoor in the interview.
Ranjan’s film also stars Shraddha Kapoor. This will be Kapoor’s first film opposite Shraddha Kapoor.
Kapoor’s film with Vanga is said to be a crime drama. According to a report in Tollywood.net, the film has changed its title from Devil to Animal. Vanga decided to change the title as Devil had already been registered with producer Sajid Nadiadwala, who plans to use the title for the sequel of Kick, his film with Salman Khan, said the report.
Responding to reports that he has been signed for director Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s upcoming film – a Baiju Bawra biopic – as a medieval musician, Kapoor said, “I haven’t been offered any film from him (Sanjay Leela Bhansali).”
Speaking about the two large-scale productions Brahmastra and Shamshera, that he has been working on for almost three years now, Kapoor said that he has “already forgotten” what he did on those films. “I’m already onto my next [film] now. Of course, they’re very exciting films. I’ve given a lot to them,” he said, adding that the years he spent working on them were “very rough”.
Kapoor said that his film with Vanga, who has previously directed Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh, “will start sometime mid-next year”.
My Dear Lisa Trailer Starring Vijay Vasanth, Chandini
My Dear Lisa is an upcoming Tamil Horror Movie written and directed Ranjan Krishnadevan. It features Vijay Vasanth & Chandini Tamilarasan in the lead roles.
Star Cast: Vijay Vasanth, Chandini Tamilarasan
Written & Directed by Ranjan Krishnadevan
Music : DM.Udhayakumar
Re-Recording: Harish Surender
D.O.P : Saajan PJ
Editor : Karthik Ram
PRO : Selva Ragu
Producer : Ramesh Reddy
Banner : Srinidhi Films
Audio Label : Triple V Records
Minari: Golden Globe Shifts the American Film to Foreign Film Category, Draws Ire Over Anti-Immigrant Language Rules
The Hollywood Film Press Association (HFPA), which conducts the Golden Globe awards, received criticism after an exclusive report from Variety revealed that several film categories had been shuffled around, including that of the American film Minari, which had been moved from the Best Picture category to the Best Foreign Film category.
As per the eligibility rules, any film with 50% of non-English dialogue is eligible for the foreign film category, making the film ineligible to win the Best Musical or Comedy or Drama award. Minari had allegedly failed to meet the language criteria of having over 50% of its dialogue in English.
However, several filmmakers including Lulu Wang, have criticised the HFPA for not being inclusive of immigrant films.
Directed by American director Lee Isaac Chung, Minari revolves around the story of a Korean family that moves to America to live its ‘American Dream’. Produced by American independent entertainment company A24, the film stars Korean-American and Korean actors like Steven Yeun, Yeri HanYoun Yuh Jung, Alan Kim, and Noel Kate Jo.
Several filmmakers, primarily of Asian descent, spoke out in favour of Minari, and criticised the HFPA for what they described as “antiquated rules”. The previous edition of the Golden Globes saw Wang’s The Farewell meet with a similar fate, when it was categorised as a foreign language film, not only at Golden Globe Awards, but also at the British Academy Film Awards, the Hollywood Critics’ Association Awards, and the Chicago Film Critics’ Association.
Wang was one of the first to voice her opinion to make the rules more inclusive.
I have not seen a more American film than #Minari this year. It's a story about an immigrant family, IN America, pursuing the American dream. We really need to change these antiquated rules that characterizes American as only English-speaking. https://t.co/1NZbkJFE9v
— Lulu Wang (@thumbelulu) December 23, 2020
The film equivalent of being told to go back to your country when that country is actually America. https://t.co/kwEf8eO9v8
— Daniel Dae Kim (@danieldaekim) December 23, 2020
Earlier than this year, Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite won the Oscars for the Best Picture and Best International Feature Film. In 2019, the film won the Best Foreign Language Film Award at both the Golden Globes and the British Academy Film Awards.
Many on social media joined in the criticism, and argued that Minari was an American film and should be eligible for the regular categories.
Just for the record, Minari is an American movie written and directed by an American filmmaker set in America with an American lead actor and produced by an American production company 👀 https://t.co/6fbI7ppBPB
— Simu Liu (刘思慕) (@SimuLiu) December 23, 2020
Quick FYI: The United States has never had an official language at the federal level. https://t.co/FIdmmJWvSI
— Nyle DiMarco (@NyleDiMarco) December 23, 2020
After films are submitted in the filmmakers’ preferred categories, the 89-member HFPA votes to either accept or deny the submission.
Silverscreen India reported earlier this month, that Deepa Mehta‘s Funny Boy was disqualified from the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. As per the official release, the film was disqualified “due to the amount of English dialogue in the film. The film will now be submitted for consideration in the Best Picture and general entry categories for the 93rd Academy Awards.”
In February, the Academy Awards renamed its Foreign Film category to the International Feature Film category to promote inclusivity. Parasite became the first film to win in this category. However, to be eligible for the Best Picture Award, the film needs to have a US release by the end of the given eligibility period.
Other films, like Promising Young Woman and Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, met a similar fate with the former being switched from comedy to the drama categories. Variety reported earlier this week, Maria Bakalova, who plays the daughter of the Kazakh-American journalist Borat in the American mockumentary has been switched to the Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical category, from the makers’ submission for the Best Supporting Actress. She will be contesting for the latter at both Oscars and Screen Actors’ Guild Awards.
The makers of the 2020 American black comedy film Promising Young Woman had submitted the film in the comedy category, which stood unaccepted by the HFPA. The film was shifted to the Best Drama category. The film’s lead actor Carey Mulligan was recently awarded as the Best Actress by the Los Angeles Film Critics’ Association. The film was also bestowed the Best Picture Award by the Chicago Film Critics’ Association.
What’s New This Week: 10 Films and Shows Releasing on OTT Platforms This Week
It’s Christmas time and what better way to enjoy the festive season than by binging on some quality content? Many films have queued up to release in theatres for the festival, including Telugu film Solo Brathuke So Better, Tamil film Chiyangal, Hindi film Shakeela and DC’s Wonder Woman 1984.
However, if you have chosen not to step outside, then here are 10 films and television shows releasing on OTT platforms from December 24 to December 30.
1. Criminal Justice Behind Closed Doors – Disney Plus Hotstar (December 24)
The second season of Criminal Justice has Lawyer Madhav Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, tackling his next case. Eminent lawyer Bikram Chandra’s happy life takes a nosedive when his wife, Anuradha, stabs him.
2. AK vs AK – Netflix (December 24)
AK vs AK is a meta Hindi thriller film that revolves around filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and actor Anil Kapoor. After a public spat with Kapoor, Kashyap retaliates by kidnapping his daughter Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and films the search for her in real time.
3. We Can Be Heroes – Netflix (December 25)
Sequel to the 2005 superhero movie, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, We Can Be Heroes stars Pedro Pascal, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and YaYa Gosselin. When alien invaders capture Earth’s superheroes, their kids must learn to work together to save their parents and the planet.
4. Coolie No 1 – Amazon Prime Video (Dec 25)
Coolie No 1 is the remake of the 1995 movie of the same name, which in turn is a remake of the 1993 Tamil film Chinna Mappilai. Starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, the film is about pandit Jai Kishen, who after getting insulted by a rich businessman named Rosario, decides to teach him a lesson by getting his daughter married to Raju – a Coolie posing as a millionaire.
5. Sylvie’s Love – Amazon Prime Video (Dec 25)
Sylvie’s Love, starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha, is an American drama film that first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27. The film is about Sylvie, who has a summer romance with a saxophonist when she takes a summer job at her father’s record store in Harlem. The two reconnect years later and discover that their feelings for each other have not faded with the years.
6. Soul – Disney Plus Hotstar (Dec 25)
Pixar Animation Studios’ animated film, Soul, is about Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. However, one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. To return to his own life, Joe must team up with 22 (voiced by Tina Fey), a precocious soul, and discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
7. Shoot-out at Alair – Zee5 (December 25)
Zee5’s original Telugu crime thriller series, Shoot-out at Alair is based on real life events. Starring Meka Srikanth and Prakash Raj in the lead, the story is about Akhtar who kills a policeman every year on the day of the Mecca Masjid blasts. Very soon, Akhtar is encountered.
8. Sandwiched Forever – SonyLiv (December 25)
Directed by Rohan Sippy, this SonyLIV Original web series stars Kunaal Roy Kapur, Aahana Kumra, Atul Kulkarni, Lubna Salim, Zakir Hussain & Divya Seth Shah in leading roles. The series deals with a newly wed couple who get sandwiched between their in-laws.
9. Paurashpur – Zee5 (December 29)
Paurashpur is an erotic period drama about the mystery of the missing queens, the lust of an oppressive king, the vengeance of a rebellious queen and the wrath of a realm pushed to the edge. The film stars Shilpa Shinde, Annu Kapoor, Milind Soman, and Shaheer Sheikh.
10. Bridgerton – Netflix (December 25)
Bridgerton is a British period drama based on Julia Quinn’s romance novel series. Set in the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.
‘Katteri’ Postponed Over Covid-19 Second Wave Fears, Theatre Owners Call it Premature & Misleading
Katteri, the upcoming Tamil horror film, will not release as scheduled on December 25, amid fears of a “new threat of second wave” of Covid-19, said the film’s producers Studio Green on Wednesday.
However, the announcement has not been received well by theatre associations, who say that claims of a ‘second wave’ are misleading and will cause confusion and fear. Stating that there has been no official announcement on any second wave, theatre owners say that Katteri’s release was delayed for internal reasons that had nothing to do with Covid-19.
According to Studio Green’s statement, “Considering the new threat of the second wave and having every one’s safety in mind we as a production house have the responsibility to take precautionary action since we are in uncertain times and situation right now. Taking into consideration of hundred’s of technician’s and craftsmen’s hard work not getting show cased well. We regret to inform you that we are postponing the release of our Tamil feature film “KATTERI” in theatres for now.”
The studio said that the film would “surely be out soon on theatres as the situation gets better and the threat gets dissolved”.
However, speaking to Silverscreen India, Srither S, joint secretary of Tamil Nadu Theatres Association said, “The reason to postpone this film which they have cited as due to corona’s second wave, is not the correct one. They have their own separate agenda. They have not released the film due to personal problems. The ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) has not warned us about the second wave in India as yet.”
Srither, however, refused to comment on what that agenda could be.
Srither said that the film Wonder Woman 1984 saw a good collection on Wednesday in Tamil Nadu theatres. He said, “We completely reject the indefinite release by Gnanavel Raja [founder of Studio Green].”
He said that the postponement would not overly affect theatres, but it would mislead people and create confusion. “I have no qualms over people not visiting the theatres due to the announcement, But, Gnanavel Raja’s is a reputed producer and this announcement will create confusion among people. In my opinion, this is wrong,” he said.
Echoing the same thoughts, Tiruppur Subramaniam, president of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association said, “They have said that the release has been postponed due to Covid-19 second wave. This is a lie. The Centre and State government have not told us anything about it. It creates fear among people and this is wrong. It affects every business, not just cinema.”
Katteri is written and directed by Deekay, with Vignesh Vasu as cinematographer and Praveen KL as editor. It stars actors Vaibhav, Varalakshmi Sarathkumar, Ponnambalam, Karunakaran, John Vijay, Mime Gopi, and Jangiri Madhumitha, among others.
The new release date of Katteri has not yet been announced.
AK vs AK Review: Anurag Kashyap Holds Establishment Hostage in Motwane’s Interesting Thriller
Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Yogita Bihani, Harshvardhan Kapoor
In Vikramaditya Motwane’s Netflix film AK vs AK, the new Bollywood holds the old Bollywood hostage. It pits Anil Kapoor, the actor, against Anurag Kashyap, the filmmaker. Written by Avinash Sampath, the film has everyone playing themselves with cameos from Harshvardhan Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja. Even actor Yogita Bihani plays Yogita, a film student.
A talk show between the filmmaker and the actor goes awry and we are soon given a satirised lowdown of the coverage of the aftermath. Kashyap is condemned and exiled from the industry – equivalents of which he’s experienced in reality to varying degrees. (“Kashyap has been demonetised”, someone says). Only AK vs AK doesn’t differentiate between reel and real. That’s Kashyap. That’s Kapoor. The independent maverick-turned-industry insider. The legendary actor who’s probably mouthed jhakaas more often than he’s said ma. Kashyap pretends to be the actor and comes up with a plan to get back at the star. Or rather his apprentice Yogita does, to film a reality show as cinema, after kidnapping Sonam and making her father find his daughter before sunrise.
True to form, there are several shots of Versova, the self-made hub of Hindi independent cinema, sometimes even used as a collective term to represent everyone that came along with and after Kashyap. Motwane belongs to the club and as a larger exercise, AK vs AK makes for an intriguing study of their dysphoria in replacing this dominion, like the Kapoor family soaked in the history of Hindi film industry from the days of Prithviraj Kapoor, with a world they could create from scratch – something they’ve achieved over the years. At this time of push back against Bollywood, AK vs AK is a thought experiment filmed in real time, or at least offering an illusion of the same. In AK vs AK, the privileged industry insider is brought down on all fours, as he is forced to hustle again. It takes the actor across Mumbai to its original studio locations away from the gentrified outer city. Bombay Central, Grant Road and Byculla in addition to the current suburbs of glitz – his palatial bungalow in Juhu or Kashyap’s own apartment in Versova and Goregaon.
AK vs AK plays on the eternal image of Kapoor, reminiscent of his many films from the mid-80s to early 90s, where revenge makes the entire plot structure. And the film flips that narrative with an outsider (not anymore but let’s go with it for now) filmmaker taking revenge on a star who wouldn’t give him an inch of respect. Kapoor is even reduced to the fate of the roles the women in those 80s films – like Mohini or Seema, he must dance in front of a raucous crowd to get to Sonam as soon as he can.
In some ways, AK vs AK is anti-Ugly, Kashyap’s 2014 film, with the kidnapping of a daughter as its central plot while it outlines the depravity of the adults around the child. Here, too, there are chases, someone is hit by a car during a chase and another person grows tired in the middle of a chase a la Black Friday. In this film, it is a clash between hegemonic industry veterans and a face representing the new entrants, those without forefathers in the cine world laying bare the depravity of a nepotistic world. The promotions and inside jokes might suggest that the art is going against the commercial, but the film is self-aware enough not to make this pretentious point. It understands that Kashyap wrote sabka badla lega tera Faizal, not far from the zip code of 80s revenge saga or the 70s Bachchan films.
Motwane finds his moments. In Bhavesh Joshi, he had Harshvardhan in a bike chase that takes him to railway stations with the bike taking a ride on the train at one point. Motwane makes Kapoor go after someone on a train and this stretch is nerve-racking, not because of the chase but for the huffing and puffing that Bihani does as she carries the camera and runs after Kapoor, who is running after a suspect.
The director and the actor-director make enough jokes about the industry and to their credit, can laugh at themselves too. A visibly high Harshvardhan takes a swipe at Motwane for his sophomore film. Playing himself, Harshvardhan somehow comes off as even more disagreeable on screen. We are shown right off the bat that Kashyap is sleeping with Bihani, whom he introduced to Kapoor as a film student. Disturbing and problematic? Yes. Too real and unsurprising in an incestuous industry? Also, yes.
Motwane seems trapped in these small scale, gimmicky experiments that aren’t unrewarding but makes one long for the ambitious scope of his first two films. Running about 108 minutes, AK vs AK still feels longer than it should be, some of the scenes stretching to make a point. It’s tempting to read into lines like “Versova mere plan mein nahin tha sir” or “script hijack kar liya” or even “read the script” shoving bound pages at the actor. But the littler moments stand out – like when a taxi driver asks Kapoor for his Rolex in exchange for information. Kapoor pauses for a moment before handing it over, as if his name and privilege is worth more than his daughter’s life.
Motwane and Sampath end on an ambiguous note too. Is it even possible to dislodge an authority established over decades?
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AK vs AK is streaming on Netflix.
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The AK vs AK review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Silverscreenindia.com and its writers do not have any commercial relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.
Actor Vishal Krishna Directed to Repay Rs 50 Lakh to Financier Vijay Kothari
Vishal Krishna, the Tamil actor, has been directed by a lower court in Chennai to repay Rs 50 lakh that he had borrowed from financier Vijay Kothari
A press note issued by an additional city civil court said that Vishal had borrowed Rs 50 lakh for the shoot of Tamil action film Sandakozhi 2, co-produced by the actor himself under his banner of Vishal Film Factory in 2008.
Kothari’s complaint filed a complaint against Vishal and his producer brother Vikram Krishna, who failed to repay the amount along with 24% interest, as stated in the promissory note.
Failing to repay the amount, Vishal produced a letter in March 2015, acknowledging the debt. Though the actor gave a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to settle the dues in April 2018, he mentioned that “the cheque need not be presented till such (before the release of the film) time”.
After Vishal advertised for the film’s release on 18, March 2018, Kothari claimed to have contacted him several times, but the actor had allegedly avoided him. After Vishal failed to keep his word several times, Kothari filed a complaint in the court seeking interim relief to “direct the defendants to furnish security and on failure to order attachment of the film ‘Sandakozhi 2’. Hence the suit.”
In return, Vishal and his brother sought “unconditional leave” to defend the suit filed against them, denying all the allegations mentioned in the complaint and urged that “they must be given a chance to contest the same” and have claimed to have repaid the entire amount.
Advocate G Surya Narayanan, who is representing Vishal, issued an execution petition stating that Kothari had bought the media rights for his film Chakra, for which the payments were yet to be released so he should balance both the amounts and pay the remaining due.
The court has dismissed Vishal and his brother’s petitioner for failing to submit any documents that show the repayment of the amount. The court has ordered Vishal to pay Rs 50 lakh, along with an interest rate of 9% per annum from the date of filing of the suit till the date of judgement and 6% per annum from the judgement date till the date of realisation.